Prologue

Fresh Blood

Ten years after the defeat of Voldemort

"I've never seen anything like this", John said. Well - that was saying something. Tim hadn't ever seen anything like this either (as a matter of fact he hadn't the slightest idea what he was looking at) but this was his second real assignment. John had been an auror for ...thirty years? Forty? It was tough to remember. John certainly didn't look that old. The grey around his temples was creeping towards the top of his head but he was as energetic as any Auror-hopeful going through the Trials. Well, he usually was. Tonight he'd been impersonating a statue, staring at the floor of this damp cellar. His usual smirking face replaced by a lifeless mask.

The sound of a door opening upstairs made Tim jump and two sets of footsteps made their way down the cellar staircase. "That's got to be Abraxas, right?"

John hadn't moved at all. He didn't even look up when he responded, "Better be, he needs to see this."

Tim shifted his view to the cellar door, pointedly avoiding looking at the shape in the center of the room. The cellar door swung open and two men walked in.

"…still just can't believe this has happened", said the smaller man, wearing a bathrobe and wringing his hands. "And I didn't touch a thing! Once I saw this room I messaged the Ministry straight away, like any good citizen would! Didn't disturb any evidence or, or, or…or anything! Oh I just can't believe this has happened here! I think – "

"Barliman!" the second man interjected, placing a hand on his shoulder. Barliman fell quiet at once and looked up at the second man, who was a good foot taller and did not look happy. Abraxas took a deep breath and spoke in a patient tone that sounded more than a little forced. "Thank you for your help tonight. We believe you had nothing to do with this. You rented out this apartment, your tenant stopped paying rent, and when you discovered what was in the cellar you alerted the proper authorities as soon as possible. You've done well. John and I will take it from here."

"Oh, yes – of course". He started walking away but then turned back, a pleading look on his face. "Isn't there anything else I can do?"

Abraxas opened his mouth but it was John who spoke "Spot of tea would be nice." Barliman gave a quick bow and went back upstairs, closing the cellar door behind him.

"Hopefully that keeps him out of our hair for a while. The Muggle Repelling Charms are up and running?"

"Yes. Muggles shouldn't be able to get within two square miles of this place. I've also established a magical perimeter, other wizards will know this is an active crime scene."

"Good, we may be here awhile".

"We already have been. I've been gone preparing the enchantments and babysitting our dear Barliman for over an hour now. What have you found out?"

John finally looked up. "Tim, give us some light. And take detailed notes."

Tim exhaled sharply. He had no desire to illuminate this cellar but did as he was told. " Lumos maxima!" The once dim room now looked like a stage under the spotlight. Tim kept his head down and took out a quill and parchment.

John's face didn't change, but Abraxas' turned grim. "What is this?"

John started pacing around the outer edges of the room. "One thing is obvious; this was the site of some kind of ritual – see they've drawn a seven-pointed star. At the center we have our victim." Tim's quill stopped scratching and he forced himself to look up. He was going to be an Auror, he'd passed the tests and done the Trials. Once he acquitted himself on a few missions with experienced aurors, like this, he'd be a full-fledged Auror himself. And he had to be able to look at scenes like this. Then analyze them and bring the guilty to justice, like John and Abraxas.

"Victim is male. Approximately 35 to 45 years of age. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height. Caucasian but slightly darker than you typically see in Britain. Mediterranean perhaps?" John stopped pacing and peered closely at the corpse. "Victim is wrapped in white robes that leave the left shoulder exposed. The left shoulder has been branded with what appears to be a snake."

John turned and walked back out towards the edges of the seven-pointed star. "There are strange words and symbols written all along the inner points of each arm of the star. I can't read or identify them. Abraxas, can you?"

"No", he said, "but the star itself is more interesting to me." Abraxas bent down to the floor, face so close to the ground his nose was almost touching it. "This is blood. Whoever did this drew the star in blood." Abraxas pulled out his wand. "And I don't think this blood is human." Whatever had been used to draw the star had long since dried, but Abraxas muttered some words under his breath and a pulse ran through the star. A split second of stillness and then the star lifted off the ground. Its lines became liquid, floating a few inches above the ground.

