Unexpected enemy, unexpected ally

After another hour, during which Fleur showed me her choices several times, she settled on a rather short dress that left her knees open, which in the conservative magical world was considered very revealing.

- It'll come in handy when we go out in the Muggle world," Fleur chuckled, noticing Longbottom's surprise.

- Okay," I paid, and we finally got out of the abode of feminine things and into the fresh air.

- Freedom," Neville and I sighed at the same time, immediately getting elbowed by our girls.

- Get used to it," Fleur chuckled, who was obviously going to take over the smiling Luna, who liked Neville's reaction to her new clothes.

- We'll get used to it," Neville said philosophically, looking around. - Just don't show your outfits to Lady Longbottom, she's not yet able to appreciate modern fashion.

- Well, for the Muggle world, these outfits are very conservative, my friend," I grinned, remembering what had happened on the beach by the only lake near Little Winning.

- Then I don't want to put my nerves to that kind of test," Neville snorted. - I grew up in a rather conservative family, as you put it.

Luna pecked the young man on the cheek, smiling affectionately.

As we talked about nothing, and occasionally said hello to the many students who filled the village, we gradually approached the outskirts of the village, where there were far fewer people. There, however, as far as I knew, ran a small stream, which then flowed into the Black Lake, and today we had time enough to walk along its bed to the lake itself. Soon the branches of the autumnal bare trees swayed above our heads, and only a few spruce trees, which had preserved their green garb, hid the rays of the sun.

The spring from which the brook originated had been designed by some wizard, a master of transfiguration, as a fanciful lake, the bottom and banks of which were lined with stone tiles, and from a man-made stone cave, carved, with great skill, with all the stalactites and stalagmites, a strong stream of water gushed forth, crashing over the water surface a couple of feet below, in the lake. "A project of transfiguration wizard Alex Creadon," a modest steel plaque nestled on the back of the granite block in which the cave was carved.

- Permanent transfiguration... - Fleur sighed, "And on such a large scale.

- A strong wizard was at work," I summarised. - I couldn't repeat such a chain of spells.

- But you'd be able to power transfiguration spells for much larger objects," my wife smiled.

- Yes, I've been told about what my power could be used for after the war.... - I squatted down and dipped my hands into the icy water, scooping it up by the handfuls. The icy liquid, which made my teeth ache, tasted surprisingly good.

Slowly, looking around, we walked down the stream. The trees were nowhere near the stream, and then they rolled away, leaving large lawns covered with withered leaves.

A sharp crack and a rustle behind me made me twist on one foot, throwing up my protective charms. And then there was a heavy blow, as if someone almost invisible had slammed into the dome that kept material objects out.

- Look out! - Neville was pulling his wand out of its sheath, but he was desperately out of time, and my shield was already crackling from the blows of the almost invisible enemy. Continuing to hold my shield, I tried to cause trouble for the obscure enemy.

- Neville, Fleur, pump up the shield," I shouted, making the complex chain of Runes Sirius had shown me in my head.

With an unpleasant humming sound, pale green flames erupted around our hiding place-another spell from someone of Bleak's stature, a former apprentice of the great necromancer de Troyes. The blows to the shield stopped, but I didn't feel the surge of mortal energy - the attacker had time to bounce.

- What the hell is that thing? - Neville hissed, fuelling my spell. - I saw only a vague shadow.

- It looks like it's wearing the same robe as me," I hissed through gritted teeth, maintaining a spell like that around four people was a monumental effort, no less than keeping the Hellfire at bay. - And I don't know how to get it.

- It's a vampire," Luna said suddenly, taking off the strange glasses she'd never worn before. - He's circling us, waiting for us to remove our defences.

I didn't understand what the still invisible enemy had done, but the wall of fire began to fade.

- Neville, cover the girls, I'll try to take him," I struggled to hold the disintegrating staples of the spell together.

- Good," the air around Neville, Fleur, and Luna glowed with the same dim fire that blazed the inner shield that allowed us to withstand the vampire's first blows.

