Theo nodded. "He's not wrong. Old man Bole was the worst. He used to cruciate the house elves for fun. Nobody was sorry to see him go."
Susan looked appalled. "You're talking about murdering someone! It doesn't matter what they did, they should have been turned over to the ministry. My Auntie says if they ever found evidence of what your mum was accused of she'd be in Azkaban."
Blaise just shrugged. "I didn't say I approved. She does what she wants. It's one of the many reasons I keep trying to warn Ryan not to mess around with her. Speaking of messing around, you hear back from your dad's cousin yet? About your…legal question?"
I nodded. "She's been swamped, but we have a meeting coming up tomorrow night. She wrote Snape and got me permission to head to Diagon Alley for the weekend. She wants to catch up. Seems like a nice lady."
Daphne frowned at me, her mask of snooty arrogance cracking. "I'm not sure this is a good idea Ryan. There are a lot of people who benefit from Sirius Black staying in prison. You might make enemies if you go poking around there." She paused. "Also I heard back from my sources about those vials finally. I can get you fifteen each, which is about three times what I'd have been able to pay. I'm taking a thirty percent finders fee though."
As the daughter of a rare potion ingredient distributor, Daphne was all hooked in with the local black market. I'd gone to her about the cerberus saliva, hoping to get a decent rate. She didn't need any, but she agreed to reach out and connect me with someone who did, for a consideration fee.
The money was pretty much meaningless to me. I was rich as fuck now, but the connection to the black market might come in real handy at some point. "Alright." I finally said, standing up."I need some time off this damned paper. Mandatory break time. I need to talk to a friend about something anyway."
The others all let out groans of relief. Except Suzie, who looked unhappy. "We really should get this out of the way? If we put it off some of us might not finish."
"It's Thursday." I said firmly. "Which means we have an entire week until our next Magical Theory class. We don't need to rush, and we've all finished a decent chunk of the assignment and gotten a good start. We're more than capable of finishing it up on our own, don't you think?"
Susan bit her lip, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I guess so. If you think this was enough I don't mind stopping." She looked at the others. "You can ask me for help individually if you need it though. That's what the group is here for."
They all nodded frantically and assured her they would, before taking off in every direction. I actually did have a meeting, but before I left for it, Daphne grabbed my arm. Susan had been walking away, and she stopped too, but the blonde waved her off. "It's fine, Bones. I have business to discuss with Ryan."
The redhead looked unsure, but finally nodded. "Alright. See you both tomorrow." She turned and hurried away to catch up with Hannah.
"What's up princess?" I said cheerfully to the blonde. Daphne was never…nice, exactly, but she softened a bit when it was just us. I didn't mind having some time to talk to her one on one, even about business.
She swallowed hard, looking around, and I realized this wasn't going to be a friendly conversation. When she said business she meant the kind she couldn't talk much about. "I need you to get me something while you're in Diagon Alley." She said haltingly. "One of my father's suppliers owns a shop near there."
I shrugged. "Sure, I'll pick something up for you. I'm guessing it's not exactly the nicest ingredient?" I paused. "You're not sending me to get a baby heart or something, right? Because I'd have to take a pass on that." I didn't think her ingredients got THAT dark, but I wasn't comfortable ignoring that level of fucked up, even for Daphne.
"Of course not." She said with a scowl. "There are some things that are too despicable to even trade, even if you had no part in acquiring them. No, it's nothing quite so awful. It IS human though. Albeit old. A box with the fingerbone of a muggle saint. There are certain rituals that can utilize…alternative aspects of magic. The bone is valuable to the right buyer."
That was more palatable to me. Anything that old was basically just a fossil as far as I was concerned. "Oh, ok yeah, I can get that. Why do you look like you're asking me to shove an orphan in a meat grinder?"
Grimacing, she shook her head. "Charming imagery, Ryan. But to answer your question, it's not what I need you to get. It's from where. Diagon Alley has a…let's call it a sister street. Knockturn Alley. My father's contact is there, but it's dangerous."
My lips pulled up into the widest grin I'd ever had. "You're WORRIED about me."
Her porcelain cheeks darkened. "No." She denied flatly. "I'm worried about my investment. You're very useful to me. We work well together. It would inconvenience me if you died. Especially because of my own stupidity."
