AN: Happy holidays to everyone
evymel: Extrasensory abilities have always been a staple of fiction, but of all things, I was kind of inspired by Tanjiro's smelling ability in Demon Slayer
Chapter 47 - Missing Goods
News of the mass breakout had spread through Hogwarts like wildfire. It had become the topic of many conversations from students to the teachers, Harry was not surprised when Umbridge chose to clamp down even harder on the flow of information in Hogwarts. Another Educational Decree had been passed and Harry had heard Hermione angrily muttering about the situation becoming more "Orwellian".
However, he had personally found the biggest shift in the atmosphere when it came to the DA meetings. Several more students had joined since news of the breakout and everyone in the group had become much more determined. Harry found himself impressed as he watched every member giving their all in learning new spells, going through the drills with unyielding rigour. The most prominent was Neville, it seemed as though someone had lit a fire inside him. Harry had been shocked at the sudden progress Neville was making through sheer determination. In fact, he had been the first to get a hold of the Reductor Curse when Harry taught it to the DA, vaporising a target dummy with the spell on his twentieth attempt.
"Alright, so… Patronus Charms," Harry told everyone. "Let's get right into it."
His declaration was met with fervent cheers, they had all been looking forward to learning that spell. Harry had initially planned to keep the lesson on Patronus Charms until after the Christmas break, but the members of DA had been progressing more rapidly than he expected ever since the mass breakout in Azkaban.
"The Patronus Charm conjures a Patronus, which is essentially a form of positive force, the very same that Dementors feed off from us," Harry began explaining, bringing forth the lessons he had with Professor Lupin. "In its most basic form, it acts as a buffer between you and the Dementor. When mastered, the positive force can drive a Dementor away."
"So the incantation for the Patronus Charm is Expecto Patronum," Harry cringed slightly, this was always the part that made him feel like a prat. " We'll practice this until everyone gets it right. Repeat after me, Expecto Patronum."
He swore Fred and George were stifling their snickers.
Harry finished his explanation of the charm and soon enough, cries of 'Expecto Patronum' filled the air. He walked around the room, checking on the various members as they practiced.
"Doing good?" Harry asked, checking on Anya.
He was glad she had decided to attend. After the uncomfortable memories of many nights ago, it seemed better to see his sister as the normal - albeit slightly enigmatic - student she now appeared. It was easier to forget the truth of Anne when she was in her Hogwarts robes, responding to his question with an unadulterated look of annoyance.
"This is more difficult than I thought," Anya muttered, watching the wisps of silver waver in the air.
"You look like you're concentrating too much on the spell, too much on conjuring a Patronus" Harry observed. "You need to be concentrating on the memory."
"Apologies for sticking to the principles of spell casting," Anya replied wryly.
The genuine expression she wore on her face, with a slight quirk in her lips, was more than enough to make Harry chuckle.
"Yeah, the spell is quite esoteric," Harry shrugged. "Just pick a really good, strong, happy memory."
A part of him stalled, remembering that night and who her sister was. A part of him now wondered if Anne had any good memories to spare.
"Got it," said Anya. "Now go babysit the others, Professor Potter."
Harry nodded dumbly, still unable to grasp how Anne had seemed to already shed away the burden of that night. More importantly, did she even feel any burden? Leaving his sister, he went to the other members, correcting any mistakes he spotted and providing them motivation. Soon, the lesson came to an end and Harry gave his final message before dismissing them.
"Good job everyone," Harry said aloud. "This is the last meeting before Christmas break, so once we all come back from the holidays, we'll get right back to it. In the meantime, homework."
He grinned widely as groans broke out across the room.
"Relax, I'm just pulling your legs," Harry held his hands up in mock surrender. "But seriously, spend some part of the break going through your memories. Figure out which one is the one for the Patronus Charm, it'll help a lot once we get back."
"We've got it, Professor Potter," Fred yelled from the sides. "You bet I'll be putting more effort into this than Professor McGonagall's essay."
