Chapter 21 is out! This is a shorter one, but details from some character's pov are finally appearing in other's; that definitely hypes me for the future in which all the subplots will finally be connected. Or maybe not, who knows?
Hope you all enjoy it!
Scala ad Caelum
Chapter 21: Bad Omens
Ronald Weasley POV
Tuesday 9th December, 1992 (Slytherin common room, Hogwarts) - Middle of the morning
This was a battle he was not going to lose; under any circumstances.
"Come on, it's your turn," Daphne urged him, her eyes not leaving the board for an instant. "Or do you need more time to think about the plays? If so, you just have to ask for it, you know? I wouldn't mind giving you some advantages to make the game a bit fairer."
"Shut up," Ron shushed her.
It had been a long time since he last played a game of chess, and even more since the last time the redhead was able to steal a game from Daphne. But here they were, in the middle of a cold morning in December, giving their everything to not lose their honour.
In theory, they should be at Herbology, but today's lesson was about taking care of the Mandrakes. In other years, that might have been a mandatory class like any other; but those other years didn't have a petrified student laying on the medical wing. Because of that, Professor Sprout had kindly sent them away so she could focus on the important job.
"Why don't you use your bishop?" Gerd pointed out, from atop of his head. It had been ages, but the Essentia had finally decided to leave the forest and get back to the castle with him. When Ron asked her about it, the little woman told him that, since she had already explored most of the forest, it wasn't so interesting anymore; that, and the fact she didn't like to be outside during December's frost, even if she couldn't feel the cold.
Since Daphne was so close to him, Ron couldn't answer her; that was the reason why he let out an exasperated grunt in response. Now it was her turn to decipher it.
"Oh, are we getting nervous?" Daphne smirked at him.
It's been so long since the last time I played a game that I'm rusty as hell… but I can't lose against Daphne. In the end, he ended up losing; at least, in a much closer way than he first expected. "Well, well, isn't this a checkmate?" The blonde girl beamed at him, clapping her hands rather happily after her knight took his king down. "It wasn't so bad, but you still have a long way to go if you want to defeat me, Ronald."
"Come on, don't go parading around just because you won one game," Ron groaned. This was the main reason why he hated losing against the girl so much—not that he enjoyed losing against anyone, of course—but Daphne was as much of a sore winner, as she was of a sore loser; a trait both of them shared, even if he didn't want to admit it.
"Mind playing another game?" Daphne tested both his patience and pride.
Shame that Ron didn't really care about that silly pride; at least that was the impression he wanted to give her. "Nah, I'm off," he shrugged it off. "I wanna write a decent essay for the Memory charm, so I'm heading to the library."
"Oh, I see," the blonde hummed, still taunting him. "You don't wanna lose another game."
Well, that was true, but it was easier to act as if he didn't care about it than admitting defeat. "Of course! You can tell that to yourself if that is what you want to hear," Ron said, already making his way towards the exit; his very old bag hanging from his shoulder. Sending a last look back, he found Daphne picking up her expensive chess set, and a curious Gerd eying her from above.
It was something the Essentia herself told him long ago; among all his friends, Daphne was Gerd's favourite—even more than Tracey—and that made the blonde girl the object of the spirit's curious gazes. I wonder what they would think about Gerd if they could get to know her... She and Tracey would probably be the best of friends, and Blaise would get teased every time he starts acting gloomy.
The bond they shared was something very unique which Ron loved, but sometimes, having a little, shining spirit around you was a bit problematic. For starters, the redhead had to be very careful when talking to Gerd; if he didn't want people to start saying he was bonkers, that's it. At least, he knew nobody but him could see her. In fact, the only person who ever looked in her direction when she didn't want to be seen—or when she wasn't performing any kind of magic—was the Headmaster himself; the first time being the day when they exposed Pettigrew and the second one during the Stone debacle.
He had been so lost in those thoughts, that he almost ate the library's door when a group of students opened it from inside. "Oh, hello Ronald," a red-haired girl greeted him after she and her friends noticed his presence. "Do you also have a free period on Tuesday morning?" Her name, if Ron remembered correctly, was Susan Bones; the niece of Amelia Bones, a very important person within the Ministry who Percy admired a lot.
Their relationship with the Hufflepuffs was almost non-existent, and the same went for the other two Houses. Students from Gryffindor and Slytherin getting along? That was something unthinkable; as far as Ron knew, their group was a unique exception, and even after seeing them hanging out together many times, people still sent weird looks in their direction. On the contrary, Ravenclaws seemed to be a bunch of serious guys who didn't care much about other's doings. Lastly, unlike them, Hufflepuffs were very kind to almost everyone, but their promotion hadn't practically shared any classes at all.
Because of that, the redhead decided to talk with them a bit. "Oh, hi, Susan," Ron answered. "We are supposed to be in the greenhouses right now, but Professor Sprout cancelled the class because she wanted to take care of the Mandrakes by herself; you know, because of the Heir and all of that…"
"Oh, that is totally understandable," a blond boy at her left muttered; his name was Ernie Mac-something, or so Ron thought. "It's been quite a while since the Heir last attacked someone… and nobody knows a thing about him yet… Do you have any idea of who it could be, Ronald?"
"Nope, but I'd love to slap the hell out of him, that is something I sure know."
"Well, you see, we have this theory about-" the boy started, but he was quickly elbowed on the ribs by a blonde girl with some twin pigtails, who whispered something into his ear; a pretty weird action, if you were to ask the redhead.
"Ehm, sorry about that," Susan Bones apologised, looking a bit nervous. "Ernie's best friend, Justin Finch-Fletchley, is a muggle-born, and we've all been pretty worried about him."
"Oh, I see," Ron answered, even though he couldn't understand why they were acting so weird. "Is that the reason why he isn't with you right now? He has short, brown hair, doesn't he?"
"More or less," Susan said. "Well, it was a pleasure talking to you, but we need to go now. Goodbye!"
Ron just raised a hand as a farewell and looked at their retreatings backs. Merlin, I didn't know Hufflepuffs were such a bunch of weirdos. Whatever, I have things to do. The redhead finally got into the library—which was quite empty—and looked for the ideal table to sit at. He was wandering around the Charms section when he spotted Hermione, sitting in one of the biggest tables by herself; a bunch of books and parchments everywhere.
"Hey there," Ron whispered as a greeting, which made the girl almost jump in surprise.
"Ron!" She exclaimed while whispering, something the redhead didn't know was possible. "Don't scare me like that!"
"Sorry," he apologised, even though he wasn't sorry at all, and took out a parchment from his bag. "I suppose you are finished with it by now but have you written the essay for the Charm memory?"
"That is what I am doing right now," Hermione answered, her quill furiously dancing in her hand.
"Ehhh, wasn't it supposed to be around fifty centimetres?" Ron asked, quite horrified with the sight in front of him. His friend not only had greatly surpassed that mark, but she was also going for a bloody world record!
