I know it's been a while - sorry about that - but this chapter is a bit longer than usual. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, it really warms my heart to see people take the time to do so, and I appreciate constructive criticism. Please enjoy!
Sin turned to Healer Kenrok and did his best impression of Elena - an arrogant grin and lazy posture that radiated both authority and capability. "If you wouldn't mind showing me to my vaults," he drawled out, attempting to make his tone something between confident and respectful.
If the goblin noticed the change in him, or the time in which he took to stare at the results of his blood test, he didn't comment on it. He simply dipped his head and replied, "I'll have a key holder show you immediately, Heir…?"
Sin stared at him until he realised Healer Kenrok was waiting for him to give him a title to use. Which should he go by? Potter, because it was the house of his parents? Peverell, because it was a Noble and Most Ancient House that he was descended from? Black? Van Rau, because it would afford him respect similar to Elena's? He threw away that suggestion pretty quickly; he didn't want to be associated will Elena's name. At least not yet. He would forge his own way in the world for now.
"Peverell," he replied. "Heir Peverell." The goblin's eyebrose rose for a fraction of a second before they returned to normal, and Sin guessed that was the closest a goblin ever got to showing surprise. Or perhaps any emotion at all. Sin found himself envious of such a skill. It was difficult for him to maintain a halfway decent mask, and this goblin showed no emotion at anything! For all he knew, the eyebrow raise could have been something planned to ease Sin into thinking he was surprised.
Healer Kenrok led him out of the room and into the hall, where they met Elena and Dagnok. She raised an eyebrow at Sin.
"So? How did it go?" She asked smoothly, clearly waiting for a reaction. Sin didn't give her the satisfaction, and just tore his gaze from her eyes and toward Healer Kenrok.
"Healer Kenrok was about to have someone show me to my vaults." Elena showed no sign of being disappointed, and merely nodded.
"Dagnok, if you wouldn't mind showing Heir Peverell to his vaults?" Healer Kenrok asked, before heading down the stone corridor at Dagnok's nod. That got a reaction from Elena.
"Peverell?" Elena repeated, her voice holding the slightest tone of disbelief. "Heir Peverell?"
Sin smiled coldly at her. "What were you expecting? Heir Van Rau, perhaps?"
Elena seemed to ignore him as she turned to Dagnok. "How? We would have known if James Potter was a Peverell."
Dagnok glanced at Sin, who was blinking in surprise. It looked like Peverell was a pretty big deal. It through Sin off a little when Elena mentioned his father's name, but he shook it off. When Dagnok saw that Sin was also looking at him expectantly, he replied.
"It's possible that after such an ancient line, the Potters stopped getting blood tested, assuming that they kept good enough records… alternatively, it could be from the maternal line."
Elena narrowed her eyes. "Lily Evans was a muggleborn," she replied sharply.
Dagnok didn't look phased. "So we know. But there are some who theorize that muggleborns are just the long-forgotten descendents of wizards, or squibs." When no one spoke again, Dagnok continued. "Shall we go to your vaults?"
Sin nodded.
"Which would you like to see first?" The goblin asked. Keenly aware of Elena's cutting eyes on his form, Sin asked carefully.
"Is it possible to get bank statements without visiting the vaults in question?"
Dagnok nodded slowly, his beady eyes blinking slowly. "It is… however, in the case of the artifacts vault, it will only give you a list of the ten most recently added items, because in some cases, a list of an artifact vault's entire stock could fill out several long books. And your bank statement will hold the valuables of every vault you or your house have access to, but you can only visit the vaults under 'current access'."
Sin nodded, before adopting Elena's easy, deadly mannerisms again. "If you would show me to the Potter trust vault, and get me bank statements for the rest of my vaults," he prompted, a lazy drawl creeping into his voice. He wanted to see wizarding money for real, but he also didn't want Elena to know about his other houses. Whatever upper edge he could gain over her, he would. And as he knew from nearly a year of living on the streets, casing houses; knowledge was power. And he intended to keep as much of it out of Elena's elegant hands as he could.
