Tempus Magia

Part Four

Chapter 35: Radomir Slytherin

Hermione Granger made a grave error during the final battle that resulted in Remus's death. Working as an unspeakable she spends two years working on a spell using powder from time turners to go back to Remus's greatest hour of need. What if Remus's greatest time of need wasn't in *this* war?

Thank you to my amazing beta, mrsren! Check out my aesthetics on my tumblr or my flickr page! -Chefke

Radomir cautiously followed Saul to his office, Saul's shoes clacking on the dark marble being the only source of noise. The Unknown's footsteps made no noise as they walked on the polished floors of level nine and Saul felt like a lumbering teenager. He tried to muffle the noise, but he ended up almost tripping and colliding with his sparkling teal robed secretary.

After apologizing profusely, he gave Mary a list that he had been compiling during the meeting. It was mostly setting up meetings and checking on files and small things she could do, that he didn't need to. "Oh, and also tea and sandwiches for two. Thank you, Mary."

Mary scrunched her well-manicured eyebrows. "For two? Are you expecting someone, Unspeakable Croaker?"

"Er…" Radomir was no longer in the hallway outside of his office and given his stealth, she probably hadn't seen them walking together. "Yes, I believe they're already in my office. It's a confidential meeting so just levitate the tea in. Unspeakable Scott should be arriving later for a meeting, please see to it I am not disturbed until then. Also, be aware he is most likely to be in a terrible mood."

Mary rolled her eyes, "He's got a temper that one. I'll have your tea sent up shortly."

Saul nodded and went into his office, warding and locking the door behind him to all except for Mary. Radomir had rearranged the furniture into what he recognized as a safer layout. His desk used to face the open door with chairs in front of it. The previous layout would offer him no protection if someone came bursting through the door. Radomir had tilted the room so that his desk was against the corner of the room and he could see through the door before anyone could see in.

The wizard was removing his heavy cloak and settling into the chair in the corner opposite his desk by the door. Saul walked to his desk and sat, waiting for his tea and wishing firewhiskey hadn't been forbidden from the ninth floor for over two centuries. "I like the new layout."

"Your previous layout was a hazard and a deadly one at that," he replied simply. Saul took a moment to look at the younger looking wizard properly. He was dressed in a three-piece suit in varying shades of black. The vest was embroidered in silver runes that popped vibrantly from beneath at least twenty different sized silver chains that hung around his neck. He bore two pins over his breast pocket, one that bore the insignia of the Unknowns and one with the insignia of the Department of Mysteries.

His fingerless leather gloves remained attached to fingers that, when he twitched revealed heavy burns on the underside. He sat in the chair with his back straight and his head held high. There was an elegant grace and finesse about him that had been lost to time and a deeply routed fury in his eyes that Saul recognized instantly.

He could have brought it up, but he had spent his entire life in a relationship with a Slytherin. He knew when to hold his cards close to his chest and when to play the hand. Now was time for an impassive and confused poker face. Auggie called it, the Blonde play. Play dumb, even though you have three different masters.

"Mister Slytherin, while I am honored at the Unknowns presence here in England I confess, I am befuddled."

"How so?" His voice had yet to retain it's a normal speaking pitch but it wasn't as raspy as it was the first time he spoke in the meeting. It was as if he hadn't spoken for a century and was slowly becoming readjusted to speech.

"The Unknowns have been absent for almost a century and then three centuries before that. While I am of course, at your service I wonder as to why you have come now ." Radomir leaned back in the chair. "I mean no disrespect, however, we had a war we almost lost to a dark wizard using dark and unspeakable magic that we did not have access to."

"Tom Riddle," he sighed as if the very name was the source of all of his problems, though Radomir doubted it.

"He is the last of the Slytherin line, is he not?"

Radomir rubbed his twitching hands together tiredly. "Yes, he is now. I had descendants of my own in Burma, but they have died out in the last decade."

"I wasn't aware you had a line."

"I married a muggle in secret when I was in charge of this department. When I left for the Unknowns, I took Ingrid with me. It isn't usually done, but it is allowed. We had four young children then and the move was... difficult on them as it was on their mother. I was with them as much as I could…"

"Until she died?"

"Yes," he said rubbing his chest as if the pain of losing his loved one was still present. Saul thought of losing Auggie and reckoned it probably would be. "Our children remained in Burma, keeping their identity and their family's last name a secret. There are few that suspected as most of my descendants were parseltongues, but they were never sought after or persecuted, a blessing really."

