Unexpected Love: The Journey Begins

Written by J.C. Vascardi

-o-0-o-

Disclaimer: All characters and places featured in this story that relates to Harry Potter are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers, and Warner Brothers. I'm not profiting from this story and it is not my intent to infringe on anyone's copyright or trademark. The only things about this story that I own are the characters and storylines not featured in the books.

-o-0-o-

Chapter Twenty-Two

-o-0-o-

Chaz and Maxx each took a deep breath before they touched the portkey that would take them back to Castle Camelot. They'd stayed behind at the palace in Madrid for an hour or so after the palace staff had finished sending supplies through the Floo to Hogwarts. That time had been spent with their brother Philip, as he gave them not only a pep talk but some pointers on how to successfully rule a kingdom and empire.

True, the Iberian Viceroys had sent glowing reports of Chaz and Maxx's performance on the most recent Viceroyalty Tour. But acting as their brother's representative was not quite the same thing as acting as the Prince-Regents of Albion and Iwernia, and the greater Empire of Camelot.

On the Viceroyalty Tour, all they'd really had to do was attend a few balls, dance, pose for some pictures, and give a few speeches. And the speeches were all written for them, so all they had to do was read them. All in all, it was a pretty simple gig.

They both knew that there was a hell of a lot more work involved in being the Prince-Regents, however. Add the fact that they were obviously worried about Edward, Ramesses, and their fellow mage students and trainers, all of whom they'd gotten to know quite well after moving into Castle Camelot following their wedding to Edward, and it was understandable that they weren't really looking forward to this.

Granville Barker looked up from what he was doing as the Prince-Consorts appeared in his office, as that's where the portkey was set to take them. The surprise on his face was clearly evident, as they weren't scheduled to return for a couple more days.

"Prince Chaz? Prince Maxx? What are you doing here?" Granville asked. "I thought you'd be in Madrid for another two days?"

"That was the plan, but plans changed," Chaz said.

Maxx nodded. "Summon Tristan and tell him to meet us in the throne room."

Chaz and Maxx left the room before Granville could speak, or he might have voiced just how irregular it was for the Prince-Consorts to be summoning the royal seneschal to the throne room. They might be married to Edward, but Edward had only shared the authority that went with his crown with Ramesses, not Chaz and Maxx. So they didn't really have the authority to summon the King's right hand.

Twenty minutes later, a confused Tristan Nott walked into the throne room to see Chaz and Maxx seated on Edward's throne, which held them comfortably due to the Wizard Space charms that had been placed upon it, allowing them both to sit on it even if it wasn't technically designed for two people. The charms had been placed about three centuries ago, as one of Edward's ancestors had greatly enjoyed food… to the point that he couldn't fit his massive girth between the arms of the throne.

"Before you say anything, Tristan," Chaz said, "Yes, I know it's irregular for us to summon you anywhere."

"And even more irregular for us to be sitting in Edward's throne," Maxx added. "Given the circumstances, however, we have the right to do both."

"Circumstances?" Tristan asked.

"Edward contacted us from Hogwarts roughly an hour ago," Chaz said. "Until further notice, he's named Maxx and me as the official Prince-Regents of Albion, Iwernia, and Camelot."

"Why?" Tristan asked.

"Because Edward and Ramesses are unable to perform their duties," Maxx replied. "They're both at Hogwarts and it's now under quarantine due to a confirmed case of the Nundurian Flu."

"Oh sweet Circe and Morgana," Tristan said. "The Nundurian Flu? That's bad. Very bad."

Chaz nodded. "Indeed, it is." Knowing that as the royal seneschal that Tristan was one of the people who'd been told the state secret involving Merlin's protections, he added, "And while it is a small comfort that Edward can't die from it even if he does get it due to Merlin's protections, there is still the matter of Ramesses. And Princes Neferkamin, Djoser, Djedkare, Nerikare, and Thutmose all being at Hogwarts. Not to mention Prince Natanael and Princess Alianna."

Before Tristan could comment, Granville's voice could be heard as he yelled, "Halt! Minister, you can't go in there." As the doors opened to admit Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, Granville appeared behind him and said, "Don't make me stun you."

"It's okay, Captain Barker," Tristan said. "I'll deal with the Minister."

Taking off his bowler hat and twirling it in his hands as he approached, Cornelius said, "Most unfortunate. Truly, most unfortunate."

"What's most unfortunate?" Tristan asked, knowing that the only reason the Minister had even gotten into the room was that there weren't as many guards on duty without the King in residence. Otherwise, there'd have been guards posted outside the doors to the Throne Room, and he never would have gotten past the threshold with the Captain of the Guard telling him to halt.

"Word is that the quarantine wards have been raised at Hogwarts," Cornelius said. "The King was staying there for a few days, was he not?"

"Yes, Minister, he was," Tristan said. "And yes, that does mean that he's currently trapped behind the quarantine wards."

"As I said, most unfortunate," Cornelius repeated. "Anyway, I came in order to coordinate with you, Mr. Nott, so that I can take over the King's duties and lead our nation in this most troubling of time."

"That won't be necessary, Minister," Chaz said.

Focused on Tristan, Cornelius hadn't even noticed Chaz and Maxx in the room and while his eyes widened slightly upon seeing them sitting on Edward's throne, he didn't comment on it. Instead, he said, "The law is quite clear that in the absence of the monarch that the Minister for Magic shall take up the duties…"

Holding up his hand, Maxx said, "That law doesn't apply, Minister Fudge. As Albion is not without a monarch."