We were still in the library so I couldn't exactly cackle, but I came close. "You LIKE me." I crooned. "You care whether I live or die. If something happened to me you would probably CRY. Does Tracey know she's going to get replaced? Because I think we're definitely about to become best friends."
Her eyes were basically chips or ice at that point, narrowed as her hand twitched for her wand but didn't quite go for it. I widened my eyes, putting a hand to my chest. "Daphne. Would you really curse your new best friend? I don't believe it. The new and cuddly Daphne would never try to use magic on me. I'm too important to you."
Her hand dove into her robe for her wand, but I was already moving out of the way as her wand came free and a jet of red light snapped out at me, flying harmlessly over my head. Madame Pince, the librarian, started howling at us to get out, and Daphne stalked past me, face furious.
Once we got outside, she turned and…holy shit, she actually pouted at me. Critical hit. It was too adorable. "I hope you get stabbed or something." She snapped. Reaching into her robe she pulled out a scrap of parchment and, putting it against the wall, scrawled an address, shoving it into my hands. "Here's the address. There's a time and date on it as well. Don't be late."
She turned and stalked away, and I leaned against the wall, grinning ear to ear. She was so cute when she got angry. I knew I shouldn't enjoy teasing her so much, but the fact that she tried so hard to deny giving a shit about anyone was endlessly amusing to me.
Pocketing the parchment, I headed for an unused classroom on the fifth floor where I was supposed to be meeting my contacts in Gryffindor. I'd had Lavender put me in touch with Ron Weasley's twin brothers. I'd heard some interesting things about them, and I suspected they might be able to tell me more about the cloaked figure I'd been seeing. No rest for the wicked and all that.
September 30th, 2010. Abandoned Classroom, Hogwarts, Scotland 9:00 PM BST
The meeting with the twins had taken me weeks to set up. They were understandably paranoid and hard to pin down, and only Lavender's cheeriness and social skills had allowed her to even arrange it.
It wasn't like it was a weird stance to take either. Fred and George Weasley had effectively fucked over or pissed off half the school. The only reason they were left alone was because they were frankly terrifyingly effective at what they did, and because the entire Gryffindor quidditch team looked out for its beaters.
Of course, I wasn't here for that. Fred and George were prankmasters extraordinaire, sure, but they were ALSO known for being some of the most talented smugglers in the school. They didn't work for anyone but themselves, but the stuff they snuck in for pranks and parties basically just appeared out of nowhere, and they'd never been caught sneaking anything in.
Arriving at the door to the empty classroom, I found one of the towering redheads waiting for me outside, while one of them scoped the inside of the room to make sure it wasn't a trap. They'd had me set the meeting place well in advance so they could check it over and prepare.
I wasn't really worried. Fred and George might be mischievous but they were good to their word, plus I wasn't scared of anyone stuck in a cramped classroom. No matter how good their coordination was it wouldn't be enough with just the two of them.
George (who WAS visually different from Fred in ways too minute to tell with the normal human eye) glared at me suspiciously as I came to a stop. "Wand." He said, holding out his hand.
Giving it up wouldn't really effect me too much, but it would tip them off to that fact, so I just snorted. "I said I'd disarm, I didn't say you could take my wand. You can point yours at me and walk me inside, and I will SLOWLY, put it down on the desk and back away. Fair?"
His brown eyes locked on me for a moment, and then he nodded, slowly drawing his wand and pointing it. I made my way delicately into the room, withdrew my wand, and placed it on the desk, noting Fred in the back of the classroom with his own drawn and levelled, standing behind about fifty chairs.
The redheads were…big. I wasn't a large guy, five ten and change or eleven depending on the day, and the two of them were easily six five or so. They were built like…well, like guys who swung big fuck off clubs at enchanted balls of iron semi-professionally.
It was smart too, putting all that furniture between us. I didn't think he was good enough for it to matter with George within grabbing range to use as a meat shield, but they were taking me seriously at least, and they HADN'T cursed me, which was progress in its own way.
