In disbelief, Riley stared at the lightbulb that he held onto. The payoff of years of dedication and hard work sat right in his hands, shining brightly. He really couldn't believe what he was seeing. And the power that flowed through his veins…! Oh, right at this moment, he felt completely invincible!
The blaring light was beginning to blind his eyes, and he looked away with a smile forming to his lips. Connie was also grinning from ear-to-ear. She leapt up into the air and let out a squeal.
"You did it!"
"No," he corrected her, slightly hoarse from his astonishment. "We did it. All of us!"
"I'm confused," Simon spoke up from his spot at a row of folding chairs, having just watched Riley drink his serum and then make the lightbulb light up. "What have we done?"
"We have created the cure to Squibtry."
"And that is?"
"Ah, there shall be time for explanations later, but now we must take action. We have some things to set in order before going public with this." Riley turned to Connie. "I want you to take Simon to a safe place. He'll be a target now that the curse has worn off, and I'm expecting some retaliation at any moment."
"And the others?" Connie inquired.
"Worry about Simon first, then come back for the boy. I'll handle the girl."
Connie nodded in acknowledgement and made her way over to Simon who was dying to hear the answers to the many questions floating around inside his mind.
"In due time, my son. I promise," Riley assured him, and before Simon could respond, he was gone, dissapperated by Connie.
Riley then went to meet up with the girl who had made this all possible, stopping at the door that was marked with the number 10. He paused for a moment in thought, still bothered with the idea that this child had held the magic that he had been searching over a decade for.
He shook his head, clearing his mind. That didn't matter anymore. Now he just had to find a way to keep her magic in his possession, and he knew that wasn't going to be very easy. Especially if she was in her right mind.
Riley would just have to change that.
He opened the door, turning on the light with just a wave of his hand, smirking to himself, giddy at the thought of how everything was going to be so much more easier for him now. The magic that flowed throughout his body was amazing. Even more powerful than if he had been a born wizard. He almost pitied the born-wizards.
Almost.
"Where have you gone, my little miracle worker?" Riley called out softly when he discovered that the room was empty. He walked over to the closed bathroom door, knocking on it. "I want to show you something, child. Come out of there and see what your blood has done."
He received no answer. In truth, he had expected some sort of response. She was the child of two mouthy parents, so it was only natural for her to have a sharp tongue. Her brother had definitely inherited it.
"Talli, open this door up." His knocking got more solid. "If you don't speak up, I'm coming in," Riley warned her.
With one, final knock, he grabbed ahold of the handle to the door, chuckling to himself when he went to go turn it. She had thought locking the door would stop him. Children were so naive. He unlocked it simply with his mind and pushed the door open.
"You can come out now. There is no escape." As soon as the last word was out, he sensed movement on his left. Something solid hit his side, making Riley yelp out in surprise. He snatched the offending object—some kind of long shaft—, tugging it toward him. Riley reached out, grasping onto the girl who was at the end of the shower rod. The rod clanged to the ground when he dropped it to gain control of the tiny body that fought against him.
"Let go!" she screamed, kicking at his shin.
Riley grit his teeth, the sharp pain brought tears to his eyes. For such a little one, this girl could pack a kick. He curled his first into her mane of hair, giving it a gratifying yank. She shrieked out at his assault, digging her nails into his hand.
Riley didn't have time for this nonsense! He ordered his newly-found magic to bound her hands together. Even with bound wrists though, the girl fought, hitting him with the joined limbs and kicking at him repeatedly, over and over, promising an agonizing bruise in the near future.
He finally caught her knee as it flailed up, and he tipped her over, gaining control of the battle. Riley pulled her up to him, squeezing the child to his chest, feeling the heaving of her breathing against him. Riley was amazed by her strength. He wondered if that was contributed by the magic of her blood.
"Today, I'm not just one step ahead," he told her as she puffed away to catch her breath. "Because of you, I'm five steps ahead." He chuckled as she began squirming to try and break free. "In just a few short minutes, you'll be joining my side, and together, we will cure all the Squibs. No Squib will ever be powerless again."
"You can't cure Squibs!" she argued with a huff, ceasing her movement, thoroughly exhausted. "And I'm not joining you!"
"Oh, but we have cured Squibtry, little one. The magic inside you is the key ingredient to the cure. He released her, pushing her out of the bathroom and back into the main room, taking out the lightbulb from the pocket of his jacket. "Watch this," he ordered of her, curling up his lips. He silently told the lightbulb to shine, and with a mild, faint click, the Muggle-made item lit up. "You see?"