However, as I broke out from behind the falling tongues of flame, I realised that I had vastly overestimated my abilities. I couldn't use really powerful spells to avoid burning my dome-clad friends, and the vague shadow was getting away from point spells, preventing me from catching it either in the crushing ring of AquaMurus or in the lash of Insendio-enhanced fire. I was finding it harder by the second to keep up with the frantic pace of the vampire attacker, who was using some kind of artefact to his advantage.

I missed the attack for a moment, the pain of a glancing blow flashing through my chest, and I was thrown to the side, dragging me along the ground. I rolled to the side and tried to fire at the vampire who had just landed where I was, but the vampire was able to evade my magic again. The pain in my chest, despite the healing spell I'd cast, didn't lessen; instead, the scorching waves spread wider and wider from the chest where the blow had struck, as if I'd been hit with a delayed-action spell like the Bleck family charms instead of a normal fist.

Gradually, the vampire pushed me toward the bank of the stream, which was unusually wide at this point. As I tried to jump, I felt the elastic resistance of magic; my attacker had activated a travel-blocking enchantment, and I didn't have time to break it.

Something blurry flew past my head - Neville was spinning his wand, sending spells unknown to me in the direction of our opponent, but he was desperately muffing them too. The two of us were somewhat evenly matched, but the vampire was too fast and had some excellent amulets. Short bursts of dark magic successfully blocked the few spells that did reach the target.

Neville, who had been fuelling the shield around the girls, was getting weaker and weaker, and at some point he switched to simple spells like stun spells, but I could feel my arms and legs growing leaden, and the burning in my chest was so intense that it was almost impossible to bear. But our unknown adversary was exhausted, too; his magic attacks had stopped, and his amulets had their own resource, which had already been used up in the first few minutes of the fight.

- Neville," his breath came out of his chest with a wheeze and a gurgle, "take the others away, I'll try to hold him off.

It was like a battering ram in my chest, and the missed blow threw me back against the tree behind me, my eyes blurring. As if in a blur, I saw the vampire's indistinct figure rush toward me, throwing Neville away. It darted-and then flew back as the blurry shadow of a bird-man with hair on fire and hands on fire collided with it. The vampire, receiving an almost indistinguishable blow to the shoulder, bounced to the side, one arm of the creature that had fully manifested out of invisibility hanging limply.

After a couple of seconds of respite, I struggled to get away from the tree I was leaning against to keep from falling. Everything flickered in front of me, the impact of the impact was too much. Neville, who was lying not far from me, lifted himself up on his arm, and a flock of sparkling Eden's Flames flew from his wand and into the back of the vampire, who was successfully driving the strange creature into the dense shrubbery. The vampire collapsed, crumbling to dust as it fell, and Neville's mouth bled and he ducked face first into the dried grass.

The strange creature, moving a little slower than the vampire, stopped, turning to face us. A strange, outlandish mixture of human and bird features, a ravenous beak, wild, inhuman eyes with vertical pupils. The tousled hair gradually fell down, becoming softer and softer, falling in silky waves over the short spikes sticking out of his shoulders. Sparse droplets of almost black blood and sparks of magic unknown to me dripped from the slender, long fingers.

- Harry," the husky voice was strangely familiar, "help me.

- Fleur? - I hissed, trying to keep my footing on the swaying ground like a deck in a storm. - Is that you?

- Harry," she said again, "help me turn back.

Slender hands clutched at me with unfeminine strength, and the girl shuddered, smelling the blood that stained my face and jacket. Struggling to keep from falling to the ground, I pulled her to me, stroking her fluffy hair intuitively. The connection between us that had almost faded over the past six months was restored, and a wave of magic surged from my body, washing away Veela's transformation and returning her to her normal form, but that effort was the last thing I remembered.

* * *

The first thing I saw when I woke up in my own bedroom at the Potter mansion was Remus's scowling face, holding out a glass to me. It was a potent stimulant mixed with a strengthening potion, and I felt a rush of energy.

- Finally," the werewolf muttered, slumping back into the chair that was cracking under his body. - We've been worried about you.

- What's wrong with Fleur? - I looked up from the bed and looked at Remus anxiously.

