The Peverell Triplets
-TPT: Chapter 3-
"I remember now why I disliked shopping in our last life." Cadmus sighed as they finally took a break at a small restaurant down Vertic Alley nearly two hours after leaving Gringotts. Antioch had been merciless in making sure they had clothes that fit them and Ignotus's eyes fixed. They had also retrieved their wands. Since they were heirs to an ancient house and were wards of the Goblin Nation, they had a few perks. Getting there wands a year early was one of them. Their wands were brothers, sharing cores. Threstal hair from Death's first threstal and personal steed. They all shared woods from the same willow, and the only differences were the length and rigidness. Ignotus's was 11 inches and swishy. Cadmus's was 11 ¾ and rigid. Antioch's was 11 ½ and pliable. Ollivander had been thrilled to sell triplet wands to triplets. Said it was fate and an honor. Even more so when he realized that they were the 'children' of Cecelia La Fey, even telling them about the woman that was lost nearly a decade ago. It had been a bitter sweet, but appreciated exchange.
"Come now Cad, it wasn't that bad." Antioch told his little brother with a smirk while Ignotus began ordering for them.
"I'm with Cad on this one Anti. Shopping is fine, but not for two hours strait." Ignotus replied as the waitress went to get their food.
"You two wound me." he replied with a sniff, making the other two chuckle. "Fine." he grinned. "We won't need to shop like that again anytime soon anyways." he told them, before they looked over the list of properties they had access too.
"No where in the city. I can't stand the thought of being constantly surrounded by people. Something a little more...remote should be fine." Cadmus told them, Antioch nodding, and the list prioritizing those listings for them.
"I would prefer that if a town is near by, it's a small one for supplies." Antioch added. Another shift in the listings.
"Nature. I want to be surrounded by nature." Ignotus told them earnestly, making them smile and nod. They preferred nature around as well. Another shifting on the list.
"Looks like there are two possible places left. We'll visit them after lunch." Antioch decided.
"Peverell Hollow. And Willow Creek Cottage." Cadmus read off before nodding as their food arrived. "They both sound nice." he admitted. Ignotus grinned and the older two spent the rest of lunch telling Ignotus about Hogwarts, so he knew what to look forward to next year. Once they were done, they ducked into an empty ally way and spoke 'Peverell Hollow' then the portkey activated.
-TPT-
Peverell Hollow was a beautiful place. A meadow surrounded by woods with a small stream of water deeper in the woods. There was a green house that was still in good condition and an overgrown garden. The actual house was a two story cabin of golden brown wood. The cabin had a basement that also had a cold storage for potion ingredients and a potions lab. There were three bedrooms, a large bathroom, and a study on the second floor. The first floor had a kitchen/dining room, a living room, a dueling room, and the library. It was a pretty and peaceful place.
Willow Creek Cottage was different from Peverell Hollow in that there wasn't a forest near by. It was a large meadow with a creek going through the meadow, several willow trees along the bank. They could see- many miles in the distance- a small village. The house was a single story and was obviously meant for a single person. A bedroom with a bathroom. A study, living room, and kitchen. There had been a green house and a potions shed, but the trio agreed that Peverell Hollow was meant for them.
-TPT-
It didn't take long for Peverell Hollow to become their new home. Cadmus soon commandeered the potions lab, finding plenty of uses for it. Mostly nutrient potions the trio had to take, much to their displeasure. Ignotus claimed the green house and gardens as his domain. And Antioch had taken to the duel room and library as the two oldest properly began their youngest's studies. Filius met with them for the first time two weeks after they claimed Peverell Hollow for themselves and let Ragnok know. Cadmus would admit that he had missed Filius. While he and Minerva had a friendly rivalry going due to their houses, it was Filius that he had found himself talking the most with.
