Calmly, I stepped out of the fireplace at St Mungo's and made my way toward the reception desk. Today, there were several people waiting in the hall, but only one elderly man stood before me. Just as I approached, he was finished with and stepped aside. Behind the counter sat Nurse Rowle once again. One might have thought that after Mulciber's death yesterday, she would take some time off, but she was likely accustomed to death in the hospital and simply continued her work.
As soon as she noticed me, her neutral expression shifted into one of alertness in a second. Her dark brown eyes narrowed slightly, and I felt a waver of fear radiating from her—she lacked Occlumency.
"M-Mr. Rosier, good day," she greeted politely, immediately turning to the colleague beside her. "Margaret, please, take over here for a moment."
Without waiting for an answer, she stepped out from behind the reception and headed toward me. I finally had the time to look at her properly; I hadn't even thought of it during yesterday's stress. It was clear she came from a pure-blood line. An alert expression, elegant features, dark brown hair pulled tightly into a knot, an upright posture, and a groomed appearance. A white robe covered her clothes, but a gold necklace with an emerald spoke a clear language.
Without a word, I followed her toward Vespera's room. After a moment, I realised she wasn't walking beside me, but a step behind, as if following me. It was strange, but for the most part, I didn't care. Only when we reached the fourth floor, near the Janus Thickey Ward, did she decide to break the silence.
"Mr. Rosier, I didn't tell the Aurors anything," she declared directly, though her voice trembled slightly.
I merely nodded to signal that I acknowledged her and kept walking. Even if she had told them I had held her, it wouldn't have changed anything. She was clearly afraid, though. One powerful wizard who decides on revenge can wipe out an entire line, and no Auror would do a thing about it. A cruel world.
In front of the last room, I noticed Tonks sitting in a chair. She had replaced Kingsley, who had previously watched us with constant vigilance. Tonks was engrossed in some ladies' magazine, judging by the gaudy pink cover. Instead of her pink ponytail, her hair was completely loose, black and curly. It seemed she had inherited her basic appearance from her mother.
We were almost upon her when Rowle couldn't stand it anymore and cleared her throat loudly: "Hem, hem!"
Tonks yelped and leapt to her feet. The magazine fell to the floor with a rustle, and her hair immediately changed shade. The black curls turned a vibrant pink; she looked like a giant piece of candyfloss. I would have laughed, were it not for the fact that my injured aunt lay in the next room. I only scowled at her and walked inside with Rowle.
The room was no longer dim but bathed in neutral light. No longer did a "mummy" lie on the bed, but Vespera as I knew her. And what was better? Her eyes were open, and she was looking directly at me with a smile.
"Aunt Vespera," I said, immediately quickening my pace and stopping by her bed.
She wasn't wearing an elegant robe, just simple white clothing from which her slender arms emerged. She wasn't malnourished, just naturally slight.
"Nephew," she greeted me with a smile.
"How are you? I thought the Confringo would leave permanent marks."
"I feel as if a herd of Hippogriffs has jumped all over me..." she answered tiredly, having to take a deep breath. Rowle, therefore, decided to provide additional information.
"Since the spell didn't hit her directly, the tissues weren't devastatingly destroyed. It was relatively simple to restore the skin and hair with potions. What fared worse were the internal organs, damaged by the pressure wave. Your aunt has a strict potion regimen that she must follow regularly."
"Thank you for the explanation, Miss Rowle. Could you leave us alone?" Although I formulated it as a question, my tone carried a clear command.
She stiffened for a moment but then nodded. "I'll wait for you outside the room. If anything happens, call."
I immediately pulled up a chair and sat by my aunt, who watched me with a tired but gentle smile. Slowly and carefully, I took her hand so as not to hurt her. It calmed me that her palm was warm; I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Silence fell over the room. We just looked at each other until I broke it.
"What happened, Aunt? Who attacked you?"
The smile vanished from her face, and she frowned for a moment. After a while, however, she only shrugged. "I don't know, I don't know at all. One moment I was just walking, and the next I heard a whisper. At the same time, I felt the necklace quiver and pull. Thanks to it, I realised a spell was flying at me and managed to conjure at least a weak Protego."
She paused for a moment, took a breath, and continued: "The spell threw me against the nearest shop. People and shouting appeared immediately after, so whoever attacked me couldn't finish me off."
"No one comes to mind? Do you have any enemies? And what about Gregor Mulciber?" I threw out questioningly.