"King Edward is behind the Hogwarts quarantine wards," Cornelius argued.

"Correct," Chaz said. "However, before those wards were raised, Edward made Maxx and me the Prince-Regents, so until the quarantine is over, we're empowered to rule in Edward's place. So, you see, Minister Fudge, there's no need for you to step up and do it yourself."

Fudge huffed and looked like he was about to say something, but before he could, a small group of goblins appeared in the open doorway as Granville nodded and said, "Presenting The Most Honorable Graggott, Senior Vice President and Head Goblin of Gringotts' Diagon Alley branch, accompanied by his honor guard."

"Come forward," Chaz said, as the goblin walked into the room, right past Cornelius and Tristan, and over to the throne, as he bowed slightly, before pulling a sealed missive from his suit pocket.

"I normally would not act as a courier," Graggott said, "but under the circumstances, we believed a higher level of security was necessary."

Taking the missive from the goblin, Chaz saw that it was addressed to him and Maxx, and bore Edward's official seal pressed into the sealing wax. Maxx reached over and broke the seal before the twins unfolded it and read it quickly.

Smiling, Chaz said, "Well, it would seem that Hogwarts managed to rent a Vanishing Chest from Gringotts before the quarantine wards were raised. So, King Edward is not completely out of contact until they go down."

Maxx nodded as he gestured to the missive that Chaz was holding. "He has, however, confirmed in writing that until further notice Chaz and I are the Prince-Regents of Albion, Iwernia, and Camelot and that we are to rule in his stead until he can resume his duties. He adds that he's available to help in the event of an emergency, but fully trusts us to carry out his day-to-day duties as we see fit."

"So as you can see, Minister, there's no need for you to step up," Chaz added. "As I'm quite sure that between Maxx, Tristan, and myself, that Edward's royal duties will all be done in as timely a manner as they've been done since he resumed his royal duties earlier this year."

"As you wish, Your Highnesses," Cornelius said after a moment, clearly not happy with this turn of events, as he'd really hoped to be able to retake some of the power and authority he'd lost since Edward came out of his long exile and began doing his royal duties.

Cornelius didn't in any way miss the daily boxes full of state documents—even though he only handled the bare minimum himself, delegating the rest to his junior ministers—but he did miss being able to exercise the crown's absolute authority.

"If you need any assistance or advice, I'm available," Cornelius said.

"We'll keep that in mind, Minister," Maxx said. "Now, you're dismissed."

Cornelius sighed, as he turned and left the room, his plans thwarted.

-o-0-o-

With an outbreak of the deadly Nundurian Flu at Hogwarts, many changes were made to the day-to-day lives of those in the castle. First and foremost, the implementation of several of the plans that had been discussed to limit large groups of students from congregating together in the same place was put into effect. Mealtimes in the Great Hall were now staggered so that Gryffindors ate breakfast at seven in the morning and Ravenclaws ate breakfast at eight, with both houses spreading out among the four house tables. The two houses ate lunch at eleven and noon, and dinner at five and six, respectively.

As for the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs, they were also eating their meals at the same times as the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. The only difference was the venue, as instead of the Great Hall, they were eating in the Kitchen Hall, which was a large room in the kitchens that were directly under the Great Hall. The Kitchen Hall had copies of all four house tables and the head table and it was actually there that the house-elves working in the kitchens placed all of the food they cooked at mealtimes, which was then magically transported up to the tables in the Great Hall.

Secondly, every student was now required to drink a multi-vitamin potion after breakfast each day, not being allowed to leave their respective dining location until they'd done so. Of course, the healers had also taken over the menus and made sure that all the students were getting more healthy foods. In the past, the students could, if they chose, eat only junk food that had very little nutritional value. Now, however, the options were much healthier, specifically designed to keep the students' bodies healthy.

There had initially been a few complaints, of course, but when the reasoning was explained, most agreed that they'd rather temporarily give up junk food than catch a potentially deadly disease.

As for the students and staff of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, they'd each been given their own private dining rooms, similar to the one that connected Edward's suite to the one shared by Harry and Neville. Of course, in addition to these rooms, were also guest suites which had been prepared for the various guests who had come for the Yule Ball and had now gotten stuck behind the quarantine wards. This included the members of The Weird Sisters, who had been booked to play at the ball and had no choice but to use the Vanishing Chest to send a letter to their management telling them to cancel all of their gigs for the foreseeable future, seeing as how they couldn't leave Hogwarts Castle until the quarantine was over.

Another change since the quarantine began was that Filius, with help from Minerva, had walled off the normal entrance to the Hospital Wing. This was done in order to increase security around the wing to make it harder for those who weren't sick to get into the wing. Obviously, nobody was allowed to visit the patients who had presented symptoms and been moved into the Hospital Wing, for fear that they'd catch the flu and end up as patients themselves.

The new entrance to the Hospital Wing was through an unused classroom which connected to the Overflow Ward and in turn the other hospital wards. Edward stationed a pair of the Royal Guards outside the doors to keep people who had no reason to enter the ward out. The classroom and the rest of the Hospital Wing, had all been painstakingly layered with the most powerful isolation wards that could be created, with Minerva, Pomona, Septima, Rolanda, Regulus, Cailan and Galatea all lending their staffs and mage training to make the wards stronger than could be achieved with just a wand.