- Alive," the wizard mumbled, stretching crisply. The werewolf, always radiant with strength and calm, was completely drained and gloomy this time. - He was lying in the next room, regaining his strength.

- And Neville and Luna? - The tension was wearing off.

- They're alive, too," the werewolf grumbled. - Luna was the one who'd called for help, having guessed to conjure a Patronus. Sirius and a dozen aurors came five minutes after you passed out, but Dumbledore was there even sooner.

- How could he have known? - I squeezed out, struggling to get dressed.

- The Headmaster himself mumbled something about Hogwarts' protective charms telling him you were in trouble," Remus grumbled. - But Sirius didn't believe him, and then they fought because the Headmaster, instead of giving you first aid, was talking to Luna Lovegood about who had attacked you.

- It was a vampire. - I shuddered at the memory. - And he almost sent us all to the other side of the world.

- Sirius pulled up Alastor's old connections and found out that you were attacked by one of the best bounty hunters in Europe," the werewolf snorted. - The kind that charges fifty thousand to one hundred thousand per order.

- That's where the artefacts come from," I got to my feet carefully and listened to how I felt. Everything hurt, but I could live. - He'd extinguished my defences almost immediately.

- Sirius and Slughorn are in the lab," Remus grinned. - They're dissecting what's left of your vampire. He was carrying around a lot of interesting things on him....

- It's not my vampire, it's more like Neville's vampire," I shook my head. - Neville managed to get him with the Eden Ogs, and I just held the thing off.

- Neville's on his feet now, he's suffering from severe magical exhaustion," the werewolf stood up, pulling a table laden with food closer to me. - Lady Longbottom had already blasted Dumbledore for not helping you when he'd arrived and found out there was no longer a threat.

- What happened to me? - I greedily tore a piece of meat off a chicken leg.

- A few cracks in the ribs," the werewolf grimaced. - And some tricky dark curse that tried to dissolve your lungs from the inside. Slughorn managed to deal with the dark magic by using a whole battery of potion bottles on you, but in the end he managed to find the right combination of potions. And Fleur got a severe shock, so Horace limited himself to fortifying and sleeping pills.

- Okay," I pulled myself away from the table, finally feeling my feet more or less firmly on the floor. - The important thing is that we're all alive, though I've never felt my own helplessness so keenly.

- Vampires aren't the best opponents for humans," Remus said diplomatically. - They're weak in magic, but they're too fast in close combat to be hit. And the one you got, on top of that, was very strong and used powerful artefacts.

- The devil. - I shuddered. - If there were two of them, even Fleur in bird form wouldn't be able to save us.

- Fortunately, there aren't many such masters, according to the man from the mercenary guild Sirius found, and their services cost too much. This one didn't expect that a half-veela in a state of shock would be able to shift into their animal form, and for that he paid for it.

* * *

- How are you, my love? - As soon as I felt able to walk to the next room, I immediately left Remus and headed for my wife.

Fleur, instead of her usual smile, greeted me with a strange look of... uncertainty? uncertainty?

- What's the matter with you? - I sat down next to Veela on the bed, taking her hands in mine. Fleur clutched at my hands like a lifeline, tears streaming down her cheeks.

- You know what I look like now," Fleur whispered, her gaze lowered, and a flood of fear came through our bond.

The wave of tenderness that came over me made me forget all the prepared words for a while. I lifted my thin arm, which was hanging limply, and pressed my cheek against the soft palm.

- What are you, darling... - My voice broke. - You think your feathers are going to make me give up on a miracle like you?

From the look in Fleur's eyes, that's exactly what she thought.

Pulling her closer, I rested her head on my shoulder and stroked her hair, tangling it in the thick strands. Fleur sobbed softly, pulling herself tighter against me.

- If it weren't for your help," I whispered quietly in my lover's ear, "the vampire would have managed to kill us all.

There was no response, only the hands clutching my shoulders clenched tighter.

- I liked your eyes when you shifted.

Slightly lengthened claws pricked the skin through the fabric of my shirt, and I began stroking the tense shoulders, putting a drop of magic into my touch.

