Ezekiel parked the car near the art gallery. The london sky was about to gift them with rain again and thunder was starting to rumble when they entered the gallery, a small, two store green building called 'Magical Detail'.

"Subtle." Dora remarked sarcastically.

They entered the building and to their credit, it was quite a nice setup. The rooms were arranged so people could walk through them regardless of the small spaces. The walls were of a darkish green, almost the same as a bottle. The paintings were hanged in every wall, with small notes near them showing the name of the paint, the artist's and it's price. They were all framed in dark woods, which surprised him. If their books were something to go by, those paintings would be gone shortly.

The only complaint that Ezekiel could come up with was the type of art displayed, it was the new Neo-Expressionism that he couldn't quite get. Truth be told, he preferred the classics.

They didn't confront the owners right away. For once, Ezekiel never wasted a chance to enjoy art. Dora, on the other hand, wanted to check anything out of place. Both looked around separately for a while before reuniting again at the entrance.

"So, did you feel anything?" Dora asked.

"No, not really. This new art isn't really doing it for me."

"Could you take this seriously?" Dora whispered annoyed.

"I am." He assured her. "I thought you'd feel it by now."

"What do you mean?" Dora frowned as she looked around. "There's nothing here."

"There's magic around, not strong enough to force the attention of the visitors but enough to divert it to some of the pieces."

"Really? I got nothing. Isn't that illegal?"

"No, they are diverting the attention not forcing people to buy them. Besides this only seems to affect Muggles, so it's not exactly high on the list of crimes." Ezekiel responded.

"I assure you, sir." A voice from behind caught them by surprise. "There's nothing illegal in this facilities. May I ask your name?"

The picture that was on the file wasn't up to date, apparently. The voice belonged to a man well in his fifties, was wearing a blue business suit with golden cufflinks, a golden tie clip and two golden rings. Gold aside, he looked exactly as a lawyer, not as an art gallery owner. He had sharp blue eyes that showed years of experience. His skin was barely wrinkled except for very few ones around his neck and eyes. His hairline had receded too much so apparently he had decided to shave it off, but Dora could see that some of it still tried to grow. Ian Mills didn't seem to bother changing his lawyer outfit one bit, except to keep it up with the times.

"Good evening, mister Mills. My name is Ezekiel Black and this is my colleague, Dora Tonks." Ezekiel extended a friendly hand with his best business smile.

Ian shook both his and Dora's hands, Ezekiel's got a bit uncomfortable as it was longer than socially acceptable. He paid much attention to the newly arrivals.

The man was the most eye catching of them, his black hair seemed to swallow the light that touched it. He was wearing an exquisite three piece dark grey suit, along with Oxfords made from some leather that he couldn't figure out. Black sunglasses with silver rims that didn't allow people to see his eyes from any angle adorned his face, and a single silver ring on his right hand. As if more proof were needed that this was a man of privilege, he moved with a sense of entitlement that only being born in big money could provide.

The woman was the exact opposite. She was beautiful too, yet her clothes had definitely seen better days. Army boots whose luster had long vanished. Worn jeans with a cut above one of the knees and a leather belt with a big metal buckle. A black shirt with some logo that couldn't be read anymore, an old plaid shirt that was too big for her on top of it. An army jacket finished her attire, which looked as if it had been dragged through a war zone.

"Please to meet you both but it doesn't answer my question, sir. You said that you were colleagues, may I ask of what?"

"This is something that will be better explained with your son." Dora said. "Is he here?"

"He's in the office, on the second floor." Ian said, finally figuring out the identity of his new acquaintances.

"Very well, we'll follow your lead then." Ezekiel smiled.

The man spoke with one of his employees and then lead them through a set of stairs to an office that took most part of the floor. Inside, a younger version of his father, this one with blonde hair, was talking to a phone in a language that Dora couldn't understand. He sat behind one of two expensive desks, one in front of the other along with two high-back chairs.

This man, Rupert Mills, was the half-blood son and his business partner as well. He saw his father entering the room along with two strangers and signaled them to wait. Dora and Ezekiel shared an amused look as the man finished, while his father sat on his own chair.

"Hello." Rupert said while hanging up the phone. "I'm Rupert Mills, do you have an appointment?"

"This people are like you, son. They say that are colleagues...?"

"We're from the DLME, Aurors Black and Tonks. We're here to speak with both of you." Dora said.

"Shouldn't you bring an order for an interrogation, Aurors?" Rupert asked.

"This isn't an interrogation, mister Mills. We're just people having a pleasant conversation." Ezekiel replied while he took out his wand and transfigured two chairs for him and his cousin.

"We're here because there's reason to believe that foul play is at hand. Of course, our legal system is the same in this part Mr and Mr Mills, innocent until proven guilty. We'd simply like to ask you a few questions. Should you need to ask for legal representation - as it's your right - we'll be happy to wait."