The classroom had also been designed to serve as a form of decontamination chamber, where anyone who did need to enter or leave the Hospital Wing would have to pass through. Whether entering or leaving, everyone was required to scrub in the way that surgeons would before surgery, the only difference being that instead of only their hands and forearms, they had to undergo a thorough full-body washing, in which every inch of their body was washed with a combination of antibacterial soap and charms.

All of the healers and non-patients in the ward—those who despite the risks had volunteered to help care for the afflicted—were also required to wear a full surgical gown, complete with gloves, hat, and face mask. All of it was charmed to be liquid resistant and the face mask had a localized version of the Bubblehead Charm on it which would protect the wearers from breathing in any potential contaminants present in the ward.

Additionally, the rarely used hospital ventilation system was activated. There usually wasn't a need for it as it was rare for anyone to be sick enough for it to be an issue. Usually, the only things the Hospital Wing was treating were Quidditch injuries, a few colds, and some cases of sleep deprivation. In the event of more serious ailments, however, the hospital was equipped with a magical ventilation system that not only kept the air pressure lower throughout the wing than outside of it, but also constantly recycled the air in the room, pulling the diseased air out of the room and into an inaccessible and specially warded chamber full of Fiendfyre to destroy the germs.

Unfortunately, the system wasn't strong enough to cover the entire school. It was also older than anyone alive, having been installed by the founders themselves, so nobody wanted to risk upsetting the ancient wards that held the Fiendfyre in the chamber by trying to tinker with the system to add additional coverage.

Even with people who could summon and control Fiendfyre—in addition to Galatea, Bill Weasley and Jameson Mitchell of the curse-breaking team, Professor Elsa Thornquist of Durmstrang, Master Brewer Severus Snape, and Madame Olympe Maxime had all indicated that they could as well—the last thing they needed or wanted was Fiendfyre escaping the warded chamber. They had quite enough to be dealing with right now, without a fire breaking out inside the castle.

Within hours of Henuttawy Ptolemy's letter reaching her brother, a small package was delivered containing the key to the chastity belt of Djedkare and Nerikare Ptolemy, which was removed after they wed Chandler and Schuyler Delrossi, respectively. Seti had seen no reason not to take the Delrossi twins up on their willingness to wed his sons prior to having their belt removed, even if there was a medical reason for doing so. Following the wedding and the removal of the belt, the marriage was consummated as Schuyler topped the Egyptian princes from the bottom, while Chandler bottomed from the top.

Several of the healers questioned if it was really wise to allow Jedrik to use what energy they had to have sex, but none of them were willing to go against their aunt, the very formidable Henuttawy Ptolemy. At nearly six feet, five inches tall, the sister of Pharaoh Seti was definitely tall for a woman and had a big and imposing personality to match her height. As a former international dueling champion before joining the priesthood, she was also known to have a very wicked wand that very few people wanted to be on the wrong side of.

The second morning after the quarantine began, Edward and Harry arrived at the Hospital Wing, and after some momentary hesitance, the Royal Guards allowed them to pass into the classroom turned decontamination chamber. Obviously, they were worried about the King and the Lord High Chancellor going into a ward full of people suffering from a deadly, incurable disease, but then there wasn't much they could do to stop them since they took their orders from them.

While there were private sections for men and another for women to undergo their full-body washing, they were otherwise communal, so Edward and Harry ended up seeing each other naked for the first time. They both blushed slightly, as while they had seen each other in only their underwear before now, they hadn't seen each other completely sans clothing. Harry had absolutely no desire to marry King Edward, as he had come to think of him as a friend, but didn't see him in a romantic sense. His raging teenage hormones, however, did once again make it known that they would totally not object to a just sex hookup with the young and handsome King.

Edward grinned. "I'd ask if that was your wand in your pocket, but seeing as how you don't have any pockets right now, I guess you're just happy to see me."

"Shut up, Your Majesty," Harry said. "You're in the same state, I'd point out."

"Touché," Edward said before they each turned their backs to each other as they washed every inch of their bodies. The spells on the bathing chambers wouldn't allow them out of the room if they'd missed anywhere, so they had to be thorough.

Once they were both fully washed, they proceeded into the men's robing room and got dressed in their surgical scrubs, hats, gloves, shoes, and face masks. After the Bubblehead Charms on the masks activated they proceeded into the Overflow Ward, which thankfully didn't have any patients yet, although they both knew it was only a matter of time. It was as they were crossing the threshold into the Secondary Ward that they were spotted by Madam Pomfrey, who said, "What in Merlin's name are you two doing in here?"

"We want to volunteer," Edward said.

Harry nodded. "Help take care of the sick."

"With all due respect, you're crazy," Poppy said. "I appreciate that you want to help, but in what universe do you think it's a good idea for the reigning King and Lord Chancellor to enter a hospital ward full of people suffering from a deadly, incurable, and highly contagious disease?"

Before either of them could say a word, Henuttawy Ptolemy entered the room, along with Jonas and Lukas, all three of them doing a double-take at seeing Edward and Harry in the ward.

"Is there someplace private we can talk?" Edward asked. "I'll explain why it's safe for Harry and me to be here."