Dagnok dipped his head and began leading them down the stone corridors. The goblin led them through a set of double wooden doors and Sin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. They were in an enormous underground ravine of rock, with what looked like rollercoaster tracks winding through. As he watched, a minecart zoomed past the small rocky outcropping they stood upon. Another minecart flew into view, stopping right in front of the three of them.
Elena and Dagnok stepped into the minecart, and after shutting his eyes tightly and drawing in a breath, Sin got in and sat behind the vampiress. Seconds after he sat down the minecart was whizzing forward, and Sin's stomach jumped up into his mouth.
A few minutes later the cart skidded to a halt in front of a line of enormous stone and metal doors. Elena and Dagnok stepped out without too much trouble, and Sin took a moment to compose himself before masking his exhilaration and stepping out of the minecart.
Dagnok pulled a small gold key from within his pocket, inserted it into a lock Sin could have sworn hadn't been there before, twisted it, and handed it to the wizard. "Keep that." Sin nodded as the goblin pushed the door open.
Sin gaped at what was inside. Mountains of enormous gold coins, piles of silver, little stacks of bronze. He lost his composure completely, the mask slipping away as he hurried into the vault and dropped to his knees amid all of the money.
"Fucking hell," he breathed.
"Language," came Elena's remark, but she sounded too amused to be properly scolding.
"How - how much is in here?" Sin asked, barely managing to keep his voice from cracking.
"Two thousand galleons, seven hundred sickles, and five hundred knuts." Sin turned around to raise an eyebrow at Dagnok who sighed before elaborating. "There are 17 sickles - the silver coins - to a galleon - the gold ones - and 29 knuts - the bronze one - to a sickle. One galleon is worth just under five British pounds."
Sin thought he was going to be sick with excitement. "That's… that's…"
"Ten thousand and seventy-one pounds and fifty-three pence."
Sin stumbled to the wall and leaned against it, feeling a little dizzy. "Ten thousand pounds. Ten… ten thousand. And this - this is just the trust fund?"
Dagnok nodded, and drew a gold piece of parchment from within his pocket. "If you would hold your palm against this, you'll have your official bank statements." Sin swallowed and held his hand against the parchment. It glimmered slightly before black ink words began to spider across it. The goblin handed it to him, and Sin was very aware of Elena standing at the entrance to the vault.
Bank Statement
Hadrian James Potter
Heir to the House of Potter
Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Peverell
Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Van Rau
Potter Trust Vault
2000 galleons
700 sickles
500 knuts
Potter Family Vault
92,912 galleons
4,336 sickles
9,880 knuts
Peverell Trust Vault
3000 galleons
0 sickles
0 knuts
Peverell Family Vault
315,032,008 galleons
33,456 sickles
15 knuts
Peverell Artifact Vault
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, first edition, signed copy
Amulet of Mecca
Chalice of Life
Celtic Runes Volume III
Unplottable Ring
An Introduction to Legilimency
A Guide to Occlumency Volume XI
Necromancy; Immoral or Useful?
Peverell Heir Ring
Peverell Lord Ring
Black Trust Vault
3000 galleons
0 sickles
0 knuts
Black Family Vault
109,901,303 galleons
33,940 sickles
12,301 knuts
Black Artifacts Vault
Chest of golden goblets
Belladonna Essence
Magick Moste Evile
Portrait of Merlin
Vial of the Draught of Living Death
Diamond Necklace
Secrets of the Darkest Art
Emerald Earrings
Thirteen inch Ash wand, unicorn hair core
Parselmagic and How to Survive It
Van Rau Trust Vault
3000 galleons
0 sickles
0 knuts
Van Rau Family Vault
97,000,674 galleons
1,003,291 sickles
100 knuts
Van Rau Artifact Vault
Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts
Dark Leaders of the Twentieth Century
Ruby necklace
Unplottable Ring
Two-Way Bridge Journals
Moste Potente Potions
Learning Advanced Greek
Mask of Deceit
Wards; Creation and Downfall
Dagger of Bethlehem
Sin barely made it out of the vault before he was on his knees, vomiting all over the floor. He retched out his supper and stumbled back, light-headed. He was rich. He was really, really rich. In fact, he was - by muggle standards - a billionaire. His head swam and he sat hunched over his own vomit before he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, hauling him upright.
