Hydrus's arrival went un-greeted, as expected. If there was one thing he knew would be an uphill battle with Bellatrix in the future, it was that he didn't want to live in some grand castle or manor like this one. Arcturus's residence wasn't too bad on the size front, but even that was a bit more spacious than he would've liked. Just this wait for his unwilling hosts was enough reason to not want to live in a place so large.
"Oh." Narcissa had appeared, she was stiff and didn't look in the least bit pleased to see him. "Hydrus. To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"I wished to lean upon you and your family's resources." Hydrus stepped forward and bowed his head, waiting patiently for the woman to eventually hold out her hand so he could kiss its back. "And hopefully put an end to this animosity that has blossomed between us."
His… Aunt? Future sister-in-law? Relative, put her nose up in the air. "I don't know what you mean. The Malfoy family is—"
"Save it, Narcissa." He dropped the polite mask he wore and the woman flinched. "Your husband practically broke the alliance your marriage was supposed to re-cement, and I lobbed off his arm." He sneered at her and she looked away. "Unlike him though, I care a great deal for your son, and would rather put it all behind us."
Narcissa swallowed. "We were preparing for dinner, would you join me in the dining room?"
"I would love too."
Without waiting for her to offer it, he looped his arm into hers. She led him into the dining hall where he was met with an annoyed looking Lucius. The man paled the moment he saw the future lord, however, and stood.
"Scion Black." He bowed his head, something Hydrus should've done as the guest, and the Black pseudo-heir waved his arm for the man to straighten up. "It's a pleasure to see you."
"You as well." Now Hydrus bowed, releasing Narcissa. "I hope you'll forgive my intrusion. Considering we shall one day call each other 'brother', I figured the impropriety can be forgotten."
"Of course." Lucius held out his arm to gesture to the spot across from him at the table. "It would be our honour."
Hydrus smiled, then ignored the gesture and took the seat directly beside Lucius, across from where he figured Narcissa would sit. "Come now, let us not sit as equals. I am just a scion of House Black, while you stand as Lord Malfoy."
The blonde's eye twitched, but he kept up the facade much better than his wife had. He just chuckled and settled down in his chair. Narcissa wandered off, and once she was out of sight Hydrus turned to his friend's father. He gestured at him with the stump of his left arm.
"How's yours?" he asked, only the slightest lilt to his voice. "You still trying to grab things on that side without thinking about it?"
To Lucius's credit, the man continued to keep up the act. He'd probably spent the least amount of time in Azkaban compared to the rest of Voldemort's followers, but it seemed even that was enough to have eroded his 'future' self's sense of patience. Back then the blonde had been as easy to bait as a bull. Either that, or he truly did fear Hydrus more than he hated him.
"I'm adapting well," he said coldly. "Draco informed me of the choice you offered him."
"Did he also inform you of what would've happened if he was already of age?" Hydrus asked, genuinely curious. "Because if he had been, I would've killed you for your insult, and let him take your spot on the Wizengamot."
Lucius's eyes widened.
"I'll take that as a no." Hydrus reached out and grabbed the glass of wine that had appeared in front of him, no doubt courtesy of Dobby. "I care for Draco a great deal. He supported me even before others did, even in the face of potentially disastrous odds, and I reward such loyalty." He swallowed down a large sip of the drink, relishing in the taste of what he recognized as one of the Delacour vintages. "You, and forgive the pun, on the other hand, have been anything but loyal.
"And you know what? I could easily wave such nonsense aside; I couldn't care less who you associate with unlike my great-grandfather." He swirled his wine around in its glass. "But I came home after recovering from the immense task of retrieving my familiar, only to find you yelling at my fiancee and harassing that same friend who I just went on about."
Still the lord of House Malfoy said nothing.
"I might've needed to get the lay of the land when I first joined high society, find out who was who and what was what." He shook his head. "But that has changed. I've got a firm grasp on the world you've stood near the top of for so long, and I will no longer bow and smile at those who stand against me." He looked deep into Lucius's eyes. "I will destroy them. I hope you now understand that, and move accordingly."
Silence hung in the air for a while. His eyes bored into the other man's, as if daring him to break the trance, daring him to speak up for himself. Eventually the blonde just looked downwards.
"Yes, Scion Black."
"Wonderful," Hydrus said. Narcissa appeared, looking a touch more put together now. "Aunt Narcissa, I was just telling your husband that I need some information, including medical records, on one of my classmate's siblings."
She raised an eyebrow at him as she took her seat. "And you came to us?"
"They say one of the fastest ways to make a friend is to ask a small favour of them," he said. "I'm hoping that it works on repairing lost bonds as well."
