A/N: Hey everybody! This is the next chapter. There's a little bit of a time skip here, putting us at July 21st. It's in the section header, I just wanted to acknowledge it. I hope you enjoy the chapter, I own nothing.
July 21st, Gringotts
Narcissa knocked lightly before entering Nagnok's Office, knowing that the account manager would be expecting her. As she entered he gestured for her to sit down, which she did, having a seat in the rather comfortable chair in front of the goblin's desk.
"What can I help you with today Misses Black?" Nagnok asked, pushing the report he'd been working on off to the side.
Taking a deep breathe, Narcissa responded, her confident tone disguising the trepidation she was truly feeling. "I'd like to visit Vault 3, as is my right as a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black."
At her words the guard stationed around the room stood up straighter, surprise on their normally stoic faces, and Nagnok's eyes widened greatly. "Get out." He snarled, glaring at the goblin guards, who hastened to comply. As soon as they were out of the room, he hit a button on his desk and then whirled around to look at Narcissa, a frantic look on his face. "We only have a few minutes before and Elder arrives. Do you have any idea what you're doing! You could die! You'd never see your family again and we'd be unable to tell them what had happened! How do you even know about Vault 3! Only the current head of the Black family should be aware of its existence!"
"Be calm Nagnok," Narcissa responded, only the smallest hint of worry seeping into her voice. "I know what I'm doing, I've read the family history. The risk is worth it."
The goblin's face calmed slightly at her words, but worry was still evident in his tone and in the expression on his face. "I hope it is. I've become rather fond of you, and I would hate for you to share the fate of so many other Blacks."
Just as he finished speaking, the door to his office creaked open, and an ancient looking goblin hobbled in, gesturing for Narcissa to come with him.
POV Switch
The goblin elder named Dirtak looked up at the witch walking next to him as they passed through the gates to the goblin kingdom. This was the first human that he'd led through these gates in almost 600 years. At least this one looked to have a chance of surviving the vault's magic however. And wouldn't that be a sight to behold? They walked side by side in complete silence towards the cavern that housed the vaults, Dirtak lost in his memories, and Narcissa deep in thought.
Entering the cavern, Dirtak led Narcissa to a set of stone doors, ornately carved and seemingly sealed shut, a three emblazoned in the rock above them. Turning towards Narcissa, Dirtak spoke, giving her a final chance to back out, and directions on how to proceed. "If you truly wish to continue with this course of action Misses Black, you need only to step through the stone door. If you are truly of Black blood, you will be able to pass through, and face the judgement of the vault. Are you sure you're willing to risk your life for whatever you're doing?"
She glanced towards him quickly as she stepped towards the door. "For my family, yes." With that, she took a deep breath and stepped into the stone, vanishing completely into the doors.
Behind her, Dirtak nodded. It was a better reason then many. Perhaps she had a real chance. With that thought he stood there, preparing for a long wait. He would stand in the cavern for the full year and a day if necessary.
Hogwarts Castle, Late Afternoon
Dumbledore walked through the castle hallways, passing open classroom doors with not even a glance, ignoring the people and things contained within. He finally knew where he was going; into the dungeons, the place where his memories of the first war were kept. This was not the first war against Voldemort however, but rather the war against Grindelwald, which seemed to be where his blocked off memories were. It was worrying that he couldn't seem to remember all the details of the war, or even the background to it, given what a major portion of his life it had been. The blank spots, the hidden memories extended all the way back to his first meeting with Gellert, and only stopped a few years after his fall. He came to a stop in front of the first shut door he came to; the most recent memory that he couldn't access. Today he would try and push through it, try and see if what lay behind the door could give him any more clues. Laying his palms flat against the door, Dumbledore concentrated, and pushed his mind against the seemingly wooden barrier. He was expecting some resistance, some force to push back, and thus was surprised when he fell face first through the door, and into the memory beyond.
Nurmengard, 1948
Dumbledore exited through the gates of the infamous prison, having just finished a visit with his former friend and former enemy Gellert Grindelwald. He was about to disapparate when he felt something tap his shoulder, and he spun around, his eyes landing on a woman who he was certain had not been there just moments earlier. She was young, looking to be of the age to have just graduated Hogwarts, though Dumbledore was certain that she had never attended the school. She had blonde hair, elegantly done up in a gorgeous arrangement of braids, trailing down one side of her face. Her eyes were a light silver, and had a piercing quality that seemed to cut right into Dumbledore's soul. She wore a simple blue dress of muggle design, something which was rarely seen in the Wizarding World.