Talli shook her head, unwilling to believe what she just saw. "No, you can't cure Squibs," she repeated in denial.
"But we did," Riley insisted. "Your blood, it has phenomenal power, child. Power beyond belief!"
The girl looked down at her arm, presumably looking at the spot that he had earlier jabbed her with a needle to eject her blood with. She looked back up at him with tears in her eyes. Her lips trembled. "You intend to keep me forever, don't you?"
Riley pocketed the lightbulb. "There are a lot of Squibs to cure."
She crumbled to the floor, jerking with a sob. "I want to go home! Please take home!" All dignity was lost upon realizing her fate.
"It'll be okay, child," Riley whispered, not wanting to waste his moment of opportunity. With her current state of mind, it would be easy for him to magically warp it while she was vulnerable. "I'll take care of everything. Don't you worry." He knelt down low, hovering over her, and outstretched his arm to brush back the mane of her hair away from her face.
"Don't touch me!" she wailed out frantically, smacking at him.
"Talli?!"
Both Talli and Riley's heads snapped, turning toward the closed door after hearing Scorpius call out for his sister.
"Scorpius!" Talli scrambled up to her feet, but Riley caught her before she could run to the door.
"Not so fast!" he sneered out, wrapping his arm around her neck in a tight hold. He dragged her to the door and flung it open to see that Scorpius had somehow gotten out of his room. The memory of his sister must have returned too, much to Riley's disappointment.
"Let my sister go!"
*/*
Scorpius stood over the notebook, narrowing his eyes at the sentence that he had written down. He had been advised by the healer to write down anything that came to his mind, and this one thing was the only thing invading his head.
Talli needs my help.
Who was Talli? Scorpius had obviously known this girl before he had lost his memory. For the life of him though, he couldn't remember exactly who she was. Talli had been someone close to him. Quite possibly a friend of his. They had spent a lot of time together.
He turned from the notepad with an annoyed grunt, irritated with himself. Why couldn't he remember anything? What had happened to him? And why didn't he have any visitors? Didn't he have anyone who cared about him? Was the isolation part of the examination? Or was there something more going on?
Scorpius guessed that it was the latter. His gut was in a twisted mess. He did not feel safe. He had an ugly feeling that his memory wasn't lost through some fluke accident. Something told him that his memory had been wiped on purpose.
He closed his eyes, trying to see if he could make out anything else from the image of the girl that clung to his mind. The background was blurry against her bushy hair. He could make out candles behind her head, floating above the heads of several people.
"Oh, my word, Scorpius!"
Scorpius's eyes flew open and darted around the room. His shoulders slumped when he realized that he was still the only person who occupied the room.
Then it hit him. He had remembered something. Her voice. The sound of Talli's voice had finally returned. He took a deep breath to steady himself and sat down at the side of the bed. He closed his eyes again, concentrating on the memory.
"Did you read the paper this morning?" her voice echoed throughout his head.
"I didn't think you read the paper?" Scorpius found himself saying. Talli hated the news.
The sound of multiple voices invaded his head as hundreds of people spoke around the elaborately decorated room; they were sitting in a busy location.
Talli rolled her eyes, a thing that she was known for doing. "Well, I don't usually, no, but who can ignore this headline?!" She flipped the front of the paper around so that Scorpius could see it.
"Please take me home!"
Scorpius clutched his chest, gripping onto a hard object. The memory faded away, and he gawked at the walls around him which we were now highlighted in green. He looked down at a pulsing light in his hand, realizing the green light was coming from the object in his hand.
He stood up from the bed in alarm. Talli. Talli needed help!
Talli; my sister!
He removed the amulet from around his neck and rotated it to let the tail of the scorpion shape to stick out between the grip of his finger and thumb. Without a thought, he walked to the door and scraped the tail down the seam of the door, magically cutting the metal hinges. The door fell forward with a soft "thud".
"Don't touch me!"
Scorpius ran out into the hallway and to a door nearby that was shining with the green light of his amulet. "Talli!" he hollered out.
Scorpius heard a muffled struggle before the door in front of him swung open. Riley (the murderer, Scorpius remembered) stood, holding his little sister captive.
"Let my sister go!"
"I see your memory has returned," Riley announced reluctantly.
