"$$Wait we mean no harm! We're here to resurrect Lord Gaunt!$$" Atticus Avery hissed in parseltongue. "Whatever you said it didn't work!" Alecto yelled, as the ibushi continued to charge its attack.
"Apparate out!" Severus ordered, before he disappeared with a loud pop. The others followed suit just as the yacht was obliterated by an electrified tornado beam.
On the Bossa Beach:
"My boat!" Rodolphus bemoaned. Thorfinn threw a handful of hard sand at the man that hit him squarely on the side of the head. "We almost died and the only thing you're worried about is a bloody boat?!" The man yelled.
"Yes, I'm worried about the bloody boat! It had all the ritual supplies on it!" He yelled back.
"Everyone calm down. It isn't the end of the world. Rodolphus, what do you need for the ritual?"
"Several gallons of magical blood, a focusing crystal, liquid gold, a human sacrifice, and tons of dark energy." The oracle recounted.
"Damn! Liquid gold and a human sacrifice in the same ritual?" Alecto whistled appreciatively. "It's the Dark Lord's own design. Everything was ready, all we had to do was get to the heart of the island. Now we've got to gather materials." Rodolphus said stoically, hiding his frustration.
"Luckily, I have the energy and the sacrifice. Acquiring the rest shouldn't be too difficult." Severus said.
"How'd you know to bring along a human sacrifice?" Thorfinn asked. "By using common sense." The potions master sighed.
"Let's split up for now. Carrow, Rowle, and I will gather the remaining materials, and you two can find another way to the island. We'll meet back here in a couple of days." Atticus suggested. The others nodded their agreement at the plan and spun on their heels, disapparating. Only Severus and Rodolphus remained.
"Any ideas?" Severus asked.
"Yeah, I'm thinking about kayaking." Rodolphus answered dryly. Severus sneered. "Alright, alright, lighten up. If Atticus couldn't talk that thing down, then we might need a different parselmouth." Rodolphus suggested. The other man gave him a flat look.
"Good luck with that. You'll be killed before you get anywhere close to His Majesty, and that's before you run into Bellatrix." Severus commented.
"Umbra Patronum!" Rodolphus's shadow raven dove into his shadow, off to deliver its message.
"You know how bad it got between those two. Do you really think Bellatrix is going to lift a finger to help resurrect the Dark Lord?" The other man asked. Rodolphus was silent for a moment, a faraway look in his eye. He coughed and spat up some blood.
"Yeah, she will." He said simply.
"What did you See?" Severus demanded trepidation on his sallow face.
"Nothing good. An Agent of Light is emerging. I can't see anything beyond that. Their light obscures my Sight." Rodolphus said solemnly.
Severus was silent for a moment before he sent his own shadow patronus, a shadowy doe, to the others.
"What are you thinking?" Rodolphus asked. "While you were drinking martinis, God gave us a mission to unify wizards and destroy muggles. We were taking things slow because we thought there was time. But now, now it's time to go on a crusade." The potions master said seriously.
Greengrass Ranch
Seventeen-year-old Daphne Greengrass watched the outsiders leave her family home from the background. The blonde woman couldn't stand being in the presence of the chaotic monsters that were the Black family. Daphne wasn't a fan of magic in general to be honest.
It was too random.
Too chaotic.
Too unreliable.
Too hard to control at higher levels.
Too unorderly.
Too dark.
Daphne couldn't stand it. Sometimes she envied muggles and their self-contained structured lives. They didn't have to bear the overwhelming chaotic power that was magic. They didn't have to witness the corruption magic caused in real time. In theory, Daphne should've been thankful to Lord Noctis as his power cured her father of paralysis and cleansed the blood malediction curse that plagued the Greengrass family.
But she wasn't.
Her father was a death eater. A murderer, thief, and rapist. Daphne had no idea who her mother was, only that she had been some other member of House Greengrass. Now that she was of age, her father made it very clear he intended to give her away to be the plaything of the devil child of House Black. It was the final nail in the coffin.
