Chapter 73
The train arrived in Hogsmeade just as my friend and I were finishing rewriting our sixth Potions essay, and there were still just as many left. That bastard prince assigned twice as much homework this summer as McGonagall and Flitwick combined! The greasy-haired bastard would have happily overloaded the students for the entire holidays, but apparently he decided to take pity on himself. After all, he’ll have to proofread all those huge scrolls of parchment until he’s blue in the face… And considering the handwriting of some of the redheads, you’ll also need a translator, or a bottle of something stronger. Although the topics were quite interesting and informative, I only learned today that Chinese cabbage is used in bonfires.
The girls and I were already in our school uniforms, and the boys had simply thrown on their dress robes; no one wanted to leave the quiet and cozy compartment. Of course, in theory, you’re supposed to show up at all formal events in full school uniform, including a tie and a silly hat, but in practice, everyone had long since given up on that. The main thing is to put on the robe; what’s underneath is of no concern to those around you, even if you’re naked.
When the Hogwarts Express finally stopped, I took a deep breath, cast a shield, and opened the door. Silence… Peering cautiously out into the corridor and looking around, I was speechless. Magic, damn it…
The corridor looked almost as good as new! Mountains of rubbish and empty bottles had disappeared, and obscene graffiti and scorch marks on the walls were being actively removed by a dozen listless older students, evenly distributed throughout the corridor. Percy Weasley, with a pale green complexion, watched over all this, his shoulders squared proudly. However, this didn’t stop the prefect from monitoring the process; he even managed to urge the younger students on and point out items they’d forgotten in their compartments.
My friends, who had also left the safe haven, were now examining the hallway’s furnishings with interest and surprise. Having assured ourselves of safety, we leisurely made our way to the exit, only to run into the Quidditch team a few steps later. The boys looked very cheerful and contented; the girls and Wood nodded to us and, laughing cheerfully, headed toward the vestibule. The twins, however, decided to linger and chat with their brothers. I looked at the pair again and had some ideas.
– Guys, what are you… – The red-haired stereo turned to us.
– So surprised?
– As if it were the first time…
– Did you see the train?
– How so? – I couldn’t say anything smarter and looked around stupidly. – You just recently…
“A sobering potion!” Fred answered proudly.
– Why is Percy still storming? – Ron glanced sideways at his older brother.
“Because Peach is a cheapskate and a bore! He refused to chip in for a hangover cure!” George confirmed his brother’s words. “Now let him suffer.”
– But we had such fun! – Fred smiled.
– Agreed, brother! – The twins hugged each other joyfully. – This was the best trip to Hogwarts!
“I don’t understand,” Hermione stepped forward. “What stopped you from throwing a party in the living room?”
“McGonagall!” the twins shouted in unison.
“That’s right,” a slightly green-faced prefect approached us. “The dean warned me before the exams that she wouldn’t tolerate debauchery and drunkenness within the walls of Hogwarts, so we decided to have a party on the train. Angus, have you checked the vestibule?!” Percy shouted to one of the older students.
“Weasley, everything’s fine!” the boy replied, giving a thumbs-up. “I cleaned up the vomit and blood. If I missed anything, the house-elves will finish it.”
“Okay,” Percy waved his hand and turned to us. “Let’s get out, the carriages are already here,” and then he looked pitifully at the twins.
“Don’t look at me like that…” grumbled one of the brothers, but he still pulled a small green glass vial from his pocket. “Only because you’re our brother.”
– Boring, proud… – the second of the twins broke in. – You’ll give the money back in the living room!
Watching the anti-hangover potion take effect was truly fascinating. The elder Weasley downed the bottle in one gulp, then began to transform right before our eyes: his shoulders straightened, the smell of alcohol disappeared, his complexion instantly took on a pinkish hue, and his gaze brightened. The prefect sighed contentedly and hugged the twins tightly, then slapped them both on the back of the head.
– If you tell anyone what you saw in that compartment… – And then Percy looked at us. – This concerns you too!
“I don’t care…” Ron grumbled. “No one’s interested in your skinny, pimply ass, and I didn’t even get a good look at Penelope…”
– Ronnikins is right!
