July 23, 1992, 6:25 PM, Village du Phantasime, France
Harry Potter
Harry bounced with nervous excitement as he and Adam stood behind Tonks while she spoke with the clerk manning one of the entrances. Surprisingly, the waiting line hadn’t been long.
Then again. Harry thought as he checked to see eight other clerks quickly and efficiently serving those who wished to see the show at various points of the tent. They are working very hard.
He wondered just how tired these people would be at the end of the day. Judging from the excited chatter he heard from inside the tent, he imagined that these workers had been on the clock for the majority of the day— either preparing for the event itself, or standing around, quickly selling tickets.
“Heer are your tickets, Meess.” The man said with an almost comical French accent. “Entry for three; meeddle row deu—two. Meeddle row two. Just peeck a spot and please go on een!”
Harry frowned as Tonks gave the man her thanks and gestured for the two boys to follow her. “Quickly now, before the show starts.”
“Hey Tonks?” Harry said as all three passed through the entrance flaps of the tent.
Tonks said something back, but Harry did not hear it. As soon as the three entered the large circus tent, they were instantly assaulted with a wall of sound. Wizards and witches of all ages and walks of life spoke all once in a discordant medley of sounds that somehow seemed harmonious at the same time.
Harry smiled, feeling himself get swept up in the cheer of the place for a moment before he felt Tonks nudging him.
“Huh?” Harry said, looking at Tonks.
“Why call for me and then not talk?” Tonks said, her voice a little raised in minor annoyance. “Come on.”
“Oh, sorry.” Harry said quickly as he and Adam followed her. “I didn’t expect there to be so many people in here. Will we have enough space to sit? That was, erm, that was what I wanted to ask.”
Adam answered his question before she could.
“I’m sure they’ve got a Space Expansion Charm or something.” Adam said, giving him a small smile and gesturing at the ceiling of the tent. “Check it out.”
Harry frowned and kept peeking up at the ceiling as they went up the stairs to get to their seats. Half a minute passed before they finally were seated, and Harry turned to Adam with a look of confusion.
“What’s to see?” Harry said. “I don’t see anything.”
Adam pointed towards one of the corners of the tent. “Just watch it for a little while— I guess you didn’t see it cause we were moving around a lot.”
Harry opened his mouth and then closed it before following his friend’s instructions. For a while, he didn’t see anything, and he was about to say something when it finally happened.
It was minute, almost unnoticeable, but Harry could’ve sworn that the ceiling and the wall expanded by an inch. A second later, it happened again. “Oh!”
“You see it now.” Adam said. “Pretty ingenious, actually.”
“Yeah.” Harry said. “I’d like to learn that.”
“Same.” Adam said. “Somehow the structure size changes to accommodate how many people are in here. I would even wager a guess that the benches extend depending on the same variable.”
“And you figured this all out from just having a look around?” Tonks said, sounding both doubtful and impressed at the same time.
“That, and it seems logical— I’ve already learned the Engorgement Charm, and this seems like a subset of that kind of magic, albeit taken to a far more complex level.” Adam said, for once not trying to insult the woman.
Of course, that only meant she would be the one to initiate, this time.
“Ravenclaws.” Tonks shook her head in exasperation. “You’re all the same. Damn bookworms.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Adam, however, was amused.
“Wasn’t meant as one.”
“Oh, don’t lie.” Adam shook his head, sending the woman a grin. “Harry, look! Tonks is my new admirer. She’s giving me compliments and everything!”
Harry turned to the boy with a mortified look. Did you really have to bring me into it, Adam? Seriously?
Adam’s gleeful, knowing smile told him everything he needed to know. Harry looked up at the ceiling of the tent, hoping whatever deity was out there would answer his call and end this ceaseless torture.
“Why, you…” Tonks shook her fist at Adam.
Before she could say anything further, the lights of the tent dimmed until they could barely see a thing. All Harry could hear were the confused chatter and murmurs of the assembled crowd.