Everywhere she looked, Daphne saw the corruption and evilness magic brought about. Someone needed to do something about it. She needed to do something about it. But where to start?
Perhaps by joining IDA. They were a proper, well-ordered bunch. Daphne had a feeling that they would help her bring about control and stability over this chaotic and cruel world. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense to her. She liked when things made sense.
Still, she couldn't go before IDA empty handed, that would be rude and improper. Bringing the devil-child was out of the question. He was too well protected, and she knew she was no match for his guardians. Daphne would bring the next best thing.
The prophecy.
She nodded to herself as she began to formulate her plan. If she did it right, she would barely have to use the disgusting chaotic force of magic that repulsed her so much.
Alaska:
Antonin Dolohov awoke with a cough that quickly turned into retching. As it turned out, being inside a volcano while it was erupting really messed up the body. Antonin had used almost all of their supplies and potions over the last couple of days, treating the burns he and Sirius had suffered, including the burns their lungs and throats had suffered.
Sirius had been comatose ever since he had used the Spirit Dive technique, only occasionally stirring in discomfort. Zephyr was doing its best to help speed up the two's recovery time and was doing a good job of it.
The eruption of Yellowstone had resulted in the deaths of millions. Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and Idaho had become completely uninhabitable due to the burning ash that clung to the ground and air. With the death of so many muggles, witches and wizards everywhere on the planet had gotten a considerable boost in power, something that didn't go unnoticed.
Even bedridden as he was, Antonin could feel his power growing, his soul generating more spirit particles, and speeding up his healing. It was a major source of confusion and caution to the otherwise reckless and carefree man.
Did IDA not know that killing millions of muggles would power up their enemies? Did they know and not care anyway? Did this have something to do with Project: Phoenix Force?
Antonin tried recalling everything he knew about phoenixes. Their most prominent feature immediately came to mind.
Resurrection.
Was IDA planning on resurrecting Dumbledore? If so, then that could potentially be very problematic. They needed to know more about the situation. While Antonin was musing, Sirius suddenly stirred, rising from his slumber at last.
"Wakey, wakey, unfortunately no eggs or bacy." Dolohov rasped out. Sirius coughed miserably as he roused. "What happened? And where are we?" He asked, his voice raw.
"You merged with Zephyr for a bit and blew us all the way to the middle of nowhere. We've been holed up in some muggle house for the last few days." Antonin answered, sounding only marginally better.
"Switch to telepathic comms." Antonin thought, tapping his earring. Sirius did so, with an inquisitive look. "That volcano really fucked us up. It's best if we don't talk and let our throats heal." Dolohov thought.
Sirius nodded and started to cough again. "I'm pretty sure we're in Alaska. There's no magical presence here. We can resupply in Canada before we make the trip to the North Pole, but we can't stay here." Sirius thought.
"Are you able to move?" Antonin asked.
"Yeah. Let's go." The two and spirit slowly made their way out the house, taking food and anything that looked valuable, just in case.
"Zephyr? Can you transport us?" Sirius thought.
"Not very far in the state you guys are in. I recommend you drive for a few hours, let your bodies rest, eat something and then I'll transport you." Zephyr said.
Sirius waved his hand. "Accio keys!" He thought. The keys to a Jeep zoomed into his waiting hand. "I'm driving this time." He thought to Antonin.
"Fine by me. Wake me up when it's time to eat." The other man thought, somehow managing to sound snide even in thought. The two got in the vehicle and drove off. But not before Antonin set the house on fire.
"Why?" Sirius thought tiredly.
"I was bored." Antonin replied.
Obsidian Venue:
"Occlumency is so much more than just mental defense, and to think about it that way is limiting. Occlumency is about self-mastery. You need to understand your thoughts and feelings to be able to control them. Once you master your mind, you master your body. Strong mind, strong body, strong magic." Orchid instructed.
