A/N: Thank you, my friend, for your lone review, and sorry this took so long. I didn't realise anyone had reviewed, and so I checked for any fics, and found your review. It inspired this, so I thank you for your time :D
Dedicated to NoName
Dust covered bloodlines
The sulphuric wine flashed in its jewel encrusted goblet, as the drinker span it around his palm. Taking a careful sip, he placed a book upon his lap and continued to read the remainder of the passage.
It had taunted him, the idea that prized bloodlines may be inches from his grasp, yet destroying themselves before his own eyes. This book could hold the key, logs of the births, deaths and marriages of the Wizarding community in the 17th century. Yet so many records had shone that promise and proved to be folly. It was like tracing a salt stream through a river of mountain spring, yet irony was hidden in this analogy. It was the pure ones from within the pit of tarnish that his heart desired.
He turned the page, sighing as dust was blown over his knees and chest, and impatiently flapped it away. It was becoming tiresome, searching through dust-mited wads of bundled papers. Soon his patience would expire, and with it any mercy for the offspring of the bloodlines he so passionately traced. Once he discovered their whereabouts, they would be undoubtedly destroyed, unless alliances could be made…
A knock at the chamber door signalled it was time, and he slid the book over to his desk. Downing the goblet's garnet wine, he slammed it next to the tattered records, and left the room with a flick of a cloak.
Torches placed sparingly along the passageway walls gave dim flickers of a howling doom-filled wind as he made his way towards the hall. His own door had swung shut behind him, but still he sent a tendril of power over his shoulder, checking the charms embedded in the woodwork and stone of his chambers had sprung up directly after his leave.
A servant elf half opened a door beside him, when it picked up his trace, and slammed the door again immediately with a squeak. Smiling a harsh smile to himself, he brushed his hand upon the passing door frame, and let go. Smoke erupted from the gaps under the door, as the entire room went up in instantaneous flames. There was a screech, and silence. He made a note to tell household another elf would be needed.
He reached the end of the passage, now facing a blank wall. He calmly raised a gloved hand, and pressed the wand against the bricks. At once stones slid away with a dull groan, as the room they revealed fell silent. A mass of black stood before a podium and throne. They were all kneeled in respect, a mass of masked and cloaked anonymities, all terrified of the power the figure radiated as he passed around towards the podium.
Opening his mouth to speak, he saw sweat beads fall from eye slits. Eyes that would have been turned facing the floor had the sight in front not be so addictive and pulsing with raw energy gazing up in fear and impression. It would be easy to convince them all of a sucess.
"This summoning tonight may seem unorthodox. I expect it of you all to take it in your stride. A new goal has been set upon our goal, and I also expect complete submission, and for you all to accept once I reveal my plans to you all.
"This goal all strive for has a new twist. The four ancient bloodlines once lost to the pitfalls of the Wizarding worlds have now emerged, clean safe and pure, each with a direct descendant that has no idea of their ancestry. We are fortunate in that no other has noticed the lines, and so you should act quickly to retrieve what is needed. I expect and command total secrecy; no lower rank members will be notified of this, until I decide otherwise. You all know the ones of which I speak. I will be notified immediately of any success or failure which may occur, and my anger will be immeasurable should any of you fail me again.
"You have seven days."
It's very short I know, but I wanted this bit to be the main focus of the chapter, and following it on with other bits would have spoiled the atmosphere created… I think…
Please review, and tell me what you think
xxx