Ezekiel closed his eyes as he rubbed his forehead.
Ever since he had come into possession of the Black Magic on his seventeen birthday, he decided not to take another drop of alcohol. Common sense dictated that using the equivalent of a weapon of mass destruction on the day-to-day life should be done as sober as possible. He was starting to regret that choice.
"Do you still have the knife?" He asked.
"No, they gave one look at it and the examiner started waving it around. I was lucky to get out of the building." Dora explained.
"Did they knew why you brought the it to them, that you're an Auror?"
"Obviously." Dora replied annoyed. "But they didn't knew who I was investigating."
"I don't think it'll matter. If I were them, I'll have every single debt from every Auror called in. Once they realize that they cannot pay them, I'd tell them that the one that gets me answers gets all debts erased."
"That's...kind of what happened." Dora replied surprised. "We were lucky that Madam Bones took the files."
"Where are they now?" Ezekiel asked. Dora went to the couch and took out a courier bag below it. Turning around, she took the files as she handed it to him.
"She said that they'd never touch you. She wasn't wrong."
"I'm just happy nothing serious happened. Is their personal information here as well?"
"Everything we have on them is there. Madam Bones kept the whole thing at the docks under wraps, but they'll find out if we don't hurry." She pointed at the file as she sat down.
"Perfect, we'll leave in the morning. Kreacher!" Ezekiel called to the elf, who materialized in front of him. "Dora will be staying with us tonight. Have Harry's room setup for her."
"As you order, Master." The elf bowed as he vanished.
"Thanks." Dora said. "Call me paranoid but I swear, I felt like twenty people tailing me."
"The House of Black will always protect you, Dora." He assured her.
"Thanks, Zeke." She smiled at him.
Both would have their supper and Dora slept in Harry's room. Ezekiel wouldn't sleep much that night, pacing around his bedroom.
They knew, the goblins always knew. They knew when he escaped the Malfoy's mansion. They knew where he had ended up. They knew that the Tonks meant to him. They knew. He had been very clear. He had drawn a line in the sand. They. Knew. Perhaps it had been a mistake from his part. He had been too tame. He had let them forget. They had gotten confident, cocky. They'd never would have done this had his grandfather been alive.
He felt a sting of guilt thinking that. Despite what he remembered of him, he was no longer a gullible child. He knew the stories that were told about him. He knew who he was. What he was. Ezekiel needed to be better. He owed to the Tonks and to himself, but it was at times like this, when his blood boiled and his mind raced trough possibilities that would made a regular man sick, moments like this reminded him of what he was, of the light he lacked and the darkness that occupied it's place. Ezekiel sighted as he finally sat down on his bed. They'd fix it, of that he was sure. It was a matter of knowing where to push. What they needed, was a result that didn't end in a direct confrontation with the Goblin Kingdom. That'd be a bit more tricky.
In any case, it was meaningless to dwell on such matters. Hoping that the Mills would have a better night than his, Ezekiel went to sleep.
Both of them would wake up before the sun raised. Ezekiel had changed into a blue suit while Dora's clothes had been washed, dried and ironed overnight.
"Will you let me do the talking?" Ezekiel asked during breakfast.
"We need to do this right. Both parties need to be pleased. Can you do it?"
"Yes."
"Yes?" She asked unsure.
Ezekiel looked at her in the eyes. "Yes."
They finished eating in silence and in silence they left the house.
"Where's the car?" Dora asked.
"Away."
"Away? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means." Ezekiel replied. "That it won't be available for the foreseeable future. We'll take a cab."
Ezekiel said as he signaled for a car.
"Did something happen while you were gone? You don't look so good."
"I...I thought that the situation was under control. I was wrong. Someone died."
"I'm sorry. Were you close to the guy?" Dora asked concerned.
"First time meeting him. Didn't deserve to end like that, even if he was an arse."
"That bad?"
"Couldn't find the body. Still haven't"
"I'm sorry, Zeke." Dora consoled him.
"I don't really feel that bad. He was a prat, really. A royal one at that."
"But you didn't want him to die. You're not a bad man, Ezekiel. It's okay to feel bad for things like that, remember?"
"I know. It's just..."
"You think you could've done more?" She asked.
"I know that. I let it get to me, I let him. It was stupid, amateur." Ezekiel looked downwards.
"You met an asshole and got angry. It means you're human." Dora punched his arm. "At least you're feeling something. I remember the old days, it's an improvement."
"I'm supposed to represent the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black." Ezekiel sighted. "Emotions aren't needed for that, in fact they are ill-advised."
"Just because you deal with monsters, it doesn't mean that you need to be one." Dora replied. "You can be Zeke, we all like Zeke." She could feel Ezekiel disbelieving look even trough the eyeglasses. "Alright, some like Zeke. When you're not being an arse." She smiled.
"Thanks." Ezekiel said as a cab pulled over and both entered it. "Walthamstow, please and hurry."
"You wanna ring, or do I?" Dora asked.
They were currently standing before Rupert Mills door. Contrary to his father, the man lived in a cheap department in a fairly decent apartment complex. Not what one would associate with an owner of a successful art gallery.
"What time is it?"
"Six thirty." Dora replied. "I can hear him, he's preparing to leave."
"I'll ring, then. Follow my lead." Ezekiel said as he rang the bell.
"Aurors, what a surprise. Is there something wrong?" Rupert Mills was barely able to contain his surprise when he saw them.
Ezekiel didn't made a sound. He simply studied the man in front of him for a moment before he walked into the apartment, Dora following closely.
