Sirius followed in Balasko's footsteps and returned inside the house. He found everyone sitting around the living room dining table on which Zoega was displaying a map of the region. Red pulled a chair at his right, and Sirius moved in between Red and Balasko. Soon after, Denise joined them and sat on a high chair that compensated for her short stature, bringing her to the same height as the others. She glared at her brother, making him understand that it was a bad idea to add any comment, and starting the meeting was for the best, instead. Balasko cleared his throat and spoke in a loud voice that put an end to Belby and Worple's whispering, drawing the group's attention to him.
"Well, I think that the discussion we had last night already introduced the subject fairly well. In a nutshell, "series of murders, vampire, missing castle, an agreement between us." Said Balasko, looking at each of the participants.
"Blackmail in my case..." Sirius said, Waving his wrist, making his bracelet rattle.
"Whatever...The purpose of this morning's meeting is to determine the role each of us will play in this quest." Balasko said, ignoring Sirius.
"My part seems to be very obvious. I will stay here." Belby declared.
"Well, that's not helping..." Red said, laughing at Belby's face.
"Let me finish kid...I will stay here to brew potions and antidotes that I believe would be very helpful. You should all be very grateful to have someone like me here. How about you, Red? How are you going to help? Distract the enemy with your asthma?" Belby said with a smirk.
"I was going to offer to help you gather the ingredients you need for your potions since you are too chicken to go to the forest alone, but I changed my mind," Red replied.
"Sirius will take care of that," Balasko said.
"Works for me, be sure to describe what you need, and I'll go get it for you," Sirius said.
"No need to. I will go with you...I just need a...Bodyguard." Belby said to Sirius, making Worple burst in laughter.
"I can't believe you just said that!" Worple said, laughing.
"The region is dangerous! We are hunting a Vampire! At least I'm going on the field! How about you?" Belby said, his face turning red.
Worple took a deep breath before replying to him " I am going to do some research about the region and its lore for a start, and provide you with my knowledge about Vampires."
"So you are basically going to stay home and read books, while we are outside risking our lives?" Belby asked him, smirking.
"Yes...Let's say that I'm the brain of the operation." Worple said.
"That's why we need him anyway," Balasko said, cutting off Belby who was about to start another dispute. "Good, that's what I had planned. Joan, yesterday you said something about patrolling?" Balasko asked Zoega.
"Yes, I have done some research. But before I share with you my opinion, I would like to ask Worple a question about Vampires." Zoega said, laying a parchment and a feather on the table, getting ready to take notes.
"Sure! How can I help?" Worple said, visibly happy to help.
"Can Vampires use magic? I mean, if a wizard gets bitten by a Vampire, would he still be able to use magic after he turns?" Zoega asked.
Sirius turned his head instantly toward Worple, that was a good question, and Worple's wild smile seemed to agree with him.
"I will answer if you all agree to one condition," Worple said.
"What condition?" asked Belby, rolling his eyes.
"To keep the answer secret until my book, which I intend to release very soon at the modest price of fifty galleons is at least available for a year," Worple said seriously, making everyone sight in annoyance.
"Ok...We promise, right guys and lady?" Zoega said.
"Not enough! Raise your wands and say..." Worple started before Denise interrupted him.
"Spill it, or I'm going to break your head with a jug" Denise threatened him, summoning a big metal jug from the kitchen.
"You should listen to her...The pain never really goes away." Balasko said to Worple in a small voice, massaging to top of his head.
"Er...Alright...If you want to know, there are two kinds of vampires." Worple said, his eyes filled with the same excitement James use to have every time a conversation about quidditch poped.
"Two kinds? Never heard about it..." Red said.
"Yes. Vampires classify in two categories. Those who were muggles before they got turned and those who were wizard before." Worple said.
"What's the difference between them?" Sirius asked.