Recovering slightly from the surprise, Dumbledore warily opened his mouth to speak, not quite sure what to make of this strange woman. "How may I help you young lady?"
The woman opened her mouth to respond, her voice solemn, carrying a tone of slight regret. "I'm sorry Albus Dumbledore, but there are certain things which cannot yet be known. I apologize for what I must do."
As Dumbledore was about to question her words, concerned by their possible meaning, the blonde woman shot forward incredibly fast, tapping the Headmaster on the forehead. He felt memory after memory rush through his head, and then his vision went black momentarily.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, Dumbledore looked around, feeling slightly confused. He'd thought he'd seen something, but clearly he was mistaken, as there was only him and the prison. Maybe he was getting old, he thought, turning on the spot and disapparating, leaving nothing but an empty field and a foreboding prison.
Somewhere, At Sometime
Narcissa Malfoy looked around at the barren landscape surrounding her. From what she could see there was nothing but a flat grey ground, made of some material she didn't recognize. Not that she could see much, as a thick grey fog obscured everything beyond a few feet in front of her. Pulling out her wand, she walked warily forward, assuming this was some test by the vault, but not having any idea what to expect. After an unknown period of time, and an unknown distance traveled, something finally happened; the fog around her starting to move, gaining speed as it swirled around her, a grey vortex, spinning and spinning until it suddenly exploded outwards, revealing a much larger portion of the completely barren grey landscape. Stopping her walk forward, Narcissa looked around, on alert and waiting for whatever happened next. She couldn't quite tell for sure, but after what she thought was a short time, a figure drifted out of the mist.
The figure was female, and she was gorgeous. She appeared to float slightly above the ground, and the color silver completely dominated her features, creating a look of unearthly ethereal beauty. Her elegant and straight hair was a solid silver, and stretched down past her shoulders. Her eyes glowed the same color as her hair, and seemed distant, as if they could see much more than what was in front of them. Even her lips were silver in color, and Narcissa was unable to tell whether it was natural, magic, or makeup. Her skin was extremely pale, almost white everywhere that Narcissa could see it; from her dainty, long, thin arms to her pointed ears, which poked out of her hair. Her clothes were extremely flowy, appearing to ripple in some unseen wind, their design an odd cross between a robe and a dress. Shaking herself out of her state of admiration, Narcissa watched the woman warily as she approached, unsure if she was an enemy or not.
Stopping a short distance in front of Narcissa, the woman spoke, looking down at her from her floating position. "Greetings Narcissa Black," She began, her voice enchanting, so much so that Narcissa had to focus on not getting caught up in it. "I am Libra Black, the source of the great Black bloodline. Why have you come to my vault? Surely you have been told I will take your life if I find you unworthy."
"I come seeking power and knowledge. I need it to protect my family, my son." Narcissa answered, hoping that this would be acceptable, having no idea what would be if it wasn't.
Letting out a laugh that sounded like beautiful bells, Libra had a slight smile on her face as she looked down at Narcissa. "As good a reason as any, and a better reason then most. But still, worthy motives do not make a worthy man. Many well intentioned weaklings find that they are not deserving of the power they seek."
Shooting backwards through the air, she came to a stop floating above the ground some distance from Narcissa. "Come dear, show me your worth in battle."
Malfoy Manor, July 26th
Lucius Malfoy was sitting in his study, staring at a sealed letter that sat on his desk. His normally impeccably maintained hair was a mess, looking like it hadn't been washed in days. There were large bags under his eyes, evidence of how little sleep he'd been getting, and his hands shook, no matter how hard he tried to hold them still. Narcissa had left the Manor at some point during the day last Sunday. Lucius had thought nothing of it, she'd been spending a lot of time out of the Manor for over a month, working on something she wanted to keep hidden from him for one reason or another. He'd thought nothing of it, that is, until he found a letter on their bed, a simple note written in Narcissa's neat handwriting on the back of the envelope.