– Peach, what would we…
– A brother…
– If only we had a prison cell…
– Then it’s a different matter…
The twins hugged the blushing prefect and leisurely made their way toward the vestibule. They bantered cheerfully and teased each other, opening every door along the way and peering inside—not in vain, as it turned out. In one compartment, they discovered two battered boys, their limbs twisted into tentacles and tied in knots, while in the next compartment, they found three half-naked, completely drunk girls. The twins immediately rushed to the girls and began pouring potions into them, while Percy called a couple of older girls to the unfortunates. The girls didn’t bother with first aid and simply threw the injured boys out the window, hoping someone would help. Meanwhile, in the next compartment, a circus began; the girls sobered up and began screaming and attacking the twins, who had seen their charms. Fred and George, fighting off and dodging low-flying objects and cackling loudly, rushed out of the cramped space and slammed the door behind them.
– Well, then help me after this… – One of the twins exhaled and leaned against the door.
“It was worth it!” the second one grinned. “Have you seen Madison’s tits?”
– I didn’t have time, I was looking at Hawk…
“Stop making a fuss!” Percy called out to the headman. “If we’re late…”
– Then McCosh will give Peach a t-t-t! – The twins interrupted their brother in chorus. – She’ll turn into a cat and… – Wham!
The eldest Weasley began slapping the laughing brothers, and we headed for the exit. We ran into Demelza, the prefect, in the vestibule and leisurely exited the carriage. Once outside, we decided to wait for the rest of the red-haired family and take a closer look at Hogsmeade station. Admiring the cast-iron lanterns and the old-fashioned yet cozy station building, I kept an eye on the carriage carrying the soon-to-be first-years. The little ones had just emerged and broken up into irregular groups. It was already chilly outside, so some of them were hunched over like sparrows. Hagrid appeared in the distance, and I returned to contemplating the charming station.
There’s something unique about the Wizarding World, its strange and sometimes archaic architecture, its charming houses, its quaint streets with their wondrous decorations. It’s probably because wizards create everything with their own hands—no, not quite—with magic, of course—but at the same time, every house, shop, or lamppost is unique! In the mundane world, standardization and the assembly line ruled, so houses, cars, and so on long ago lost their individuality. That’s why I love London so much, with its preserved old-world charm, while the new, standardized high-rises simply disgusted me. Leaning against a lamppost, I inhaled the clean mountain air and looked up at the stars. Among the billions of lights, the one I was named after twinkled.
“How rarely we look at the sky…” I muttered melancholically under my breath.
“I agree…” Mia stood next to me and brazenly leaned on me. “You haven’t seen the stars in London for a long time, and the air is completely different…”
We were pulled out of our reverie and contemplation by a crowd of Gryffindors, noisily, shouting, and squealing as they left the carriage—our house members were incapable of behaving properly. Percy, arm in arm with Penelope, was the last to descend to the platform, made sure everyone had left, and slammed the door behind him. Judging by the blinking runes, getting in was now a no-brainer.
– How are you? – The girl turned to her fiancé, while our group stood nearby and warmed our ears.
“As usual…” Percy grimaced with distaste. “Four of us will be spending the night in the hospital wing tonight, and Midgen doesn’t remember whether she slept with Sloper and Robertson herself or was drugged. We’ll sort it out tomorrow, what about you?”
“This time it’s too much: two Muggle-born girls were played with by older students…” Penelope’s jaw muscles tightened angrily. “And one second-year even got it; he won’t be able to sit down for a week now…”
“You have some boy-lovers?” The village headman tensed and smiled predatorily. “All it takes is for the public to find out and…”
“The Chang gang played with him, those slant-eyed ones are really brazen! First they tortured the boy, and then they shoved all sorts of objects into him, you know what I mean.” Crystal clenched her fists. “I’ll have a word with that creature, I’ll give her a couple of days in the hospital wing.”
– And what did you do? – Smith looked angrily at the Ravenclaw head girl.
– What do you mean? – The girl turned her gaze to my friend.
“How did you help the victims? Did you call the Healers, the teachers, or the Aurors?” Elvira was so worked up that her eyes even turned black.