"Yeah, I remember everything, now let her go!"
"Yes, well, I'm going to have to say no to that." Riley squeezed her tighter to him. "You see, she's much too precious to set free."
"Go, Scorpius!" Tall struggled to say. "Go get Mum!".
Riley tugged at her hair, making the girl screech out. "Quiet!" he barked.
"You don't need her," Scorpius told him. "I'm the healer, I'm the seer!"
Riley laughed. "But what you don't know yet, is that I…" He lifted his hand and gestured down the hallway where a door at the very end of it opened on its own. "...do need her."
It took Scorpius a moment to understand what had just happened, and the expression on his face must have given away his shock because Riley began to laugh.
"Yes, I have magic now. All thanks to your little sister! So you can see why I just can't let her go! Now, we've got places to go, and we don't have much time." Riley pushed past Scorpius, easily knocking the boy from his path.
"No!" Talli shrieked out, stamping her feet, trying anything to escape.
"I won't let you take her!"
"You have no choice, Scorpius. This is a fight you will surely lose. I warn you not to challenge me."
"But I've got this!" Scorpius held up his amulet as a threat, but it only made Riley smile.
"What are you going to do with it? Heal me with it?!"
Scorpius's hope faded a little as he realized that his amulet wasn't going to assist him any further with this. The previous light and heat of it were no longer present, and it was currently just a blunt object.
"You're welcome to join me," Riley offered as he pulled the girl away.
"Never!" Scorpius rejected, highly insulted that the man would think he'd ever side with him.
Riley shrugged indifferently. "Then say goodbye to your sister. This will be the last you see of her."
"Wait!" Scorpius stopped him, seeing the complete fear in Talli's eyes over the thought of Riley's threat.
"Scorpius!" a woman suddenly called out.
Scorpius turned to see his parents and several other adults at the other end of the hallway, quickly approaching them.
"Talli!" Father gasped out, seeing the girl's predicament. "Oh, Merlin, he has her! Hermione!"
"Not this time, folks!" Riley said, and with a joyous chuckle, he flung out his free arm, casting some sort of invisible magic. The doors from the rooms around them began creating a wall, separating Scorpius and Talli from their parents.
"NO!" Scorpius grimaced when he heard the pained shrill of his mother's scream. "Please, don't do this! They're just children! PLEASE!"
"We can't get through!" Father announced hopelessly.
"Scorpius?" the gloating sound of Riley's voice spoke up above the chaos on the other side of the magical wall. "Are you going to join us or not?"
With one final glance in the direction of his parents, Scorpius squared off his shoulders, stepping forward. "I'll come with you," he decided grimly.
Riley's grin grew wider, immediately making Scorpius regret his choice, but he had to protect his sister from this evil man.
"Excellent. I had a feeling that you would come around."
Connie appeared right then, and before anything more could be said, she had snatched hold of Scorpius and apparated him away.
Seconds later, Scorpius was bent over, taking in gulps of air, feeling ill over the abrupt movement. He recovered soon enough and noticed that they were in a large, stale bedroom that appeared to have not been used in several years. There was a single lamp on a cabinet by the bed, but the light that came from it was incredibly dim. It was just enough for Scorpius to see around though.
He felt a small body wrap itself around him, and he hugged his whimpering sister close to him.
"Now, you two will behave yourselves, else I'll be forced to separate you," Riley threatened from an open door. "You wouldn't like that very much, would you?"
"No," Scorpius forced an answer, knowing Riley expected one. Satisfied with that, Riley closed them up, presumably locking them inside.
"You're alright," Scorpius whispered, patting Talli's back.
"I'm scared!" she sobbed. "He's never going to let me go home, Scorpius! He says my blood is magical and can cure Squibs. Cure them! As if there is something wrong with them!"
"His sudden magic abilities seem to substantiate that claim," Scorpius reasoned gently.
"He's much more powerful than anyone I've seen!" Talli informed in horror. "That magic isn't natural!" She tucked her head into his chest, crying. "It's bad magic! And I've created it!"
"No," Scorpius firmly corrected her. "He created it, you were just unlucky enough to possess an ingredient he needed."
Talli shivered against him, horrified over the thought. "It's revolting to even think of me being an ingredient! Like I'm a creature or something! I mean, is he going to drain me out, jar me up and sell my blood?!"
"It's probably for the best that we just don't think about such thoughts right now."