Dear Lucius,
I've left to do something incredibly important. I can't tell you about it, and for that I am truly sorry. All I can say is that I love you, and I've left this letter, which you cannot open until July 23rd, 1992. If I haven't returned by then, I most likely never will. I'm sorry for doing this, but it had to be done. I don't know what you're going to tell Draco, but I know you'll find something. Be strong my dear, I will love you always.
Narcissa
Somewhere, At Sometime
Narcissa lunged forward desperately, only barely managing to avoid the lightning that struck the ground behind her. Spinning around she quickly fired off a few desperate spells in the direction of her opponent, who was simply floating in the air unharmed and unperturbed, despite the massive number of spells Narcissa had fired her way. Throughout the entire fight she hadn't moved a single inch, lesser spells dissipating on a shield Narcissa couldn't see and couldn't seem to break, and the few more serious spells she'd used such as the Killing Curse simply deflected somehow with a wave of Libra's hand. As she ran she looked around for the source of the next attack, unsure of what it would be or where it would come from. She didn't know how long they'd been fighting, but for however long it had been Libra had been using a vast array of magic, none of it recognizable to Narcissa as any spell she'd ever , Libra shot towards Narcissa, the first movement she'd made during the battle. As she approached rapidly, Narcissa continued to shoot ineffective spells, growing more and more desperate the closer the other woman got.
Coming to an abrupt stop floating in the air, Libra began to speak, her gorgeous voice tinged slightly with irritation. "Enough of this farce." A quick gesture from her and Narcissa's wand left out of her hand, flying off into the surrounding fog, vanishing entirely from view. "Have you no capability to use true magic? Do you need to rely on the shackles that are wands? Pathetic! Weak! Unworthy! Fight with your magic, not with a crutch!"
Narcissa's eyes widened, fear creeping through her mind. She had little magic she could practice without a wand, and of it, only one skill could possibly be of any help her. Taking a deep breathe Narcissa gathered her strength and brought the full force of her skill as a legilimens down on the woman in front of her.
Malfoy Manor, July 31st
Lucius looked down at his son, his face solemn, having little idea what to say. Draco had asked once again where Narcissa was, and Lucius could no longer tell him that she was simply away. He didn't know what he could tell him though. Looking down at Draco, Lucius decided, against his better judgement, to tell the truth, that he had absolutely no idea, and then reassure Draco that it was fine, that his mother knew what she was doing and that she was an incredibly competent witch.
Somewhere, At Sometime
Narcissa ran towards the cave entrance in front of her, only the knowledge that none of this was real keeping her running despite the burning pain her legs were in. Using legilimency had been a mistake; she'd been transported to the woman's mindscape, a mountainous forest, which had been fine until Narcissa had realized that the very world itself was hostile towards her, and she still had little she could do about it. As she heard howling coming from the trees behind her, she somehow managed to push herself even more, running even faster. Diving into the cave, Narcissa landed back in her body with a slam, the memory of her aching body still prominent in her head, and Libra still floating in front of her, looking down at her disapprovingly.
"How disappointing." She said, narrowing her eyes as she watched Narcissa. "I had really expected better from you, and yet I find you to be completely worthless. I almost feel like you deserve a punishment greater than just death." There her eyes widened as if she'd had a brilliant and a vicious smile spread across her face. "I know," Libra spoke, her voice extremely predatory. She gestured to the ground beside her, and a tendril of the grey fog shot out, whirling slightly before dissipating, leaving a new form standing there, one that Narcissa recognized all to well.
"Mother, where are we? I was just at the Manor, and now I'm here, what happened?" Questioned an oblivious Draco, looking up at Narcissa with a look of confusion in his eyes.
But Narcissa was not looking at him at all, rather her eyes were on the form floating behind him, and the massive stone javelin that was pointing directly at her son's unprotected back. As Narcissa began to move, so to did the stone weapon, soaring forward, to fast for Narcissa to get there in time. She ran anyway, her hand reaching out for her son, a heart wrenching scream on her lips. "No!"
Hogwarts, August 5th
Dumbledore looked frustratedly at the runic arrays in front of him. He'd been unable to access any memories beyond the first, no matter how hard he'd tried, and thus he'd moved on, trying to find the woman that he was certain had done this to him. She'd left enough of her magical signature in his mind that he could tune magical searched to her, but when he tried that the results had been a jumble of conflicting nonsense. He had several different spells telling him that she was in various states of life and death, and the location charms had brought him to a random spot in the middle of the Indian Ocean, an uninhabited valley in the Himalayan's, and a small fishing village in South America, all of them completely devoid of anybody who looked even remotely like her. He had little idea of what he could do next. Sighing, he sat down in his chair. Tomorrow he'd go back to Nurmengard, just on the off chance that he could track her from there. Not that he expected it to work after over 4 decades.
Somewhere, At Sometime
Seconds before the stone javelin hit Draco, it exploded, the shrapnel causing him to cry out in pain. Narcissa ignored it, merely glad that he was alive, and continued her sprint towards the woman who had tried to hurt Draco, who was still floating there, though now she had a wide smile on her face. Narcissa had no idea how she'd managed to destroy the weapon, she only knew that somehow she had, and that now she had to do the same thing to Libra in order to protect her son. So, acting mostly on instinct, she let her magic go, following it, letting it guide her actions.
She dodged to the side as lightning struck once more, hitting the ground where she had been just second before, and as she flew through the air her hand stretched out, grabbing onto something she couldn't see and pulling. A furious storm of fire burst from the ground beneath Libra, morphing into Dragons, Manticores, and all manner of terrible beasts, hungrily stretching towards the floating figure. Glancing down at the inferno below, she spun around, disappearing and rematerializing some distance away, the ousting her hand towards the demonic fire, which froze in a matter of seconds, ice somehow creeping up the flames, chilling a raging inferno. Ignoring that, Narcissa simply waved her hand as she changed course, running towards, the new location of her enemy; at her gesture, the air began to swirl, forming a tornado, thrashing Libra around while keeping her in the same general place. Reaching the whipping twister, Narcissa simply dove in, the wind not affecting her at all, a crackling sword of electricity in her hand, which she brought down on her undefended foe, watching as it hit her flesh.
"Enough." It was more than a word, it was a command, an order, and the world obeyed. As suddenly as it had sprung into existence the tornado stopped, her sword dissipated, and the frozen flame melted to nothing. Narcissa was blown backwards, flying through the air to land on the barren grey ground, and as she sprung up she noticed the fog had been blown away to, revealing an endless landscape of grey, stretching on for as far as the eye could see. The only things in it were her, Draco, and Libra, who floated over it all, completely unharmed and unperturbed. Narcissa tried once again to bring her magic to bear, but found that she was no longer able to let it free like it had been a second ago.
She opened her mouth to scream as her body prepared to shield Draco from any further danger, but she was stopped as Libra spoke once again. "Very good dear. You have performed admirably."
She then waved her hand towards Draco who dissolved into the same grey fog that he'd come out of, and Narcissa stared at her, a look of realization on her face. "He wasn't real?"
"Of course not dear," Libra responded, the smile on her face suggesting that this was an utterly ridiculous proposition. "I would never have hurt your child, I simply would have killed you like I did with all the others." Narcissa didn't know whether to be relieved or disturbed by her words, and she wasn't given enough time to decide as Libra spoke once again. "Regardless, that won't be needed now, for you have indeed proven yourself worthy. Congratulations."
Even through her shock and confusion, Narcissa found something wrong with that statement. "But I have no idea how I did what I did! I wouldn't be able to do it again!"
"How isn't important my dear. All that is important is that you did it. Besides," she said with a smile, "you are a worthy Black, and shall reap the rewards of such. Good luck, and do feel free to come visit me again; just be warned that next time the trial won't be nearly as easy."
"Wait what do you…" Narcissa's question trailed off as the world faded away, and pain shot through her body, her legs giving out as she collapsed on the stone floor of the dark room she'd landed in. She didn't even find enough time to cry out before she blacked out entirely, falling unconscious, body landing on the cold stone with a thud.
A/N: And that's another chapter done! This one's pretty long, slightly under 3600 words. I hope you enjoyed it! (It's one of my favorites so far). Anyway, I don't have much else to say about it, so tell me what you think in the comments below. The next chapter will probably be up tomorrow at sometime. Toodles!