“They’re Muggle-borns, and the Aurors and teachers won’t be of any help here. In fact, they could actually do harm.” Penelope sighed sadly. “We treated the girls with rowanberry infusion and gave them a sedative, but we had to erase the boy’s memory. Now he thinks he fell down the stairs and that’s why he can’t sit up.”
– Fuck… – Hermione, walking next to me, quietly said.
“I agree,” Justin nodded. “Does this happen often?”
“Now that’s none of your business,” Crystal snapped. “Mind your own house!” She pointed at the crowd of Gryffindors ahead, where, to the sound of cheerful hoots, the bodies of those very same kids with tentacles instead of arms and legs were being tossed into the air.
Seeing this scene, all my contemplative mood vanished; I remembered I was in enemy territory, rife with moral degenerates. Furthermore, a furious commotion erupted near the badger car; several students cast Auror summoning spells into the sky, and two senior girls began casting Patronuses. Two bluish, glowing shadows flew off toward the castle and London. It seemed the Huffs had found Mia and me’s gift; I deliberately slowed my pace and watched the growing panic from the sidelines.
The crowd of students in yellow ties buzzed like a disturbed beehive, and soon two light gray clouds swept past us, transforming on the platform into Pomona Sprout and Madam Pomfrey. The witches quickly ran into the carriage and soon levitated out two bloody, cut-up bodies. The women didn’t care that Hagrid had gathered the future first-years a dozen meters away, and the little ones were able to see such beauty in vivid detail. The half-giant tried to block the children’s view, but judging by the sounds of retching, it wasn’t very successful. Only when house elves in lime-green pillowcases appeared at the station and took the injured children did the children begin to listen to the Keeper of the Keys and, chattering excitedly, moved toward the boats.
“Let’s get out of here,” Ron said, drawing attention to himself. “The Aurors will be here soon.”
“Agreed.” Percy looked at his brother and muttered thoughtfully. “I wonder who got it in for…”
“Ask Lavender tomorrow, she’ll probably know.” The sixth Weasley sniffled and glanced sideways at Hermione and me. “I’m sure they got what they deserved, but now let’s go, I’m hungry!”
“Ronykins is right,” Fred hugged his brother. “Everyone’s already halfway to the great hall, and we’re still hanging around on the platform.”
“Peach, you should be happy.” George leaned on his older brother. “After this,” the boy glanced back, “McCat won’t even remember our pranks on the train.”
The prefect nodded contentedly and led our group toward the black carriages pulled by thestrals. After petting the cute horse, I climbed into the carriage, and we leisurely rode toward Hogwarts. As we left the platform, I heard the sound of Apparation. The Aurors had arrived, as always, on time. Good luck with their search. And the thought flashed through my mind that the wizards themselves had long ago ruined all the magic around them…
Almost all the students were already in the great hall, and we hurried to join them. I took my seat at the long table, Ron and Justin sat opposite me, and Mia and Elvira sat on either side of me.
– Hello, girls! – Brown turned to me. – New hairstyle?
– It suits you! – Patil joined the conversation. – How was your summer?
– Lavender, Parvati, nice to see you. – I nodded to my roommates. – Didn’t see you on the train.
“We were in the Ravenclaw carriage,” the blonde frowned. “It’s much quieter there.”
“Girls, do you know what’s up with the new marauders?” The Indian woman glanced at the edge of the table, and we all looked in that direction too.
Potter and his entire gang looked pretty bad: rumpled and disheveled, their faces green like goblins, and the whites of their eyes reddened from broken capillaries. I also noticed traces of human activity on their school uniforms, and judging by the way the students sitting nearby were wrinkling their noses, the smell was similar.
“I have no idea.” I quickly turned my head and turned to the cheerful, big guy sitting nearby. “Wood, do you by any chance know what happened to the hero of Magical Britain?”
After today’s trip, I had every right to address him informally. Elvira glanced sideways at the guy and blushed, and Hermione chuckled cheerfully. I wouldn’t be surprised if the guy got a hair removal kit for Christmas.
– Huh? You mean Potter? – Oliver broke into a sly smile. – The boys decided they were already adults and decided to prove it to everyone.