"Hey, you can't just barge into someone's house!" Rupert screamed as he moved out of the way.
The house itself was too big, four rooms apparently. There wasn't anything extravagant, everything looked affordable, as if Rupert Mills wasn't earning a four or five figure salary. Ezekiel walked towards the dining room and pulled up a chair, looking at the man.
"You can't just come here and..." Rupert tried to complain.
"Sit." He ordered softly. An order that he swiftly complied. He walked around the house until something caught his attention. On a console table, a line of photographs showed the house owner at different parts of his life. Funnily enough, his father only appeared in one, the rest was full of friends and places that he had traveled. Looking closely, an individual started repeating during the different time periods. He guessed that happened shortly after his graduation. Taking the newest picture of the table without being noticed, Ezekiel turned sat in front of Rupert. "Do you want to know how we found out?"
"Found out what, exactly? You just performed an illegal entry on my property! Do you have any idea for how much I could sue you?" Rupert responded.
"Mister Mills, Rupert." Ezekiel smiled. "I'm going to assume that it wasn't your idea. By all accounts, you look like a man with a bit of common sense. You've been a part of our community for enough time to know that some things shouldn't, musn't, be done."
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about but if you two don't leave this house this instant, I'll sue the DLME and will have both of you sacked."
"We found the containers, Mister Mills. The ones that you and your father filled with the golden frames, the golden frames made from melted Galleons."
"What! That it's the most ridiculous accusation that I've ever heard! Yes, we placed some runes on the container but that was only to ensure that the Muggles wouldn't pay too much attention on it."
"And you never thought of asking why?" Dora said, she had chosen to stand behind Rupter's back against the wall.
"We don't just sell regular paintings, some of the pieces that we sell have special paint. Muggles would start asking questions if they saw them."
"Who bought those paintings, wizards?"
"Yes, we use the charms to direct the Muggles attention to the regular pieces. Wizards can tell them apart and look at the others."
"And where do you get the frames, Mister Mills?" Ezekiel asked.
"My father gets them, he has connections."
"Does your father ever goes into Diagon? Alone?"
"What? Of course not, he's not a wizard!" Mills replied. Ezekiel nodded at Dora, whose face had lightened up as she understood where he was going for.
"You're a Half-Blood, Mister Mills." Dora said. "Your mother died after you were born."
"You don't say." Mills replied angry. They've hit a nerve, apparently.
"In cases of Half-Bloods children, specially in cases were the magical parent is deceased, "Undeterred, Dora continued." the Ministry allows the muggle parent to enter Diagon Alley for support. That permission lasts until the child himself removes it. Did you remove yours?"
"I don't remember." Mills recognized unsure. "Maybe. But even if I didn't it doesn't mean that my father has been committing crimes. He doesn't have an account in Gringotts, for heaven sake!"
"But you do, Mister Mills." Ezekiel replied. "Your permission means that your father has access to your bank account as well." Rupert Mill's face started losing it's colour after hearing that. "Now I don't imagine that he'd taken large amounts, probably something small, something that you'd just assume was one of Gringotts unexplained fees. We all have them and trying to get an explanation from them is more expensive that the fee itself, so most let it slide. You said that your father got the frames from someone from his past. When your shop opened, what were the frames made of?"
"Just regular frames." Mills answered, his mind lost in thought. "I mean, sure, some were made of metal but it was cheap ones."
"Cheap?" Dora repeated. "Like bronze? The one Knuts are made of?"
"Ye-What? No!" Mills replied, reddening "My father didn't melt any magic metal!"
"Mister Mills, does your father knows people in the metal industry?" Ezekiel asked. "Please, think hard."
"I don't have to think anything! You're just twisting what I say because you want to make an arrest! " Mills replied agitatedly. " Well, I've got news for you both! We aren't criminals, we're just.."
"Two lawyers that opened an art gallery with no previous knowledge to do so and yet, astonishingly, had such a good fortune that you've yet to declare a single bad quarter in your tax declarations." Dora replied.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Mills turned his body on the chair to see her. "Of course we had bad times! Plenty!"
"Who exactly do you think that informed the DLME of you and your father, eh?" Dora replied, she leaned completely on the wall. "The problem with having to lie at two different government organizations with different requirements, is that at some point you're going to get it wrong. I think your father thought that if he could implicate you deeply enough, you'll have no way to refuse him. Perhaps he'd have you confund the auditors"
"Or perhaps. "Ezekiel continued, holding the picture he had taken and pointing at the couple on it. "Someone that you care. I'm going to make a wild guess but I think that the man here is a wizard as well."
"What, when did you...?" Mills looked at the table and noticed that, indeed, the picture was missing from its usual spot. Looking back at the picture, he launched himself towards it but Dora had taken her wand and glued him to the table. "Give it back!"
"You want to know what I like about this?" Ezekiel continued as he got up and walked around the table, sitting on it right next to the man. "It's not the way you embrace him. It's the way your hands are waved together and the look that both of you have. That's love, right there."
"You put that back where it was or so help me God..."
"I know that you already figured out, Rupert. You did it the second my partner mentioned the bronze. I also know that the frames that you use at the gallery are engraved as well. A very beautiful pattern, if I may say so. He did them, didn't he?"
"No." Mills lied but he was far too emotional to do it properly. "He had nothing to do. We just bought them like that."
"He's something related to the metal industry, a blacksmith, perhaps? An engraver?" Ezekiel saw Mills about to speak again but raised his hand, silencing him. "You are a smart man, Rupert. I know ,that you know that you can get away from this. He" Pointed at the man in the picture. " can't. The Goblins won't let him, he touched their gold. They'll want his hands, literally."