"Pull yourself together," Elena murmured quietly, looking him in the eyes. He spat on the floor to clear his mouth and took a deep, heaving breath. When he was sure he wasn't going to be sick again he pushed Elena away gently and stood on his own. With this money, his family would never have to go hungry again. They would never have to shiver as they slept because they didn't have enough money for a new blanket. They would never have to risk being arrested. And all because of his magical guardian pro-temp, he wasn't able to convert it into muggle money.
Sin's light-headedness vanished, replaced by an overwhelming rage. Who did this mysterious guardian think he was? What right did he have to stop Sin from hauling his family off the streets? Whoever this was, he'd better hope he never met Sin.
Trying to keep from exploding, he picked something from the list at random and asked, "So what's an unplottable ring?"
"Wearing it means you can't be traced by any magical means. Even owls can't reach you unless they've been given your exact address, and to find that you would have to tell whoever is writing to you."
Sin's forehead creased in confusion. "Owls?"
"They carry the mail," Dagnok said, his nose turned up slightly. Sin's eyebrows shot up. That was interesting. It sounded a little like carrier pigeons. He wondered briefly if they made the poor things carry international mail.
"I'm assuming you wear an unplottable ring?" Sin asked. Elena's perfect face remained passive as she raised her right hand, which was bare. She waved her fingers a little and a small silver ring was sitting on her fourth finger.
"We ought to get you one of your own," Elena mused. "I'm assuming you don't want to whisked away from your little band of street rats?" She asked dryly, a knowing smirk tugging at her lips.
Sin glared at her, but didn't dispute her point. She was right. It would be incredibly useful. Elena's eyes narrowed as she looked at the wall past Sin intensely. Sin took a small step back, his expression guarded. She was planning something, and Elena's plans usually ended very well for her and not so well for anyone else.
"Of course," the vampiress mused aloud, "We wouldn't want them to think you've left wherever you were before you ran away. A week or so before your eleventh birthday, you're going to have to return to wherever you ran away, just until you get your letter. Then you can run back to the drafty little warehouse you call a home."
Sin's mask slipped. "How the hell do you know -" he stopped himself, fully comprehending what she had said. "No," he said flatly. "Not a damn chance."
Elena turned her icy stare on him. "No?" She asked, raising a delicate eyebrow.
"There's no way in hell I'm going back there."
Elena tilted her head, her dark eyes catching his and freezing him in place. "How much is your family worth to you, Assassin, hm? If you don't go back, just for the one week, then the Hogwarts staff will know where you are. And if it's not where they think you should be, they will come looking for you. They will whisk you away from your family, maybe think they're doing the right think and report your family to the muggle police. They'll be separated, shunted into different children's homes. Caretakers aren't known for their kindness, Assassin. Will it be worth it? Taking a hit to your pride?" She asked coolly.
Sin's fingers curled into fists. "It's not about my pride," he spat.
Elena bit her lip to keep from groaning in annoyance. It was one week! Why was Sin being so difficult about this? He could return for a week, tell whoever he'd run from that he'd finally come to his senses, and then take off again at the end of the week. What was so hard?
She tilted her head to look back at Assassin, opening her mouth to snap at him, when she saw the emotion curling within his emerald eyes. It was burning, icy rage, but beneath that… roiling pain and fear. The thought of returning genuinely terrified the boy.
Elena had to make a conscious effort to keep her mask in place. "Assassin - Sin. Who were you staying with before you ran away?"
Sin broke their eye contact and shifted his gaze onto the ground. "My - my aunt and uncle. And cousin. The Dursleys."
Elena crouched down to Assassin's height, resting her hands gently on his shoulders. "Sin," she asked cautiously, "What did the Dursleys do to you?"
His gaze snapped back up to meet hers, but he didn't reply. Elena nodded; his silence was confirmation.
Elena stood up sharply and turned away, trying not to let the boy see the pure fury on her face. Her mask, which almost never failed her, was shattered. They hurt Assassin. That boy was hers, and they had hurt him. She was going to pull their intestines out and use them to strangle all three of them. She was going to rip out their spines and feed every vertebrae down their throats.
