Fated Origins: Chapter 5: Terrifying Information
A/N: Thanks for reading! And remember, reviews are an author's steroids.
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"I will show you fear in a handful of dust."~ The Waste Land, T.S. Eliot
July 15, 1996, Day One of Cadmus' Return, 4:00 P.M.-12 Grimmauld Place, London
"May I begin this gathering of the Order by saying this: nothing of which I am about to inform you of may leave this room. I trust all of you, but it is of utmost importance that this matter does not leak into the public forum." the aged man paused, allowed his gaze to pass over each and every face in the room, and continued. "It has come to my attention, as well as the Minister's and a few other important individuals', that an unknown male wizard, grievously injured, appeared at approximately four o'clock in the morning in the formerly-Riddle manor in Little Hangleton. The manor's current tenant, a squib named Margaret Merwick, promptly contacted Depart of Magical Law Enforcement officials upon her discovery of the man, who had strangely and inexplicably materialized, if I may, in her upstairs tea room. Seemingly out of thin air."
The timeworn wizard halted his informative monologue once more, allowing those seated around the long, wooden table to absorb the seemingly implausible material. His wise periwinkle eyes held not their usual twinkle, but a vague veil of anxiety, indicating the matter at hand was not of the best circumstances.
"Now, following this, the DMLE submitted the man to St. Mungo's around five o'clock, and he subsequently surprised the entire medical team with two very, very strange discoveries. Firstly, the wizard was able to gain the amount of coalescence a normal person would receive from careful treatment and bedrest in about two weeks in three hours. Quite remarkable, if I do say so myself…" he drifted off slightly, and a sharply cleared throat steered him back to the topic. "Forgive me, I tend to ramble. Anyways, succeeding this peculiar recuperation, a D-N-A test was taken, and his genetic profile, albeit incomplete, was revealed to the Healers."
The sage-like warlock adjourned his dialogue for a third time, allowing the tension in the room's air to propagate twofold, until an impatient inquiry broke the silence. "And…?"
"Well, Mr. Weasley, I must warn you, what I am about to divulge is not for the faint-of-heart." The old man gazed primly at the young, red-haired disrupter, Bill Weasley. "It would seem that the DNA test exposed a rather disturbing notion regarding the mysterious wizard. It would seem, at the exposure of the hereditary assessment, that this man is both a direction relation of the Black family…
A deferred beat passed.
"…and the Riddle family. From this information, we deduced that this person is indeed Aristarchus Cygnus Riddle-Black, the long-lost half-brother of Lord Voldemort, who disappeared bafflingly at the age of one week."
The unreserved shock of the moment was suspended, and then it broke like the walls of a dam, releasing a torrent. Gasps and cries perforated the air of the small dining room, while some leapt wholly from their chairs. Choruses of 'Dear Merlin, no!' and 'Merlin, save us!' joined the shocked exclamations. Molly Weasley toppled from her chair as the encumbrance of this information rendered her unconscious. Albus Dumbledore stood up from his seat at the helm of the table, and projected his voice over the commotion:
"Everyone, please, sit down and lower your voices! There is more to discuss!"
Eventually, and after Molly had been reawakened, the collective room's occupants settled down and returned to their seats. Most of them still wore the look a fish out of water.
"Now," continued the revered Headmaster of Hogwarts, "I know this is shocking and terrifying information, but I must finish, for I'm afraid there is more bad news that it is my paramount displeasure to deliver. At first, I had hoped that this Aristarchus fellow would be, in the very least, a rational being with whom we could converse and possibly gain information from about his half-brother, Voldemort." A few twitched at the Dark Wizard's moniker. "But, I, as well as my cohorts, was sorely mistaken. As some of you may have noticed, there are two empty seats here today. Order members Kingsley Shacklebolt and young Miss Nymphadora Tonks were sent by the Minister to greet Aristarchus at the Hospital, being proper conduct because of their positions as Aurors."
He coughed lightly, and removed his half-moon spectacles.
"Kingsley, a beyond capable wizard, is currently being treated for major head trauma at St. Mungo's, after being assaulted violently with a glass table. Miss Tonks is currently missing, along with Head Healer of Level Four Aeschylus Venerata, while in addition Aristarchus is nowhere to be found. We are assuming he kidnapped both Nymphadora and Aeschylus, and have consequently placed him under High Alert as a Dangerous Criminal."
Another suspended beat.