Saul nodded. "You are lucky. Harry Potter was treated poorly by his peers because of his parseltongue gift. Although given the Horcrux living in his forehead was the reason for his gift, I believe it more fitting to call it a curse."

His eyes flickered at the mention of Harry Potter and Saul grabbed at the bait that he was hoping that Radomir would fall for. "You seemed surprised about the Veil."

Radomir tilted his head quizzically. "You could have just asked about the Veil. You need not have," he coughed. "I apologize, English changes so often it is hard to keep up with the linguistics. However, back to the matter at hand, you did not have to bring up Harry Potter. You could have just asked about the Veil."

So he called his bluff. Interesting.

The door slipped open and Mary discreetly levitated the tea set and sandwiches onto his desk without entering the room or disturbing their conversation. Mary was invaluable as a secretary for her ability to be discreet, organized, and the ability to take charge and know what her boss needed. She also didn't let Travis bully her into things which made her a favorite amongst the department directors.

He stirred his tea after the door closed, offering one to Radomir who declined. "Unknowns are not known to be very… forthcoming."

"Not usually no, but when we are attempting to recruit someone we are more forthcoming than most." The teacup dropped with a clatter hot liquid spilling all over the desk and his robes. He ignored the shattered pieces of blue china all over his desk.

"What?" he spluttered.

Radomir flicked his twitching fingers and cleaned up the mess. "The Knights of the Unknown have always had five members. We require a fifth member and as the Head of the Department we all came from you are the ideal candidate."

Saul sat back in his chair silently, trying to digest the information being given to him. Out of over forty years of shock, this was the biggest one. He compartmentalized the information and began to gather questions into topics and subtopics. He decided to start with the most obvious of questions.

"What happened to the fifth member?"

"She needs to be replaced."

"Clearly, or you wouldn't be offering me the position. Is she dead?"

Ah, there was that look again. The look of betrayal that came only from a loved one. "No."

"Does she need to be?" he asked.

Radomir's eyes darkened and he looked down quickly at his twitching fingers. "We do not kill our own members. They die in the field or they subjected to a punishment worse than death for abandonment or betrayal."

"Which was it?" Radomir stared at his fingers in silence for so long that Saul wondered if he heard the question at all. "Radomir, I cannot sign up for something life altering if I am not given all the details and facts for what I am signing up for."

He stood abruptly, his furrowed brow tight with concentration. "The other knights are on their way. Once we are all assembled we can go over the details of what the Knights would mean. Alistair, the first Knight, is in charge of new recruits."

"So, why come to me now? Why not wait until the other knights arrive?"

"We need someone with a strong mind, body, and will. She- your predecessor did not possess all of those qualities. You, however, do." Saul sat silently waiting for Radomir to answer his question. It took several moments but the towering Unknown caved. "I came to you early because I knew of your visit to your… beloved and thought it was something that should be discussed with him. Since he was Death Eater and imprisoned, he will not be allowed to accompany you if you choose to join us."

"This... predecessor fell for the Dark arts and betrayed you to You Know Who didn't she?"

Radomir turned towards the closed door, likely so Saul couldn't see the pain etched into the plains of his face. "No. She fell in love with a Death Eater during the first war. A Pureblood wizard named Lestrange. She betrayed me, all of us, to Voldemort so she could protect him."

Radomir flicked out his wrist and his robe wrapped around his body, obscuring him from view. The door flew open silently, it hadn't done that in over thirty years. "Speak to Augustus, Saul Croaker. Remember we need someone who controls their mind, body, and will, not the other way around. I will be watching the Veil and will approach you again once the others have arrived. Think over your decision carefully, once you are of the Unknowns you cannot turn back even in death."

Saul stood from his chair, "I will. Can I offer you somewhere to stay for the night?"

Radomir laughed, "No, thank you. I have properties that belong to my line. Properties that have been filled with dark magic and need to be purged. I used this reasoning to leave before my brothers and warn you."

"Thank you, Radomir."

Radomir nodded and slipped through the door just as Travis walked up to Mary's desk and asked to speak to him.

"He is just finishing up a meeting, Unspeakable Scott. Please give him several minutes to decompress, then you can see yourself in. I am going home for the day."

Saul leaned back in his chair. Did he have control over his mind, body, and will? Would he sacrifice everything Auggie? He knew he would. He was doing it right now for Hermione. He was violating every single one of his oaths by not only allowing her to travel back in time but cloaking her activities as well.