"Power! Those who were wizard can stay alive for centuries; they naturally acquire the ability to use wandless magic and are superpredator. They hunt and feed on other vampires and also rule over them like kings. Thank Merlin, there are only a few in the entire world, thanks to Barden Potter who found a cure in the 12th century." Worple said, glancing furtively at Belby who nodded.
"THERE IS A CURE?" red and Zoega exclaimed.
"Potter?" Sirius asked, eyes wide.
"Yes. Potter, the son of Linfred of Stinchcombe, the famous potioner and first Potter." Belby said. "OHHH... Now that I think about it, he got help from a Black!"
"Yes, he accompanied a knight from house Black, who's name has been forgotten, in a mission mandated by the king to hunt and kill the last Vampire king of England. Their mission was a success, and Potter changed the world with his discovery." Worple said, looking at the Sirius who was mouth dropped.
"Wait! Can you brew it?" Red asked Belby hopeful.
"Yes, I can! The problem is that it is incredibly complicated to brew and takes three months to brew... That's why all the action will have to wait."
"Great! Yeah...No need to rush..." Red said, leaning against the back of his chair, grinning.
"That's good to know...How about the second category of Vampires?" Zoega asked.
"They are way less dangerous than the first ones. They are the muggles who turned. They don't acquire the ability to use magic, but they do gain some powers, such as more sharpened senses, bestial strength and speed. However, they can't turn other humans into vampires, and they can live up to two hundred and fifty years tops. However, it's not the most appealing fact..."
"What it is?" Zoega asked.
"You see, Vampire poison is deadly to muggles. My theory is that when a muggle gets bitten and turns after into a Vampire, it means that he could have fathered or mothered a wizard." Worple said, rubbing his chin.
A short silence followed his words, letting everyone absorb the amount of information he shared with them. By the confused expressions on the face of Denise and the other men around the table, Sirius deduced that they were equally surprised and ignorant about the topic as he was. After a moment, Balasko cleared his throat and broke the silence.
"Thank you, Worple. You just proved that your presence here would be vital for what we are about to engage. Joan, you had another question if I remember well." Balasko said.
"Yes...Thank you Worple, but you kind of already answered the question I wanted to ask, and I have bad news..." Zoega said.
"You think it's the first category kind of Vampire, right Zoega?" Sirius asked Zoega.
"Yeah...Call me Joan, by the way... As I said earlier, I did some research about wards, fidelius and other charms that could hide it. Long story short, the castle is too big to be hidden with wards and the fidelius can only be used by humans." Joan said.
"Are you sure? Hogwarts is huge but still hidden from muggles, after all." Sirius said.
"Hogwarts is hidden by very powerful charms and magic that took the combine efforts of the four most talented wizard and witches of that their time to place. Also, Hogwarts is hidden from muggles only. Wizards can find it, even the hostile ones." Zoega said.
"So what do you think is going on with our castle?" Red asked.
"I think that dark magic is involved and the way Worple described the first category of vampires tells quite everything about what we are dealing with," Zoega said."However, I might be wrong; that's why I suggest patrolling around the perimeter of the castle." He said, tracing a circle on the map, around the domain.
"I'll go take a look, excellence in charms is a non-negotiable requirement for anyone who wants to become a wandmaker. If there is any ward there, I'll detect it and work on the way to break it." Red said firmly to the rest of them.
"I'll go with you; the best wards are built using runes and ancient artefacts, perhaps I could notice something," Joan said to Red.
"Perfect!" Balasko said, clapping his hands. "As for Denise and me, we will pay a visit to the morgue where the last victim is still retained for the autopsy and take a look at it."
"We are also going to visit the families of the victims, maybe they saw or noticed something strange in their daughter's behaviour before they died," Denise said.
"Great! I think that this a good start... One last thing, I believe that it would be more responsible if we only operate our activities during the day. I suggest a curfew that would start as a precaution, two hours before sunset and lasts until two hours after sunrise."Balasko said, consulting the others. Then at the general approval, his clapped his hands, and the meeting was over.
"Wait...A part of going to the forest to help Belby pick up mushrooms, what else can I do? " Sirius asked Balasko.