Laughter broke out as the other students left, giving festive farewells as they left the room. Once again, the room was empty save himself and Anya.
"Do you have any plans for the Christmas break?" Harry asked casually.
Anya replied with a noncommittal shrug, making her way to the exit. Harry followed her walking side by side. They left the Room of Requirement and walked down the hallways of Hogwarts.
"It's a time for family," Harry mentioned tentatively.
"Well, what's your plans for the Christmas break?" Anya reflected the question.
"I'll probably be spending it with the Weasleys," Harry shrugged.
"Thought you spent the later parts of the summer with our godfather," Anya remarked.
"Ron's mom invited me over to their place," Harry answered. "Well, I wish Sirius could come as well, but…"
"The inconveniences of being a fugitive."
"That's one way to put it," Harry grimaced before breaking a grin. "If you want, I could ask Mrs Weasley to invite you over as well."
"Harry-"
"Yeah, that's a stupied idea. I've still got the phone you gave me," Harry chuckled. "Give me a call and we can spend the afternoon exploring the British countryside, Merlin knows you'd rather do that."
Anya stared at him for a few seconds before snorting in amusement.
"Yeah, I'd rather do that," said Anya.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The slow, rhythmic clapping caused Harry to jump, drawing out his wand on instinct. He aimed at the source of the disturbance and found himself aiming his wand at Astoria Greengrass. Beside him, he noticed Anya nodding in greeting, unperturbed by the girl.
"A sibling moment," Astoria grinned. "How sweet, I almost didn't think it was true."
"Stop making things awkward," Anya rolled her eyes. "I already confirmed your questions weeks ago. What are you doing?"
Astoria was leaning against one of the many suits of armour in Hogwarts, dressed in what Harry could only assume to be duelling robes, albeit a heavily altered one. She was twirling her wand in her fingers with a smile Harry had seen far too many times on her face for his liking.
"And why are you dressed like that?" Anya asked judgmentally, ponting at the duelling robes.
"Shut up, I was doing some practicing before I came" Astoria snapped, a pout on her face. "It sets me in the right mindset. I thought I'd do a favour and deliver a message."
"And this couldn't wait because?"
"I thought it'd be kind of me to give Potter a message as well," Astoria shrugged. "So I might as well save the time and do both at the same time."
"How did you know we'd be here?" Harry asked suspiciously.
"Easy, this is a relatively deserted path and equally convenient for both a Gryffindor and a Slytherin coming from the upper floors of the castle and going to their common rooms."
Harry suppressed the shock on his face. Astoria had predicted him and Anne's movement from just a handful of facts, making the feat sound like a simple task.
"How did you know we'd come from the upper floors?" Harry's suspicion deepened.
"It's part of my message," Astoria replied matter-of-factly. "First off, Potter, you're not as sneaky as you'd imagine yourself to be."
"What?" Harry responded in confusion.
"Professor Umbridge knows that you and many other students are in some kind of group, which is against one of the Educational Decrees, mind you" said Astoria. "She's had Slytherin prefects patrolling the upper floors even before curfews starts and if it weren't for some Confundus Charms on my part five minutes ago, several unsuspecting Hufflepuffs would have run into them."
Harry stared in surprise. Umbridge had been suspicious the whole time? It did explain why there had been that Educational Decree right after the first ever meeting in Hog's Head.
"Why do you know this?"
"Because I am a resourceful individual and Professor Umbridge is not as savvy as she imagines she is," Astoria smiled brightly, taking Harry's question as a form of compliment. "So Potter… do better at not getting caught. As for you, Anya… well, you can look after yourself better than any of us but just know that the ship you're on is sailing towards rough waters."
"Duly noted," Anya grinned. "I've seen the captain and already saved a lifeboat for myself."
Harry between the two girls, seeing the amusement in both their eyes. He found himself beset on both sides by a cruel sense of humour.
"Your lack of faith is harsh," Harry scowled at Anya, though the gesture held more amusement than heat.