Talli pulled from him, and she wiped her puffy, red eyes with the tips of her fingers. "You're right," she said, taking a shuddering breath to calm herself. "I doubt Mum would think like that if she were here." She jabbed her watery eyes, having difficulties with keeping her emotions at bay. "We're going to see her again," Talli whispered firmly, more to reassure herself than anyone. "We will get out of this."
"Indeed," Scorpius agreed. "I've gotten out of every predicament that I have been in with Riley. I'm sort of confused that he even wants me around at this point."
Talli began walking around the room, inspecting it. "You told him you were a seer?" She had remembered what Scorpius had said to Riley just moments ago.
"I had no choice," Scorpius admitted, hanging his shoulders down. "Huldah came by, and Riley knew that something was up. He threatened Picket with a knife, and I just couldn't bear the idea of another murder— He was serious, Talli."
Talli nodded, taking a moment before asking, "What else did you tell him?"
"That she is mine…"
"So he doesn't know anything more?" She was speaking about Simon but didn't want to come out with a direct inquiry, knowing that there was a possibility that they were being spied on.
"There was really nothing more to tell."
Talli folded her arms across her chest and wrinkled her nose. "This place is quite filthy."
Scorpius agreed. At one time, it was probably a really nice bedroom, seemingly matching the size of a smaller guest suite in Malfoy Manor. The days of extravagance were long gone though. There was a thick layer of dust coating everything in sight, and where the two had walked, footprints lay in the carpet.
"I wish could cast magic," Talli said solemnly. "I'd clean this mess up. I can't believe he intends to keep us in this filth!"
"It's probably just for temporary," Scorpius reasoned.
"Well, my blood is no good if I get sick! YOU HEAR THAT?!" she shouted out, stomping at the floor, creating a dust cloud. "I'M NO GOOD IF I'M SICK!" She coughed when the dust invaded her throat, and she had to tuck her nose into her shirt to breathe.
"Let's not try to press his buttons within the first hour, Talli," Scorpius advised her firmly. "Remember what he said about separating us."
She huffed. "This place is disgusting!"
"We better just stay in one spot, so that we don't disturb the dust anymore than we already have."
With a defeated sigh, Talli went over to a wall that had a window. She lifted her arm and hesitated a moment before wiping a dusty window pane with the cuff of her sleeve. It was night time, so nothing could be seen outside the window. All that was there was her reflection staring back at her. She sat down and leaned up against the wall.
"I'm hungry, Scorpius" she announced gravely. "I shouldn't be, but I am."
"When was the last time you ate?"
"Williger gave me a piece of cake this afternoon. At least… I think it was this afternoon?" She shook her head, unknowing. "This is what it's going to be like, isn't it? We won't even know what day it is anymore!"
Scorpius sat down next to her. "We'll be fine," he assured her. "If you're really as precious to him as he says, he'll feed you."
"Mum will come for us," Talli said, in her attempt of being optimistic. "He won't be able to keep us forever."
"We'll escape," Scorpius assured her. He just first had to find a way, but as he had said earlier, he had escaped from Riley's grasp several times already.
*/*
"You couldn't have sprung for a cleaner location?" Simon scrutinized when Riley had returned after a while. The thick layer of dust was already irritating his throat.
"Spur of the moment," Riley said apologetically. "I haven't been here for years."
"Obviously…"
Riley flicked his wrist, and the dust was gone. Everything now looked shiny, waxed and polished. The man smiled at Simon's awed facial expression.
"Can I do that too?"
"I've seen you clean objects, but I believe that an entire room is too advanced for someone of your education."
Simon toed the sparkling tile beneath him. "I… don't even remember how to do a simple spell."
"Well, my magic is different than yours," Riley informed. "I could try showing you, but since my magic is wandless, it'll work differently."
"Why don't we have the same magic? If we're blood-related?"
"Have a seat, son." Riley directed him to an armchair. Once they were both seated, he asked, "Are you thirsty? Hungry?"
"I wouldn't mind some water."
"Connie? Water for the boy and I could use a Firewhiskey."
The house-elf, who had hardly been noticeable, faithfully standing in a corner out of the way, bowed low. "Of course, boss!"
"Reach into your robes," Riley instructed. "There, you will find your wand."
Simon patted around the torso of his body until he felt a stiff object. He thought it was peculiar that he hadn't felt the wand jab into his side at all, only noticing it when his hand touched it.
