Chapter 13: Underground
"That was surprisingly easy," Ginny remarked, examining the hidden words on the envelope that Virto and Healer Morrison — no, Lana — had left her. She's no Healer to me, she thought drily.
"When anything is easy with Virto, it's probably a trick," Julien replied with a wry twist of his lips. But he still leaned in to read the black script that the simple Revealing Charm had exposed. Together, they huddled over Ginny's disheveled dining table, once again piecing together a puzzle with no end in sight.
We, the Department of Mysteries, are dedicated to the identification and neutralization of the most dangerous forms of magic. Our mission is to research the limits of magical power and to identify ways to exploit and neutralize them.
We will strive to understand the potential of magic in its entirety and to develop effective countermeasures and containment protocols to reduce or prevent harm from its misuse. Our research is designed to provide a better understanding of magic and its implications for the safety and security of the Wizarding World. We will seek to collaborate with other magical organizations, scientific organizations and governments to ensure that our findings are used for the benefit of all. We will use all available resources to explore the boundaries of magic and its potential dangers, and to develop methods of neutralizing it. We are committed to the highest standards of ethical research and the safe and responsible use of magic.
Julien scoffed as he finished reading the text on the envelope, tossing it aside.
"Ethical research, they say. Seems the underground part of the Department can conveniently disregard that part," he said, shaking his head. "This is the general charter of the Department of Mysteries. All Unspeakables are familiar with it. Seems like Lana and Virto's way of onboarding you before you've even accepted their offer."
"Do they actually think I'm going to join them?" Ginny asked, exhaling sharply in disbelief.
The absolute nerve of these Unspeakables, to kill my brother, derail my life, almost kill me — and then invite me to join them?
But the question hung in the air in conflicted silence.
Lana and Virto had presented a rather unorthodox job offer to Ginny: become an Unspeakable in the underground branch of the Department of Mysteries and experiment with the limits of her connection to the diary. She would have unlimited access to resources, guidance, and most importantly, the diary itself.
Virto had pocketed the diary before they left, his eyes glinting in a silent challenge that neither Julien nor Ginny had been foolish enough to accept. Joining them would be the only way to get close to the book again.
If you choose to not join us, we can erase your memory of this incident and destroy the diary, Lana had explained with a gentle smile on her face.
They must have known how badly Ginny wanted to feel the flood of power from the diary again.
They must have known how enticing it would be.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have given her the option to say no.
Julien cleared his throat, drawing Ginny's wandering eyes back up to his face. He tapped the back of a chair restlessly.
"What did it feel like right before you lost consciousness?" he asked, suddenly changing the topic.
"Like I was about to lose my mind," she replied, raising her eyebrows. "I was trapped inside the Inferius."
Julien nodded, casting his eyes downwards. He appeared to be troubled by something, leaning up against the back of the chair, locked in a staring battle with the ground underneath the table.
"Did you feel something strange when you used Legilimency to control the diary?" he asked.
"Well, I've never controlled an Inferi puppet through Legilimency to kill a man. While the man was simultaneously killing me," Ginny said, her brow creasing. "If that's what you're asking."
"You were using Legilimency to control another being," Julien said. "I know what it feels like to… well, it's a strange feeling. It's intoxicating, not dissimilar to how the Imperius curse is. The mind arts are viewed as Dark for good reason."
"Intoxicating?" Ginny scoffed like it was a ridiculous proposition.
But of course, it wasn't.
The feeling of satisfaction she had felt while in the puppet's mind — the absolute euphoria, the power — had been much, much more than a simple sigh of relief. Same as the feeling when she had entered the diary in front of Lana and Virto. She didn't know how to express it, but even here, even in her own living room, hundreds of kilometers away from the diary, she craved the feeling again like no other.
Intoxicating? No. The word wasn't strong enough.
"I would expect you to experience even more of that feeling, given your powerful connection with the diary," Julien continued, eying Ginny keenly.
Ginny pursed her lips in response, not confirming nor denying. "You've done it, right? Taken over someone's will with mind magic?"
Julien didn't answer immediately, studying Ginny's dining table with his lips pressed tightly.
"Yes. It's part of my job. But it wasn't always my choice," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"The first time was at Durmstrang. They made me take over another student, but my Legilimency hadn't matured yet. The student — he lost his mind trying to fight the intrusion," Julien said, brown eyes tracing Ginny's with an unplaceable emotion. "The school covered it up. They killed him and called it a Potions accident."
Ginny was at a loss for words, only managing to shake her head.
"That's the nature of mind magic — almost everyone who has gained proficiency at Legilimency has done so at the expense of others."