"I'll see to it," Lucius announced. "Let us enjoy dinner first."
Hydrus gave a 'warm' smile. "I would love nothing more."
Food appeared before them, and Hydrus's stomach rolled over in delight at the sight of it all. Hogwarts might've put up some fantastic feasts, but it was nothing compared to wealthy opulence. It seemed they were going for a Spanish theme, with a pot of gazpacho taking up the centre of the table.
Whilst he was waiting for Lucius to begin, he noticed a small note scrawled onto a scrap of paper, angled perfectly below the edge of his plate for him to read.
Poison.
Just as Lucius had finished serving himself, Hydrus turned to him. "Would you mind if I borrowed your house elf for a moment?"
The man's eyes furrowed in confusion, but Hydrus took note of the way Narcissa twitched. "Of course. Dobby!"
The elf appeared, looking guilty though the Malfoys would no doubt chalk it up to his usual nervousness. "What can Dobby be doings for you, Lord Master Malfoy?"
"Hello, Dobby," Hydrus said, grabbing the elf's attention. "I need you to go and tell Bellatrix, your mistress's sister, that I won't be joining her till late in the evening. I plan to enjoy every last bite of this meal."
Dobby's eyes widened, but Hydrus just smiled at the elf and hoped his message was understood. The elf eventually nodded. "Yes, M-, M-, Mister Hydrus."
Hydrus watched the elf go with some small amount of pity for it, he knew the Dobby was fighting hard to maintain the secrecy of Hydrus's status as his master. Just as Kreacher was torn between obeying both Arcturus and Hydrus, so too was Dobby stuck between Lucius and Hydrus. Unlike the older, more cantankerous elf however, Dobby didn't have a full grasp on the situation and the younger wizard was just hoping that his continued kindness and the Malfoys' continued disdain would work in his favour.
'Maybe we can solve this tonight.'
With that thought out of the way, Hydrus dug in. The gazpacho was absolutely delightful, though Dobby had gone a bit heavy on the garlic, perhaps a request from the Malfoy's. Whatever poison Narcissa had chosen, it didn't in the least bit affect the flavours melding together in his mouth. He dipped his cheese bread into the tomato dish and savoured every last second of the crust's crunch and the innards' pillowy softness. The salad he took a bite of next was equally delicious, but he had to force himself to take a few bites of it instead of just continuing to chow down on the main course.
His table manners were flawless, but he still finished his food long after his hosts thanks to his massive appetite. When he was done, he slid his plate forward, palming the note as he moved it, and nodded to Lucius. "Your house elf's cooking is impeccable. I try not to expect such great skill out of other family's elves considering the legacy behind Kreacher, but you've truly gotten your money's worth with that one."
A proper smile sprouted on Lucius's face. "I won't go into specifics, but believe me when I say his breeder was the best."
"I should certainly expect so." Hydrus chuckled. "Though, I don't want to give Dobby all the credit. Narcissa, your own embellishment to the recipe hasn't gone unnoticed."
The former Black paled, and Lucius looked between the two, completely unaware of what was going on. "Pardon?"
"Let's see…" Hydrus started. "Something tasteless, so I wouldn't notice. Something slow acting, so that way I wouldn't die at your dining table. Something lethal, so your husband's humiliation wouldn't go without retribution." He smiled at the woman. "Dragon's root sap? Mantis blossom? Oh, just go on and tell me, I can't guess."
Narcissa's face was white as snow now, and Lucius wasn't stupid enough to still be lost at the implication. You could've heard a pin drop before the lord cleared his throat.
"Scion Black, it was I wh—"
"Be silent, Lucius," Hydrus ordered. He stood, and after beginning to cast preventative healing magic upon himself, disintegrated the entire table they sat around. "Both of you. Kneel before me."
"Lord Arcturus won't stand for this!" Narcissa practically screeched, the terror evident in her face. "He will—"
"Crucio."
Now she was screeching. Lucius's jaw dropped, his eyes wide in terror. The man fell to the floor and he nearly slammed his head into the ground with how swiftly he bowed. His wife had done much the same, though with far less muscle control as she collapsed to the floor. Hydrus only kept the spell going for a few seconds before dismissing it.
"I believe I ordered you to kneel, Lady Malfoy."
Slowly, after a few ragged breaths and sobs, she shifted her pose into something that resembled Lucius's. He stood over them. Both had helped facilitate the end of the world in his time, both had been responsible in one way or another for countless deaths and endless suffering. Ironically enough, Narcissa had been less involved in that timeline, but now here she was trying to assassinate him. He was puzzled at what to do next.