"Let's say that...Hmm...How do I say this..." Balasko said, looking embarrassed.
"Mr Black, could you please take a moment to look at them?" Denise kindly said to Sirius, pointing at the other men who seemed to carefully avoid making eye contact with him.
"Hold on! You are counting on me to pick a fight with the super Vampire that hunts other Vampires for fun?" Sirius asked them angrily.
The men exchanged embarrassed looks, nodded at each other then Balasko addressed himself to Sirius.
"Indeed. That's the deal we made, and I remember that I fulfilled one of your conditions this morning." Balasko said sharply before leaving the room with Zoega and his sister.
"I don't understand why you are so afraid. I bet the One-who-must-not-be-named was far more terrifying..." Worple said, heading towards the kitchen.
"I bet that threatening the Vampire by telling him who you are would be enough! Perhaps you already know each other, Vampires and Werewolves sided with you-know-who during the war, after all."Belby added, following Worple steps.
"If I were you, I would start doing some pushups..." Said Red laughing, patting him on the shoulder as he passed next to him, leaving him alone in the living room.
Two weeks later:
You probably don't know - or don't care, which is the same thing to the same - but the first law in forensic medicine is the Principle of Locard's exchange, according to which "any contact between a and a crime scene leaves a trace". In the teeming in the room, with all those voices buzzing around, Florin Bucur, student resident in forensic medicine, wondered whether Professor Locard has ever been confronted with something similar to the scene Florin was confronted with.
During his years of study in Cluj, he had kept a book on his bedside table describing modern investigative techniques. In a chapter, the author assured that he had only encountered one case in his life where a bactericidal spray like the one that infested the room had been used. It was for a high-flying contract placed on an intelligence agent in Austria. This case is a bad omen; it has still not been resolved to date. Whoever was responsible for the murder scene he was summoned to this morning knew his case, all the more reason to examine the room with the whole of the due respect.
Our man was not a tidy person and, among other junk, he could see many empty pizza boxes on the floor next to the bed. His mind was about to move on when he realized that this is where he must have hidden the knife. On the box, within reach. He could very easily imagine her on the bed, the man looking for her parts from under the cluttered sheet, biting her (if he relied on the marks on the victim's body) shoulders, breasts, slowly descending. Maybe she knew what was waiting for her, perhaps not: GHB has, between other side effects, suppressing the gag reflex. There is nothing left to prevent a person from swallowing a dick of fifteen, eighteen, twenty-five centimetres; that's why they are so easy to find in swingers clubs or porn shootings.
Anyone observing the scene from behind would have seen the girl bending over, her lips, grunting the instant his sex came close to her mouth. Not at all. The eyes of the girl, whom the drugs made shine with excitement, were filled with fear. He gaged her with his left hand, throwing her head backwards to clear her throat. She reared up, squirming, trying to use her arms, but he anticipated it. Straddling her chest, he crushed her with his knees, nailing her at the height of her biceps. One can see the two haematomas on the body lying on the bed. She was helpless.
The right hand of the guy stands up, suddenly visible. The girl saw it and tried to scream, struggling desperately to free herself. The steel blade of the knife gleamed close to her breast, towards her pale throat, then slices it... The blood splashed on the wall. With one of the arteries that connected the brain completely sectioned, it would have been fast. The girl curled up, gurgling, bleeding to death. Her last moments of consciousness told her that she had just witnessed her own murder. Everything she was, everything she hoped to become was gone.
He had not yet finished examining the scene when he felt a firm hand resting on his shoulder. Immediately Florin got out of the way, ready to break an arm - too disturbed by the crime scene. It was an older man mumbling a terse excuse, looking at him curiously, trying to push him away. The man was accompanied by a man of Florin's age range, who was examining the hotel room. Behind them, the rest of the forensic team had just arrived and were busy installing UV lamps to detect semen stains on the mattress or sheets.