– Were they drinking firewhiskey? – Lavender’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
– Yeah… – The big guy laughed like a horse. – They almost finished the whole bottle and passed out, and then the whole compartment started to… Ahem… Anyway, they were in a bad way.
“You could have helped your comrades, shared your potions…” I made the most caring and sorrowful face. “The poor things are suffering…”
“You’re overdoing it…” Hermione whispered quietly in my ear.
“It’s their own fault!” Wood beamed contentedly. “They said they were grown-ups, so let them suffer like grown-ups!”
– Okay, thank you, Oliver. – I nodded to the guy and turned to the chatterboxes. – Tell me, how was your vacation?
While chatting cheerfully among ourselves, we waited for McGonagall to appear in the company of future first-year students lined up along the wall.
“Greetings everyone! I’m glad to see you! I understand you’ve missed your friends over the summer, but let’s give Professor Magkonagal some attention! The sorting is about to begin!” The director clapped his hands, and the room fell silent. Even the badgers quieted down, only a few continued to whisper among themselves.
Our Head of House stepped onto the makeshift stage and pulled a long scroll of parchment from her pocket, while Filch dragged out a stool and the Sorting Hat. Looking at this fiend of hell, I involuntarily shuddered, and my wand appeared in my hand. Only after casting a veil of silence over myself and my friends could I relax. Many students followed my example and waited, holding their breath, for this tattered and dusty heretic bard to finish his Satanic message.
McCat began reading out the names, and the children came forward, sat on a stool, and tried on the shabby artifact, while I watched some of them closely. Black, as expected, was sorted into Slytherin, Greengrass joined her, Goldstein, to my relief, went to join his brother in Ravenclaw, Colin’s hat sent him to us, and soon the satisfied boy was sitting next to Ron. Luna, meanwhile, was sorted into the Brainy House, like Malfoy, which surprised many, especially the Slytherins. But then came the worst! And Ginny went to the Ravens’ table, and the whole Great Hall began to buzz.
“How can that be?” Ron lamented. “The Weasleys were always in Gryffindor! What does that mean…”
“The first smart Weasley?” Hermione interrupted the boy with a smile.
– Probably… – Ryzhik even forgot what he wanted to say and fell into thought. – No… Or maybe… Well, yes…
“It seems Ron has broken down,” Smith looked at the guy with a smile.
“The food will appear soon and everything will be back to normal,” Justin grinned.
As soon as the last first-year took a seat at the House table, Dumbledore rose from his throne-like chair and, with a smile, wished us bon appétit. Food immediately appeared on the tables, and everyone began to satisfy their hunger after a long and eventful journey. I decided to keep up and helped myself to a full plate of salad and boiled potatoes. Fatty foods are bad for you at night, especially since we have exercise tomorrow morning, and Weasley boasted that he’d join us. We’ll see.
Chewing leisurely and grimacing, I watched the chaos unfolding at our table. Did McGonagall really enjoy her lion cubs screaming like crazy or throwing food?! She’d get up and clean up the mess, but no, we’d rather sit at the Headmaster’s right hand and devour him with devoted eyes. Almost all the older girls were looking at Lockhart in much the same way; that smiling peacock with his bright blue attire was captivating, and he never forgot to grin from ear to ear. Looking around the staff table, I found no other differences from last year, except that Madam Sprout was absent, but it was obvious—the Deputy Chief Auror’s son had been hurt.
“Cool…” Krivi admired when the meat dishes gave way to desserts. “Do they always feed like this here?”
“You’re dreaming… If only…” Ron reached for the ice cream, grabbing a plate of doughnuts along the way. “Tomorrow you’ll be eating porridge, and the day after…”
“The food here is fine.” Elvira leaned her elbows on the table, satisfied. “Colin, don’t listen to Ron, he never has enough and he’s always hungry.”
– Hey! I’m a young, growing organism! – The red-haired man was indignant.
I looked at the kids and smiled; I truly missed my friends and all that friendly banter. Soon everyone was full, their plates were empty, to the admiration of the few newcomers. This was the first cohort born after the end of the Civil War. So there were very few first-years: we had only six, the Snakes had four, and the Ravens had only three! Wizarding populations have historically been very poor, yet they still actively continued to humiliate and discriminate against Muggleborns.
Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly and began his welcoming speech in a pleasant voice. Listening to the old man was fascinating; he knew how to captivate an audience. I wondered if he taught public speaking. When the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher spoke, and Lockhart rose from his seat to a standing ovation, the gates to the Great Hall opened and admitted an entire delegation. A dozen Aurors paused at the entrance, while Pomona Sprout and a tall, stocky man with a lush mane of dark yellow hair hurried toward the headmaster.
Gilderoy merely shrugged at this sight and sat back down, but the Head Auror, Scrimgeour, apparently began to say something to the Headmaster, gesticulating wildly and drooling. Dumbledore listened attentively, then gave him a look that made the imposing figure turn pale and immediately shut up. It’s a shame that the curtain of silence hanging over the staff table kept this conversation a secret. The old man whispered something else to the angry guest, sighed sadly, and looked around the great hall, his impassioned speech unfinished.
“Well, it’s getting late, so everyone run to your common rooms!” The headmaster raised his voice and addressed the students. “Prefects, make sure all students are in their beds by lights out!”
The hint was perfectly clear, and everyone headed out in unison, though many glanced curiously at the Aurors, Dumbledore, Sprout, and the angry guest. Everyone was wondering what had happened, for two Battle Stars to have arrived at the school, led by Deputy Crouch. Many noticed the absence of the younger Scrimgeour at the table, and rumors were already swirling around the school…
– Someone let Leroy’s guts out…
– He got drunk and his body got wrapped around the wheels of a train…
– No, of course not! They’re probably Slytherins…
– What do they have to do with it? That mudblood probably killed him…
– Nonsense… Those half-breeds got their revenge…
– They say they skinned him alive…
– Or maybe it’s Hellsing?
– A mad bitch can…
– She killed five students last year…
– And two professors…
– Three!
Listening to such nonsense, I made it to the common room without incident, said goodnight to my friends, and headed to my room. Incidentally, Ron couldn’t resist taking off his robes as soon as he entered, his striped shirt attracting several admiring glances from the girls. I’m glad he’s completely overcome his insecurities and even started taking pride in his appearance. I wish I could be like that…
The day had been long and eventful, but that didn’t stop the girls and I from unpacking our things and hanging crucifixes over our beds—as a one-eyed soldier once said: constant vigilance! Finally, I handed Cthulhu to Lavender, causing her to squeal with delight, and then I placed the porcelain dolls on the window shelf, causing Parvati to turn pale and run off to the shower. After washing and changing into pajamas, we spent another hour sharing our vacation impressions, and then, when everyone was nodding off, we turned out the lights and went to bed.
I pulled the bed curtains closed, pulled out the Miraclephone and some notes on Maleficism and Blood Magic. After talking to Mom, I’ll need to check a few things and wait for someone. I’m not finished with those two bastards yet; the main punishment will be carried out tonight. But for now…
“Hi, Mom!” I smiled at Integra, who was looking at me from the artifact’s screen.
– Hello, daughter, how did you get here? – She likes calling me that, and I don’t mind.
– Everything is great, can you imagine, Hermione and I forgot…
***
– Tempus! – I whispered the spell and looked at the clock; it was already half past two in the morning. – Where are you…
At the moment, I was pretending to be a rag and waiting for the house-elf on duty, who collects dirty clothes from the hamper at night and sends them to the wash. The little creatures always appeared around this time, hiding behind invisibility, so I strained my ears and empania as much as I could.
At first, I wanted to use a Kneazle, which was also considered to have limited intelligence, but Mia and Vasya were categorically against it. My friend said she felt sorry for the cat, and the snake said he wouldn’t let anyone hurt the furry ones—they’re good, even if they mark everything. So the choice was obvious.
House elves were true parasites, feeding exclusively on magic, and were extremely voracious and exceedingly prolific. Females of these creatures carried their young for only two months, and after six, the young were ready to reproduce. Fortunately, the Creator was wise, while the parasites were very stupid, and incapable of absorbing raw magic, otherwise they would have long ago sucked everything around them like vacuum cleaners.