"The only reason this meeting is happening." Rumbled George as I stepped back. "Is because word around the castle is you're not the prat most Slytherins are. Lavender seems to like you, and she can be bloody persuasive when she wants to be. Talked our girls into lobbying on your behalf. Merlin's Balls, even Ronniekins doesn't have a bad word to say about you, which might be the kindest thing he's CAPABLE of saying about a snake."
That was nice to know. Ron didn't really seem fond of me or friendly, but he wasn't constantly verbally assaulting me like he did my cousin. Admittedly my cousin deserved every kind of assault I could think of, I was just too lazy to perpetrate them myself as long as he steered clear.
"Fair enough." I said amiably. "I contacted you because I need your help with something. Word around the castle is that you're the best smugglers in school, you can get anything in and out without being spotted."
"Let me stop you right there." Said Fred. "We don't take commissions. No offense, but we don't feel like contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Or a major. Or anyone but ourselves really."
"Well said." Chirped George. "We won't be bribed either. Or threatened. So don't bother. It's been tried. If that was all you wanted you could have just mentioned it. Would have saved us plenty of time."
Shaking my head, I held up a hand. "It isn't. I don't need anything smuggled in. I'm after something else. If you can smuggle in goods, it means you know all the back ways in and how someone might move around the castle unseen. I recently ran into a bit of trouble with…someone. They were invisible. Tried to kill me. I figure if anyone can find a sneaky fucker moving around the castle its the two sneakiest fuckers in the place. That IS you right?"
George, who seemed generally more cheerful, grinned. "That may be the sweetest thing any Slytherin has ever said to us. But if all you have to go on is 'invisible arsehole' even we won't be able to do much."
"Which is fine." I said with a shrug. "This is a long shot. I get that. But whoever it is has been sneaking in and out in a cloak. I spotted them slipping off into the forest the other day. I just want you two to keep an eye on the exits you know about, see if you catch anyone being squirrely. Is that something you'd be more open to doing for me?"
I knew that the twins wouldn't be open to smuggling anything. I'd asked around, and they were surprisingly principled about that kind of thing. It was a point of pride that they only worked for themselves, and despite being fairly poor, they had no trouble telling anyone who asked to fuck off and making them do it if they tried to argue.
This though, was something else. Self defense, even if belated, wasn't something that should cross any lines for them. And their siblings were in school here, they weren't interested in letting some nutcase in a hood run around trying to murder students.
"We'll look into it." Said Fred stonily. "No promises. You didn't give us much to go on, but we have ways of keeping an eye out. Still, if we're going to take time out of our busy schedules we expect to be compensated. Might as well get paid if we're doing your dirty work anyway. Unless you have a problem with that."
I shrugged. "Not especially. How much do you want?" I didn't pitch a number. I had absolutely no baseline for the proper prices of things. I was rich as fuck, but I wasn't stupid. Everyone knows you don't volunteer a price in negotiations. You find out what the other guy wants and then you undercut it.
George's smile grew sharp. I groaned internally. These bastards were going to wring me dry if I let them. "Five hundred galleons."
"Fifty." I rattled off without blinking. I knew they were going to oversell me a sizable amount and that the first offer would be outrageous. I figured ten percent would be way too little, but their reaction would give me some idea of what kind of leverage I had.
The redhead scowled. "Not even close to worth it. Two fifty. This is a time consuming job. You're lucky we're even agreeing to do it."
I pretended to think about it. "One hundred." I grudgingly offered. I had no context for how much this kind of thing cost, but if I let them know that I'd be basically screwing myself. Better to seem cheap than seem like an easy mark.
Sadly, I seemed to be approaching their actual limit, which meant I was going to have to give a bit. The trick was to figure out how MUCH to give. "Two hundred even." Said Fred slowly, and I knew from his tone they were expecting me to try to split the difference, and that if I did they would shut me down.
"One seventy five." I said after a minute. And I could see from the way their lips twitched that they considered that a solid profit. Not solid enough to feel vindicated, but it seemed to be an amount we could both live with. "And I'll throw in an offer to pick you up any materials you might need while I'm in Diagon Alley this weekend. I have a day pass."
Their eyes lit up. "Really?" Said George with interest. "Ickle firstie getting time in the yard? What kind of strings did you pull to make that happen?"