"My office," Henuttawy said, as she ushered everyone out the Secondary Ward and back into the Overflow Ward and the magically expanded former broom cupboard that served as her office and sleeping quarters.

Once the door was closed and Edward cast a few security spells, he said, "What I'm about to tell you is a state secret, so you can't share it with anyone else under penalty of high treason, but in a nutshell, Merlin placed powerful protections on the Royal family and the Thirteen Houses centuries ago."

"Those protections are why none of the houses have ever gone extinct," Harry said. "Even when they've been reduced to only one member, as House Pendragon and House Potter currently are with Edward and me."

"It's why we both survived the Killing Curse," Edward revealed. "We're both the last of our respective lines, so as long as we remain as such, Merlin's protections make it impossible for us to die of anything except old age. So even if we did catch the Nundurian Flu, we wouldn't die from it."

"You're sure?" Jonas asked, the concern evident in his tone. While his and Lukas's relationship with Harry and Cedric had started out as simply them posing as the twin's boyfriends so that they could go out in public on dates, something they couldn't do with each other without a lot of funny looks, feelings had developed since.

"Yes, I'm sure," Harry said. "In fact, according to the Potter family archives, my eight-times-great-grandfather came down with the Nundurian Flu after being rendered last of the Potter line and survived, even without the advances in magical medicine that have happened since then that lowered the mortality rate to sixty percent from nearly a hundred percent."

"There's a similar case in the Pendragon family history," Edward said. "For my family, it was Dragon Pox, not the Nundurian Flu, but it was at a time where it killed almost everyone that got it."

The healers nodded, all knowing that Harry wasn't immune due to his distant ancestor surviving the Nundurian Flu. While it was true that those who survived it were immune, along with any children born to them after they survived it, that immunity did not pass on through further generations. Only the children of survivors benefited from their parents' immunity, not grandchildren or later generations.

"Well, if you're sure," Lukas said, still sounding a bit unsure and worried, like his brother.

"We're sure," Edward said with a smile, although nobody in the room saw it as his face mask hid it from view. "Merlin's portrait assures us that we absolutely cannot die from anything other than natural causes and then only old age as long as we remain the last of our lines."

"Before you ask," Harry added, "no those same protections cannot be applied to everyone in the castle to ensure that nobody dies from this outbreak. The protections only work for last of their lines, first off, and they also require noble or royal blood, prohibitively rare and expensive reagents that would be next to impossible to procure, and even if we could, the spell can only be cast in four places around the world, none of which is here at Hogwarts, and require at least two Archmagi working together."

"Two of those reagents being the heartstrings and blood of a High English Gold dragon," Edward said. "Obtainable when Merlin cast the spell, but now, considering that the High English Gold has been extinct for over seven hundred years, it's highly unlikely that you're going to find a supply of its heartstrings, even on the black market. The blood is even more unlikely, as Merlin said it had to be fresh, which he defined as drawn from the dragon less than twenty-four hours before the spell is cast, as according to him outside of that twenty-four-hour window it rapidly loses its magical potency."

Henuttawy nodded. "Yes, extremely unlikely to be able to obtain it then. I generally tend to believe that nothing is impossible, although this would seem to be an instance where it is."

After a moment of silence, Poppy nodded and said, "Fine, you're cleared to help. Merlin knows we could use a few extra hands." With a sigh, she added, "Six more patients were brought in overnight and this morning, bringing the total now up to thirty-seven."

Nodding, Lukas said, "Yes, right now, it's mostly just feeding them, making sure they drink their potions and cleaning up their vomit and waste. As time progresses, however, it'll get worse, as they move into the later stages of the disease."

"What are the stages of the disease?" Harry asked, genuinely curious about what he was about to be walking into. He also knew that Ron and Seamus were among the afflicted, so he wanted to know just how bad off they were or would become.

"We have to get back to work," Poppy said, as she motioned towards herself, Henuttawy, and Lukas. "Jonas can stay and fill you in."

Edward and Harry nodded, as Harry reached over and squeezed Lukas's shoulder. He'd have preferred to kiss him, but that wasn't possible with both of them wearing face masks. Lukas returned the gesture, before he left the room with the two women, leaving his twin alone with their boyfriend and the King.

"There are four stages to the Nundurian Flu," Jonas said after a moment. "Stage one is when symptoms first start manifesting. Not all patients experience the same symptoms and others will experience them in differing degrees, but the first symptoms that present can include a fever of over a hundred and two degrees, chills, dehydration, shortness of breath, coughing, nausea, vomiting—with bloody or watery sputum likely—and bloody urine and/or stool. Those are the symptoms that vary the most in terms of how many experience them. Most will experience at least one or two of those, whereas some others will experience all of them at once."

After a moment's pause, Jonas continued. "More symptoms and this is still in stage one, include headache, backache, chest pain, muscle pain, hallucinations, delirium, and jaundice. Those are more common than the first group, with most patients experiencing at least two of them, but it's entirely possible to add all of those on top of the others. After that, all patients also experience unreliable magic, with an increased likelihood of accidental magic, and muscle weakness which varies from being so minor it's barely noticeable to a debilitating level that leaves the entire body feeling numb and unresponsive."

"Well that definitely sounds horrible," Edward said.

