AN: Fair warning, this does mention a minor character's death.
~NicoDiAngeloLover7
Touched by Death – Chapter 36 (Cross the Line, Pay the Consequences…)
The day that the Goblin Nation released the statement about the execution of the Death Eaters, was an interesting one. One, that the goblins and wizards alike were expecting.
The Wizarding World already knew about the extinction of Death Eaters thanks to the Daily Prophet. It had become common knowledge up to this point of time. And the Daily Prophet had already released the names of the dead to the public. And they knew there was going to be a big outcry at one of the names. Lucius Malfoy, if you wanted to be exact.
His name was legendary in the Wizarding World, which brought up a lot of questions. A main one being, was it really true that Lucius had been imperiused like he said he was. And nobody dared to go and approach Lady Malfoy about her late husband's death. Even most wizards and witches had some form of prudence about themselves. They knew how much of an insult that could be, no matter who Lucius Malfoy was.
There had been another few well known names. Like the Carrow siblings, Greyback, Rookwood, the Lestranges, and Dolohov. There had been a surprise about the Lestranges, because everyone believed them to be locked up in Azkaban. So, it was to be expected that a search on the prison would be conducted within the next few months.
There had been several names that the public didn't recognize, but they were released all the same. They knew some of the names, they just didn't know them as Death Eaters. Like Yaxley, Rosier, Rowle, Travers, Macnair, Jugson, Gibbon, Selwyn, Mulciber, and Avery. They were mostly names to add to the dead and forever forgotten.
You could find several photographs within the Daily Prophet. Primarily their focus had been capturing the image of the Dark Mark on their arms. But the well-known wizards' families had been photographed and put on display as well.
The statement released from the Goblin Nation didn't contain any photos. It was very direct and to the point. It placed heavy warning that they owed a debt to some of wizards that they may come across with. And very bluntly released the name of their employee, Marcus Black. There was no hesitation that any actions against him, would be against the Goblin Nation. The implications of such actions were very harsh. They made it clear why these actions were warranted into going headfirst in a battle. And would not hesitate to retaliate against the Ministry if necessary.
There was some information about Marcus' title and job within Gringotts. And that he had earned the title of Goblin Warrior, which was a very high honor for a human wizard. It provided some more information on his rank as a Cursebreaker.
There was very little temptation for any wizard or witch to do anything against Marcus in retribution. One was because of the statement released from the Goblins, themselves. Another was because a lot of the wizarding world was in gratitude of what Marcus had done. Though several of them had the image that he did it out of love. It was common knowledge of who Marcus Black was betrothed to.
There was another reason why nobody dared to seek action against the Cursebreaker. Marcus was always in the presence of Goblin Warriors, at least two, at all times. No matter, if he was down the street in Diagon Alley with his betrothed. Or if he was heading towards Gringotts for an assignment. There were no wands raised in their direction.
It was up for debate what they were more afraid of, what Marcus Black was capable of, or the legendary Goblin Warriors. Likely, it was a mixture of both.
Though there had been one incident.
There had been no wands raised or spells cast. But two Ministry officials had decided to approach Marcus Black while he was occupied by two Goblin Warriors. There had been heavy argument that Marcus had needed to report to the Ministry for questioning. But they refused to say by who's orders.
Marcus had quickly shut them down, "unless you have a justifiable reason to be approaching me, you can run back to whatever hell you came from. I have no interest in speaking to you or your boss. Every good wizard and witch know not to approach someone while they're in the presence of Goblin Warriors. They could have easily mistaken your approach as a threat and annihilated you. And you would lose in court with the Head Master Goblin, as he will take the word of a goblin over that of wizarding folk. You will either send me an official order of Request of Presence or an official notice from Minister Bones. But I will not be accompanying you back to the Ministry."
Still, the two Ministry officials didn't know how to take no for an answer. They quickly dispersed once the goblin on Marcus' right claimed, "If you do not vacate this area, the Ministry will find another two bodies to add to their list."
Marcus never received an official notice for his appearance, so he brushed the matter aside. He continued working on his occasional assignments that the goblins would assign him. He was to still be stationed at Hogwarts during his betrothed's fifth year. But he wouldn't arrive with the regular students, it would be a few weeks into the year before he would arrive. Though his contract about the Horcruxes may have already been fulfilled early. He still had the contract of going through the Room of Requirement for other cursed and dangerous objects. And with how much there was in that room, that could take years.
Headmistress McGonagall promised him that she would pass word to Harry where his new quarters would be. And that he would be informed once he arrived. Which meant that Marcus had no knowledge of who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would be.
That knowledge honestly mattered little to Marcus, since he was no longer a student. His position was sanctioned by Gringotts, so he wasn't actually part of the faculty. But if he were to look back on it, he should have put more effort into finding out. Especially on the way that events had transpired.