"I know it," she smiled, a bit embarrassed. "It is just that… I find this charm pretty interesting, and I want to write a nice essay for Professor Flitwick. I think Padma Patil is taking everything very seriously this year—since I had the best academic record last year—and I don't want to be left behind. I know it sounds childlike, but…"
"Hermione, that ain't a bad thing," Ron stopped her soon-to-be rambling. "Trust me, if I had enough patience or brain to do that, I would be trying my hardest to shame you all."
"Mhm," the girl hummed. "I got a lot of information from this book of advanced theory about the most used charms. Actually, there is way more information here than what Professor Flitwick wants, but I've summed it up as best as I could. If you want it, you can give it a look so you can develop your own ideas; only if you want, of course…"
"You kidding? Let me see it."
Just like that, the two of them got back to their respective essays, and the only sound that could be heard was the quills grazing against the parchments. "Can I ask you something?" Hermione asked, after some minutes of silence. "Are the students from Slytherin also placing bets about who the Heir is going to be?"
"Ehm, yeah, of course they are; everyone is," Ron answered, not expecting that question by any means.
"Do they… have a favourite?"
"Last time I heard them talking about it, Harry was the favourite," Ron sneered. "Can you believe it? Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, as the Heir of Slytherin; truly a plot twist, eh? Just because he had an argument with Filch and because people think he hated Colin Creevey's guts… Bloody lunatics…"
"They aren't the only ones, you know?" Hermione muttered, and the fact she was biting her lip didn't go unnoticed by the redhead.
"What do you mean?"
"I had a…, talk with some Hufflepuffs from our year just before you came. Ernie Macmillan started to ask me about Harry; if I knew what was Harry's opinion about muggle-borns; what he thought about his friend Justin… all that sort of questions. At first, I was completely speechless, but then, I realised he was asking me all those things because he wanted to gather information about the Heir! Can you believe it?"
"Woah, I see," Ron muttered. "That must be the reason why they got out of the library the way they did…. Bloody bastards, I almost lost my teeth in the door because they were running away from you!"
"They weren't running away from me," Hermione mouthed back. "They were just… well, maybe I was a bit too hostile towards them; but can you blame me?"
"What? I was about to congratulate you!" Ron snorted. "I should have been here to 'talk' with that Ernie."
"Don't say that," Hermione smiled, not so embarrassed anymore. "He was doing it for the sake of his friend. A pretty silly way to protect him, but at least he is trying it."
"Whatever, aren't we supposed to write an essay about the Memory charm? I think a practical demonstration would boost mine a few points… Eh, don't try to scold me with your eyes, you aren't my mother. Besides, he kind of deserves it!"
"Ronald…"
"Come on, you didn't say no to that…" A last glance definitely shut him up. Merlin, I forgot she is as scary as my mom when she wants... In the end—about an hour later— the redhead completed his essay without the practical demonstration part; which was a very tragic thing in his opinion.
"I think your essay was rather nice," Hermione commented, once they were on the way back to their common rooms. "But you had way too many orthography mistakes! Honestly, you do revise your work before delivering it, right?"
"Of course I do!" Ron defended himself. "Well, most of the time, at least. For some essays, Tracey does it for me; in exchange, I help her with the content of hers and those sorts of things. Teamwork is greatly valued within Slytherin, you see."
"If you say so," Hermione sighed.
The walk back to the Gryffindor common room was a long one, but a Weasley would never let a girl do it alone; especially, if there was some mad bastard around with an even more crazy monster; no, if he let Hermione walk back by herself, Bill would probably feel it from Egypt and apparate right in the school to smack the hell out of him.
That thought made him smile in a very stupid way. Maybe, because of that, he missed the fact Hermione had stopped dead in her tracks, which made him collide with her. "Ouch, what are you doing?" Ron cursed, touching the spot where his ching had impacted the back of her head. "My teeth are shaking because of tha-"
Right in front of him, lied Nearly Headless Nick, no longer white and transparent, but completely black and smoky. "R-Ron l-look there…" Hermione muttered, pointing with her trembling finger at something.
His heart started to beat faster, just as the sweat on his forehead made his fringe get damped. Suddenly, he realised there was no sound in the corridor except for his heart beating against his eardrums. But nothing of that mattered at that moment. The Heir of Slytherin had attacked once again, and this time, the victim was Justin Finch-Fletchley.
"I know you had nothing to do with it," the Headmaster smiled reassuringly at them; still, it looked way too forced to relax Ron at all. "But I need you two to tell me everything you saw, please."
Trust me, I would love to tell you everything, but I'm as lost as you here, the redhead thought. It had been a long time since he last visited the Headmaster's office. At first glance, everything looked the same, and just like the first time, the boy didn't have time to get lost in the many amazing things surrounding him. It seemed the only way to visit the place was under very gloomy circumstances.
"W-we were just coming back from the library, Professor," Hermione started to explain in a rush. "Walking back to the Gryffindor tower, and Ron was just accompanying me, t-that's it."
"Mrs Granger, there is no need to be nervous; please, breathe and relax," Dumbledore piped in.
"Okay, okay," she said, taking a long gulp of air before resuming. "We were just walking through the corridor when I almost stepped on Nearly Headless Nick. That scared me so much, and I even almost tripped, but then… Then I found Justin laying there, not far from the ghost. The rest was just blurry… I can't remember anything at all."
"Actually, we saw nothing, Headmaster," Ron clarified. "When I realised what was happening, I drew my wand—just in case, of course—and looked around, but there wasn't anyone near the corridor. Then, Hermione ran to get the closest Professor from that point; and the rest… well, I think you know the rest."
"I certainly do, Mr Weasley; thank you," the old Professor sighed.
"If I am allowed to do so, I would like to shed some light on the matter," Snape said, standing right behind their chairs. "From what I know, Mr Finch-Fletchley had been avoiding Potter for quite some time; to be exact, since he first told him he was a muggle-born. On top of that, it seems many students from all the Houses had been betting on the Heir's possible identity; it seems Mr Finch-Fletchley—according to what some classmates of his said—was a rather…, influenceable and naive individual."
At first, Ron thought the intelligent Professor had completely lost his head and was blaming Harry for everything; thankfully for him, Dumbledore seemed to share his opinion. "Severus, don't go that way, please," he sighed, looking quite exhausted. This wasn't the first time they've had that conversation.
"I think you are misunderstanding me, Albus," Snape practically chuntered. "I'm not blaming Potter; the boy certainly has many flaws and shouldn't receive the preferential treatment he receives. That being said, he is not the Heir of Slytherin. My point is whoever is after the attacks know this fact and is trying to blame him. First, it was Filch; then came Mr Creevey; and now, Mr Finch-Fletchley. Those are too many coincidences if you ask me."
For a moment, no one uttered a single word.