Jonas nodded. "Yes, for the muscle weakness, some of the patients experiencing the worst degrees of it, can't even do the simplest of tasks for themselves. It lessens our workload that some of the patients can still feed themselves, but some of them can't even grasp a spoon so they have to be fed to keep their strength up. And, of course, that's sometimes easier said than done as some of them might not want to eat for fear that they're just going to throw it back up, but they have to eat whether they want to or not, as the stronger their body is, the greater the chance they'll survive."

"Well, with a sixty-percent mortality rate, anything that can be done to increase the chance of survival is vital," Harry said, to nods from Edward and Jonas.

"I'll refrain from telling you about stages three and four right now, as none of the patients have progressed that far yet," Jonas said. "The stages start based on how much time has passed since the patient developed an active infection. It varies from patient to patient, but stage two starts between twenty-four and forty-eight hours after infection, and usually sees the symptoms I've already mentioned either getting worse or a patient that was experiencing only a few of them starting to experience more of them."

"So are there any symptoms that are unique to stage two?" Harry asked.

Nodding, Jonas said, "Yes, there's one unique symptom, experienced by all and a couple of the patients from the first group of people brought in have now been sick long enough that they're starting to exhibit it. The symptom being black leopard-like spots on the arms, legs, and torso."

Looking at his watch, Jonas said, "Well, we should get out there. It's almost time for the next dose of potions, so you can help hand them out. They're already all measured out in the correct dosage, so all you'll have to do is bring them to the patients and get them to drink."

"Which may be easier said than done," Edward commented as the three of them stood up. "Considering how foul most potions taste."

Jonas grinned behind his face mask. "True. Welcome to the life of a healer."

"Ever regret becoming one?" Harry asked.

Jonas was quiet for a moment, before he said, "Not really, no. I'll admit that it can be a thankless job and stressful, especially in times like now, but I do enjoy helping people."

-o-0-o-

Roughly an hour later, after all the patients had drunk their potions, albeit very reluctantly for some, Harry took a seat next to the bed of Seamus Finnigan.

"Hey, Shay. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been run over by a truck," Seamus answered, before he started coughing, prompting Harry to stand up and gently rub the blond Irish boy's back. After a moment, he stopped coughing, but then quickly pointed at his nightstand. Harry got the message and grabbed the bowl from the nightstand and held it in front of Seamus as he proceeded to throw up the porridge he ate for breakfast. It was tinged blood-red in places.

Seamus continued to dry heave a few times after he'd completely emptied his stomach before he sat back against his pillows and took a few deep breaths as Harry vanished the contents of the bowl and placed it back on the nightstand, in case it was needed. Seeing the beads of sweat on his friend's forehead, Harry opened the drawer of the nightstand and grabbed a clean washcloth and used two spells in rapid succession to first wet and then cool it, before he began to wipe Seamus's forehead.

"Thanks, Harry," Seamus said.

"You're welcome, mate."

Meanwhile, Edward was in one of the private rooms in the main ward of the Hospital Wing, which had been given to his cousin, Princess Alianna van Oranje of the Netherlands. As a princess, she was one of the few people who had one of the private rooms all to herself, as most of the others had had a second bed brought in to accommodate more patients. Alianna's room did have a second bed, although it wasn't occupied by another patient. Although some might find it a bit scandalous, the second bed was instead being used by her boyfriend, Ethan Delrossi, the courtesy Domestikos of Tarentum.

Ethan didn't have the flu but was allowed to sleep in the ward with his girlfriend since he was immune to the disease. His brother, Colin, and cousins, Chandler and Schuyler, along with Newt Scamander and Galatea Merrythought were all exempt from having to wearing the full outfit that everyone else had to wear in the ward. They still wore the surgical scrubs so that they wouldn't have to destroy all of their regular clothes, although they didn't have to wear the masks or gloves, due to their immunity to the disease.

Newt was working with Healer Smethwyck to try and figure out what made himself and others immune. They'd hoped that maybe if they could pinpoint something in their blood, they'd be able to create some sort of vaccine. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to find anything that was different in the samples of their blood, versus samples taken from both the sick and the healthy. It defied logic but then as most witches and wizards have come to understand, magic is by its very nature a chaotic and inherently not logical thing, despite the attempts of many to make it so.

While Newt did have a much better understanding of Nundus than most, having actually been able to study one up close and personal for several decades before it passed away, he certainly brought a good amount of knowledge that previous researchers did not have. Of course, even with that knowledge, Newt wasn't able to provide much information about the toxins that created the Nundurian Flu, as his Nundu had the toxin sacs which created its deadly breath removed before he'd even acquired it.

While it didn't help much in the current situation—although Newt had certainly been able to provide some insights that Healer Smethwyck said might prove useful given enough time to study them—at least Newt had never needed to worry about his Nundu killing every other creature in his case with its toxic breath.

A part of him was upset that they hadn't been able to find a cure or a better treatment, but then the rational part of him knew that healers and researchers had been working on doing so for centuries now. It would have been the height of arrogance to believe that his knowledge alone would solve all the stumbling blocks that had prevented success in the past. And if there was one thing that Newt was not, it was arrogant.

"Eddie, I want you to promise me something," Alianna said after she took a few sips of the hot tea with honey from the cup that Edward held to her lips, following a particularly violent coughing fit. Alianna was one of the patients whose muscles were so weak that she could barely lift one finger of her hand, let alone grasp a teacup and bring it up to her lips to drink.

"What is it, Ali?"