"I'm afraid I'm at a bit of a loss." He transfigured up a chair from the floor, wincing as he realised he'd forgotten to keep the healing magic going, before sitting in it. "Lucius, give me your house elf."
"E-, Excuse me?"
"I said, 'give me your house elf'." Hydrus cocked his head at the man who'd lifted his gaze up from the floor finally. "It is, as you might expect, the bare minimum of what I will be taking from you."
"D-Dobby!" the lord called. The elf appeared with a whip-like crack. "You will now belong to Hydrus Black."
"Wonderful." Hydrus tried to quickly brush over the lack of ceremony, since the elf was merely losing a master, not gaining one. "Dobby, go and retrieve Bellatrix Black, Draco Malfoy, and Arcturus Black."
"Yes, Master Hydrus."
He watched the elf vanish away with perfect punctuality. He felt bad for Dobby having to see him in such a menacing state; hopefully the little being would someday forgive or accept him, but for now he needed to maintain a certain aura about himself.
Hydrus continued to sit towering over the bowing and trembling purebloods. The use of the unforgivable had truly shaken them, even beyond just the torture it inflicted upon Narcissa. It made sense, he supposed. Without Voldemort tossing the spells around like they were confetti the world he now lived in was probably unused to such horrors.
Unfortunately for them, Hydrus was well acquainted with them.
Bellatrix and Draco were the first to appear. No doubt they'd still been in the Study Hall working in some fashion or another. Bellatrix was the first to grasp the situation, wrapping her hand around Draco's mouth before the boy could exclaim, and she pulled him forward till they stood beside Hydrus on his right. He remained silent throughout their arrival, just watching them until they were settled, then he returned his focus to the duo in front of them.
When Arcturus arrived, his nose curled and a snarl already blossoming on his face, Hydrus bowed his head. "Lord Black, thank you for joining me."
"What the hell is going on here?" He stepped up beside Hydrus on the left side, his cane clacking against the marble floor. "What have they done?"
"I came to the Malfoy family in need of a favour, and expressed the desire to put an end to the enmity I had perhaps flamed." Hydrus turned away from the patriarch to stare down the Malfoys. "Although Lord Malfoy welcomed my arrival with proper decorum, Lady Malfoy poisoned my meal."
And like that, all hell broke loose.
Bellatrix had thrown herself forward at her sister, and Hydrus's urgency to stop her had apparently inspired his familiar to fling himself from the wizard's shoulders. Bellatrix's expression was almost identical to the ones she'd wear back when she was his mortal foe, insanity and all. Apophis had dropped his invisibility and Hydrus was amazed at how fast the reptile could move. Black magic was flooding the room; pouring from Narcissa who was scrambling away in fear, Bellatrix who was attempting to kill her, Arcturus who was roaring for her to stop, and from Hydrus as his heart slammed into his chest in fear that Apophis would actually kill Bellatrix. Any magic Lucius and Draco might've released was completely devoured, the lighter family magic incompatible and antithetical to the monstrous force.
To his relief, the snake had merely wrapped himself around the murderous Black woman's legs, tangling her up and causing her to fall to the ground.
Hydrus breathed out a sigh of relief, but now everyone was staring past him. He glanced backwards and saw that he'd managed to blow out an entire wing of Malfoy Manor with his own magical outburst. Honestly, the more impressive fact was that the rest of the mansion was still standing, but it wasn't like he was going to bring that up now.
"Bellatrix," he said. "I could kill everyone in this room without so much as breaking a sweat, and not just because I can steal all but two of you's magic. Get up, and return to where you were.
"Apophis, get off her. I'm very proud of you." He knelt down so that the snake could slither up onto his arm. "After the incident we had the other day, I'm glad to see you learning to restrain yourself."
"I follow your will, father."
Once Bellatrix was back to where she started, head bowed in embarrassment, Hydrus nodded. "As I was saying, Lord Arcturus, Narcissa attempted to poison me. I am immune to such trivial threats however, and so finished my meal." He let that fact hang over the room for a moment. "For the moment, I have decided to spare her and her husband's lives, but would appreciate some guidance on how to proceed from here."
"Hmph." Arcturus had his cane in a vice grip in one hand, whilst resting the other end on the opposite. "You expect to lead this family someday, boy. What do you think you should do?"
Hydrus sighed and looked back down on the couple. He'd only invited the 'guests' because he needed time to come up with a proper answer, but he'd hoped for at least some guidance from the old man. If he let the couple off the hook he would be seen as weak, but killing them meant Draco would never forgive him.