"What happened after that?"
"I never forgave myself. I studied Legilimency obsessively so it wouldn't happen again," Julien replied. "But I'll never forget the feeling when it happened. In his mind, I was him, and I could make him do whatever I wanted. I felt… drunk on power. And that's how I lost control. I almost lost myself in him."
I lost myself in him.
She understood exactly what he meant.
"The feeling of Legilimency, especially when unchecked — it's addictive. It's easy to understand why people become infatuated with Dark magic. And Lana and Virto are using this addictive power to manipulate you," Julien said.
"I suspected as much," Ginny said. "Do people get over it? Or is it just a part of being an Unspeakable, manipulating and killing people and feeling good about it?"
Julien grimaced. You're being unfair to him, Ginny told herself. But she was past caring. She needed answers.
"It's not the manipulation or killing itself that's addictive," he said, inclining his head downwards. "It's the rush of power. But for me and other Unspeakables, we live by the charter. Your actions are highly controlled and you can't get away with unjustified harm or murder. Lana and Virto are the exception, with their underground Department."
Ginny was silent for a second.
"So they can really do anything? Are they just exempt from all the rules now?"
"They must have enough influence with the Ministry to skirt the rules," Julien said. "Or the Ministry doesn't even know they exist."
"Was Virto always like this? And Lana?"
"Virto always was a manipulative, controlling presence. His only soft spot was for Lana," Julien scoffed. "He taught me a lot, but he definitely stretched the limits of what was allowable for a mentor. I was lucky to make it out of his tutelage without any permanent damage."
"Sounds pleasant," Ginny muttered, pursing her lips. "And Lana?"
"Lana is a greater mystery to me," he said. "I never interacted with her alone. Virto was always there. She is powerful, I know, but I get the feeling she's hiding something."
Ginny sat down on a chair and leaned her elbows down on the table, cradling her head. "So what the hell should I do?"
"You said it yourself, you want to play quidditch. Or become an Auror or Healer," Julien said drily. "I didn't hear 'join the underground Department of Mysteries' in the plan."
Ginny groaned. "Seriously. What would you do?"
"That is what I'd do. I'd rather get my memory wiped and return to normal life than join two Unspeakables with nothing to rein them in. Powerful magic has a way of corrupting people, and with nothing in their way…" Julien shook his head. "Virto was already a boundary pusher in the normal Department. I don't know what he'd have up his sleeve now."
"Hm. So I should just forget about this all? And let them wipe my memories of everything? The episodes, the diary, Iceland, the Department? Ginny asked, gesturing around.
"Yes. It's safer that way."
"I wouldn't even know you exist after this," Ginny remarked, raising her eyebrows. "Right?"
Julien nodded slowly as Ginny pursed her lips, considering the thought. Her throat felt tight at the idea of losing all memory of the Unspeakable.
Training in the charcoal gray room. The forest of the Harpies gala.
His body on hers on the sofa. His fingers, barely glancing the side of her cheeks as he pulled away.
The way he held her in front of Virto and Lana, the respite of comfort in his tight grasp.
The images flooded her consciousness and she couldn't pull her attention away from them. Her gaze flickered up to where Julien was standing. His eyes were distant, but they softened when he met hers as if he'd pictured the same exact thing.
"I don't want you to have to choose that," Julien said, his voice gravelly. "I don't want you to lose your memories."
He slowly sat down into the chair he had been leaning on and maneuvered it to face Ginny.
"But the alternative could be losing your life," he said. "You saw what they're capable of. If you worked with them, you'd need to stay a step ahead the whole time. Or they'd be in complete control of you."
Ginny nodded. She knew what was at risk. She would need to find leverage to protect herself, find her own way to keep Virto and Lana in check. But she would have the diary, and something told her there were secrets inside that even the both of them hadn't discovered.
Virto — the man's bottomless, cold eyes stared at her in her memory. Ginny almost shivered at the thought of him, the casual way he had mentioned her as a killswitch, a simple object to be dispatched of if the plan didn't work. And Lana — her serene, pleased smile after Ginny had barely escaped death, as if Ginny were an elderly patient who had successfully finished her daily walk.
They're monsters.
Her fear coiled into a spit of rage in her stomach. She couldn't let them get away with it. All the hell they had put her through. Ron.
She had her work cut out for her.
She found Julien studying her with a solemn expression. Like he knew what she was thinking and he knew he couldn't change it.
The underground division of the Department was far from underground — it was perched on the edge of the world, carved into a cliff that seemed to defy the laws of nature.