"If I don't survive this, make sure that Ethan doesn't spend the rest of his life mourning me and forget to live. For that matter, make sure that Victoire doesn't either."

"Victoire?" Edward asked. "You mean Blanchett? From Beauxbatons?"

"Yes. Ethan and I had the occasion to meet her a few times previously. Before she moved back to Albion to take over the Daily Prophet, Victoire's mother had made a name for herself as the Editor-in-Chief of one of the most reputable French newspapers. One that many of the wizarding world's royal families trust implicitly when they need to release any kind of statement. As a result, she, her husband, and their children were always invited to many functions which would normally have been off-limits to a commoner."

Edward nodded his head but was still rather confused. "Okay, but why would Victoire spend her life mourning you? I get why Ethan might, as the two of you are dating, but…"

"Eddie, Ethan, Victoire, and I are much more than just friends."

Edward's eyes widened at this, as he asked, "Oh, you mean that the three of you are?"

"Romantically and sexually involved, yes," Alianna confirmed. "And no, it's not just Ethan getting it on with two girls, as Victoire and I are very much involved with each other as well. We've kept it under wraps, mainly due to Victoire's commoner status, although also because of the long-distance nature of our relationship, unavoidable what with Ethan and I being at Durmstrang for nine months of the year and Victoire being at Beauxbatons."

"A clandestine long-distance relationship can't be easy," Edward said. "Especially with you being the daughter of a King and Ethan being the heir to a Byzantine Grand Duchy. There'd be a lot of scrutiny and security, involved."

"Very true, but we've managed it nonetheless," Alianna said. "At any rate, I don't want them to spend the rest of their lives mourning me if the worst should happen. Ideally, I'd also like them to wed and be happy, although there are many in Byzantium who would frown at the thought of Ethan taking a commoner as his bride. They wouldn't have cared as much if he married me first, but if I don't survive this…"

"Don't talk like that, Ali, you're going to survive this."

"You don't know that Eddie," Alianna said before she started coughing again, although this bout was thankfully not as bad as the last. "So, I want you to promise me that you'll do everything in your power to make sure they don't waste too much time mourning me and waste their lives. I love them both and I want them to live happy and full lives, even if I'm not there with them."

Before Edward could respond, Alianna said, "And if you could put in a good word with Justinian, that would be very much appreciated."

"Justinian?"

"Yes, Justinian. As in the Basileus of the Byzantine Empire? I'm pretty sure you're acquainted."

Rolling his eyes, Edward said, "Yes, Ali, we're acquainted. He was at my wedding to Ramesses, not only because of my status as a reigning monarch but also because Ram is his nephew. I guess that makes him my uncle now." Shaking his head, he said, "My confusion was why you were bringing him up. What do I need to put a good word in with him about exactly?"

"Byzantine law requires their nobility to get permission from the Basileus to marry," Alianna explained. "Technically, the law extends to all nobility, although in practice, it's usually only the lords and their heirs that the law is ever actually enforced. With custom frowning on their union, Justinian might not be willing to give his permission. I want you to promise that you'll try."

"I can promise that," Edward said, as he held the teacup to his cousin's lips so that she could drink the last of the hot liquid. "Obviously, I can't force him to do anything, but I'll do what I can do without endangering Albion's long-term relationship with Byzantium."

"Thank you," Alianna said. "That's all I ask."

-o-0-o-

As Edward was leaving Alianna's room, he quickly noticed that the Hospital Wing seemed a bit more chaotic than it had been when he'd gone in to talk with his cousin. Spotting Harry, he walked over and asked, "What's going on?"

Harry sighed. "Two more patients were brought in about twenty minutes ago while you were talking to Alianna and three more just a moment ago."

"Anyone we know?" Edward asked, preparing himself for the worst.

"The earlier patients are Rhydian McCormack," Harry answered. "Better known by his stage name, Kirley Duke. The Weird Sister's lead guitarist." Harry swallowed past the lump in his throat, as he said, "And Ginny Weasley."

"Oh Merlin, Harry, I'm sorry," Edward said, as he knew that Harry was rather close to Ginny and all the other Weasleys, as they were sort of like his surrogate family. The fact that Harry's first friend, Ron, had been one of the first patients to be brought in was already hard enough on Harry, but now, to add Ginny, as well…

"Thanks," Harry said.

"Any idea who the newest arrivals are?" Edward asked.

Shaking his head, Harry said, "Nope. They were literally brought in only a moment before you came out of Alianna's room, so I haven't heard any names yet."

Edward nodded. "Well, I suppose we should both get back to work. I promised Ram, Josh, and Kamin that I'd check in on Jedrik."

"You can take their lunches in to them then," Healer Miriam Strout said, as she passed by. "Chance and Sky have been running themselves ragged caring for them to the point that the other healers and I agreed that immune or not, they're not doing themselves any favors trying to care for their husbands on less than four hours of sleep in the last two days."

More to herself, but loud enough for Edward and Harry to hear it, Miriam said, "How they had enough energy to consummate their marriages, I'll never know." Shaking her head, she added in a louder voice, "When they wouldn't listen to reason and lay down for some much-needed sleep, we collectively decided to take matters into our own hands and sedated them."

"I'll get right on that," Edward said before he walked over to the large cart that had been charmed so that the kitchen elves could pop trays of food up from the kitchens. Finding the tray marked Djedkare Ptolemy, Edward noticed a second tray below it marked Nerikare Ptolemy.