- I don't care if you can shapeshift," I whispered, nuzzling my face into the thick hair. - If you want to, I can learn too....

- What?" Fleur asked muffled, raising her head.

- Animagic," I smirked wryly. - If it bothers you so much what you look like in bird form, I can be a bird too.

- You're definitely not going to be a bird," a faint smile touched her pale lips.

- Neither are you," I kissed the small nose gently. - To me, you're the most beautiful, and the fact that you can turn into a bird.... It's the same animagic.

- Clueless," his smile grew wider. - What did you listen to in transfiguration class?

- What I had to listen to," I smirked, glad that I'd managed to bring Fleur out of her deep depression. - I don't think I'll need transfiguration, unless....

- Unless what? - curiosity appeared in the girl's eyes.

I mentally whispered a complex formula, and Fleur's dress became translucent. With a shriek, the girl gave me a light slap.

- I listened to that explanation for the change in surface structure with all the attention I could muster," I grinned. - The professor didn't understand why I was so interested in the subject.

- Crazy! - Fleur giggled a little hysterically as the dress began to fade, becoming completely transparent.

- I love you," The wand's stroke made the deadbolt on the door drop, and the protective charms went off with a quiet crackle.

Rolling the girl onto the bed, I tried to help her forget everything.

* * *

"Honourable Lord Black.

As stated in the will I received through the Italian branch of Gringotts, I am to report to England no later than the end of December of this year to inherit.

My father, in the last letter I received, said that if anything should happen to him, I could ask for your help.

If it is not too much trouble for you, I would ask to see you.

Arthur Moody."

- Bloody hell," Bleck's fist slammed down on the table.

- What is it? - The sleep-deprived werewolf raised his head, examining his friend.

- Alastor's son has returned to England," Bleck said, rereading the letter. - Moody said his son was incapable of battle magic, and there was a war going on in England.

- Do you suppose the letter is genuine? - The werewolf stretched out, yawning.

- It's worth checking anyway," Sirius grumbled. - If it really is Alastor's son, he'll have to be placed somewhere safe....

- Moody said his son is an artefactor.

- We could use that," Sirius pondered. - Moody's mansion is unreliable, with the old paranoid man's death many of the protective charms have ceased to work.... I don't know what's causing the spells to behave this way. Besides, to live in a house where everything is filled with traps and black magic....

- Says the man who lives in an old dark house," Remus elbowed Bleck.

- I'll send this Arthur a letter agreeing to meet," Sirius pulled up a quill and parchment. - I think he'll be able to confirm his... authenticity.

- What do you think about the vampire? - The werewolf changed the subject.

- Honestly, I wasn't this scared, not even when we fought Voldemort in Hidden Town. - Black admitted. - I was afraid I was going to lose my godson.

- He's a strong wizard," the werewolf clenched his friend's shoulder.

- But that damn assassin almost killed him! - Bleck growled.

- Have you ever wondered who could have set an assassin of that calibre on Harry? - Remus clarified.

- There can only ever be two answers," a wry grin appeared on Sirius' face. - Either it was the Headmaster or Voldemort. And, considering how quickly Dumbledore had appeared on the scene, he was the one who'd spent fifty thousand on hiring a vampire assassin. I wish I'd been there!

- Would you have been able to handle it? - The werewolf raised an eyebrow. - You wouldn't have been able to use large-scale enchantments around students, and in close combat, a vampire would have been an impossible opponent, even for you.

- Not a fact," Black snorted. - Harry still hadn't fully learnt how to wield his power. I'd just use spells that don't harm the living.

- Which you know and Harry somehow doesn't," Lupin snorted.

- No one thought he'd have to face vampires," Black muttered unhappily. - That's an oversight that needs to be corrected.

Glancing up at the darkening sky outside the window, Sirius put the seal to a sheet of parchment and reread the short letter.

"Mr Moody.

It will be a pleasure to meet the son of my old friend and teacher at Merlin's Shadow tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock.

Lord Black."

