Chapter Two.
They walked in silence through the halls of Castle Blackwood, each lost in their own thoughts as their minds dwelt on the conversations to come.
Callian idly noted that his hand had reached up to hold onto the amulet of Delvaryn that hung about his neck.
Ever since his father had made the amulet for him before he had left for his school, his life had changed. The fact that he had had an actual conversation with a literal God was a testament to that, he could still barely believe it. Yet, he had felt the power of Delvaryn course through him as he had been healed of the wounds in his body that had threatened to claim him. He had felt the Divine's strength as he had been hauled back to his feet, watched as the physical form of a God had wielded Magic like it was nothing before it had turned to face the Darkness that had been closing in.
As if responding to his thoughts the amulet began to grow warmer in his hand, no longer the searing heat that had once stung him but a strong warmth like that of a blazing hearth on a cold winter's night.
He let out another sigh, he would rather be far from here. Lost in one of the many ancient tomes from the great libraries of the Castle, or left alone to practise his Spellweaving in peace.
Alas, he was not that lucky and all too soon they arrived at the small dining hall, the same one that they had last shared with his friends and their parents over the winter holidays. The same one that he had become bonded to Keeky when he had learned that his great-grandfather was dying and would soon be gone from the world.
It would seem that this room had become the location of several important events recently, and he had to wonder about what would be revealed from today's conversations.
Stepping through the open doors, he trailed his hand over the dark polished oak before they were all soon seated as his mother once again took charge of the conversation.
"I would bid you welcome to our home, but this meeting is far from a pleasant one." Her cold blue eyes bored into Elsbeth as the Unspeakable ducked her head, unable to meet the woman's gaze.
Callian could not help but smile. He held no ill will for her attempt to breach his mind, however, it seemed his mother's anger over the event had still not abated.
"I was loath to inform you or your Ministry of the truth of what had occurred within Hogwarts, but my Son and father believe it is better to reveal the truth and offer our aid in dealing with these threats that have been made known to us."
She shot a look towards Callian as she spoke, a look that did not go unnoticed by the inquisitive brown eyes of Saul Croaker.
"Indeed, the Department has become most alarmed at the strange activity regarding the Veil. More importantly, we have been able to detect similar energies emanating from the area surrounding Hogwarts. From what we have been able to deduce, the entity, or whatever that thing was only tried to breach into our world through the archway. We have no clue as to just what happened in the forest two nights ago, only that there was a similar surge of power before it suddenly ceased." Saul spoke up, his voice held a softness to it but Callian knew it was velvet wrapped around steel. The longer he studied the man, the more he could see the hard and uncompromising nature of this stranger in his home.
Yet, as he studied the Unspeakable across the table he found that Saul Croaker was in turn studying him. It began as a feather-light touch of power, little more than the ambient magic that all Magi become used to sensing. However, it was only when the questing tendrils of power began to push against his own Magic that he began to suspect something more. It took him a long while to realise the almost ghostly touch of the man's Magic, so faint he could barely detect it even when he knew it was there. The man had refined his control to such a degree that he appeared to have hidden it beneath the ambient Magic of the castle.
Elsbeth was quick to pick up where Saul had left off as she quickly detailed her parts in the events. "Once the Department had reason to suspect another attempted breach they were quick to dispatch myself and a team of investigators to try and ascertain just what had happened within the forest, something that we still have not been able to uncover. The Centaur clans within the forest seem to be much more active and have barred all from what they consider their lands, it seems the only one who can inform us of what happened within the forest is Lord Black."
As if he had been waiting for the opportunity Saul leaned forward as his eyes seemed to gleam with unanswered questions.
"Yes, the young Lord Black is a name that has become common in many circles at the Ministry. It seems your exploits are catching the attention of many powerful people."
Callian leaned forward in his chair, his mind lost in the empty calm of the Void of Thought as he drawled his reply. "I aim to please, Mr Croaker."
The man stared hard at his glib reply before he gave a great clap of his hands as he gave a derisive bark of laughter. "And let us not forget young Lord Potter, it was a sad day for the Department when your mother rejected our offer. Mayhap, she would not have fallen to the Dark Lord if she had furthered herself among the Unspeakables."
