Happy Thanksgiving! What a wonderful treat it is that I get to update on a day we celebrate with gratitude. I can easily saw that I'm thankful for all the supportive people out there than Loyally read this and my other story, who helped me grow into the writer that I am today. I wouldn't be here if not for you!
Chapter Twenty Five
The House of Black
Veneficus sighed in annoyance as the Sith Infiltrator touched down back in Blackmoore Manor's underground hanger. Once again, he felt that he could be far more productive off his backwater home world, especially with the announcement of the return to Korriban.
No one was present to welcome him or Anguis as the descended the ramp except for droids, which stood by to unload cargo and inspect the ship for repairs. Veneficus nodded at them, and the scuttled at the ship to begin their duties.
Veneficus sighed again; he had been forced to leave the prototype Fury shuttle behind on Dromund Kaas, as the much larger and older ship lacked a cloaking field. He had spent a great deal of time before departing testing the ship and coasting the orbit of the world, growing more comfortable with the ship and flying in general. He had then, after determining that he greatly enjoyed the feel of the ancient Sith vessel, left instruction with Supreme Prophet Dass'in that the Fury should be set aside in a private hanger for his personal use. The Kel-dor was more than willing, considering it a small price for the bounty of treasures that the three young men had brought from the Temple of Pain.
Veneficus felt instantly the need to expel some pent up energy and frustration, and left Anguis to oversee the droids, which the blond was perfectly willing to do as his intense interest in the technology of the wider galaxy had not as of yet ebbed, and departed for one of the small antechambers with stone blocks for training telekinetic powers.
Flicking his blackthorn wand from its sleeve holster, Veneficus laid into the stone, blasting chip left and right and leaving long jagged cuts in the thick granite block. Thus far Veneficus had been notably favoring developing his connection to the Dark Side, as well as discovering the connection that the Wild Force playing in the grand scheme, and all that mixed with the attacks and mystery the previous year, had led to a serious lack of Veneficus studying the darker aspects of magic.
He currently had merely a handful of dark curses in his arsenal, and the recent encounter with Valik Kodank, as well as the Jedi Knight from two year previous had convinced him that learning more alternative forms of combative magic would be vital for outsmarting and defeating the Jedi.
"Effective my apprentice, if not rather limited…" Millennial said from behind Veneficus, bringing the younger Sith out of his thoughts.
"Yes, but I hope this year to rectify the limitation…" Veneficus replied.
"Perhaps our little stop today will assist you in that endeavor," Millennial said casually, causing Veneficus to look at him in confusion. "Ah," he continued, smiling as Veneficus fell into step behind him, "You naturally haven't heard about Sirius Black…"
Veneficus waited, knowing that his master wouldn't be the one to keep such a secret from him, especially if this was the first he had heard of it. "Sirius Black was the man, supposedly, who betrayed your birth parents to their deaths at the hands of the false Dark Lord and was later caught and imprisoned in Azkaban, and has recently become the inescapable prison's first escapee."
They rounded a corner on their way to the turbolift back the main levels of the manor, passing Anguis, who followed at Millennial's beckoning. "The wizards, in their foolishness and over obsession with your life and 'security', have naturally assumed that the man is after you for revenge, but the man himself is of little importance at the moment,"
They reached the lift, and Millennial directed the conveyance to the highest floor, the garage where the muggle vehicles were kept. Indicated one that was running, Millennial ushered the two Force users inside, followed by himself, and Neophyte Kelrek piloted the craft down the road, in the direction of London.
"What we are concerned with," Millennial continued after they had reached the main roadway, "is that the goblins felt so inclined to announce Sirius Black's potential contestation of the Black vaults to me directly, in place of yourself naturally. But in any regards, the goblin's are trying to find information, and are using the Black holdings as a pseudo threat to gain access to find it. Therefore, we are going to the Black Manor, in London, and taking anything of value."
Millennial's eyes flashed over Anguis, and Veneficus realized that there was more that the Sith Master had in mind, but was keeping from the least informed of their company. Changing the subject as the vehicle trundled down the London streets, Millennial smiled. "I heard from Dass'in that you both were instrumental is bringing many artifacts back to Dromund Kaas,"
"Indeed Master," Veneficus said, playing along instantly, "We recovered many trinkets and relics, but there were a handful of interesting scrolls and manuscripts. Most were left on Dromund Kaas, but we've brought the most interesting back with us for you to peruse."