The Headmaster now looked more thoughtful than ever; Hermione was looking with wide eyes at the Head of the House of Slytherin; while Ron was simply thinking about what Snape had just said. It is true, how could I not see it by myself? Whoever is attacking the muggle-borns, not only wants to purge the school, he also wants to destroy Harry's life… But, who the hell is crazy enough to do that? It was a very solid argument; one that could shed a lot of light on the matter if Harry wasn't the main factor on it.
The boy had been the one to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and only that was enough to earn lots of enemies. People whose sons could be in the very castle right now; enjoying a warm meal after a well-done job. For fuck's sake, the only thing we know with that information is the fact the Heir wants to blame Harry. It could be any older student from Slytherin; it doesn't even need to have Salazar's blood running through his veins, whoever is attacking the muggle-borns can just simply loath them hard enough to do all this shit.
"Mrs Granger, Mr Weasley, thank you so much for your collaboration," the Headmaster smiled at them. "It has been a horrible morning, and you should both rest. There won't be any more classes for today; we, the professors, are going to patrol and inspect the castle to see if we can find anything. But before sending you off, there is something I want to ask from you two. Please, stay by Harry's side as much as you can. Hard times are coming for all of us, but even harder for him; rumours and gossip are a pretty strong thing in schools, and he's the objective of many of them."
"Sure, don't worry about it," Ron nodded. It wasn't as if he needed a request from the Headmaster to do it.
"I will try my best, Professor Dumbledore," Hermione promised.
"Severus, escort them to their respective common rooms, please," the old Professor asked the younger one. It wasn't going to be a pleasant walk, but at least, they would be safe. Not even the Heir of Slytherin was crazy enough to attack Snape, right?
Harry Potter POV
The second half of the past week hadn't been precisely nice, but it seemed life didn't have enough with that. Of course not, he was Harry Potter, his life had been a joke since the moment he was born; how could he have a pleasant week for once?
Everything went downhill when Snape paired him with Theodore Nott for the duelling club, and now, he understood why Ron said all those things about him; the boy was a bloody psychopath. He just couldn't easily beat him in their exchanges, no, he had to humiliate Harry for the sake of it; just as some cuts on his cheeks indicated, still present after almost an entire week. At least, the lanky boy gave him some tips to get better at duelling, just because he found Harry interesting enough. "You ain't bad for someone who has never given it a try," the bastard said to him.
But even that was a thousand times better than the looks he had received today. Really, how the hell could people be so stupid to think he was the Heir of Slytherin?
He had talked just one time with Justin Finch-Fletchley before the students from all Houses started to spread those rumours about him being the Heir. From that moment onwards, the boy from Hufflepuff began to run away as soon as they met in the corridors. And now that he was attacked, everyone blamed Harry for it. There were no open words of hate towards him, but the constant muttering and the many glances which were sent at him spoke for themselves.
Hell, it was impossible to escape from them even in the Gryffindor common room; something that greatly troubled him. Since the first night he stepped on the warm and welcoming place, there hadn't been any other word but 'home' to describe it.
Rough day of training with the maniac of Wood? Nothing better to rest than sitting by the fire on his favourite couch and closing his eyes with the sounds of the charring firewood in the background. Another day of people constantly staring at his scar and muttering behind his back? Nothing a nice night of laughs and sweats with Neville, Dean, Seamus couldn't fix.
Nowadays, even that wasn't possible.
"Hey, what are you looking at?" Fred exclaimed at an older student, whose glances were all but subtle. "Don't you know it is rather ill-mannered to look at the Heir of Slytherin like that? If you want a signed photo, you'll have to wait in line! Dear Harry here has a busy schedule today; in fact, he has a meeting with his monster for a cup of tea in a few hours."
Some students laughed pretty loud at the joke, while others just looked at the twins in a rather horrifying way. "Fred and Geroge!" Percy suddenly exclaimed, coming at them with his ever-glowing prefect badge on his chest. "This is not a laughing matter! People are getting attacked! And the younger students are scared!"
"Oh, come on, Perce," George groaned. "You don't even care about the 'younger students', everything you do is because you have a duty as a prefect to fulfil."
It is time to go now, he sighed in his mind, making his way towards where Hermione and Neville were sitting before getting caught in another of the infamous 'Weasley's row'. The bushy-haired girl was trying—for the umpteenth time—to help Neville with the Potion's homework; usually, Harry also got caught on those lectures, but she had been wise enough to spare him after seeing his sour mood.
What the boy wasn't expecting was for Ginny Weasley—among all the possible people—to meet him halfway. "Harry, do you have a moment?" She asked; just like that, no signal of her usual nervousness or blabbering around him. For an instant, it surprised him, then he remembered how the girl acted after beating that first-year girl from Slytherin in the duelling club and the fact she was always surrounded by the other first years.
"Oh, hello, Ginny," Harry said. "Ehm, what can I do for you?"
"I just wanted to know how you were doing," Ginny answered, with a shrug of her shoulders. "It can't be healthy to have so many people constantly muttering nonsense about you. Honestly, how can they think you are the Heir of Slytherin? You were the one to defeat You-Know-Who when no one could!"
"Well, you can tell that to everyone," he sighed. "I'm doing fine, quite used to it, in fact. What about you? Colin Creeevy was the first student to get petrified, and you and the other first years looked as if you were pretty close."
"We are…, fine, I guess?" Ginny muttered, not looking as chirpy as seconds ago. "It was tough for everyone at first, but I didn't like Collin so much, to be honest… Wait, don't get me wrong! I would never want something so horrible to happen to him. That is not what I was trying to say…"
"Don't worry, I get it," Harry tried to smile at her; something he wasn't very good at, so it probably looked like a weird grimace instead.
"Oh, thank you," the red-haired girl muttered, and for the first time since they all came back to Hogwarts, Harry saw the old Ginny back. There was no trace of that incredible self-esteem anymore; the person in front of him was just a scared and nervous first-year girl. "Colin was very…, passionate about everything which had to do with magic, especially about Harry Potter; he practically idolized you… Maybe that was the reason he was attacked… I don't know, but my friends are just scared, and I just don't have any idea of what to do to help them…"
"The Heir will pay for his crimes, that is something I'm very sure of," Harry stated. "The Professors are already working on it, and no one can escape from Dumbledore; trust me, it is just a matter of time." He had obviously omitted the fact they also were knee-deep in the hunt.
Revealing the Heir's identity was something personal for Harry now; it was very clear that whoever it was, wanted to blame him for everything. That was one of the main reasons why he suspected Malfoy to be the one so hard; after all, it was no secret the two of them hated each other's guts since the first day of school. Still, they didn't have any evidence about it, and that meant they needed to be very careful with how they acted; because if the blond boy turned out to be innocent, the Heir could be a much more dangerous person whom they knew nothing about.
"Oh, I hope you are right," Ginny said. "Well… ehm, I just wanted to know how you were doing… If you ever need someone to talk with… I just wanted to say that you can count on me, o-okay?" Not even waiting for his answer, the girl practically ran away from him; her red locks flapping thanks to her quick steps.