All in the room bristled at the man's words, and Croaker seemed to realise that he had overstepped himself. Yet, before he could say anything Harry beat him to it. "I'm thankful that my mother had the sense not to join those who invade the minds of children."
Callian grinned as Elsbeth's face paled as he felt his mother's presence swell in anger.
Yet if the older Unspeakable even noticed his companion's discomfort he gave no outward sign.
"I regret that some actions have to be taken if it helps us identify potential threats to our world."
It was said with that same calm tone that only seemed to infuriate his mother more with each spoken word. He would not be surprised if his mother started flinging spells at the small infuriating man, he reached up and placed a hand on his mother's arm before looking back towards the two Unspeakables.
"Where would you like me to begin Mr Croaker?"
The small man leaned forward once more until Callian worried that the man would fall from his seat.
"Like all good stories My lord, we must start at the beginning. I have personally questioned the Auror contingent that was detailed to investigate the goings on of the School and they have revealed little beyond eyewitness accounts. One thing in particular that has my Department stumbling about in confusion is how you managed to survive drawing upon the Wild Magic of the world and not suffering the consequences?"
Callian frowned at the man's words, the momentary flash of half-remembered pains flaring across his body. He had thought that the Unspeakables would be more interested in what he had learned lay beyond the thin barrier of the Veil, what interest could his seemingly miraculous survival have for the Unspeakables?
The answer was surprisingly simple to work out, he mused.
If the Ministry or in particular the Unspeakables, could replicate and harness what he had survived by sheer blind luck, then they would be unstoppable. It would throw the delicate power balance of their world into chaos, and Callian knew with a feeling of dreadful certainty that his secrets could bring utter ruin to the Magical world.
Taking a deep breath, he vowed to himself there and then that he would only share that memory with his family. Once more submerging his mind in the emptiness of the Void of Thought, before he began a carefully edited rendition of his tale.
He began his story with his flight over the forest, following the directions he had received from Faenir deep into the heart of the Forbidden Forest; he did not mention his folly with the syphon stone only claiming he had inadvertently reached out to the wild magic of the world when he had been afraid.
It was here he halted his story and he shot a last look towards his mother and grandfather, they had accepted what he had said with some disbelief and it had taken inviting them into his mind for them to fully accept all that transpired within the forest.
There was no chance he would allow strangers into his mind to view his meeting with Delvaryn, especially those who already had proven themselves willing to invade his mind without a care. His grandfather had already thought of this however and a Pensieve sat atop one of the side tables behind them, he had already given his grandfather a copy of the memory of that night and the man had carefully selected the pertinent recollections to play for their unwanted guests.
It seemed Saul Croaker was not a patient man, however, as he quickly got to his feet. "What happened then, how did you manage to do what should have been impossible?"
Callian frowned at the man and he was not the only one as Denevan had moved to stand behind Callian, he could his grandfather's power like a furnace at his back as the man let a tiny sliver of his power flare about him causing the Unspeakable to take a step back in alarm.
"You will be seated."
It was a command. Spoken with all the authority and righteous anger of a Lord defending his heir in his own home, Callian could not stop the grin that plucked at his lips as the small man collapsed into his chair, the slightest flicker of fear dampening the hunger he had seen sparking in the depths of those dark brown eyes.
Callian turned to stare at his grandfather as the man continued to glare at the Unspeakable. He had never heard such anger in the man before and it was somewhat unsettling to witness now, he wondered just how much longer his grandfather could stand dealing with this man before them.
It seemed that Elsbeth was aware of the growing tension as well as she cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention. " I am sorry, My Lord. I assure you that neither I, Master Croaker nor the Ministry means you, your House or Lord Black, in particular, any harm. If I may?" She asked as she indicated a small satchel at her side.
With one last dark look towards Saul Croaker, Denevan nodded his agreement towards the woman, Callian noted she also kept shooting concerned looks at her companion before a throat clearing from his mother had her quickly reaching into her satchel. Her arm disappeared far deeper than the bag would indicate and he surmised that the bag must also have expansion charms similar to his own.