"The kind attached to my dead dad." I said bluntly. "You guys want anything while I'm there or not? I have better things to do with my night than spend it staring at your ugly mugs." I raised an imperious eyebrow, but I made sure my tone was soft enough not to give offense.
Fred barked out a laugh, grinning at me. "You're alright, Black. Fine. Pay us one fifty up front and put the other twenty five toward Doxy Eggs. We're working on some new recipes and we need the reagents. We keep the dosh even if we don't find your sneaky fucker though. Fred and George don't work for free."
"Though they apparently talk about themselves in the third person." I noted snarkily. He just shrugged. I rolled my eyes, reaching into my robes and pulling out my extendable bag. I counted out a hundred and fifty of the big gold coins right in front of them, then stashed it back in my pocket.
I admit, it amused me to see the way their eyes tracked my fingers as they placed the gold. They wanted it pretty bad, and I realized I could have probably gotten a better deal, but they hadn't fleeced me or anything, and I didn't mind ponying up as long as I could form a good relationship with the twin terrors. Last thing I wanted was their creativity aimed at me.
Snatching up all the gold so quick it might have been teleportation, George nodded at me. "Pleasure doing business with you. Tell anyone and we'll hex your bollocks off. We have a reputation to maintain."
"I'd prefer your reputation not have anything to do with my balls." I said bluntly. "So I'll keep quiet."
They both snickered. "Anyway." Said Fred. "We'll contact you through the fair lady Brown if we need to get in touch for another meeting. It goes without saying that if word gets back us that you've been less than a gentleman the aforementioned bollocks hexing will be twice as brutal, I take it?"
"I don't need you ginger fucks telling me how to treat a girl." I said with an eyeroll. "Lavender and I get along well, and I don't plan for that to change." It was nice to know they looked out for their own at least.
With a respectful nod, they retreated from the classroom at a brisk pace, never lowering their wands or turning their backs on me. I could respect that level of paranoia. I strolled over and picked my own wand up, twirling it through my fingers as I turned to head back to the dorm.
I had to do a bit of potions reading before our double tomorrow, just to brush up, but once that was done I could head to sleep. I couldn't wait until tomorrow, when I would not only be able to leave the castle for a few days, but meet up with some of the only family I had that wasn't an asshole or in prison. Or both. While I was there, I was planning to slip out to muggle london too. I wanted to check in with my mom and maybe visit Seras. So much to do and so little time.
October 1st, 2010. The Leaky Cauldron, London, England 2:00 PM BST
Fridays we had classes until about one PM, and then free time for most of the day until about midnight. Astronomy was the only class we had that took place even close to that late, which made sense since it was a literal stargazing class.
It was also one of the easiest classes to skip, because Sinistra treated it like a lecture hall and just ignored people who didn't show up. Granted, she would grade you for assignments whether you were there or not, but she didn't feel the need to actually enforce participation. Astronomy was a class that people failed often.
Luckily for me, I was doing Daphne a favor, and my favorite bitchy princess took excellent notes. I was free to skip the class without much consequence, as many people did, because who the fuck schedules a midnight class on a friday night?
Arriving at the Cauldron, I waved over at Tom, who gave ma a friendly nod as he cleaned his glass, and walked over to the table where I'd agreed to meet my…Aunt? Second cousin? Cousin once removed? Whatever, where I was meeting Andromeda for lunch.
Andromeda Black was easy enough to spot. She was pretty, I guessed, in the way most of the Black's that I had seen were good looking, but I wasn't really interested in her that way. Mostly I tried to see any hint of my dad in her face, and I definitely noticed some similarities to both him and myself.
Her eyes were the same steel gray as dad's, her hair the same midnight black, and she had cheekbones that kind of reminded me of my own. Her patrician nose looked like mine did, and we had similar eyebrows. All in all she probably could have passed for my older sister.
She looked conflicted when she saw me, her expression awkward, like she wanted to be happy to see me, then she wanted to be angry at herself for wanting to be happy. She held herself like she expected me to lash out, but instead I just smiled cheerfully at her and dropped into the seat across the table from her. "Andromeda?"