Over the last couple of days Hydrus's lessons had resumed much to his delight. Orchid hadn't been lying to him either, the others knew of her returned human intelligence and were willing to utilize her. The biggest reason his lessons had resumed early was due to the random surge of power he had received.
Hydrus's body was overflowing with magic power and it had made him dangerous to be around. His mere presence had random, chaotic effects on the environment. Objects would levitate and transfigure themselves without him doing anything. Sometimes things would catch fire. Other times there would be random conjugations. Even the house, Obsidian Venue itself, was warping around him with doors leading to exactly where he thought of going within the house. The massive mansion had become darker as well, with long winding shadows, and gaining a more gothic look.
Druella had insisted that Hydrus restart his occlumency lessons, only this time with Orchid, the best occlumens out of the four of them.
"Don't worry about clearing your mind, instead focus on a particular thought or emotion and try to stop me." Orchid said.
Hydrus took a deep breath and focused on the strongest emotion he could. His love for his family.
"Legilimens." Orchid entered the boy's mind and immediately hit a wall of mental defense. She tried different techniques to try and bypass the barrier.
She used her psychic magic to try and chisel away at the wall, she tried going around, and even just slamming away at it with raw force, but it held strong. Orchid withdrew from his mind.
"Well done, baby. I think it's safe to say you've mastered basic occlumency. I think we can begin on more advanced techniques now." Orchid praised.
"One of the main benefits of being an occlumens is mastering your mind and developing telepathic abilities. We'll be working on developing your psychic inhibitors." Orchid purred, rubbing the boy's inner thigh.
Hydrus ignored the horny woman's touch, focusing on her words. "Why would I need to inhibit myself?" He asked.
"Inhibitors slow down your rate of mana flow, giving you more control over your magic. It also helps with wandless magic. Once you can do that, we'll begin working on using internal psychic magic to boost your physical attributes and psionic shields." Orchid said, climbing onto his lap.
"How do I create the inhibitors?" Hydrus said, wrapping his arms around the woman's waist, kissing at her cheek and neck.
"Later. Mommy is hungry right now." Orchid pawed at his robe, tearing it off with her transformed claws. Orchid, Bellatrix, and the others had all decided that Hydrus's magic would be their primary food source. They were all gluttonous for his seed and Hydrus was almost always happy to give it to them. Almost.
"You're always hungry." Hydrus pouted. He wanted to continue with his lesson. Orchid bit his neck, leaving a mark and causing the boy to gasp.
"It's your fault for tasting so damn good. Now be a good boy and let mommy Orchid drain those fat balls of yours." Before the two could enjoy themselves, they were interrupted by a shadowy raven.
"Hey kid. It's been a while since we last spoke but I could really use your help. I've been trying to revive your father, just like I said I would, but we ran into some issues. The boat with all the supplies got blown up by an ibushi snake. When Avery tried speaking parseltongue, it didn't respond. I think only a member of House Gaunt can speak to and control these snakes. If you want to help bring your father back to life, come to Ibiza." The voice of Rodolphus spoke through the raven.
"I'm going." Hydrus said immediately, morphing into mist to escape Orchid's strong grasp. He didn't get very far as he was trapped in a bubble.
"That's not for you to decide all by yourself, Hydrus. We're going to talk it over with the others and see what they say, ok?" Orchid said gently.
"But they might say no!" Hydrus said, distressed. Orchid pursed her lips, not having an answer. If it were up to just her, Orchid would give her soulmate anything he desired. Bellatrix was almost assuredly going to say no, the woman already didn't like sharing Hydrus, having to share with the Dark Lord would be a nightmare. Just then, the woman in question appeared, sensing her son's distress.
"Hydrus! What's wrong?! Orchid, explain yourself!" Bellatrix pointed her wand at the wolfwoman, the tip of it glowing a sinister green.
"I want to go to Ibiza to help resurrect Dad!" Hydrus said quickly before the situation escalated. Bellatrix looked at Hydrus in confusion.
"Huh? Hydrus what are you talking about?" She asked, much calmer than she had been a moment ago.
