Chpt 56: The Trophy Ring

For a moment when the box opened the was nothing but Calamity standing with her wand ready, Dumbledore holding the sword above his head, and the ugly ring made clumsily out of gold sitting in the box. In the center was a large black stone with a symbol on it, though from Calamity's position she couldn't see it clearly. Suddenly there was a shift in the room- the temperature seemed to drop and it felt as if the room itself had inhaled. Calamity's wand became warm. She could feel a new, more powerful vibration of magic she had never felt before. Almost out of instinct she pulled back one of the first spells she'd ever learned at Ilvermorny.

"Nunc auferetur," She commanded, moving her wand across herself. A spark of white shot from it's tip and the chill seemed to decrease, though it was still present. Dumbledore was still holding the sword as if frozen. Had the ring cursed him in place?

"Albus," she asked, almost afraid to touch him.

To her surprise, he moved to lower the sword, eyes still entranced by the ring.

"Albus," Calamity repeated. "We have to destroy it. That's why we're here, remember?"

The air moved again and the chill grew, Calamity's wand warmed again. Calamity suddenly had a horrifying thought. The ring-this trophy- it could hear them. It was reacting accordingly to the danger they posed. She muttered a protection charm around herself drawing a quick circle around herself with her wand and again the chill receded, but Dumbledore still lowered the sword. He was reaching for the ring and he was picking it up to inspect it more closely, eyes so close to the ugly black stone that it looked as if he would stick it into his eyes themselves.

"ALBUS!" Calamity demanded. "Accio ring."

The ring flew from Dumbledore's hands and into the air towards her. She caught it and was now able to see a that the center stone had a triangle shape enclosing a circle split by a straight line. Dumbledore blinked at her, as if coming from a daze. He reached for the sword.

"Albus, we came to destroy it. We have to destroy it, remember? That's why you have the sword."

Dumbledore stood. "Of course, of course. I was surprised for a moment. This is why I needed you here. Toss the ring to the ground and we'll end this and leave this shack."

"Albus, you can't hurt me. Please, don't hurt me."

Calamity dropped the ring out of sheer horror.

The voice had come from the ring itself, a young female voice which Calamity had never heard before. Dumbledore, however, froze again.

"We could be together again, you could release me. Albus, don't let them hurt me again."

There was a change coming over Dumbledore's face- a darkness and determination that made his usually kind face into one of terrifying intensity.

"Albus," Calamity slowly. "Albus, it's tricking you. It's not really whoever you think it is."

But he wouldn't be reasoned with. He pushed his hand through the air and Calamity felt her feet lift from the ground entirely as she was tossed to the side of the room, over a table. She managed to roll away just as the table became animated and attempted to wrap itself around her.

"Accio ring. Accio Sword," she said. Both shot towards her. She caught the ring in her hand and leaped behind the table as it caught the sword. Reaching around she pulled out the sword, feeling its weight fully as she rushed away from the table before it fell back on the spot she had been seconds before, making a cloud of dust where it fell.

"Clara, give me the ring, " Dumbledore said. His tone was firm as he moved his hand again and a shot of red just missed her. "I don't want to harm you."

"You're doing a bang-up job showing it," Calamity snapped using her wand to reflect the next spell. It bounced back towards Dumbledore, but he swatted it away easily.

"You have no idea the powers you are interfering with. There is research necessary for our next step."

"Research," Calamity choked trying to catch her breath she pushed the door open and rolled out of the shack as another hex hit the door. "We're suppose to destroy it, Albus. No research necessary!"

She felt the ring being pulled from her hand, but she clutched tighter, rushing away behind some trees. If she could get deep enough into the forest then she'd have a chance to destroy it.

Perhaps sensing her determination as she leaped over a stump in her way, she again heard the ring speak.

"Clara, don't be rash, you're a doctor for Merlinsake."

The sound of her father's voice coming from the ring was so surprising that she tripped over an exposed root. The ring rolled a few inches away, coming to stop with its stone facing her.

"Don't look so surprised, it doesn't become you. Take me with you and we can correct that silly mishap in Albania."

"What are you talking about," Calamity demanded. She pushed herself up and grabbed the sword and her wand. "You're an evil ring. I want nothing to do with you."

"She's going to hurt me, Albus!"

The girls voice was back and in a flash Calamity was pushed against a tree whose branches wrapped around her snugly. She felt the sword pulled form her hands.

Albus Dumbledore had caught up. He caught the summoned sword and shrunk it pocketsize. He dropped it into his pocket and picked up the ring from the ground delicately, looking at it almost lovingly.

"Albus!" Calamity shouted. She kicked the tree and tried to shimmy away, but the branches wouldn't budge.

He dropped the ring in his pocket and moved towards her. The branches loosened slightly and Calamity dropped to the ground.

"I promise I'll explain when we next meet," Dumbledore said, his kind face back to normal, though a glint of triumphant determination behind his steeled blue eyes. "Right now, we must take some time to think & plan."

"No, Albus-" Calamity began, but before she could finish she felt the familiar pull behind her navel and the rush of being moved from place to place via portkey. She had just enough time to look at her hand to see a segment of exposed root had been severed from the tree and was now pulling her to her destination.

She landed with a thud on the floor staring up at old and dark ceiling. She let out a string of cuss words as she threw the root across the room, making it skid across the table & hit the wall loudly. In response, she could hear screeching from another room, "Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers-"

Calamity stood and moved out of the kitchen into the main hall just as Sirius leaped to the last step, angrily muttering to himself. They stared at one another as the portrait of Walburga continued on her tirade.

He rushed towards her and embraced her, pulling her tight. "Bloody hell it's good to see you," he whispered. His breathe tickled her ear and she wrapped her own arms back around him, burying her head into his shoulder and inhaling his scent. "What the hell happened?"

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