"Well, since my job here is complete," Astoria declared cheerfully. "I guess it's time for me to leave."
"Wait," Harry called out and Astoria paused in her steps. "Why help me?"
"Well… you're the brother of my friend over there, so really, I'm helping her," Astoria pointed at Anya. "Also, I can't say I agree with Professor Umbridge's… crackdown, not after news of that Azkaban breakout."
Though Astoria never let anything slip from her cheery face, Harry could guess that she had been worried about the Azkaban breakout. From the chats he had heard from other students, Harry could infer that the deeds of the escaped Death Eaters had been passed on as horror stories to the young wizards and witches of his generation. Combined with Astoria helping him, he was reminded that not all Slytherins were embedded with the Death Eaters and Voldemort's cause, Anne was a Slytherin and that did little to stop her from putting a bullet in Voldemort's head.
"Thanks Greengrass," Harry nodded gratefully, before an idea hit him. The Sorting Hat had called for inter-house unity. "Actually, would you want to join us? We've been learning actual Defence Against the Dark Arts, not that bull Umbridge gives us."
"And who has been teaching?"
"Me."
Astoria stared at him for a full second before bursting out in laughter. Beside him, Harry was acutely aware of Anya holding her hand over her mouth as her eyes wrinkled in concealed snickers.
"Alright, I'm sorry," Astoria gasped, holding a hand up in surrender as she wiped a stray tear with her other hand. "That was exceptionally rude and I'll have to turn that offer down."
"Why not? Voldemort's back," Harry bristled, insulted by Astoria's laughter. "The Azkaban breakout, if anything, shows that he's back and gathering his force."
"Voldemort's back, huh?" Astoria tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I'll still have to wait for that hard evidence, Potter. Until then, I guess."
Astoria waved goodbye before twirling her wand around herself and disappearing. Harry was surprised that a third-year could pull off something as complex as the Disillusionment Charm, it was a spell Professor Flitwick had yet to teach the fifth-years.
"Show off," Anya muttered, a grin on her face.
"Didn't you tell her what happened at the graveyard?" Harry turned to Anya.
Anya gave him the perfect expression of ignorance he had seen too many times. Harry rolled his eyes, knowing his sister well enough that he had reached a dead end. Instead, he chose to think about Astoria's warning, Umbridge was suspicious, only growing more so with each passing day. Harry sighed, there was not much he could do other than to warn the other members of the DA. As long as everyone was cautious and kept their secrets, it was safe.
Maybe he ought to learn the Disillusionment Charm and teach it to the DA, it would reduce the risk of being caught by the Slytherin prefects under Umbridge, there was only one Marauders Map and invisibility cloak to go around after all. Suddenly, he was hit with a realisation, Astoria could perform the Disillusionment Charm. So could Anne.
"Anne?"
"Yes?"
"Did you teach Greengrass the Disillusionment Charm?"
"She asked me to," Anya shrugged.
"Huh," Harry grunted thoughtfully, now slightly envious of the younger Greengrass.
"Well… I wouldn't mind if you asked," Anya glanced away.
Harry smiled brightly, maybe there was no reason to be envious.
"How about now?"
"Isn't curfew in half an hour?"
"When have either of us cared?"
"Point. Let's go then."
XXXXX
"Watch your left."
Lev heard the crisp order his partner barked out. He reacted immediately and stepped hard on the brake pedal, the car slowed down with a loud screech as he stuck his head out of the window.
"Va te faire foutre!" he hollered.
A distant reply was heard from the offending driver but Lev ignored it, grumbling under his breath as he resumed his driving.
"You know, I absolutely hate hopping borders on a short notice," Lev muttered, switching back to his native Russian. "Everyone is on high alert after Edinburgh."
"Yes, so be grateful we actually left Britain undetected," his partner, Pavel, grunted in reply, not taking his eyes off the road. "Take note, we're approaching the Swiss border in ten minutes."
"Got it," Lev nodded, flicking one of the switches on the dashboard of the car. "You'd think the cripple would notice our absence."