After Filius took an oath to keep their secrets, he informed them of what had been happening the past two years since Severus's departure to Albania and subsequent passing. Horace Slughorn had taken Severus's place as head of Slytherin house and potions professor. This bit of information made Cadmus and Antioch groan, both remembering the Slug Club which made Ignotus and Filius laugh. The news of Severus's passing had not been met well. Minerva was especially affected by his passing and had been mourning the past couple weeks since finding out and she still hadn't gotten over it. The Slytherin house was also in mourning. Albus seemed mournful, but Filius couldn't tell how sincere that mourning was. And last any one had known, Lily and Severus had still been friends, so she seemed to be in mourning as well.
As for little Harry, Minerva looked for him, in hopes of telling him about Severus's passing. Only to discover that Harry James Potter and the Dursleys had disappeared. She was now worried about that and to keep up appearances, the Potters were asking for information about his location. Matthew was still being trained by others and according to the Charms professor, he was just above average despite the training he had since he was five. Quirrel, however, was taking a year long leave from teaching in hopes of gaining some experience for the DADA position. Albus had hopes that the DADA position would be properly filled once the man returned. Cadmus felt bad for Minerva and the Slytherins, but he knew the Slytherins would be well off under Horace's hands. He would ensure that the students were given proper health checks and have some one to rely on after the man's experiences with Severus's up bringing and Tom Riddle's own. That eased his mind.
-TPT-
It was their first Halloween night that Death arrived after their Samhain ritual was completed. 'Good Samhain my Masters.' Death greeted them in the clearing in the woods they had used.
"Lord Death." they returned the greeting. Even with a bone face, they could see his smile.
'It's good to see you three are doing so well.' Death decided, looking them over. It had only been a couple months, but it had done wonders for them. They were getting some healthier weight on them, thanks to Cadmus's nutrient potions and proper meals. Ignotus was spending more time out side thanks to the garden and green house and getting some color in him. The other two would sometimes spend time with him, so they were getting color now too, though still paler than the youngest.
"You as well." Ignotus replied.
'I believe you are wanting to discuss the hallows?' Death asked.
"Yes. We don't know where they are and we need to at least attempt to find them." Antioch replied.
'The cloak last I knew was in the Potter collection. The stone is one of Voldemort's horcruxes. And the wand was last seen in Gregory's possession. You should have access to one. The other two will be the problem.' Death said in thought.
"I remember that horcrux. One of the few that are clear in my mind. It's a ring hidden in Gaunt Shack in Little Hangleton. It has a parselcurse though, that will kill whoever puts it on within a week. We'll need to deactivate the curse and purify the stone with fire before it goes anywhere near Cadmus." Antioch said.
"But if Albus is looking for these horcruxes, as I'm sure he knows about them, we don't want him to turn his attentions onto us. Plus, there's a possibility he might already have it." Ignotus said with a sigh.
"A polyjuice potion in addition to hiding our presences and magical signatures. We do that and it should keep us from being discovered before we're ready." Cadmus suggested.
'That could work. But you would need to train yourselves to hide your magical signatures.' Death told them.
"Polyjuice takes a month to make. The boomslang is the more difficult ingredient we need but I can get that with Ragnok's help easily enough. We brew the potion, and when it's not being watched, we practice our masking abilities."
"When it's ready, we can use any muggle's hair to change." Antioch added, his brothers nodding in agreement.
'With the plan in place and midnight drawing near, I must take my leave.' Death said as the moon continued to rise. 'I shall keep my minions on the search for the horcruxes and Master Antioch's wand. Until our next meeting, young Masters.' Death told them, his form turning to smoke. The triplets gave one final bow to Death, and the smoke rose into the night sky and disappeared upon the wind.
-TPT-
The next month passed swiftly, with them having a course of action planned. They worked hard at hiding their magical signatures, something they had to relearn with their healed cores. Filius was a boon in this endeavor, as he helped them where he could on the weekends. Antioch remembered the parselcurse Voldemort had used on the ring, and it took him three weeks to relearn the counter curse. Ignotus also looked up fire spells for purifying the stone, though he had a feeling none of them would work like he hoped. Cadmus was busy with the polyjuice potion, having to make sure the ingredients went in when they were supposed to. They had collected the hair of three random muggles from London on one of their trips, and with King Ragnok's help, they were given a portkey that would take them to the edge of the village Gaunt Shack was located. Once things were prepared, they took their potions then left for the village, not having to worry about the magical signature of the portkey being traced back to their home.