"We won't need to wait, Auror Black." Rupert answered. "I'm the legal representative of this business on the magical side."

"And I'm the legal representative on the human side." Ian said. The slight discomfort that Rupert showed once he heard his father was subtle, but both cousins noticed it.

"Very well, I guess congratulations are in order." Ezekiel smiled at them. "Couldn't help to hear that phone call. Quite the a large order you were discussing. Portugal?" He tried to peek at some documents but the son hide them in a drawer of his desk.

"Why, yes." Rupert explained a bit flustered. "A private collectionist asked us for some of our pieces. The Art business is booming, as it is."

"If you wish to peek into our records, Mister Black, I suggest you to bring an order." Ian angrily replied.

"Actually sir, we don't need a warrant. Not in this particular phase, we're just verifying the validity of the accusation." Dora replied soothingly.

"I assure you both." Rupert assured them. "That besides some basic charms, which are entirely legal, there's nothing magical in our gallery."

"You've already looked as you wanted, so you have seen for yourselves that we aren't breaking any laws of your kind." Ian stated.

"Our kind, Mr Mills?" Ezekiel tilted his head. "That's quite a choice of words, sir."

"I'm obviously referring to." Ian Mills retort was cut off by the sound of Dora's sneeze. He shifted his gaze, no doubt to give another colorful comment but stopped when he saw her face.

Ezekiel looked at her curiously when he noticed it. Dora's face had changed thanks to her involuntary reflex and looked like something out of a Picasso.

"What?" She looked at her cousin, who gestured at her face. She closed her eyes for a moment and the her appearance returned to normal.

"You're one of those?." They heard Ian say surprised.

Both cousins looked at the man, curious of what he had said. Ezekiel noted Dora's hand clench slightly.

"He means that we've seen other people with your abilities while we shopped at Diagon." Rupert explained nervously.

"I've been quite taken by them, I assure you." Ian smiled maliciously.

Nymphadora knew that it was a lie. Her kind never showed their abilities since they were considered by some as little more than werewolves, the only advantage being that they weren't contagious. Metamorphmagus weren't really appreciated unless they were needed for physical labor. She had little doubt about the type of physical activity Ian Mills was doing with another one like her. It shouldn't surprise her, given their status in society they were usually spies, body doubles or courtesans, regardless of their gender. Easy money, it's what many thought. Reality tended to disagree. She looked at her cousin, not sure what to expect. What she saw scared her to her core.

Ezekiel Black was there, relaxed on his chair, smiling affably.

"I imagine that you did, sir." Ezekiel said, with a smile that would made an outsider think he was talking to his best friend as he got up from the chair. "Well, we've taken enough of your time as it is. You'll be hearing from the DLME shortly. Have a nice day."

They shook their hands and quietly left the building. None of them said a word to each other as they walked towards the car. There was a raging storm pouring down raindrops as thick as bullets but neither seemed to noticed them. Dora wanted to read his face but the sunglasses hid his eyes completely. They were silver, of goblin origin of course, counted with silver side wings that blocked any attempt to see his eyes regardless of where one tried to pry. They had special dark lenses that didn't allow light to. She had tried them once, just for laughs and discovered that she could see as clear as day. They weren't made to protect his eyes, but rather to protect the rest of the people from them.

"We'll, we've got quite a few places to check. That phone call mentioned a container, so I imagine that whatever they're moving isn't art." Ezekiel said once they both entered the car. "There was a form on that desk but I couldn't see the full logo on it. I'm not sure how many ports are, but I imagine there are quite a few." He entered the key in the ignition he was stopped by Dora's hand. He looked at it without a word being said. She was cold from the rain and while didn't made any effort to restrain his movement, he was sure that he wouldn't be able to move an inch even if he wanted to. Ezekiel's gaze met with hers as she lifted her hand and took off his glasses.

"No." She whispered.

"No?"

"No." She repeated herself, shaking her head slowly. "No necrotic curse on their spines, no glass charm on their blood or whatever you're planning, whatever punishment you think will fit. No. I don't want it. Not for me."

Start of flashback.

The explosion had throw both of them outside the building. He groaned in pain, still shaking from the curse that he had received. Dora wasn't in a good shape either. She had shielded him from most of the blast but he saw part of her clothes were burnt, although he couldn't see if she was injured. It was raining, much more than he had ever seen before. An unforgiving storm as London hadn't seen since centuries long gone. They were in the docks and waves struck the piers as if nature was intending to reclaim the place taken from her. Even among the roaring winds, the sky shattering thunders and the waves crashing noise, Ezekiel was able to hear it.

To hear HIM.

