Disclaimer: JKRowling owns the Harry Potter franchise and all its characters. No copyright infringement intended. I am not making any profit from this story.
CHAPTER 2: The Gift
Outskirts of Berwick–Upon–Tweed, England
The Previous Night
The stars above whispered a faint glow through the hanging fog over Berwick. He had followed the directions in the letter sent to him three days ago to this shadowy, isolated place—an abandoned farmstead seven miles west of town. His patience began to fail him. A quarter past ten. Where was this messenger? Aside from the enclosed clipping from the Daily Prophet, the letter itself gave few clues as to the purpose of the meeting, but the faint watermark was unmistakable. It was from the House of Slytherin. Preceding the letter's directions, the letter simply stated,
A messenger will have a parcel for you at the following location. Come alone.
The most intriguing clue was the newspaper clipping: a hastily torn article from the Daily Prophet, detailing the recent attack against two Aurors, Heloise Güring and Ronald Weasley. Heloise was unknown to him, but he of course knew Ron Weasley all too well. Someone was attempting to kill Aurors. Someone associated with Slytherin. Behind him, the wind shifted—someone was approaching.
"Relax. Did you come alone?" the dark figure called out. He was a tall, thin man dressed in fine dark robes.
"What's this, then?"
"Easy, mate." The figure stopped advancing. "I have something for you. Something I think you're going to enjoy."
"Is that you, Nott?" He could make him out now, though it had been a few years. The messenger was Theodore Nott. His father, who had served Voldemort during both the First and Second Wizarding Wars, raised Theodore. After the Battle of Hogwarts, Theodore had virtually disappeared. Was he behind the recent attacks?
"You still remember. I'm touched."
Nodding impatiently, "Well, why are we out here in the middle of nowhere? What's with this letter? Are you behind the attacks?"
"Do you know that we're standing on a ley line—an ancient geographic alignment of transfigurative power? The old medieval wizards used these alignments to travel up and down England." Theodore reached into his robe and pulled out a small package. "An interested party asked me to give you this—paid me a lot of coin to do it too."
"Who?"
"I can't say. Here, take it. I made an unbreakable vow, so don't muck about."
Theodore held out the package, waiting for its intended recipient to approach him. Standing before him was a powerful wizard, more powerful than he, and he wasn't interested in any hazardous spells being flung about. He, too, was alone—also part of his vow. The potent wizard approached steady and cautiously. Taking the package in his hand, he found it was a small case containing a letter, a smaller box and a larger bit of butcher paper wrapped around a hand–sized object. The letter came open first.
Salutations,
In the name of the House of Slytherin, and all those loyal to its fallen banner, I proudly take full responsibility for the recent attacks against the Aurors, as well as the attempted heist of Gringott's Bank of London three weeks ago. As our power grows, such attacks will increase in severity and frequency. I present no empty boast, for I have already succeeded where the Lord Voldemort failed. As proof of this, I offer you the enclosed.
The first is a token of things to come. It's called an urobara, and it is an ancient power. With it, you will find that you hear more than you have ever before. It was sought by Salazar Slytherin for some time, but never found. It is now yours. The second gift is proof of my seriousness. May it show you that a reckoning is coming to the Wizarding World.
We shall meet when my work abroad is completed.
Soran Appian Minsky
His furrowed brow betrayed his confusion as he dropped the creased letter to his side, slowly turning his face away from the package in his outstretched hand. Yet his eyes could not help but remain fixed upon the box. He looked up at Theodore who appeared a little amused. "Have you looked in the box?"
"No. I took a very carefully worded vow. Its contents are for your eyes only."
He looked back down at the two small, neatly wrapped 'gifts' contained in the case. He reached for the first gift described. The urobara was an obsidian ring, made to appear as a coiled snake devouring its tail. It was heavy for its size, with dozens of tiny scratches giving it a centuries–old appearance.
"Put it on," said Theodore.
"I think I'll wait on that. Thanks."
The second gift laid waiting in the case. It was much more hastily wrapped than the urobara ring. A few small brown stains crusted at a sharp corner of the uneven paper wrapping. Lifting the package out of the case, it was larger than the ring, but much lighter. It's featherweight instinctively caused him to slowly and carefully remove the wrapping. Bright, spider–webbed broken glass filled the wire–rimmed eyeglasses set in the paper. What a strange thing to give someone. What proof could this be? Why make Theodore Nott vow to give these glasses to me, he thought. Raising the glasses in the moonlight, he realized the source of the small brown stains in the paper. The glasses had blood caked along the rim, and splattered lightly along the lower right edge. "Whose glasses are these?"
"I think you know who they belong to."
"WHOSE glasses are these? Potter? Do these belong to Harry Potter?"
"My work here is done." Theodore turned to leave, only to be pushed violently to the ground. Reaching back to grab his wand, his right arm was suddenly pinned to the ground by his inquisitor's foot. Kicking wildly with his left leg, Theodore received a sharp kick to his groin, followed by a stomp to his chest. His eyes wide in the moonlight, Theodore yelled, "I can't tell you anything!"
"Legilimens!" yelled the furious wizard hovering over Theodore.
With a brief flash from the wand above his face, Theodore's mind violently tore open. A lifetime of moments flooded forward—a rush of seeming random experiences connected by arbitrary commonalities. In excruciating torment, he was probed further. What did Theodore know about Harry Potter? The scenes began to flow into linear streams, flowing parallel with some while crossing others. The English countryside. He could see Hogwarts through a train window. Harry at the sorting hat. Gryffindor. Ron Weasley. The Daily Prophet article. Theodore had lied; he had seen the inside of the case. "SHOW ME YOUR MIND!" commanded the wizard over him. But Theodore resisted.
Theodore captured his assailant's leg and thrust him off his chest. Rolling leftward, he grabbed his wand and swung away.
"Protego!" Theodore had no effect. "Expelliarmus!" cried Theodore. Countered. Theodore trembled in fear. His spellcraft was having little effect as he was again and again interrogated.
"Legilimens!"
But Theodore countered, "Protego!" His mind would not be invaded again.
"Alarte Ascendare!" Theodore's protective shield dissipated as his body was viciously flung twenty feet into the air. His legs came down with a thunderous crack. Theodore screamed in pain.
"Legilimens!" Theodore's mind buckled under the torment. Gryffindor. Harry Potter. The Battle of Hogwarts. Potter's under attack again. Potter's alone and in torment. Potter's alive…but not for long. A dark figure, clad in serpentine clothes, approaches Theodore in his mind. He is given a package and promised a chest full of gold for his trouble. He makes the unbreakable vow. The vow punishes his mind; a mind sworn not to divulge it's secrets. Who is the serpentine figure? Who is it? Who? Darkness.
Exhausted, the embattled wizard looked over Theodore's corpse. It was, of course, an accident—a deadly cocktail of legilimency, an unbreakable vow, and the wizard's own ferocious zeal. Theodore's mind was destroyed.
It burned his insides, seeing his handiwork. The wizard had seen too much death. The Second Wizarding War. Lord Voldemort. And now this new plot? He looked over at the glasses and the ring on the ground. Theodore had wanted him to put the ring on. If Theodore had been sent to kill him, this was a strange way to go about it. Needing answers, he walked over to the ring, drew in a long breath, and slid it onto his finger.
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.