"Elena?" Came a whisper from behind her. She took a slow breath, slipped her mask back into place, and turned around. Sin was looking up at her, his jaw set in a determined grimace.
"I'll do it. To - to keep my family together - I'll go back."
Elena was hit with a sudden shock of how simply good this boy was. He would risk anything for the people he loved. He was just so good. Elena felt a pang of guilt for the things she was making him do, for the way she was manipulating him. He didn't deserve it.
But she hadn't gotten where she was by listening to her conscience. So she pushed aside her guilt and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll go with you, when you go back. I'll make sure they don't ever lay a hand on you again. And if they try… you're not helpless anymore, Sin. You are a wizard. They're just muggles. This time, you can change the game. You can make them afraid of you."
Sin blinked. Elena was right; he didn't have to be afraid anymore. If Vernon raised a hand, he could send the man flying. If Dudley so much as came close to him, he could send a picture frame zooming right into the fat pig's face. If Petunia threatened to keep food from him, he could cover the counter in ice and threaten to burn her alive, never mind that he'd never summoned fire before, and that he wouldn't actually kill her. He didn't have to be afraid anymore. The Dursleys… the Dursleys would be the ones to cower in fear. He was done cowering.
He turned to speak to Elena, to thank her, or make a snide remark, but the woman had already turned to Dagnok. "To the Van Rau artifact vault, if you please." Dagnok bowed and returned to the cart, where he sat and waited."
Sin turned back to the open vault full of gold and began to stuff his pockets. He knew he couldn't convert it to muggle money, but maybe he could pawn it off if it was real gold, and still make some money.
He turned back, pockets bulging, and faced Elena's raised eyebrows. He glared, daring her to call him out, but she just gestured for him to get into the cart. He did so, and Dagnok passed him a small leather bag.
"You can buy one with an undetectable extension charm at Wiseacres' Wizarding Equipment," he said, before pulling a lever and the cart zoomed away. They seemed to be going for a very long time, deeper and deeper underground; as Sin looked, they seemed to be approaching a waterfall.
"Um… Elena?" He asked, his tone reserved, "Are… are we going to go through that?"
Elena nodded. "The Thief's Downfall. Washes away all concealing enchantments. We're not pretending to be anyone but who we are, so it shouldn't even get you wet. Just ignore it."
Sin swallowed but didn't reply. As they neared, he instinctively covered his head - but they passed through it without incident. He didn't even feel the water as it came crashing down upon them. Soon they'd passed through, and the cart stopped. Dagnok and Elena stepped out, and Sin quickly hurried after them.
He paused. "Was - was that a roar? Are you keeping an animal down here?"
Nobody replied as they walked down a hallway into a large room, with an enormous winged reptile asleep in the middle of it.
"No way," Sin heard himself say. "No fricking way. A dragon? A real, actual dragon?"
Elena turned to him, amusement tugging at her red lips. "Indeed."
The whole way passing it, Sin couldn't tear his eyes from the beautiful creature.
When they finally reached the vault, Elena laid her hand on the door and it melted away, revealing an enormous room full of gorgeous furniture, weapons, jewels, and piles of other bits of treasure. The walls were lined with bookcases packed on every shelf. Sin's jaw dropped.
"Come," Elena said, stepping into the stone cavern. She approached a jewelry stand that stood atop a handsome mahogany dresser and opened it, pulling out a small silver ring identical to her own. She passed it to Sin, who slipped it onto his finger. It shrunk to fit perfectly.
"Now don't ever take that off until you go back to the Dursleys for a week. You have to take it off then or else you won't get your letter." Sin nodded, and as he did the ring faded from view.
"What - "
"When you want to be able to see it, just wiggle your fingers and think of it on your finger. It can only be removed by the person wearing it or the owner, so that's just you and me. It would be best if you didn't show anyone else the ring."