Her smile was tight. "Orion." She chuckled to herself. "Or, you mentioned in your letter you prefer Ryan. That's…strange to think about. Everyone was always so formal in the family. I can't imagine trying to call Uncle Orion anything but his full name. The only person who never seemed to be bothered by nicknames was Reggie."
I grinned at her. "Well when your name is three syllables you have to take your relief where you can get it. Imagine all the time he saved over the course of his life cutting the extra bit out. I bet that added up."
She barked out a laugh. "Merlin. You look like him, but you remind me of Sylvie. She always had that kind of cheerful insouciance that made it impossible not to like her." She paused, the smile on her face turning bitter. "Well, for most of us. Bella certainly managed." She didn't compare me to Sirius, though I saw her pause for a second and her eyes cloud with pain, so I suspect she noticed the same similarities Rosmerta had and just didn't mention it.
"I heard they didn't get along." I said diplomatically. Bellatrix was something of a sore spot for the remaining members of that family, from what I could gather. Still, she was Andromeda's sister, and I didn't want to be an asshole to my only friendly relative.
That got a snort. "Dogs and cats don't get along. Bella was a nutter. She tried to take that out on Sylvie, and got put in her place. Didn't expect the muggleborn to have such a gift for curses. Neither did I honestly, not a potion major. I think Reggie tutored her. He was always a dab hand at dark magic. Couldn't be Auntie Walburga's special boy and get out of combat training."
I nodded. "I knew he was a defense major. He and…" I trailed off, not sure if I should bring up the former white sheep of the family.
She sighed. "Siri. You mentioned in your letter you wanted to talk about that. Look, if you want to know what happened…I couldn't tell you. I've never known myself. He was the only family member I was close to, the only one I thought cared about me. Finding out what he did broke my heart."
"That's the thing." I said flatly. "I'm not so sure he actually DID anything." I put up a hand to stop her response, whatever it was. "Look. You know my dad did some shady shit in the last days of his life. If anyone would have known that Uncle Sirius was signing on with that terrorist guy, it would have been him. His portrait is adamant that the charges are bullshit."
Her eyes looked…conflicted. "Ryan, your dad wasn't exactly the picture of stability at the end. After Sylvie left with you, he did an about face in a big way. Reggie was always a bit cocky, but he was never MEAN until you were gone. I think he blamed his mother for ruining his life."
That was probably true, but she also didn't know why my dad had gone over to the dark side. She didn't know he was trying to help me. It occurred to me that my parents had to have justified why someone with a muggleborn baby mama would join up with Darth asshole and his cronies. Apparently they'd gone with bitterness.
I probably should have checked in with my mom before this meeting. She could have told me what Andromeda did and didn't know. I was getting a general outline of things at least. She thought dad went bad when mom left, and she definitely didn't know about the evil pieces, which was how it needed to stay.
"Why did you agree to meet me?" I asked bluntly. "It sounds like these people were horrible to you. My dad became a terrorist, my Uncle is in prison. They kicked you out of the family the way mom tells it."
She nodded amiably. "All of that is true. They were terrible, vicious, hateful people. They mocked and belittled me and my choices and more than one of them probably would kill me if given the chance." She reached out and put a hand on mine, giving me a kind smile. "But before all that they were my cousins, my siblings. They were kids who loved me. You grew up in the muggle world, away from all the poison that ruined my family. Doesn't make much sense to blame you for something you weren't involved in."
I squirmed a bit under that smile. She was so…nice. It was weird. I'd expected someone bitter and cold. "Do you want to come back?" I asked, desperate for something to say. "To the family? I'm the Lord now, I can add you back to the tapestry…though I'm told the house its in is a highly unpleasant place I should avoid."
"It is." She said flatly. "But no. Either way. I stopped thinking of myself as a Black a long time ago. I don't need their approval, or their code. I loved some of them as a girl, love some of them still, even if they don't feel the same, but I don't want to be a part of that mess anymore. I don't want that for my daughter."
That made a bit of sense. I suspected the 'some of them she loved still' meant her sister, Malfoy's mom. I wondered if she was as much of an asshole as her kid.
"So…Sirius." I said, getting us back on track. "I was told you're a barista?"