Merlin, what if she didn't make it back? She was Hermione. She was the smartest witch alive. Hell, she rivaled Albus Dumbledore and she wasn't even twenty-five. His thoughts spiraled, as they did when he was stressed. He rethought his life, the people he met, and the choices he made.

Sometimes he wondered what would have happened if he had never met Auggie. Would he have married someone else? Would he have been alone forever? The wizard from Flourish and Blotts had always fancied him, maybe they would have dated for a bit.

He didn't have long to think about it as Travis came storming into his office. "What the hell, Saul?!"

Saul rubbed his temples. He definitely had a migraine coming on. Opening his drawer, he downed two potions as Travis paced the carpet in front of his desk. "I mean seriously! First, you let some stranger into a meeting and then you just allow him to-"

"Travis?"

"What?" he snapped, pausing his pacing.

"He's the source of code -3104."

Travis froze midstep, his polished shoe frozen a foot off of the carpet. "I thought that was an urban legend?"

"No, and I'm in the middle of a small situation. I need to meet with the Minister and Gawain and then Auggie and…" Saul ran his hands through his hair. "It's been a really long day. I think I'm going to head home and just go to sleep."

"What was your meeting about?"

"Can't tell you even if I wanted to."

"Saul, I looked him up. He's one of Salazar buggering Slytherin's grandchildren. I found a picture. The wizard hasn't aged a day. It's…."

"Unsettling?"

"Unsettling is an understatement. How were you in a meeting with him alone? You should have called Kingsley," Travis crossed his arms and finally put his foot down on the carpet. "In fact, we should-"

Saul rubbed his eyes tiredly and pulled out two pieces of parchment and a quill. He wrote to letters to Gawain and Kingsley about the Unknowns and requested his visit to Auggie be pushed off until the following morning.

Travis waited in silence while he wrote tucking himself into Radomir's tea and biscuits. Saul could see the wizard visibly calm down as he munched noisily. With a wave of his wand, he sent off the two letters knowing that both department directors were likely still in their offices.

"I apologize if it looked like I was undermining your department. I know you're going through a lot with Fauna's termination and Olinda's misplacement of Time Sands," Saul said softly. "Is there anything I can do? Do you want to take a couple of days off? I know you didn't take the weekend."

"No, honestly I can't afford it right now. A new employee would be nice. Fauna did a lot in the department."

"I'll get to work on it. Didn't you have someone retired three years ago? What if they came back temporarily until we found someone new?"

Travis waved his teacup thoughtfully, "That's actually a really good idea."

He nodded just as a letter with the Minister's stamp sailed onto his desk. He tore it up and was relieved at the contents.

Saul,

Go home and rest. Gawain and I will meet with you tomorrow after the tour. Gawain re-arranged your visit for tomorrow evening. Stay vigilant.

Best,

Kingsley

He set the letter aflame and vanished the ashes. Knowing that Travis would likely stay late when he needed to rest as well, he grabbed his cloak and stood. "Travis, how do you feel about accompanying me to the Floo?"

Travis quirked one mischievous eyebrow. "My, my Saul Croaker. I thought you were a taken wizard or is this a secret rendezvous?"

"Just get your bloody cloak, you git." Travis chuckled and summoned his cloak, slipping it on as they walked.

"How was that date you went on last week?" he asked as they walked into the empty lift.

Travis scowled. "She had the personality of Rita Skeeter and the brains of a garden gnome."

"The question is if she looked like Rita. I think I remember you have a fling with her at one point." Travis rubbed his face as if he could rub away the memory of dating the obnoxious reporter.

"Hey, she was good in the sack and a great distraction for a time. Merlin, her voice was so obnoxious. I'm so glad to be rid of her."

"Yeah, I hear she was dating someone in the Animagus Offices. Hermione found out and dropped the bombarda on her illegal animagus status. Rumor is that she was trying to gain access to the confidential animagus registry and add herself to it. The DMLE is working up a case on her, they may ask you to testify."

Travis nodded. "I had a feeling she was. She knew things no one should have known unless they could transfigure themselves into a tiny pin and latch themselves onto people's cloaks."

"Hermione says she's a beetle." The doors opened to the Atrium and the two men waved good night as they departed through their individual Floos.

Saul pushed the worn gold key through the keyhole of his tiny flat. He lived in a wizarding neighborhood, so there was a public Floo in the lobby for all of the residents. In reality, he could afford a nicer place than the cozy one bedroom crammed with parchment and several photos of two smiling Hufflepuffs.