"Sergei? That man oozes pragmatism," Pavel replied. "And a part of being pragmatic is understanding that a third of the personnel in the Auror Corps work for some other party. Take the right here."
"I don't think he'd be fine with you being absent in one of the joint missions with the British," Lev commented, turning the car as instructed, leaving the village for open fields and wooded hills. "You were supposed to be in one at… two hours ago?"
"Yeah, I know the two British Aurors I'm supposed to meet," said Pavel blandly. "Asshole number one and asshole number two, both had bent their asses over for Leo and they both know I'm working for Leo."
"Pavel, we are not supposed to call our assets assholes," Lev laughed. "But still, that's good. I just plan on saying I called in sick."
Lev took another turn and the roads grew more narrow and windy, they were soon flanked by trees as they approached ever closer to the unwatched border. Soon enough, the sight of a bridge across the Doubs appeared around the corner. The car made steady progress past the bridge, the river separating France and Switzerland flowing beneath.
They braced instinctively as they felt the slight pressure of crossing a National Ward Grid. However, the sensation was easily shrugged off as they had been crossing the weaker wards of the nation, the pressure would be stronger as they entered the older cantons of Switzerland. As they approached the border crossing station, a uniformed man signalled them to stop and pull over. Lev frowned at the sight, leaning back against his seat.
"I thought they hardly man these stations," said Lev.
"It's not an issue," Pavel drew his wand. "Confundo. Carry on."
"It's going to be a long drive."
Magical transportation in Switzerland was heavily restricted by the centuries old National Ward Grid first laid down by the Old Swiss Confederacy. Only Swiss Aurors and Hit Wizards could apparate unimpeded, unauthorised wizards - which included the civilian population - would find Apparition near impossible. It was meant as a defensive measure, to hamper foreign threats by restricting magical transportation to just the Swiss Aurors and Hit Wizards, leaving hostile wizards to brave the Alps like any Muggle would.
For Lev and Pavel, it meant a long drive to their destination. They were not keen on catching the attention of the Swiss Aurors, not until they had secured their objective. Entering the canton of Bern was more difficult, the older Ward Grid being more potent. By the time they reached the borders of the canton of Uri, one of the founding cantons of the Swiss Confederation, they had to disembark from their car, ensuring that they could secure a stable opening in the wards before continuing their drive.
"Here we are, Göschenen," Lev declared after a lengthy journey.
They found a secluded corner of the village to park their car. As they stepped out of the car, Pavel cast a Notice-Me-Not Charm on the vehicle. Lev headed to the boot of the car, unlocking and opening the lid. In the boot was a lead strongbox, containing the equipment they had brought for this expedition. He unlocked the strongbox and took out the equipment. Mountaineering gear, standard Spook garb and satchels of ward breaking devices ranging from rune-altered explosives to highly-charged runestones.
Lev and Pavel donned their equipment, pulling out their rifles from the strongbox. Lev passed his partner the Dragunov rifle while taking the AK-74 for himself, performing the standard inspection of his weapons. It was an unusual choice to bring the AK-74, most Spooks favoured the older Kalashnikov models such as the AK-47 and AKM for their larger cartridges. The larger cartridges allowed more runes to be carved on the bullets and thus offered better penetration, something which was vital considering the armour Spooks wore. However, they were not going against Spooks here in Switzerland, so Lev opted for the lighter option.
"Are you ready?" Pavel asked.
Lev grinned and gave a thumbs up and they both left the village, heading for the surrounding woods. Their target was a magical location and having a car anywhere near would have raised alarms, so much like the enemy wizards of old, they were forced to go on foot. Several miles stood between them and their destination as they hiked the distance. For seasoned Spooks, it was a small feat.
Eventually, forests gave way to the Alpine mountain sides. Lev and Pavel scaled the steep slopes, moving on a path faraway from Muggle eyes. Initially, they had relied heavily on magic, using spells to cover heights and slopes impossible for Muggles to replicate. As they edged closer to their target, concealment became more important and the amount of magical signatures emitted had to be reduced to a minimum. Towards the final stretch, Lev and Pavel were relying on the crampons and ice axes they had brought along.