She snorted out a laugh, covering her mouth as she tried not to start cackling. "Merlin! No, Ryan, I'm a BARRISTER. A barista is someone who pours coffee." She leveled a finger at me when my eyebrows went up. "Don't be so surprised I know that, young man. My husband is muggleborn, and I've been to a coffee shop. But yes, I practice law." The smile vanished. "What exactly are you expecting?"
I shrugged. "Nothing complicated. I'd just like you to reopen my Uncle's case. Look into it and see what kind of evidence they have. Dad's portrait is adamant they have it wrong, and he was in the best position to know. If they have anything conclusive, anything that can't be explained any other way, I'll drop it. It's just…I don't have enough family left to go tossing away the few that are still around without making sure they deserve it."
Her expression softened. "I…I have some connections, over at the DMLE. I'll look into it. I never did before, because…well I didn't want to know. But if this is important to you I'll do it." Her smile became smug. "BUT!" She said as if she'd caught me in a trap. "I want to have dinner with you and Sylvie. I know you got a weekend pass. We can do it Sunday evening, and I'll pass you what I can get my hands on and we can decide where to go from there…as a family."
That last part was said almost shyly, like she was testing it out to see if I'd get mad, but I just gave her a big dopey grin. "Thanks Andromeda. I mean it."
She rolled her eyes. "Call me Andi, please. Your father had the right of it about shortening burdensome names." She got a sneaky look on her face. "But don't tell my daughter. I insist on her using her full first name, if only because it infuriates her."
I laughed. "That sounds like something my mom would do if she could. Fortunately I don't dislike the name Orion that much, so I remain immune, so to speak. What's her name?"
"Nymphadora." She said serenely, smirking at her kids misfortune.
"That's…awful." I said bluntly. "What could possibly possess you to inflict a name like that on your own flesh and blood."
Her shrug was casual. "I wanted to see if Ted would go along with it. Poor boy was wrapped around my finger and I didn't expect him to cave. By the time I realized he wasn't going to fight me it was too late. It's fine, having an embarrassing name builds character."
Shaking my head in wonder and some small amount of terror, I readjusted my impression of Andi. She was WAY worse than my mom.
"So, am I going to meet this poor unfortunate second cousin of mine at dinner on Sunday?" I said with a chuckle. "Or are you going to keep this whole thing on the down low. I'd understand if you decided not to mention it to her."
She snickered at that. "Ryan, dear. Who exactly do you think my contact at the DMLE IS? My daughter is an Auror Trainee, and her mentor is a particularly grizzled old veteran with frankly absurd levels of access. You'd be astonished what kind of things you can request without raising eyebrows when you have a reputation as a paranoid psychopath."
"Yeah, I could see how that might be useful." I said with a nod. "In any case, now that business is out of the way how about I get us some lunch and we get to know each other. I'm paying, of course. It's the least I can do for dragging you all the way out here."
"Oh pish tosh." She said, waving a hand. "It's not too far out of my way. My offices are in the alley. Though I never turn down Tom's food. I'll have a bowl of stew and a butterbeer, darling." Apparently that was a dismissal to go and get the food, and I just laughed as I went up to order. I liked my dad's cousin already.
October 1st, 2010. Red Dragon Curiosities, London, England 8:00 PM BST
I spent the day exploring Diagon Alley again. Bought Fred and George their Doxy Eggs, filled up on gold, and just generally fucked around until it was time to pick up Daphne's bone. She said the place was only open at night, and made a big deal about being respectful and getting in and out quick.
Of course, I wasn't going to do EITHER of those things, once I got the box I'd stick around and explore for a bit. The whole dark magic curiosity shop vibe was super cool, and I was betting they'd have some interesting stuff.
The bell above the door rang as I entered, and I looked around eagerly. I wasn't sure if I should be pleased or disappointed the place was so cramped and dirty. Piles of random looking junk with hastily scrawled labels packed into aisles on old bookshelves.
Some of the stuff was familiar to me. A monkey's paw, a hand of glory, a rabbit's foot. Some of it meant nothing to me. I had no clue what an aboriginal pointing bone was, or a hagstone, though I assumed they did something.
I scanned the items on display as I walked, eventually reaching the counter. There was a tall, thin man with pale skin and dark hair reading a book behind it, and as I approached his eyes rose to meet mine.