"He wouldn't do that! Shut up!" Mills roared.
"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. " Ezekiel looked at his cousin and she began casting silencing charms around the house. "It's not impossible for your father to get a way to melt the metals, specially if he used the earnings to buy something from Diagon that allowed him to do so. A salamander, perhaps? After that, it's just a matter of getting a mold, I believe. Is there any part of his house that he doesn't allow people to enter?"
"I... I don't go much into his house." Mills replied. "We meet at work."
"Shocking." Dora replied. "A man that refers to his son as 'our kind' and he as human doesn't strike me as the kind of people that'd like to have a wizard in their house."
"Here's what I propose, Rupert." Ezekiel placed the picture facing Mills. "You come with us and you tell us everything you know, and I do mean e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. You might do some time, probably lose your license but we'll protect him as long as he comes forward too and declares. You'll decline your right against Veritaserum and if possible your friend will do it too. We'll make it clear and easy. You don't have to take a fall for your father's crimes."
"You'll protect him from the Goblins?" Mills laughed. "Are you high?"
"On top of that, "Ezekiel continued as he hadn't heard him and showed him the ring on his hand. One look at it made Rupert Mills lose all colour on his face. "I'm not going to take it on you or your friend - boyfriend? - the fact that the property that was submitted as yours in Diagon Alley just so happened to be mine. What do you say?"
Mills eyes were glued to the Black Family ring. "Can you really do it? Protect him?"
"I'll use all my influence, promise." Ezekiel raised his hand.
The man thought long and hard, before finally nodding.
"Excellent!" Ezekiel exclaimed. "Auror Tonks, would you mind to remove the spell on him? I need to ask one more thing."
"Sure." Dora said with a raised eyebrow. Then it hit her, they hadn't gone to their parents house, so Harry was still keeping his wand. Chucklin, she removed the spell and Mills tried to get up from his chair. Tried being the operative word, as Ezekiel placed his hand on his shoulder and slammed him right back into it.
"Now, we've got another thing to discuss, you and I." Ezekiel said coldly.
"W-Wh-What do you mean? I'll confess." Mills replied.
"Oh, I know. What I want to know is actually another thing." Ezekiel replied, his hand softly resting on Mills shoulder. "What I want to know is when did your father met a Metamorphmagus."
Oh, no. Dora thought, the last thing they needed was Ezekiel going all vengeful for what Ian Mills had said. He had promised!
"Were you there with him?"
"I..."
"Rupert, please know that I'll keep my end of the bargain no matter what you answer." Ezekiel comforted him. "But only if it's the truth. Now, when did that happen?"
"We were in the Alley, he said that he wanted to look around. I thought that maybe, I don't know, he and I would have a nice day."
"Auror Black..." Dora started but Ezekiel raised her hand at her. Ooooh, he did not just do that to her.
"And then?"
"We had a fight. He tricked me into one of the brothels. He thought that if I met a woman that could become what I wanted..."
"But you didn't want a woman." Ezekiel finished sympathetically. "Sorry to hear that, Rupert."
"C-could I ask something?" Mills replied, squirming in his chair.
"Sure." Ezekiel replied.
"No, not to you." He said as he turned towards Dora. "Her."
"What do you want to know?" She replied unsure.
"How much can you change?"
"I can change my body as I want it, why?"
"Could you make yourself look...younger?"
"Why do you ask that, Rupert?" Ezekiel asked. Mills twisted under his gaze, despite him not having taken off his sunglasses.
"Is just... the girls there...they looked on the younger side. I thought that I might've been a potion or a spell. Maybe something that a Metamorphmagus could do."
"Rupert, I know the brothels in the dark part of the Alley and they know me. None of them employ children." Ezekiel said
"It wasn't in Diagon." Rupert replied carefully. "It was Knockturn."
The very air in the apartment froze as those words left his mouth. Ezekiel's posture changed, as if he was fighting something inside himself and Dora knew what it was. Taking a big breath, he finally took out a little black notebook from his jacket and a fountain pen. He started drawing a small sketch, a crude map and then gave the notebook and pen to Rupert.
"I want you to write down all you remember about that. Mark the location as accurate as possibly and if you remember, the name of the place." He ordered. Mills wasted no time and wrote down everything as if his life depended on it. That wasn't the case, of course, Ezekiel had given his word and his word he'd keep. Mills didn't knew and Dora wasn't too keen on letting him knowing until after he had finished. Once he did Ezekiel quickly took the notebook and examined the new additions. Nodding to himself, he closed it and placed the items back on his pockets.
"Let's go to the Ministry. I imagine that they'll be quite interested in hearing what you've got to say."
The trip to the Ministry was a quiet one too. It was becoming a bit of a habit for them. Entering the building, however, was when things got interesting. Apparently the Goblins had widened their scope as every sight was immediately locked onto them, specifically between Rupert and Ezekiel. People started making room for them once Ezekiel took off the sunglasses and placed his hand, with the family ring on it, on Rupert's shoulders as they walked. Dora took the lead with her wand firmly on her gras, looking for anyone that might try something stupid. It was a bit funny for both cousins, truth be told. People used to ignore them, or in Ezekiel's case, fear them yet one mention of the mighty Galleon and all of that fear and disdain disappeared in less than a heartbeat. Speeding up their pace, the group was able to reach Madam Bone's office almost without an incident. Some of the people in the bullpen had tried to block their pace but Dora quickly made them reconsider once she broke one's jaw.