Sin nodded, not really listening. He was too busy drifting toward one of the bookcases. Many of the books were old and dusty, with leather covers. He skimmed along the titles, his eyebrows raising with each one. On one shelf he saw books labeled Warding and the Loops of the Law, An Uncensored History of the British Ministry of Magic, An Insider's Look at the Department of Mysteries, Dark vs Malevolent; A Guide to Ministry Spell Regulation, The Complete Works of Herpo the Foul, and Secrets of the Darkest Art. He reached out a hand to pull one off the shelf when Elena cleared her throat. He turned around sheepishly, his cheeks heating.
"Now those titles aren't particularly… legal, Assassin. I trust you'll be keeping the contents of our vaults a secret?" She asked. Sin caught the heavy implication behind the word 'our'. If she went down for illegal possession, so would he. He nodded, used to Elena's scare tactics.
She handed him a short, fat volume that looked new, at least relative to the other books in the vault. He turned it over and read the title aloud.
"The Current Political State of Affairs and How to Navigate It," he said, a doubtful eyebrow raised. "I'm surprised I didn't fall asleep just reading that title."
"Hilarious. You should read it," Elena told him, and he opened his mouth to object but the vampiress cut him off. "If you're going to be in Slytherin, you'll drown without knowing how to wade through the age-old politics, and even if you aren't in Slytherin, it'll give you an edge over your peers."
Sin rolled his eyes but tucked the book into the money bag anyway, the bag now bulging at the seams. As they left the vault, and the stone wall shot up behind them, Elena said, "Our lessons will expand. You know pretty much all you need to for your magic… anything else you'll need you'll learn at Hogwarts, and we can resume practical magical tutoring when you come back next summer. Instead, we'll focus on navigating the wizarding world. I'll teach you who to make alliances with, who to steer clear of, and who you may risk alienating by doing what."
The word 'alliances' rang in his ears, and Sin tilted his head, his expression thoughtful as the stepped back into the minecart. "Allies. Not friends."
Elena turned her head to look at him, her eyes sharp. "Allies have consequences for being broken, and can save your life, whether in reality or in a political situation. Friends can be broken on a whim." Her expression softened. "But… you are just a child. I'm not going to tell an eleven-year-old he's not allowed to make friends. Just… try to make sure to choose your friends wisely."
Sin nodded. He wasn't planning on getting close to anyone lightly; he didn't really need to, he had his family now, but he was sure that the school year would go by much more quickly if he had a friend to share it with.
To make sure he wasn't going to get a lecture on trusting too easily or some such, he opened the book to the first page and began to read.
The state of current politics in the magical world has, in many ways, remained stagnant since the birth of the Wizengamot. The system remains the same, and as such, the power balance tends to as well. It would not be amiss to say that the Wizengamot (and corresponding political realm) is not far off from an amalgamation of the old muggle British and French Parliaments. There are two main sectors in the Wizengamot; the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords is split into the First Estate and the Second Estate. The First Estate is made up of Ancient and Most Noble Houses, and either the Lord or Lady of each house (depending on whom inherited the title/was named heir, and who simply married into the family) has three seats on the Wizengamot with which to cast a single vote each.
An heir is awarded their Lordship/Ladyship when the current Lord or Lady dies, and if the current Lord or Lady dies before the heir is of age, the heir is awarded their full title at the age of fifteen unless the previous owner of the title specified otherwise in their bill. An heir can always sit in on Wizengamot meetings, and if permitted by their lord or lady (or magical guardian), they may voice opinions once fifteen, but they may not vote until either they inherit the full title of lady or lord. A comprehensive list of all current Noble and Most Ancient Houses is as follows.
First Estate
Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
Heir: Oldest son, oldest daughter, named
Noble and Most Ancient House of Peverell
Heir: Oldest child, named
Noble and Most Ancient House of Slytherin
Heir: By conquest, oldest child, named
Noble and Most Ancient House of Hufflepuff
Heir: Oldest child, named
Noble and Most Ancient House of Van Rau
Heir: Oldest child, named
Noble and Most Ancient House of Gryffindor
Heir: Oldest son, oldest daughter, named
Noble and Most Ancient House of Ravenclaw
Heir: By conquest, oldest daughter, oldest son, named
Noble and Ancient House of Longbottom
Heir: Oldest son, oldest daughter, named
Noble and Ancient House of Malfoy
Heir: Oldest child, named
The Second Estate is made up of Ancient and Noble Houses. They are very similar to the First Estate except that they own two seats on the Wizengamot sign with which to cast a vote each. A comprehensive list of all current Noble and Ancient Houses is as follows.