-TPT-
The village of Little Hangleton was small, but Gaunt Shack stood out even in the distance. Three plain young men made their way through the outskirts of the village, not strange enough to draw on the attention of the locals. They were too busy with their own lives to worry about strangers they could barely make out. The Gaunt Shack was a one story, dilapidated, ugly thing. Dead and over grown lawn with some trees along the back. The roof was in shambles, the walls festered with mold and termites, windows broken or missing panes, and a broken stone path that lead to the door where a snake, in the shape of an 'S', was nailed. The entire area reeked of decay and death. It was unpleasant, to say the least. Antioch had taken the lead, hissing at the state of the building. He poked around, trying to sense any wards. To his relief, there were none on the door. Nodding to his brothers, he pushed the door open with an ominous creak.
The inside of the shack was no better. The first room contained the kitchen and living room with three doors and an old fireplace. The whole place was layered with dust and mold, almost choking them. The furniture was torn and worn, the table missing a leg, the kitchen walls crumbling. They made their way to the center of the living room and peered around the desolate place. "This place is devoid of love. More so than I expected." Ignotus muttered. The other two nodded. The walls, despite their states held a couple portraits that represented the family of three. Antioch's lips curled in disgust.
"We'll find the blasted ring and leave. There is nothing else here for us." he insisted to his brothers who nodded. They began searching through out the house, keeping their senses out enough to feel for wards or traps. Cadmus nearly had a close call when an old tea set near the kitchen suddenly jumped at him, forcing him to dodge and watch it shatter onto the kitchen floor. The sound causing Antioch and Ignotus to turn around in alarm with their wands raised. They looked between Cadmus and the broken china a couple times.
"I hate those things." Cadmus growled, making Ignotus snicker. They searched before Antioch finally found the horcrux ring in Morfin Gaunt's room under the bed. He quickly cast the counter curse, before he took a ring box out of his pocket, which had a few runes on it to keep the horcrux in the ring asleep for now, and put it in. Taking care to not touch it personally.
"I have it! Let's get out of here." he called, entering the living room. Cadmus came from the bathroom, looking green. And Ignotus came from Merope's room.
"Someone was here and took a few things. The rooms are trashed like someone was rummaging through it." Ignotus informed.
"Let them have it, I could care less. And if it was a muggle, they were probably killed by some sort of curse. The Gaunt family was a fan of muggle torture." Antioch replied. Nodding their acceptance, the trio left and used the portkey once they were in the clear.
-TPT-
None of the fire spells they had were strong enough to destroy the horcrux and purify the stone set within it. There was fiendfyre, but none of them had the control necessary to use it. Ultimately, they decided to take the question to Ragnok: did he know of anything that could destroy a horcrux? As it turned out, he did. "Goblin Blades are tempered to disturb and break down magic. It is unable to be corrupted, and instead clears corruption." Ragnok explained as he studied the ring box. He didn't want to open it until it was time. Horcruxes had a nasty temperament. "We can grab a Goblin Dagger and strike the ring in a ritual chamber. It won't affect the stone and the goblin mages with us will use their magic to ensure the soul within doesn't escape before it is banished, then we can purify the stone in a bowl of liquid fire. Would you like to do so?" he asked his nation's charges. They nodded.
"The sooner we can get that insane parasite's magic out of Cadmus's stone, the closer we can get to destroying Voldemort once and for all." Antioch replied, refusing to go any nearer the thing that had been him, once upon a time.
