Chapter 32
Mr. Master of Disguise
As November raced onward, a bitter chill settled over London. Lyra sat in her office, her quill scratching across the parchment as she composed a stern letter to Madam Pomfrey, asserting her intent to visit Hogwarts within the next few weeks to check on Aries Shorthorn. She made it clear that she would do so, with or without the Matron's permission.
A knock interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up to find Sarah peering into the room.
"Mrs. Longbottom is here to meet her son and daughter-in-law again. She insists on speaking with you before leaving." Sarah informed her, biting her lip nervously.
Lyra sighed inwardly. Helping the patients in the Janus Thicke ward was one thing, but dealing with their relatives was a whole other ordeal. Mrs. Longbottom, in particular, had a knack for demanding the impossible.
"Send her in." Lyra replied, frustrated. Sarah followed her orders with a sympathetic glance.
Mrs. Longbottom entered the room, draped in an opulent fur cloak and her customary stuffed-vulture hat. Lyra greeted her and offered her a seat.
"May I pour you some tea?" Lyra asked, attempting to maintain a civil tone. The elderly woman nodded, removing her gloves as she accepted the warm cup.
Lyra settled back at her desk and interlaced her fingers.
"What can I do for you, ma'am?"
"Well, for starters, doing your job would be nice..."
Lyra bit the inside of her cheek, her patience waning. Conversations with haughty old witches reminded her of her grandmother, and she had little tolerance for such people anymore.
"Mrs. Longbottom, we've discussed this before..."
"You haven't even tried!"
"I have, ma'am..."
"No, you haven't! You've worked miracles for others, and there's talk that you're some sort of a miracle healer. But I won't believe it until I see results!"
"Ma'am, I've never made such claims..."
"Why won't you heal my son and daughter-in-law?" She snapped desperately, but the haughtiness in her voice was still evident.
Lyra had heard this demand repeatedly since Aries Shorthorn had awakened and left the ward. Some patients showed promise, while others were beyond help.
"Mrs. Longbottom, as I've mentioned before, there's nothing I or anyone else can do. Your son and his wife have suffered cruelly. They've lost not only their mental abilities but also their magic. There is no magical or Muggle remedy that can restore either of those things." Lyra explained gently. Losing one's magical abilities was rare, but not regaining them after a period of rest and practice was almost unheard of.
Mrs. Longbottom shook her head, as if unwilling to accept the truth.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. All we can do is keep them comfortable. Unless you'd like to take them home? We can arrange for weekly visits if you wish." Lyra offered, but Mrs. Longbottom seemed disappointed by the suggestion.
"So, they're just to waste away like this? Even death would be better in comparison to what they're enduring!" Mrs. Longbottom choked back her sorrow.
"You are trying your best, aren't you...?" Asked Mrs. Longbottom hopefully.
"Yes, ma'am, everything that's possible. I promise you."
"Thank you."
Tears glistened in the old woman's eyes. Lyra handed her a box of tissues, which she accepted to dab her eyes.
"Frank should have listened to Slughorn...learned those disguise techniques from him." She mumbled to herself, shaking her head sadly.
Lyra's attention snapped to her words.
"I'm sorry, I don't want to sound rude, but did you mean Horace Slughorn?" Lyra asked, her expression filled with surprise. Mrs. Longbottom frowned in response.
"Yes, Horace is my cousin—a rather insufferable man, always strutting around like a proud peacock. But he is a true master of disguise. I told Frank to learn how to protect himself with Horace's tricks, but he refused. The Gryffindor in him prevailed over my usually logical son."
"Where can I find this Mr. Slughorn?" Lyra inquired urgently.
"Why would you need that useless potions master?" Mrs. Longbottom hesitated.
Lyra fell silent, and Mrs. Longbottom seemed to grasp the situation.
"It's for Dumbledore, isn't it?"
Once more, Lyra said nothing, and they exchanged a knowing look.
"The last I heard, he was residing in some Muggle village. He said he didn't want to be found, fearing the Death Eaters might recruit him. Mind you, this was months ago..."
"Any information about his whereabouts could be useful..."
"He mentioned that, in case of his death, someone should come looking for him in a Muggle village in England called Budleigh Baberton."
"Thank you!" Lyra expressed her gratitude. Mrs. Longbottom nodded and rose to leave.