Second Estate
Noble and Ancient House of Bones
Heir: Oldest daughter, oldest son, named
Noble and Ancient House of Greengrass
Heir: Oldest daughter, oldest son, named
Noble and Ancient House of Gaunt
Heir: Oldest son, named
Noble and Ancient House of Lestrange
Heir: Oldest child, by conquest, named
Noble and Ancient House of Nott
Heir: Oldest son, oldest daughter, named
Noble and Ancient House of Burke
Heir: By conquest, oldest son, oldest daughter, named
Noble and Ancient House of Parkinson
Heir: Oldest child, named
Noble and Ancient House of Bulstrode
Heir: Oldest daughter, oldest son, named
Noble and Ancient House of Selwyn
Heir: Oldest child, by conquest, named
Noble and Ancient House of Diggory
Heir: Oldest child, named
Noble and Ancient House of Ollivander
Heir: Oldest son, named
Noble and Ancient House of Prewett
Heir: Oldest son, named
Noble and Ancient House of Slughorn
Heir: Oldest child, named
The House of Commons is made up of the top ministry personnel. The Minister for Magic, the Heads of all Departments, and the Minister's immediate support staff are all included. Each member of the House of Commons has one seat on the Wizengamot with which to cast their vote. A comprehensive list of the House of Commons is as follows.
Minister for Magic
Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement
Head of the Department of Mysteries
Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation
Head of the Department Of Magical Education
Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes
Head of the Department of Magical Transportation
Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures
Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports
Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic
Senior Advisor to the Minister for Magic
Deputy Senior Advisor to the Minister for Magic
Presiding over the Wizengamot is the Chief Warlock, who leads court proceedings and, in cases which demand a full Wizengamot judicial session, acts as judge. However, in most cases, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement or the Minister act as judge.
The duty of the Wizengamot is to perform legislative and judiciary duties. For a law to be passed through the ministry route, a ministry worker must write a proposition bill and pass it up to their superior, who will (if they agree to the bill) pass it up to the Head of their Department. The Head will then propose it at the next House of Commons legislative session, which is monthly. If there is at least a sixty percent majority, then the bill will be passed to the House of Lords, who will be called into session that same month. If the House of Lords votes to pass the bill with any majority, then the law will be brought into effect.
For a law to be passed through the House of Lords route, the Lord or Lady of a Noble and Most Ancient House or Noble and Ancient House will write up a proposition bill and get it signed by at least two houses. They will then propose the bill at the next full Wizengamot legislative session (Tri-annually) and if there is at least a sixty percent majority in favor, then the law will be passed. Unless called into session because a bill passed through the House of Commons, the House of Lords does not meet in session without the House of Commons.
The Wizengamot also acts as a judicial court. Any criminals on trial for a crime that could potentially earn them more than ten years of jail time is tried in front of the entire Wizengamot, who act as jury (apart from the Chief Warlock, who acts as judge). If the crime an individual is being tried for cannot earn them more than ten years of jail time, but any other consequences (even if quite severe, such as having one's wand snapped, or seven years of jail time,) are tried in front of the House of Commons, who acts as jury (apart from the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, who acts as judge). However, anyone tried in front of the House of Commons can appeal to be tried in front of the entire Wizengamot. Before a trial, if one is to be tried in front of the House of Commons, they can appeal to be tried instead in front of the whole Wizengamot. However, if they appeal their trial to be instead in front of the whole Wizengamot without first being tried in front of the House of Commons, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would still act as judge.
The minecart squeaked to a stop and Sin blinked. The information was dry, but knowing that it truly applied to him made it much more interesting than history class. If everything was true, then one day he would have nine seats on the Wizengamot. Nine votes. Although he doubted he would outlive Elena, so probably six. But still… he would have an incredible amount of power. No wonder Elena coveted him, and she didn't even know he was also the Black Heir. He closed the book, but his mind never really left the pages as they exited the bank.