The Portkey dropped Ginny off in a cavernous atrium shrouded in a blue so deep that made her feel as though she were underwater. The exposed wooden beams overhead hovered like the timbers of a ship, and heavy, silver desks shone under a giant domed skylight. Side bookshelves loomed with scrolls, a few of which were glowing.
Despite the absence of any discernible threat, the space hummed with an energy that was both exhilarating and terrifying, as if Lana and Virto had harnessed some unknowable power and captured it in the space.
Ginny wandered into the kitchen at the back, noting the industrial-looking sink and enough food under a Stasis charm to feed a family for months. To the left of the kitchen, the ceilings dipped into a training room that looked like an exact replica of the one she had trained with Julien in. She walked in, brushing her fingers over the charcoal fabric-paneled walls.
"It's familiar, huh?" Virto's voice finally rang out from behind her. She'd been wondering when he would reveal himself.
Ginny took a moment to compose herself, double-checking her Occlumency shields before turning around slowly.
"Very," she said. Virto smiled, his expression deceptively placid while he pushed against Ginny's mind, just as Julien said he would. Ginny felt the insistent pressure on her head as soon as she met his eyes. Fortunately, her shields held and Virto let off with a short nod.
"Julien trained you well," he said. "That was Lana's suggestion, you know. To connect you with the boy. She thought he would be a good teacher."
"He was," Ginny said, her tone devoid of emotion. "I guess I'll need to thank her for that."
"She couldn't be here today, but she wanted me to express her regrets. It's an important decision you're making and we've been anxiously awaiting," Virto said. He motioned for her to follow him back into the atrium, waving his wand across the far wall. A window appeared, revealing the ocean they were overlooking.
Sunlight reflected off the waves as they rose and fell. Seabirds wheeled and flocked overhead, diving in and out of the water. The unobstructed view of the water was nothing short of breathtaking, the expanse of blue-green stretching all the way to the horizon.
Virto pointed to an area near the bottom of the window. "That way is the cave we've built our headquarters on top of. Because caves are major nexuses for mind magic, we thought it appropriate to choose a location for prime access."
As she looked in the direction Virto was pointing, she thought she heard something. A slight humming, causing a bristling on her arms.
"You've put the diary there."
Virto's expression showed the slightest ounce of surprise, the first time she'd seen the emotion on his face. She filed the information away for future use.
Maybe my affinity for the diary is stronger than he thought.
"We have. And if you make your vows to the Department, you'll be able to use it and start your research immediately."
There he was, dangling the diary in front of her like a carrot. He knew exactly the effect it had on her. He knew it was enough leverage to convince her to join.
But first she needed to clear some things up.
"I have some conditions," she said.
"Oh?"
"I want a research partner."
Virto quirked an eyebrow. "An assistant? That can easily be arranged."
"No," Ginny said. She steadied her gaze at Virto, ignoring the weight of his stare. "I want Julien here. Working with me."
There was a beat of silence as Virto regarded her coolly, his eyes straying out the window.
"That's quite a big request. It's not easy to transfer an Unspeakable underground."
"You did it."
"The war made it easier," Virto said, shaking his head. "Times are different now. Kingsley turned his head for Lana and me, but poaching another Unspeakable today? He might consider it a threat to the Ministry."
"What is your relationship with Kingsley anyway?"
Virto turned his head sharply to face Ginny. "I won't answer any questions until I get a promise from you. You will join us if we allow Julien to join?"
Ginny paused.
"I need to be able to continue my life normally outside this place. I don't want to be locked up here."
"We expected as much. You will have absolute freedom to come and go as you need."
"And I need an Unbreakable Vow that you and Lana will not… harm us in any way when we work for you," she said.
Virto nodded. "That can be arranged. We wouldn't dream of hurting another Unspeakable."
"Ah, so Unspeakables are off limits. But normal wizards and witches are okay," Ginny said, venom laced between her words. She let out a dry laugh. "Upholding the highest moral standards, I see."
Virto didn't respond to the provocation, instead pressing his lips together into a rigid line.
"You will understand, in time."
No, I won't.
Ignoring Ginny's tight expression, Virto continued. "Are those your conditions? If we honor them, you will join?"
She glanced out the window at the rocky outcrop of the cave. She could almost hear the diary humming louder. Louder and louder, a tune that sounded alive, pulsing and breathing with a life force all its own. As if it was saying, you're so close. Say the word.
Both of them had known her answer the moment she had entered the atrium.
The mind arts held the control. Any resistance was futile.
Ginny took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly.
"Yes."
Virto's whole face seemed to brighten and his eyes gleamed with satisfaction. With a deep nod, he smiled at her.
"Welcome to the Department of Mysteries, Ginny Weasley."