"Chieftain to all Nomads. Report."
The voice crackled in their radio headsets in English, the lingua franca of Spooks. Still, the voice had a slight Russian accent.
"Just in time too," Lev laughed, pulling Pavel from the slope he was climbing. "I thought we might be late."
A tower stood in the distance, a structure invisible to the Muggles. It was four-storeys tall and made of black stone. It was the entrance to a larger compound within the mountain.
"Nomad One, in position."
"Nomad Two, in position."
"Nomad Three," Lev spoke on the radio, switching from his native to Russian to perfect English. "In position."
"Nomad Four, in position."
"Chieftain to all Nomads, commence stage one."
"Just four teams," Lev muttered. "Mind you, the two of us don't even make up a team."
"Yes, and I suspect most of us came from Britain," said Pavel. "I heard it's difficult for our operatives to cross borders in Russia and Central Asia. Grey has been watching the borders closely ever since we slipped out the SAS, so Leo pulled those of us from Britain here. I guess we are the only ones to spare."
"Can't fault him," Lev nodded in understanding. "We're planning on laying low in Britain after what we did in Edinburgh and slipping through Greyhound's watch is much easier than Grey."
"Come on," Pavel took out a mask hanging on his belt. "Enough talking, we should move."
Lev did the same, grabbing his mask. It was made of laminated kevlar and dragonhide, a black mask devoid of design and markings save from the large slash on the cheek.
"When did you get cursed in the face?" Pavel asked.
"Edinburgh," Lev grinned, placing on his mask. "Courtesy of Nathaniel the Greyhound himself. I'll get it replaced when I'm free, if the slash didn't damage the structural integrity of the mask, I would've kept it for the unique look."
They began their approach, closing the distance between them and the black tower. Concealment spells slowly smothered their presence as they edged nearer to the cast-iron gates of the tower. Two wizards guarded the gates, their postures relaxed. The dragonhide combat robes were easily recognisable, as were several stone tags hanging from their belt, runes carved on the tags. It would take powerful curses to eliminate the guards.
"Contact at the entrance, two guards," a voice crackled into the radio. "We've isolated them, the wards aren't watching them anymore. Nomad Four, you're clear for fire."
A disturbance filled the air as the two guards were slammed by an invisible force. Their bodies vanished under a Disillusionment Charm before they even hit the floor, the ground beneath remaining undisturbed as if no one had ever stood there.
"Target's cleaned. Nomad Three, clear wards."
Lev and Pavel approached the gates of the tower, taking out various blocks of runestones and setting them against the gate. Their wands were drawn as they channelled their spells, opening a hole in the wards.
"Wards opened," said Lev. "Standby entry."
Two figures in Spook gear materialised from thin air, Kalashnikovs in hand. Nods were exchanged in greeting as they flushed against the wall. Lev placed a hand on the gates and pushed gently, the gates opening silently. He squinted at the crack and deemed the entrance safe.
"Go."
They seeped into the opening they had created, entering the tower and fanning out in all directions. A witch sat at the end of a marble table, likely a receptionist. Her face paled to a bone white as she looked up. Lev reacted swiftly, his hand leaving the grip of his Kalashnikov in favour of his wand. The Silencing Charm and Incarcerous Spell hit the witch before she could properly react.
"Room's clear," one of the Spooks declared. "Nomad Three, crack that witch for information, we'll head down into vaults. Remember, their guard cycle is two hours, we're on limited time."
Pavel moved towards the bound witch who was shaking with tears, a jab of his wand and the man dug deep into the mind of the witch.
XXXXX
"As I have repeated, I want to inspect the… incident myself."