Well, that was something indeed, Harry thought; a part of him being amused, and the other being freaked out. It was good to see that Ginny hadn't really changed at all, but at the same time, Harry would definitely prefer if the girl could utter more than a few words without going back to the usual nervous mess she's always been in front of him.
In the end, he just sighed and made his way towards his best friends. Thanks to the improvised quarantine—while the Professors inspected the whole castle—the common room was as crowded as Harry had ever seen it; in fact, there were so many students who he had never seen before. Despite all the people in the room, Harry didn't need to walk carefully to not crash with anyone; why would he need to do that when everyone just moved out of his way so they could gossip behind his back?
"Hi there," Harry greeted them, dropping himself down onto the couch with a tired grunt. "Lovely day, isn't it?" Aside from the whole Chamber and Heir mess, if there was another thing which wasn't helping to ease his mood a bit, that was the shitty weather; how the hell could snow like that for so many days? It was the middle of the afternoon, but there was no sunlight lighting up the place due to the constant snowstorms.
"Hello, Harry," Hermione said back, stopping her nagging for just a second to greet him. "Come on, Neville; what is the first step when brewing a Girdring potion? I know you can do it!"
"Ehm… the doxy eggs?" Neville tried to guess.
"No!" Hermione groaned; this wasn't his first mistake. "That is the third one! The first thing you need to add is the set of fairy wings!"
"Oh, it's true…"
"Don't give up! Come on, what is the second step?"
"I don't know why we are doing this," he muttered. "Even if I turned into a potion's expert overnight, Snape would still sneer at my work and use my mistakes to make fun of me in front of everyone."
"Don't talk about him like that," Hermione nagged. "He wouldn't do that. Even if he is a very, very strict and biased Professor, as such, Snape would never ignore a very good potion; even if it comes from a Gryffindor. You just have to see how he raises a brow every time he inspects mine."
"Hermione, your potions are as perfect as any second-year student will ever brew them," Neville pointed out. "He might look the other way with your work, but as soon as Harry and I don't achieve perfection, we are completely hopeless. He just hates us more than anyone…"
"Neville is totally right there," Harry agreed with a nod. He didn't know why, but since the first Potion's class ever, the young professor had done nothing but loathe him. "No matter what we do, our work is always the worst and we are a lost cause; I've heard that a thousand times or so."
"That isn't how things work," Hermione tiredly sighed. "I think you two aren't judging him fairly at all. I know he is very strict with you in class—and maybe even a bit unfair—but he also did not hesitate when coming to save us last year; none of you was there, but he jumped between us and that shadow without thinking twice. On top of that, I've already told you the way he defended you in the Headmaster's office, Harry."
"Snape just said he doesn't think I'm the Heir; something pretty obvious, don't you think so?" Harry grunted back. Still, the Professor's theory about the Heir wanting to blame him for everything had been a very good idea. Maybe, the fact Harry himself hadn't realised something so obvious bothered him a lot; how were they supposed to hunt the Heir if they couldn't notice the most evident thing in the world?
"How's the potion going?" Harry asked, out of a sudden. "Christmas is just around the corner, and this year, almost every student is going home for holiday. We need to strike in those two weeks."
"The potion is in that phase in which it needs to rest for an entire week," Hermione answered. "Maybe a master of the art could brew it way faster, but I don't want to risk anything. If the potion needs a certain ingredient to be cut in a special way, I'd do that; if the potion needs to rest for two weeks, then waiting it is."
"Now that I think about it, isn't it a bit weird that Malfoy is spending holidays here?" Neville piped in. "He always goes home as soon as the Headmaster allows us, but this time, with everything that is going on, he decides to stay."
"He is different," Harry muttered in agreement. That was something he had observed in the past month or so. It was something strange, but Draco Malfoy wasn't the same person he was last year.
"He doesn't even look at me when we meet in the corridors," Hermione pointed out, looking quite thoughtful about it. "He always sneered or looked down onto me, but now, it is as if I didn't exist; not even a glance in my direction. Don't get me wrong, that is fantastic, but it is also very strange."
"We won't know if it had anything to do with the fact he is the Heir or not until we ask him," Harry stated. "It is very suspicious, yes, but that isn't enough to alter our plan. One day during the holiday, both Neville and I will disguise ourselves as Crabbe and Goyle and sneak into the Slytherin common room with the help of Tracey and Ron. Then, we will ask him about everything."
"Back during the duelling club, thanks to Lockhart pairing me with Bulstrode, I managed to get a bit of hair from hers," Hermione confessed. "I could also infiltrate with you."
"No, from what Tracey told us, Malfoy doesn't get along with Parkinson anymore; that means Bulstrode has nothing to do with him," Harry shook his head; it could be a good extra resource to have, but it wasn't the way to go. "This is something only I and Neville can do. You don't have to worry about it, though; this wouldn't be possible without the Polyjuice potion, and brewing it is something only you can do."
"I know," she sighed in defeat. "But I still wish I could be there."
Hermione was right; it was just a matter of time for the potion to be ready, and then, they would finally carry out their plan to know whether Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin or not. The blond boy looked more distant and serious than ever, but that had to mean something, right? At least, that was what Harry hoped; because if Malfoy wasn't the Heir, they were completely lost.
Those were the risks of putting all the eggs in one basket, as his aunt Petunia used to say.
Sirius Black POV
Friday 12th December, 1992 (Romania) - Early morning
Sirius had always loved the adrenaline that came with strong experiences; maybe, since the first time he hopped into a broom; or maybe, since the first time he and James went on a night trip inside the Forbidden Forest, back during their first year. But everything had a limit, and his need for an adventure was clearly surpassed after the events of that damned cave.
Hell, if it wasn't because Gerard had a job to do, he would already be back in London; drinking one of his finest whiskeys near the warmth of the fireplace.
"This is your last chance, Sirius," the Hunter told him, while he shaved his head with a razor; sat on a log not far from a little river. "The reinforcement is supposed to come at any moment; there is no need for you to be here… not after what we saw."
"Fuck it," Sirius grunted. "My dear mother loved to say that I was stupid, well, I think I'm just proving her right; even if I hate it. But there is no way I'm leaving you alone against whatever that thing turns out to be."
It had been an entire week since Gerard asked for help from his colleagues, and much to Sirius' surprise, the bastards had been quick to answer; something that shouldn't be strange, after all, everyone worked hard when there was money in the middle. The higher-ups had promised them a top-tier Hunter to help them, and whoever he or she was, should arrive at their position soon.
The two seasoned wizards hadn't been inactive while waiting, of course.
Finishing the job early was the only way for them to resume their hunt, so they had spent the last week trying to track down the mysterious monster; something which hadn't been too difficult. At first, they had no idea of how to trace it, but after finding the first dead wolf in the forest, the answer came to them. That bloody thing had the bad habit of leaving some of its white worms on the corpses of the animals it ate.