"Alright then. I'll have a ritual room set up. As far as I know, horcruxes are temperamental on a good day. Let alone when they're about to be destroyed." Ragnok said, not even blinking when the box shook. "And we'll need to hurry because it is officially aware." He added. It took less than an hour to have the ritual room set up and ready for them. The brothers were kept behind a ward in the room for safety, as they insisted on being present to see it for themselves. Ragnok didn't argue, because those three in particular deserved to see it happen. The ritual room was a large stone room with runes along the circumference near the floor and the roof. There were seven goblin mages in the room with them. Ragnok had the ring on an alter in the center of the room, surrounded by a bright white liquid. A quick glance to his fellows and Ragnok brought up a dagger that glowed with an electric energy. The ring tried to move but the liquid fire kept it in the center, unable to dodge the dagger as it collided with the ring. A horrific wail filled the room as a dark shadow of a serpentine face rose from the metal, Ragnok swiftly sweeping the ring and stone into the liquid fire before throwing himself back. The fire began to bubble and hiss as the shadow soared around the room, looking for an escape. But it was unable to find one.
The goblin mages were chanting in their native tongue and before the trio knew it, white bindings of light shot from their scepters and collided with the shadow that screeched in agony as it began to dissipate from existence. Finally, it was gone. "One more down." Ignotus sighed in relief, his brothers sharing that sentiment. When they had returned, Ignotus had no longer been a horcrux, since Antioch was his own person. The room watched as the liquid fire- which had turned a tar like black- stopped bubbling and hissing, disappearing down a drain that was opened. Ragnok walked over to the alter and placed a small stone upon the alter with a pair of tongs. It was still covered by the tar like fire that soon dispelled, leaving the purified stone in it's place. The middle Peverell Brother walked up at Ragnok's nod and slowly picked up the stone which flashed brightly. Then Lord Death stood before them all.
'I see the plan went well. And now the stone is back in your possession Master Cadmus. I'm thankful.' Lord Death said as those in the room gave bows of respect and awe.
"Thank you Lord Death. As am I." Cadmus replied. "And thank you as well King Ragnok. You and your people have continued to help us. I am truly grateful." Cadmus told him as his brothers joined them.
"We are honored to do so Young Heir." Ragnok and the other mages assured.
'I too, am thankful they have you and yours as allies, King Ragnok. I trust I can continue to leave them in your care?' Death asked. Ragnok nodded. 'Good. As for you my Masters, we must discuss some things. If you will call on me upon your return home. As you did last month during Samhain.' the trio nodded confirmations. 'I would also suggest you retrieve the cloak err too long.'
"Unfortunately, the cloak was one such item James handed over to Albus upon request prior to our gaining control of the vaults. As far as I know, Albus still possesses the cloak. However, Ragnok-" Ignotus looked towards the Goblin King.
"The dead line for the return of the item has passed, and he has yet to return it. One of the things I was going to contact you about before you arrived today. I will help you to retrieve it, and I wished to update Heir Peverell about the Gaunt line assets." Ragnok replied. Death nodded.
'Then until your return unto home.' Death told the triplets. One last nod to Ragnok and the goblin mages, and Death dissipated into a trail of smoke, dispersed through out the air.
-TPT-
The meeting with Ragnok did not take long. All Ignotus had to do was put his blood on a sheet of parchment with a summoning charm keyed into it for the cloak. Once that was in his possession and proved to not be tampered with, Ragnok had turned to Antioch and discussed the progression of the Gaunt line. Ragnok had a report on the Potters: They would empty their main vault, even with the allowance Ignotus allowed- by the beginning of the year. He warned them to be ready, because within a months time, the Potters would discover the truth of their financial state and may demand a meeting. After all, they made donations to Albus's order every six months. And that was about to arrive before too long. Thanking Ragnok for the warning and a promise that they would be ready, they made their leave and headed home.
-TPT-
"You wished to speak with us Lord Death?" Antioch asked, once the deity answered their summons that night when the moon was strongest.