“What’s going on?” “Did the light spells fail?” “No, dummy, the show’s got to be starting.” “Don’t call me a dummy…” “Well don’t act like—”
The center of the tent brightened all of a sudden, revealing a large, empty arena filled with sand. Harry’s eyes lit up as he leaned forward with interest.
A small sand twister formed in the arena, getting more powerful and whipping up the wind as it approached the edge of the arena.
Many gasps and cries were heard among the people, but the twister stopped feet away from them before doing a lap around the arena. Once it was done, it moved back towards the center before dying down, revealing a tall, but rotund man with big eyes, a large bushy beard and a wide smile.
“Bonjour, France!” He cried out with a booming and deep, but jovial voice. “Can you all hear me? Cheer if yes!”
The crowd began to cheer, and Harry found that, after a moment’s thought, that he was yelling along with them.
“I can’t hear you!”
The cheer came back, twice as strong.
“That’s better.” The man said, patting his flamboyantly orange and yellow robe. “Thank you all for coming. I am the Ringmaster, Secutus, and I am proud to present the beginning of tonight’s act! Are you ready?”
Cheers met his answer.
“That’s what I like to hear!” Secutus said as he paced around the small arena, stopping every few seconds to stare at individual members of the crowd as he continued to speak. “I see your excited faces, eyes full of wonder and anticipation— and you need not wait any longer, for here is the first act!”
He made a grand gesture at the center of the arena, where another twister was already forming.
“Oh, my!” Secutus said with good cheer as the small tornado doubled in size in a matter of seconds. “Any more and we’ll— oh, there it is.”
Just as he spoke, the twister suddenly died, and the grains of sand fell to the floor, revealing… a strange looking structure.
“What is that?” Harry said as he looked at the confusing spirals, interconnected tunnels and what seemed to be deep pits which lead nowhere.
“I have no idea.” Tonks murmured.
“Me neither.”
“I see many of you are confused, though I also note many knowing looks!” Secutus said as he pointed at a random person in the crowd with a smile. “Yes. Indeed, those of you who have attended our previous event know this structure well— the Grand Labyrinth.”
“Labyrinth.” Adam breathed. “So it’s a maze?”
Harry nodded; he could see it now. “A maze for what?”
“And so it is with pride that I announce the First Act: The Nifty… Niffler!” Secutus said, and didn’t give an outward reaction to the polite, but altogether tepid answer. “Please check the space in front of you: a set of modified binoculars!”
“There’s nothing in front of— oh.” Adam said lamely, pointing at the binoculars. “When’d those get there?”
“Clearly when you weren’t paying attention.” Tonks sniped but before anything could come of it, the Ringmaster continued his announcement.
“Those of you who are familiar with this particular Act know the rules, as well as the Act’s main star! The sneakiest of sneaks. The greediest of creatures!” Secutus said, patting his pockets even as his voice rose. “Ladies and gentlemen, check your pockets, because he may have already robbed you blind! The most adorable, nimble creature you’ll see tonight: Nibbly, The Niftyyy… Niffler!”
Harry looked around, making sure to check his pockets just in case when he saw a small form drop onto the Ringmaster’s head.
“Oh!” Secutus said, snatching the little furry, bluish-green creature and holding him up for everyone to see. “Here he is! Isn’t he the cutest?”
Nibbly the Niffler hid his face as the crowd ‘ooh’-ed and ‘aw’-ed at him. Harry had to admit that the little guy actually looked pretty cute despite the strange appearance. Still… A duck’s bill does not belong on this thing’s face. That’s just not right…
“Now.” Secutus said sharply, gaining everyone’s attention as he pointed towards the Grand Labyrinth. “The aim of this Act is this: adorable, cute Nibbly here will be braving the dangerous depths of the Grand Labyrinth in search of the treasure hoard at the end—a pile of gold Galleons! Please put on your binoculars now.”
