Chapter 5 – Baby Statue
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Previously on The Forgiven: Tension grows between Grimm, Liar, and Norse. And just when tempers were at their highest, Dumbledore believes it is time for the group's first missions.
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Kingsley and Grimm waded through the thick mob of people, dressed in casual Muggle attire.
Music boomed loudly from the concert stage. Alcohol and smoking were making its run through the audience. As chaotic as the whole scene was, it made the pair's target all the easier to sight.
A threat had been issued to the Ministry about a mass attack on the Muggle population. The letter cited the act would take place during the concert. Unfortunately, the Ministry had deemed the threat an empty one, going on a lack of evidence for justification. Dumbledore had gotten wind of the looming danger and sortied Kingsley and Grimm to counter it.
In the flock of human bodies, one man in poorly coordinated clothing stood out. He wore a penguin suit on the top half of his body, but ripped jeans and high heels on his lower. Though, most wizards were unable to fake Muggle appearances properly; considering they were at a concert, there was still some doubt that the man in question was indeed their target.
However, Grimm and Kingsley's uncertainties were swiftly erased when the dark wizard pulled a wand from his bright, yellow fanny pack.
The two saw the threat and made their move. All the time, observing the man's motions, looking for anything to contradict their assumptions. Though, solely from the way the man threw a deep loathing gaze at everyone around him, the pair knew they found their man. The wizard would take many innocent lives if not stopped.
Grimm and Kingsley went over the sequence of actions in their heads and readied themselves. They needed to be precise. Any minor slip ups would carry dire consequences.
As their target lifted his wand overhead, the pair positioned themselves on each side of him.
Grimm jabbed her wand into the man's ribs.
"Avada Kedavra," she whispered softly.
A faint green light, no brighter than a pen light flashed. No one around noticed as the man went dead limp. Kingsley casted a featherweight charm immediately after, and the pair caught him before he reached the ground.
They shouldered him and carried the body through the crowd as if taking care of a friend, who had too much to drink. Grimm and Kingsley then successfully navigated to a spot where there were no prying eyes.
As Kingsley made his final checks to make sure none was in the immediate vicinity, he saw his partner entranced by the concert performance.
"Grimm?"
"I'm paying attention, don't worry."
"…You like this music?"
"Yeah. I always thought Muggle music was better than magic. Lot of special memories of this band in particular."
"I see."
"Coast is clear on your end?"
"Yes. We should proceed."
Grimm tore her eyes from the band and pointed her wand at the dead body.
"Reducto Maxima."
Scarlet light engulfed the corpse as it began disintegrating it down to silt. When the spell finished, nothing but ash remained on the floor, eventually to be swept up by one of the concert hall's janitors.
"That dampened the mood a bit…" Grimm commented.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Kingsley. Thank you for your concern."
"You're always so polite around me."
"The same holds true for you too."
"Hm…The music isn't bad."
"Told you. And if we didn't kill him, people would be dying now. Instead of this song, we'd be hearing the screams and cries of Muggles and what have you."
"Rather dark."
"My name is Grimm, after all."
"Grimma…"
"Don't. Mad Eye tried to start the same conversation. I appreciate the thought but—don't. Let's just enjoy the rest of the concert before I have to think about the horrible things again, and feel bad about not feeling bad about them..."
Kingsley slowly nodded and pulled out a small telescope. Grimm assumed the Auror was trying to get a better look at the band, but saw him scanning the crowd instead. She was about to ask him what he was searching for when he stopped.
An impish smile surfaced as Kingsley handed the telescope to her.
"I believe this will lighten your mood. Partition 9, row 3, column 4."
Grimm took the telescope and put it to her eye.
After a few moments, she located who Kingsley wanted her to see.
It was a familiar, young, mousey haired girl jumping excitedly up and down. Grimm's heart thumped hard for a moment and felt her eyes go hot. She didn't know whether to be sad or happy. Ultimately she let herself experience the latter.
"…Thank you, Kingsley," Grimm spoke in a soft voice.
The two stayed until the end of the concert before meeting up with the other pairs.
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(Meanwhile, at the Ministry)
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"Mad Eye."