"Your robes are probably charmed for comfort," Riley explained with Simon questioned about it. "They are a bit of a fancy type; costly, I'm sure."
"Did you not buy them?" Simon wondered. Being this was his dad, he would have thought the man would have bought them for Simon to wear.
"Someone gave them to you without my knowledge when you were at school."
"There's a magic school?" Simon asked in bewilderment.
"Yes, several, but you're not going back. I'll teach you everything you need to know now."
"What's wrong with the school? I wouldn't mind meeting some other boys my own age, and maybe do some playful duels—"
"No," Riley cut him off sharply. "You're going to stay here, with me, and there's to be no more discussion of it."
Simon stiffened, uncomfortable with the finality of the man's tone. "You have a problem with me going to school? You're sure are a strange dad!"
"That school doesn't understand us," Riley softened. "They haven't understood people like us since I was a child."
"Well, you said there were others, maybe I could go to one of them instead."
"We will not discuss it anymore, Simon," Riley warned him, completely serious with his statement.
Simon stirred uneasily, unwilling to see what could happen to him if he pressed the topic further. He didn't know this man, but Simon wasn't up to learning what kind of punishment he would inflict on him.
"Let me show you a spell," Riley changed the subject. "The cleaning one is relatively easy. Maybe you'll remember your education once you start using your wand again."
*/*
It was a rough night. Talli only slept from pure exhaustion alone. She and Scorpius shared the bed (after removing the top layer, the blankets and sheets underneath were relatively clean) and tried talking about their fondest of memories, hoping to put some light into their currently dark situation.
It didn't work.
Talli kept sneezing, miserable from the condition of their residence. Her hunger pains lasted throughout the entire night, and the fear of her future as a murderer's captive continued to eat at her. Her body shook and shivered, and it wasn't because she was cold.
"Where's Mum?" she whimpered after she abruptly woke up from a restless slumber, wondering why her mum hadn't found them yet. Mum was a genius and a heroine, surely she should have found her children by now.
Scorpius sat up upon hearing his sister's voice. His long hair was a tangled mess. Any other day, Talli would have probably laughed at its condition. Scorpius had always concerned himself with his appearance. He wasn't vain, but he believed that he had to be presentable— he got that part of him from their dad's half of the family. He cared about his hair the most, and this morning, it looked like what Talli's own hair looked like practically every day.
His face wasn't any better though. He had bags under his eyes, indicating that he had just as little sleep as Talli had.
"I'm sure I look dreadful," Scorpius muttered, running a hand through his once silky, platinum-blonde hair. His hand got stuck in the tangles of it, and he had to fight to pull his fingers through it.
"Don't look in the mirror," Talli advised him. She actually pitied him a little. Scorpius was very much like their grandfather on this subject. If he saw what he looked like, he would possibly cry.
"I know better than to do that," he grumbled, sitting at the edge of the bed.
The sun was just beginning to rise, and Talli scampered over to the window to see what was surrounding them.
The landscape was just as neglected as the home had been. Overgrown brush stretched out for as far as Talli could see. Off to the right, Talli could make out an old barn. They were likely at an old, abandoned farm.
"I have no idea where we are," Talli announced hopelessly.
"Somewhere far away; at a place that no one will find you."
Talli turned to face her captor, pressing her back against the window. Riley stood at the doorway.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" He giggled at the sight of Scorpius. "My, my, you're a bit of a wreck, aren't you?"
Scorpius said nothing, pressing his lips together, likely to keep an insult at bay.
"Well, this is new for you," Riley commented in approval.
Talli then sneezed. She groaned, annoyed with the pressure that had built up in her head.
"Ah, I haven't been an accommodating host, have I?" Riley noted after a look around the room. With a simple hand movement, the room was clean, albeit for the bed that Scorpius was still sitting in. "Stand up, and I'll change the bedding," Riley ordered.
Obediently, Scorpius stood, and the bed was changed out with fresh, clean blankets.
"Breakfast?" Riley directed at Talli.
Talli's eyes dropped to the floor. The dusty footprints that they had made overnight were gone, and she couldn't help but feel a little relieved over the cleanliness of the room. Now she wasn't sure how to respond to Riley's question. Sure, she was hungry, but she didn't want to admit it.
"Yes," Scorpius spoke up. "She's been hungry all night— if you plan to keep children, you better feed them more often."