He waited a moment as everyone did as he bid; Harry followed suit, and had to recoil when he saw Secutus’ face directly in front of him.
“No need to be alarmed, now!” Secutus said as the perspective moved from left and right, following Nibbly the Niffler’s movements for a moment before focusing on the man. “All of your binoculars’ views are tied to the spell I have cast. The binoculars will do the work for you in keeping up with nimble Nibbly, here. Now, for the Labyrinth.”
The vision shifted with a mesmerizing, soothing shimmer to show a small pile of Galleons— Harry estimated it to be around a hundred Galleons, easy. If Ron were here, he’d be frothing at the mouth at the sight of this much money.
Can’t all be real, can it?
“We are now at the very end of the obstacle course. Nibbly has to make it there to his treasure, all the way from…” Secutus said as the view started going backwards at a fast rate, passing left and right through twists and turns which revealed various death traps, deep pits and dead ends before everyone reached the beginning, where Nibbly the Niffler was already sitting in wait. “Here!”
The crowd began to mutter with excitement now, with a few of the girls even sounding worried. “Might be more interesting than I thought…” “Yes!” “He’s so cute!” “You think he’ll be okay? He’s so little…” “I don’t think I can watch!”
“This is gonna be good.” He heard Adam’s mutter from his right.
“Yes.” Harry agreed, grinning as the Ringmaster spoke again.
“Are you all ready?” Secutus said, paused dramatically for one moment, and shouted. “Go, Nibbly! Take what is yours!”
Before Secutus even finished speaking, Nibbly the Niffler had already scurried forward. The perspective followed closely behind the bizarre creature as it turned a corner before stopping and going flat against the floor, narrowly dodging a series of green tinted darts which thunked in the wall behind it, dissolving the stone within instants.
“Oh no!” A girl squealed in fear.
Harry’s exclamations of fears and wonder joined in with the crowd as he watched this talented, nimble little creature navigate the deadly pathways, jumping through hoops of flame, dodging swinging axes, rushing through crushing contraptions and even swinging across a lake of what seemed to be boiling acid.
“It’s still going! I’m impressed.” He heard Adam say, and it was the first time he’d ever heard the boy so enthralled by something that he, himself, wasn’t doing. “Oh crap. Dodge dodge dodge dodge— HOLY—”
“Adam, relax!” Tonks said with a bit of force. “You’re going to stress me out!”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” She said as Nibbly made a dash through a colony of engorged ants which kept trying to hem him in so that they could swarm and eat him. “Never knew Nifflers could be this… Oh, damn. There’s no way.”
Nibbly swerved, contorted and leapt over the advancing ants, only to find himself faced with yet a new challenge.
With a deadly army of insects to his back, and a set of wobbly looking platforms teetering on fine pointed stalagmites to his front, Nibbly the Niffler did not look like he had much hope.
But Nibbly’s eyes were locked onto something ahead of him, and Harry felt himself gasp as he saw the end of the course— the pile of gold waiting for the greedy little magical creature.
“There it is!” Harry said. “The treasure!”
“You can do it Nibbly!” A little girl shouted out, and the crowd followed her lead with cries of encouragement. Soon enough, the air filled with chants of “Nibbly!”
Nibbly, to his credit, paused only for a second before springing into action. He leapt towards the first platform, narrowly avoiding a rather vicious ant’s clawed leg and landing with a grace Harry had not expected of him.
Even such grace, however, was not enough to keep him stable on the teetering platform. Before it fell, Nibbly leapt to the next one, repeating the same feat at least three times before he landed on the fifth perfectly, not moving it at all.
The Niffler took a moment to rest before setting his eyes on his prize.
“Three more!” Secutus announced as Nibbly made another jump. “Can he make it?”
“Two!” The crowd shouted, announcing the creature’s success with every jump. “One!”
The final platform snapped into two, and Nibbly began to fall with the stone.