Pausing, I started a bit at their color. Red. His toothy smile showed a pair of dainty fangs, and it wasn't hard to figure out what he was. I didn't know vampires even existed. "Hello." I said cheerfully. "Pickup for Greengrass?" I decide that being overtly rude just to be contrary was stupid, and that I didn't want to start problems with vampires for Daphne's family.
He eyed me intently. "Greengrass?" He said lazily. "Lord Alvin only has daughters, and we made the sale to House Greengrass themselves. I'm afraid I can't pass the goods to just anyone who comes in here claiming to represent them."
I pulled out a slip of paper, the one with the address on it. Daphne had scrawled a small note on the back. I passed it to him. He picked it up and read over it, grinning at me viciously. "I don't see what that proves. Anyone can write a note. I'm afraid you'll need to pay for the goods yourself if you intend to take them."
Ah. That was his game. Pretend not to believe I was here for Daphne and demand payment a second time. He could keep the extra personally and pass the actual payoff from the Greengrasses to the owner. Classic scumbag move.
"Look. I don't want any trouble." I said with a smile, meaning literally the opposite and deciding exactly which walls I should bounce this asshole off of and in what order. "I'm just here for the finger bone. It's been paid for, so are you going to hand it over, or am I going to take it from you?"
His red eyes narrowed. "You'd best watch your mouth, boy. I don't know how they do things in your country, but over here, people are wise enough not to muck about with their betters. Unless it slipped your notice that I'm not your average human."
"What, you mean did I notice your overbite and the bad red-eye? Sure, but I'm not scared of some random ass shopkeeper vamp." I said snidely. I was a fucking devil. Ten times faster and stronger than a normal human. I was sure I could keep up with some punk ass bloodsucker.
Clearly. He didn't get the memo, because he was over the counter and on me before I could blink.
Fighting vampires is…weird. They're fast. Like ME levels of fast. And I can keep up, but it's almost entirely reflex. My body reacts faster than my brain does, my reflexes boosted by my devilish nature, so my actual understanding of the fight lagged behind my motion.
The feeling of moving faster than you think is incredibly surreal and disjointed. I'd blink and suddenly be catching a blow or dodging claws, then I'd be on top of the guy choking him, then I was flying across the room, only to catch myself mid air. Sadly for him, while his speed was up to par, and his strength was likewise up to snuff, his durability wasn't.
Blow for blow he just couldn't hang with me, and by the time my brain caught up to what had been going on, I had him pinned on his back, arms behind him at an awkward angle. "You done? Because I can do this shit all day."
"What ARE you?" He hissed angrily as his body writhed to try to escape. Even with his arms in a bar he barely seemed to care.
"I'd like to know that as well." Drawled a cultured voice to the side of us. Without any hesitation, I erected my strongest dome shield wandlessly. This asshole was tougher than expected, and while he hadn't been able to hurt me in a fight, like hell I was letting him go and turning my back on him.
My eyes jerked up, focusing through the silver shield on a small, unassuming red haired man standing smilingly behind the counter. A man who pretty much SCREAMED danger. Not because of his stance or any aggression in his gaze, but just because of the sheer aura of serenity and confidence he exuded.
"Master!" Hissed them man. "This THING wishes to rob us. Kill it! It can't be allo-ooowwww!" His tirade broke off as I shoved up on one arm, snapping it soundly. He trailed into a yowl of pain and then fell silent, whimpering under my knee.
"Sorry." I said cheerfully. "But I dislike when people lie about me. I'm here to make a pickup and your boy decided to try to shake me down. We gonna have a problem?"
He looked amused. "I saw the whole thing. He was the one who breached hospitality. I have nothing to say. Still, he poses an excellent question. What exactly ARE you?" He inhaled deeply. "That isn't a scent I've ever experienced before. How curious. My name is Roran. Might I request you release my shop boy. I assure you he will behave himself. Won't you Bernard?"
The whimpering baby vamp I'd subdued nodded quickly, unable to form words. I thought it over but eventually stood, letting him up. He blurred across the room, landing behind the counter, hissing at me like a cat. I flipped him off. I don't like cats.