* * *

Fleur, soothed and smiling childishly, fell asleep with her cheek against my shoulder, and I could listen to her quiet breathing tickling my neck, savouring the warmth that came from a body so alive and dear to me. Being on the brink of death made me appreciate life even more.

Reaching out with my free hand, I gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She mumbled something, settling more comfortably on my shoulder with the thoroughness of a real cat.

The last fight had clearly demonstrated my main and, it seemed, my only weakness so far. In close combat with an opponent who used almost no magic, but was well protected from it and able to evade directed spells, the arsenal I used gave no guarantee of victory. Making a note to talk to my godfather tomorrow, I let myself drift off to sleep.

* * *

Sirius Black nodded briefly to the doorman and entered the half-dark room of Merlin's Memory. This establishment, though owned through third hands by Malfoy Senior, had already won the respect of aristocrats for its comfortable separate offices on the first floor and powerful magical protection that prevented the possibility of eavesdropping on conversations in the next room. It wasn't that Bleek himself needed additional protection beyond his own charms, but it was becoming a status marker, and not every negotiation was worthwhile in these days of sealed-off family mansions. The recent increase in attacks on Ministry security officers, Auror's Office employees, and Alliance members made it impossible to invite random people inside the family manors, and sometimes a certain amount of secrecy had to be sacrificed for that.

Looking around, Sirius made his way towards the only other person in the restaurant besides him. A young man, a little older than Bleck's own godson, with long black hair and a narrow thoroughbred face, was staring intently at the wizard.

- Good afternoon, Lord Black," the young man rose from his seat. Tall, lean, and moving with a peculiar grace, he looked nothing like the Alastor the Auror had been in his later years, or the one Bleek remembered from the First War.

- Good afternoon, Mr Moody," Sirius shook the outstretched hand. - No offence intended, but I'd rather have proof that you are who you say you are first. You don't look much like... my friend.

- Reasonable," the young man nodded, slowly pulling a scroll with the impressive seal of Gringotts from the purse on his belt. - It's a blood status check document, you can see for yourself.

With a wave of his wand, Black made the parchment unfold in front of him and cast a complex identification spell, checking that the scroll was authentic and that the text had not been altered. Everything was in order.

- My apologies, Mr Moody," the wizard returned the scroll to its rightful owner and smiled in a more friendly manner. - It's too expensive to take anyone's word for anything in England these days.

- I understand," the young man's black eyes remained attentive and calm.

- Alastor was a friend of mine," Sirius said slowly as the wizards went up to a separate office on the first floor and the powerful protective sphere raised by the dark wizard's will closed around them. - He asked me to help you deal with the inheritance issues when the war is over.

- My father didn't want me to return to England before Voldemort fell," he sat down in a comfortable chair, but jumped back up, a look of excitement on his face. - I'm not a fighter, but I can't bear the thought of my father's murderers walking the earth!

Black looked sceptically at the agitated Arthur.

- 'I wouldn't want to dash your hopes, Mr Moody,' he began cautiously, 'but first I'd like to know what powers you possess.

- I create artefacts," Alastor's son grumbled. - Unfortunately, I have a weak ability for battle magic. And for the past three years, I've been trying to learn my mother's ancestral spells.

- Who was your mother? - Black raised an eyebrow, sensing that he was about to hear something really interesting.

- Dorcas Meadows.

- That's... interesting," Sirius lowered himself into the chair, scrutinising the young man from a whole new angle. - If you have inherited even a fraction of your mother's abilities, then you will clearly be useful to the Alliance's cause. But even if you can't help, I'll try to help you settle the matter of Alastor's inheritance.

- That would be a good idea," Arthur sat down in a nearby chair, pouring himself some wine. - I haven't been to my father's house yet, though I have the key.

A gracefully curved dagger lay on the table, the stone at its tip burning with a grim fire. Sirius ran his open palm over the artefact and withdrew his hand abruptly.

- I recognise old Alastor's jokes," he snorted. - Hellfire for anyone who wants to take this iron, excluding the rightful owner. I won't even try to touch it.

- I'd like to invite you to join me as I open my father's house. - The young man put the dagger away in his bag.