'Yes. I have progress on the remaining horcruxes and your wand. The news is unfortunately, not good or great. Upon the destruction of the ring, there was a flair in the magical plain. A flair of death and decay, thus is the feeling of a horcrux. There are five remaining and I believe it is because of the horcruxes' unstable natures that I was able to perceive what they were: Nagini. The Slytherin Locket. The Hufflepuff Cup. The Diadem of Ravenclaw. And Tom Riddle's Diary. Unfortunately, I was only able to discern the locations of Nagini and the Diadem of Ravenclaw.' Death told them. 'Nagini is within a muggle zoo in London. The diadem resides in Hogwarts, though I am unsure where. As for the others, I could not discern their locations. We will need to hope that Master Antioch will gain some semblance of memory of them.'
"Nagini is in a zoo?" Antioch asked in alarm. Death nodded. "I guess a trip to the zoo is in order then. I know that towards the end, she was afraid of me. This having started upon being made a horcrux. If we can remove the horcrux in her, and inform her of our situation, she is more than likely to join us and denounce the shade she does not know." Antioch said. Nothing, not even death, would change that Nagini was his familiar and that she had been the only family he had known before this new life.
"We'll head out this weekend, how does that sound?" Ignotus asked.
"This weekend?"
"Weekends are when the zoo is busiest, even in the colder seasons. We could locate her, create a distraction else where, then free her. Or we could even use the cloak, wait until closing, then rescue her and portkey back home. We'll discuss with King Ragnok about a non-lethal way of removing a horcrux so she, at the very least, is spared." he said gently. The others nodded.
'And if Ragnok has no answer, she may enter my realm and I can simply send her back. But only, if Ragnok has no answers.' Death assured his oldest master who nodded in relief. 'As for your wand, I have reason to believe it is within Albus Dumbledore's possession.' Death informed them, and even they could hear the displeasure in his voice.
"How do we get the Elder Wand from Albus Dumbledore?" Cadmus asked in disbelief.
'I have a theory, but it is thin at best. One thing to note is that the Elder Wand knows its true master is returned and it will find it's way to you. It is destined to be by your side, that was a major point of its creation. The Elder Wand, once recognizing its true master in close enough range, will magically reapply it's existence into your wand. It'll merge them so that it is the Elder Wand, just with a new casing and cores. The other becoming a hollow shell. And since both are willow wood- the same willow as each other and the triplet wands- it will easily transition and belong.' he explained.
"That's good to hear. That also means though that we have things in a new perspective." Ignotus said. "As it stands, our priority will be Nagini and safely removing the horcrux from her. Then we'll continue the search for the others."
"Our lowest priorities for now are the diadem and wand, but only because they will have to wait until we enter Hogwarts. Once that happens, priorities will shift to the diadem since the wand will need to make it's decision and transition on its own." Cadmus added.
"You're right, our main concern should be Nagini." Antioch said, gaining their attention at the thoughtful tone in his voice. "However, I believe after we find Nagini and remove her horcrux, that the rest should fall to the back burner as priorities."
"How come Anti?" Cadmus asked curiously. Antioch looked apprehensive for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh.
"It's just...My memories dealing with the other horcruxes are hazy, due to the insanity and darkness that cloud them. I'm not saying we stop the hunt. But the search is already going to be frustrating and difficult...that's not including the fact that Voldemort most definitely put protections in place to keep them safe- ones that I can't remember and prepare us for. Plus, we are re-growing our cores. Despite our training and the fact that we are unusually powerful for our ages, we're not near ready enough to go against a megalomaniac that had zero morals. And I can't lose either of you to what I once was. Not again." he told them, not realizing just how much his voice shook at the thoughts he had put out. He was startled when his brothers suddenly drew him into a tight hug.
"Oh Anti...It's okay." Ignotus soothed.
"Iggy is right. We're right here. You won't lose us to him Anti. We're going through this together." Cadmus assured. Antioch took several deep breaths to calm himself before nodding.