"Harry can help you," Miriam said. "Despite sharing everything from the waist down, Djedkare and Nerikare do still each have their own stomachs, so two trays of food."

Harry and Edward nodded, as they each took a tray and headed into the private room that had been given to Djedkare and Nerikare, or Jedrik as they were nicknamed by their friends and family. Upon entering the room, they found Jedrik sitting up in bed, while Chance and Sky were fast asleep in the other bed.

While Jedrik had enough strength the previous day to consummate their marriage, with the onset of stage two of the disease and their skin breaking out in leopard spots, they had gotten weaker and now needed somebody to feed them. This, of course, did pose an issue for anyone other than Chance and Sky feeding them, as their bed was pushed up against one wall of the room, leaving Djedkare between the wall and his brother. Chance and Sky just got into bed with them in order to feed them, but since they were out of it at the moment…

"If Harry and I help you," Edward said, "do you think we can shift you so that you're leaning against the wall? We can move your pillows so that they're behind you."

"I think that's doable," Nerikare said, as Djedkare nodded in agreement before Edward and Harry sat the trays down and then helped the twins move into a position where both of them were more easily accessible.

Despite their relative inexperience tending for the sick, Edward and Harry did manage to get the twins turned so that they were sitting on the bed as if it was a chair, with the wall and their pillows as the back. Their feet were left dangling off one side of the bed, but Harry grabbed their slippers and put them on for them, as Edward adjusted their blankets so they weren't too cold. The twins weren't running fevers but had begun experiencing the chills.

Once they were situated, Edward rolled the hospital tray table for Jedrik's bed over and placed Djedkare's lunch on it, before sitting down on the bed. Harry, meanwhile, borrowed the tray table for Chance and Sky's bed, before sitting next to Nerikare and proceeding to spoon feed him hot soup, just as Edward was doing with Djedkare.

Djedkare shook his head and said, "Never thought I'd find myself in a position of being spoon-fed by my half-brother-in-law who's also a reigning King and Emperor."

Nerikare nodded and said, "Yeah, I can't really see Father spoon-feeding anyone."

"Not even his own children?" Harry asked.

"Nope," Djedkare said. "Father has never even changed a single nappy, despite having over a hundred children. Although that may have something to do with why he's never done it. If he spent all his time changing nappies, he wouldn't have time for anything else."

Nerikare nodded. "Much easier to allow his wives, older children, house-elves, and the eunuchs in the Imperial Harem care for the younger children than doing it himself. It frees him up to handle affairs of state."

"Does that include siring yet more children?" Edward asked. "I mean, I understand that it's a monarch's job to have children so that there's an heir to the throne, but I don't know that anyone would expect a monarch to take that to quite the extreme that your father has."

Jedrik laughed at that, although halfway through they started coughing. Harry and Edward gently rubbed their backs and then helped them drink some hot tea when their coughing fits subsided.

"You're right, nobody would expect any monarch to have as many children as Father has," Djedkare said. "Mainly because it causes a world of issues for marrying them off."

"Which is why several of them are being groomed for the priesthood," Nerikare added. "There simply aren't enough royal or noble-born suitors to go around for all of his legitimate children. It's easier to marry off his acknowledged illegitimate children, but even that's a daunting task."

"Must be even harder with the Egyptian marriage laws," Harry said. "Didn't your father make it a law that nobody can marry anyone who's within five degrees of relation?"

"That law always gets misunderstood by foreigners," Djedkare said. "First off, it was actually our grandfather who made that law, as it went into effect in 1935 when our father was only a year old."

"I suppose the reason is understandable, however," Nerikare added. "Most of the laws are promulgated under simply Pharaoh. Back home in Egypt, we know who passed each law based on when they went into effect as we know which Pharaoh was on the throne when. However, we never really made the attempt to make that clear beyond our borders."

"So it was actually Pharaoh Ramesses XXXIX, our late grandfather, who passed that law," Djedkare continued. "It wasn't retroactive, so it didn't affect any union that happened before it went into effect or in fact any union until one year afterward. And it only banned first through fifth cousin marriages for people who were alive but unmarried or born after the year it went into effect, so 1936. Every twenty-five years the number of degrees apart one needed to be has gone down by one."

"So six degrees in 1936, five degrees in 1961, and four degrees in 1986," Nerikare continued. "It's scheduled to go down to three degrees in 2011, but that will be the final time it decreases, as first and second-degree marriages will remain illegal until at least the year 2036."

Nodding, Djedkare said, "The magical researchers and Imperial Healers who helped grandfather draft the law decided that they'd compile all the records on the one-hundredth anniversary of the law going into effect. Once they've done that, they'll make a judgment on whether or not the ban on second-degree marriages can be lifted or not. Although, there are no plans currently to ever lift the ban on first degree marriages."

"A hundred years seems like a rather long time to wait to make the judgment," Edward commented, as he spooned soup into Djedkare's mouth.

"Perhaps, but it's a drop in the proverbial bucket for Egypt," Nerikare said. "The Ptolemaic Dynasty has been on the throne since 305 BCE, after all, and Egypt can trace its history back thousands of years before that, with the north and south being united as a single country by Pharaoh Narmer I around 3100 BCE."

Djedkare nodded and added, "Compared with over five millennia, a single century seems pretty insignificant."