It was amazing, all things considered, that he had survived. Survived was a loose term. Before the explosion, the man had wore a black suit, consisting of a jacket and tie along a blazer and a pair of trousers. He carried his wand on a holster on his hip. He had been a butler and Ezekiel had no doubt as for whom he served.

He couldn't really remember how the man looked but that didn't matter at the moment. Three quarters of his face were burnt and although magic had protected his eyes, he had lost all of his hair and one of his ears, his skin melted like butter. The only part of his face that hadn't been affected was part of his lower jaw. The rest was a mismatched scorching mess where a body was supposed to be, wheezing and wailing for air. Something Ezekiel was going to fix shortly. Neither him or Dora carried a wand. Ilvermorny forced the students to leave them at the school and Dora had run after him once she realized where he was being held. The explosion had been the man's fault, a mistake for which he'd pay dearly

Looking at Dora again, relieved to hear her breathing smoothing, Ezekiel got up and looked around. The explosion had blown away part of the floor and rocks of all sizes laid around. He found one slate that he thought would work for the task at hand. Moving was a challenge far different than he had faced before. This wasn't the man that he was today. Lord Ezekiel Black had still some years to appear. This was Ezekiel Black, the teenager. The one that had received the full impact of the Cruciatus curse. His body was shaking beyond his control but the anger burning inside of him ignored everything else.

Was this anger?

He had been told of anger before. His grandfather had spoken lengthy about anger, of its power and might. Maybe grandfather had forgotten about this part, where all feelings disappeared. The part were nothing else mattered, except for the death of the one who had wronged him. At least he hoped that he had forgotten, bemecause if this wasn't anger, he had no idea what was.

It scared him.

He grabbed the slate, his hands still shaking, and slowly walked towards the lying man. The charred body watched powerless as Ezekiel's dark silhouette approached him, only able to see that it was a boy who approached him and not death itself when the lightning bolts lighted up the sky. Ezekiel kneeled besides his face, his ragged breathing barely audible and raised the broken slate before he was stopped by an unknown hand. He looked at the one who had stopped him. It was Dora. He could see now that her shoulder had been burned a bit but obviously nothing major had been affected. She was shaking too, but it had nothing to do with the cold weather.

"No, Ezekiel, don't"

"Are you serious?" Ezekiel asked disbelievingly. "Do you have any idea what that man has done to me!?"

"You can't kill him." She answered. "I won't let you."

"Are you kidding me?" He shouted enraged. The skies had calmed after hearing scream. "You know who he is, what he's done! To me, to everyone! You know what he is!"

"I don't care who he is!" She shouted at him, her hand still holding his. "It's not who we are."

Ezekiel was about to answer, but a movement from the floor quickly caught his attention. He never knew how the man had gotten his wand, or where he had gotten the strength to raise it and cast a spell at them. It hadn't been a strong one, not that Ezekiel would know that at the time. He pushed Dora out of the way but the curse had it him. Had it been at full strength, Ezekiel's head would've separated from his neck quickly and neatly but the man's magic was almost gone and his arm had failed him. As the spell was, it was just a shallow cut one one of the sides of his neck. Blood flowed from it but Ezekiel's life wasn't in danger. He pressed his hand against his neck in shock, the force of the spell was enough to knock him back to the floor but he didn't feel it. All Ezekiel could see was Dora's face, covered in his own blood. She looked at him with horror in her eyes.

He didn't register when he got up. Nor when he grabbed the man's arm. He couldn't remember having twisted it until it shattered. Or when he grabbed the slate and rose it above his head. When he threw it at the man's head, again and again and again. By the time he came back to his senses he had battered the rock against him so much that he was just slamming the rock against the floor. The only part that remained of his head was his mouth, twisted by the shock into a grin,as if he was mocking him.

The true horror of the situation didn't hit him until he lifted his head. Dora was in front of him, begging, screaming him to stop. Even with the rain, he could see her tears flowing down her face but he couldn't hear her. Not right away. His senses returned to him slowly. Touch came later, the cold rain that whipping his back contrasted against the warm blood that was covering his front. Then his hearing, the thunder in the sky, the torrents of rain that still fell upon them, but the only thing he could hear was Dora's crying. If it was for the man or Ezekiel, he never knew.

It wasn't until he saw her eyes that he realized it. This would never stop. People would come for him again. This had just been the wakening call for the rest of his life.

This is who he was now.

Forever.

End of flashback.

Ezekiel looked at Dora's eyes before nodding. "As you wish."

"Okay" Dora said after a while. "Let's go to the docks. You said that you managed to see the logo?"

"Not quite, there were other documents blocking it."

"Well." Dora sighted. "Let's get going then."

The car came to life with a roar when Ezekiel ignited it and parted towards the docks fast enough to blow away the rain that fell onto them.

I don't own Harry Potter, all characters except OC belong to J. K. Rowling.