“No!” Several people cried out, but Nibbly wasn’t done. He cried loud, filling the air with his adorable quack as he leapt upwards with all of his strength. A moment later, he landed in the pile of gold, burying his face into his prize.
The entire tent broke into cheers as Harry watched the Niffler lay still within the pile of gold.
“And there you have it, folks!” Secutus cried out with joy as Nibbly the Niffler began to shove all of the gold into his pouch. “Nibbly does it again.”
“Where the Hell is he fitting all that—” Adam said and stopped and nodded. “This is great; I forgot they could do that.”
“I think he’s earned himself a nice, massive feast for the show he’s put on for everyone.” Secutus said before Harry could reply to his friend. “Haven’t you, Nibbly?”
The crowd roared their approval, and Harry almost couldn’t believe that these were the same people who hadn’t been particularly interested in the Act when it had been announced.
Just goes to show. He thought, taking his binoculars off and nodding to himself as Nibbly was taken out of the Labyrinth and handed to one of the stagehands who took him away to the cheers of the viewers. You can’t really know how amazing something is until you experience it.
“Now.” Secutus addressed the crowd as another twister appeared around the Labyrinth for a few moments before fading away, revealing nothing. “It’s time for us to begin the next Act.”
Harry took a breath and leaned forward in his seat, wondering just what it would be this time. Could it be a dragon? A griffin maybe?
“Hailing from the United States, our next performer has dazzled many wizards and witches with his quick casting, his dexterous hands, and his penchant for death defying stunts!”
The lights began to dim slightly, casting shadows into the corners of the tent again.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you… Riley Mercury!” Secutus gestured at the center of the arena, where a man was already standing.
“When did he get there?” Harry blurted out. “Did he Apparate in?”
“I don’t know.” Tonks said, sounding just as confused. “Maybe…”
“You see?” Secutus exclaimed as he hyped the crowd up. “Even his entrance is so quick that it defies our very perception! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to avoid the crossfire!”
And then Secutus Apparated with a crack, appearing on top of the empty platform that Harry had been wondering about earlier.
“So that’s what it’s for.” Adam said, getting grunts of agreement from others.
“Are you all ready?” Secutus asked, and received a cheer in return. “Begin!”
Riley gave his boss a nod before turning around to look at everyone with a wide smile. With a chiseled jawline, broad shoulders and a rugged appearance, he looked much like a hero would from the old fairy tales.
“He’s so handsome!” One of the women cried out, spurring many others to cry out his name. “Riley!”
He waved at the crowd a few more times before he produced a set of knives with a flick of the wrist. Within moments, he’d already begun to juggle them high into the air.
“Damn.” Adam said. “Wish I had that kind of hand-eye coordination.”
“I’ll say.” Harry agreed.
“But still, just knives?” Tonks said. “He’s cute, but he’s not that… What?”
She stopped speaking as a series of balloons appeared out of nowhere before they floated down into the arena.
“What’s he going to do with these?” “Throwing the knives at the balloons?” “There’s no way— while juggling them?” “Can he really do that?”
“I think I agree with the audience, Riley.” Secutus said from his platform, looking thoughtful for a moment before producing a set of sticks. “This is a little too easy for you. I’ll throw these in as well— only one of them is your wand, and you can only use that to pop the balloons!”
“What the…” “Is he serious?” The crowd murmured in incredulity at Secutus’ claims.
Riley, to his credit, only smirked and gave a nod, doing a spin as he effortlessly continued to juggle the knives.
“You’ve seen it for yourself, ladies and gentlemen; Riley’s ready for more!” Secutus tapped his own wand against the pile of sticks and began to shoot them at Riley, one by one. “Let’s see if he can handle the extra load!”
Ignoring the crowd’s gasps, Riley snatched the additional projectiles with an almost contemptuous ease, speeding up his juggling rhythm with every added item.
