Potter Tutelage Ⅳ

Guild Master Thunberg guides them through the guild and happily introduces the enchanted portraits throughout the building which only served to slow their progress. "Good old, Swooptikes!" He warmly said. "Not only was Swooptikes a Potion Master but a talented entomologist as well. Though I can't say I agree with his preference and choice of the Quidditch team, the Tutshill Tornados."

Severus and Rowan glance at the enchanted portrait in question. It is of an elderly wizard in plum-colored robes and a matching wizard hat. The elderly wizard in the enchanted portrait pays them no attention holding up a magnified glass in in hand and a Billywig in another otherwise occupied with the specimen in hand. Though interestingly enough, there is a vast insect collection surrounding him.

Indicating the unusual portrait, Guild Master Thunberg said, "Now Potion Master Aespop Sharp took a rather untraditional route," he indicated another enchanted portrait.

 "After the successful completion of his mastery, he had a change of heart and became an Auror. He proudly served until the ambush killed his partner and resulted in him nearly losing his leg and leaving him with a limp. Whether upon, he returned to his old passion of potion crafting and became the Potion Professor at Hogwarts."

The enchanted portrait is of a wizard wearing a three-piece suit, matching brown overcoat, vest, brown tie, and trousers along with a white shirt. The keenly acute (painted) wizard arches his brows at them. The enchanted portrait looked far from impressed at their presence.

Not one to be impressed by his appearance, Rowan returned the matching gaze. Her eyes lingered pointedly on the enchanted portrait unkept long brown hair and beard. The enchanted portrait was the first to glance away and pointedly ignored her, which caused her to smirk in triumph before moving along.

There were some rather interesting characters to learn of such as Gregory, the Smarmy, who invented Gregory's Unctuous Unction, a potion that made the drinker believe the potion giver was their best friend. Unethical, most certainly, but he did end up worming his way into King Richard's confidence and earned a vast fortune.

The following portrait though left Rowan rather disgruntled. It was that of a witch showing off her best side profile. Laverne de Montmorency is the witch/culprit who is solely responsible for the creation of countless love potions.

Personally, Rowan thought it was because there must have been something profoundly wrong with the chit. The very essence or creation of a love potion was so wrong! And Laverne de Montmorency had not created one but multiple love potions!

 While everyone moved forward, Rowan tended to linger at the back until she noticed Wilfredius lingering as well. Walking over to him, in a quiet voice, she says, "I presume you are curious about the request made by Master Belby?"

Wilfredius blinks rapidly before frowning. "Yes, but I know better than to ask."

"Good, because I would not offer an explanation."

Turning away lest his tongue escape him, Wilfredius glanced up at the portrait of Professor Regulus Moonshine. A potion master who developed a potion to suppress hags' appetite for human flesh. Though there were notable missing chunks of flesh, a consequence of conducting clinical trials. He would seem relatively normal if not for the clearly visible teeth marks on his body.

After a lapse of pensive silence, Wilfredius murmurs, "May I know what you wish of me?"

"In due time." Rowan confidently answered as she exactly what she wanted to use the debt passed down to Wilfredius for. He would be a crucial component of the plan.

"How comforting," Wilfredius grumbled greatly resembling his former master at that moment.

Gazing at the portrait of Professor Regulus Moonshine, Rowan has her hands behind her back. "I do have one question though," she quietly asked, "during Master Belby's last days was he ever frequented by anyone?"

Wilfredius pensively narrows his eyes but finds there is nothing wrong with answering the question. "Master Belby was solitary by nature though he delighted in the art of haggling in Diagon Alley until it became far too dangerous. Thankfully, our suppliers were able to owl several ingredients, while I personally collected the rest."

Rowan clenched her hands behind her back. Master Belby in his letter had suggested he had been infected. Yet Wilfredius showed none of the signs of being a vessel of Hydra. From the little she understands a vessel in transition had to be in constant contact in order to be successfully converted for a period of time.

Yet Belby was not. Unless she was missing something. Glancing up at the portrait, Rowan notices a gleaming pocket watch being pulled out of the enchanted portrait's pocket. In the back of her mind, the missing piece of the puzzle suddenly clicks.

Hydra always continued to evolve. She had suspected it had developed another ability after the memory of the vessel Marcelleus had left behind! An ability that was so rarely ever used because of the tremendous cost?!

Tentatively, Rowan asks, "Did Master Belby receive a gift from a close associate a year before his death?"

"A gift? No," Wilfredius immediately responded, before pausing to think again. "Well, I suppose Master Belby did receive a pendant from Mr. Herbert to help with his sleep as Master Belby suffered from bouts of insomnia."

"Mr. Herbert?" Rowan tried to keep her voice even as she further inquired.

"Mr. Herbert is an apothecary shopkeeper Master Belby used to delight in visiting," Wilfredius wistfully recalled. "The two of them so did enjoy haggling over the price of ingredients. I suppose they were friends in their own sort of way."

"I see," Rowan muttered under her breath. "We best catch up to the group," she beckoned Wilfredius to go before her. She was about to take a wild risk, but she needed to confirm her suspicions.

Trailing just behind him, Rowan whispered, "Reveal," as the seal on her spectacles was removed. She with ease could see the magical aura of Wilfredius, a warm yellow and orange. Intently gazing at his magical core, she found nothing not the slightest trace of Hydra.

"Return," Rowan muttered with disappointment and relief as her left eye was resealed.

Rubbing her head at the exertion, Rowan knows she had missed a crucial fact. What is a vessel? In the simplest terms it is a living Horcrux, the only difference is that the vessels are jointly interconnected, a wide network of Horcruxes so to speak. And unlike a living vessel, a Horcrux is placed in objects.

Yet if the rules of magic can be broken to create a living Horcrux such as the unborn Potter, then why could not the revere occur as well? Why couldn't Hydra evolve to create an inanimate vessel? However, the fragment would not survive for long without a magical core, it would die.

The only way a fragment could survive is if it sustained itself by cannibalizing itself. Countless fragments would have to be sacrificed for the one fragment to survive, but in doing so, it would have the direct means to approach the vessel and directly convert it without any interference. The perfect opportunity.

Feeling sick to her stomach, Rowan remembers to breathe. Hydra couldn't act in such a manner without grave consequence. Hydra wouldn't dare to act in such a fashion unless the vessel was direly needed. If Hydra were to act, she needed to learn Hydra's motives. What is it that Hydra desperately needed right now?

"Rowan, you're lingering!" Severus called out to his twin sister.

Pulled out of her thoughts, Rowan returned to the present. "Coming," she responded and hurried forward. There would be plenty of time to think about the subject afterward. She needed to focus on the present.