The boy had improved by leaps and bounds since coming under Hydrus's wing, and the money his family had was something to be awed by. The Blacks might've had more, but it was still like comparing national treasuries. Besides, as much as he hated to admit it, he'd really grown to enjoy the blonde's company and the loyalty he offered up in exchange for simple good will.
"What do you think, Draco?" Hydrus asked. "I came to your parents with goodwill on my sleeve, telling them I wished to put an end to any bad blood between us, and your mother poisoned me. What would you have me do?"
"Anything besides their lives." The boy had answered quickly, almost pleading. "Please, Hydrus. I will do anything for you."
"Hmmm." He rubbed at his forehead. "Bella?"
"Kill them both."
The woman hadn't even hesitated, and it honestly made him chuckle. He didn't know why he bothered asking her, but it had felt fair since he'd asked the other two people he invited. Lastly he looked down on Lucius.
"And you, Lord Malfoy?" he asked. "What would you do in such a situation?"
"Kill me." The man had answered as quickly Bellatrix. "Spare my wife and kill me." It seemed there was some humanity within the pureblood this go around at least. "You said yourself that Draco can take over my position, and he will serve you well. Allow Cissy to leave the country on an allowance provided by my estate, I swear the Malfoy family will never—"
"Enough." He'd come to a decision. "I've made up my mind. Until Draco comes of age and graduates Hogwarts, the two of you shall live meek and quiet lives. You will be, as you practically already are, Lord Arcturus's puppets. If he says jump, you say 'how high'. When Draco is free of his educational responsibilities, the two of you shall 'retire' to…" He paused. "Where did the former Lord Potter retire to?"
"States," Arcturus answered. "Somewhere down south."
"The two of you shall retire to America then." He nodded his head. "And will never, under any circumstances, return to your home. Any allowance you have shall be set by Draco himself." He turned to the blonde boy who already looked as grateful as he'd ever seen him. "I assume you will continue your current loyalty?"
"Yes." The answer came swift and hard. "Always."
"So be it then." Hydrus stood. "And as my last petty flair for this punishment, I forbid the two of you from ever owning a house elf again. Dobby is now mine, and only Draco may own one in the future, if he treats it well." He looked at the boy who seemed as confused by the punishment as he was when Hydrus first told him to treat the beings properly. "I'm afraid I can't let you off entirely scot-free, my friend.
"Lucius. I came here for information, and you will provide it even if you have to kill for it." He threw a folded up piece of paper that held the information Marianne had given him onto the floor in front of the lord. "Hospital records, auror reports, credit scores; if this family has so much as taken a rancid shit in the past 48 hours I expect to know about it. You have until seven tomorrow morning to gather it up, am I clear?"
"Yes, Scion Black."
"Wonderful."
He drew himself out of his chair for the first time since he made the lord and lady grovel. "Lord Arcturus, I promise to find some time tomorrow or Sunday to meet up with you so I can discuss what's set everything off and caused me to miss our meeting, but for now I need my rest."
"Hmph. You better." Arcturus lightly tapped Hydrus's shin with the cane he wielded. "You're lucky I don't tan your ass for this mess."
Hydrus laughed. "Luck is my best friend. Come Draco, Bella."
Arcturus watched them leave. He waited for the sound of the floo going off. He turned to Narcissa. "What the fuck were you thinking?"
"Grandfather—"
Crack.
His cane slammed into the side of her head and left her limp. Lucius tried to get to his feet, but Arcturus had already removed his wand from the cane's head and cast a full petrification jinx on the 'lord'. He pushed his walking stick into the ground, his weight feeling heavier than normal, and waited for his granddaughter to regain consciousness.
It had been a while since he'd beaten one of his miscreant children, and it certainly hadn't been Narcissa last time. The girl was usually so well behaved. Perhaps that was why she now felt no fear, no common sense, regarding whether or not to betray her true family. He might've been too hard on Sirius, but it seemed he'd left the others to fester in softness. After a few more seconds, Narcissa groaned and began to shift.
"I asked, what the fuck were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry," she whined. "I'm sorry, my lord."
"That boy is our family's future," he hissed. "And you tried to kill him?"
"I wanted revenge," Narcissa whimpered. "He—."
"You think I give a rat's ass about your pissant husband? You think I care about the Malfoys?" He leaned down, putting even more weight on his cane. "I am a Black. You are a Black. No matter what sort of filth you marry into, you must always put your real family first. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Lord Black." His strike had opened up a small cut along her cheekbone and blood dripped out of it slowly. "I understand, Lord Black."