But how long can he keep this up? Harry thought as the man quick-shot a red beam into one of the balloons, making it explode in a shower of golden sparks. What?
“What the Hell was that?” Adam said, leaning forward with a look of deep interest. He waited for it to happen again before whistling, though the sound was drowned out by the crowd’s cheer. “His spell speed… Wow. That’s beyond ridiculous.”
“I’ll say.” Tonks said, looking just as interested. “I don’t think even Moo— my mentor— could throw a spell this fast. I know I can’t.”
Balloon after balloon popped, until Mercury was left with one.
“I don’t know…” Secutus said with a mischievous grin. “How about we have our star show off a little— what do you think everyone? How about we make Riley stop taking it easy?”
This is him taking it easy? Harry thought just as the crowd cheered again.
“The audience has spoken, Riley.” Secutus said in an expectant voice, nodding when he got confirmation from his performer. He waved his wand at the top of the tent, revealing hundreds of floating balloons above everyone. “Then stop holding back!”
A moment later, Riley began to throw all of his knives and fake-wands as high as they could go, until he had his hands on his own wand. With a flourish, he transfigured the now-falling sticks into knives to match their brothers and waited.
He let the knives get closer and closer to him as they dropped, ignoring the panicked cries of the crowd until they were mere inches from driving themselves into his body. Harry wasn’t sure what happened then, but he did know that the air filled with the sounds of popping balloons, as well as the sight of multicolor sparks everywhere.
It wasn’t until a moment later that his eyes adjusted, spotting the fast flying knives which were popping balloons in patterns he could neither recognize nor follow. And throughout it, Riley swung his wand like he was orchestrating a musical masterpiece.
The crowd continued to cheer even after the final balloon popped, and Riley recalled his knives to him from every corner of the tent.
Something strange happened then. A few feet above the man’s head, the knives collided against each other before being flung in all directions— right towards the crowd, with one coming straight at Harry.
“Harry, get—” Adam said as he and Harry tried to move down, but it was too late for that, Harry realized. He prepared himself to be impaled by the wicked sharp knife, only for it to explode in his face.
In its place was a small swarm of glowing, blue butterflies.
The crowd gasped in wonder at the sight, before cheering.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please! There is no need to be afraid! Riley Mercury would never endanger his adoring audience!” He said, grinning at the crowd above with a wink. “After all— you are the ones who make this show so special!”
“I love you Riley!” Many of the women shouted above the crowd’s cheer, but Harry’s attention was solely focused on the cute little butterfly now sitting in his palm.
“You all right, Harry?” Tonks said, getting the boy’s attention for a moment. He nodded before turning his eyes back to the butterfly. It blinked up at him, and he felt himself smile.
“That was pretty close, yeah.” Adam said, also staring at the insect.
“I think I’ll keep this one.” Harry vowed as the crowd continued to cheer for Riley’s sensational performance. “As a souvenir.”
“The Hell do butterflies eat?” Adam asked, wondering to himself. “Leaves? No, that’s when they’re caterpillars.”
“Nectar.” Tonks said, waving them down as Riley left the arena and the lights began to dim again. “Now shush, I think it’s time for the final act.”
“Outstanding performance. Riley has outdone himself again.” The ringmaster addressed the audience from his platform. “But don’t think it’s over yet: we’ve saved the best for last!”
“Better than the first two?” “I’d like to see that…” The crowd began to get excited again.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! It’s time for the act you’ve all been waiting for— the wandering wonders who amaze audiences wherever they go!” Secutus said, raising his arm up in the air as the crowd’s cheers began to rise. “Prepare yourselves for an experience like no other! Prepare yourselves for… The Harbingers of the Sun and the Moon!”
The lights continued to dim until the tent was enshrouded in pure darkness, the crowd’s cheers dying down with it. Notes from a stringed instrument began to filter through the excited whispers, gracing Harry’s ears and making him shift in his seat in anticipation.
For he saw that, with every note played, a red spark appeared and died.