There were no pictures of Auggie anywhere, as he had destroyed all of the pictures of him in a fit of rage after his sentence to Azkaban. It was one of many fits. All of the furniture was new except for the kitchen. Saul's only Patronus memories that weren't destroyed by Auggie's conviction happened in that kitchen.

For a long time, he thought he would never be able to cast a Patronus again. It took a lot of outside help and an obsession with baking his four recipes he knew how to make him calm enough that he was able to recall his life before Auggie. He had been happy once.

Overwhelmed by the day, his memories, and his life, in general, he passed the kitchen shucking his shoes off in the hallway as he walked. The bare walls had once held beautiful landscape art in brilliant hues of pale blues and pinks. They had melted in a fit of rage worthy of a someone who achieved the top marks in Defense in his year.

Collapsing onto his side of the bed, he decided to forgo dinner and a shower. He still slept on the side next to the window, because Auggie liked to sleep facing the door. Even though Auggie had never slept in this specific bed, or snuggled into these sheets, or blanket, he still had a permanent place in their home. The same way he had a permanent place in Saul's heart. No amount of destruction would ever change that, which was why he was determined to move past the war.

Today had emotionally beaten him over the head and left him out to dry. Tamping down the guilt of how worried Auggie probably was and the billions of questions he had about Radomir, he succumbed to his exhaustion.

Radomir Slytherin stood cloaked across from number twelve Grimmauld place. He watched as the auror apparated to the top step and rang the doorbell. The door swung open and a redheaded witch pulled him into her arms. He dipped her playfully and kissed her.

Radomir watched them, guilt filling his entire being. He was responsible for all of the suffering that-

A loud noise coming from a muggle automobile drew him abruptly from his thoughts. He was lingering too long. Swirling, he landed in front of the Gaunt shack. It wasn't always a shack. Raising his arm, he cut his hand allowed his blood to open the secret passage beneath the property. His father loved tunnels and secrecy, it served him well after his death.

Radomir walked down the stairs ignoring the blood propaganda written on the walls. His father was an extremist. An extremist who put a deadly creature in a school filled with children that he had sworn to protect. Radomir felt shame that he did not know about the basilisk's existence. He felt shame about a lot of things.

He reached the bottom step that emptied out into a large oval viewing room. The carpet was a deep green and the walls were so covered with snoozing portraits that the black walls were completely obscured. Of course, they all remained sleeping except for one in the center of the room.

"Hello, son." his father said.

"Hello father," he replied tiredly. He just wanted somewhere to sleep for the night. A place that he had not shared with Sophia and she could not surprise him in.

"Have you finally found something you need from our noble house?"

Radomir rolled his eyes, once again feeling like a chastised child. "The only thing our house is known for is bloodshed and terror, Father. Alas, I am just here for a place to sleep."

His father extended his arms in annoyance, "We are still a powerful house, even if you are one of our last heirs."

Radomir's interest was piqued. "One of?"

Salazar Slytherin waved a lazy arm, "None of your concern."

He folded his arms angrily across his chest. "As a matter of fact, it is. The last heir tried to wipe out most of the population."

"No, he tried to purge the world of blood traitors and mudbloods. A matter that would have been impossible for him, if it hadn't been for your wife . Besides, Delphini is of no concern to you, or anyone else. She is only a tot."

"A tot," Radomir felt the blood drain from his face. "Tom had a child?"

"With the Black witch, yes. The child is still a half-blood but that can be overlooked, I think. She is being raised by a proper Pureblood family."

Radomir struggled with the new information. He needed to tell the knights. If they found out he was keeping more secrets from them…

"Father, I cannot keep this a secret from the Knights. There is already enough mistrust because-"

"You don't need to excuse yourself to me," he interrupted. "You will not find my heir, as her protections were put on by the house of Black. Only one of their house can remove it and Narcissa was bound in silence at the child's birth."

The Veil. Sirius Black.

Radomir bowed before his father, "I am tired and will retire for the night."

His father nodded and watched him descend through a hallway that housed rooms, or barracks. This structure was once built to house armies as they planned to take over the magical world. Like many weapons and dangerous dark magic left to the heir of Slytherin, Voldemort had not been able to access it because of his inferior blood. The basilisk was one of the tamer things left behind. Merope Gaunt had inadvertently protected their race in her folly and obsession with love potions.

He cast charms on his room and lay down on the bed. Here, in the house of Slytherin, he was actually safe. He closed his eyes and let sleep take him hoping that he would be free of the dreams and memories that were a constant companion of him.

Hoping had never done much for him.