"And you're right." Iggy said, when they finally separated. "The search will be hard enough as it is, especially with the lack of clues. We shouldn't drive our selves barmy by trying to condense a lengthy search into a near single one. We also have the Potters to deal with soon, and I have no doubts they'll try to take control from us or work their way around the rules that'll be set out. James might not be too bright, but Lily was the smartest witch of her year for a reason. While I am unconcerned about them winning as the clause is irrefutable by all but Magic and us, it'll still try our patience just dealing with them. And it'll be difficult enough to keep who I was from them. I didn't change nearly as much as you two did. And we do not need them to grab at a custody battle in hopes of putting the undesirable and worthless child they abandoned back in their power." Ignotus said, ignoring his brothers' scowls at his words.
'They can try and I hope they do.' Death snorted, making them curious. 'When you entered my realm, Master Ignotus, Harry James Potter was declared dead on all records just as Severus Tobias Prince was. But in addition to his death, it is also stated that his own family abandoned him- which I'm sure you know is looked down on and with rage in the wizarding world no matter the reason. There is also proof that he was not a squib, the only exception which even then, is still frowned upon. In addition, it is on record that they never looked in on him after the first month and that his muggle relatives abused him. And since Vernon passed away a month after Petunia got rid of you due to obesity, she took her son and moved to America under an older name. So they can't even check with them. And considering that the cause of death is recorded as being beaten to Death by the deceased Vernon Dursley, well, I would love to see them try and prove that Ignotus Hadrian Peverell is actually a boy declared dead by magic herself. '
'Attempting to do so will lead to their reputation being placed under scrutiny, and if you three were to look at the newspapers, you'd see that while they are still have a somewhat good reputation, it is barely hanging by a thread due to their arrogant and obnoxious ways. Not to mention, many pureblood and half blood family's dislike them and they would be announced as completely round the bend and accused of attempted kidnapping of an ancient line. This is not including your status of protection as goblin nation wards. Their laws hold authority when it comes to your protection. Too add insult to injury, they are about to be very, very poor.' he grinned savagely and Antioch and Cadmus shared that grin. Ignotus looked between the three of them and merely resigned himself to fate. Much to their amusement.
He decided to continue." It's not a problem for now then. On another note, we'll be in the spider's lair once we reach Hogwarts and that will add it's own stresses, in addition to making sure we out do Matthew Potter in subjects to humiliate the Potters and Albus and avoid his webs. All of this while staying under the radar of suspicion and searching for a horcrux on the grounds. We need to remember to live. We have a second chance here, and Lord Death wants us to make the most of it." Death nodded, showing his agreement as they finally got back onto topic.
Antioch smiled softly. "I think that when we have spare time from our studies and work, we look into the history of the Cup and the Locket as a side project. They are items that once belonged to the founders after all. I'm sure there's a history on them we can follow until they reached Voldemort's possession. Maybe we can find something in there that'll trigger some memories."
Cadmus nodded. "As for the diary, I think we should look into Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters. It may be possible that he entrusted it to one of them. As for the search in general, we should consider doing much of that during summer and breaks. Call it experience, but I know that once we enter Hogwarts, there's not going to be a lot of rest. I know Albus Dumbledore, and he will have tests set out for Matthew Potter. And I'm certain that it will place most, if not the entire, school in danger as a result. We will be needing Filius's help especially when that time comes. As our eyes and ears into the staff, it will prove invaluable to have his knowledge." Cadmus added. They nodded.
'I'm relieved that's been settled.' Death chuckled. 'As Master Ignotus said, I want you to enjoy this second chance. You already have dangerous paths ahead of you. More challenges and responsibilities than I like. But there is only you, and no one else, that can settle this once and for all. You will have allies, and you will have adversaries most like. And you will have help. But the final decisions will come down to the three of you. As well as the final result. I cannot see as far as I would like into the distance. The fog is too thick even for me. But I will be there for you three, of that you have my word.' Death told them, making the trio smile softly.
"Yeah, we do." they agreed in unison. With one last exchange, Death dispersed into the air as a trail of smoke once more. And the triplets made their way to their beds as they had a busy few days before them.