“A guitar— no.” Adam murmured. “Sounds like a Japanese guitar… Shamisen, I think it’s called?”
“You certainly know your instruments, Adam.” Tonks whispered but was quickly shushed by one of the members of the crowd.
Soon after, another instrument joined fray— a flute, filling the somber note of the air with its relaxing, smooth texture. Along with it came a silvery light, swirling around the red spark in a soothing manner.
The melody rose in rhythm, turning the spark into a fully fledged golden-red flame, and the silvery light gained a bluish hue as it began to move like the stream of a river. The two elements swirled around each other, their colors melding and merging like two lovers embracing for just a few moments before disconnecting.
Over and over they swirled, turned, undulated and spiraled, drawing the appreciation of the crowd.
Harry could feel the harmony behind the display— the balance between fire and water almost giving him a glimpse of something deeper than what his eyes could perceive.
A discordant note froze both elements before the music turned erratic and chaotic. Fire and water began to move aggressively around one another, testing each other’s defenses and accentuating the melody with the sound of hisses.
“The Sun and the Moon, always in conflict.” Adam murmured, and Harry was startled when he saw that his milky eye was almost glowing.
Staring at it for a moment, Harry then turned his eyes back to the now warring golden-red flame and silvery-blue river. “But they shouldn’t be.”
Adam hummed quietly. “And yet the struggle, the conflict is built into the nature of the world…”
As if egged on by the boy’s words, the exchanges between the elements began to intensify, filling the air with the sound of sizzling steam. Through the thickening cloud, Harry saw the flame grow and morph into a monstrous dragon, while the water spiraled into the shape of a long, elegant serpent, surrounded by a river’s stream.
The two creatures engaged in furious battle with claw and fang, fire and water. Over the course of the next ten minutes, they continued their war with vicious fervor, slowly but surely reducing each other into their initial forms of spark and wisp.
Throughout this process, the music continued to die down with gradual, but inevitable purpose, bringing Harry’s soul down with it. The young boy found himself pondering the pointlessness of the struggle he was witnessing.
He did not understand why the two didn’t just exist in peace.
There was enough of the world to go around, after all. Why not share it?
Instinctively, Harry knew that this was a pointless thing to ponder. Still, he persisted. He supposed that this was his nature.
He steeled himself to watch the two elements launch their final attacks, but the moment never came. Instead, his mouth flew open slightly as the two creatures began to dance around one another once more— the air filled with the harmonious music from before.
“Cycles. Peace and war in an endless cycle.” Adam said as the two flew up to the top of the tent, almost looking as if they were peeking out into the souls of those watching them. “Harmony and discord.”
And then… they disappeared, along with the music, leaving nothing but silence.
It lasted a moment before everyone cheered and clapped.
“That was beautiful.” Tonks sniffed as the lights came back on, revealing two people in the center of the arena— a man and a woman.
“I almost cry every time I see this.” Secutus said. “Please, give it up for Blaze and Tide, the Harbingers of the Sun and Moon!”
The crowd cheered even louder as the couple smiled, waved and bowed for their audience.
“That was amazing!” “I didn’t think the other two acts could be topped, but here I am!” “Woo!” Harry heard many in the crowd crying out.
Riley, the workers and the other performers joined Blaze and Tide in the arena before finally being joined by Secutus.
“Thank you all for coming!” Secutus called out to everyone while his crew waved, smiled and bowed again. “Your presence makes this all worth it; thank you! Thank you!”
The cheering continued for a few more seconds before something strange happened.
“What the…” Adam said just as the ground began to shake. His eyes then went wide with recognition. “This feeling… shit. Brace yourselves!”
“For w—” “Langu—” He and Tonks tried to answer, but it was too late.
He felt the concussive wave blast into him with absolutely no warning, sending him crashing into the bench before him before falling to the floor.
“Harry!”
He blacked out.
The performance felt kind of awkward to read.