The Search Is over,
Chapter 105, Treasure Hunt
The next evening when Regulus woke, Kreacher stood eagerly at the side of his coffin with a letter in his hand.
"Someone answered Master Regulus's advert," he said excitedly.
"She is a Necromancer from Germany named Ariana Schwarz."
Regulus's lips twitched in a small amount of amused satisfaction.
"As Schwarz means black, it seems suitable for a Necromancer. Also one must wonder if we're somehow related though it is doubtful. Then again with wizarding kind, maybe not."
He chuckled as he sat up to pluck the letter from Kreacher's hand.
"With wizarding kind, it seems at times we're all a bit related. I wonder if it's the same with elves," he mused and Kreacher shrugged.
"Kreacher does not know."
The parchment on which the letter was neatly penned was thick, crisp and expensive looking, Regulus noted.
He read it silently, aware that Kreacher would've already done so before he presented it to Regulus.
Dear Mr. Black,
I am a skilled Necromancer and if your parents have not gone on into their next life or incarnation as it were, I believe I can help you. I am currently in Germany but plan to come to England soon as I am seeking family there. I will of course accept the generous payment of gold that you offered in your advertisement, but if you would be willing to help me to locate my family instead, I would gladly trade. My father is a wizard who, last my mother knew, lived in Scotland, so perhaps you know him. I shall be arriving in London in two days. If you are interested in meeting with me, I shall be at King's cross train station at a little before midnight in two days and I would appreciate it if you could meet me there.
Sincerely,
Ariana Schwarz
"Interesting," Regulus said, folding the parchment and rising from his coffin.
"Kreacher assumes we shall meet her at King's Cross," he asked and Regulus nodded.
"Seems worth a go."
Kreacher nodded back in agreement.
"I wonder if we'll know who her father is."
Kreacher shrugged thoughtfully.
"If not we can likely find out soon enough by asking around."
The next day, Kereston came home with what looked like a large carrying case for a pet cat. It was full of Nifflers. She had five in all, borrowed from a friend who got them on loan from another friend who worked with Gringotts. Working at the Ministry did give her useful connections, Regulus thought.
"You're keeping them in there until we set them loose in the forest, aren't you," he asked, gaze warily on the case of Nifflers in the small blonde's hand.
"Oh of course," Kereston nodded vigorously.
"I don't want them nabbing everything shiny in this place that isn't nailed down anymore than you do."
Regulus's lips twitched.
"I'd bet on them nabbing anything shiny even if it was nailed down. I shall write everyone directly and let them know that the Nifflers are here. We can meet everyone in the forest, hopefully within the hour."
While he hated leaving the little animals stuck in a small carrier, he wasn't going to let them loose in his home, so the sooner they could release them into the forbidden forest, the better for everyone.
While they waited, Kreacher and Kereston had dinner. As they ate, Regulus busied himself with placing retrieval charms on five galleons. Once in the forest, he would give each to one of the five Nifflers. When they wanted to retrieve the nifflers, he only had to work the charm on the galleons.
When the coins returned, so would the animals in whose pouches they nestled. Normally it wouldn't work that way, but Regulus planned to place a linking charm on each Niffler, connecting it to the galleon he'd gifted it. When the task was over, he would remove the charms and allow the little animals to keep the galleons for all the trouble. If they were doing a job, which they were, he felt it only fair they were paid for it.
When Kreacher and Kereston finished eating, the three of them apparated to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Kereston had the case of Nifflers in one hand and Regulus brought Mortis along on his shoulder. Kereston placed the case of nifflers down at her feet as they stood waiting for the others. Regulus knelt beside it and carefully opened the door, placing a blocking charm on the cage to keep the little creatures from escaping. Of course they tried, but when any of them dove for the door, Regulus's charm gently repelled them and they would bounce back. They made a go of it more than once, their growing frustration obvious as they crowded together at the cage door. The sight of the coins Regulus produced did not help matters, nearly sending them into a frenzy!
"It's alright," Regulus murmured. He handed a coin to each Niffler. This was the easiest bit, as any Niffler was eager to accept a coin or anything else shiny, and these were no different. In a matter of seconds, all five Nifflers were equipped with Regulus's tracking coins.
Before long everyone else began showing up. First Albus and his phoenix, then Severus and Mag. The large white owl on Severus's shoulder looked as grumpy as the man himself as they both glared around. The Lestranges were next, then the WestCravens, Wolfgang and Millicent and at last Blaise and Gellert.
"What took you prats so long," Millicent asked, glowering.
Gellert flipped his blonde hair at her and gave a shameless grin.
"We happened to have been shagging. Sorry we can't manage that in five minutes the way you trolls probably do."
"We really did not need to know that," Kereston groaned.
"And I am not a troll," Millicent snapped mutinously.
"You, however, are a girl so..."
"Did we come here to waste an evening? Because if so I have other plans." Severus's ringing tones sliced through the bickering like a sharp blade through butter.
"Thank you, Severus," Albus said quietly.
Regulus couldn't help seeing the thought in Dumbledore's head as it was so glaring, that he honestly didn't see why Grindelwald and Zabini were even necessary to this situation. His dislike for Grindelwald, or rather disapproval, was more than evident and not truly surprising as the two were so vastly different.
"Shall we release the Nifflers now that the birds are here to track them from above," Regulus asked and everyone nodded.