- 'That's possible,' Sirius nodded, 'but I'd call in a couple more people for backup first. Your father's sense of humour has deteriorated in recent years, so it's best not to go into his mothballed house with an artefact key. Besides, he once said that your mother was also involved in creating some of the trickier spells around the mansion.

* * *

Half an hour later, the four wizards stood in front of the gate, its bars bent as if in agonising spasms. Not a single straight line, just curved steel strips, spikes, and dry crackling spheres.

- Honestly, I've never been to Alastor's," Lupin said, sniffing at the smells coming from behind the fence. - There's some kind of nunda-like creature inside.

- Devilish," Brown's wand appeared in his hands.

- Apparently, Alastor's housekeepers had orders to keep the estate defensively secure by any means possible, including feeding the menagerie," Sirius created a shimmering sphere around Arthur with a wave of his wand. - Mr Moody, it's your move, we can't go into the mansion, I was mistaken in thinking that some of the spells had dissipated after our friend's death.

The young man, looking highly agitated, walked over to the gate, pulling a dagger from its sheath that suddenly glowed purple.

- Blood spells," he said without turning round. - I sense that no one except those related to the master of the mansion will pass through here now.

With a sharp slash of his blade across his left palm, he pressed his bloody hand against the gate. With a quiet creak, the gate swung open, revealing a rather neglected garden.

- All right, gentlemen," Sirius smirked, looking around warily. - 'Now we have to get past the nunda. I hope the pussy isn't too hungry.

With a nervous chuckle, Arthur shifted the dagger to his left hand, from which heavy scarlet drops dripped slowly onto the paving stones. Feeling the native blood, the artefact-key glowed stronger, creating a kind of scarlet sphere in which all four wizards could fit with some difficulty.

- That's even better," Lupin hummed, continuing to sniff around.

Pulling out their wands, the wizards headed down the rough stone path that wiggled between the trees.

- It looks like we're going to have to go round the whole site," Brown said, assessing the direction they were going, feeling very insecure in the abode of Alastor, who was known for his paranoia and love of dark jokes.

At one of the turns, a nunda slid towards them almost silently.

- No!" Sirius slapped the hand of the auror who had instantly raised his wand. - There are too many protection charms.

The huge black cat, its head level with the wizards' shoulders, stepped forward smoothly, moving its ears warily. Its long tail hung calmly, the nunda had no intention of attacking.

- I hope he didn't have any other ... animals," Brown said as the garden guard disappeared around the corner. - This is too much even for my nerves.

- Ha," Sirius chuckled a little nervously, visibly relaxed, "it's the first time I've seen a nunda this close.

Arthur led them along the narrowing path as if he hadn't noticed. The trees around them were constantly changing; it looked as if the old auror had gathered all the fruits of the Mystery Department's failed experiments in his garden, which were now wiggling their leaves, tentacles, and thorns as if they were watching the wizards go by. At last they reached the porch, which was made of solid logs blackened by time; the pillars supporting the roof were dragons with their backs bent and their jaws open. The jaws were turned towards where the visitor would stand before the doors.

- Wait here," Arthur said in an agitated voice, stepping forward. The protective film around him, created by the combined efforts of Sirius and Remus, grew even tighter, and Brown turned his back to the door and looked around carefully.

As Alastor's son approached the doorway, the protective charms from the house themselves fell away, allowing access to the dark hallway.

- Master," the housekeeper in the blue toga bowed to the young man with dignity, glancing at the dagger from which blood was still dripping, soaking into the palaces. - My name is Kili, and I am the eldest of the housekeepers left in the house.

- How many other housemates are there in the house? - Arthur asked, taking his time to put the dagger away.

- Three more, Master.

- Show us the way to the Runes Hall of the mansion, Kili," the young man demanded.

- Very well, master," the housekeeper bowed, "You may remove the key, it will not be needed, I am in charge of some of the security charms in the mansion.

By evening, after a long ritual, the mansion was slowly taking on a friendlier appearance. The combined spells of the five wizards had created an additional defence around the fence and the house, tying it to the source of the magic.