"Yes, this is too thick to be human." Abraxas was staring intently at the floating fluid. "This is giant blood. Where did it come from…?"

"Abraxas!" John called in a whisper from a different point of the star – he seemed unwilling to speak louder than a whisper. "I think this is human blood. Do you think this was drawn…" he glanced at the floating fluids making the other points in the star, all of which were different colors. "Each arm of the star was drawn with a different creature's blood", John said both awed and revolted.

John and Abraxas walked around the rest of the star point by point, identifying what creature's blood was used to draw that section. But Tim was no longer taking notes. He wasn't even paying attention. He was staring at the point of the star at the far end of the room. Golden blood was floating just above the ground there. The other six sections of the star were floating motionless, but the golden section had small movements. Miniature droplets were fizzing up from it, like sparks off a fire. Tim knew what creature that blood belonged to.

In addition to human and giant, John and Abraxas had identified three more corners of the star as using goblin, mermish, and centaur blood. They were now examining the sixth point of the star, which was comprised of a thick silvery substance. "Unicorn", Abraxas breathed. "That's bad."

They exchanged a dark look and then turned to the golden-blooded point. They spent the longest time yet examining this portion of the star. They whispered to each other and John frequently looked over his shoulder. After five minutes Abraxas threw up his hands, "We don't know what this is and we need help with this case anyway. Let's call it in." John nodded but kept staring at the golden blood, saying nothing. He looked uneasy.

"Tim!" he jumped at the sound of his own name. Tim hadn't moved at all since he'd first seen the golden blood. But now he walked towards it. Abraxas seemed to think he was walking over to receive instructions and started giving them immediately. "Send an owl to the ministry and mark it urgent. We'll need assistance from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, the Department of Potions and Elixirs and the Department of Runes and Arithmancy". He hesitated. "Reach out to the Goblin Liaison Office as well. There's goblin blood here and if there's a body to match I'd like to get out in front of it."

Tim didn't move. "Tim, did you hear what I said?"

"I know what kind of blood this is", Tim said. "It's phoenix blood."

"How do you know?" John whispered.

"Auror training. They brought in samples of powerful magical substances, went over their properties and how to identify them. The phoenix blood was kept in a vault in the Ministry and it had a security escort bigger than the Minister's when they showed it to us. And it looked exactly like that." Tim frowned. "But they only had a small vial, there's so much here." His eyes widened as he tore them away from the golden blood at last. "Did they kill a phoenix!?"

Neither John nor Abraxas spoke. The three of them stared at one another and the only sound was the very soft sparking of the phoenix blood.

Suddenly the cellar door swung wide open and Tim leapt to the side as the two seasoned aurors aimed their wands and fired off spells in the blink of an eye. There was a flash of light, a clang of metal on concrete, and when Tim looked up he saw Barliman the landlord tied in ropes and what had been a fully laden tea tray scattered on the floor.

John gave a sigh of relief but made no move to release Barliman. "Abraxas, you know what this means?"

"I do. We need backup. Now."

"Agreed. You maintain the perimeter, make sure nothing breaches it: wizard, muggle or otherwise. I'll stay here and make sure this site remains undisturbed. The kid can bring the cavalry." Abraxas nodded and left at once, waving his wand so that Barliman floated up the steps after him.

"Tim." John turned to him and put a hand on each shoulder. "Apparate to the Ministry now. Go straight to Potter's office and tell him he needs to come here at once. I don't care if he's in a meeting, at his home, whatever – tell him what you've seen here and get him here now." Tim nodded and turned to leave. "Wait. Once you've told Potter, say the same to Shacklebolt as well."

"The Minister!?"

"Yes. Don't tell anyone what you saw here except for Potter and Shacklebolt."

"Wait, John. What is this?" Tim said gesturing at the blood-made seven-pointed circle, with the dead man at its heart.

"It's a ritual."

"A ritual for what?"

"Making a horcrux."