"Good." Arcturus stood up straight. "Be glad that boy has more mercy than I do. If it was up to me, Lucius would be tortured and killed, and I'd sell you off to the higher bidder as breeding stock." He slammed his cane into the ground. "Do not fail me again, Narcissa."
Hydrus sipped his coffee from a thermos and wished that his real father's invisibility cloak experiments had led the man to making them more insulated. He was sitting in the Williams family lawn, just waiting for Marianne to leave. The Malfoys had done their job and provided him with the information he needed , but there wasn't anything in there that contradicted what the girl had initially told him.
The aurors had some small amount of suspicion that it might not've been Greyback who did it, but Hydrus dismissed it as easily as the initial report had. Attacking a family like this and picking off the youngest, but leaving him alive, was exactly the evil werewolf's MO.
He had hoped that Remus would come through with more information, but it turned out the werewolf community was a bit more distant in this timeline. The older man could only provide a few easily known names and cringe at the lack of valuable knowledge. Still, it wasn't all for naught. If anything this meant the man would be much more readily available the next time Hydrus needed a favour from him.
He was just waiting for something to give now. Marianne had arrived early in the day, and thus far he hadn't heard a peep from the house. Despite the long night he hadn't come to a conclusion regarding whether or not the family was going to kill, sell, or give away their son. The Hufflepuff girl had been dead certain that they were going to kill him, but she also didn't strike Hydrus as an optimistic type. He was hoping they were going to try and give the boy away to Fenrir, but that was more out of a selfish desire to put the rabid dog down than anything morally proper.
Just as he was about to take another sip from his thermos, a voice hit him like a nostalgic hammer.
"Hydrus," it said. "It's Remus."
For the briefest of moments, he was back in the wastelands of Europe, scouting or staking out some potential death eaters. His soldiers all knew better than to approach him when he was on edge so only a select few could get away with it without startling him. Hermione, Ron, Neville, and of course, Remus.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, keeping his voice low but not quite whispering. "And how did you spot me?"
A slight amount of dirt was scuffed up beside him as Remus moved forward, no doubt under an invisibility cloak of his own. "Your father asked me to, since he couldn't be here himself. As for how I found you, you smell."
"I covered that up with pine sap and soil."
"You're drinking coffee."
Hydrus snorted, and Remus chuckled. He'd expected Sirius to show up and make a mess of everything, so having Remus instead was a massive improvement. He wondered if the Black Sheep really couldn't come, or if he'd just been smart enough to finally start listening.
"The girl's been in there for around thirty minutes now, hasn't come back out," he said. "There's a chance they'll just portkey or apparate out, but no one else has shown up either."
"I see," Remus said. "And did your other sources have more information than I did?"
Hydrus grunted an affirmative. "Hospital records confirmed the boy was bitten and turned. Auror reports are ninety-eight certain it was Greyback. No suspicious financial movements, muggle or otherwise, but even if they were planning to sell him off I doubt they'd get paid before delivery."
"If it is Greyback…"
"Then you'll stay out of my way." He made sure to leave a small threat in his tone. "No offence, Lupin, but I'm the better wand between us."
At least, Hydrus hoped he was. There was still a bit of a question mark on his skills in a real fight, both since returning to the past and especially since his magic had started to rebel against him. Greyback was really only a threat to him during the full moon, so he just had to hope that if he did get the chance to kill the bastard again, it would happen without the man being able to transform.
"Well, like I told you before," Remus said. "If they're really going to sell the child, it will probably happen next weekend so the buyer can be certain he's a werewolf."
"If it was going to be until then, they would've waited till Saturday to call the sister home." Hydrus shook his head before remembering Remus couldn't see him. "Next week is Hogsmeade weekend, they could've gotten her out of the school much easier then."
"I see."
They stood in silence for a while. Hydrus had offered his former defence teacher some of the coffee but the man declined. Eventually Marianne left, eyes puffy and red but keeping her chin up. Her father, Hydrus recognized him from the files, was walking beside her with a firm grasp on her shoulder as he led her to the car they arrived in. No doubt they were heading somewhere that had a floo.
"Poor girl," Remus muttered. "I can't even imagine what she's going through."
"She's certain they're going to kill the child, too." Hydrus said. "Once the father returns, I'll be following him inside. Don't try and do the same if you're not certain you won't be caught."
Remus hummed. "I've got experience in sneaking around, believe me."
"Yes, I know all about you and my father's little rag-tag group of pranksters," Hydrus muttered. "But you're old and out of practice, if you get caught I'm abandoning you."
"And here I thought you knew everything about me," Remus said, teasing. "I work as a private investigator, Hydrus. I can look after myself."