Callian sensed the familiar feel of a summoning spell, and in short order, Elsbeth had several scrolls and many leather-bound work journals floating out of the satchel to land upon the table.
"This is a copy of everything that we have been able to piece together regarding the Veil in the last two centuries. The majority of these scrolls are from the last few days, ever since the events of two days ago we have found the Archway to have become very active."
That brought several worried looks from their side of the table. Callian shared a brief look with his grandfather before he turned back to the Unspeakables.
"Have there been more attempts to breach the Veil?"
It was a question that sent an unpleasant hill down Callian's spine, the thought of what was waiting beyond the Veil was something that filled him with a dread greater than any he had felt when standing before the Dark Lord.
Elsbeth shook her head, something that brought a sigh of relief from Callian as he listened to the Unspeakable. "There have been no more attempts to gain entry into our world through the Archway, but we have seen a number of forms gathering within the mists."
Callian watched as the woman shot another brief look towards her colleague, but the man seemed to have withdrawn into himself. With a quick shake of her head, Elsbeth continued her report of the current investigation into the ancient artefact far below the streets of London.
With a flick of her wand she sent the small pile of journals and scrolls skidding across the table to land before Callian, Denevan was already reaching for them when Elsbeth detailed her investigation into the arch. He was quickly lost to the Arcane terminology that was being thrown around and he could see Harry was just as lost as he was.
His grandfather's voice pulled him back to the conversation before him as the man laid an unfurled scroll on the table.
Leaning forward Callian could see a detailed drawing of the Archway he had seen when he had pushed Elsbeth from his mind. Around the diagram he could see notes written in a small neat hand, it appeared to be detailing a strange script carved into the very stone of the ancient structure.
"It says here that you have identified a form of cuneiform script carved into the stone?"
The Unspeakable was quick to nod as she made her way around the table to look over the scroll alongside his grandfather.
Pointing out specific pieces in her findings, the Unspeakable was quick to answer his grandfather's questions.
"The script is archaic, but it had been worn from the surface of the Archway. However, since the attempted breach from whatever lies beyond, we have found that several enchantments have become active and the Archway is using crude but highly effective self-repair charms to restore itself." Elsbeth quickly pulled several other scrolls towards herself as she unfurled them and placed them beside the first. "This is everything we have of what had already been restored, we have had a little trouble translating but we have been able to trace its roots back to the ancient Magical cults of Mesopotamia. More specifically those from the ancient city of Eridu and the Cult of Enki, we believe it was these that created the Archway nearly four thousand years ago. We know the Archways creators, but we have yet to identify the purpose of its creation."
Denevan stood up straight as he looked at the woman beside him, reaching out and placing his hand upon Callian's shoulder. "I believe that we can provide the answers you seek, Ms Moore."
Callian found himself once more the centre of attention as everyone in the room turned to look at him. He shared one last look with his mother and Harry before he rose from his chair, taking a deep breath he stared resolutely ahead as he began his tale of his conversation with the Seeker of Secrets.
He was met with stares of incredulity from both of the Unspeakables, yet he did not let that stop him as he explained all that he had learned from Delvaryn or the Gods and Veil.
Elsbeth was silent as she sat with a contemplative look upon her face, yet Callian found his gaze locked on Croaker as the man's face took on a look of dark fury. The man was not silent for long as he took to his feet once more as he leaned his small form over the table separating them.
"Enough of this nonsense, Blackwood?! I do not care for this talk of Gods! You of all people should know better than to believe in this nonsense for Merlin's sake. The boy was addled from his exposure to such potent Magic, this is all some crazed figment of his young mind." Those eyes had taken on a dark, angrier quality, as Croaker turned to stare at Callian. " If you explain what happened to you in the forest then I can help."
An unpleasant feeling crept into Callian's mind the longer he held the man's gaze, and he thought he saw the faintest glimmer of scarlet embers deep within the man's brown orbs.
"I have told you all that I can of what happened in the forest, Mr Croaker."