"If you do happen to see him, tell him I sent you to give him a good kick up his backside."
"I'll deliver your message personally." Lyra replied with a smirk. Mrs. Longbottom left the office.
Lyra sealed two letters, one for the matron and one for the headmaster, and sent them off with Burst, into the November cold. She watched her phoenix disappear, hoping Albus would rush back upon reading the news she had just shared.
Lyra paced back and forth in the kitchen, her anxiety getting the better of her. Sirius watched her movements and sighed, stretching his legs out on the long dining table.
"Lyra, just sit down. Dumbledore is probably stuck at Hogwarts."
"You don't understand, Sirius. His presence here is crucial. We don't know when this Slughorn character will make his move."
"Professor Slughorn isn't going anywhere. If he's hiding in a Muggle village, it's clear he's exhausted all his attempts to contact his little club of supporters. This must be his last resort."
"How would you know, Sirius?"
"Well, Slughorn was my teacher at Hogwarts, and Lily was part of his Slug Club. The club was made up of students he considered to have the most potential or those from influential families. My brother, Regulus, was in that club too. It wasn't anything special, to be honest. They mostly just had fancy dinners and stroked each other's egos. And the one with the biggest ego there was Slughorn. Every year, he'd add new members, hoping to secure favors from them when they achieved their obvious potential." Sirius explained with an eye roll.
"Why weren't you part of it?" Lyra asked.
"I was pretty good academically, but... I was more interested in girls and causing trouble. I didn't need more people; I had my friends. Besides, Remus was the nerd in our group. But, given his...furry little problem, I doubt Slughorn would have considered him worthy."
"Anyway, Slughorn was also the head of Slytherin, and we despised anything related to Slytherins."
"Moreover, look at what it got my brother. It got him Voldemort, it got him killed." Sirius said, shaking his head in disappointment.
"You speak so harshly about your brother." Lyra frowned, shaking her head.
"Regulus was insufferable! Always was! Just because I refused to embrace my family's pure-blood mania, he felt the need to prove himself the ideal son. I couldn't bear living with those wretched people any longer. I was just sixteen when I left home."
"Where did you go?"
"To the Potters, of course. James was more of a brother to me than Regulus ever could be. A few years later, I found out Regulus was about to take the Dark Mark. I tried to talk some sense into him, but he wouldn't listen. He believed I had tarnished the House of Black's reputation, and that the Dark Lord favored him only because of our cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, I'm sure you've heard of her. She's the responsible for the Longbottoms...being the way that they are right now."
"What happened to him?"
"Regulus joined the Death Eaters and was forced to commit terrible acts—things he'd never have had the courage to do on his own. Regulus was always a timid fellow, preferring the company of books over people, and he was never the best with a wand. But he was an excellent flyer."
"How did he die?" Lyra asked.
"You-know-who sent him on some mission. All I know is that he refused to kill and suffered for it. Regretting his decision, he defected from the Death Eaters, plagued by remorse, and went into hiding. The last communication I received from him was a letter, stating that he was leaving all his possessions to me. He made me the sole owner of this accursed house and the wretched house-elf that came with it."
"He didn't..." She began, sounding disturbed at the thought.
"Yeah...he took his own life in this very house. I discovered his remains last year, in his room. He had the house-elf poison his tea and then ended his own life. All that remained of my brother was a locket."
"A locket? With whose pictures?" She wondered. Sirius smiled at her amused. Most people would have attacked him with false condolences and pity by now. But not her, she asked pertinent questions, she could be such an auror sometimes. Probably, one of the reasons why he had fallen for her in the first place.
"I have no idea. I've tried everything to open it—curses, spells, you name it—but it remains sealed shut. It's certainly not a Black family heirloom, not garish enough to one of ours. Regulus likely stole it from Voldemort and paid for it with his life, the fool!" Sirius said, shrugging.
"I've just left it in his room. I hate going in there...it's haunting." Sirius added, shivering slightly.
"I'm sorry about your brother, Sirius. No one deserves such a fate." Lyra gently patted his shoulder.
"Indeed. He had so much potential, my brother. He could have been a Quidditch star if he hadn't been deluded into believing all this nonsense."
