Ch. 11 Gaunt Shack

October 23, 1991

The past few weeks have been filled with studying. After I made copies of the Black Family books, I realized I was starting to get ahead of myself. Magic is just so enthralling.

It took Trixie and myself nearly two hours to cast the Geminio Charm on all the books Kreacher brought. I even made a double of Slytherin's Locket for Kreacher to keep.

The Geminio Charm will last a decade, at most, before the duplicated item rots away. With as old as Kreacher is, I figure he will be dead before the charm gives out.

That also gives me more than enough time to read all the books before they disappear. If I really want to, I can purchase a few enchanted quills to copy the Black Family books into permanent copies. It is unnecessary, but I might have it done just to fill my library shelves.

The addition of over two-thousand more books is what set me on my current path. I can't wait to finish Hogwarts Curriculum before moving on to more advanced spells. Especially Soul Magic.

Before I dive into the new additions, I want to have a well founded Hogwarts education. A solid foundation is needed to properly build from. With my constant jumping around in my magical studies, I risk making costly mistakes.

Diving back into the N.E.W.T. level spell books, I was equally impressed and worried. The sixth-year spells had some interesting transfiguration work and the Undetectable Extension Charm. When I reached the seventh year spells, I found myself in a moral dilemma.

This is where spells of the mind begin. The Memory Charm will force a person to forget. The more power used, the farther back they forget.

This leads to the false memory spell and the memory extraction spell. Hogwarts' books don't cover the last two, but they do mention them. Something tells me, my new library additions will have the details of the spells.

Finding individuals to prefect the Memory Charm is where the moral dilemma comes in. You can not master these spells without extensive use of them. I will need test-subjects.

While muggles are worthless to attempt the memory extraction spell on, they are still suited for the other two spells. The problem is finding a way to experiment on muggle criminals without being detected by the Ministry of Magic.

There is no way they would ignore a large number of muggles developing amnesia. If they tracked muggle deaths at the hands of Death Eaters, they should be able to track that.

Unable to practice the memory spells, I started reading the dueling books. The first few books I read were mostly about practice techniques and how to chain spells together to best compliment each other.

It was nothing groundbreaking, but definitely, something new I wasn't doing previously. After only two days of using the techniques mentioned, I noticed a generous increase in my spell casting. In the time it was taking me to cast five spells, I'm now able to complete eight in the same amount of time.

With more practice, I am sure that will continue to improve.

The other dueling books are more of a dark nature. While they have several techniques to improve casting speed, they mostly focus on deadly spells. Not just dark spells, but they describe unique ways to turn common charms deadly.

What I found most interesting were the parts that utilize the environment to the wizard's advantage. From manipulating the ground, air, and transfiguring debris to aid you.

After reading through a few of the darker duelist books, I start to realize Dumbledore would be a much more challenging fight than I first thought.

I know I can beat him, but it wouldn't be as easy as I imagined.

From what I remember, his duel with Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic was epic. Dumbledore would attack and defend with silent Apparation. He even animated the fountain statues to aid him.

There's still a loud crack every time I Apparate around the house. How Dumbledore is able to achieve it silently is impressive. I've actually set one of my goals of being about to replicate his performance.

If it was a match to the death... I would crush Dumbledore quickly. I have far too many lethal spells and Shouts for the old man to deal with.

In a friendly duel, right now, a prolonged battle favors Dumbledore. His experience and adaptability are a huge advantage over most others. While I have experienced more than my share of danger, I've never faced a battle as complex as what Dumbledore would bring.

The pure amount of versatility in a duel at Dumbledore's level would be a nightmare.

Just thinking about dueling the old man is getting my adrenaline pumping. But that is a dream for another time, I have more work to do tonight.

Tonight is a full moon.

There is a reason Astronomy is taught at Hogwarts. The cycles of the moon and planets can have drastic effects on spells.

Spells and rituals cast on a full moon are amplified several times. This is paramount for the success of rituals and overpowering wards. Such as the Gaunt Shack.

Dressed in my full armor, I step outside of my manor. Looking up at a partially covered full moon, I put the mandrake leaf away.

In order to make the Animagus potion, one must place a mandrake leaf in their mouth in the rays of a full moon. There can't be any clouds blocking your sight of the moon. You have to keep the leaf in your mouth until the next full moon. A total of twenty-eight days. If the second full moon isn't visible due to weather, you have to start all over with a new mandrake leaf.

That shouldn't be a problem. I doubt I can use a Thu'um without blowing the leaf out of my mouth, but I can always travel above the clouds.

The mandrake leaf is the most difficult ingredient needed for the Animagus potion. Once the potion is made, one has to wait until a lightning storm to consume it.

Once you start the process, you have to lay your wand tip over your heart and repeat the incantation at sunrise and sunset of every day. But that is minor compared to keeping a leaf in your mouth for a month.

With the moon partially obscure, I move on to the second task for tonight.

The Gaunt Shack.

Last week, I sent Trixie to Little Hangleton to locate the Gaunt Shack. It took her two days to locate it. She also brought back news of powerful wards around the condemned building.

Not one to underestimate an enemy, I decided to wait until tonight to bring the wards down. The additional power from the moon should allow me to break whatever wards Voldemort set up.