"What is it, Liar? Report your immediate emergency."
"My immediate emergency is this is demeaning."
"Quiet! We are to keep communication silence at all times unless a situation arises."
"I can hear your mind cackle, old man!"
"Only contact me when you've run into a problem!"
Liar sighed inward and resumed Legilimency on those around him.
At that moment, he was taking the form of a statue situated in the middle of a water fountain. Mimicking the figures around him, Liar had no choice but to take on the appearance of a gray naked baby with wings.
"Honestly, what is it with sculptors and their questionable obsession with naked babies?!"
"Hrhrhr!"
"I heard that!"
"Enough! There's Lucius! Find me something, Liar!"
The young wizard concentrated on the pretentious white haired man walking past him. Unfortunately, Lucius Malfoy's mind was difficult to invade without alert. He was well versed in Occlumency and had various mental defenses in place.
Once the man had passed, Mad Eye began talking to Liar again.
"Well?"
"From what little I could gather, he seems to be partaking in a whole web of foul activities."
"Excellent!"
"Emphasis on foul, boss. Not illegal. Some of it's on the behalf of the Ministry even. Remind me, who exactly are the good guys are again?"
"So nothing I can arrest him for. Wonderful! Nothing?! Death Eater related or otherwise?!"
"No. He appears to have washed his hands of the whole affair. Still poses the part for social networking, but overall a Death Eater no more. There was a small bit about some old diary, but he didn't deem it very important."
"Damn!"
"May we call it a day then? I've found you two corrupt Aurors, five spying Dark Wizards, eight cases of insider trading, and the latest gossip on your coworkers' sexual behaviors. If I have to read another thought about enchanted dildos—"
"Fine, you can fall back."
The instant Moody gave the okay, a naked baby statue Apparated in his Auror office. Mad Eye glared at Liar's strange form, but decided that commenting on it was exactly what the boy wanted. In the end, he ignored the spectacle standing on his desk and went on to the next order of business.
"Got word from Dumbledore. We're regrouping."
"Bodyslide for two."
And with that, Mad Eye and Liar were swallowed up by empty space and Disapparated from the room.
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(On the outskirts of a small village)
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Various snakes in all shapes and colors slithered towards a humble settlement. Some of them the most venomous types in existence, while others were anacondas longer than the average person. Across open fields, they made their way under the cover of tall grass.
The only thing standing between the reptile swarm and the village was a certain tall witch and wizard. One with shining blonde hair and the other with a flowing white beard. Together, they pointed their wands at the approaching horde.
"INCENDIO MAXIMA!"
INCENDIO MAXIMA!
Great rings of fire bellowed from the pair's wands and singed the surrounding grass black. It did little to phase the snakes, but took away their cover. The effect prepared the stage for their next attack.
Dumbledore stepped back to take the supporting role, while Norse moved forward. The witch breathed deep for the next cast.
As she exhaled with a great heft, the incantation boomed in her mind.
GLACIUS MAXIMA!
Frost glassed the now barren land, and sleets of glittering ice coated the snakes. The sudden changes of temperature played havoc with the cold blooded creatures' bodies. They convulsed with pain, some of them dying, unable to handle the stress it caused.
"MY BABIES!" yelled a witch from the hilltop a hundred feet away.
The instigator of the reptile attack was none other than the snake charmer lamenting over her suffering pets. She held her head as she rocked back and forth in dramatic agony.
Norse gave a cold snort at the skinny, almost lizard like, witch.
Stalwart as her way, Norse raised her wand to end it, but felt the wood crumble in her hands. She frowned annoyingly at the magical instrument that splintered into a thousand pieces. The degradation caused from her spells asking more than what the wand could handle.
Dumbledore watched the occurrence with a measuring eye.
"Norse."
When the witch turned around, the Headmaster tossed his wand for her to use. Norse instantly felt an overwhelming sensation emanate from it as soon as it touched her fingertips. Intuitively, she knew this was no ordinary wand.
Without hesitation, she redirected her attention to the snake conjurer in the distance.
Avada Kedavra!