And Marcus hadn't really noticed it, mainly because it seemed Harry was constantly in detention. And Harry had never said what professor it was, so he assumed it was Snape. Which should have never come across his mind, since the man's behavior towards Harry had changed drastically since his 5th year. So, he couldn't place on who the professor may have been. Even Harry's friends hadn't been any help in the matter. They seemed to shut down the moment he questioned them about it. It was getting incredibly frustrating.
Which is why he had taken the direct approach when confronting Harry about it.
Marcus had grasped at Harry's wrist with a little bit more force than necessary. His grip loosened when he caught the slight wince.
"You know you can talk to me about anything, right? Just because I'm still working as a Cursebreaker, doesn't mean that you can't talk to me," Marcus' voice was soft and soothing.
Harry's eyes reflected his guilt.
"I didn't want to worry you. I thought I could handle this on my own," he confessed.
Marcus wiped the stray tear that fell from Harry's cheek.
"You don't always have to the strong one. There are days that I just need you to remind myself that I can't always be strong for you. I want you to be able to talk to me, Harry. Anything that's troubling you, just like last year. And I know you held a lot of that in. You will always be my number one priority. Nothing will ever change that."
Harry nodded before blushing when Marcus placed a kiss on his forehead.
"I know that, or rather I should know that. Just like I know we'll have our fights from time to time. I just didn't want to worry you, especially since the news about you killing Voldemort and all his minions. And I'll admit a lot of the Slytherins are a lot more approachable now. But I think that's more to do with that one of their own was responsible for killing that monster. And it just seemed that you had enough on your plate to deal with. I didn't want to add to that burden on your shoulders," Harry revealed.
Marcus connected their lips, surprising Harry a little.
"You're right, we will always have our fights from time to time. But I fell in love with you for a reason. And I rather you tell anything that's on your mind than see that weigh you down. I want to be able to carry your burdens than have them destroy you," Marcus breathed.
Harry nodded, glancing down as Marcus brushed a thumb over the scar on his hand.
"I may need to have some Murtlap Essence on hand," Harry muttered.
Marcus watched bewildered as Harry jumped off their bed and dug around his bag. It was a bag that held most of his medical supplies as a Healer in Training. He dug out two small vials of Murtlap before handing them to Marcus.
"What are these for?" the ex-Slytherin asked.
"To apply to my hand, we will need it for this conversation," Harry elaborated.
Marcus still looked unsure at that, but he nodded. That didn't mean that he liked the sound of it, but Harry knew more about healing than he did.
"It's the temporary Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Nobody has been able to talk to any of the professors because of what she's doing," Harry started to say, already feeling the scar starting to burn. He ignored it for the time being.
"The one that the Ministry appointed?" Marcus asked.
Harry nodded, "nobody knows how she got the temporary position, but with McGonagall still dealing with the trouble that Dumbledore left behind. And she still teaching Transfiguration and as Head of Gryffindor, there's not much she can do."
"What did she do," Marcus asked, darkly.
"She's been using a quill that splits open my skin," Harry explained, but hissed at the wound reopening. "Murtlap," he demanded.
Marcus dripped two-thirds of the vial on Harry's hand.
The Gryffindor sighed in relief, "she has been refusing to teach us actual spells. And a lot of us, including me have been voicing our displeasure. So, she assigns us detention."
Marcus didn't need to be told as he poured the rest of the vial of Murtlap on Harry's reopened scar and used up the second vial as well. That didn't mean he didn't almost crush the empty vials when he saw the words reflecting on Harry's hand.
It read; I must hold my tongue when speaking to my betters.
Marcus could feel his anger washing over him in waves. He was going to curse this woman within an inch of her life. But first he would to speak to Master Head Goblin, Xurnak. This would be a matter that he would demand to be involved in.
"Harry, you have no idea how much this makes me angry. But never at you, at the witch that decided to inflict damage to my betrothed. She will not be getting away with this, that I promise you," Marcus' voice was gruff.
Harry looked unsure at first before a smile graced his face. He should have expected that this would bring out Marcus' protective side.
"Then you know that she's done the same to my friends as well," Harry commented.
Marcus actually did crush the empty vials then.
"She will die," Marcus vowed. He wanted her dead from just harming Harry, but harming others would sign her death warrant. Because if she dared to harm other students in Gryffindor, students that he still considered his charges. Though it did make it worse that Marcus had already seen those three young Gryffindors more as family than his own parents. But that could also mean that Slytherin was probably not out the picture either. He wasn't sure how the woman got the position, but she wouldn't have it for much longer.
Harry blinked at that, but he didn't protest Marcus' claim. He had been furious when he found out as well. The Gryffindor already knew that Marcus would want revenge for him being involved. Marcus may not say it, he knew that he viewed his friends as close family, just like Sirius was. This was something that he would not let lie down and forget about.