As they approached the door, noises could be heard from within the room. It seemed that asking for a relaxed Madam Bones was the same as to ask gravity to take a vacations. It wasn't until they reached the door to knock it that both cousins realized that one of the voices in that argument wasn't human.
"This is an affront against the Goblin Kingdom! We demand that you handover the ones responsible of this theft!" A goblin's voice could be heard.
"For the last time." That was Madam Bones, Ezekiel recognized. She had the same tone as when she threatened to toss him through the Veil. This was going to be a problem. "Haven't made any arrests yet and even if we did, those responsible will be held accountable by the law of Magical Britain."
"Those law are a joke!" She was interrupted by the goblin's voice. Whoever this goblin was, he was very confident of his own safety. Or a death-wish. "You wish to trick us into allowing some mockery of a trial just so those guilty can get away just because they are human." The goblin said as if it was an insult, and for a goblin, it was.
Taking a deep breath, knowing that no matter how much they braced for what was to come it wouldn't be enough, they let themselves in. The picture inside was not something that you'd say every day. Madam Bones was leaning over her desk, both hands on it. In front of her, literally, a goblin in a business suit was growling dangerously near her face. How he had ended up on top of the desk, with his shoes on what looked like official documents and not ended up squatted against a wall was something of a miracle.
"Ehem, Madam Bones?" Dora called her.
"What!" The woman snapped at her in rage that was just looking for an excuse to explode. Both her and the goblin turned to see the newcomers, she freezed when she recognized them and the goblin smiled dangerously.
"Oh, what a wonderful gift." The goblin said. "Of course it would be you, Lord Black, who brought us this criminal. A true friend of the goblins indeed!"
"Actually." Ezekiel said. "You'll find out that the situation is more complicated than we previously thought. Mister Mills here has agreed to renounce his rights and to take Veritaserum."
"Is this right, Mister Mills?" Bones asked.
"Yes, Madam. I wish to come clean about everything." Mills replied meekly. Nodding at the man, she turned towards the goblin.
"This here is Adnok, a manager from Gringotts and current representative of the Goblin King. I take that you're okay with this?"
"The Goblin King demands that everyone who had a part in this crime to be punished!" He replied to her face.
"Only if they're guilty. Auror Tonks!" She snapped at Dora." Go to the Medics and have them give you a vial of Veritaserum. Have them provide their name, the number of the frask and an Oath that it's unadulterated,"
"Yes Ma'am!" Dora said as she sprinted out of the room.
"Lord Black, I must thank you for your efforts." The goblin said as he approached the edge of the desk. "We know that you've been, occupied, with other affairs out of your control, but the Goblin King never had a doubt that you'd bring the criminals to our justice."
"I'm not here as a Lord, Manager Adnok." Ezekiel replied icely, much to both the goblin's and Bones's surprise. "But I assure you that I shall speak to you in that capacity shortly. Until then, I suggest you to call off your bounty on the information."
"Why of course, My Lord." The goblin replied terrified as he took a piece of mirror with a shaky hand. "Cancel the bounty at once, Lord Black has captured the criminal!" The goblin screamed at the mirror. "It's done, My Lord."
Dora reappeared a few minutes later, carrying a vial on her hand. It took no time for Rupert to take it and confess everything. By the time he was done, he had answered questions of not just Madam Bones but the Adnok's as well.
"I trust that this clears the air, Manager Adnok." Bones said after they were done. "The man is a victim as well."
"Bah! He profited from his father deception just as much as the criminal himself, he must be punished!"
"And punished he shall be." Ezekiel interrupted "We just ask that the one who started this dreadful crime to be handled by the Goblin Kingdom, leave the rest to us."
"Well, if a friend such as yourself asks." The goblin replied, still scared. "My King would surely consider a compromise. I'd have to ask."
"Naturally." Ezekiel replied as he approached a chair so the goblin could get off the desk, a task that he accomplished in the rather undignified manner of jumping down from one to the next. The humans pretended to ignore it as the goblin left the room.
"Auror Black, what the hell were you thinking?" Bones asked. "You don't get to decide who gets tried and who doesn't."
"Madam Bones, with all due respect." Ezekiel replied. "This is the only way we can have justice and keep both sides happy. Each one gets someone to trial, none of us looks weak and we can continue the rest of our days without having to worry for the bounty."
"You lost any kind of respect that you might had the moment you decided this on your own, Black." Bones replied. "I don't even know if this is valid anymore."
"Madam Bones, you assigned this case to us with the orders to 'take care of it'" Dora replied. "I don't like this any more than you do but Auror Black is right, any other option will end in a confrontation with the Goblin Kingdom."
Bones looked at both of them before swearing under her breath. "Fine, but next time this happens, I want the both of you to keep constant communication with me. And where the hell were you, Auror Black?"
"I was away." Ezekiel replied shortly. "Official business."
The answer only managed to irritate Bones but she knew that it was pointless to do anything else. Why? she thought, was that every time she asked something from this man, things got that fucked up? Even worse, she couldn't control him. He was Lord Black, and as she learned the moment she had become the Head of the Aurors, that meant that he answered to one person. One that she had no way, or right for that matter, to contact. It was like having a nuke that had the habit of disappearing when you least expected it, only to return smelling of death and destruction.
"Good news, My Lord!" The goblin returned, slamming the door open. "His Majesty has agreed to your terms, My Lord! A fitting conclusion to our dilemma, a true display of wisdom fit of the Ancient and Most Noble House Of Black!"