Lyra stood in silence for a moment, feeling a deep sympathy for Sirius. She had initially assumed he was just a spoiled pure-blood who rejected his family's dark traditions, but now she realized she had been too harsh in her judgment. She began to admire his bravery for facing such a harrowing past with a smile. In that moment, Lyra saw the heroism in his actions and appreciated it.
"There he is." Sirius said cheerfully as they heard a loud pop outside the house, but more than one voice was heard in the conversation in the corridor.
"And...he brought Snivellus...of course." Sirius added with distaste. Lyra rolled her eyes at him, warningly.
"What? I was just stating the obvious." Sirius replied, raising his hands in surrender.
The two men entered the room, and Lyra walked over to them.
"We must leave for the village at once if we want to find Slughorn." Lyra stated. Dumbledore nodded.
"We will need you to drive us."
"Just to be safe."
Lyra agreed and retrieved her car keys.
"Sirius, is everything alright here?" Dumbledore asked, greeting Sirius with a nod. Sirius was more than happy to be recognized, smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
"You can trust me to hold down the fort tonight, Albus!" He replied eagerly. Albus expressed his gratitude with a nod.
The three of them left the house and approached Lyra's car.
"All right, I'll need directions." Lyra said, looking at Albus, who waved his wand to produce a map of England with a highlighted route.
Lyra started the car, and the three of them drove in silence. Eventually, Albus turned to Severus.
"What I'm about to tell you is crucial and could potentially change the course of our future." He began, prompting Severus, who had been relaxing in the back, to lean forward.
Dumbledore then proceeded to explain Lyra's urgent visit to America after watching the street magician, their encounter with Grindelwald, and the information they had gathered about Horcruxes.
Severus listened silently.
"Severus...?" Dumbledore prompted.
"So, the boy..."
"The boy must...die?" Severus asked, his gaze locked onto Dumbledore with cold, calculating eyes.
"Do you...care about Harry?" Dumbledore inquired.
"He's her son, Albus! I swore an oath to protect him, and now...all that I've done, all of this..."
"After all this time, Severus?" Albus asked gently.
Severus looked away, as if to hide his inner turmoil.
"Always." He muttered softly.
"She was everything to me, and I'll do whatever it takes to protect every part of her that's left...even if it's mixed with...Potter's." Severus confessed, his voice filled with pain.
Lyra glanced at him through the rearview mirror, sensing his anguish. She wanted to console him, but she hesitated, unsure if it was her place. She knew what he was feeling. In fact, she had become a live inferno of revenge for her lost love and buried her follies. He on the other hand, had repented and accepted them head on, taking responsibility for his actions. He still was. She respected his love for Lily's memory and his commitment to redeeming his past mistakes. It was a different kind of strength, one she began to admire.
"What does Slughorn have to do with all of this?" Severus asked, shifting the conversation.
"It seems there is another defector among the Dark Lord's inner circle." Albus explained. Severus frowned, finding that highly improbable.
"He's the one who informed us about how to contact Slughorn. Apparently, he and the Dark Lord were close during their time at Hogwarts. If there's even a small chance that Slughorn taught the Dark Lord about Horcruxes, we may find the answers we're seeking." Lyra added.
"Slughorn's an idiot, it's a wonder he can dress himself properly—" Severus snapped.
"Slughorn may be exasperating, but he's no fool, Severus. He's rather clever. We only discovered him by accident, and he clearly doesn't want to be exposed. None of his old Slug Club members have come to his aid. We need to act when he's at his most vulnerable." Albus stated.
"So, that's why I'm here, I presume?" Severus remarked.
"You're someone he'd trust." Albus nodded with a small smile.
Albus nodded with a small smile.
"I'm not a member, he'd reach out to for help…Albus…"
"True, but you're both a Potions Master and the head of Slytherin House, just as he was..."
"I doubt that will carry much weight with him...he's never held high expectations for me."
"That's precisely why we're counting on Lyra to lure him out with her popularity." Albus responded. Severus scoffed.
"My popularity?" Lyra questioned awkwardly.
"You are the American Dumbledore, after all..." Severus teased as whipped her head around to shot him a seething glare. He chuckled darkly at her response.
"Professor Slughorn is drawn to potential. He likes to flatter egos, hoping for favors in return. Considering what the world knows about you, he's bound to divulge information if you're clever enough to coax it out of him." Severus explained.