"I didn't ask you. I want an answer from her."
Talli looked at Riley who was awaiting an answer. Her throat was dry, and she tried wetting it by swallowing.
"You just have to say the word, Talli, and you can have anything you want." He stepped further into the room, and Scorpius immediately moved in front of him, putting himself between Talli and their captor.
"Just get her some eggs, she'll eat those."
Riley laughed. "There's no need to protect your sister. I intend no harm to her— do you understand that?" he gently directed at Talli. "You're much too valuable to damage. I do apologize for your unfortunate night, everything was completely rushed, and I had no time to make any appropriate preparations, but I do mean it— anything you want, you can have it."
"I want to go home!" Talli managed to say through her tight throat. Tears stung her eyes, and she wiped them away.
"You can't go home now," Riley told her, finding her request absurd. "We have a number of Squibs to cure! They'll be coming over to see you soon, you know? You'll be the guest of honour! One vial of our concoction, and they'll be just like me!" He swung his arm toward his left where a tiny table appeared. A silver cloth delicately draped over it, and plates and cutlery were neatly set on top of it.
"You do want to cure people, don't you?"
Talli shook her head. "That magic isn't natural!"
Riley stepped forward, closer to her. "What magic is natural, child?" he challenged her with a dark whisper. "You think your magic is natural?"
"Stop it!" Scorpius demanded, grabbing at Riley's white coat. "Don't scare her like that!"
Riley ignored him, acting as if Scorpius wasn't even there. "An object created your existence, Talli. A cursed object created the magic that in turn created you. Explain to me how that is natural. The blood flowing through you is not natural. Don't you tell me what is natural. I have been studying blood long before you were even born."
"You think she'll conform out of fear?!" Scorpius cut in, watching his sister shake from where she stood. Tears rolled down her reddening face, and she began sobbing.
"People tend to respond better to fear. Let me show you—" He snatched Scorpius by the throat, cutting off the boy's airflow.
"NO!" Talli screeched. "Don't hurt him!"
"You fear that I'll kill your brother, don't you, Talli?"
Talli ran to her brother and grabbed ahold of the arm that held onto Scorpius. Riley only tightened his hold.
"Unhand me, or he dies," Riley ordered simply.
Talli stepped back in horror, watching Scorpius fight to breathe. "Oh, please let him go!" Talli wailed out helplessly.
"Do you fear that I will kill your brother?" he repeated.
"Yes!"
"Then wouldn't you think it's probably for the best if you joined me? For the safety of your brother?"
Scorpius's lips were turning blue, his eyes were clamped shut. "Yes!" Talli answered, desperate for the man to stop his assault.
"What would you like to eat for breakfast?" Riley asked casually as if he wasn't currently squeezing the life out of a thirteen-year-old.
"What?" Talli asked in confusion.
"Come on now, child! Your brother is dying here! Choose your meal now!"
"Okay, okay! Eggs, toast and jam!" she hollered out.
"Excellent." Riley immediately released Scorpius who fell to the ground and loudly sucked in gasps of air.
"Oh, Scorpius!" Talli knelt beside her brother, crying out. "Keep breathing," she encouraged him. "You can do it." Her hands trembled at the dark red mark that lay across the skin of his neck.
"Do you understand how this works now, Talli?" Riley asked her rhetorically. "I ask you a question, and you answer it. If you don't…" he paused for a dramatic effect, "we will repeat this process until he either dies or you do as you're told."
Talli sniffed, quivering in fright. "You'll have me only in fear alone," she pointed out to him. "I'll never do anything for you out of my own will!"
"Ah, another thing that I have studied for decades is psychology; Stockholm will set in eventually, my child. We're a team now, and I advise you to accept that fact." He left with that final statement, leaving her to stew over his words.
AN: Yes, it's been so long since I updated this story, I had 1/3 of this chapter written, but then I got a little blockage! I made it though! Sorry about that (I have been thinking about this just about every day, trying to pull myself out of the hole). Hope you enjoyed! Until next time (and I'll try to make a quicker update)!
Review Responses:
tmtcltb: Riley has a few tricks up his sleeves, and it seems not many people have caught on to how he's able to do what he's been able to accomplish.
cloakedauthor21: Well, you just never know what's going to happen, but it seems the amulet comes to the rescue just at the right time —and then sometimes, it'll just leave Scorpius hanging, LOL!