Hadn't those idiots heard of antiseptic yet? Well, why not, maybe this freak forgot some part of the bed. However, with that gear, they were going to raise several thousand samples. They will collect some samples dating back to the time when whores still wore stockings. The man signalled to his partner to come closer, and they took out their police badges, leaving Florin barely a second to look at their photos before stowing them in the inside pocket of their leather jackets.
"Good morning, I am the agent Balasko, this my partner, agent Black. What do we have here?" The man asked.
Florin looked at them suspiciously. It was the first time he heard of any of them. He was about to ask to see their badges again when his supervisor barked at him from the door.
"Rookie! The firefighters want to secure the acid before someone get burned. Brief quickly the agents Balasko and Black. Also, everyone! Keep your gloves all the time" he advised them, "and stick your fingers in each other's asses while you wait, to keep an eye on that prostate." making everyone laugh, except for the two agents and the two women on the forensic team.
"Sorry about that...I'm Dr Florin Bucur. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet as well, so what happened here?" Agent Balasko asked.
"From where do I start? Everything happened here..." Florin answered.
"Who's the victim?" Agent Balasko asked, looking at the girl.
"A pizza delivery girl, Sofía Erner, nineteen years old. It was her last delivery for the night. Her boss lets her keep the scooter for the night so she could go straight back home after work. That's why no one noticed her missing until the housekeeping lady came to clean the room this morning." Florin said.
"No family?" Agent Balasko asked, taking notes on a small carnet.
"Yes but in Vaslui... She moved to the area on her own after high school, when she started studying at the local university of agronomy and veterinary sciences." Florin answered, his voice betraying the sorrow he felt for the poor girl.
"How did it happen?" The man asked, his eyes trailing from the door to the bed.
"The blood marks on the carpet tell us that she tried to fight." Florin said, showing them the floor, " I think that he grabbed her the moment he opened the door, beat the crap out her then dragged her to the bed where he drugged her."
"Did he killed her immediately? How?" Agent Balasko asked.
"No, he took his time. First, he ate his pizza; then after about an hour, the girl must have woken up. That's when the son of bitch raped her. We still need the wait for the autopsy report to tell for sure. As for how he did it, he sliced her throat..."
"Why isn't there any trace of blood on the walls, blood should have spurted out in profusion, right? There should be traces on the wall or the sheets. "
"Regarding the wall, the smell indicates that he used ammonia diluted in water...And a bactericidal spray. I have no idea why the sheets are not stained, but I'm working on it. He didn't stop there; he filled the bathtub to the edge with hydrofluoric acid, to dissolve the body. However, that was a stupid idea. The quantity is not enough, but a particular container is needed and water to start the reaction. The result is catastrophic; the acid is already dissolving the bathtub... Moreover, the ammonia's smell added to the acid's smell must have made the air in the room unbreathable, especially in summer. I think that's probably why he didn't finish the job and left the scene." Florin said.
"So you think that it's the first time he kills?" The agent asked.
"No! He killed before, I do not doubt it. Look at her neck; He cut it cleanly, his hand did not shake or doubt." Florin answered.
"I see... What else do we know about the murderer, any suspect?" The agent asked, making Florin frown.
"I'm the forensic guy... Investigating the case and identify the murderer is your job. If I can do anything else for you, don't hesitate, otherwise, perhaps you should start interrogating the motel's employees." Florin told the men.
"Sure...I meant if you found any hair or clue that could help us start." The older agent asked.
"No...Not yet, however, it won't take any longer." Florin replied, nodding at the UV lamps behind the agents. " I'll contact you if we find anything useful."
"Thank you for your time." Agent Balasko said before leaving the room to the firemen heading to the bathroom, followed by his partner who didn't say a word the entire time.
"So, what do you think of it?" Balasko said to Sirius, as soon as they were at a distance from the police officers.
"Think of what? I didn't understand a single word you said. I don't speak Romanian remember?" Sirius answered.
"Righ...I mean, I saw you closely examining the body and the room. Did you notice or see anything interesting?" Balasko asked.