Marcus kissed Harry deeply, bringing his body closer to his own. Just enough to get Harry's emotions pumping before pulling away. Seeing the putout and disgruntled face was worth it.
"I'll make it up to you later," Marcus promised.
Harry's eyes were dark with lust, "you better," he warned.
Marcus gulped at the look, quickly turning to make his exit. Knowing that his resolve would break if he stayed in that room a moment longer.
Marcus had headed straight for Gringotts, using the personal Floo connection in his Sitting Room. It had been a requirement as he had needed a faster way of reporting back to his employers. It had been a nonnegotiable matter.
The conversation didn't take long, Marcus knew the way to Xurnak's office. And before long, he had two Goblin Warriors, one on each side. His orders were simple, kill the interfering witch.
Taking harm against someone that was considered one of their own was a high offense. It was not to be taken lightly. And because Marcus' betrothed was the victim in this circumstance, the insult was taken. The fact that she used a blood quill made the offense even worse.
It did not matter that Harry Potter was not an employee of Gringotts himself. He was still the betrothed of Head Master Cursebreaker Black. It was to be viewed as if the witch had done harm against Marcus, herself, not Harry. And the only retribution they would accept was her death. And they would send a letter to the Ministry informing them of their injustice against the Goblin Nation. The Ministry just better hope that the witch was only working of her own accord.
Marcus used that moment to use the return Floo to his personal quarters, the Goblin Warriors following close behind him.
He did not stay long; there was no reason to hang around to chat. He wanted this done and with no strings attached. That witch was not allowed to live a second longer than she had to and he intended to make the killing blow.
The tall eighteen-year-old, strode quickly from the seventh floor to the third. They had never changed the rooms for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position and that was not likely to change any time soon.
Marcus had his wand firmly in his grasp, nonverbally blasting the door down.
The pudgy woman in pink dropped her cup of tea. The cup shattered when it hit the floor. Her face twisted into a look of disgust at seeing two goblins invading her office.
No doubt the woman was not a fan of creatures, he was going to get some enjoyment out of this.
"Who are you?! I demand you leave at once!" her voice shrieked.
Marcus had to slightly wince at the high pitch, he felt pity for the students and faculty that had to put up with her.
"I'm afraid you don't get to make the orders today," Marcus growled.
That seemed to enrage the woman even more, no doubt she liked power and control.
"If you don't shut your trap, I will have you silenced!" Marcus yelled, tired of her voice.
For once the woman actually didn't speak a word.
"Don't think about Floo-Calling Minister Bones, unless you fancy a chat on why you're using Blood Quills illegally on students under maturity," Marcus' voice was smooth, but threatening with promise.
The pudgy woman's face turned into a sickly pale color.
"And what nasty lies have they been spreading?" Umbridge spoke when she tried to regain some of her complexion.
"I would watch your tongue!" Marcus hissed, "that is my betrothed you are speaking off. Which is a very dangerous territories for you! If you value your life, you will hold your tongue!"
The woman scoffed, "no doubt someone who whores himself out."
Marcus didn't care anymore; this woman would die where she stood. He was not going to allow the blasphemy and slander about Harry.
Marcus' voice was tight with rage, "Vrokx, your sword."
The goblin in question gave a nasty, but pleased twist of grin. He presented his sword to Marcus, holding it by the hilt.
"It would be my honor, Head Master Cursebreaker," Vrokx replied.
Marcus grasped the hilt tightly before giving Umbridge a nasty look.
"You can't do this!" she screeched, realizing that she'd been immobilized. She couldn't move.
"You will find that I can, by using a Blood Quill on my betrothed, you entered into a Goblin Nation sanctioned matter," Marcus' voice was dark.
"You are a wizard!" she protested.
"I am a trusted ally and Warrior of the Goblin Nation. So, I am viewed as such! A slight against me, will be considered a slight against the Goblin Nation. And the Ministry will not be allowed to interfere, because it will be considered a Goblin matter, something the Ministry has no control over. And my betrothed is allowed this honor by extension. To create harm against him, is to create harm against me. To harm me, is to harm the Goblin Nation. And the only retribution that myself and the Goblin Nation will accept is your death!" Marcus' voice was filled with venom and hate.
If Umbridge hadn't been immobilized, she would have crashed to the floor in fear.
"Goodbye witch scum," Marcus grinned, bringing the sword up and slicing off her head.
He could have used magic, but that wouldn't be a fit enough punishment for her crimes. By using one of the Goblin Warriors' sword, it was a way of them getting their retribution as well. By using their sword, it was by their hand that her death was dealt with.
"I want her body out, you do not have to do it. But I don't want her filth contaminating this school any longer than it must," Marcus ordered, handing back Vrokx's sword.
"It will be done, Head Master Cursebreaker," was the chorus reply from the two Goblin Warriors.