"Enough." Said Roran lightly. There was a blur even I couldn't follow at his side and the vampire went flying into the wall. Like…literally into the wall. He was stuck in the brick to the waist. Holy shit. "I said behave." Apparently Roran was much stronger than Bernard. These were probably the kind of vampires that got stronger with age.
I was pretty sure that fighting this guy would be a poor life decision, and it was one I'd prefer to avoid. I had magic to make up the difference, but I was still pretty new at using it.
This whole NOT being an apex predator thing wasn't fun. I made a mental note to do more magic training and maybe some more contracts. If some vampire store owner in Knockturn Alley was stronger than me, I was betting there were others. I stared at him uneasily. "I can take the bone, right?"
He studied me with interest, then flashed me a grin filled with jagged fangs. "Of course. My word is my bond. If news spread that I wasn't honoring sales I'd be run out of business. Don't worry, I'll have a…conversation, with Bernard."
My devil hearing picked up the low whine of fear through the broken brickwork, and I shuddered a bit. I didn't want to think about what someone like that considered proper punishment. Roran turned and walked into the back, returning with a dark wooden box, the top engraved with a skull. He presented it to me with a flourish.
I picked the thing up, feeling the power in it. Daphne wasn't kidding, this was a powerful magical reagent. I wondered if you could make a wand with saint bone? I opened it perfunctorily, as if I had any clue at all what I was looking at, then nodded slowly as if I was satisfied. "Everything looks to be in order." I announced, hoping that it was true so I could get the fuck out of here.
Roran's red eyes shone with amusement. "I'm glad to hear it. Please, feel free to come again if you wish to procure any…difficult to find reagents. I have a reputation for discretion, and I can get you anything you might desire."
I stared at him. There was something in his tone. Something different. I'd aroused his curiosity, not in a general sense. He'd figured something out about me.
"That thing you said earlier." I stated suspiciously. "About not recognizing my scent. That wasn't true was it?" I stared at him, trying to use my devil senses to their fullest. He didn't even twitch, but that was an answer in itself, wasn't it? "No, it was partly true. You don't know it exactly, but you have some idea."
The vampire chuckled. "Interesting. You have good instincts." He didn't confirm my guess, just made the announcement like it was unrelated to my accusation.
I stashed the box in my robe. "I might come back again sometime. For now, I'd like to hire you. If you're open to it."
That got a raised eyebrow. "Oh? And what might I acquire for such a mysterious customer?"
I reached into the bag in my robes and pulled out a handful of galleons. "Information. If you don't know what I am, you can find out. Look into beings with smells like mine for me. I'm willing to pay handsomely. Just consider this a down payment."
His gaze was dismissive as he looked down at the gold. "This isn't the kind of place where one pays in coin, my friend. Especially not for such an…esoteric request. I'm interested in treasure of another sort."
The fixation of his eyes on my throat made his meaning plain. I shrugged. "I'm not against it entirely. But that wouldn't be a payment I'd offer for just any old information. Find me proper answers, and we can see about your treasure."
He swept the coins off the counter into a drawer. "Very well. I'll make inquiries. I admit, I'm interested in the origin of such delicious smelling blood. Your scent is so dark and rich. I'm intoxicated even smelling a drop of it." He pointed at my shirt, and I sighed in annoyance. Looked like Bernard had nicked me. No wonder the vampires both seemed so intrigued.
I made a note not to come back and check on the information until I was confident in protecting myself, maybe mom would know some tricks for dealing with vampires. Nodding silently, I turned and exited the shop, not interested in sticking around.
Knockturn Alley itself wasn't exactly tempting me right now. I'd made a lot of assumptions about how powerful I was in the greater scheme of things based on only running into chump wizards who had barely learned how to tie their shoes. The magical world had depths I'd yet to plumb, and I'd do well to tread carefully.
As I headed for Sheffield Manor, I also decided to stop off and say hi to Seras. I hadn't seen my cop friend since I left for Hogwarts, and I missed her razor sharp wit and larger than life…personality.
The most annoying thing was that I couldn't shake a feeling of impending doom. It had started in the shop, and my instincts wouldn't stop screaming at me that there was potential danger. I shook off the feeling and took a few calming breaths. I'd do a heat run or two to lose any tails. Just in case. Didn't hurt to be careful.