Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It


Please Read and Review. I'd like to know what I'm doing right (to keep doing it), and what I'm I doing wrong (to correct it).


Ripskin waited until Lord Potter's excitable house-elf had gone to the next room to rest before talking. "(Cousin, here are the projected amounts of basilisk products we calculate to harvest.)" he extracted a sheet of parchment from a water-proof pocket in his vest, and put it on Brokentooth's desk.

Brokentooth examined the sheet. His eyes opened wider than ever. "(Is this correct? We will have to employ a lot of space in the stasis chambers. And be careful on the amounts we release into the market, or the prices will drop.)"

Ripskin leaned back on his chair, a lit cigar moved from one side of his mouth to the other. "(It is, so far. We have been very busy. We will need even more crates than we thought.)"

"(I'll have them bought and ready by tomorrow morning. How much poison?)"

"(Two full barrels and a small casket, the glands were not full. I suggest you present Lord Potter with the casket, as a gift. I'm sure he will appreciate it.)"

"(I like the idea, Ripskin. I have an artisan casket I've been saving for a very important client, I'll commission my brother-in-law to decorate it with the Potter shield or arms.)"

"(Good. Goldclaw does very good work. Be sure to swear him to secrecy. I don't think Lord Potter would appreciate any indiscretion on our part. Having taken so much trouble to hide the rendering of the beast itself from the rest of Wizarding Britain...)" Ripskin shook the ash from his cigar in an elaborate ash-tray, shaped as an old train lantern. The ash vanished before touching the bottom of the tray.

"(True. So, when will the job be done?)"

"(Give us a week. I want to be sure the skeleton is correctly packed, and each bone is marked and numbered. After that, it can be transported here to be polished, engraved, and mounted. You'll have to ask Lord Potter for his permission to have it sent anywhere he likes. Maybe allow one or two of our trophy makers to visit the place and take notes to pose it for display.)"

"(Take your time, this is a job we all want done to the best of Gringotts capabilities.)" Brokentooth shuffled a few documents. "(When you're done, take three days to rest and then I'll need your help to assemble a new team.)"

Ripskin grinned, "(What kind of impossibly deadly and gigantic beast has Lord Potter managed to kill this time?)"

"(None, as far as I know. He asked me for a locate and capture team after we agreed on the terms for the rendering.)"

"(Locate and capture? A particularly deadly creature, no doubt.)"

"(Probably dangerous, yes.)"

Ripskin arched an eyebrow, "(Really? What kind of creature are we talking about, dragon? Manticore? Chimera? King Cobra?)"He learned his throat noisily, "(Hmm ... Cousin Filius told me that Lord Potter is a Parselmouth, is that true? Maybe he wants some conversation?)"

"(No idea if that is true or not, we did not discuss it.)" Brokentooth shrugged. "(However, he described a particular snake. Big, smart, poisonous, magical in nature. He doesn't know if it is also dark in nature or not, but he warned me it might be the case. If not, it must be captured alive, preferably unharmed; if it is dark, it must be captured or killed. But Lord Potter asks for the team to be sensible, if any of you is in deadly danger, he won't object to you and your team defending yourselves. And Lord Potter is willing to buy any and all magical snakes you find, he said he wouldn't want to waste your efforts. Once you have found the snake he wants, you and your team are to come back, cash your pay, and deliver the snakes at a secret place.)"

"(I'm liking this wizard more and more. Most wizards care more for their trophies' skin than for ours.)" Ripskin's face twisted in a bitter gesture. "(Dragon fire and brimstone, Cousin! Just for his manners I would be willing to give him a small discount. And his respectful treatment of us means we will actually stop looking once we find the snake he wants!)"

"(Yes. He's a good breed. Other wizards would whine about the danger bonus they have to pay, as if they did risk their overgrown asses themselves.)"

They kept silent for a few seconds. Ripskin shook more ash in the tray, before speaking again. "(Then, what species of snake does he want?)"

Brokentooth leaned towards Ripskin. "(Not a species, an individual snake. He calls it, 'Nagini'.)"


Author Notes:

TitusVorenus, I have plans to get Shinji into the Potterverse much sooner. The Goblet of Fire will play an important role during Fourth Year. Let's just say that it will be a big shock for everybody.

Shinji will still be an emotional mess when he arrives, but at least this time, he will have a much better support network.


To Guest, Comments on Chapter 27

Technically, Shinji cannot be 100% sure anybody else in this train is from his original universe; or even one close to it, as there are infinite numbers of very similar universes. But as he is not that deep of a thinker, he will accept their word. And so far, Misato and Rei fit with his memories.