House-elves required “filtered” or processed magic, extracted by wizards during spellcasting or beamed into space by family altars. A family altar is a very complex artifact; roughly speaking, it functions like a filter on a faucet or a stabilizer on an outlet, transforming wild magic into something most suitable for the “users” bound to it. I once started reading about this, but after a couple of pages, my brain twisted into a Möbius strip and told me to get lost. I just know that there’s an altar beneath our estate that separates “native” and “home” magic. It’s hard to explain, but at home, spells and other manipulations came very easily to me, and my reserves regenerated much faster. Hogwarts feels similar, but here the source is incredibly powerful, and the magic is neutral.
For this reason, small parasites lived near magical settlements or clusters of wizards. Spells weren’t particularly effective, and more than half of the magic used (and even more for children) was dissipated into space, which is what the house-elves took advantage of. However, these small creatures were very dangerous; out of hunger, they could even attack a wizard, preferring children. A house-elves, like a vampire or leech, would attach themselves to a child and drain every last drop of magic from them, destroying their core and thus turning them into a sorcerer. This, incidentally, is one theory behind the origin of squibs.
However, small parasites could be quite useful; for “food,” they were willing to do any work, though it required long and painstaking training. Such volunteers were subjected to a special ritual and tied to a household source, from which they fed, simultaneously consuming whatever their host emitted. Thus, the parasite became a loyal servant with numerous restrictions, the most important of which were a ban on reproduction and the forcible extraction of their hosts’ magic. Otherwise, within a year, a careless, no-longer-wizard would have a whole hungry family on the estate, which would suck up all the magic around it.
Hogwarts had the largest population of these intelligent parasites on the islands, understandably so—the castle is large and requires careful maintenance. The founders limited the number of house elves and forbade them from attaching themselves to children, but they also loaded them with work. Cooking, washing, ironing, and cleaning were all they could do; the “elves” were simply incapable of more complex tasks. Very few were even able to learn to read, and such training took an inordinate amount of time—tens, if not hundreds of years—as their minds were too primitive.
Brownies weren’t used as guards or protectors either, again due to their stupidity and gluttony! How did this manifest itself? For starters, a thief might tell a brownie that the owner had ordered the removal of “bad” things from the house, and the dumb creature would happily rush to help! And in the event of an attack, the parasite would only be glad to see the owner dead, since the smarter brownie could then free itself from the shackles of the contract. Of course, everything depended on loyalty and the binding ritual. There were cases where, after the death of the head of the family, a brownie would kill the children and attach itself to the family source; such proactive individuals were then eliminated with great bloodshed.
Black told me all this when I called him, and also revealed that the Hogwarts headmaster counted the house-elves every year and eliminated the excess to keep the children safe. Even despite the ban, the elves somehow managed to reproduce; such evil is not so difficult. For the same reason, all free or uninvolved house-elves were killed on the spot. And only a clinical idiot, or at least a Muggle-born, would bind the eternally hungry creature to himself; the parasite could turn even an archmage into a sorcerer in a couple of weeks.
Thanks to the time zones, I chatted peacefully with my grandfather late at night. Mia sat nearby the whole time, listening to our conversation, finally calming down. After saying goodbye to my relative, I remained in ambush while Hermione climbed down into my suitcase. We needed a sapient being for the ritual, and a house-elf was perfect: there were plenty of them, they were easy to find, and no one would look for a lost one. Because of their stupidity, they regularly died—either crushed by something heavy, crawling into something they weren’t wanted, or strangled by their own kind—due to restrictions on reproduction, they had a sort of queue, and since the instinct to procreate was so strong, the long-eared ones quietly eliminated their competitors.
There was a soft pop next to the laundry basket, and with empathy I felt a strong hunger, my magic wand was already pointed in that direction, and I only adjusted the direction slightly.
– Stupefy! – A translucent clot burst from the concentrator, and an ugly, eared figure in an orange pillowcase appeared in the corner. – Vasya!
” Don’t lie in my way! ” The snake instantly rushed forward and wrapped its coils tightly around its victim.
– Well done! – I quietly approached and stroked the familiar’s crest. – Somnium! – My wand touched the parasite’s forehead.