She smiled amusedly. "Every wizard has enemies, Patrik. You can't spend seven years at school and not have them... But I can't think of anyone who would just try to kill me like that."
A heavy silence fell again. She squeezed my palm finalisingly; she saw my anger. "And Gregor?" I asked again.
She shook her head amusedly. "Not Gregor. Gregor had other plans for me. I'll take care of him soon, don't worry."
Quickly, I pulled out my wand and whispered: "Muffliato!"
Vespera looked at me in surprise, but I knew I should have done that first. In fear, one sometimes forgets the basics.
"There's no need to take care of Gregor anymore, Aunt. He died yesterday just a short distance from your room."
"What?!" Vespera blurted out. Her eyes widened, and she gasped for breath.
I looked at her in silence. Did I imagine it, or did I see sadness in her eyes?
"What happened? How did he die?" she asked quietly.
"He choked on his own blood. The Aurors say it was a timed ritual curse. A severed windpipe," I replied matter-of-factly, with a faint, satisfied smile.
She looked at me searchingly, an unspoken question in her eyes. I only gave a curt nod. She took a heavy breath in and out, her hand shook slightly, and silence filled the room.
"Are you alright? I thought you'd be glad," I suggested after a while.
"You know, Patrik, you're still young. I planned to take care of Gregor myself. If it were necessary for your safety, even kill him," she sighed heavily and continued. "But I still remember that scared little boy. We were some of the few from English families who enrolled at Durmstrang back then. We stuck together in those first years. He was once a friend... until his own ambition destroyed him."
She paused for a moment and then continued: "On one hand, I'm sad. He no longer has a chance to change, to realize that being the head of a house isn't everything. On the other hand, I'm glad we're no longer in danger. I'm just being a bit sentimental."
It made sense, so I nodded. Did I have regrets about Gregor? Absolutely not. Even if he might not have had a hand in the murder attempt, he still threatened my house. The choice was clear, and I didn't plan on showing mercy.
Vespera drowned in memories for a melancholic moment with glassy eyes, but immediately after, she shook her head and returned to the present. "Does anyone know you're responsible for it?"
I shook my head in disagreement, but immediately after, I shrugged. "They can assume, but they have no chance of proving anything to me."
She nodded and decided to change the subject. "How is school? Have you made progress with Aegis or Reducto?"
"Yes and no," I answered her questioning look. "Aegis has improved, but it still has translucent parts at times. I'm reducing their number, but it's going really slowly."
"Why did you actually choose Aegis and not Horribilis? I assume because of the constant magic requirement, but I'm curious why, when it's more demanding."
"Precisely because of that constant magic. I have to keep maintaining and feeding Protego. I assumed it would be the same with Horribilis, but Aegis Aurum with constant magic? If I learn it properly, I could modify it, or perhaps even cast through it..."
"And Reducto?"
I shrugged helplessly. "It's going terribly slowly, Aunt. I can erase a small diameter. If I hit a person in the right place, they would die... but I'm definitely far from mastering the curse." I paused for a moment and decided to confide: "I don't understand it. I have enough magical power, a firm and sharp intent. I know what I want to do, but it's just not right. Do I perhaps lack talent for the Dark Arts?"
Vespera let out a raspy, amused laugh. After a moment, however, she had to stop, tiredly wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, and looked at me as if I were stupid.
"I have never in my life met anyone who had such an enormous talent for the Dark Arts and magic in general as you," she grinned amusedly. "Not only do you have talent, you have an enormous magical core to go with it. If someone told me a twelve-year-old kid could manage Aegis or Reducto, I would laugh in their face."
"Why am I having such trouble with it then? The other curses came easily to me."
"Simply because they are extraordinarily demanding curses, not only magically but also mentally. It isn't spoken of, but the magic in the body matures and refines itself. If you were seventeen, these spells would be easier for you to learn. By starting earlier, you are ahead, but your magic—though powerful—is still young. You need substantially more training, and in the end... every spell is about hard work. Repeating and repeating."
"How long did it take you to learn Reducto?"
She looked thoughtful and then just shrugged. "About a few months? I don't know, it was a long time ago. But it took a long time, and I was almost an adult then."
"And Confringo?"
"I don't know that one," she replied honestly. Seeing my questioning look, she continued: "Confringo is too 'flashy'. It's a powerful spell, but far too visible and noisy. I prefer precision—I assume you chose Reducto for the same reason."
"So I should skip Confringo as well?"