A thunderbolt cracked from the wand and cut a deep gash through the air. For a moment, even brighter than the sun, a haunting green glare splashed the previously blue sky. The receiver of the attack offered no scream or sound of anguish; only falling noiselessly to the soft earth. It was a bit off-putting considering the grandness of the spell and its anticlimactic effect. But such was the nature of the Killing Curse…
Hmph. Far from a worthy adversary.
Norse turned to Dumbledore, while looking over the wand between her hands. She then formally returned it to her mentor, lowering her head much like a knight offering her sword.
The wizened wizard took it and bowed back.
They walked over to check on the snake charmer's body to confirm the kill. Norse saw the witch's wand and took it from her outstretched hand. She swished it around and then pouted at the incompatibility. For the moment, she had no choice but to use it as a replacement. It was a stark downgrade from the one Dumbledore let her borrow.
Norse faced Dumbledore and began writing.
That is a good wand. May I ask where I could procure one like it?
Dumbledore smiled.
"My apologies, Norse, but there is no wand like this one…"
A shame. I felt no matter how grand spell the spell I cast, that one would be able to endure.
"Yes. It seems we must design a system to replace all the wands you and Grimm keep exhausting."
Hmph. I have shattered more than the puny one.
"It is not a competition. Perhaps we can arrange a bargain with Ollivanders."
Dumbledore turned to the village they were protecting and saw the residents had witnessed the whole battle.
"Oh dear. We have gathered an audience."
We should summon the sly one to perform memory charms.
Dumbledore sent a message to Moody and a few moments later, the Mad Eye-Liar pair arrived. Even the Headmaster and Norse couldn't help but laugh at their appearance.
A man with a magic eye and a wooden leg was holding hands with an animated baby statue. It was truly sight to behold.
After collecting themselves, Dumbledore turned to the two Forgiven, especially Norse.
"You too must practice your Obliviating Charms as well as your Memory Modifying spells. I will check your work when you are finished."
Liar and Norse nodded in confirmation and made their way towards the village. As soon as the two were out of earshot, the Forgivers began talking amongst themselves.
"How was the boy?" Dumbledore asked.
"Give him the keys to the kingdom and he can't stop himself from porting in and out of the Ministry. Uncanny sense for Apparation, that one. He can move multiple personnel like he were alone. Location and timing wise, he can do it on a dime. We saw him actually Disapparate away from a Killing Curse before. He'll be damn useful for escapes and infiltration."
"And his Legilimency?"
"Up to snuff. Found us potential targets for future missions. He still can't perform the Killing Curse, but with Grimm and Norse on the team, there's hardly a need. How was Norse?"
"Exceeding expectations. She broke another wand today."
Moody growled.
"Grimm and her go through those things like children do chocolate frogs! Not that we don't have the funds, but it's getting costly. Might have Liar steal from our deceased targets," he joked.
"…We shall have him do so."
"…I suppose that would be one way to handle it. The witch you brought down have anything to do with he-who-must-not-be-named?"
"No. Just a violent individual with an obsessive pension for snakes. Wherever Voldemort is hiding, he is masking his presence well."
"Why is Norse running around with a gray baby and chasing villagers?"
Mad Eye and Dumbledore turned around to see Kingsley and Grimm approaching them.
"That if you haven't guessed, is Liar," Moody grunted.
*SNORT!*
Grimm burst out in sudden, painful laughter.
After snorting a few times, she calmed herself.
"Did you see her?"
Dumbledore's words seem to cut through her elation, like a cold wind. No matter how much time passed, Grimm felt she would never really get along with the Headmaster.
The witch straightened and stiffly answered him.
"Yes."
"I see. Why don't you join Norse and Liar in their fun."
"Chasing villagers and trying to modify their memories is supposed to be fun?"
"That seems to be the case for those two."
"…No thanks. If that's all, I'm heading back to base."
Without any further words, Grimm Disapparated. Following after her were Moody and Kingsley.
Dumbledore stayed behind to make sure the incident was thoroughly struck from the villagers' memories.
Although the three worked hard, they had apparently missed two witnesses…
Two witnesses who would later be mentioned in Hermione's report on the Forgiven.