I held a cold iron collar in my hand; the moment the house-elf woke up, it would disappear, and we didn’t need that. The problem was that the collar, designed for a human, was dangling around the creature’s flimsy neck, but I quickly found a solution. Unfastening the metal collar, I tried it on around its frail chest and, straining, managed to fasten it with a cracking sound of breaking ribs. Grinning predatorily, I tucked the unconscious body under my arm and headed for the suitcase, whispering a cheerful song along the way:
I know exactly in advance
Someone is going to die today.
I know where, I know how
I’m not a fortune teller, I’m a maniac.
When I descended into the portable chambers, I found Hermione at work: she’d already drawn a seven-pointed star and was now carefully checking the runic symbols written in blood inside. I quietly approached, leaving the house-elf nearby, and began setting out candles and preparing the ingredients. Yes, we’d decided to perform a dark and forbidden ritual right under Dumbledore’s nose, and it wasn’t stupid at all! Alucard’s gift was perfectly shielded! You could stage a mass sacrifice here, and not a drop of death’s emanations would escape the confines of this pink wonder. So you could work without fear of being caught red-handed, and no outsider could penetrate here, no matter how hard they tried—I was sure of that ancient monster.
“Everything is correct.” Mia nodded contentedly to herself and handed me the notebook with the diagram. “Check it, just in case.”
“Okay,” I accepted the diagram. “For now, lay out everything else.”
Having verified the correctness of the drawing, I helped my friend place a stone bowl in the center of the star. We poured the blood of the two sadists into it, along with their hair and a couple of scraps of flesh. Yes, I’m thrifty. Then I placed the house elf in the corner of the power circuit and materialized the athame. The elf’s body needed some finishing touches, but first, the collar had to be removed.
– Petrificus Totalus. – He won’t leave my chambers, but why risk it?
For half an hour, I carefully and meticulously cut the flesh and carved the necessary symbols into the house elf’s body, then cut off his eyelids and finally made several deep punctures to draw blood. Mia watched me closely the entire time, occasionally correcting me. Meanwhile, she lit the candles and reread our appeal to the Darkness, may the Creator forgive us. But we’re not preparing an offering for a demon, but for the Abyss, which is generally a neutral entity and, in a sense, my patron, so we’ll test this in practice.
– Done! – Hermione winced. – Just one last step left.
– I know… – I also grimaced; the victim had to be conscious during the ritual. – Enervate!
The brownie tried to twitch, but the spell held him tightly, his purple eyes swirled wildly in their sockets, I even felt a little sorry for him… And then he almost deafened us with his screams.
– WITCHES, WHY?! ALDI – A GOOD HOUSE-EVENING! Aldi – work honestly! Aldi – collect dirty clothes and take them to the wash! Aldi – always listen to the elder and the bearded boss! – the parasite screeched. – PLEASE! MERCY!!! Aldi won’t tell anyone! Aldi wants to live! Aldi is begging for mercy! Ald…
– Silencio! – The brownie continued to open his mouth, but no longer made any sounds, and I sighed and continued.
“What a loud bastard.” Mia pointedly picked at her ear and handed me the text of the future ritual.
She stepped aside, and I stood in the corner of the control circuit, cut my palm, and sprinkled it with blood, thus initiating the ritual. We’d learned something similar at summer camp, but, following my intuition, I made a number of adjustments and changes to the standard ritual.
According to books, maleficium was described as a branch of dark magic that allowed for the remote casting of various curses, ranging from simple bad luck to the death of a specific person. However, this science was extremely imprecise; everything depended on a multitude of factors, including the desire, strength, and disposition of the caster, and skill and experience were sometimes completely unnecessary. There were cases where an inexperienced witch, using sheer enthusiasm and only a scrap of clothing from the offender, would plague his entire family. This is where the name originated: maleficium literally translates as witch. For some reason, women were particularly skilled at casting curses and hexes from a distance.
In short, it was all complicated; in such rituals, intuition played a crucial role. Therefore, I would be performing the ritual; Hermione was still a girl, and she might not succeed, even with the anger and desire boiling in her veins. Yes, we believed in the Creator, but at the moment, it was better to punish the Saracens this way, without attracting unnecessary attention. But that’s not the point now. The star on the floor glowed steadily, the candle flames turned black, it was time to begin.