"Good. Very Good." Millennial said. They sat in silence for a time afterward, something that Veneficus was used to with his master, but it was apparent that Anguis was growing uncomfortable until they pulled onto a street named Grimmauld Place.
Exiting the vehicle, Veneficus looked casually at each of the flat buildings. The buildings marked numbers eleven and thirteen seemed normal enough, lights on inside and people moving past windows here and there, but number twelve was dark and gloomy. The other nonmagical people on the sidewalk seemed to ignore it completely, as if the building was not there.
"I can sense a sort of shield between the two buildings," Millennial said, and Veneficus understood. There was a spell over the entire building, repelling those without magic from paying attention or even seeing the building before him.
"A muggle repelling charm," Anguis said, breaking his awkward silence. The two Sith Lords turned to him, and Veneficus saw Millennial flash a rare smile of approval before returning his attention to the building, "Yes, I can see that it's trying to divert my attention even now, but the, wards I believe the term is, are weakened. Perhaps just enough for one to slip past…"
Suddenly, Millennial stopped speaking and started across the road at a brisk pace, Veneficus following directly behind and Anguis bringing up the rear. The Sith Master reached the edge of the wards, just outside the gate to number twelve, halted for a moment, but before pushing forward with effort into the small unkempt yard.
Once through the wards, Millennial had no more trouble from the magic of the building. The door was locked, but it was clear that the foolish wizards who'd left it so long ago relying primarily upon their magic to keep it safe, as Veneficus had it open within moments.
The door creaked open to reveal a long darkened hallway, with overhanging gas lamps that had long gone dark. Millennial gestured for Veneficus to lead, and the apprentice obeyed, lazily withdrawing his blackthorn wand and illuminating the area around him with a pale glow.
Partway down the narrow corridor the trio passed a magically expanded dining hall, across from a pair of tattered and quite dusty curtains. The eerie silence of the building didn't last, as when Anguis crossed the threshold of the house, the door slammed behind him with a resounding crash, and the curtains flew apart, revealing a life sized portrait of a haggard old woman wearing a black cap and veil. Upon seeing the Force users, the woman began to scream at the top of her lungs.
"Thieves! Filth! Come to plunder the treasures of my forebears! How dare you intrude in the home of the most Noble and Ancient house of Black! You will all… Ah!" the woman's tone changed dramatically, from shrill and angered to surprised and fearful as once she caught sight of her 'intruder's' faces. The burning orange eyes of the Lords of the Sith had quite the ability to silence the weak.
Almost instantly, the woman became far more amenable, almost crooning as she spoke in soft and sickly pleasant tones, "My Lords, I beg your forgiveness for my hasty assumption that ones such as yourselves would be robbers or thieves. Pray tell me what brings such powerful Dark ones to my humble home?"
Veneficus stepped forward, coolly sliding into the smooth speaking laced with the temptation of the Dark Side that had become so natural to him over the last year. Persuasion had become as simple as breathing to him, and this lonely portrait was child's play to manipulate.
"Dear Lady, we are here to protect house Black's interests. One of your descendants has tarnished the family name, becoming imprisoned in Azkaban, and further drags you name through the mud by escaping from the same prison. I have been given trust of the Black vaults in his stead, and we wish to make sure that if the Ministry comes here to search for him, they do not 'acquire' anything that they shouldn't need to know of. I'm certain that you'd understand how it's in all our best interests that certain items remain securely on our side."
Lady Black was practically eating out of Veneficus' hand by the end of his short speech. "Yes, of course, we wouldn't want those muggle loving fools to get a hold of any of the Black heirlooms, and I certainly don't want blasted Sirius to come back and throw them all away to spite me one last time… what a thoughtful and kind young man, so proper and respectable… a pureblood becoming of his station."
She was muttering to herself, glancing over Millennial without so much as a word about him, before her eyes landed on Anguis. "Abraxis?" she asked, puzzled. "No, that cannot be, hes far too old now, last I saw him was years ago… surely you not dear sweet Lucius, here to visit?"