"I did but First fill me up with what you talked about there. That guy seemed to have a lot to tell." Sirius said.
Balasko nodded and started to traduce all the discussion he had with the forensic guy a few minutes earlier in the room. When he finished talking, Sirius stayed silence for a moment before sharing his own deduction.
"It matches our suspicions. We know that the Vampire we are looking for stages the crime scene to make it look like a Muggle murder. What we saw inside goes that way anyway. I think he bit her and fed on her all he could, then sliced her throat to hide the bitting mark. After that, he made it look like he tried to clean the room but messed up and had to leave. It would be more plausible to say that he just got bored and left."
"That's what I think too," Balasko said.
"However, something doesn't fit," Sirius said, thoughtful.
"What is it?" Balasko asked him curiously.
"Why did he rape her? I thought Vampires were "dead"." Sirius asked Balasko.
"There are many stories about Vampires who maintained romances with humans, but I have no idea if it's true...We will bring it later during the reunion. Worple could help. Meanwhile, let's meet Denise at the lobby. She should have done interrogation the receptionist by now." Balasko replied, checking his watch.
"Instead, I would like to go back to that room and talk again with that guy... I feel like he didn't say everything." Sirius said looking at the room from where the firemen were coming out, taking their masks off.
"He didn't lie; trust me," Balasko assured him.
"How do you know?" Sirius asked.
"Legilimency...I can detect when someone is lying." Balasko said before turning his back at him and start walking away before Sirius grabbed his arm.
"Wait a moment. If it's true, why am I still wearing this?" Sirius retorted, waving the bracelet on his wrist in front of Balasko's face.
"Because even the best legilimens can easily be blocked or misled by an average occlumens," Balasko answered, freeing his arm. " Let's go now."
"You are not letting me transform and have confiscated my wand. You asked me to protect Belby when he goes to the forest, to accompany you on the field, but how am I supposed to help if I can't do magic?" Sirius asked.
"I am not the one to blame for your wand. Red insisted on not giving you back the wand you carried the day we found you. You'll see that directly with him tonight." Balasko answered calmy."Let's go now before the confundus charm I cast stops working."
Later on at the Balasko's:
In the evening, after dinner, the group gathered around the dining table in the living room to review their respective tasks' progress after a terribly boring report from Belby, who no doubt should have been the last to talk, given the concert of yawnings that welcomed his conclusions. Afterwards, Red and Joan shared in frustration how they had spent the day the same way they spent the last two weeks, walking around the cliff, trying to identify what kind of wards were hiding the castle, without any success. Finally, it was the turn of the Sirius team to present its report to the others. Balasko recounted everything they had seen in the motel room, leaving no details about the condition in which they had found the victim, their discussion with the forensic guy and the conclusions they had drawn from it.
"Meanwhile, I talked to the receptionist, and there is no doubt about it, the man was under the influence of the Imperious curse, and obliviated. Nevertheless, I was able to take a look inside his mind and extract from it a fragment that didn't entirely get erased " Denise said, a satisfied expression on her face.
"And..." Balasko said.
"It was blurred, and I couldn't seel well the face of the murderer, but we are looking for a 6'2, large dark-haired man," Denise added.
"That's nothing! It could be anyone!" Balasko exclaimed.
"IT'S A START!" Denise replied to him, her face starting to turn red.
"WE ALREADY KNEW THAT!" Balasko retorted.
"Calm down, please! We are all tired, and we still have important matters to discuss." Sirius intervened, waving his hands to attract their attention.
They calmed down, glancing darkly at each other, then turned their eyes toward Sirius.
"Thanks... After taking a look at the crime scene and the victim, Balasko and I agreed about the modus operandi matches what we suspected. A vampire kills, then make it look like a muggle murder, right?" Sirius said, looking at the people gathered around the table who nodded before he continued." The problem is that this time, the murderer raped the victim..."
"And you want to know if Vampires can "do it" right?" Worple finished his sentence.