- Thank you, gentlemen," the young man stood in front of the only portrait of Alastor Moody in the entire mansion, looking at the man he hadn't seen in person in years. In the portrait, Alastor was sitting in full dress and honours at the Aurorate Chief's desk, looking grimly at something beyond the frame of the picture. - Without your help, I would have taken much longer.

- You were surprisingly quick to subdue the central Runes circle," Sirius said with a chuckle.

- I'm still a master of artefacts," Arthur turned around and smiled. - All Runes circles, magic items, amulets... It's my element.

- Alastor talked about it," Sirius replied, glancing at the inanimate portrait. There were no living portraits in the old auror's entire house, only Muggle painted ones. Apparently, the old paranoid man, like his ancestors, thought that entities able to move between portraits was not a good use of the mansion's security.

At that moment, the nobleman's mind formed a mosaic of words and phrases he had heard over the past six months. The facts from the conversation with the member of the Department of Mysteries, the old auror's will, and Arthur's account of his abilities all fell into place.

- Mr Moody," Sirius stepped closer. - I think I know what, besides artefacts, you can do to help the Alliance.

- How? - The wizard replied, watching the House elf set a small table. - I am not a battle mage.

- But you have, as you said yourself, inherited your worthy mother's abilities, and the Meadows have long co-operated with the Department of Mysteries in dealing with dementors.

Arthur turned sharply green. Lupin and Brown, who were sitting in the drawing room, looked surprised at Sirius's knowledge.

- I've read about the way my ancestors ... controlled the Dementors," he squeezed out. - It wasn't something worth talking about at the table.

- I understand," Sirius snorted. - We'll take the human sacrifices, but the control of the process must be yours; I can't do that kind of spell, and I don't have blood magic.

- I... read in the papers that the Dementors have left Azkaban," Arthur grumbled. His face was slowly returning to its normal colour. - What exactly do you want to do?

- Sooner or later the Dementors will show themselves," Sirius rubbed his chin, taking his time with his meal. - Is there any way to create some kind of trap to keep them safely in one place?

- Only if I protect a specific area of space with such a trap," Arthur said with concentration. - I won't be able to make an artefact with similar properties.

- All right," Blek nodded, "when we've determined where such a trap would be most effective.... How long will it take to create it?

- About five hours," Arthur said, as if he were flicking through the pages of old books in his mind. - But that would require the lives of dozens of people, Mr Black! It's inhumane!

- If we don't catch the Dementors, they'll ravage many cities," Bleck growled, his gaze fixed on the young man's sweat-covered face. - I don't like the prospect of personally killing people who've done me no wrong, but I don't want to lose fighters to Dementors!

- I think we should set up a trap like this near Hogwarts," Brown said. - The Ministry of Magic itself is of no use to us or Voldemort, and it's too wasteful to spend that kind of power to protect one of the family mansions.

- It makes sense," Sirius nodded. - I wouldn't want to get any more bloody than I have to.

- But where are you going to get so many suicide bombers! - Arthur was still out of breath. - It would take at least fifty victims to surround Hogwarts with a trap ring!

- I think the experience of our French colleagues will help us with that," Black replied grimly. - They train the Unforgivables on Muggle criminals on death row. Dear Fudge has a connection to the Muggle Prime Minister, but Cornelius himself is no help to us.

- Then I don't see how I can help you, Lord Black," Arthur breathed a sigh of relief.

Sirius glanced over at Remus and Brown, who knew of the Alliance's plans to remove the leadership in the coming months.

- 'In that case, Mr Moody,' the wizard grinned, 'I look forward to your return visit in the coming days, after you have visited the goblins and decided on your future plans.

- So, gentlemen, - gloomy Sirius Black walked in front of the formation of wizards, almost entirely consisting of mercenaries from the continent. - Once again, I repeat the task. I don't want to burn out our "friends'" dwelling completely, you must follow me to the centre of the forest, and then ensure that you can talk to the rulers of the forest without interference. Only intervene if my defences are breached.