"No Madam, it's been far longer than you realize. I am Draco Malfoy, Lucius' son and Abraxis' grandson." Anguis said quickly, falling back onto his pureblood wizard training with great ease.
The woman cooed, delighted at the news, "Ah, such a handsome boy, you look so much like dear Abraxis, you mother was one of us if I am not mistaken. You have our family to thank for your high cheekbones and slim figure young man, and you would do well to flaunt that relation. We Blacks are a proud family, with a long and mighty generation… but, dear me I get so off track these days. You all are probably in a hurry to get those priceless heirlooms back into the vaults for safety. KREACHER!"
With a sharp crack, an old and worn down house elf appeared, bowing low to the portrait and murmuring to itself more than speaking to Lady Black, "What does mistress want with Kreacher?"
"Kreacher, take these guests to the library and assist them in sorting through the priceless heirlooms. we need to get them all safely away from here if the infernal muggle loving ministry decides to poke around, or if the blood traitor returns." She commanded the elf.
"Of course, anything mistress desires Kreacher will do," the elf replied, bowing low again and beckoning the Darksiders with a hand, before turning to lead them further into the dingy house.
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Sirius was exhausted by the time he loped painfully into the neighborhood that Harry's muggle Aunt and Uncle lived, or at least where they had lived when he had overheard Lily and James discuss them.
He had been on the run now for several weeks, but thankfully it seemed that the Ministry was just as incompetent as ever, and hadn't a clue where he was. Neither did Sirius for that matter. This deep in Muggle London, everything started to look the same in its uninteresting sameness.
Sirius was sure that some muggle had caught a glimpse of him some time ago, when he was trying to scavenge some food from behind a restaurant. The old woman had left in a hurry, and Sirius couldn't risk another close call, so he had remained as a dog for a long as he could stand, but he had finally made it to Surry.
Finding the correct street and house had been tricky, with them all looking so very similar, but Sirius had managed it. To his dismay however, the building was vacant. Harry's relatives had moved.
Worn out and depressed, Sirius slumped against the front door to rest and attempt to think of where to go next. He was startled when the door opened with little pressure, as those it hadn't been shut correctly. Stumbling inside, Sirius shifted back to human form, shutting the door quickly and hoping that no one had been looking at the deserted house at the moment.
Panting slightly, Sirius suddenly shivered and turned to face the empty house. Something felt… wrong. The Black family was extremely sensitive to ambient magic around them, which was part of the reason certain members of the family descended into insanity after spending copious amounts of time around Dark Wizards, such as Sirius' dear cousin Bellatrix.
And here felt sickeningly similar to the madwoman's old master, if Sirius' guess was remotely close. With a creeping sensation of impending doom, Sirius edged closer to the source of the magical aura, centered in the living room.
No more than a minute after Sirius stepped into the room he fell backward, clutching his face at the horror that had corrupted the magic of the house. So vile was the murders that had taken place, that Sirius felt that he would scarcely be able to keep visions of it from entering his dreams.
He had recognized Petunia Dursley from her and her husband's very brief visit to Lily and James' wedding, and with a sickening twist in his gut he feared what may have befalling his godson. If the muggles were butchered in such a manner, no doubt by some servant of Voldemort, then what would they have done to James' boy.
Dashing from the house, Sirius changed back into the great black dog and bounded away, desperate to find his way north to Hogwarts. Either he would find Harry and rescue him from Peter's threat, or he would avenge his best friend's entire family upon the little rat once and for all.
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Anguis was rather interested in the vast amount of treasures that the three Force users had managed to collect from the Black Manor. Lady Walburga Black had been more than eager to please the Sith Lords in revealing all the hidden artifacts and tomes that the house hid from prying eyes, so convinced by their power that they had her best interests at heart.
Even the little elf did anything he could to be of use to them, seemingly drawn to the power that the Dark Side welled up inside each of them. It had taken mere hours to gather a handful of trunks to pack everything in. Lord Millennial and Veneficus only hesitated over one thing the elf had brought to them, a small locket with an emblazoned 'S' imprinted in it. The pair had shared a glance at the sight of it, before the Sith Master swept the item away into his robes.
Anguis figured that it had more value than the pair lead him to know, but he was far more intrigued by the many dark spellbooks that they had taken from the library. He was eager to try a few of them, knowing that his father would be far more impressed with him if he gained even more impressive skills in magic as well as the Force.
He had spent much time in the vaults of Dromund Kaas, and had learned many things to augment his skills, but there were still several mysteries that eluded him, and Anguis had strong hopes that his master would be more than willing to allow him to take materials and study them throughout the school year, as he had done previously in a limited fashion.
Anguis was hungry for knowledge; he had realized and accepted this. Sith philosophy dictated this to be one of his strengths, a step along the path of power that he readily sought after. But the subject of Sith Alchemy had been touched upon many times in the old texts, and Anguis' curiosity had been greatly aroused by the concepts, from infusing the Force into objects to creating creatures to serve and obey him.
He planned to ask this of Veneficus after they had returned, but his time was almost up before he was shipped back to his parents cold and lonely manor for the few remaining weeks of holiday, and he knew that his chance would be gone if let it slip.
Asking in front of Lord Millennial was out of the question, not only possibly highly assuming of the most junior of the three, but also inappropriate to put his master in such a position before his own master. Anguis knew that the punishment would be severe if he fell for a foolish idiocy like that. He still remembered what Sith Lightning felt like as it arced over the skin, flaring every nerve along the way.
So, Anguis bided his time, and finally, hours before Lucius and Narcissa were due to arrive for him, the chance presented itself.
Amidst the packing of his select things, Anguis turned as his master's presence preceded the black haired Sith into the room. Veneficus initially said nothing, watching casually as Anguis summoned various items to fill his trunk with the Force. "You're control is growing rapidly," he commented after several moments, and Anguis smirked to himself at the tiny amount of praise.
"My Lord," he said, turning to face Veneficus, "I have a request to make of you, for my time outside of your direct tutelage this year…" he said, watching Veneficus' eyes as he spoke. The other boy wasn't fully aware, but his eyes tended to give a subtle hint of what the Darksider was thinking before he spoke.
"Go on," Veneficus acquiesced, and Anguis breathed slowly before carefully proceeding, explaining his research of the Sith Capitol and the things he had discovered.
"… there were many references to a topic called Sith Alchemy, and I wondered, if it would be appropriate, that I may be lent some more detailed records about this skill, in attempts to learn the theory and perhaps practice small applications where possible." he finished, quieting at the calculatingly cold look on Veneficus' face.
The Sith was silent for several moments, during which Anguis continued packing what little remained. When at last everything was ready to go, Anguis turned and watched his master as Veneficus seemed to be conflicted over Anguis' request. That made the blond Darksider very concerned. Were there things that the others didn't want him to learn about or even know?
"I will bring a few things this year," Veneficus said finally, coming to a decision, "and if you pass some tests, you will be permitted to study them."
Anguis nodded, knowing that this was the best he could hope for, "Thank you my Lord."
Minutes later they were down in the entranceway, just as the fireplace in the nearby parlor flared to emerald life, and both Lucius and Narcissa stepped through with their usual pureblood grace, "Mister Potter," Lucius said elegantly, "a pleasure to see you again."
"Draco," Narcissa said, embracing him gently, "did you enjoy your summer?"
"Of course," he replied, allowing the age old disguise to slip back over him, despising the false family bond that his parents portrayed in front of his master.
"We need to leave now my dear, we have several pressing matters to attend to, including a visit to Diagon." Lucius said, and together the three of them made their way to the Floo.
"See you at Hogwarts," Veneficus said slowly, and Anguis nodded in return. It was only a few weeks left to tolerate after all.
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Millennial tiredly looked down the busy street of Diagon as he distantly escorted Veneficus along the boy's needed purchases for the magical school. He would much have preferred to be back in Blackmoore manor, pouring over the newly rediscovered texts and artifacts that Veneficus had brought, but the supposed threat of Sirius Black had the wizards so overprotective of the boy that Millennial knew there would be ramifications if he did not play the role of caring guardian for the duration of the trip.
There would be little to distract him from the magically mundane things around him, odd though the concept was he mused. The average life of a magical person was simply just as tiresome as that of the nonmagical, if not somehow more so, as the magicals had such a lack of sense when it came to the available technology of even their own primitive world, let alone the rest of the galaxy.