With a loud crack, I Apparate from my manor. With a slight stumble, I find myself on a grassy incline. I'm still not used to the sudden environment change from Apparating.

Looking further up the incline, I see a modest size thicket of trees. This is where Trixie said the shack is.

It takes me only a few minutes to spot the decrepit building standing in a beam of moonlight. Shack is an accurate word. The entire building is formed from rough lumber. It is rather small to be a home and barely standing. There's even moss covering the roof. At a closer glance, there are the remains of a snake pinned to the front door.

Walking closer to the shack, I can begin to feel a magical presence about the area. That should be the defensive wards.

There are two ways to deal with wards. The first way is by slowly unraveling each layer of the ward until it collapses.

The second way, and my preferred way, is brute strength.

I quickly cast my Mind Defense spell and a powerful muggle repellent charm. I don't want to deal with any muggles that come to investigate the light show about to go down.

As an added precaution against muggles, I cast one more spell. I raise both hands to the sky and chant, "Nahlot fin lein!" (silence the world)

A massive silvery dome takes shape around the area before it disappears. Lowering my hands, I look around. The rustle of trees and the howl of the wind are noticeably absent. There is complete silence.

Testing the spell, I raise my hand and snap my fingers. Nothing. I watch as I make the snap motion, but fail to produce even the slightest bit of noise. The loss of one of my senses is very disturbing. I don't like it.

Deciding to speed this up, I bring my hands together and fire a concentrated stream of lightning towards the shack. A blood-red transparent dome appears under the torrent of lightning. I maintain the spell for another three seconds before the protective dome begins melting away.

Ending the lightning, I take in the sight of the unprotected building. Not trusting the ward was the only defense, I plan for another attack.

Looking at the rotting building, I step closer to the front door. A sudden thought raises my spirits.

Channeling a large amount of Magicka to my throat, I think to myself, 'Little pig, little pig. Let me in, or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll...' I silently shout, 'FUS RO DAH!'

I watch as the Gaunt Shack silently blows apart. Pieces of the house are blown dozens of meters back. Even some of the floorboards are ripped up.

Surveying the damage, I can't help but smile. With a wave of my arm, I end the Silence spell.

Subtle woodland noises fill my ears, and my smile grows wider. You never know how much you take something for granted until you no longer have it.

Getting back to business, I begin to use telekinesis to rip the floor up. It doesn't take long before a small golden box is uncovered. Jackpot!

Levitating the box out of the ruins, I set it down on the ground in front of me. With a shield active between myself and the small box, I levitate the lid open.

Laying in a bed of black silk is an old golden ring inset with a polished black stone, the Resurrection Stone.

Repeating my actions with Slytherin's Locket, I quickly move to dispose of another piece of Voldemort's soul. Laying the ring on the ground, I cast multiple protect spells on myself.

Taking a deep breath, I cast on overpowered Curse Slayer on the ring just before I launch my goblin-silver knife into the band of the ring.

Ready for what happens next, I cast Soul Slayer the moment black fog escapes the ring. Like before, the fog is instantly pulled into a pin-sized purple light.

Once the black fog has disappeared, I claim my trophy.

Removing the goblin-silver knife from the band of the ring, I place the knife back in my subspace. Returning my focus back on the ring, I can't detect any foul magics, but there is a lingering aura of death.

Unsure if my curse slayer spell nullified the withering curse on the ring, I err on the side of caution.

With a flair of Magicka, I rip the stone from the cursed band. Once I take the octahedron shaped stone in my hand, I can feel a cooling sensation through my glove, and the feeling of death intensifies. Interesting.

Storing the band in my subspace, I Apparate back to my manor.

Gracefully landing on the cobblestones of my garden, I notice the increase of light. Looking up, I am met with the full view of the moon.

Quickly withdrawing the mandrake leaf from my subspace, I place it in my mouth. The first step to becoming an Animagus has been taken. Moving the rough leaf to the inside of my cheek, I step inside my manor.

Moving through my manor, I can feel eyes following me. Looks like Trixie waited up for me. Best elf ever.

Once back in my training hall, I open my fist to gaze at the Resurrection Stone. The slightest feeling of death can be felt.

I'm not sure if this was made by one of the Peverell brothers or by Death, but it's not something to be taken lightly.

Unsure how to use the Resurrection Stone, I gather Magicka into my hands and concentrate on the person I want to see.

An illuminated stream suddenly pours out of the stone and takes the form of an older man in a lab coat. The man doesn't seem as solid as a real person, but far less transparent than a ghost.

An intrigued look covers the scientist's face as he curiously looks about. Finally, setting his eyes on me, he slowly looks me over. With an echoing tone, the man asks, "Was ist das? Wo bin ich?"

"Speak English Dr. Erskine," I slowly tell the figure before me.

"What is this? Where am I," Abraham Erskine asks? A sudden look of shock overcomes him.

Squinting my eyes at his reaction, I quickly come to a conclusion. With an authoritative tone, "Dr. Erskine, I want you to say, Steve Rogers."

"Steve Rogers," Abraham Erskine immediately states. The look of shock morphs to confusion and fright.

Just as I thought. He can't refuse me. Oh, this is useful.

Conjuring a padded armchair behind me, I take a seat. Once comfortable, I look into Abraham Erskine's eyes. "Dr. Erskine, tell me everything about your Super Soldier Serum."