- The payment has already been transferred to your accounts," the wizard smirked, looking intently into the eyes of each of the mercenary guild members. - The Guild Watcher has no complaints about your assignment and payment.

The man standing in the corner, wearing a dull grey robe and a patch over his right eye, nodded in agreement, confirming Blek's words.

- Go in groups, covered by shields," Sirius continued. - Use only non-lethal charms and mist net when attacking. If the shields fall, use everything up to Unforgivable. Most of our opponents are non-magical, so it's unlikely they'll be able to seriously harm us.

- I wouldn't be so sure about that," one of the oldest-looking mercenaries spoke suddenly. - The area around their lair is littered with all sorts of non-magical traps. So it makes sense to take golems or animated creatures with you to clear and check the way.

- That's a good point," Sirius nodded. - Stay close to me when you're camping.

- Okay," the wizard inclined his head. - I've been on fang raids before.

The group portal worked, - and the wizards, standing back to back, looked around warily. The usual, little-visited woodland in the north of the country, in this place smoothly bifurcated into Muggle reality and magical reality - the cunning vampires had settled on the site of an old laboratory of one of Merlin's students. The stone building had been destroyed by an unsuccessful experience with penetration beyond the world, leaving no trace of the thick walls, but the spells of space duplication were still in place - in those days they knew how to create truly self-sustaining spells.

- Prepare yourselves. - Around the tight circle of wizards flashed sparks of rising shields. Sirius Black himself, not even trying to disguise his presence, walked forward, shrouding himself in a dark haze before his eyes. The wizard himself did not notice, but the inhabitants of the forest did. The last fight with Voldemort had forced Sirius to plunge into the depths of dark magic as he had never done before, and it was not without consequences.

The further Bleek travelled into the forest, the more hidden watchers tracked the wizards every move. At first no one hindered him, however, as soon as the observers were sure that the dark mage was walking as if along an invisible thread leading to the entrance of the caves, the unimpeded progress of the small group ended.

There was a short whistle, and a thick steel bolt lodged in Blek's shield. The wizards who had followed Sirius began to fire from the darkness.

- Don't kill anyone! - shouted the wizard, throwing a Misty Net into the darkness, which, judging by the echo of magic, hit a tree and got stuck without catching anyone.

With a sharp sweep of his palm, Black made a vampire armed with a short dagger hover in the air in front of him, rushing out of the darkness. A ball of fire glowed in the wizard's right hand, but instead Sirius simply threw the immobilised vampire away with force, hitting a tree with a crunch.

Suddenly, an unseen hole opened up beneath the dark wizard, at the bottom of which were dug sharp stakes, carefully smeared with something remarkably unpleasant. With an unintelligible curse, Blek flew downwards, causing his aura to burst into flames that melted the stakes and then softened the landing. The mercenaries darted forward and surrounded the trap, preventing the vampires immediately sprinkled from all sides from reaching Sirius. Spells flashed, but the vampires, armed only with cold weapons and their own speed, could not penetrate the line of well-coordinated mages, each covering only his own sector.

With curses, Blek stopped after the surprisingly effective trap. With a wave of his wand, a thick tree, cut down to its roots, began to melt and change. Streams of dark magic, bursting from the wizard's hands, accelerated the transformation process, and now instead of the tree stood a thick golem body covered with peeling bark. Tensing, Sirius described with his wand an intricate figure imprinted on the golem's back. "The rotten eyes lit up, and the creature took a step forward, checking the path.

- Let's go," Sirius followed the golem, ignoring the stunned looks of the mercenaries: few wizards could animate such a large object.

After about half an hour, the group of wizards, which had not diminished in number, reached the carefully concealed entrance to the cave. Gollem, having exhausted its resource, crumbled into dust, staining the boots of the people who had walked over it.

- So they were right," commented Black, stopping not far from the entrance and waiting for the mercenaries to stand behind him, who immediately took up a circular defence.

- I want Patriarch Romero! - Black shouted at the whole forest, using Sonorus.

After some time, which the wizards spent diligently fortifying their position against a sudden attack, a whole delegation of vampires appeared in the passage.

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