CHAPTER 21

The next morning it was rainy and dreary. The sky was constantly opening up and dropping sheets of rain on the picturesque little English village of thatched cottages and shops known as Hogsmeade. Dreth was breathing heavily as he ran through the streets of Hogsmeade, racing quickly through the rain and thunder and the crowds of fellow wizards and witches around him. He accidently knocked over a stack of cages which held chickens, causing feathers to fly and a lot of panicked chicken noises.

The owner of the chickens cried out, "Oi, watch where you're goin' you!"

Dreth did not stop and apologize to the owner, he just kept on running. Running as fast as his legs could carry him until reaching a dark, dimly lit ally that led to shops and places set aside for the wizard folk that specialized in Dark Magic. He ran past quite a few strange and shady characters before reaching the building at the end of the ally, which looked like a brothel of high standing. He burst into the front door, running past panicked woman who were busy entertaining their male customers. Dreth then burst in through another door far in the back of the building and cried out, "My Lady Mapheria! The Albus boy is gone! He's gone, nowhere to be found!"

Unbeknownst to Dreth, Mapheria was in the company of other couples and sitting fully clothed on a bed with a man. She quickly came to anger when Dreth had disrupted her. She got off of the bed and cried out, "Out! Out! Get out of here this instant! How dare you disturb me and my husband while we are busy entertaining customers! Out!"

Quickly rushing Dreth out the door, the other couples outside the room that heard the commotion soon moved and hid as Mapheria closed the door to the room she was in and flattened her back against it briefly before she continued as she walked away from it, "What do you mean the Albus boy is gone?! You were supposed to watch him! Did you not realize who was in that room with me?! The most important people in my plans is in that room! Now I can only imagine what they are going to think and say after your little outburst! I say again, what do you mean he is gone?!"

Meanwhile, in another dark area of Hogsmeade, someone else is being informed of Albus's disappearance.

A man spoke as another man sat in an armchair by a lit fireplace, listening, "He's been taken, my Lord. Taken into the Fringes. I can only guess as to where he has been taken to in there."

The man in the armchair tapped his long, pointed fingernails on the left arm rest of his armchair as he spoke softly, "Indeed. I have a few guesses as to where he has been taken in there. So many places to hide, so many allies...and enemies. The Albus boy will be sent somewhere where he will be protected, away from the walls of Hogwarts. I think that we shall go and join the Albus boy in the Fringes and go look for him. For if I know my rival, she will want to do the same. Assemble a caravan of my best people. We will find him there and get him to help us find what me and my father seek."

"What about me, sir? What shall I do?"

"You Mathias shall shall take Jerrick and Jillia with you and go pinpoint the location of the Albus boy. It is likely that he will not stay in the Fringes for long and will be sent someplace in the Spirit World. Why don't you and your friends do that little hobby of yours in the Spirit World for a while? You might just run into the boy that way since afterall, it is so easy to with that hobby of yours. I myself can not go into the Spirit World just as my rival can not, so you and your friends will have to go there for me."

"We will do our best, sir. Thank-you, sir." said Mathias as he bowed his head and walked towards the door.

Then the man he was speaking to spoke once more, "And Mathias...?"

"Yes, sir?" said Mathias, looking back at the man.

"Do not fail me and my father again. Failing me again might prove to be hazardous, if you get my meaning. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. Perfectly." said Mathias nonchalantly, fearing not the man's threats.

The man then laughed quietly then spoke, "I do like you, Mathias. You do not scare easily do you?"

"No, sir. I do not."

Suddenly, with his wand, the man conjured up a snake out of nowhere which went flying through the air towards Mathias. Mathias quickly pulled out his wand and transformed the snake into confetti, which went flying everywhere. The man then spoke once more, "Be warned, Mathias. Do not put your hopes in a false courage. For if you do fail me again, it will not save you."

Mathias narrowed his eyes, brushed confetti off his robes and turned back towards the door. The man then leaned forward, revealing his face. It was Morispho, who gave a cunning smirk and watched as Mathias left the room. The bird, Ignotus, then appeared and landed on Morispho's right armrest.

Morispho then looked at the bird and spoke, "Do not despair, father. We shall gain our prize. Maybe sooner than we may realize. What say you?"

The bird then looked towards the door to the room and gave an ominous squawk. This battle was far from over.

...CONTINUED...HARRY POTTER THE LEGACY CHRONICLES VOL. 2 (ALTERNATIVE VERSION)...

THE END