Glancing at Madam Bones, who contrary to what Ezekiel expected, seemed quite happy not to deal with the goblin, he replied."It fills my heart knowing that our mutual problem has been solved."
Approaching Adnok, Ezekiel kept his eyes glued on him, walking slowly towards him as he took off the sunglasses.
"My Lord?" Adnok asked scared.
"You placed a bounty. You seeked to retrieve that information by any means necessary, right?"
"Well, once we found about the crime..."
"And how did you found out about the crime? Oh, yes. I remember now, it was my cousin who brought evidence to be analyzed. My. Cousin."
"My Lord, I assure you that..."The goblin was interrupted when he realized that the door had closed behind him. He looked at the two witches behind Ezekiel but none of them had taken out their wands. It was just him, at the mercy of a man was raised Orion Black.
"My cousin, who was hunted by people that wanted the rewards of a bounty that you setup."
"It wasn't me, My Lo-Ack!" Adnok was cut off by Ezekiel's hand around his neck. Ezekiel grabbed him and raised him to eye level, but Adnok closed his in a panic.
"Auror Black, release the representative of the Goblin King, right now!"
"I want you to deliver a message from me, Manager Adnok, to your king. Could you do it?"
"Yes! Yes, My Lord!"
"Perfect." Ezekiel smiled. That was short lived, as a cold fury shortly replaced it. "Next time any of you tries to hurt my family, I'll take my pound of flesh out of the Goblin Kingdom itself. Every family, every goblin no matter their age, their gender or position shall lose something and I assure you, Manager Adnok, it will be something that no amount of gold shall ever replace." Ezekiel said, the Black Magic purred as it master commanded it. "Please, do make sure that His Majesty gets the message." He said sweetly as he lowered the goblin gently to the floor. "Along with my best wishes. Have a good day, Manager Adnok. May your vaults never be empty." The goblin didn't even tried to respond, as soon as his feet touched the floor he had dashed out of the room.
"Let me guess, that was with all due respect as well, Auror Black?" Bones asked sarcastically.
"Just clearing the air, Madam Bones."
"I want you back to the Archive, right now. This one is officially off the books." Bones commanded. "Auror Tonks, return to your post."
"What the hell was that supposed to be?" Dora whispered angry as bot left the office.
"That, was me reminding the Goblin King that you're off the limits."
"That I'm off limits? Where do you get off saying stuff like that? I'm an Auror, Ezekiel. I can handle myself."
"Do you really think that you'd be here if it wasn't for that order?" Ezekiel surprised her, suddenly stopping on his tracks and turning to confront her. "That Andi would've been able to leave as she did, without getting killed or worse by someone that wanted revenge against her family? Orion Black himself declared that those who carry the the Black blood are under the protection of the House of Black. That's the only reason why people didn't storm their house and hanged her. That is the only reason they have lived for as long as they have. That is the only reason people didn't try to kill you when you were a child. If word had gone out that the goblins defied that order and I did nothing, you might as well turn your wand upon yourself and save them the trouble." Dora was speechless at this. "Now, I'm going back to the Archive to finish my shift and then I'll pick up Harry and my wand. Good day." Finishing the conversation, Ezekiel resumed his pace and entered the Archive.
Finally enjoying some peace, Ezekiel took his notebook from his pocket and examined it. The crude map that he had drawn wasn't a very good representation of Knockturn but Rupert Mills had added every detail that he remembered. The place to visit seemed to be called the 'Wild Rabbit'. Another group that thought they could take him for a fool. For this one, he didn't need to worry. It'd have to be public and get the point across. He needed a scarecrow.
His mind set, the rest of the day went by with the monotony that it belonged to the Archive. The way to the Tonks was uneventful too, it wasn't until he entered the house that he was greeted by a black haired missile that launched itself to his stomach. The force had been far too big for a child of that age. Clearly, Harry's magic was returning now that he didn't have to spend all of it just to survive from one day to the next.
"Hey, Harry!" Ezekiel said as he ruffled Harry's hair. "Did you miss me?"
"Like you have no idea." Andi's voices sounded as she appeared around a corner. "You should've called. Kid nearly had a panic-attack."
"I'm sorry, Harry." Ezekiel hugged the boy gently. "Things didn't go as I planned."
"You said you'd call." Harry's muffled voice sounded from Ezekiel's stomach.
"I wanted to, Harry. I really did, but things didn't go to plan." Ezekiel explained but Harry suddenly released him and ran upstairs. Ezekiel tried to say something, but Harry's newfound speed had him left the room before he could even think of what to say.
"He's was scared, it'll pass." Andi comforted the dejected Ezekiel. "What happened in America? I can't remember the last time it took you so long."
"Bit of a mess, honestly." Ezekiel scratched the side of his head. "Lack of information, lack of resources... a good old fashion fuck-up."
"I imagine." Dora replied. "Let's go to the living room. Coffee?"
"Yes, please." Replied Ezekiel, who just now realized that he was exhausted. Sitting on the couch they started catching up. "Longest day ever. Where's Ted?"
"Oh, right, you don't know!" Andi replied smiling. "Ted got a letter from some of his old clients. Turns out they aren't all that happy with the new Law-Wizards that his old firm assigned them. They asked if he'd take them back!"
"That's the best news I've heard all day." Ezekiel smiled as he drank.
"I figured, usually you and Dora come to the house at the same time."
"We had a bit of an argument. I threatened the representative of the Goblin King and she didn't like it. Had to tell her about Orion's decree."