"Please, Mister Malfoy, there simply isn't any need," Alois Snyde simpered. "It is as you have just said, an accident. The loss of the shipment meant for you can easily be replaced. Rest assured, we-"
"I said incident, Snyde, and you are missing the point," Lucius Malfoy sneered. "It is not the loss of the shipment which I have paid thousands of galleons for that bothers me. It is the fact that someone saw fit to trespass on private property to perform such an act of sabotage against me."
"Please, it is just… you mustn't worry, Mister Malfoy," Snyde repeated, struggling to keep up with the long strides of the ashen-haired man. "It is highly unlikely it was a sabotage against you specially, the entire warehouse was burnt down. Merchandise meant for other customers so suffered the same loss."
"A simple way to cover one's tracks," Lucius brushed off the weak excuse. "Ah… I see you've arrived early, Yusupov. Shall we?"
The grim Russian standing at the Apparition point of the Ministry of Magic gave Lucius a sharp nod.
"Yu-Yusupov? Who is he?" Snyde looked between the two men.
"He is a business friend of mine," Lucius answered coldly. "The man who, at my request and introduction, offered several of his skilled wizards to guard the warehouse we are discussing. Naturally, he is also curious regarding why some of his men disappeared without a trace."
"H-him? Oh, of course! My most sincere apologies," Snyde stammered. "Rest assured sir, I will have all this sorted out."
"We are not here for apologies, but explanations," Lucius stated. "And we will be the ones who will have all this sorted out. Yusupov?"
Lucius extended a hand and both men disappeared with the crack of a Side-Along Apparition, leaving Snyde gaping at the empty space where they had occupied seconds ago. The two men reappeared in front of a warehouse compound, entering as the Russian wizards stationed to watch the entrance nodded in greeting. Several of the buildings within the compound were in ruins, most of the walls and roofs have collapsed, leaving behind charred foundations.
"Nothing was recoverable?" Yusupov asked.
"None, even the dragonhide gear," Lucius shook his head. "No normal fire destroys dragonhide."
"No, they don't," Yusupov agreed. "Do you have any suspects on your end?"
"The Order of the Phoenix has stood against my lord since the beginning," said Lucius. "But I do not believe they would be bold enough to be this… ruthless."
"That would mean one of the organisations against the Prince's cause," Yusupov growled.
"They would be ruthless enough to strike this hard?"
"Vicious enemies," said Yusupov. "You must have heard of the numerous criminals, warlords and mercenaries in Central Asia. They are cut from the same cloth, frequently consorting with Muggles and stooping so low as to use Muggle weapons. It is rumoured they were the main reasons many of us Russian nobles died, giving up power to mudbloods."
The use of Muggle weapons, Lucius could remember the issue springing up when he had been a child, hearing his father Abraxas talk about it. Numerous criminals had begun using them in Central Asia during the 60s and its use had spread to certain parts of the Wizarding World, the ICW response was a blanket ban on possessing and using them. However Lucius felt it was a joke, he remembered seeing those petty Muggle Aurors wielding their weapons against him during the first war, all it took was a Summoning Charm or a Shield Charm to render the Muggle filth helpless. He could see how it would fit the wizards in other countries, having magic so weak they had to resort to Muggle weapons.
"Certainly a possibility," Lucius remarked. "If it were them, what would be the reason? How would they have found this warehouse?"
"They prefer espionage," said Yusupov. "But it is in their nature to hinder us nobles, it was possibly a hit-and-run. As for the equipment destroyed-"
"Snyde said he would replace them," Lucius shook his head. "There would be no need to send more galleons, my lord has said that your aid to our cause is sufficient enough and your generosity would be repaid in due future."
"Understood," Yusupov nodded. "I will relay this to Prince Bagrationi."
XXXXX
As Lev and Pavel descended deeper into the building, the few offices gave way to a massive underground complex within the mountain. They rushed along the wide hallways, vault doors made of enchanted crystal lined the walls, holding valuables within. One of the deepest vaults within was their target.