"We got a message from Rodolphus. He needs a parselmouth from House Gaunt to keep them safe while he performs the ritual." Orchid growled out; her hackles raised from Bellatrix pointing a weapon at her.
"Absolutely no-." The black-haired woman was cut off as she fought sight of her son's face. Hydrus had stuck his bottom lip out, and there were tears in his eyes. "Is this something you really want, my love?" She asked.
Hydrus nodded fervently. Bellatrix gave him a soft, loving smile. She was never able to tell her son no directly. "Then you shall have it. You can go, and I'll come with you. We'll leave tonight. Klutzy, Clumsy!"
The two house elves appeared before Bellatrix. "You called a mistress?" Clumsy asked. "My son and I will be taking a trip, pack our things." She ordered. Bellatrix then walked up to Orchid and held out her hand expectantly. The werewolf sucked her teeth and handed over her wand, after she dispelled the bubble.
Bellatrix handed the wand to her son and turned back to the other woman. "You can inform the others. Hydrus and I need to have lots of emergency pre-vacation sex." Bellatrix grabbed her son and disapparated, leaving Orchid alone.
"That's not even a real thing." She complained.
Magical Canada: Maple Street
Zephyr had transported Antonin and Sirius to Ottawa, Canada. The two had quickly made their way to the magical district located within the city, Maple Street. They traded some of the jewelry they stole for potions at the apothecary. With a bit of human transfiguration from Sirius the two disguised themselves as American wizards who had fled from the eruption and were staying with distant family in Canada until they got settled.
Using their disguises, they were able to go get proper magical treatment for their lingering injuries. Fully healed and resupplied, they were ready to make the trip to the North Pole.
"So, what's the plan this time?" Antonin asked, his voice sounding normal again. Sirius considered the other man for a moment.
"We'll talk to the snow elves. They hate IDA, if we give them a means to attack, they'll probably take it. We can use the distraction to infiltrate and search for information about Project Phoenix Force." Sirius said.
"I didn't know there were different types of elves other than house elves." Antonin revealed. Sirius scowled. "That's because IDA did a good job of wiping them out." His frown deepened and he clenched his fist. "I was on some of those missions."
Dolohov placed a hand on the other man's shoulder. "You didn't know better. But try not to mention the fact that you participated in elven genocide. Besides, I was allowed to bring heavy artillery." Antonin briefly showed Sirius a small mythril case.
"Why didn't you use that earlier?" Sirius questioned. "I have no idea if IDA can use the light that Lord Noctis spoke of. If they can, they might have a resistance to the Eye's power. No need to show our trump card to the enemy." Antonin said grimly.
Sirius nodded at the explanation. "Zephyr, can you find the snow elves? If we can focus their power, we might be able to take over the North Pole base entirely."
"If they breathe, I can find them, but it might take some time." Zephyr spoke.
"What's so special about elves that IDA would want to wipe them all out?" Antonin asked.
"Elves are born with the ability to wield ambient magic. Most species are, were, peaceful, using their powers to advance their culture and civilization. They had no real reason to have soldiers or an army. So despite their power they had no idea how to use it when it came to fighting. It made defeating them really easy. Only a few species remain, but their populations are so small and their breeding cycles so short that they were deemed a nonthreat." Sirius explained.
"Do you think we should bring some of the women back for the Master?" Antonin asked excitedly. Sirius frowned. "Isn't he like eleven? What would he do-, ah, right. Bellatrix." Sirius said, remembering how crazy and twisted his cousin was.
"I think I found something!" Zephyr butted in. "They were using psionic ice instead of a standard composition."
"Psionic?" Antonio question, unfamiliar with the term. "It means they were using psychic magic to generate an element instead of using a spell. Psionic ice is a bit harder to melt, and is much more versatile with the user being able to shape it with their mind. It needs constant concentration though; a big enough distraction will make it vanish." Sirius said.
Antonin shrugged at the revelation. "It doesn't matter. We'll put their powers to good use in God's name. Put your coat on and let's go."