"Do you think that's how the You-Know-Who persuaded him to help with the Horcruxes? By fanning his ego?" Lyra wondered.
"And candied pineapples..." Said Severus, showing off a tin. Lyra raised an eyebrow at him, but ignored his quirky remark.
"It's possible. Tom was incredibly charismatic." Albus noted gravely.
Lyra decided to change the subject and turned on the muggle radio.
"Don't look back in anger…I heard you say…" Lyra hummed along as they continued their journey. Severus couldn't help but roll his eyes at her attempt at a distraction. He noticed her persistent glances in his direction through the rear-view mirror, her expression suddenly shifting from casual to concerned.
"Lyra?" Severus called out with a note of graveness in his voice. However, she remained fixated on the mirror, a frown forming on her face.
"Lyra? What's is it?" Severus asked, growing increasingly impatient. Ignoring his questions, she reached for her jacket, retrieving her wand. With a series of taps on the gear lever, a panel of buttons emerged on the steering wheel.
Albus now understood the seriousness in Severus's voice.
"Lyra...?" He cautioned.
Lyra shifted the gear, accelerating the car further. The sudden force pressed both men back into their seats.
"It seems, gentlemen, we're being followed." She revealed calmly, her eyes locked on the side-mirror. The two men exchanged worried glances and then peered out the window at a large white van tailing them.
"Those men...Albus...I've seen them before." Severus muttered, keeping an eye on the van through the rear window.
"Aurors! It appears the Ministry has been tracking me, as I suspected." Albus acknowledged, shaking his head.
"Don't worry, gentlemen...buckle up!" Lyra retorted with a sly grin, her fingers deftly navigating a sequence of buttons. The car's engine roared to life as she watched the speedometer needle climb toward its furthest limits.
"Hope you can handle a little G-Force!"
The pursuing van showed no signs of letting up, matching their speed with relentless determination. Lyra expertly swerved, narrowly avoiding a collision with a massive tree. Undeterred, the van continued to close in. Lyra's fingers danced over the buttons again, engaging the car's ultimate speed setting. Any faster, and the intense gravitational forces would dangerously compress their hearts, risking dire consequences.
A man from the van extended himself through the window, a wand at his throat to amplify his voice. Lyra seized the moment to counter their pursuers.
"You are commandeering an altered Muggle vehicle! That's against wizarding law...stop before we're forced to take action!"
"Maybe...we...should...listen to them!" Severus managed to speak through the immense force weighing him down.
But Lyra had no intention of heeding their orders.
"Albus...hold...the...wheel...steady!" She managed to command, somehow maintaining her composure.
She then unleashed the full might of the car's energy, causing the vehicle to practically explode with speed. The tires burned rubber, releasing a noxious odor that threatened to make them sick.
Lyra leaned out of the unrolled window, multiple stunners shot past her, fortunately missing their mark due to Albus's struggle with the steering.
"LYRA!" Both men yelled in fear. Lyra retaliated with her own spells, targeting their pursuers.
"Albus! Keep it steady!" She snarled from outside the window.
"Keep it steady, Albus!" Severus cried out in fear.
"I...am...trying!" Albus snarled, his voice trembling with panic.
"Bombarda...!" Lyra cast, her spell connecting with the van's undercarriage, causing a massive explosion that sent it careening off the road.
"Confringo!" She followed up, blasting the van's hood off, revealing its interior and starting a small fire.
"Now...I've got you!" Lyra smirked to herself as she twisted her ring and snapped her fingers. The already flaming engine had no chance as directing the fire to grow exponentially and as a result, there was an explosion, causing the van to completely be engulphed in flames.
The van ceased its pursuit, as the people inside jumped out to save themselves.
The trio managed to speed away from the halted van at an incredible pace, as they heard a loud explosion in back.
Lyra pressed another button, rolling up her window and returning inside the car. She then took control of the wheel and decreased the acceleration to it's former cruising limit.
"Right...I forgot about that one...it should be better now...and this...one." She explained, pressing another button that cloaked the car with a Disillusionment Charm, shielding it from any further prying eyes.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Severus snapped, his voice tinged with exasperation at her momentary lapse.
"What?" Lyra responded, unfazed.
"You've never been in a car chase before?"
Both men looked disheveled, their clothes and hair a mess.