His words did little to settle the man and the sudden scorn that twisted the man's normally placid face was surprising to witness, but it seemed as if the man was only just beginning his tirade.
"You summoned us here with the promise of explanations, yet, we are met with this ridiculous tale of Gods and threats from the great beyond!" The man's face had taken on a look of potent fury and Callian saw the seemingly crazed Unspeakables hand twitch towards his belt. It seemed that even his fellow Unspeakable was shaken by the man's sudden rage, and he watched as the woman moved to put a restraining hand upon Croaker's arm.
The man jerked as if stuck with a hot brand and Callian watched as the man's arm spasmed before plunging into the depths of his robes. Elsbeth urged her colleague to calm only to fall back with a cry as the man suddenly spun, the glint of light on steel flashing as a blade whistled through the air. Blood splattered the wall as the blade sliced deeply into the chest of the woman before the room erupted in a cacophony of flashing spell lights.
Callian had instinctively conjured a wave of force before him that sent the table flying towards the crazed man only to break upon a conjured shield, only for a lance of red flame to shoot forth from his grandfather that pierced the protective Magic with a ringing clamour and continued on to bore through the Unspeakables upper arm. The man howled as his arm fell away as the smell of seared flesh filled the room, blood fountained from the stump of the man's arm before a quick and brutal spell from the Unspeakable seared the wound closed. Yet Callian only had eyes for the severed arm upon the floor as an oily black smoke floated free, snapping his gaze upward he stared in horror as the man turned eyes that now glowed a sickening scarlet onto them.
Callian felt his stomach drop at the sight of those eyes, eyes that had stared at him only a few days prior.
A sudden boom shook the room as a thunderclap of Magic tore outwards from the man, and Callian fell back only for the pulse of Magic to slide over a pulsating sphere of energy that protected them. He looked up to see his mother crouching over the downed form of Elsbeth Moore, a trail of blood smeared the floor from where she had crawled away from her now-possessed colleague. His mother seemed to be fighting a losing battle, as she split her focus between holding her bunched-up robes pressed against the woman's chest and keeping them all safe.
The Dark Lord turned those eyes onto Harry and Callian watched as his friend fell backwards, tripping over the prone form of the Unspeakable upon the floor. Despite landing upon the wooden floor with a grunt of pain Harry still managed to keep a tight hold of his wand as he held it aloft, pointed directly at Croaker's head with its tip glowing an angry red.
The sibilant hiss that escaped from between Croaker's bared teeth sounded less than human and Callian could not hold back the shudder, his movement seemed to draw the attention of the Dark Lord and Callian found himself the sole focus of the dark wizard's attention.
"Give me the answers I seek, Little Killer. Give them to me and I will spare your family."
Callian's knees buckled as he felt the mental lance of the Dark Lord stab into his mind and he desperately sought to wrap his mind in the emptiness of the Void of Thought.
He lost all sight of the waking world as he desperately fought to keep the Dark Lord from piercing his mental protection, dimly he was aware of a growing warmth that seemed to bolster him but for all his growing skill it was like trying to hold back a Tsunami. He felt his grasp of the emptiness growing weaker with each passing second, but he refused to give in and drawing upon every scrap of his Magic that he could call upon, he reinforced his hold upon the nothingness.
Within his mind, he felt a sense of amusement coming from the Dark Lord before he heard a chuckle echoing in the Void.
You would do well among my servants, Little Killer.
In this place, there was no hiding the anger and pain that moniker brought to him. The Dark Lord had named him such after he had ended the life of Marcus Flint only a few days ago. It had been a mercy to the older boy, especially as Voldemort had been using the boy's very life and Magic to fuel his possession. It was strange how days had come to feel like years, and they seemed to weigh heavily upon him.
Another bout of laughter echoed out from the Dark Lord as he sensed his conflicting emotions.
You are still young, soon you will come to see the cattle for what they really are. The weak serve the mighty, Little Killer. It is inevitable. Just as is your joining me, Willingly or not, I will have you among my Servants. Your power is growing and I will suffer no threats to my plans to live.