It did seem like a very frustrating system. People who weren't born into power would have an incredibly hard time getting it. He certainly wouldn't want people he didn't vote into office controlling the legislation and judiciary that affected him, but at least he would have some control over that.
"For a book you thought was dry, you seemed to spend a lot of time reading it. Or am I that unbearable to talk to?" Elena interrupted his train of thought.
Sin bit his lip as she led him through Knockturn. "What's an heir by conquest?" He asked quietly, the sketchy atmosphere subconsciously lowering his voice.
They made a sharp turn, and suddenly they were heading down a narrow back-alley that they certainly hadn't come through. "If you defeat someone, you get their titles if their titles are won by conquest. For example, the Noble and Ancient House of Burke's heir goes first by conquest, then to the oldest son, then to the oldest daughter, and the to whoever Lord Burke names his heir. If you were to defeat Lord Burke in a duel, then you would become Heir Burke until you were fifteen, when you would become Lord Burke. If nobody defeats Lord Burke, his lordship will go to his daughter Catarina, because he doesn't have a son."
As she finished, and they approached a rusty metal door in the side of a long wooden building, she pressed a finger to her lips and pulled out a small wooden box. She handed it to Sin. He opened it, and found two contact lenses. He glanced at her uncertainly before putting them in, wincing. He pulled off his glasses as he did so and was amazed to find that after a few blinks, he could see perfectly.
"Good," Elena breathed, satisfied. "That should hide your eye color - that emerald green is too noticable, a dark brown will be fine - and you won't need those glasses in a fight anymore. You won't be half-blind."
Sin smiled his thanks, his eyes watering slightly, and Elena nodded before turning to the door. She put her hand up against it and murmured, "Erunt Ultra Genua Flectentibus." The door swung open without a sound, revealing a dark, not very welcoming interior.
Elena pushed Sin inside gently before following him, the door slamming shut silently behind them. Once it did, lights flared on, and Sin saw a crowd gathered in the middle of what looked like an enormous, abandoned warehouse, similar to the one he lived in.
As he heard the chants of the crowd he felt his stomach sink, realizing what this was. He turned to Elena. "I can't do this now," he said flatly. "I'll be home late, and Hero and Shade will wonder where I've been. They'll panic."
Elena's mouth lifted into a cruel smile. "I guess you'll have to win quickly then," she purred, her lips thin. Sin swallowed, before placing a mask of indifference over his features.
Elena led him through the crowd just as they erupted into cheers. They weren't the loud and boisterous cheers that he was used to, but more refined and polite - and yet somehow, slightly more menacing.
The floor slanted down towards the center of the room. Down in the center of the crowd was a pit twice as big as the one at the Fights. Within the pit, a man stood perfectly still, a thin line of blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. At his feet was the collapsed form of a young woman.
"Is she -" Sin started, worried, but Elena shook her head.
"It's happened before, but no. She'll live." As she spoke, the woman's body began to float up, and levitated out of the pit onto a stretcher. A tall, slender man dressed all in black, with a veil covering his face, nodded to the man in the pit.
"Victory to Sanguini," he drawled, the silkiness of his voice sending shivers down Sin's back. Perhaps it was because he had gotten used to Elena's voice, but it set him even more on edge than Elena's did.
"I thought you said the fighters would be others my age," Sin breathed quietly enough that only Elena could hear him.
"I lied. I didn't want to frighten you. Some of them are. Some of them aren't even people. We've had two werewolves go at each other's throats once. The man who just won? He was a vampire. Mr Noir's little puppet." She nodded to the veiled man, whom SIn guessed was Mr Noir.
"I might have to go up against a werewolf?" Sin asked, starting to panic. Elena pushed Sin a little further forward, so that they were almost peering over the edge of the pit, and shook her head ever so slightly.
"For your first time they'll probably give you an easy go. And even if you did, you wouldn't die; they usually give the werewolves Wolfsbane beforehand, so that they're in control of their actions."