The two wizards had also experimented with those worms, and they even managed to find very interesting things about them. It didn't' matter the situation—and Sirius had experienced it firsthand—the little parasites always tried to get inside of them; just like they did with the dead animals; just as they had done with the Romanian Aurors.
Sirius had been so lost in his thoughts that he almost jumped from his seat when Gerard talked. "Someone is coming," he announced. "He is expanding his magic so others can detect him, so he probably is the reinforcement."
The bald man was right, and it only took Sirius a bit of focus to detect the intruder.
The basic rule—and practically the only one—of the art of weighting a wizard's magical power just by analyzing his aura was to never fully trust those findings.
Sure, it was of great help, especially if the person was going all out and not trying to conceive his power, but the problem of judging an experienced wizard just with that technique was how easy it could be for him to trick others. That being said, in this exact moment, Sirius was praying for the unknown ally to be doing it; because the presence they were feeling was nothing extraordinary, to say something.
From the thicket came a very young man who couldn't be older than twenty. Sirius wasn't a very tall man, but he could easily rest his chin on the Hunter's head if he wanted. The boy had short, messy, black hair, and judging on how poorly it was styled, brushes must not have been invented from wherever he came from.
The only thing that could make Sirius take him seriously was the fact he was wearing the same robes as Gerard. Only that the young wizard was showing the shield of the Hunter's Union—a white staff facing a red scythe with a stone tower in the back—in a much prouder way; being sewed on his black robes in a way that it covered his entire chest, instead of the little logo Gerard was displaying on his grey robes.
"Are you supposed to be the help we requested?" Sirius asked, maybe sounding a bit too incredulous.
"Are you implying something?" The boy answered, already looking pretty flustered. "I'm a mid-tier Hunter from the Union! I've been recently promoted, and my stellar climbing through the ranks had just begun! Lord Kovanen himself requested my skills for this job, so you better don't slow me down!"
"Among all the people who could have been chosen, it had to be a brat," Gerard sighed. "My name is Gerard Stokes, and he is my friend, Sirius Black; you might have heard his name-"
"No idea of who he is," the boy interrupted him. "Is he supposed to be famous or something like that? By the way, if he isn't a Hunter, what the hell is he doing here?"
Please Merlin, if you can hear me, give me patience to not strangle this brat. The kid reminded Sirius a bit of the purebloods lord he disliked so much; only that he was a hundred times more hyperactive, that's it. "Listen, we are a team now; so what about we forget this bad start and try again?" Sirius proposed. In war times, it was a must to get along with your fellow comrades; that was something he understood after many confrontations. Even if two persons disliked each other, out there, on the battlefield, all the differences needed to be put aside in order to survive.
"Works for me," the young Hunter nodded. "My name is Gary Whitaker, and I'm the help you requested from the Union."
"I'm not trying to sound rude here, boy, but why did Lord Kovanen send you?" Gerard piped in. "I told him this was an extreme situation with a beast we knew nothing about. I think the three of us will be enough, but it is always best to go for the safest option, and that was having a top-tier hunter with us."
"I don't really know the details, but something big is going on," Gary confessed. "It seems the top and mid-tier Hunters are carrying out more jobs than ever. From what I've heard, this is an unprecedented situation. All over the world, many magical creatures are getting more and more active, and there are lots of reports of mysterious ones, just like yours."
"Really?" Gerard asked, really surprised. "Even in the Extreme Regions?"
"Those areas remain as usual, but Lord Kovanen has sent various top-tier Hunters to keep an eye on them."
"Wait, what is an extreme region?" Sirius asked.
"There are some regions in the world where…, let's say certain magical creatures feel drawn to them," Gerard explained. "For example, the north of Sweden, Greenland or even some islands from the Philippines. All the jobs near those areas are instantly delegated to the top-tier Hunters."
"Yeah, but the worst one, without any doubt, is the Amazon Forest," Gary piped in. "Only those who excel among the elite of the beast slayers are allowed to get in that forest. I think the Union has a pretty shady thing with the Brazilian Ministry; some kind of pact, or something like that. Shady business, I'm telling you."
"Okay, okay, thanks for the information, but let's focus on our problem right now, okay?" Sirius implored. "Now that the group is completed—even if an extra wand would be very appreciated—it's time to go."
"It was about time," Gary sighed. "I was starting to think you two didn't really want to hunt that beast."
"Listen here, kiddo," Sirius grunted, feeling as if a vein on his forehead was about to pop off. "One week; that is the time you needed to make it here, okay? In that short period of time, we were able to greatly reduce the area of search, cornering the beast where we wanted; even though we still don't know its exact location. On top of that, since we are pretty legal wizards, we've been warding the area with muggle-repelling charms and all that kinds of shit, because we don't want to break the Statute of Secrecy, okay? You ain't the leader here; you are the reinforcement we asked for, and you are going to work with us as an equal, was I clear?"
"Who the hell do you think you are, Beardy?"
"What did you just call me?"
"Hey, hey, let's chill a bit, both of you," Gerard cut in.
"This has nothing to do with you, Baldy!"
"I've already been called that far too many times, kiddo; gotta improve your game," Gerard sighed. "Look at us, arguing as if we were bloody kids. Come on, I'll lead the way, and you two better shut up."
This group is a bit too dysfunctional for such an important hunt, Sirius grunted in his mind. This kiddo better be good with his wand, because if not, I might use him as bait… The three of them advanced through the cold forest. At least, the weather seemed to be in their favour since it hadn't snowed even if the temperatures were low enough for it.
Just by following the trail of dead animals and white worms, the two wizards were able to draw a big perimeter in which the magical beast was most probably to be found; but a guess, even if it was based on pretty good evidence, was still a guess.
Thirty minutes was the time it took for one of them to break the silence. "This direction, isn't it?" Gary suddenly asked, his finger pointed at the west, where the thicket started to get denser.
"Ehm… yeah, that is one of the areas we've thought to be the one," Gerard answered, looking at the boy with a guarded look. "How do you know?"
"The forest feels repulsed about something in that direction," he shrugged it off.
"The forest what?" Sirius repeated. "Explain yourself now."
"Eh, you don't need to be so hostile, Beardy. I don't know how to explain it, okay? It is something that has always been with me. Ever since I was little, I had this particular skill to feel and understand nature and its magic; like some kind of special intuition… The thing is there is something out of place in that direction, and the forest doesn't like it a bit."
It was a very weird skill to have, but Sirius could understand him; after all, he and James had been quite similar in that regard. If the Hunter's gift was a great sense of intuition related to nature, Padfoot and Prongs had been theirs. It was something that couldn't be explained to others with words.
"Okay, let's trust that intuition of his," Sirius proposed, and Gerard just nodded at him.
"I have one more question," Gary started, after taking the lead of the group. "You two are rather confident and relaxed for someone who almost shit themselves the first time you saw…, well, what you saw in the cave."
