Chapter 44. The Offer
After examining the two unlucky thieves and lightly wiping their memories, Severus handed them over to the Aurors, who, like flies to spoiled pie, swarmed Diagon Alley.
He did not kill them, because the thieves themselves had not planned to go that far. They only wanted to knock Karner out and rob the place. And doing it in front of Nagini and his worker was out of the question.
As for Shafiki, who learned the next day about the horror that had happened the previous evening, Severus simply told him about his good relationship with Malfoy, who had helped solve all the problems.
Shafiki was not an idiot; he understood Severus was leaving things out. He only found out about the shop's trouble after returning to Diagon Alley. He had spent almost the entire day inside the shop, except for a couple of hours in the evening, which was nowhere near enough time to deal with gangs of thirty men scattered across different parts of the city. Even the Malfoys, no matter how rich, could not handle all of them in three hours. And that horrifying fire that would not go out for a long time. it was all too strange.
Shafiki chose not to burden himself with it. Not his business, and he did not need extra trouble. "The less you know, the better you sleep." That phrase described his attitude toward murky business perfectly. And his salary, plus the bonus Severus had given him, was enough to drive away any remaining thoughts about the night's events.
The next day Severus spent the first half in the shop, and the second strolling Diagon Alley, buying ingredients and watching the situation in general. He also wanted to check Knockturn Alley, but with Aurors crawling everywhere, he decided not to draw attention to himself and dropped the idea.
Along with ingredients, the young man bought ten more shops, spending forty-two thousand Galleons, money he had plenty of.
If it were up to him, he would have bought all of Knockturn Alley, but that was impossible because most of the shops belonged to the Ministry and other noble families. They did not use them; they simply rented them out, exactly what Severus planned to do. He found them by visiting and chatting with owners, and then, using Legilimency and persuasion, bought them.
After returning, he observed for a while longer and gave Karner several new tasks, one of them: learn about and buy up shops whenever possible, as long as the price was not wildly inflated.
He also did not forget security, hiring several wizards as guards, checking them first, and making them sign a magical contract.
Closer to nine, after leaving Shafiki a pouch with fifty thousand Galleons, the young man left Diagon Alley and returned to Hogwarts.
The situation in Britain's wizarding world was getting worse. Each day the war flared hotter; Death Eaters under Voldemort openly hunted Mudbloods right under the Ministry's nose.
And news that not only humans had joined them, but magical creatures like werewolves and giants, caused even greater shock and panic among ordinary wizards, who still could not decide which side to choose.
You could understand the overall situation just by looking at Diagon Alley: after September first it had returned to its usual bleak look. Most buildings had windows and doors boarded up; their owners had long fled as far as possible from the war's epicenter. Shopfronts that once displayed glittering, mesmerizing goods were plastered over with posters of various Death Eaters. Only those confident in their strength moved through the streets, and even then, in pairs or trios. Pure-bloods walked too, but even they tried not to go alone.
Some shops still operated, surviving on protection from important patrons and the Ministry. Severus had no such protection. After a brief investigation, everyone targeted him at once, and if not for his power, by tomorrow the shop would have been gone, and he would have been somewhere in a basement, tortured for recipes.
And a new law, issued by Barty Crouch, recently promoted to Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, expanded Auror powers. They could now drag almost any wizard in for questioning and use Unforgivable Curses like Cruciatus and Imperius as examples, even during arrests. It sparked even more panic; more wizards fled the country or moved to the far outskirts.
The country was in ruins. The war was only gaining momentum. Only one island of calm remained: Hogwarts, under the Headmaster's protection, one of the strongest wizards in the land.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Approaching the entrance, Severus looked with mild surprise at a scarlet bird the size of a swan, with a long golden tail, golden talons, and a golden beak. It stood atop a statue of an eagle holding a large lamp in its beak, lighting two massive gates covered in intricate patterns.
That old man's phoenix. and it looks like it is waiting for someone. The moment the thought flashed through his mind, the bird looked straight into his eyes, swooped down, and landed on his shoulder.
"And what do you want?" Severus asked with a smile, stroking its back. "I do not have food." Surprisingly soft.
"Looks like the Headmaster is calling you, since he sent his phoenix instead of that nasty old woman," Nagini hissed, glaring at the chicken.
"Looks like you are right, yeah?" Severus asked aloud, looking into the bird's eyes, where he easily saw intelligence.
The phoenix, oddly enough, was not afraid of the snake emerging from the other side. As if understanding her, it nodded shyly, releasing pleasant warmth that wrapped around him. He did not resist its affection, feeling a strange kinship with it.
"Then let us go. And you, back you go," he said, flicking Nagini on the forehead. He stepped toward the gates, which slowly began to open.
On the way, they did not meet anyone, thanks to Peter, and reached the very top floor without trouble, where one of the smaller towers adjoined the corridor. The Headmaster's office was there.
Standing before the gargoyle statue, he smiled and said:
"Lemon drop."
As before, the statue's eyes flared crimson and it moved aside, revealing a wooden spiral staircase. The moment Severus stepped onto it, it began to rise.
A few seconds later, he saw the Headmaster's office, and the Headmaster himself, standing by the desk, watching him with interest.
"Good evening, Headmaster," Severus greeted him without changing expression. The phoenix rubbed against his head and flew back to its perch near the desk.
"Good evening, my boy. I see you have taken quite a liking to Fawkes," Dumbledore said with a kindly smile, warming his gaze on his pet. "Phoenixes are very sensitive to human emotions. They easily understand whether a person is good. or not."
"A Slytherin and good is a bit funny. I just like animals, and they usually return the favor. That is all."
"Do not speak of yourself that way. It is not a House, or that Hat, that decides what kind of person you are. Only your choices."
"I will remember that. So why did you call for me, Headmaster?" Severus asked with an innocent smile.
"First, to congratulate you on becoming a Master. I wanted to do it earlier, but there was too much to do," Dumbledore sighed, took a lemon drop from a bowl, popped it into his mouth, and squinted in satisfaction. "Lemon drop?"
"No, thank you. I have already eaten."
"I see. very well," he continued cheerfully, as if recharged.
"But you did not call me only for that."
"True. I have one rather selfish request for you. But if you refuse, I will understand."
"Is it related to my little business?"
"Yes, but not only." Stroking his beard, he went to a cabinet and took out a cube that looked very familiar to Severus.
"Mr. Macmillan told you?" Severus asked evenly. He had already realized Dumbledore knew who had made the artifact.
"No. He told me nothing. But I will apologize to him for using Legilimency. I truly needed to meet the creator of this artifact. Imagine my surprise when I learned it was you, Severus."
"I see. I should have guessed."
In truth, Severus had understood this might happen the moment he offered the deal, but he thought it would be much later. Apparently, artifacts that blocked Legilimency could not withstand Dumbledore's power. And he was sure there could be an artifact hidden somewhere in Dumbledore's shadows, amplifying mental strength.
"Do not blame him, my boy, he."
"Headmaster. Let us get to the point."
"Very well. I want to offer you a place in the Order of the Phoenix, a brotherhood that fights Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Severus, my boy. we need your help."
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