Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.
Marvolo remained pensive for a while. 'The old coot,' he thought in annoyance. 'I really have to get a grip of myself and collect the items. I wonder which one he found. He probably either began with the easiest or the most difficult.' He pondered the matter for a while, before he decided, 'The easiest should be the one in the old Gaunt house, considering that I've already saved the one at Hogwarts.'
After a quick dinner, he apparated right in front of the Gaunt house, only to realise that his assumption had been correct. His safety mechanisms were destroyed, and the ring was gone.
As dire as the situation was, Marvolo could not help inwardly grinning. 'I hope he won't be able to resist putting the ring on. If he does, the curse is going to kill him within a few months.'
He decided to go for the most difficult then and apparated to a small cave, which he had frequented in his youth. Unbeknownst to anyone but himself and the few children who had played with him in the cave, there was a small room under the cave, which was easily accessible by apparition, as he had spared it from the anti-apparition wards, which he had cast all around the place.
He carefully moved the stone which hid the entrance to the lower cave and climbed out of the small place, now standing in front of the cave that held his Horcrux.
'It doesn't seem as if anyone has been here,' he realised in relief. Pulling a small snake treat out of his robe pocket, he transfigured it into a muggle drill and another into a bucket. He then placed the bucket into the lower cave, before he magically extended the drill, so that he did not have to reach into the poisoned liuid but could comfortably set the drill to make a small hole into the stone between the upper cave and the lower cave, so that the poison would flow right into the bucket.
Once the liquid was drained, he reached into the cave and pulled out the locket. Making a copy of the locket, he placed a small parchment inside. 'Sorry, Dumbledore, I was faster'. Contentedly pocketing the original item, he quickly mended the hole and after placing the fake item onto the ground once again flooded the upper cave by emptying the bucket.
He returned to the lower cave, replaced the stone into its original position to hide the entrance and popped home, somehow feeling accomplished. Only when he closely examined the locket did he realise that apparently Regulus Black had tampered with it.
"Draht."
The elf popped up instantly.
"Do you know Kreacher?"
"Yes, Marvolo. Kreacher is one of my old friends."
"Can you please ask him if he has seen a similar locket among Regulus Black's possessions? If he knows where it is, please ask him to exchange it with this one."
"Yes sir."
It took a while, before Draht returned, looking smug. "I had to convince him, but in the end, he exchanged it for me," he explained, handing the Horcrux to him.
Marvolo felt immediately that it was the real Horcrux. "Thank you, Draht. I owe you. If there is anything I can do for you, please tell me."
Draht seemed hesitant, as he stood in front of Marvolo, wringing his hands. "Draht wishes to marry Dolly if that's all right for Marvolo, sir."
Marvolo looked up in surprise and at the same time amusement. "Of course, Draht. That's a good thing, even if you do not have to ask for my permission, as you're both free elves."
HP
A week before the beginning of the new school year, Severus returned to Hogwarts, while Regina and their three children still remained on Inis Rún.
He inwardly groaned in annoyance, when Minerva informed him that there was going to be a staff meeting of the headmaster and the four heads of the houses.
'Thank Merlin the twins have already brewed Poppy's stock,' he thought in relief, as he made his way to the headmaster's office. 'Too bad that they're going to finish Hogwarts at the end of the school year. They did a brilliant job all these years, a luxury, which I'm not going to have in the future. The only other student, who is able to brew on their level is Harry, and he has already too much on his plate.'
Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind. 'If the twins really open an apothecary on Inis Rún, perhaps we could make a contract with them as our potions' suppliers. I could still brew some potions, especially those, which are needed urgently.' He filed the idea for later on, resolving to discuss the thought with Harry upon his return to Hogwarts.
To his relief, the headmaster seemed to realise that they all still had preparations for the beginning of the school year to do and kept the meeting short. Just when he was about to leave, however, Albus kept him back.
"Severus, my boy. I wish to ask you for a favour."
Severus sat down once again, quirking an eyebrow in silent question.
"Could you please explain to Harry how important it is that he works together with me? I don't know if he told you that Voldemort has made Horcruxes, and before we'll be able to get rid of him, we need to destroy each of these items."
"Horcruxes?" Severus feigned ignorance in spite of the fact that Harry had explained to him and Regina what Marvolo had told him and that both wizards apparently had the intention of collecting the items, even if for different reasons.
When Albus explained the matter in short, he noticed by chance that the old wizard was nursing a completely blackened hand.
"Albus, what happened? What did you do to your hand?" he enquired in surprise.
The old wizard let out a deep sigh. "Ah, my boy, I went to hunt down the first of the objects. While I managed to turn several curses inactive on my way to retrieve the object, Tom must have set a curse directly on the object itself, which I did not find out, before it was too late."
Severus inspected the arm in concern. 'This doesn't look well,' he realised.
"Do you perhaps have some potion that you could brew for me?"
Severus sighed. "I suppose that the curse will spread all over your arm. I will do some research to possibly find a potion, which can at least prolong the process, but don't get your hope up."
"Thank you, my boy. That's all I can ask for."
'Perhaps, Harry will be able to heal him,' Severus thought, but refrained from suggesting such a thing to the headmaster before asking his son in advance.
HP
Once he returned to his family quarters, he floo called Marvolo and was invited to come over.
"I was just in a meeting with the headmaster," he informed the other wizard.
"Ah." Marvolo perked up with apparent interest. "I suspect that it was him who took my ancestors' ring from the old Gaunt house."
Severus nodded, grimly.
Marvolo nodded in apparent understanding. "I see. Is he affected by the curse?"
"Yes sir. His hand is completely black and at least parts of his arm, that is as far I could see from under his sleeve."
"Without a counter, he'll be dead before the end of the school year. Please inform him that I offer to cast the counter spell at him. We should do this as soon as possible though."
"Thank you, sir." Severus lightly inclined his head. While Albus was an annoying, meddling old coot, he did not deserve dying from such a curse. "I shall inform him."
Marvolo nodded. "I can travel to Hogwarts on a short notice."
HP
Severus inwardly groaned when he made his way to the headmaster's office for the second time that day. The thought 'Am I an owl?' crossed his mind, as he impatiently told the gargoyle the password.
"Severus, my boy," Albus greeted him in apparent surprise.
"Headmaster." Severus lightly inclined his head. "By chance, I had the opportunity to speak with Lord Gaunt. He already suspected that you succumbed to his curse, and he offers to cast the counter spell at your earliest convenience."
Albus leaned forward in his seat, looking at him with apparent curiosity. "Is that so, my boy?"
"Yes, sir."
"Unfortunately, I don't trust Voldemort at all, and I will not allow him to cast any spell at me."
"I understand. Good night then, sir." With that, Severus took his leave, shaking his head in annoyance at the headmaster's stubbornness.
tbc...
Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter.