Touched by Death – Chapter 34 (Matching Death to the Face)
It had been through the next several weeks that Marcus found himself splitting time between Harry, his Headboy duties, and finding the final Horcrux. And it got to the point that Marcus had worried that he wouldn't find it before the end of the year. Though, he was well aware that he had time to search through the room for the next several years. Though, Marcus didn't like the idea of having to spend years searching through that room. But he realized that he may have no choice in that matter. All that mattered was that the horcrux was found and either destroyed or purified. And if it was another one of the Founder's possessions, he knew that the Goblins would want it purified. Even Goblins understood the importance of the ancient artifacts and were very protective of them. Especially if they were the ones that crafted the item.
Marcus was about to call it a day before he placed a hand on a box. He jerked his hand back in fright. He wasn't expecting to feel an intense wave of dark magic rush over him. His jaw dropped, he had found it… He could feel the dark curses radiating from the box, no doubt this item was very well protected. He already knew that it wouldn't be an issue on countering them. He certainly hadn't expected to find the horcrux today…
Marcus was half tempted to try to break the dark curses on the horcrux right then and there. But he hesitated. Marcus didn't think it would be a wise idea to break the curses in the middle of Room of Requirement. He would need an isolated room where no other magic would interfere. And you never knew if the room also held more dark magic, it was not a good combination. He started to frown before he dug his hand around into his bag. He was trying to find one of his bags that he had an undetectable extension charm. And the fact that it nullified the curses until he could find a suitable place to break them.
Marcus carefully placed the box into the bag and sealed it. He added a few personal wards to it as a precaution. He then placed the warded bag back into his school bag, that was currently strapped across his shoulder. He needed to head back to the dorm, though he wasn't sure if Harry was there or not. Though, he silently hoped that he would be in class for a few more hours. But there was another part of him that wanted Harry to see his work first hand. But he didn't think that watching him break the dark curses on a horcrux would be a suitable experience.
Marcus sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He didn't think he be against Harry watching him do his work on a horcrux. But he wasn't sure if he would be able to explain exactly what he was doing, since he was still under a confidentiality contract. He felt his lips frown as he slowly made his way out of the Room of Requirement. He was thinking hard as he made the slow trek back to his dorm. He knew that he wouldn't deny Harry if he wanted to watch. His lips slightly twitched, he could never deny Harry much of anything.
It was when Marcus walked into his dorm that he raised an eyebrow. Harry was sitting on his bed while chatting with Dean and Neville.
Harry gave a bright smile, "hey Marcus."
Marcus felt his frown instantly change into a soft grin. "Hello, love," he greeted.
Harry's eyes shone even brighter after Marcus leaned down to meet his lips.
"I'm afraid that your friends are going to have to depart for a short while," Marcus commented, giving Dean and Neville a short look.
Dean and Neville seemed to avoid looking Marcus in the eyes and hurried out of the room.
Marcus stared at them as they left in confusion. He turned to look back at Harry, "well… that was strange. I've never seen them act like that."
Harry rolled his eyes, "that's because they think we're going to have sex or something."
Marcus choked on air at Harry's words.
Harry's eyes had a mischievous glint to them.
It took Marcus about a minute before he felt like he could actually breathe and talk. "Don't even…" he warned.
Harry pouted at that. "You're no fun…"
Marcus rolled his eyes, "and you will manage just fine as you have before."
Harry snorted, "so why did you need to have Dean and Neville leave?"
Marcus noted the tone of curiosity in his fiancé's voice. "Curse breaking."
Harry's eyebrows raised in wonder. "Really? Can I watch?"
"Really Harry? If I didn't want you to, I would have asked you to leave as well," Marcus voice was teasing.
Harry felt his cheeks grow hot, he wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or the fact that Marcus was honoring him with this chance. Considering that he knew for a fact that Marcus didn't allow ANYONE to watch him while he did his work. He wasn't sure if that was just a thing that Marcus did out of habit or if it was a requirement set by the goblins.
"You may want to stay on the bed," Marcus warned.
Harry nodded and made himself comfortable and so that he could get a good view.
Marcus dug around his bag once more to pull out the bag that held the horcrux. He tossed the other bag to the other side of the bed, he'd get it later.
Harry snorted at the action but didn't say a word. He did wonder what it was that was in the bag that Marcus sat in the middle of the room.
Marcus sat the small bag with the horcrux in it, gently down on the floor. He grasped his wand and went around the room to set us proximity protection wards. He didn't want any dark backlashes, especially with Harry in the room. He engraved the runes into the walls with his wand. It was a slow process as you couldn't make any mistakes, or he'd have to start the process all over. But it wasn't like the runes would backfire if he made a mistake. They would just become obsolete and useless.
There were a few more security and protection runes he added, he was dealing with black and dark magic after all.
Marcus let out a heavy sigh after he finished with the walls, he could feel a slight drain on his magic. He brushed the feeling off, it was a common byproduct when you dealt with his kind of work. It would only get more intense from here when he got into the actual curse breaking.
Harry looked fascinated at the runes on the wall that glowed with a golden aura. It was intriguing to look at and he almost couldn't tear his eyes away.
Marcus had started to make a runic circle, with more protection and detection wards. The detection wards were necessary since he needed to know what curses he was dealing with. And he definitely didn't want to be caught unaware. Because it was very likely that the horcrux was armed with curses that would kill him, maybe even instantly.
The runes on the floor glowed golden for a moment before turning into an electric blue. They were active and running until he cast a cancellation rune. He studied the runes on the circle for a moment, making sure they were satisfactory and would hold up for the entire ritual.
Once the runes had met his approval, Marcus carefully cancelled his wards on the bag and pulled the horcrux out slowly.
Harry watched Marcus in interest as he brought out some type of tiara. It looked ancient and gleamed in the light. Harry could kind of guess why the goblins may be interested in it, if it was some sort of artifact. He wanted to ask Marcus how old it was but held his tongue. He didn't know how critical it was that Marcus needed absolute silence and concentration. And Harry didn't want to be the reason why Marcus lost his focus and hurt himself.
Marcus breathed in deeply before exhaling. He cast a few more protection and detection wards to see what the first curse was. And he had to let out a shaky breath when he recognized the curse. It definitely could be classified as the more lethal ones. Considering the curse would cause instant death. The curse took a major hold in the horcrux, which wasn't surprising. Magna Mortis required an intense amount of energy to be cast or be contained within an object.
Marcus focused most of his energy on the next few runes he crafted. That was the first step, before he started chanting in Latin. Then came the agonizing wait time for his enchantment to take hold.
It must have taken a few minutes before Marcus sighed again. The first curse had been broken and he needed to move to the second. Which was Ambustio curse, which would cause instant disintegration. He huffed, the Dark Lord certainly liked to use some of the darkest curses. But it was nothing that he couldn't break. And just like the first curse, he started crafting more runes into the diadem. The Latin incantation wasn't as long, but it still took a good amount of power and energy. Though the wait time for it to break was much shorter.
Then came the next curse, Marcus frowned when he saw what it was. It was another one that could cause potential death. Animum Quiesce, a curse that would slow or halt the heart. Marcus rolled his eyes but used continued with breaking the curse. It was another string of runes, slightly different than the ones he used for the first two curses. It was a bit more similar to the first set of runes he used though. Mostly because they were more compatible with effects of the curse. Though the Latin incantation was just as long as the first. He had to catch his breath for a moment, he could feel the strain on his magic more prominently now. He didn't let that stop him from using another of his detection runes for the fourth curse. He let a small snort escape his lips. It was dangerously close to what the Cruciatus Curse could do. Though it could be a bit more lethal, depending how much power was put into the curse. It was known as the Succlamo curse and tended to have your victims to scream spontaneously in pain at different intervals.
Thankfully the fourth curse only needed a few runes and no incantations. Though Marcus had a feeling that the fifth and last curse would need all the power and energy he could muster. He took a deep breath before he saw a curse he didn't recognize. He had to think for a while to figure how what the curse did. Which is where most of his detection runes came in handy. He wasn't sure what the name of the curse was, but he did know what it did after some careful study. And it looked like this one was the failsafe in case the other curses failed. While all the other curses would probably kill him and cause some type of major injury or pain. This one would induce him into a magical coma that one would never wake up from.
"This is one powerful and superstitious bastard," Marcus muttered to himself, picking up on some of the muggle phrases that Sirius tended to say.
Marcus had never recalled a more intensive set of runes as he set to work once more. The curse wanted to keep fighting the runes as he continued to craft more. His lips twisted into a snarl as he kept working. Though it had to have been at least twenty minutes or more on runes alone before they would keep hold. Marcus just hoped they kept hold while he started incantation. Or he would have to start all over. He kept a very steady eye on the blue runes and didn't let the curse to try to fight. And by the time he finished, he was panting heavily. He had to duck when the curse finally broke, because it released a wave of what looked like fire. Though in closer inspection, it was just residue of the dark magic. Though if it had hit him, he would have broken the runic circle, which was not an option.
Marcus could feel the sweat forming at his brow but ignored it. He started to cast the last few runes for the night. Cancellation runes were required to break the runic circle and then he would move to the walls. Thankful this was more of a quicker process than breaking the curses on the horcrux. That was when Marcus looked up at Harry.
Harry was looking at his fiancé in awe. He had no idea exactly what went into curse breaking until he saw it with his own eyes. It was a bit breathtaking to watch and had to restrain himself from asking any questions. It was definitely a sight to watch, though he didn't know what that red ring was. He assumed it was something that was proof of breaking whatever curse was on that tiara.
"Harry, you're going to start making me blush with your star struck eyes," Marcus said with a smirk.
Harry felt his face going red in embarrassment. He knew it was true, but Marcus didn't have to say it out loud…
"Shut it," Harry mumbled under his breath. And he found that he really loved the sound of Marcus' laugh.
Marcus wound up grabbing the now, curse free diadem and stuffed it back into the bag. He reapplied all the wards once more, before shoving it back into his school bag. And landed with a thud on the bed, with Harry curling into his side. He gave a gentle smile as he ran his hand through Harry's soft locks.
Harry leaned into the touched and let out a soft sigh. "You should sleep," the raven recommended.
Marcus had his eyes fluttering a little bit. He certainly felt tired and exhausted enough to slip into a deep slumber for a few hours. But he also knew he did need to speak with Head Master Goblin, Xurnak about his progress. He may have dealt with the curses, but the horcrux still needed purifying. And it was final horcrux they needed for Marcus to be able to kill the Dark Lord once and for all. If not for him, for Harry, he certainly deserved the lifetime of peace. And it wasn't like someone could go snooping into his bag, he had his bag under heavy wards, some of his own creation.
Harry watched with gentle eyes as Marcus fell asleep. He didn't move though, he wanted to be close to Marcus' side. Though, his mind had questions rushing left and right. He had decided that Marcus had looked like he was about to fall over. He could always ask after Marcus had a decent amount of rest. He didn't know much about magical exhaustion, but Marcus had talked enough about it. Since the term had been in several of their discussions when he was still deciding on occupations. And Marcus had certainly warned him that Healing would have its own amount of magical exhaustion to it.
Harry knew that he sometimes felt some small levels of magical exhaustion, but it was nothing compared to what Marcus probably dealt with. Though, Healing did have a lot of spells that required more energy and power behind them. Though they were usually reserved for the more critical injuries. Harry had done a few in his apprenticeship with Madam Pomfrey. The woman sometimes took him on excursions to St. Mungos to gain more experience. And he knew that those would only increase as he got further into his training. And he still had another 2 or 3 years to go before he could become a certified Healer.
Harry gently smiled as Marcus drew an arm around him, drawing him closer into Marcus' body heat. Maybe he could sleep for a few hours. He didn't necessary need it, but he wasn't going to draw away from Marcus' embrace. Well… maybe he did, Madam Pomfrey had him under some intensive lessons earlier. It was an equivalent of her exam and just like his others, it had a written and practical. Harry was positive that Madam Pomfrey probably orchestrated the entire exam, though there was a healer from St. Mungos that stood there watching. So, maybe sleep sounded like a really good idea right now.
Marcus sighed under his breath while he waited. He was currently in Head Master Goblin, Xurnak's office. It was the middle of the summer when he had been called in for an extremely urgent matter. Sirius and Harry had been very understanding about the matter and wished him good luck on whatever task the Goblins would send him on.
Marcus already had a good idea what this could be about. He had already sent Xurnak the diadem to be purified several weeks ago. The goblin had honestly looked proud, it was hard to tell sometimes. And Marcus could imagine why, that had been the last horcrux they needed in order to make the Dark Lord vulnerable once more. Though if goblins could look taken back, he definitely was when Marcus reported that his fiancé, Harry had destroyed a horcrux. Though Xurnak had questioned him intensely if his fiancé knew about his contract or not and Marcus admitted that he did not. That it more of a stroke of luck that it happened the way it did.
Head Master Xurnak looked a lot calmer then, though impressed that a fourteen-year-old wizard could destroy something he didn't know about. Though if it had been an inanimate object, it would be near impossible. But since the snake also had a mortal life span, killing it would destroy the horcrux. Without a host body, the horcrux couldn't survive, so that matter was quickly closed.
Which brought the matter at hand. Marcus had thought this meeting was going to be more planning on how to strike down the Dark Lord. He was a menace to all anything magical – wizards, witches, and creatures alike.
Which is why he was taken back by the appearance of one of his professors.
"Professor Snape," Marcus said with a tone of surprise.
"Mr. Black," was the courtesy greeting.
"Heir Prince nee Snape has graciously been providing some vital information for your mission, Heir Black," Head Master Xurnak began.
Marcus listened carefully, this was definitely the first he heard of this. His professor was a spy? Was he spying for the goblins? Dumbledore's stupid order?
"Head Master, Xurnak," Professor Snape greeted respectfully.
"You may report," Xurnak ordered. "I need my curse breaker, Heir Black, to know all the details. Especially if this plan of yours is to succeed."
"Of course," Professor Snape agreed before turning his attention to his student. "I have been able to convince the Dark Lord, that your fiancé, is going to be moved to a safe house in a few days. He believes that because the Goblet of Fire only takes adult wizards and witches as contestants, that whatever charm protecting him will fall. And that it will truly break on his 15th birthday."
"And where is this location of this 'supposed' safehouse?" Marcus questioned.
"A location that you, Lord Black, and Head Master Xurnak are very aware of. The Black Ancestral Home," Severus explained, though he almost snarled Sirius' title.
Marcus spared a quick glance at Xurnak to see him give a nod of confirmation. Marcus quickly turned his attention back to his former Head of House. "It's an ideal location. Easily controllable if something were to go wrong. There's a lot of wards that we can place there to keep it isolated and prevent any muggles getting involved. The less risk of involvement from the Ministry, the better. Even with Bones as the new Minister, there are a lot of witches and wizards that would be in denial that he's truly back."
"There won't be any Order members there," Professor Snape reminded.
Marcus nodded, "I'm counting on it and I'd rather there not be any. They will just get in the way with their non-lethal ideals. And the less deaths, the better. And unlike them, I'm not afraid to kill in order to defend myself. And the Warrior Goblins won't hesitate either, that you can count on. They will aim to kill. I would require you to participate in the raid."
Professor Snape hesitated at the last order. He knew that if something went wrong with this, that would jeopardize his position as a spy. But if Head Master Xurnak was correct, the Dark Lord would be dead for good after this. And he already knew that Head Master Xurnak would require his presence and aid regardless. He finally nodded his head in confirmation.
"I will be there, no doubt it won't be truly convincing without my appearance," Severus commented.
"Indeed," Marcus agreed. "Is there any other information you can provide me, Professor?"
"The Dark Lord is also under the impression that this location will be the new Headquarters for the Order," Snape said lightly.
Marcus nodded before muttering, "hit two birds with one stone…"
At Xurnak's and his professor's look of confusion, Marcus had to elaborate.
"It's a muggle saying that Harry's said before."
Professor Snape wrinkled his nose in distaste. He had never been a fan of muggles and that hadn't changed much in all the years he's worked at Hogwarts. He knew that not all muggles were bad and cruel, but he still had an intense dislike for them. And most of their sayings didn't make much sense.
Head Master Xurnak then turned his full attention to Severus. "I will expect your presence here in a few days' time at the usual time. "
Severus nodded before bidding a respectful departure.
That's when Xurnak turned his attention to Marcus. "You will also need to be here in a few days, I will send a summons on the exact day and time. You will have a command of the best Warrior Goblins. I believe you will be asking one of your wizard companions to accompany you?"
When Marcus nodded, Xurnak continued as if he never asked a question to his Curse Breaker.
"You will create a small distraction to draw the creature out and his minions. Heir Prince will be aiding in that distraction, along with a few of my warriors. You and your companion will also be in the distraction. The rest will be up to you, this is your mission. You know of the consequence should this fail."
Marcus nodded, his face was determined. He didn't plan to fail in this mission. Not to consider the fact on how much was at stake right now. Plus, the fact he didn't know when another opportunity would arise. Though he did have to wait on the summons, hopefully keeping both Sirius and Harry unaware until it was over. Technically he could now explain to both Sirius and Harry was he was doing for the past few years. But he thought that conversation would be best after this entire thing was well over. And he knew that Xurnak would probably demand that action.
When the day for the raid actually came, Marcus was already fully prepared. He had runes drawn on his robes. He was going to take every precaution that he could, because it could very well turn into a bloody battle within a matter of minutes. He had protection runes all over the runes and ones to help with detecting dark magic. He was heading into a battle, it was going to be required. Marcus did add a few stamina runes in case his adrenaline failed him. He hoped that he wouldn't need them, but it was a failsafe if it came to the worse.
Harry and Sirius had been curious about the letter at breakfast. Though they quickly nodded when Marcus commented it was a summons from the Goblins about a potential contract. He had quickly glanced over it to see that the letter was a time sensitive portkey.
Harry had come over and pecked him on the cheek. "Be safe," he whispered.
Marcus had stared at Harry's retreating form, he wondered if his fiancé's intuition was kicking in. Deciding he would ask Harry more about it later when he got back, whenever that was.
That in mind, Marcus activated the portkey he was sent that morning. He knew that he would land in Head Master Xurnak's office. And there he would wait for the first order.
"Cursebreaker Black," Xurnak greeted as he walked into his own office.
Marcus tilted his head down in respect.
"You already know your orders. Meet the warriors is the side office. A mass portkey will be waiting for you. I want those wards done first!" Xurnak commanded as he sat down at his desk.
Marcus nodded, knowing there was no need for words. He gave a respectful bow before retreating out of the office and down the long hallway. Time was of the essence right now.
When Marcus arrived in the room, he was met with respectful bows and chorused greeting, "Head Cursebreaker Black, we're at your command!"
Marcus let his face show no emotion and remained stone faced. "You all know your orders. Set the wards and protections when we get there. I will pick a handful of you to orchestrate the distraction. And then you all will be in a bloody battle. Take no prisoners, I don't want any survivors in this!"
Marcus watched as the warrior goblins exclaimed their affirmation. His lips twitched when he saw someone walk to the center of the room.
"Glad you could make it," Marcus smirked.
"And miss the battle of the century?" Terence laughed.
"Just stay out of the goblins way," Marcus warned. "They only know you are a trusted ally of mine. You don't want to give them the option of thinking you are the enemy."
"Noted," Terence said with a grimace.
Marcus didn't pay much attention to Terence at that. He knew his friend would get quickly over it. He had to while in midst of a battle. There were no opportunities of second thoughts. Just like there was no room for hesitance, that would get you killed. And in this battle, they were going to be fighting to kill. There would be no ideology to fight to maim or capture.
The Slytherin started to feel the pull of the portkey and had to keep himself upright to not fall over. Mass portkeys had the tendency to have a lot more side effects than a poorly crafted one by the Ministry. And you had to be adapt to using them in order to not fall off. So, even Marcus had some trouble on staying upright when they reached the Black Ancestral Home.
Marcus turned to the goblin warriors when he felt he had his bearing, "Alright, I want teams of five to be working on proximity wards. I want one-way anti-apparation wards. They can apparate in, but not out. And don't forget the Muggle Repellance Wards, I don't need the Ministry or Prime Minister asking any questions. The best warriors will be working on detection wards and shielding."
Marcus didn't need to dismiss them, any other time, he would. Besides, they already had their orders.
"Marcus, what can I do?" Terence asked, who stood by his side.
"Don't stray too far, I'll need you for the battle. You're one of the best dualists I know, we're going to need that," Marcus commented, his eyes straying over the entire property. So, he didn't see his friend give a nod.
His professor would be apparating in about ten to fifteen minutes. That would give them plenty of time to get the wards up to not alert the Dark Lord on what was about to happen. So, he used that moment to check over the wards that the goblins were setting. He knew he would find them satisfactory, they did not do mediocre work.
When it got closer to when Professor Snape would arrive, Marcus had everyone hide under security wards. Nobody would know they were there unless he wanted them to. That was where he had assigned to have 5 warrior goblins to accompany him and Terence as the distraction. Knowing that the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters would see them as weak and easy to kill. He wanted them to underestimate them. He would give a signal when the battle really began.
That was when Marcus started to hear faint pops, they were beginning to apparate in. Marcus tightened his grip on his wand, he needed to wait just a bit longer before making an appearance. Though he didn't know when the Dark Lord would be there. He assumed he would be since it was the man's mission to kill his fiancé and nobody else.
When there were a decent number of wizards and witches in black robes and masks, Marcus cast the first signal.
Marcus and Terence were at the front with five warrior goblins behind them. It was obvious they were well surrounded by now. Though Marcus could see Snape within the crowd of Death Eaters, he decided to forgo his mask.
"Where's Potter!?" someone hissed.
Marcus just raised an eyebrow, "why? It's not like you're going to kill him. Your precious master would kill you for such a mistake."
The death eater snarled at Marcus' comment, but didn't deny his words.
"Let me guess, the precious Dark Lord was too scared to face the Order and decided to send you in his stead?" Marcus said, twirling his wand.
"I wouldn't be so cocky traitor, you're outnumbered," another death eater shouted out, one of the Lestrange brothers if Marcus had to guess.
Marcus shrugged, "so it would seem. I wouldn't be worried, if he's as much as a coward as I think he is. Then his followers probably will follow soon after."
Marcus had to duck to avoid the curse aimed at his head. His detection wards on his robes were working perfectly.
"I'd watch your tongue, or you'll wind yourself up a corpse just like Potter!" hissed another death eater, one of the Carrows perhaps.
Marcus rolled his eyes before taunting, "with that slow of a curse, you couldn't hit me."
And just like Marcus expected, they didn't throw another curse, but he would guess he was pissing them off.
"Brave words for a wizard," came a hissed voiced.
Marcus smirked, finally the person he was looking for.
"Not brave if they are true," he shot back.
Marcus noticed that the Dark Lord's hand twitched in annoyance. The man's face looked like it was made from snake skin with how pale it looked. And the fact he didn't have a nose was pretty obvious as well. He wondered if that potion used to resurrect him contained snake scales.
"Give me Potter and I'll let you live. You are still a pureblood and I do not wish to spill magical blood today," was the hissed words.
Marcus scoffed, "even I know that you are lying. You don't care about spilled blood, you just want domination of the magical world. Your ways will only contain violence, you will never have complete submission. You will always have rebellion."
The Dark Lord's eyes flared with anger.
Marcus' eyes narrowed before slamming his foot on the rune by his feet. It was a strengthening ward of his own creation and would hold up any prior wards and runes crafted for twenty miles. It would also destroy the shield wards crafted around the Goblin Warriors hiding place. Marcus had the goblins craft it that way. There would be no need for subtlety right now.
He cast the first killing curse at the Dark Lord, who unfortunately ducked.
"You will pay for that with your life!" he hissed.
"Long as you don't use your minions as a shield and fight like the coward you are," Marcus yelled.
The battlefield then erupted in spells and defensive magic. And Marcus wound up losing track of Voldemort is the midst. But that didn't mean he didn't take down a few Death Eaters along the way. He lost track on how many killing curses he had cast. There were a few mixes of dark curses as well. He found his own version of the severing hex seemed to work extremely well. Considering that he was decapitating heads of Death Eaters, they definitely wouldn't be living through that. And it seemed like a lot of the Goblin Warriors had the same idea.
Marcus lost track of how many heads he came across trying to move around the battlefield. Crucio seemed to be a favorite of the Death Eaters. Though he had to duck some kind of purple flames aimed at his head. He wasn't sure what the curse was, but he knew he didn't want to be hit with that. He did wind up using some of the curses from the horcrux. One of which was Ambustio and got to watch as he blew up one of the death eaters, literally. He didn't want to think how long it would take to get the blood off his robes. Some of the Goblin Warriors near him seemed to approve of the curse.
It was obvious that some of the Death Eaters were starting to be less confident with their curses. Even though they were also fighting against Goblins, they were vastly outnumbered. And you couldn't miss all the beheaded heads rolling around near their feet. Their blades weren't covered in blood because they liked the look of red on it.
Marcus had even used the advantage of killing a Death Eater because he decided to lose his stomach upon seeing one of the heads. Marcus didn't really care that the Death Eater couldn't stomach it, it was an advantage to their side. He did catch some glimpses of his friend, Terence throughout the battle, he seemed to handling well on his own. And apparently nobody had realized that Professor Snape was working against the Death Eaters and his supposed master. Even though he had caught a glimpse of his handiwork with the curse, Sectumsempra. Marcus would definitely say it was a favored of his, for this battle at least. Because even if didn't put much power into the spell, their victims would bleed to death. Marcus thought it was a fitting end to their lives.
That was when Marcus finally caught sight of his intended target. He didn't even hesitate.
"Give it up, Voldemort! Most of your followers are dead, their heads rolling near your feet!" Marcus shouted.
Red eyes glared at him with rage. "You will regret that dearly!"
"You came after my fiancé, you should have expected it!" Marcus snapped.
Voldemort's lips twisted into a snarl. "Then I shall have the pleasure of you watching him die!"
"You'll never get your hands on him! Though you'll find that you'll be the one that ends up dead tonight," Marcus' eyes narrowed, but he didn't let Voldemort's threats get to him. You get predictable when you hit a rage during battle. And he was going to have the pleasure of killing this bastard himself.
Voldemort scoffed at Marcus' claim. He was immortal, he couldn't die. He had horcruxes, though it would be a pain to get a body again. He couldn't be killed, and he would show this foolish wizard his place.
The first few minutes had Marcus ducking from Voldemort's curses. Marcus couldn't tell what all the curses were. He definitely saw several killing curses and maybe a bone breaker. The killing curses were predictable enough and he wanted to avoid those at all cost. Though he did think he saw Snape's own curse in there somewhere. Marcus already knew he was probably bleeding under his robes, but they were minor injuries. He could deal with them after this battle was after.
Marcus then started focusing his energy and drawing as much power as he could. Mainly because he wanted to kill Voldemort with a Magna Mortem. It was definitely a risky thing to do and Harry would definitely throttle him if he ever found out. But he knew he could do it and wanted to send out a message to the rest of the remaining Death Eaters.
Marcus started to feel a little sluggish and jerky with his next movements in dodging. Even coming a bit too close to a Killing Curse. He let out a deep breath and shot the curse when he saw his opening.
The effect was immediate. Marcus could feel the energy exiting his body as his wand released white, hot lightning. It felt like his body was being shocked all over and he actually fell backwards on his bum. But it met its intended target. And he could enjoy the flash of fear that covered the Dark Lord's face. That was when Marcus was blown back several feet from the shocking blast. He grasped his head, feeling a little disoriented. But he could see that Voldemort had crumbled on the ground, very much dead. Marcus didn't move from the ground and laid there for a few moments, feeling very weak. He definitely didn't want to try that again any time soon.
Marcus wasn't sure how long had passed when he felt that he had enough strength to get back onto his feet. By then, the remaining Death Eaters had noticed their Lord's death. And he knew they would try to disapparate, but it wouldn't work. They had made precautions for a reason. He didn't try to dive back into the battle, since Terence, Snape, and the Goblins were doing that for him.
He walked towards them as the Goblins just finished decapitating the last few Death Eaters. It would seem that the battle was finally over, and they were victorious.
One of the warrior goblins seemed to notice Marcus first. "Head Cursebreaker Black, you need to rest. You are wounded."
Marcus nodded, "I know. I will see your healer once we are back at Gringotts. I will need all of you to break the wards and return."
The goblin looked at Marcus warily before he slowly nodded.
Terence looked worried, "Marcus? Are you okay?"
Marcus had to blink a few times before slowly nodding, "I'll be fine. I'll need you to apparate me to Gringotts, though. I need to see their healer."
Terence looked frightened for a moment before he steeled himself. He thought Marcus looked about to pass out. And had a feeling his friend had injuries he was not saying. He then grabbed Marcus around the waist after the wards were dismantled and pictured Gringotts before apparating. He stumbled a little when he made the landing, though was quickly directed to a side office. That's when he saw a familiar looking goblin.
"Thank you for your aid, Heir Higgs. We will take things from here," the goblins said authoritatively.
"But—" Terence started to protest.
The goblin didn't look pleased, "goblins and employees only, Heir Higgs. You will be escorted out."
Terence sighed before nodding. He knew that he shouldn't have tried to argue with a goblin, but he was worried. Marcus was injured somehow during that battle and he wouldn't know what's going on until Marcus said something. With that, he followed the goblin out of the confusing hallway back to the entrance of the bank. He'd send a letter to Marcus later.
Marcus groaned as he brought to several goblin healers and let them work their magic. He felt some pain but assumed that was because the adrenaline hadn't worn off yet. Though he felt a surge of warmth surround his body. His energy was slowly returning, which made him think on how much did that curse use to feel that depleted.
"You are healed, I will send in the Head Master Goblin, Head Cursebreaker," said the nearest goblin.
Marcus nodded and watched the golden doors open.
"Ahh, Cursebreaker Black, how are you feeling?" Xurnak asked.
Marcus frowned, "not too bad, used a lot of magic."
Xurnak nodded, "you almost depleted your magical core, not to mention your wounds. Several cutting curses had managed to hit you during the battle."
Marcus nodded, that sounded about right.
"It will take a few days to refill your magical reserves. You will be on leave until then. Your magical contract has been fulfilled with the Dark Lord's demise. Your world owes you a great debt, a statement will be released to the public in a few days. As several witches and wizards have been dispatched to the battlefield," Xurnak revealed, snarling at the mention of the British Ministry.
"So, expect a letter from Minister Bones," Marcus guessed
Xurnak nodded. "When you are fully recovered, I will have another contract waiting for you. Though not as intense as the last one."
Marcus nodded, "It will be an honor."
Xurnak nodded, "You are released, and the goblins of our nation will know the service you provided them, Master Head Cursebreaker."
Marcus' eyebrows shot up in surprise at the new title. It was a high honor to be recognized as Master Head within his profession. It showed great prowess and skill and normally took several years or decades to reach, if ever. Though he was positive that the rank would go up once it was revealed what happened during the battlefield.
That in mind, Marcus gave a respectful departure to Xurnak before leaving the room. He had a home to go back to and hopefully sleep for the rest of the day. And then tomorrow would be a very needed conversation between him, Harry and Sirius. And Marcus wasn't sure if he was looking forward to that quite yet.