The time-traveller blinked. He certainly hadn't been expecting that, not from the former professor anyways. "A private investigator?"
"Mhmm." He could practically see the man's bemused smile. "I've even worked with your father a handful of times. The department doesn't like that they occasionally employ me, but between your father, James, and a few others they don't kick up too much of a fuss."
'Well that's certainly something,' he thought. "You struck me as more a bookish type."
"There aren't too many 'bookish' jobs for people with ailments like mine."
And now he could envision the tinge of bitterness that could sometimes corrupt that man's smiles. It made him frown. "It's not an ailment. Just a difference. Nobody calls being tall an ailment despite how often one might bump their head because of it."
"Being tall doesn't make you dangerous," Remus countered. "And doesn't earn you the scorn of society."
"It doesn't? Should tell Professor Hagrid that sometime."
That earned a proper chuckle from his former soldier. From what he'd seen, the man had looked a lot healthier and happier in this timeline, but Hydrus didn't doubt that his parents being around helped a lot with that. If they hadn't been the werewolf probably would've been in just as bad a shape, if not worse.
Although this world was more peaceful, and bore far less scars than his own time, it suffered from stagnation. Voldemort's first war had cost the lives of hundreds if not thousands, and the reparations had come in the form of social reforms and regulations that had helped curb the pureblood stranglehold on the political landscape. Without those motions, and without the failed 'outlet' for the nobles to vent their vile intentions, things were far worse for 'undesirables' like Remus than they had been in Hydrus's time.
Well, worse compared to the time before the second war.
"I'm glad to hear, and experience, you being so kind to people like me." There was genuine sincerity in his voice. "And not for my own sake, mind you. Sirius was worried that you might turn out to be like his family."
"Then tell him I'm exactly like them." Merlin, why couldn't the man just leave him alone? "Honestly, dealing with him is like watching a toddler who keeps touching a hot stove top and expecting not to get burned."
"Stoves eventually cool."
Hydrus growled. "Well I won't."
'Certainly not any time soon,' Hydrus thought. 'Not until I get everything under control.'
A while passed before a new vehicle appeared. It was an old, beat up pickup truck that looked to be more rust than metal, no doubt running more on faith than diesel. It sputtered to a stop, and the woman who stepped out wasn't anyone that Hydrus recognized.
She had a shock of red hair and a scar that Hydrus could see all the way from across the street running down her neck. Her jeans were dusty and torn around the knees, and she wore a plain white tank top despite the chill in the air. The thing that most surprised Hydrus was the holstered gun on her hip. It left him wondering if she was a muggle, or just a witch with broader skills than average.
"What the hell is she doing here?" Remus muttered.
"Friend of yours?" Hydrus asked as the woman stuffed a wad of tobacco into her lip. "Seems I really was off about you being the bookish type."
"More an acquaintance." Remus's tone was cold. "Isabella Stonefoot. She runs a charity home for werewolves and other 'dangerous youths'."
"And why's that got you so upset to see her here?"
"Because she told me she had never heard of the Williams family." The woman was moving towards the front door. "She lied to me."
"Some private investigator you are." Hydrus closed his thermos tight then cast a few spells to try and banish away any smells that might still be clinging to his breath. "Change of plans, I'm getting in that truck. Come on."
He moved silently and Remus either did the same or had decided to stay behind. Any fear he had of being discovered because of the stupid coffee faded when he got close to the truck. The smell of gasoline wafting off of it could've covered any odour. He settled down in the bed of the truck, close to the cabin, and sent a quick prayer to Magic that he wouldn't get tetanus from the jagged rust spots the thing was covered in.
"Careful," Remus muttered. He settled down beside Hydrus, their shoulders touching. "This thing's a death trap."
"Sounds like it's not your first time getting in the back for a ride," Hydrus teased. "Good on yo—"
"It's not like that," Remus cut him off. "Well, I mean, it used to be. But not anymore." He snorted. "Clearly."
Hydrus blinked. His former soldier seemed genuinely upset. "Did she not tell you because she doesn't like you, or because she's hiding something?"
"I'm not sure," Remus said. "I guess we'll find out."
Eventually Marianne's father returned, and seeing the truck parked out front, practically ran inside. A short while later, Stonefoot stepped out holding a sleeping boy in her arms. The Williams couple stood in the doorway, the wife had her face buried in her husband's chest and the man was just staring at the ground with furrowed brows and a tight, pursed frown.
The redheaded woman opened the passenger door and buckled the boy up before moving over to the driver's side. The engine coughed and sputtered, protesting the indignity of being asked to start, but eventually it kicked over and before too long they were puttering down the road. Hydrus tried getting comfortable, but the truck bucked like a horse and left Hydrus worrying for his tailbone.