"That's up to you, Patrik. I don't have the same talent as you. It's possible that when you're older, you'll learn it in a day. As I said, you have a gift for the Dark Arts," she paused for a moment. "I have a feeling, however, that you don't know how a duel between adult wizards proceeds. You have a distorted idea because of your power."
"What do you mean?"
"Simple. Currently, as a first-year, you can cast common spells and occasionally more powerful ones without much fatigue. Your magical core is above average. You take it as if an adult wizard has the same power as you do now... but you are mistaken. Even now, you are magically above the level of many adults; your magic just isn't refined. And as for those duels... no wizard masters hundreds of destructive spells. Dead is dead. Learning thirty more spells that do the same thing in a slightly different way makes no sense. An above-average duellist usually masters one powerful, deadly spell and one strong shield. A duel isn't about firing the strongest thing you have immediately, which would exhaust you and which an opponent would easily avoid. You'd die quickly then. A duel escalates. From weak spells to more powerful ones, until the opponent makes a mistake. A wizard creates combinations to 'open' the opponent, and only then finishes them off. That's why in advanced duels, you see even ordinary Flipendo or Expelliarmus."
"And what about Grindelwald, Voldemort, or Dumbledore?" I asked.
She smirked amusedly, yet she didn't shudder at Voldemort's name at all. After a moment of consideration, she answered.
"Those are definitely not just above-average wizards... As you've surely noticed, if you, Agnes, or I cast Everte Statum, the spell differs. In power, magical density, effect... Grindelwald's Reducto is not my Reducto. There is an enormous difference in it. Grindelwald was known for his mastery of the Dark Arts; he mastered countless curses and counter-curses with an almost academic love for magic. Dumbledore, on the other hand, is known for Transfiguration, not curses... And Voldemort? It is said he mastered every Dark Arts spell that ever existed."
She thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm sure it's a lie. We know of him that he had a huge affinity for fire and immense magical power because he could cast one Avada Kedavra after another in battle. But as for curses, besides the Avada, he only used a few repeating spells. I doubt he mastered such a quantity of them as Grindelwald."
"And who do you think was more powerful?"
"I think the Dark Lord was magically strongest. As for skill and knowledge, however... I'd probably say it was Grindelwald," she shrugged and added: "But we'll never know that now."
Vespera looked quite tired now. Her face was ashen, and her hand was beginning to go limp. She was still looking at me with a slight smile, so I decided to let her rest.
"Get some rest. I'll come to see you again," I promised.
I stood up slowly and cancelled the Muffliato with a short Finite incantation. When Vespera gave a supportive nod and closed her eyes, I made my way out.
As soon as I stepped out, I saw Tonks and Rowle scowling at each other. Apparently, my arrival was enough for them to turn away from each other with a huff.
"Miss Rowle, we can go," I said. I didn't wait for an answer and headed for the entrance hall. I still had some plans and didn't intend to waste time.
She quickly caught up with me and, instead of silence, decided to introduce herself.
"My name is Lyra, by the way. Lyra Rowle."
"Patrik Rosier," I introduced myself dryly and continued walking. A silence fell, in which only the rhythmic clicking of our footsteps echoed. We stopped only at the fireplace. I stepped inside, but before I could utter the address and throw the Floo powder under my feet, Lyra spoke again.
"Mr. Rosier... Patrik, if you need any information or anything else, feel free to get in touch," she offered.
I only gave a supportive nod, threw the powder under my feet, and clearly stated the destination: "The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley!"
In green flames, the whole world immediately began to spin with me.
***
Author's note:
In this chapter, we take a closer look at the aftermath of the recent events and delve deeper into the theory of magic within this AU. I wanted to explore the dynamic between Patrik and Vespera, showing that even in the world of the Dark Arts, there is room for history and sentiment. Enjoy the read!
***
Step into the Restricted Section
The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.
Enter the Restricted Section here: you-know-what/PatrikWriter
Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(11):
49. Hypothetical Questions
50. Ancient Crimes and Modern Recipes
51. The Smell of Teen Spirit and Dark Arts
52. More Than Just a Name
53. The Rat's Final Kiss
54. Deus Vult
55. The Underworld Gambit
56. The Boy Who Sponsored
57. The End of the Year
58. VR: The Warrior of Durmstrang
59. The Mind of a Rosier
Join the Inner Circle - tgdTNZYVKt (Discord)
(Vote on plot | Dark FF recs | Chat with the Author)
Support the craft and keep the darkness spreading. Your support directly allows for faster updates.