"Oh." Dora looked downwards. "Well, she was bound to find out sooner or later. I should've told her. Did the goblin get the message?"
"I think he got it." Ezekiel replied, suddenly spotting Harry peeking out of door. He smiled at the boy, who timidly approached him while holding something to his chest. Once they were next to each other Harry handed over Ezekiel's wand-holster.
"I took care of it, like you asked."
"Thanks, Harry. Did you try to make any spells with it?" Ezekiel asked curiously.
"I took it out once, but it felt weird. It started shooting light-bolts, we couldn't make it stop."
"Yeah." Ezekiel said with a guilty look on his face. " Wands with Thunderbirds core's tend to do that. I forgot to tell you that. Sorry."
"What's a Thunderbird?"
"Oh, it's amazing." Ezekiel said exited. "Is a giant bird with a head like hawk. It got this three massive wings and every time it flaps them it makes electricity. The storms that just one of them can make... I've never seen anything like it, or ever since."
"You've seen one?" Harry asked excited after hearing Ezekiel's description.
"You bet." Ezekiel smiled. Andi for her part couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "The woman who made my wand, her name was Shikoba Wolfe. She was a native american and she was also a shaman on her tribe. She told me that if I wanted one of her wands, I'll had to prove it. I said, sure. You should've seen the way she laughed at me." He chuckled. "She said that it wasn't her that I had to prove myself to. She had me apparated to the plains far away from her shop, So far into them that I couldn't tell where I was. She left me there with a wooden box and some food and water."
"What was in that box?"
"She said that it was a tool. That if I could manage to figure it out, the thunderbird would appear and it would judge me."
"And did you figure it out?" Harry asked. Ezekiel raised an eyebrow as he showed him the wand on his hand. "Right, sorry."
"Never mind that, I nearly died trying to open the damn thing. Turns out that it had some pictures on the sides, and that the box had actually three segments that could be rotated. I spent three days in those plains, ran out of food and water by the time I figured it out."
"And then what happen?" Harry was completely taken by Ezekiel's story. Ezekiel himself was smiling carefree. Andi couldn't see his eyes due to his sunglasses, but she could imagine them full of nostalgia.
"Then it appeared. It flew very slowly, so it's wings weren't generating too much electricity. It just flew down and stared at me."
"And then?" Harry asked, so engrossed with the story, he hadn't noticed that he had not only sat on the couch but was now at the edge of his seat.
"Then it took off, flying high in the sky."
"It just left you there?" Harry asked confused.
"That's what I thought too, but then it started flying around, and around, and around." Ezekiel stared moving his finger in a circular motion." And the thunderbird stared to change, every time it flapped its wings the bird generated electricity. It started slowly, a spark here and there. Then it started to grow until it had created such a thunderstorm, it covered the sky as far as the eye could see. And the thunder, Harry " Ezekiel shook his head. "Every time it cracked the sky I felt so little. The sky was pitch black and the only thing you could see was the thunderbird. Every time the thunder touched it, the feathers changed their color. It started gold, like the sun and then it changed to blue, then to grey and silver. That wasn't the end, no sir. Then it started glowing until it became pure light."
"That was the trial?" Harry asked holding his breath. Ezekiel shook his head again.
"It hadn't finished, you see. By that time the entire sky was roaring with thunders, it was so loud that I couldn't hear what was going on in my own head. Which was for the best, because it was probably screaming at me to run away." Harry laughed at the joke, but Ezekiel's face was completely serious. "I couldn't even see the thunderbird, when suddenly everything just stopped. I had no idea what was going on until I saw it."
"What? What happened?" Harry asked impatiently.
"The thunderstorm hadn't stopped, the thunderbird had absorbed it." Ezekiel smiled. "Try to imagine, if you can, the biggest bird that you've ever seen. Then imagine that every single feather suddenly became the deepest kind of blue and inside of it, the wildest storm that you can imagine starts roaring. Then the thunder in it becomes purple, so powerful that it starts lightning the bird from inside to the point that you can see it's bones that looks like are made out of metal and even though it's miles away in the sky, you can see the full power that it has yet to unleash on its eyes. All the while it keeps flying around you until. "Ezekiel suddenly smashed his open hand into the couch's cushions, startling Harry. "It comes crashing down to the ground. It's so fast that your brain almost can't process it. It's so powerful that the earth trembles in fear an and then vanishes once it hits it."
"But what was the trial?"
"Surviving, I suppose. Woke up a month later in a hospital, the wand was in a case right next to me."
"I wanted to kill that woman when he told me that story the first time." Andromeda said, her tone showed that she wasn't lying.
"And that's how I got my wand." Ezekiel finished his story. "No idea how she figured to use ebony for the wood, but I wasn't going to argue. It looked nice."
"You also got medium-rare, remember? Not to mention that scar." Andi replied.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that one." Luckily the scar wasn't on the arm that Ezekiel had to heal. Although now that he thought about it, ever since he had returned from America his whole body looked and felt normal. Good as new, except for this particular part. Removing his jacket and opening his shirt, from his left shoulder to his elbow, his skin was covered in scar tissue in a pattern that resembled a lightning strike. "What do you think, Harry?"
There weren't many ways to die that Ezekiel wasn't familiar with. Obviously this wasn't as dangerous for him as it was with other wizards. The Black Magic would bring him back regardless of the damage he sustained. A new body even, a clean slate. Yet that scar would always be there, as if it was a part of him ever since that day. The fact that not even the Black Magic could take that away from him made him like it even more.