'Ugh,' he thought. 'I wonder if Bellatrix would give me a massage when I return.'
The thought of a stuck up noble like her being willing to do so was doubtful, but he supposed her fanaticism might be enough to allow it.
"Dead!" Bellatrix screeched. "I want her dead! Rotting! I swear to Morgana I will shred her skin, break her bones, eviscerate her—"
"Enough!" Her grandfather slammed his cane into the ground but Bellatrix refused to so much as flinch. "If you have a problem with the situation, take it up with your 'little water snake' since he's the one who decided on her punishment."
Bellatrix growled and threw another vase. It crashed against the wall in a satisfying explosion of porcelain that did little to alleviate the fury that filled her. The Black summer home wasn't exactly well furnished, but she found most things it did have were quite breakable.
Arcturus just kept staring her down, as if daring her to keep up with her outburst. The old man's face was twinging and wincing on the paralyzed side, a clear sign of anger, but Bellatrix didn't care. Hydrus had just wanted Draco to think he was on his side, get the Lord of House Black to take the fall for killing the traitors, and instead her grandfather had left it to Hydrus to come up with a solution.
'How could he be so blind?!'
She stormed off to calm down by finding out exactly where her Hydrus was. She slammed open the door to their bedroom, locked it shut behind her, and tore the elbow-length glove off her arm. There was a small desk in the corner of the room, and she moved over to it and unravelled a roll of parchment along its surface.
On the underside of her forearm there was an unassuming little dot, perfectly mistakable for a mole. In a sense that's exactly what it was. A small bit of skin that didn't quite match its surroundings for one reason or another. It was just that in this case, the reason it didn't match was that it didn't belong at all. It wasn't her skin after all.
It was Hydrus's.
She pulled a pin from her hair and with practised precision pricked the little marking, drawing a single drop of blood. It splashed against the blank parchment, immediately soaking into the fibres. She drew her wand and began to channel her magic into the working.
Blood started to 'unspool' from her arm as she cast her spell, sliding out of the little pinprick like a thread that began to draw out a map. It took her a while to understand what location was being depicted, but eventually she recognized that it was somewhere in eastern Wales. Hydrus had mentioned he'd be around the border before he left this morning, but it seemed he was getting further away then she'd expected. Still, it didn't seem like he'd lied to her, so she moved on.
The blood stopped pouring from her arm, and the lines on the parchment began to change. They merged and split, shortened and lengthened, condensing down into a singular image.
This was ancient blood magic, so old that the book spelled it 'magyk', and relied on a heavy amount of divination talent that Bellatrix was only half-confident in. Passively it allowed her to know when Hydrus was approaching or leaving, but for workings like this it took a bit more concentration and focus. When the blood settled, she frowned.
It depicted Hydrus, or at least an esoteric representation of him: a one-fanged serpent. He was unharmed, aside from the missing fang, which was good. Less good were the wolves circling around him, and the fire they were all surrounded by.
'One, two, three, four…' she counted before swallowing. 'I hope this pet werewolf you want is worth it.'
Hydrus held back a groan of relief as the truck finally came to a grumbling stop. They were parked outside a less-than-hospitable looking motel, and the sun had just finished setting. The moon was half-filled, a perfect semicircle, and provided more light than the humming neon sign above their head advertising vacancies. The woman who was apparently Remus's ex-beau stepped out of the truck and made her way over to the passenger's side. She opened the door and helped Timothy, Marianne's little brother, down and out.
"Yes, yes, we'll get you some food," Stonefoot said. She had a slight American accent. "I just need to—"
"Well, isn't this interesting." Even Hydrus jumped. Somehow Remus had gotten out of the truck bed without his noticing. "Izzy."
"Remus?" The woman looked like she'd seen a ghost. "What are you doing here?"
"Could ask you the same thing."
The werewolf unfastened his cloak and looked… Well, he looked pissed. It was a rare thing to see in Hydrus's experience. Usually the man was rather docile, and when Hydrus had asked about it in the past he just said 'I spend enough time being forced into anger to let it rule me when I don't have to.'
It seemed he didn't mind wasting such time these days.
"You told me you didn't know anything about this," Remus continued. "Said you'd not been in contact with the family at all."
Stonefoot puffed up now, her arms clenching tight around the Williams boy's shoulders. "I don't owe you anything. You're not—"
"What are you going to do with him?" Remus demanded, almost snarling. "Planning to sell him to Greyback?"