I cleared my throat and whispered in Latin:
Magnae Tenebrae, hanc oblationem suscipe et exaudi me!
Duae animae una fiet!
Quorum corpora inter se desideres!
In his duobus nemo magis interest!
Utcumque se diligant!
Et solum per unionem foelicitatem et pacem invenient!
Fiat, fiat!
(Author’s note: below is a literal translation)
Great Darkness, accept this offering and hear me!
Two souls will become one!
Their bodies will crave each other!
No one will be of more interest to these two!
They will love each other no matter what!
And only by becoming united will they find happiness and peace!
So be it!
As soon as I uttered the last word, the room suddenly darkened and grew so cold that my breath began to steam. I sensed something was wrong and noticed dozens, maybe hundreds, of bright red eyes opening in a dark corner, staring straight at me. They studied me cheerfully, peering intently, and then a multi-voiced laughter struck my ears, driving me mad and chilling me to the bone. For a moment, I wanted to fall to my knees or hide in the farthest corner, but I managed to overcome myself. I am strong and will not show my weakness! The spell wore off, and only now did it dawn on me WHO I had dared to address, but there was no turning back! So all I could do was hope that my small request and offering would satisfy the Ancient One, hmm… How do I know that?
A loud scream distracted me from my thoughts. Something was screeching shrilly and monotonous. I lowered my head, and what I saw made me feel a little uneasy. I was standing knee-deep in black fog and clearly felt something there, something that was currently devouring the house elf alive. My intuition screamed at me to stay still, or else my friend and I would be next… And all of this was accompanied by a snarky, polyphonic laugh all around… Holy shit! I should have just castrated these sadists!
The spell vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. I swallowed nervously and looked around. A pale Hermione stood to the side, shaking all over, clutching the pistol in one hand and her wand in the other until her knuckles turned white. The ritual star had turned to dust, as had the contents of the bowl, but the tiny parasite had left behind white, gnawed bones. Exhaling nervously, I collapsed exhausted onto the floor. Never again…
– D-did it work? – My friend distracted me from my thoughts by slowly walking over and landing next to me.
I moved a little closer and hugged Miona… So warm… Alive… My brain creaked, but began to work.
– Yes. – Turning around, I looked into his chocolate eyes. – Don’t ask, I just know…
“I hope it was worth it…” Her friend grumbled and, trembling, pressed herself closer.
– But these two won’t hurt anyone again…
We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, warming each other with the heat of our bodies.
“They won’t have time!” Hermione started giggling nervously. “It was so scary… I almost shit myself…”
The withdrawal hit us, and for the next ten minutes we laughed hysterically like crazy. Having calmed down a bit, we had tea with a huge amount of sweets; we needed to eat away the stress. Having finally come to our senses, we left the cozy suitcase and collapsed onto my bed, hugging each other. It felt somehow calmer together… And we both knew perfectly well that we would never forget the look in those scarlet eyes. But soon we warmed up under the covers and began to snore rhythmically…
***
At that moment, a pair of mocking, blood-red eyes glowed in a dark corner of the Hogwarts hospital wing, and then the marble floor was shrouded in a pitch-black fog. The darkness slowly and deliberately approached the two older Hufflepuff students and absorbed them. Everything was happening very slowly, deliberately, even lazily, and if Madam Pomfrey had been there, she would have noticed, but alas… At that moment, one of the finest mediwitches in Wizarding Britain sat in the corner of the Headmaster’s office, listening to the screams of Rufus Scrimgeour. The Deputy Head of Aurors demanded that all students be immediately awakened and interrogated with Veritaserum…
The Abyss is very strong and powerful, not a Force worth appealing to, but sometimes, out of boredom, the Ancient One would fulfill the requests of her followers. This particular restless soul brought joy to the Ancient One; it was not for nothing that she sent her into this world…
The Abyss reached out to the threads of probability and smiled contentedly. Her chosen one would either give impetus to this world’s development or destroy it. Both outcomes suited Her perfectly—worlds must develop or perish; mortals have no other choice…