"Because we are prepared now, even if we still know a shit about the creature," Sirius answered. "There is nothing scarier than the unknown. When I got into that cave, I wasn't expecting to find hell itself there. But now, I've prepared myself for the battle against some horrible monster, something I've done plenty of times. Most importantly, there is a reason why I need to find the beast and kill it as soon as possible."
The face of Peter appeared once again in his mind, just as his heart started to beat faster and faster. If some stupid magical creature was the one preventing him from resuming his hunt, it had nothing to do against his determination; no matter what kind of monster it was.
Having survived a war as bloody as the one which shook the world ten years ago, Sirius was pretty confident in his skills; just as he was with Gerard's. The younger Hunter was an unknown factor, and that could be fatal when going into battle, but the boy had the same rank as his old friend; that had to mean something.
Still, there was something freaking him out; some kind of cold sensation, as if some strange presence was observing them from far away. Get a hold of yourself, Sirius; you must be imagining things. He had always trusted his instincts so much, and even if there had been times when that cost him a lot, they had saved his neck on way more occasions. It totally was a coin-flip decision, but Sirius discarded the possibility of the monster being the presence following them.
"You two talk as if you had a lot of experience in these sorts of things," Gary pointed out, breaking the tense silence.
"Well, I've been working as a Hunter for many years, so I'm quite experienced in these kinds of hunts," Gerard answered. "On the contrary, Sirius was just accompanying me across the country when the case got relegated onto me; still, you won't have to worry about him when we encounter the beast."
"I was already fighting a war when you still were sucking on your mom's tits, boy," Sirius snorted.
"Maybe, but fighting wizards and magical creatures are two very different things."
"Just worry about yourself."
Their argument ended and the three of them kept walking through the slight hill; the tree´s covering them with their shadows. "How was it?" Gary suddenly asked, after five minutes. "The war, I mean."
"Every single day was hell," Sirius answered. "That feeling of not knowing when was going to be your last day in this world… The anguish of losing sight of your loved ones in the middle of a battle… Having to bury all the fallen…"
"We didn't take part in it until the last years, but it was enough to scar us for life," Gerard completed.
"I see…"
"What can you tell us about you, kiddo?" Sirius changed the topic. "The only thing we know about you is your name. We are partners for today, let's not get into battle as total strangers."
"Well, there is nothing to say about me," Gary shrugged it off. "I was born in Texas and studied at Ilvermorny; in fact, I finished my studies almost three years ago. As soon as I got my title, I enlisted myself in the Hunter's Union."
"Did you take the entrance exam or did you get in by direct recommendation?" Gerard questioned.
"I took the exam. I'm a muggle-born, so I didn't have a single contact inside the Union."
"That is impressive," Gerard whistled. "And you say it hasn't even been three years since you left school? Damn, what a way to ascend through the ranks. It took way longer for me to reach the mid-tier level."
"I had an incredible master," the boy admitted. "She is incredibly strict and cold, but she has no rival in terms of passing down the knowledge needed to hunt beasts. I like to think she isn't as cold-hearted as she appears to be; that is why I'm trying so hard to reach the top-tier level; so my master can finally feel proud of me, and so we can take harder jobs together."
Look at that, it seems the boy loves to look like a tough guy when he is just another softie, Sirius mentally smirked. Been there, done that, kiddo; but in my case, it was just once, and to get a girl's attention. Not my best moment, though. He always liked to think about happy or funny memories before going into battle; at least, if today was meant to be his last day, he wasn't going out feeling bad about anything.
"Wait a moment!" Gary suddenly stopped them, at the moment they reached some kind of clearing in the forest. "Something feels weird here; can you feel it? Or is it me being too paranoid?"
After hearing those words, Sirius expanded his magical aura to see if there was something out of place. Had he not done that, he would probably be dead right now. "Look out!" He exclaimed, as some strange, and very thin, projectiles rocketed towards them.
"Fluctus Ignis!" Gary chanted—his wand moving in circles over his head—as some waves of fire danced in front of them. The Hunter's magic managed to protect them from the surprise attack; unfortunately, a few of the projectiles managed to get through the little spaces that were left between the waves during their movement.
"Immobulus!" Sirius chanted; it had been a close call, but he managed to stop one of those projectiles in front of him. It resembled a lot to a needle, only that it was of white colour and furry. "What the hell is this…" He cursed after inspecting it.
A loud roar answered his muttering from the other end of the open field. At first, Sirius thought it was one of those polar bears he had seen in photos, only this was a gigantic one; probably around three and a half metres tall.
Then, he realised the beast had a very furry spider's head—or that was what he could appreciate due to the distance—and four very thick arms coming out of each side of its body; the upper pair being the longest and more muscled ones. If that wasn't enough, the white fur on his back seemed to be moving on its own; those were the projectiles the beast had shot at them.
The creature observed them as he wandered around in circles; it had clearly been waiting for them.
"Just as we suspected, the beast seems to be intelligent," Gerard told them, totally focused on the mission; there was no room for dithering anymore. "At least, in terms of hunting and surviving. It seems to be observing us, so we are going to let it do the first move. Then, we act the best way according to it, okay?"
"Roger!" The other two replied.
It was one of those lapses of time in which a few seconds felt like entire minutes. Some warriors hated them, but for Sirius, it allowed him to breathe and ready himself for the battle. In fact, it was what allowed him to move first after the creature charged towards them.
At first, the rush began at a very high speed, but it was nothing to worry about. Maybe, that was all the beast wanted; for them to believe they could easily get out of the way. Out of a sudden, the creature sped up in Gary's direction. The boy was clearly not prepared for it—and his face showed it very well—because he didn't move out of the way in time.
"Look out!" Sirius exclaimed.
Thankfully for him, a wall of stone suddenly rose from the ground in front of him. "Focus on the fucking battle!" Gerard cursed, as the beast's head impacted the wall, creating countless cracks on it. "I will protect the two of you, but you need to go all out on that thing!"
At that moment, the creature rose to its two legs, and broke the thick wall with just one punch; dozens of rock fragments flying everywhere. "Arresto Momentum!" Gary chanted, all the initial doubts gone from his face. The spell not only targeted the little rocks, but it also hit the beast. Unfortunately, it wasn't powerful enough to completely stop it; despite that, its movements were very reduced. "All yours!" The young Hunter exclaimed at Sirius.
You don't need to say that, ha! Tracing an aggressive line upwards with his wand, the tree on his left was pulled out by the roots—literally—and raised into the air. "Let's see how good you are at tanking this!" Sirius almost laughed. He grabbed the wand with both of his hands just to bat the air in front of him; at the same time, the tree impacted the creature at a very fast speed.
Sirius didn't know how tough its body was, but just from the sound of the shattering wood, the odds were not in their favour. "This is not over yet!" He shouted as he used the tree like a bat to beat its body up. Four more hits, those were the ones his gigantic bat needed to break in a half.