As he bent to open the door of the cage, Regulus explained how he'd charmed the coins to use for summoning the Nifflers when they were ready to check to see if any of the little creatures had found the resurrection stone.
"I brought a Niffler whistle that I borrowed from Griphook, but I like your idea even better," Mag told him with a smile.
"Niffler whistle," Kereston asked.
Mag nodded.
"It sounds like chimes and they come running when they hear it. Perhaps they think it's the sound of coins or something," the red head said with a shrug.
"Regulus's way will draw far less attention, though."
As the Nifflers scampered away in different directions, Kreacher happily expounded on how brilliant his dear Master Regulus was. The birds took to the air, making ever widening circles as they tracked the progress of the Nifflers.
Regulus watched the black and scarlet phoenixes along with the white owl growing smaller and smaller as they rose into the sky. Somehow the three colors seemed oddly mystical to him, but he was at times wont to be fanciful. Rabastan gave a short laugh, drawing Regulus's gaze back to earth as it were.
"You know those little buggers are sure to find more shiny shit in that forest other than just the stone, if they even find the stone at all," he drawled.
"So I'm just wondering what they'll find and if any of us will want it. Finders keepers, though, I say."
Bellatrix gave a fox like smile of pure cunning, nodding thoughtfully at her brother-in-law.
"I'm surprised no one has thought to set Nifflers loose in this forest before now. The place is ancient. Who knows what all is out there."
"Perhaps even something from the time of the founders for all we know," Blaise murmured, ice blue eyes suddenly shining with an eager light.
"That would at least make the trip worth it," Gellert said.
"You know there was truly no need for you to be here," Albus said calmly.
"So if you don't wish to be here, we don't at all mind. If something comes up, I'm sure we can make you aware quickly enough."
"I think I'd enjoy seeing how this unfolds, though," Gellert replied, giving Dumbledore a smile full of silent laughter.
It suddenly occurred to Regulus that Gellert may be enjoying the witnessing of Albus's error in giving Potter the resurrection stone.
"Also I'm eager to know what else the Nifflers find in this forest," Blaise said.
Albus smiled at Zabini, demeanor relaxing a bit.
"A worthy interest indeed. Somehow I never considered loosing Nifflers here to hunt for dropped treasure. I must admit to being excited at the prospect of what they find."
"So how we gonna divvy it up if they bring back some good shit anyway," Rabastan asked.
"I should think whoever can make better use of any item should have it. If the item matches one of our abilities more and such," Albus said.
"That seems fair to me. If it's something that anyone can use, perhaps we draw lots?"
Kreacher frowned, stepping forward.
"Because Master Regulus is the reason we're even here in the forest searching for the stone, and the use of Nifflers were also his idea, Kreacher believes he should have first choice of the items as long as he can make proper use of them."
Regulus opened his mouth to modestly object, but shut it again at a look from the elf. Kreacher was right, after all.
"That's perfectly fair," Albus said, and Kreacher relaxed, turning to give the former Hogwarts Headmaster a smile.
By this time, the three birds were no longer in sight even to Regulus's vampiric vision.
"So...None of you think those little treasure hunting bastards are going to locate the stone in ten minutes, do you," Rabastan asked.
"Actually we have no way of knowing how long it will take," Albus said.
"It's a completely untried experiment, after all. Nifflers seem to have an inner radar for such things, but this particular forest is so thick with underbrush it should likely present a challenge even to them. So it could indeed be ten minutes, or ten hours or even ten days. We shall just have to continue to use Regulus's retrieval charms to check on their progress, then re-release them into the forest once again if they come up empty...pouched."
"So tonight we're just here to see if they happen to actually locate the stone in ten minutes, and if not, it's a work in progress," Rabastan said, and Albus nodded.
"Also to test how well the birds can scout them out if necessary," Regulus added.
"Exactly," Albus said.
"If it's later rather than sooner, you'll have to be the one checking, Regi, so you'll have to write us all with updates," Bellatrix said, and Regulus nodded.
"Of course."
"Something tells me there are some very sinister things hidden in this forest that aren't made of stone or metal that it's probably a good thing Nifflers can't be finding," Rodolphus said darkly.
"Like bodies," Blaise wondered and Rodolphus nodded.
"Probably some very old ones."
Regulus found himself chuckling.
"Some Necromancers may find that appealing," he said, mind returning to the Necromancer he and Kreacher were to meet at the train station in two days.
Rodolphus nodded.
"I would imagine so."
To pass the time, Regulus told everyone of his idea to contact a Necromancer or Medium to assist him in the attempt to speak to his parents. He explained that he did not wish to try using the resurrection stone, because if it was a Horcrux as he feared it to be, something unpleasant and likely unpredictable may happen as a result.
"A necromancer answered my advert, and she is from Germany. She is coming here in search of her father, and asked us to help in exchange for her services rather than paying her," he concluded.
"So perhaps I'll be dropping his name to you lot for leads if Kreacher and I don't know who he is."
Bellatrix gave a short laugh.
"I swear your life is like a book, Regi. It's like some sort of fucked up Gothic romance, all full of gloom and weirdness."
If she only knew that which Voldemort had forced her to forget, Regulus thought, trying to suppress a shudder and almost succeeding.
"Necromancers most definitely fit into the Gothic novel scene," he replied calmly.
"And Bella, Please don't call me Regi! You know how much I hate it!"