"It's like mine." Harry whispered, as he reached shyly towards it but as soon as he realized what he was doing, he pulled back his hand in shame.
"It's alright, Harry. It's just a scar." Ezekiel said.
"Uncle Vernon said that I was a freak because of it."
"Harry, take a look around." Andi said. "I'm the only relatively sane daughter of the House of nightmares, Ezekiel is Dark and yet he tries to uphold the law, my daughter can shape her own body as she wants."
"Ted's normal." Harry pointed out.
"He knew who I was and yet he tried to make me fall for him for the last three years in Hogwarts, trust me, he's a bit of a freak too."
"One of us! One of us! One of us!" Ezekiel chanted as he buttoned his shirt. "Well, this was nice and all but there's still some things on my list. Shall we, Harry?"
Ezekiel examined his clothes for a final time in front of a mirror. He had decided for a simple black suit, along with black leather shoes. He contemplated if he should carry one of his golden watches but quickly discarded the notion. This wasn't about extravagance, this was about the message. Simplicity tended to be the best for cases like this. Nodding to himself he turned from the mirror towards the door in his room, where Harry was spying him from.
"Harry."He called. "I thought that you were sleeping, is everything alright?"
"You're going out again?"
"Yes, there's something that I need to check. I'll be back in no time." Ezekiel smiled at him.
"Can I go with you? I'll be quiet."
"It's not a place for children, Harry. Now, it's quite late and tomorrow you'll have a test with your teacher. You won't be able to get a good score if you're tired, won't you?"
"But...why? I'll be quiet, I promise!"
"Harry" Ezekiel said sternly. "This isn't a matter of how well behaved you can be, I know you're a good kid. I'm going to a place that kids shouldn't be. You're a little kid so you'll stay here. Now, go to sleep."
"But I'l..."
"Bed. Now." Harry's face fell at the order and Ezekiel couldn't help to feel guilt for it. He followed him silently and saw him tuck himself into the bed. Ezekiel approached the bed and started adjusting the blankets. "Now, I'll see you tomorrow."
"But why do you have to go? Why can't I go with you?" Harry kept asking.
"Because...I'm going to Knockturn Alley." He finally revealed.
"The bad place? Why?"
"I.." How much should he tell him?, was the question in Ezekiel's mind. He sat in the bed near Harry, he tried to come up with a response that didn't ended in him explaining the concepts of prostitution and child abuse. "When I inherited the Alley, the stores, things were different. My grandfather allowed many things. Bad things." He explained slowly. "Things that I couldn't accept, so I gave them some rules. Apparently someone broke them."
"And what are you going to do?"
"I'll check first of course, it could be a trick. Just because someone is Dark it doesn't really mean that they are evil...just that if they were they'd be better than most at it."
"Oh...and if they did, will you arrest them?"
"Aurors don't usually go there, Harry. Dark wizards usually handle this sort of thing among ourselves. The Alley is mine and the rule as well."
"What did you tell them?"
"...I told them no to hurt children." Harry's eyes grew like plates as he hear it but Ezekiel calmed him down. "I'll be back shortly, Harry. Sleep tight." He kissed his forehead and turned off the light in his room.
"Ezekiel?" He heard as he closed the door.
"Yes, Harry?" Ezekiel asked in the dark to where Harry laying.
"Please be careful."
"Of course, Harry." Ezekiel smiled to the dark. "I'll be back in no time, you'll see. Good night. Harry."
"Good night, Ezekiel."
This would be the first time that he wouldn't fulfill a promise to Harry, Ezekiel thought.
He was in what had been the premises of the 'Wild Rabbit'. In front of him, six men were kneeling, hands on the floor and their wands destroyed. A multitude of onlookers surrounded them but none uttered a sound in the dark alley. Ezekiel was beyond angry, ignoring even the words that the Black Magic tried to whisper into his ears. Those animals didn't even tried to hide the children. They even told him the fee depending on how many he wanted.
They never had a chance, the chaos worked perfectly at his advantage. To ensure that none would apparate away, Ezekiel had transmuted their hands and legs with the ground, fusing them together. Each of those men was looking at the floor, their sweat and other body fluids were making a puddle beneath them. Two had started praying. Apparently they were Muggleborns, perhaps even Half-Bloods Ezekiel stood in front of them and waited.
Ted was a Christian, how did he managed to balance his faith with the fact that he was a sorcerer was something that Ezekiel never thought of asking. The rituals that his religion, any religion in fact, had always fascinated him. Of course being a Black, it had been years before he even knew what a church, synagogue, or mosque was. He was what they called a 'Pagan' but he preferred the term 'Free Agent'. Looking down at the two men, Ezekiel placed his hands behind his back, his left hand firmly gripping his wand. Waiting.
"Lord Black, please I beg you!" One of the other man on the ground screamed in terror. "We can fix this!"
Ezekiel examined the man, this one had tried to put up a fight. He was in an office at the back of the building and had more time to prepare. His clothes, now burned, were also of a better quality than the rest. It had been a bother not being able to use the Black Magic without compromising both Alleys, but Ezekiel was happy none the less. Somethings you had to do yourself.
Removing his sunglasses while looking at the man's eyes, he started casting with his wand behind his back while the approaching the other hand's index to his lips, silencing the criminal. While this happened, two water spheres appeared above the praying men, spinning slowly. Ezekiel's gaze returned to the men expectantly, the wand behind his hand made a discreet movement and the spheres began spinning faster and dividing into smaller and smaller ones. Their silent spin took such velocity that their shape changed as well to the point that they looked like thin needles. All the while Ezekiel kept listening to his prisoners. He had heard that pray many times before meals and what was for. He gave them time as the water above them froze while it continued its terrifying pirouette. He didn't even move when they took a breath before the part that mattered them the most. Just before the line about forgiveness.