"Yes."
"Yes, they do. Who was your defence against the dark arts professor at Hogwarts?"Worple asked curiously.
"Please, could you just tell us," Sirius said.
"Fine...Yes, they have the same needs as humans, except that they can't reproduce. It is a misconception widely spread around the world that being a Vampire is a curse or that Vampires are dead etc... The truth is that a virus causes it, and the contagion can only succeed between humans. You've never heard about Vampire rabbits or dogs right?." Worple said before drinking some water to clear his refresh his throat. " When the virus enters the organism, it produces a sequence of mutations that after a period between twenty-one and thirty days, reach an advanced stade where we call the infected a "Vampire". One of these mutations sterilizes a human being."
"Damn...We learn every day with you!" Red said, looking impressed.
"Happy to help!" Worple said, looking falsely modest.
"HaPpY To HeLp." Belby mocked him.
"How about you guys," Sirius said, turning toward Red and Joan, before another fight breaks," Are you sure you didn't see or felt some kind of magic around the hill? It must be powerful to hide an entire castle."
The two young men glanced at each other, exasperated by having to answer the same question again.
"No Sirius, nothing. If you want to see for yourself, come with us tomorrow." Joan said yawning.
"Good idea, tomorrow Sirius will go with Red and Joan. If you don't need his assistance Belby of course." Balasko said.
"No, I'll be fine. I have already started working on the potions we need." Belby said.
"Perfect, I'm getting tired of picking flowers. Perhaps tomorrow, we will get lost, miss curfew and find ourselves face to face with the super Vampire in a fight for our lives!" Sirius said, his eyes sparkling.
"I'll run away and leave you behind," Red said firmly.
"I'll go with him," Joan said too.
"As if you could! The Vampire would kill before you could move a finger." Worple said, amused by the terrified faces of the two younger men of the group.
"Talking about fights... Red give me back my wand." Sirius ordered Red.
"I can't," Red said.
"Why?" Sirius asked.
"I snapped it...Before you throw a tantrum about it, know that I had a good reason and I'll explain myself tomorrow. I could do it know, but It's going to take a lifetime to explain, and I swear if I'm not in bed in the next twenty seconds, one of you is going to have to carry me to bed." Red said.
2 am, in a small apartment in the city:
An evil wind had risen over the world and gave the impression that it would only blow harder and harder. Lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, Florin wondered if humanity had reached a dead end. Suppose his prognosis was not life-threatening. Western and Eastern societies shared the predominant feeling that humankind had reached the end of the cycle, and mysterious forces redoubled their efforts to end the human adventure. Many will rightly object that this is just rich people's melancholy. A month ago Florin would have thought the same, but today he was looking, with fear in his chest, towards a horizon that had no end, asking how many secrets the world kept hidden, in sight of all but the most curious.
It was useless. He wouldn't be able to sleep. Once again, it had become a habit, and his pills were no longer having any effect. He got out of bed and walked towards the living room window, where he leaned forward, closing his eyes, letting the night breeze caress his face. Suddenly, all his senses went wild. He gasped, looking behind him, feeling as if he was about to be stabbed in the back. No one was there, the small sitting room was empty, and the only noise he heard was the ticking of the clock. Florin was about to go back to bed and at least try to close his eyes, let his muscles rest and wait for the morning when this time, a footstep in the street caught his attention. He looked outside, and when his eyes fell on the source of the noise. When the moon's glow lighted the street, Florin saw his head raised towards him with an evil smile, Florin had a foretaste of the fear and distress a gazelle must feel when in the wild, with no place where to seek shelter, a predator would dash towards it. . They stood staring at each other, without a word until he saw him, helpless, petrified by fear, cross the street, slowly heading towards the building's gate.
Happy New Year everyone! I wish you all the best for 2021! I hope that you and your love ones are safe!
I was supposed to upload this chapter two weeks ago but I was too lazy. Sorry!
Muchas gracias a Florfleur por el follow! Espero que esta historia te guste!