Harry and Edward had to agree. It was at this point that they fell into silence, as they finished up feeding the twins, before getting them resituated in their bed.

-o-0-o-

Kept busy the rest of the afternoon tending to the patients that they'd already known about, it wasn't until the healers and most of those volunteering in the wing gathered for their nightly working dinner, that Harry and Edward found out the names of the three people who'd been brought in as Edward was leaving Alianna's room… along with the names of four more that were brought in as they were finishing up in Jedrik's room.

To ensure no chance of potential food contamination, their working dinner was held in a second unused classroom across the hall from the one which had become the decontamination chamber. Thus, eating required them to go through decontamination and redressing in their normal clothes before leaving the Hospital Wing. There was always at least two people left on duty in the Wing in case of an emergency while the others went to dinner. This evening it was the two Dutch healers that had been sent by King Willem-Reinier, assisted by Hogwarts Nurse Philippa Wainscott.

Forty-six patients were now in the Hospital Wing with the Nundurian Flu. The worst part about the disease was that even after a carrier was out of immediate danger themselves, meaning they hadn't developed symptoms for forty-eight hours after being exposed, they could still pass it on to others. As even for those that didn't develop active infections, they remained contagious and able to pass it on for a full seventy-two hours after their initial exposure.

Thus, every time a new patient came into the Hospital Wing, the clock was essentially reset, as it would be another seventy-two hours at least until everyone that they'd come into contact with outside of the Hospital Wing was no longer able to pass it on.

The three patients brought in as Edward was exiting Alianna's room had turned out to be Lord Bartemius Crouch, Sr., Seiko Sato—Bill's second-in-command on the curse-breaking team—and Gryffindor Alicia Spinnet. That last one, of course, hit Harry hard since he was good friends with Alicia, having been on the Quidditch team together since his first year.

The other four were Beauxbatons students, Noah Valmont, and Nicolas Lavoisier-Delaney, along with Slytherin Daphne Greengrass, and Durmstrang student, Wyatt Bolton. Noah and Nick had been brought in by their mutual boyfriend, Ryan Cromwell, who had immediately insisted on joining the volunteers helping out in the Wing… which Madam Pomfrey signed off on due to the silver-banded blue triangle on his forehead, marking him as being immune to the disease.

When asked about his medical history, Ryan relayed that he'd been raised in France by his mother, Alexandra Cromwell, who had never had the Nundurian Flu as far as he knew. His father, however, was a complete unknown as he'd been the product of a one-night stand and his mother had never seen his father again after their night together. So, Ryan had no idea who he was or what his medical history was.

"Well, I suppose Blaise has some company now," Edward said to Harry. "Although I'm sure he wishes he didn't."

"Yeah, I rather doubt Blaise was all that happy to see his brother being brought in," Harry said. "What I wonder is what happens if the worst happens and Alianna and Nicolas don't survive this? They're both Triwizard Champions, after all. Do Durmstrang and Beauxbatons get two new champions or will they have to compete with only two people? Wouldn't really be fair, with Hogwarts still having three."

"I honestly have no clue," Edward said. "It was my understanding that the Goblet went out and can't be relit now until the next tournament."

"You're correct, Your Majesty," Galatea Merrythought said. "Once it goes out, it can't be relit for another five years, which is how long it used to be between tournaments years ago. Of course, this year is something of an anomaly as it's never happened before in the history of the tournament that the Goblet picked three people from each school."

"True," Harry said. "Not sure why it did that, but I've gotta say I'm glad it did. I think three people working together is better than one person facing off against these challenges, as it increases the chances of survival."

"Even though it picked you as one of the champions?" Jonas asked.

Harry smiled. "Yeah, I kind of wish that I hadn't been picked, especially since I never put my name in, but I guess there's nothing I can do about it, other than deal with it. Which seems to be the natural course of my life."

"So we should expect the unexpected?" Lukas asked.

"Yeah, if you're going to be with me, then that's probably a good idea," Harry answered. "Merlin knows that I certainly didn't expect half the things that have happened to me in my life and yet, here I am. If you told me only a few years ago that I was not only a wizard but nobility, wealthy beyond my wildest dreams, owned an actual castle, and that I would find myself in the position of Lord High Chancellor of a magical kingdom and empire at only fourteen, I would have told you that you were completely insane."

Jonas grinned. "Well, at least our lives won't be boring."

"Yes, that's one thing my life definitely isn't," Harry agreed.

-o-0-o-

To be continued…

And there you have Ch22 of 'The Journey Begins'. I'm sorry it took this long for me to update, but I've been very busy with real life and working on some of my other stories. Also, my good friend and longtime beta-reader, Nigel, who also helps me plot my stories and acts as my sounding board to bounce ideas off of has been having some serious health concerns as of late, so if you could keep him in your thoughts and prayers, I'd appreciate it.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? I love hearing from my readers, so feel free to contact me in a review, by email (Gmail: jaycolin25), my LiveJournal (jaycolin), my Yahoo group (storiesbyjayson), or on Twitter JVascardi. Alternatively, you can also try to contact me via Skype (text messaging only) at .

Incidentally, I do have Facebook (same address as my Skype), but I very rarely use it, so it's not by any means an ideal way to contact me, which is why I've never mentioned it. However, I did have one person ask recently if I had it, so I figured I'd confirm for anyone else wondering that yes, I do have it, but again I very rarely use it.