The creature furiously roared, and the spines on its back looked ready to be launched again. Thankfully for them, this wasn't a fair fight.
"Not bad, Beardy!" Gary exclaimed, running towards the stunned beast. The young man let the creature shoot its spines at him and kept sprinting towards the rain of white arrows. Sirius was about to act, but a white shield was suddenly cast around the young Hunter; Gerard was acting as their guardian angel in this fight.
Then, I can't be left behind! Thanks to the beating with the tree, he now knew that its body was incredibly tough; but that wasn't going to stop him. At the tip of his wand, an orange ball of energy started to form, growing stronger with each second. You might be a tough bastard to kill, but I'm going to blow you up, even if I need to charge my spell for an entire hour.
With a quick look and still keeping the shield up, Gerard saw what his old friend was doing. "Gary, it's all on you now!" He shouted as the younger Hunter kept running. His was a pretty risky strategy, but if it could make time for Sirius, it was enough.
The beast kept shooting its spines, and some of them were even able to break through the white, thin shield; but Gerard, proving his magical mastery once again, had cast a shield with more than one layer; so, even if the spines could penetrate the first one, they were stopped as they pierced through the next ones. "Alarte Ascendare!" Gary roared.
From his spot—still gathering energy for his spell—Sirius saw how the ground sank a bit around the boy's feet. Trying to reduce its great mobility by sending the creature up to the air was a clever idea, but even if you didn't have in mind the beast's resistance to magic, trying to lift up such a powerful creature required a lot of effort and magic.
But he wasn't a mid-tier Hunter for nothing.
With a furious shout, the beast was lifted from the ground and rocketed to the sky. After ten metres or so, Gary had to kneel on the ground—his face getting paler and damp with sweat—but not stopping the flow of magic for a second. "I'll hold it for as much time as I can, immobilize it now!" He managed to exclaim with a pained voice.
"Aquam Carcerem!" Gerard chanted, moving his wand in wide circles over his head. From the corner of his eye, Sirius appreciated how some of the water from the nearby brook rose to the air and gathered around the struggling creature. At first, it just enveloped the beast, but after some seconds, it started to compress harder and harder; creating some kind of bubble prison.
The sudden heat of his spell made him look down. The ball of energy was a bit bigger than a bludger, but it wasn't enough yet; it was always better to secure the kill.
Since he was the only one to not be actively fighting at that moment, Sirius had his magical aura expanded around the three of them; covering a big part of the clearing, even if that was starting to exhaust him. The magical creature might have been immobilised right now, but they still knew nothing about what it can do when cornered.
It was very faint—maybe, because it came from underground—but there was a very little presence under them; to be exact, right under the younger Hunter. "Gary, there is something under you!" He tried to warn him, but even if he had heard him, the boy needed all his focus to keep the beast in the air.
"Ignis Clypeus!" Sirius chanted—pointing his hand at the young hunter—as many of those cursed worms came from the ground. The spell he used was a self-made variation of the classical Shield charm. At first, since he needed for the parasites to attack the boy, the shield resembled a standard Protego, and thanks to that, they didn't hesitate for a second before trying to penetrate through it. Welcome to hell, you little fuckers, he smirked; with a snap of his fingers, the shield was set ablaze and all the worms were caught in the fire.
An incredibly furious roar from the beast let the wizard know how much it hated what he had just done, but there was no time to worry about that; the ball of energy was ready. It wasn't very big, but that was due to the incredible amount of magic that had been concentrated on it; to a point in which the grass under Sirius was oscillating just by the sheer magical power. "Gerard, I need a lift!" He exclaimed as he started to run towards the centre of the clearing.
"It was about time, you damn bastard!" He shouted back. "Come on, jump and end that monster for good!"
That was what Sirius did; he jumped and let Gerard's magic to propel him upwards; towards the beast. Due to that action, the water cascaded down, allowing the beast to move way more freely, but Gary was also a tough bastard, and the boy didn't allow the monster to fully break free.
In a desperate attempt, the beast shot at him the few spines which were left on his back; shame Sirius was prepared for it. "Confringo!" He chanted. The instant he cast the spell, Sirius's world started to spiral, a loud whistle being all he could hear; that was the price to pay for using such a great amount of magic in just one spell.
A thunderous explosion resounded in the whole place, just as the orange ball of magic impacted the creature. The sheer force of the spell sent the two fighters in opposite directions; while the magical creature was rocketed towards the ground—creating a great cloud of dust after its impact— Sirius did the same upwards.
It was just a matter of time for gravity to do its work, and just as Sirius fell to the ground, a cloud of trees' leaves enveloped him in a warm embrace, greatly slowing down his fall. He couldn't help himself but laughing maniacally after his back gently rested on the cold grass. It had been a very crazy plan, but that was the only way to go for Sirius Black. Yo, James, I hope you enjoyed the show!
"You okay down there?" Gerard asked, offering him a hand so he could get back on his feet. "What a way to go, you damn madman, ha!"
"It was bloody fantastic," Sirius laughed. "Let's go and see what is left of the monster; if there is something to see, of course."
The two friends made their way towards a big crater—where the beast's corpse had landed—walking through a cloud of dust and smoke; there, Gary was waiting for them. "That was some incredible shit, Beardy," he smirked. "And what a way to protect others, Baldy. You know what? I think I might have been a bit too hard on you two at first. I take everything I said back, though."
"That thing is dead, right?" Gerard asked.
"I mean, it should be," Sirius grunted. The creature had its left side completely destroyed. There was a huge, bleeding hole on its rib's section, and two of the four arms had been completely erased from existence. "For how much magic I used, the spell couldn't even destroy most of his body; what a fucking monster."
Gary jumped down to the crater and checked if the creature had a pulse. "There isn't a single signal," he announced. "No breathing, no pulse, not even a single trace of magic is coming from it."
"Thank God," Gerard sighed, a huge smile forming on his face. "Ah, how much I love a well-done job… Let's get going, lads; dinner is on me this time."
"You two can go ahead, I need to retrieve something for Lord Kovanen," Gary told them. "He asked me for a trophy to verify that the creature is truly dead."
"Mmh, what are we going to eat?" Sirius wondered, already walking away from the crater. "I fancy some good Italian right now… do you know if there is anything good in the capital?"
"There must be something; I mean, you are talking about a European Capital," the Hunter answered, with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Yo, Beardy, Baldy, look at this!" Gary exclaimed from behind them. The young Hunter had cut two of the creature's white spines and was playing with them as if they were swords. "Do you reckon I can use these as some kind of daggers? They are sharp as hell!"
At that moment, Sirius felt a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time; a kind of shiver that went down his spine, one that put all his senses on total alert. Despite that, his reaction was too slow.
This time, there was no roaring or grunting. Because of that, Sirius could only turn around to see how the white beast—even if it was still missing most of its body's left side—leapt towards Gary's back. "Gary!" He tried his best to warn him. "Behind you!"