"As Kingsley had relayed to me upon his revitalization, Aristarchus is both violent and unstable. He and Miss Tonks, upon entry to Level Four where Aristarchus was receiving treatment, discovered Head Healer Aeschylus unconscious on the floor, bleeding from several facial orifices. The two Aurors attempted to revive Mr. Venerata but were unsuccessful. They proceeded to Aristarchus' room, and found him just exiting. Our two Auror friends ordered the man to remain where he was, given his ancestral history, and he reacted with extreme force, utilizing powerful wandless magic to levitate a table into the back of Mr. Shacklebolt's head. From this point, I am unaware of whatever events ensued."
The astonishment of the Order was tenfold greater than when Dumbledore had informed them of Aristarchus' familial relations. It was utterly noiseless, except for the sounds of smashing china as several teacups fell upon the floor, disregarded. Mrs. Weasley fainted anon, her eyes rolling up into her head as she slumped in her chair. Subtly, Dumbledore cast a wandless, blanketed Cheering Charm over the room, to offset the arresting shock.
Lupin was the first to react.
"HE TOOK 'DORA!" the werewolf shouted, jumping up and flinging his chair across the room quite uncharacteristically. "THE BASTARD TOOK HER!"
"Remus!" cried Minerva McGonagall, an invitee, who had, despite her old age, dodged the flying seat. "I understand you may be upset, but please refrain from throwing furniture!"
"HE TOOK HER!" he repeated in a bellow, taking out his wand. His eyes were crazed, wide like those of a madman. "I'LL KILL THAT-,"
Lupin was cut short as a red beam of light hit his chest and he subsequently dropped to the tiled floor.
"A low-power Stunner," said Dumbledore nonchalantly. "Poor Remus was having a panic attack, it seems. Arthur, your wife appears to have fainted again." he notified the Weasley patriarch, who was still staring blankly at the wall.
"Oh, yes…" mumbled Arthur vacantly. He turned unfocusedly to tend to his spouse.
Dumbledore turned to his collective audience, the Order of the Phoenix, and spoke, voice resounding resoluteness.
"I have placed Hogwarts, the Burrow, this house, and the Ministry under High Alert security measures. Be prepared for trouble, my friends."
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Unknown Date, Day One of Cadmus' Return, 9:30 AM-St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries (Cadmus' POV)
"Nymphadora?" he inquired enticingly.
She twitched.
"Yes, Master?"
"Find me garments, we must depart."
…:0:…
Darth Cadmus observed his newfound devotee as she apprehensively followed his command, turning around and walking diffidently to the unconscious Kingsley Shacklebolt. Blood was trickling from a large wound on the back of his head, gathering in a crimson pool that had spread at least a foot outwards. The Sith watched as Nymphadora stared at it blankly for a moment.
"Tonks!" barked Cadmus. She jumped marginally. "Do it quickly!"
She kneeled down beside the prostrate, black-skinned man, and began to pull off the Auror's robes. Cadmus heard her faintly whisper, 'I'm sorry, Kingsley', but he overlooked the comment for the moment. He was aware Nymphadora was not yet loyal to him. But she would learn to be in time. If not, he would be forced to break her, manipulating her psyche into complete dedication, wearing her mind down until she knew nothing but allegiance to the Sith Lord. Though, he much preferred a willing follower.
She presently returned to him, head held obstinately, and thrust the robe and clothing at him with an air of defiance. He could sense all her confusion and anger, her frustration at being commanded by such a recently imposed superior, her upset disbelief at a rather frightening young man ordering her around like a common lackey. Her mind was taking the common route of one oppressed: subtle insolence. But Cadmus was no stranger to this occurrence; he had dealt with new servants and their repudiation countless times.
Cadmus swiftly grabbed the attire from her and threw it forcefully to the side. With a motion so fast it was nearly a blur, he slapped her, hard, a single blow across her immaculate left cheek. Her head snapped instantly to the right, catalyzed by the motion exerted from his strike. He would dislike punishing his new, beautiful servant, but he knew it was necessary.
"I have absolute power over you, Nymphadora," the Dark Lord of the Sith hissed, lowering himself bodily so that he could gaze into her eyes. She jerked at the mention of her forename. "You will learn to obey me impeccably, without hesitation, or I will be forced to punish you. Severely."
He expeditiously jammed his large hand into and around her petite throat, pushing her rearwards until her back came into contact with the nearest wall.
"Do you understand, servant?" he spat, tightening his grip around her neck portentously.
Her hair suddenly changed from its previous pink to a vivid orange. She nodded, harshly, either too stunned or too angered to vocalize a reply. He promptly released her and righted himself.