The word 'usually' did nothing to placate Sin, but he held onto the knowledge that he was too valuable to Elena for her to let him die. He hoped.
"Elena," came that horrible, silky voice from across the pit. "How lovely of you to join us." Mr Noir's tone dripped with condescension, and Elena's gaze snapped up to meet his. Her smile was utterly lethal. Sin didn't know how Mr Noir stoodt his ground; if Elena had looked at him like that, he would be running very fast in the other direction.
"Well, I wouldn't want to deprive you of my presence for too long," the vampiress replied, every syllable thick with a cold sarcasm. "And lucky for you, I've brought a new contestant."
Contestant? Sin thought, insulted. What is this, a beauty pageant?
Mr Noir's red eyes, the only part of his face visible behind his veil, turned to Sin and glowed with greed Sin knew only too well. It was the kind of hunger Elena often wore when she looked at him - but somehow, coming from Mr Noir, it made Sin feel even more vulnerable.
"Is that so," Mr Noir drawled slowly. His eyes dragged up Sin's form, evaluating him as if he were a piece of meat at the market. Sin forced himself to stay still, even though every cell in his body was screaming at him to hide behind Elena. "Well," Mr Noir returned his gaze to Elena's, "We might as well watch him perform."
Elena gestured for Sin to get into the pit, and with one last swallow of trepidation, he leapt into the hole, thankfully with much more grace than his first few Fights.
"My fellow ladies, gentry, and those in-between," Mr Noir intoned dramatically, yet still somehow inspiring such fright, "It looks like we have a new contestant. Who would like to see a show?"
The crowd began to chant something unintelligible, and a small grate Sin hadn't noticed before in the side of the pit raised, revealing a gaping black hole. There was a quiet hissing sound, and an enormous, three-headed snake slithered out into the pit. Sin sucked in a breath and took a step back.
Apparently showing submission was the wrong move, because the snake reared up, all three heads raising up.
'Ssstupid child. A coward doesss not make much of a meal.'
Sin blinked at the snake. He had heard those words just as the right head had hissed at him. The left head cocked slightly.
'We are fassster than he is. We will wait until he makesss his move, and then we will ssstrike,' The left head said.
'How - how are you talking?' Sin demanded, the hair on the back of his neck prickling. He was utterly dumbfounded. Levitating rocks was one thing, but this? This was madness. He was speaking to a snake.
The snake reared back in shock. 'He is a ssspeaker!"
Sin took a step forward, narrowing his eyes. 'What are you?'
The snake reared as tall as it could before the middle head spoke. 'We are a Runessspoor, the noblest of all ssserpentsss."
"Sssave the Basssilisssk," chimed in the right head.
'Quiet!' Snapped the middle head.
Sin bit his lip. Talking to this creature made him far less inclined to want to kill it. Before, his plan had been to send it flying into the wall, try to knock it unconscious - but it was just a snake. It wouldn't get anything out of winning. Perhaps he could talk it into throwing the match? It pulled at Sin's honour to do such a thing, but he didn't want to hurt it.
'Why are you here?' Sin asked.
'We were taken by the Dead One. He keepsss usss here, to fight hisss petty battlesss. When we win, we are given better food. Sssometimesss the Dead One letsss usss eat our prey. The onesss we defeat.'
Sin swallowed. If he lost, Mr Noir - whom he guessed was the 'Dead One', being a vampire and all - might feed him to the Runespoor.
'Do not worry, little one,' the middle head spoke, it's tone almost amused. 'We would not eat a Sspeaker."
Sin bit his lip. 'So would you mind just… you know… lying down and losing? Because if I lose -'
The right head's tongue flitted out of its mouth. 'We would never act with sssuch a lack of honour! You speak of heresssy!'
That seemed to clinch it for the other two heads, who looked at each other and immediately said, 'Of courssse, Ssspeaker,' and the Runespoor dropped to the ground. The right head put up a little resistance, but after a jab from the center head, it too flopped to the floor and lay still.
Sin looked up, the fear and shock slowly draining from his bones, only to meet a completely quiet crowd. The silence was deafening, and he looked for Elena. In her eyes, he caught something he never thought he'd see. Pure terror.
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