"Why the hell would two professors have experience of a car chase?" Severus snapped, exasperated.
"I dunno why are these two professors, a death eater and a living legend? Maybe it's just me then, all the Muggle-hating Dark wizards I've had to track down in a hurry..." Lyra quipped, suppressing a laugh.
"Do you not have brooms in America?" Albus asked, sounding incredulous.
"Yeah! But this is so much more thrilling!" Lyra replied with a laugh.
"Besides, Mr. Weasley was kind enough to make all these adjustments for me. I had to do it some justice. That man sure loves No-Maj...I mean...Muggle stuff!"
"That was in no way...thrilling!" Albus declared, shaking his head.
"So weak...the two of you!" Lyra retorted with a chuckle.
The men glared at her, affronted by her reckless attitude towards their harrowing experience.
"We're here!" She said, changing the subject.
They had arrived at the seemingly deserted muggle village. Only a few houses had lights on, and the rest were either closed or under construction.
Lyra parked the car and ensured she used her wand to remove the Disillusionment Charm so they could find it later. They stepped out into the cold November night.
"How are we going to find him in this crap?" Lyra asked impatiently.
"Magicae Revelio!" Albus cast the spell, raising his eyebrows at Lyra as if it were the most basic thing in the world.
"Right...of course!" She said, biting her tongue. They followed Albus as he led them toward the magical traces revealed by the spell. The traces pointed to a single locked house, likely their destination.
Albus unlocked the door, revealing a completely dark interior that felt eerie to enter.
"Lumos!" He cast, but the darkness remained.
"A thick darkness potion!" Severus recognized. Lyra rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers, creating a small flame at her fingertips.
"We might need something a bit bigger than that." Severus scoffed.
Lyra raised an eyebrow and unfolded her hands, producing large balls of fire that illuminated the room, dispelling the darkness.
"There's no need to show off..." He sneered at her.
"Why? Are you jealous of my skills?" She smirked at him, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Me? Jealous? Of what? Your ability of being a glorified lamp post?" He teased. She scoffed at his remark.
"Never complained before...about my abilities. In fact I've heard to compliment them several times." She supplied silkily.
"Will the both of you seize this insufferable banter!" Albus snapped, making the both of them blush. Instructing them to go look for any sign of habitation.
The house appeared abandoned, but there were signs in the kitchen that a magical person had lived there.
"I don't think, he's here, Albus. Or rather, someone else got to him." Said Severus studying the living room which was in complete shambles.
Something fell on Lyra's face, dripping from the ceiling. She looked at the drops to see what it was.
"Blood? But, how did it get up there?" She wondered aloud. The two men frowned as well.
"That's not human blood…" Albus muttered as he wiped away the drops from Lyra's head.
"Dragon's blood…" Albus added, a playful smile appearing on his face.
"What a sheer waste of it…" Severus muttered, shaking his head. The signs of a small battle were evident, but whether it was authentic or a fabrication remained to be seen, as the whereabouts of Horace Slughorn were still an unresolved mystery.
Lyra looked around the room; the house had a lot of matching muggle furniture. Whoever had left this place seemed to have done so in a hurry, leaving everything behind.
"I believe…we may be too late…" Severus stated as he came down from upstairs, having found no one there.
"Now what?" Severus groaned, frowning at the other two, who shared a look of sudden realization.
Albus and Lyra had simultaneously come to the same conclusion as they approached a large striped armchair.
"Are you thinking what I am?" Albus asked, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
"She did say master of disguise." Lyra whispered, amused by the spectacle before them.
"A rather rushed transformation though..." She observed.
"Not a very good job at all!" Albus tsked.
"What do you mean, 'not a good job'?" A muffled voice replied angrily.
Suddenly, the armchair began to morph and transformed back into its original shape. A large man with a bushy mustache stood before them in his striped night suit.
"Mr. Slughorn?" Lyra asked cautiously.
"Yes, who's asking?" he replied irritably.
"You are a hard man to find, sir!" Lyra said with a smile.
"How...how did you know?" He asked with a glint of surprise.
"Your choice of upholstery didn't exactly match...well...everything else..." Chuckled Lyra in an obvious fashion looking around the room.
AN/- Hey! Do let me know what you think of the story so far? Can't wait to hear your thoughts :)