The weight of the Dark Lord's presence swelled until Callian felt as if his head would burst from the pressure, it felt as if his mind was being squeezed in a vice. The slow death grip Voldemort had upon him was unlike anything he had felt before, and he could not hold back the scream that ripped from his throat like the howl of a banshee.
You will tell me how you survived opening yourself to the Magic of the world. Give me what I seek and I will make the pain stop.
Callian could not have spoken even if he had wanted to, and a part of him desperately wanted to. The pain was unlike anything he had experienced and it only seemed to be growing. Every nerve in his body felt as if it had been scoured with acid, and he thought he could taste the coppery tang of blood upon his tongue.
Desperately he called out for help, begged and pleaded with anything and everything that was listening to make the pain stop.
As if his prayers had been answered he felt Voldemort's attack upon his mind shatter as the Amulet of Delvaryn pulsed against his chest like a second heartbeat, in his mind he saw a wave of silvery fire burn away the darkness of the Void and this time he listened as the Dark Lord screamed in fury and pain.
He fell to his hands and knees as his awareness shifted back to the material world, and he found himself staring at the faint ghostly outline of the Seeker of Secrets before the apparition faded from the world.
A strangled gurgle came from across the room and Callian turned back to see the possessed form of the Unspeakable, as his body gave a jerking motion as if an electric shock had surged through him. With a gasp Croaker dropped to his knees as he looked up at them, One eye was still the sickening crimson of the Dark Lord while the other had returned to the deep brown it had been only a few minutes prior.
The voice that escaped the man's mouth was hoarse and filled with pain, but Callian also heard the iron in it as the possessed Unspeakable stared hard at Denevan.
"Sever me, Blackwood. Cut me off from my Magic before it is too late!"
Callian gasped as he heard the man's request, Severing someone's connection with their Reservoir was the only surefire way of rendering a Magi unable to wield their Gift. It placed a permanent block between the wielder and the source of their Magic and was tantamount to turning them into a muggle. Many countries had outlawed the practice centuries ago, as it had been deemed too vile to be forced upon even the worst of their kind.
The thought of not being able to ever touch upon his Magic sent an unpleasant tingle running down his spine despite the pain that still racked his mind, the process of Severing was reversible but more often than not fatal and the Magi, if they survived, was never the same afterwards.
Upon the floor he heard Elsbeth give a feeble cry of denial, but whether his grandfather had heard or not, he could not tell.
A bare flicker of power, little more than a ripple of Magic in the air, was all the warning that the occupants of the room had before Croaker was thrown from his feet. He bowled over several chairs that still remained upright before coming to land in a heap by the open doors of the small dining room.
Callian turned to stare up at his Grandfather, the man's face a mask of determination as he layered Weave after Weave over the prone form on the floor until the possessed man could do nothing more than stare up at the world.
Clambering back to his feet with Harry's hellp, Callian could only stare in horror as he watched one side of the man's face glare at them with one eye filled with hate, while the other stared at Denevan resolutely.
Slowly, the presence of his grandfather swelled as he released his normally rigid control of his Magic. Callain could do little more than wince as he felt the formidable aura of Denevan Blackwood swamp the room. He had once thought that Voldemort with all the combined might of his Thirteen possessed and bound servants to be unstoppable, but before him stood one of the greatest Magi living and it seemed even the Shade of the Dark Lord quailed as the weight of that power bore down upon him.
"Begone from here, Shadow. Return to whatever dark hole you crept from, or I swear by all the powers that be I will bind you to this man and you can share the pain of Severing."
The Weaves holding Croaker to the floor shattered as the man surged to his feet and Callian feared he would attack them again, but Croaker's body dropped like a puppet with its strings cut as a dark, shadowy figure pulled free of his body before fleeing into the night.
Denevan, after one last look behind, took off after the Shadow. The ancient wizard moved with all the grace of a hunting cat as he chased the Dark Lord from their home.
Callian turned to stare at the rest of the occupants of the small dining hall, his knees giving out once more as he found the ground rushing up to meet him.