"Now, Nymphadora, pick up my clothing."
She retrieved the attire from its hastily-cast location, head still down, and carried them to him.
"Here…Master."
He smiled. "Good. You will learn with time."
Without further dithering, Cadmus reached down and tore the thin, white sheet-of-a-robe from his body with ease. Tonks colored furiously, and Cadmus smiled at her response to his nudeness. He watched as her deep, cerulean eyes roamed unabashedly over his uncovered body, taking in his sculpted muscles born from years of training, his various tattoos, his battle scars…
"Approve of what you see, Nymphadora?"
She immediately glanced away, embarrassment practically radiating from her Signature. "As if…" she muttered flippantly, cheeks a bright red.
Cadmus said naught more, simply smirking to himself while he continued to dress. The robes were somewhat loose on his figure, due to the fact the original owner was a lion of a man, but they would do. Fully garbed, he turned to Tonks.
"We must leave. I trust you, Tonks, and so I will need you to take me to a safe place. One preferably with utilities." He paused, and then continued, voice low and menacing. "But if you take me to any dangerous location, I will not hesitate to end your life."
She nodded again, eyes trained on the floor, as if any verbal communication escaped her. Cadmus reached down and grasped her chin with his long digits, raising it so that her eyes met his.
"Nymphadora, do not be fearful of your Master. If you are loyal to me, I will reward you with protection and luxuries, and you will be well-kept under my hand." She still said nothing, staring back somewhat boldly into his orange eyes. "Now, come, I must attend to the Aeschylus man."
He guided her in front of him, and they walked, Tonks traversing ahead while Cadmus followed behind, observing and studying their surroundings in the Force. External and environmental awareness were two of Cadmus' strong suits, developed from grueling training sessions involving the young Sith having to find his way out of unfamiliar forests, deserts, and tundras, as well as traps and the like.
The building layout was simple, from Cadmus' Force readings. Five floors, sentients on each, multiple exits. Thankfully, he could not sense any other life forms on the current level besides himself, Tonks, and the unconscious Healer. Favorable.
"Master?" he heard Tonks ask shyly, an uncharacteristic mannerism of hers as read from what he could of her personality through her Signature.
"Yes, Tonks?"
"If I may ask, why did you attack Kingsley and me?"
"I was wondering when your questions may begin. Well, I might not have reacted so, impolitely had you not and your partner threatened me with those sticks and verbal commands. Furthermore, were those twigs you were brandishing legitimate weapons?"
"Well, erm, yes. They're wands…" she said slowly, as if a mere child would be aware of such knowledge.
"And what is a wand?" queried the Sith, perplexed.
She looked back at him, eyebrows furrowed. He sensed irritation in her, as if she thought Cadmus was making some sort of jest. She replied in somewhat of a huff.
"A wand?" she repeated. "You know the pieces of wood that allow us to use our magic? Well, of course, there is wandless magic, which you demonstrated when-,"
Cadmus was growing quickly aggravated at the girl's rambling in the presence of her Master.
"Quiet!" he shouted, and his loud, rasping voice instantaneously silenced her. "Your incoherent response made utterly no sense. Now, let us try this again: what is a wand?" he spoke the last words through gritted teeth.
Cadmus again sensed the irritation in her, but it subsided when she saw the sincerity in his face.
"Well, basically, it is a portal through which we can use magic, Master," she explained, voice now timid after his outburst. He continued to read perplexion in her Signature, as well as a tinge of suspicion.
Cadmus was intrigued, like a child who had heard of a rollercoaster for the first time. "Interesting…You will have to demonstrate this 'magic' for me sometime. At my discretion, of course. And if we ever find you a new stick. I'm sure yours was broken in the conflict."
She nodded in assent. They presently reached the bleeding, unconscious form of Aeschylus, who was slumped up against a wall. Cadmus reached down, lifted the Healer up off the floor, and slung him over his shoulder like a vegetable sack.
"Tonks?" inquired Cadmus. "Are you able to 'magically travel'?"
"Yes, Master. There is an ability called 'Apparition', which is kind of like teleportation."
The Sith was impressed. So this 'magic' could teleport its users? Perhaps there is more than meets the eye above and beyond a twig.
"And you have your secure location in mind?"
The Metamorphagus nodded.
"Take us there."
Tonks reached up, grabbed a hold of both Cadmus and the comatose Aeschylus, and they suddenly disappeared.
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A/N: I am aware there is no piece on Cadmus/Aristarchus' past in this chapter, but there will for sure be in the next. Thanks for reading!