Everything happened in a matter of seconds.
From their backs—or so Sirius thought—came three arrows, sparkling with an electric-blue colour, that pierced through the monster's fur with an acute sound; just before the beast could tear the young Hunter apart. For a moment, the magical creature looked as shocked as Sirius was. Just for a few seconds, though. Because out of a suden, the sky let out a thunderous roar, and three successive lighting bolts impacted on the beast; completely burning it to a crisp.
There was a profound smell of burning flesh and ozone on the clearing; still, nobody moved from their spot. Except for one person. Gary was now lying on the ground in a fetal position; a pool of blood starting to form around him.
While Sirius was left completely rooted on the spot, Gerard sprinted towards the younger Hunter. "I was too slow," a voice behind him sighed.
The wizard turned around to find a woman around his age. She was tall and pretty, but her features were far from being delicate. The witch looked young, but at the same time, her harsh features screamed danger and experience by themselves. Her robes were of the same colour—a dull yellow—but it was adorned by a very elegant, white cape; with a single braid of blonde hair falling over her shoulder.
Sirius didn't even question her since he was too shocked to do anything; that, and the fact the young woman was wearing a cape clasp with the shield of the Hunter's Union. "You took the beast as dead, and that was your fatal mistake," she stated, her eyes set on the monster's burning body. "That is the first lesson of a Hunter's education, and the price of not following it is death."
"W-Wait a moment," Sirius managed to say. "This can't be happening… Gary… he said the beast was dead…"
"Gary Whitaker was a very talented Hunter, but his ambition was greater than his talent," the woman said. "The thrill of a good victory completely clouded his mind, and that killed him. That creature was no ordinary monster, and due to that, he shouldn't have expected for it to die the same way as the others."
The Hunter went past him and walked toward her other two colleagues; Sirius followed her after some seconds of doubt. That was when he saw the quiver and the longbow she was carrying on her back; of a simple, metallic-black colour, and yet, incredibly beautiful thanks to the many details it had.
"You must be Gerard Stokes, the mid-tier Hunter who was originally assigned to carry out this job, am I right?" She stated as soon as they were close enough.
"Lady Lozen!" Gerard gasped, looking very surprised with her presence. The man's hands and part of his robes were soaked in blood, probably due to him trying to stop the haemorrhage.
"How… how is he?" Sirius asked, even though he knew the answer.
"Dead…" Gerard muttered back. "Everything happened so fast… I thought the beast didn't reach him in time… But it was able to slice him open with its claws before Lady Lozen ended him…"
The blonde woman sent a last look to the boy before moving towards the monster's crisped body. "His death was totally unnecessary," she commented. "This wasn't a job for him. It was true he probably was my most talented pupil so far, but this beast was never meant for some mid-tier Hunters to slay. I was the reinforcement for this operation, but Gary heard me talking with Lord Kovanen and told me to trust him; I did, and now he is dead. That is what happens when you underestimate the power of a magical creature."
It was then when Sirius remembered the boy's words; something about him having a very strict teacher whom he wanted to impress. In those words, there had been admiration and respect, but watching the blonde woman who was in front of him, he couldn't understand where those feelings came from. "How can you talk about him that way?" Sirius questioned her. "He looked up to you so much… and here you are… barely sparing a glance for him."
"That is not something of my concern," the woman just said, totally focused on the dead creature. "Had he been more intelligent, he would not have died today. It was his choice to come here, and now, he paid the consequences. I'm not free from blame, of course. I shouldn't have allowed him to come here, but I really had faith in him; that was my first mistake. The second one was not being fast enough to save him. But the third—and most important one—was the fact that I couldn't acknowledge what kind of beast you were fighting until it was too late."
"His death hurts me, but what is the point of lamenting and crying about it?" She went on. "He knew what could happen to him when he got accepted into the Union, and yet, he gave his everything to ascend through the ranks. Today was his last fight, but thanks to his noble sacrifice, many lives were saved. I'm not going to dishonour his memory by crying because he wasn't good enough to survive today; no, I will keep moving forward—as the Guardian as I am—and slay all the beasts I can in his name."
There were a few seconds of silence, but Gerard finally asked the question which had been wandering Sirius' mind for an entire week. "What… was that monster, Lady Lozen?"
"In the Ancient Times, its kind was known as Allidasep," she explained. "But if we translate that into your language, you can call it a Nightmare; to be precise, the monster you three just fought was a Men's Bane. It was one of mankind's natural predators during the Ancient Times, and they were feared by the entire world; even though this specimen is a rather little one."
"But… those creatures were legends of the past," Gerard muttered. "They were supposed to be extinct… The Nightmares were wiped out from existence after losing the War for the Dawn against the Alazthi."
"Maybe, these are the events we needed for us to revise our beliefs, my fellow Hunter," the woman sighed, and for the first time, she sounded tired. "Bad omens are appearing all over the world. Something is happening, and we are trying our best to prevent it; or at least, to save as many people as possible. A Men's Bane parasitizing people in Romania is just another signal that we can no longer take this threat lightly. From now on, keep your eyes open; it might be the only way to save yourselves…"
She then got closer to the beast and pointed her wand at it. "I'm gonna take its body to Lord Kovanen," the female Hunter announced, as the deceased beast greatly shrunken. "What are you going to do with Gary?"
Sirius looked at the boy's corpse, which was now covered under Gerard's cape. "I don't know," Sirius sighed. It was true they hadn't started on the right foot, but it was impossible to dislike someone after fighting such a difficult battle side by side. That, and the fact no twenty-year-old kid should be ever buried. "Does he have any family? He didn't talk about it with us."
"He has, but they aren't on good terms," the lady Hunter answered. "From what I know, his mother wouldn't really care if you bring a dead son back to her. No, it would be better if you two gave him a proper burial. That is also what he would have preferred, or so I think."
"What about you?" Sirius half asked, half accused. "For fuck's sake, you were his mentor! The boy looked up to you a lot! I might have known him for just a few hours, but that was pretty evident to me."
"You don't understand, do you?" The woman raised a brow at him, not faced the slightest by his sudden aggressivity. "I am a Guardian from the Hunter's Union: the elite among the best beast slayers in the world. I didn't want to take any more pupils under my wing, but Gary was so persistent that even I gave up. I have many duties and worries, and it was long ago when I promised myself that I wouldn't ever let sorrow affect them. Do whatever you want with his body; I have to go back and report the whole case at the headquarters."
"I see," Sirius hummed, sending her a sour look. "Below all that 'I'm so strong and important' facade lies a coward, eh? You don't have the guts to face the pain, and because of that, you ran away from it…"
"Sirius, let it go," Gerard stopped him, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "We will give Gary a proper burial, Lady Lozen."
"Good," she answered. With that, the woman apparated herself out of the little—and now very destroyed—clearing; leaving the two wizards alone with a body to bury.