It was as pathetic as he could imagine any Force sensitive race could sink to, Millennial thought. To be so irrefutably stuck in one time period's worth of expertise and knowledge was not only absurd, it was downright self destructive. Millennial debated once again the notion of simply obliterating the Wizarding community outright and moving back to a civilized portion of the galaxy, but then he caught sight of a family of nonmagicals, the two parents showering their child with pointless affection with the gift of a rather disgusting, but magical and potentially useful, feline companion.
Even from a distance he could sense the intelligence the girl possessed, not only for the ways of the magical world, but the one outside of it, the one that could actually join the outside galaxy in space flight, given some time. Sensing the presence of his apprentice, Millennial turned to find Veneficus also watching the small family unit.
"I see, master, that you have noticed the promising talent that is Miss Hermione Granger…" the boy commented dryly.
"She is indeed, and if my guess is correct, you are planning to make that potential become a reality…" Millennial countered, glancing down at the boy.
"The plan is about to enter its third year of motion," Veneficus replied, not taking his eyes off the girl, "nice thing that the philosophy that we draw power from has upon the unaware, the ability to make even the strongest of will eventually bend to its might and accept it as the inevitable truth…"
Millennial smirked, fully understanding what Veneficus was implying regarding the future of the young girl before them. He turned and departed several store lengths away however, when the child in question noticed the two Sith Lords, and proceeded to detach herself from her parents and smugly walk toward Veneficus. Millennial wanted to be near enough to watch the interaction of his apprentice with the girl, while being far enough away to not be drawn into a plan of the boy's creation. There were limits to how much Millennial sought to direct and interfere with the boy's life. Especially when inevitably Veneficus would be required to stand alone against the republic and the jedi, with only his own cunning and skills to support him in the quest for vengeance.
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Hermione was greatly pleased to spot Harry with his guardian in Diagon Alley. she had mainly supposed that she'd have to wait until September the first to talk with the boy about his revolutionary ideas that he kept secret, but now she had the perfect opportunity.
Dashing over to him after excusing herself from her parents, Hermione saw the larger man that had to be Harry's escort retreat a safe distance, while still observing the pair of them. The man was tall and broad shouldered, yet moved with a grace that Hermione had only see in the Slytherin students that came from pureblood families. Still, there was something off putting about the man, like something was trying to register in her mind about him but was being suppressed. Harry also turned, catching sight of his guardian and shrugging at Hermione, "Don't mind him; Lord Blackmoore likes to give me my space when it comes to my friends and school life…"
Hermione looked at the boy in surprise at his open comment. It was so unlike him to solicit personal information in such as way. "Why…" she started, but Harry anticipated her question.
"Simple deduction; you didn't storm over to me in a rage, which means one of two things. Either you discovered the meaning of my riddle and have questions regarding it, or you have a greater ability to hide your temper than I suspected, which I doubt…" Smirking at her, he continued, "Therefore, I felt no problems offering a personal comment as to the personality of my guardian to begin a genuine conversation."
Hermione shook her head, nothing would change the way the boy thought, and together they walked down the alley at a casual pace, looking in windows here and there as Hermione spoke.
"So, you were correct that I have solved your riddle, and I am most intrigued by my findings and their implications." She began.
Harry smirked, but remained silent. They passed by Quality Quidditch Supplies, and paused as the group crowded around the front parted for a moment to reveal a display featuring a new prototype broomstick. Hermione rolled her eyes, completely uninterested in the sport, and continued on, "I would be most interested to hear what ideas you have in mind for the wizarding world," she said casually, watching Harry for signs of reaction, "you keep them so secret, it's almost like your fear how much people would reject what you're planning."
Harry glanced around at the surrounding shoppers before leaning in a bit further, "Not here, too many ears… wait till we're on the Hogwarts Express, then I can gather the others as well…" he said cryptically, before looking up and starting back to his waiting guardian, "Till then Hermione," he added.
Hermione watched Harry depart, very pleased that at last she was making progress in learning the boy's secrets. It was actually somewhat alluring, the way that Harry strung people along with just touches or tastes of his knowledge, subtly preparing them to accept more and more. Somehow she felt that she was privileged in that sense because of how much time she had spent prying him for information.