Before any of them could start, the ice needles came crushing down on them, piercing their backs, their bones and organs. Their screams resonated trough the entire Alley and even some of the night owls that roamed trough the Diagon Alley were able to hear them. Civic duty said to report it to the Aurors. Common sense said to run like hell. And run they did.
Seeing that he had their undivided attention, Ezekiel looked around. Many faces were familiar to him, after all, they were his tenants. The rest seemed to be onlookers and some of the brothel's clients, who had found that the rest of the people had effectively formed a human wall. Seeing what he had done to the owners of the establishment, they too had fallen to the ground, awaiting the inevitable.
"Ladies and gentlemen of Knockturn Alley, my name is Ezekiel Black. I know you know me, known that I know you." Ezekiel heard the grasping sound of the crowd.
"As some of you might know, I'm an Auror as well. But I'm not here in such capacity. I'm here as the Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black." The crowd collectively froze on their spot.
"I must say, I'm surprised." Ezekiel continued, looking at the multitude. "Have you forgotten or have you chosen to forget, that it was I, who gave you back your lives? Your very dignity? When Orion Black ruled over this Alley, didn't he force his hand on your pockets? How much was it that you had to pay, to simplystand on the very street that we are talking in?"
The crowd had the decency of looking ashamed. That wouldn't do.
"Didn't I allowed you to keep a bigger part of your earnings? How many of you were able to afford a warm meal, a meal at all?"
Ezekiel sighted as he walked around the crowd, shacking his head slowly. He finally returned to his previous spot in front of the criminals.
"And while I allowed all this, what did I asked of you? Your firstborn child, your undying loyalty, your husbands or your wives? No." The crowd started to grow more and more scared. Why wasn't he screaming, why didn't he sound angry? "I asked for one thing. One. Do you remember what it was? Anyone?" Ezekiel asked as he pointed at the people in the crowd. The people was terrified, as if would suddenly start casting curses with his finger. Finally he pointed at a an old wizard in dusty clothes. "You, what did I say? What did I forbade?"
The man looked around but the people besides him looked away.
"I said." For the first time, Ezekiel's tone rose slightly. "Tell me the rule of Knockturn Alley."
The man mumbled something but it was too low and too fast.
"What was it?" Ezekiel asked. "C'mon good man, speak up. Let us all hear what you got to say." He said smiling.
"Mno kish." The man mumbled again. Ezekiel tilted his head. "NO KIDS!"
"Perfect." He nodded in approval. "Such a simple rule, don't you all think?" Ezekiel asked to the crowd. "Two words, easy to say. Easy to remember. Yet here we are, in front of what used to be a gentleman's house. Do you know why?"
As in queue, the crowd answered as one. "They broke the rule."
"Exactly. The broke the rule. My rule. I must admit, that it took me a little longer than expected to find out about this. I'm not omnipresent and they did use one of the few buildings that I don't own. That was good." Ezekiel nodded. "Had they broken my rule in one of my own buildings...who knows what I'd done to them. To this very Alley."
Ezekiel about to continue, but the man that had talked to him before had started asking him again for mercy. He walked towards the man and raised his foot until it rested gently above his head. By that time the man had started mumbling incoherently about what he could offer for his life. Ezekiel heard none of it as he kicked down violently.
He knew that the man, even the other two with icy needles on their backs wouldn't die from something like that. Wizards and witches were protected by their own magic and it was so effective that it wasn't unusual for magic users to live well past a hundred years old.
"I was taking." Ezekiel said to the man on the floor. "When you interrupt me like that, it's not just rude. It makes me think that you consider what you have to say to be more important than what I have to say. Is that it, is that what you think?"
"No, my Lord. I'm sorry." The man said terrified, his head glued to the ground.
"Then I assume that it won't mind you if I continue, then." Ezekiel said without waiting for an answer. "Rules are necessary, even for us. Specially for us. Without them, where would we be? Running around, hiding in fear of the light? You know that they love when there's unrest among us. For rules to be effective, there must be a punishment. Otherwise, why have them?"
Ezekiel sighted as he looked around. They were scared, some even close to collapse or a panic attack.
"Remember this: it might take some time, but I'll find out. I'll always will." That being said, Ezekiel turned towards the men on the floor.
It was almost morning by the time he finished. The sunlight began to caress the buildings as he gave the finishing touches.
Six scarecrows, all unique in their own way. Displayed for everyone to see.
They seemed to be working already. Although it could be that the crowd had remained on their spot, petrified by the macabre process that they had witnessed. In any case, Ezekiel was content with the results.
He walked outside the Leaky Cauldron relaxed. He had contacted Gringotts before all had started and all the children were protected and moved to a healing facility while he handled the owners of the brothel. They'll have all the support that they could possibly need and caretakers would be interviewed first thing in the... probably in a couple of hours and a house or property in which they could live as well. The money wasn't a problem, as Ezekiel would pay for everything. No matter how much it surprised the goblins.
He looked around the street when a familiar sight stopped before him. The car didn't look any different than it was before but he knew that it didn't matter. It was it's insides what counted. Sitting in the driver's seat, Ezekiel smiled at the familiar feeling and pressed the accelerator. The car run as if time had stopped and Ezekiel loved every second of the trip to the house.
I don't own Harry Potter, all characters except OC belong to J. K. Rowling.