'Jeez,' Hydrus thought as he watched the man dominate the conversation. 'Good on you, Remus.'
Unlike Hydrus, the woman was anything but impressed with Remus's anger. Her eyes just turned cold, and she scowled back at the man. "Go fuck yourself."
Hydrus didn't need a werewolf's senses to hear the crack of a nearby twig. His head snapped over, as did the others', and as soon as he saw who was stalking over he allowed his wand to slide into his palm.
The man was tall, and unlike Remus, looked every bit the part of a werewolf. He was as tall as anyone Hydrus had ever seen besides Hagrid, and might've been nearly as wide as the half-giant too. He had a mane of salt-and-pepper hair that blended into a thick, matching beard. Unlike the previous timeline, it seemed the man had some sense of fashion now, as he was wearing an expensive black suit that did next to nothing to diminish the animalistic presence he wielded.
"Oh ho ho," Fenrir rumbled. "Ain't this a touching reunion."
BBaRtS
There's 23, another prime number in the books. We got to see Narcissa try, and fail, to take her revenge for Lucius. Dobby is finally free from the Malfoys. Arcturus reminded us that, despite the soft spot he has for Hydrus and Sirius, he is in fact a real bastard of a man. Remus and Hydrus properly 'reunited', and we saw how this new world has changed the werewolf. A look into Bellatrix's ability to track Hydrus, as well as her growing distance from the current Lord of House Black. To wrap it up we got a look at one of the death eaters who even a whole new timeline couldn't 'fix'.
Next chapter, as I'm sure you can tell, we get to see the confrontation between him and Hydrus. We'll be wrapping up this little werewolf subplot, and learn a bit more about Remus's ex. Hydrus and Arcturus are going to have a talk, Sirius is going to hear about what happened, and Apophis is going to meet his newest 'uncle'...
Reviews!
"I like this story, but it feels unsatisfying. I can see it being 250/300k words and us only reaching the third task with minimal hard plot progression besides Harry working through the tournament and scheming."
I'll be honest, I don't really have a comeback/disagreement with this. It very well might be that, or even longer. This might be a stupid thing for me to say/admit, but my main goal here isn't to tell a concise and well-structured story with this fanfiction. It's to practice my writing. That means things like balancing out dialogue vs description vs actions vs anything else I might be forgetting that goes into prose, sentence structure and length and variance, vocabulary choices, character design, and more. I can agree that Hydrus's growth feels slow, but that's mostly intentional because I want to just keep practicing with this and if Hydrus is 'done' too soon, then that gets a lot harder. This chapter, as well as the one before and one after it, are sort of an experiment for me to see if mini 'arcs' within the story help out with the feeling you describe to help entice people to keep reading, or if it'll get seen as filler despite the main-plot progression it causes (Remus getting added to Hydrus's contact list, revealing how Bella tracks Hydrus, showing Arcturus being a bastard, building Hydrus's reputation, and more to come next chapter).
"The only issue I see with the angst is it seems to lead to all the conflict which gets annoying. Like serius nearly dying due to emotional outburst is ,underwhelming?"
I know I said I wouldn't regard the angst comments anymore, but this is a different take on it than others had, and one that I can understand. As I said in the previous review response, I'm trying something new out here to see if that helps alleviate that feeling of all problems stemming from emotional problems. In this case, Hydrus got involved with the problem because he wants Remus back on his board, he wants to build his reputation, and just a little bit because he does have a moral compass and wants to help the kids. The conflict arises from the appearance of Fenrir Greyback and this Isabella Stonefoot woman. No angst whatsoever. We'll see if it works.
Also, Sirius didn't get hurt because of emotional outburst, he got hurt because he and Hydrus played tug of war with his magic through an anti-magic runeward and caused it to explode. I know it's nitpicking, but still! Lol
"Hmmmmm i really am stumped by why Hydrus' magic keeps rebounding on him. It can't be lack of love, otherwise Voldemort would never have been a problem. It can't be his body, as it should be adapting to his magic as time goes on. Maybe Magic's gift comes with a cost? I'm seriously intrigued."
I will say that it's not necessarily impossible to guess, but I definitely haven't given all the clues needed to easily figure it out just yet. Like, if he just fixed it next chapter and got the explanation as to what happened, I don't think people would be very satisfied. As I mentioned before, there's generally three layers to the plots going on in the story, and as you might be able to guess this one is on the deity front. We're seeing Hydrus sort of learn, albeit with some stumbling, how to mitigate the problem but he's going to need to do more than that.
And that's all! Thank you all so much for the kind reviews, I really do appreciate them lessthanthree, and I'll see you all next Saturday.