This, combined with what she knew was being considered 'special circumstances' by the professors of Hogwarts, was slowly working to convince her that Harry had been partially right all along, she alone had managed to push herself so far ahead in her classes, that she was being allowed to take every single extracurricular class available, despite there not being enough time in a day to attend them all. Professor McGonagall had said there may be a way, if permission was received, and Hermione had received a letter upon her family's return from France that it had indeed been granted.
Practically skipping back to her parents, she played off their questions with simple responses; they didn't need to know what Hermione had discovered about Harry just yet. Besides, Hermione herself didn't know for a fact that it was a secret worth sharing or keeping yet, although it seemed creditable enough if there were others involved with Harry's plan to change the wizarding world.
Hermione suspected that it would have to be something impressive for Harry to be backing it, and she wanted nothing more than to be on the front lines of any massive change in the very feudal and outdated society. If there was the slightest chance that she could promote muggleborns further, she would be a part of it.
'Until the Hogwart's Express then, Harry,' she thought excitedly as her parents drove her and her many purchases home.
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Veneficus glanced over the small cache of his personal possessions in his quarters of Blackmoore Manor, trying to think if there was anything left that he wanted moved to Slytherin's secret chamber.
It was September the first, and shortly he was set to floo to the station and rejoin the mass of children heading off to the Wizarding School. If not for the collection of Dark Arts books and Sith artifacts carefully stowed away in a secret and secure compartment, he was sure he would succumb to the same madness that nearly blew his cover multiple times his first year attending.
He had clearly noticed an upswing in emotional instability when he passed into his thirteenth year, and puberty started setting into his body. Veneficus also was certain that the same kind of madness was affecting Anguis, albeit the blond was suffering far more from its effects as he lacked the same level of discipline that Veneficus had had seared into his very being through the fires of Millennial's rigorous training.
Pausing as he was closing the trunk lid, Veneficus glanced at the reddish sphere of the Oracle Stone he had taken from the Temple of Pain, along with many other items. This globe however, was the most interesting of them all. Through some research and a heavy amount of practice, Veneficus found several useful applications for the augmentative powers it provided.
Firstly, as its primary function, the Oracle Stone was a strong telepathic enhancer, acting much like the wizard's crystal ball, granting more pinpoint focus and range to a Force user's attempt to glimpse the future. This was the reason he had kept the stone for himself and not yielded it up to Millennial with the other artifacts. If the man had any more strength added to his foresight, Veneficus was certain that he would have no chance hiding anything from the man's knowledge, and that would spell disaster to his budding plans to take the mantle from him.
In addition, through small experiments with the orb, Veneficus discovered that if he filtered Force energy through the stone it would be magnified, not particularly effective in the midst of combat, but it would serve as a reserve boost in rituals if a stronger connection to the Force was required.
Finally, as an object so completely soaked in the energy of the Dark Side, the Oracle Stone would well serve as the focus for creating a nexus if it was left in any one place for a significant time. The chamber where Veneficus found it for example, even the entire temple, was coated in dark power from the many long years of the stone presence, along with the Sith Lord Valik's presence and other treasures.
Still, Veneficus felt that the stone would be effective enough for him to begin a Nexus in the center of the Chamber of Secrets, which would be a fitting place for the Sith Lord to center his power upon this world. Blackmoore Manor, while well equipped as a base to come and go off world, but there were only so many secrets one building could contain before it became too suspicious.
Rousing from his thoughts, Veneficus replaced the stone and sealed his trunk. Minutes later he was pulling the wheeled trunk down the congested platform next to the scarlet train. Parents and children calling to each other and the constant din of people and train grated on the Sith's nerves. Tucked in his robes, Zychre coiled a bit tighter around Veneficus' torso, ironically offering a small amount of grounding comfort that the young Darksider used to quell his growing frustration. The snake had grown much in the last two years, already exceeding four feet in length now, while still remaining thin and wiry for easy concealment beneath clothing.
Stepping onto the train, Veneficus turned and locked eyes with Theodore Nott, who was looking around while his father spoke with Lucius Malfoy. The other Slytherin swallowed visibly as Veneficus used his telepathy to place words into the boy's mind, 'fetch Mr. Boot when the train departs and come to me…'
The boy bowed his head slightly, just enough for Veneficus to recognize the submission as he turned and boarded the train. He returned quickly after stowing Zychre and his trunk in a compartment, magically locking the door to prevent intrusion. Stepping down to the platform, Veneficus noticed several wanted posters for Sirius Black hanging on the pillars.