Reaching the bottom-most floor, they spread out. The other team of Spooks secured the area as they set to work. A door of crystal stood before them, various runes and sigils carved on the surface, some of which were beyond the recognition of Lev and Pavel. The door was protected by old magic, beyond their knowledge. However, they had been briefed while they were still in France and they came prepared.
"What are the odds of us pulling this off?" Lev asked, taking a large roll of parchment from his backpack and spreading it out on the floor. A vast layout of a runic script was drawn on the parchment, with various instructions written on the side.
"If we follow what is written, it'll work," Pavel replied grimmly, scanning the blueprint Lev had brought as he took out various runestones. "We take it slow and careful, no point rushing if we screw up. The time before the next guard rotation is good for one solid attempt, not multiple failures."
They worked like clockwork, setting down runestones and weaving the magic in the air with their wands. Occasionally, they would even carve fresh runes on the floor of the hallway. Lev looked at his watch as they finished their handiwork. Fifteen minutes left.
"Alright, I'd say this is good," Lev muttered, controlling his breathing as he worked, even someone like him was beginning to feel the pressure of time. "Next part."
Pavel nodded, emptying the various blocks of explosives they had brought along. They placed some of the explosives around the runes they had carved on the floor of the hallway, which would deny the Swiss DMLE information regarding the runes they used. Most of the explosives went on the crystal vault door, attached via duct tape.
"Explosives set," Lev declared, connecting everything to two separate detonators, one for the door and one for the runes. "Runes set. Alright, everyone stand by for null magic! All spells and magical equipment useless for the next thirty seconds within the ten metre radius of the epicentre."
A ten metre radius was a small area and thirty seconds a short time, but null magic was notoriously difficult to even set up. It was a paradox and a violation of many laws of magic, magic which nullifies magic, which meant that with every moment it was active, magic itself would strive to revert null magic back within the laws of reality. However a ten metre radius included the crystal door and thirty seconds was more than Lev needed.
As Lev began counting down, Pavel backed away and the other Spooks promptly stowed their wands in favour of their rifles as a precaution despite their distance from the epicentre.
"Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Activating."
Lev watched in relief as the potent glow of runes on the crystal door disappeared.
"Take cover. Detonating charges."
With null magic seeping the surrounding, the crystal door protecting the vault was just that, a door made of crystal. Being completely brittle without its enchantments, it failed to withstand the detonation of multiple shaped charges. The door shattered into fragments and Lev entered the vault, it was empty except for a small wooden box. Lev opened the box and checked its contents before storing it in his backpack.
"You've got it?" Pavel asked.
"One of Nicolas Flamel's legacies," Lev grinned, patting his backpack. "Successfully acquired."
"Good, now let's leave."
They made their way to the stairs, jogging back up to the surface. Shouts could be heard echoing through the building and within minutes the wail of an Intruder Charm filled the air. They paid no heed to the blaring sounds, moving under the shroud of their concealment spells. Bursting out from the tower, they split up, each team heading in different directions as they traversed the mountainside.
"I wonder why Flamel left this there instead of Gringotts," Pavel murmured, looking at the contents of the wooden box. They had evaded the Swiss Hit Wizards which had been scouring the area, the Hit Wizards never bothered paying attention to the car driving down the highway.
"I heard that was an incident a few years back," Lev replied. "His Gringotts vault in the London branch got compromised. Switched to Wizarding Swiss banks ever since. Not like it mattered, he passed away a year later if I'm not mistaken."
"Strange that he would stop using the Philosopher's Stone to make more," said Pavel curiously. "Wonder what made him choose to embrace death."
"I'm not a philosopher, so I wouldn't know," Lev shrugged with disinterest, turning the car around a bend on the mountainside roads. "What's important is that we got what Leo ordered us to do."
"The Elixir of Life," Pavel took out one of the several blood-red vials from the box. "Then again, the number of vials inside would only extend one's life for about ten years."
"Well, Leo's not looking to use it to extend any lives, even Flamel left it behind for someone to research it," Lev chuckles. "He's going to use it as a bargaining tool in the next Market."