Eyeing the emaciated prisoner's picture, Veneficus couldn't help but wonder what lunacy made the wizards believe him, or any man in that position, could be a threat. No wand, significant lack of musculature due to near starvation, it was a wonder the man had escaped at all, let only harm anyone in his current state.
Veneficus turned as he felt Lucius detach from Nott's father and approach him, "Lord Malfoy," he said in greeting.
"Mr. Potter," he replied, observing the poster beside him, "You seem to possess the same qualities of perception that Lord Blackmoore has, almost as if you know when people are there before they announce themselves…"
Brushing the comment off, Veneficus turned back to the poster, "I was just wondering, sir, how anyone could see Sirius black as a threat, I mean, he doesn't even have a wand to the Ministry's knowledge, does he?"
The comment seemed to take the aristocrat back slightly, but the man recovered quickly, "Well, with or without a wand, the man is very dangerous. He has proved it by evading detection for the entire summer since his escape, without a lack of trying on the Ministry's part I assure you."
"Hmm," Veneficus said, not impressed. If it was any concern to him, he could easily peer into the Force and find the man, but he didn't seem a remote threat to the young Sith.
"I would advise you to at least caution yourself against any unnecessary risks, at minimum," Lucius continued, "Black was a formidable wizard before Azkaban, and one can only imagine what madness he was subjected to once inside, you should not underestimate him…"
"Don't worry," Veneficus replied, just as the train's whistle blew to signal final boarding, "I'm not…"
Lucius simply nodded, studying Veneficus' face for a moment before turning away to bid farewell to his own son.
Veneficus waited in the corridor for Anguis, and together they squeezed through the mass of students to the compartment that Veneficus had claimed, toward the end of the train with only one other next to it that had been occupied by a sleeping professor when Veneficus arrived.
Just before entering, Veneficus felt eyes on him, and turned partially to see Ronald Weasley glaring at him from down the corridor. Shaking his head, the Sith ignored the red haired idiot, disappointed. He had hoped that the fool had learned his lesson two years previous, but it had clearly not been sufficient to get the idea through the thick skull that Veneficus was not one with which to pick a fight.
Moments after settling into their seats the train pulled away from the station. Veneficus settled back into the seat, and pulled their newest defense book from his bag to peruse what they would be subjected to this year. Dark creatures seemed to be the primary focus, from the majority of the chapters, but nothing of immediate interest stuck out to Veneficus. Flipping randomly to a back chapter, he lazily glanced at the artistic depiction of a werewolf, just as Nott and Boot arrived, nervously knocking on the still locked compartment door.
Unlocking it with a casual wave of his hand, Veneficus silently ushered them to sit next to Anguis, across from him, and continued reading what their textbook felt was important about werewolves. Apparent telling it apart from a regular bestial wolf was of great concern, which the Sith though silly.
Miss Granger knocked on the door, and Veneficus smiled, setting the book aside as he stood and manually opened the door for her. The girl sat in nervous excitement as Veneficus made a small show of locking the compartment with his wand and pulling the shade down to block the casual student from glancing inside.
Returning to his seat, Veneficus played with the idea of waiting until Hermione cracked and demanded their discussion to begin, but the nervous glances from Boot and Nott cause the Sith Lord to take a small amount of pity on his slaves. He smirked momentarily as he caught the Nott heir sneaking embarrassed glances at Miss Granger, while the boy gave off a faint aura of arousal. The irony was delightful, that the pureblood scion was attracted to the very 'type' of person that he was raised to despise.
"Well," Veneficus started, drawing all attention in the room back to himself, "most of you know bits and pieces of what I am planning for the future of our world," Anguis smirked, seeing the scheme immediately and Veneficus nodded at him, "But for those of you who do not, I will now reveal it in full."
As extra measure, Veneficus cast several low level wards around their compartment, to block all sound from escaping, mostly for continued show of his sense of security and secrecy. Finally pulling out a datapad that the two boys across from him had reengineered to run off magic, he activated the holo-screen to show a miniaturized model of the Galaxy. "See the greater scope of our future…" he said in way of announcement.