Chapter 169. The Black Star's Reaction.
London. The Black Star's Base.
After returning from the site of the battle, Witold went almost directly to his office to contact the leader and report everything he had witnessed. On the way, he extracted his memories and sent them to headquarters: the existence of such a powerful wizard right on their doorstep could seriously damage their plans if he ever chose to involve himself in their affairs. That was unlikely, but it could not be ruled out. Beyond that, the Queens' arrival in Britain had to be reported. They were a threat far more dangerous than one old man.
He was already standing before the mirror in the concealed room, describing each moment in detail to the leader, who listened without interrupting and without apparent surprise, except for a faint "oh" when Witold described the old man's power and offered his assessment. When the Queens came up, however, the leader showed no reaction at all, as though he already knew.
This was not surprising. Britain was fairly close to the western continents, where the organization's main forces were concentrated, and one of the reasons the Black Star had taken root there, beyond England's unstable political situation, was to limit the Queens' reach at their own doorstep, even if it was the far end of it.
For this reason, the leader was not particularly shocked by their appearance. It had only ever been a matter of time before they sought to expand their influence, since the North and South Continents were already under the Queens' control. Reports from border spies about traces of the organization had already pointed to as much.
For now, the Queens were not taking open action, restrained by the magical treaty that had been signed between the two leaders, which gave the Black Star at least another fifty years to build their strength. But even such a treaty had loopholes left intentionally by both sides, and those loopholes allowed operatives to be sent into enemy territory.
Only after half an hour did Witold finish his report, with the silent nod of the leader seated in his chair.
"Remarkable. He exceeded every expectation I had. This Ihiros." A pause. "What a pity it won't be possible to bring him to our side."
"Perhaps we could try to... persuade him..."
"No need." The leader waved this off with mild irritation, having understood immediately what Witold was about to propose. "What is the point of making an enemy of a wizard like that, when his actions that day already showed he had no intention of interfering in our affairs? Don't disappoint me, Witold."
"I-I apologize. I was too agitated and said something foolish." He dropped to one knee and bowed his head quickly, having nearly bitten his tongue at the realization.
"I'm glad you understand that. What else do you have to say?"
"This... In my opinion, he deliberately staged that display to demonstrate his strength." He swallowed and raised his eyes cautiously toward the leader. "Beyond ourselves, there were also people from the Ministry of Magic and the Death Eaters present. I believe he was sending a message: that neither he nor Severus should be drawn into our conflicts any further. And it most likely applied to the Blacks as well, whom he openly defended against the Queens."
"Good. Noted. Though anyone capable of thinking clearly could have worked that out for themselves." The faint sarcasm was barely audible. He gave a couple of slow claps, then added, "Bring the boy to me. I want to speak with him."
"Yes, I will try to arrange..."
"Where are you always rushing off to? Not right now. Let's say... in a week, once things have settled."
"As you command!" Witold exclaimed, lowering his head again.
"All right. We'll set that aside for now. Instead, tell me, how is the matter of placing our person in the Department of Mysteries coming along?"
"Ah..." he began with a strained smile, and proceeded to describe the progress, of which there was essentially none. The Department of Mysteries was far too well-protected, and entry was not granted to just anyone. They had decided to revise the plan: instead, they would identify its members by name and then attempt to work through them.
Severus dispelled his copy and could finally set aside the cloak for the next couple of days.
"There's something I don't understand. If they're enemies, how did those Queens manage to enter the country?"
"It's simple." He smiled thinly and stroked the top of Nagini's head as he began his slow descent down the staircase that had appeared before him, leading to the lower level. "Most likely both leaders struck a deal: one gave the other something in exchange for a favor, and that favor was permission to attempt my capture. The Black Star's leader killed two birds with one stone: he got something from the Queens, and at the same time took the full measure of our strength. Though perhaps that wasn't entirely a bad thing."
"Now he'll think twice before plotting anything against us." Nagini narrowed her eyes in displeasure.
Severus nodded quietly. "Exactly. But there are disadvantages as well. It'll be harder to predict his next moves now, though he'll likely want to speak with me before long."
He stepped off the last step, and the staircase behind him gradually disappeared.
"Why? Shouldn't he keep his distance from us after this?" She looked at him in surprise.
"My naive little one." He tapped her on the nose, earning a disgruntled sniff, then approached the cell where two unconscious Queens members were chained. "He will want to know several things: first and foremost, how much we know; second, my own feelings toward the attackers; third, my opinion of the organization. But the main focus will be on my teacher. I wouldn't be surprised if he attempts to use me as a channel to convince Ihiros to join the Black Star. He won't say so directly, of course, since Ihiros already made his position clear during those negotiations when he didn't attend and let his student handle everything."
"I see. That sort of thing is entirely beyond me."
"You're very intelligent. I've simply been observing this kind of thing for a long time, and I know a great deal more than you about the state of the Magical World. Leave this to me. I don't want my innocent little serpent to lose that quality."
"I will bite you right now," she muttered with embarrassment and looked away, though she found it genuinely pleasant to hear.
"All right, go back to the sitting room for now. I have work to do." He glanced down at the kitten that had been following them. "You too."
"Mrrrr..." The little one nodded, cast one last look at him and then at the chained bodies, and simply vanished from the room.
"Fine. I won't distract you. But when you're done..." In the next instant, she was hovering a centimeter from his face, eyes narrowed, looking directly into his eyes. "YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE A BREAK AND REST, OR I WILL BITE YOU."
"All right." He kissed her on the nose with a quiet smirk, leaving Nagini frozen for a couple of seconds. Once she processed what had just happened, embarrassment washed over her, followed immediately by a wave of indignation radiating into his mind.
"Y-you...!"
"That's what you get for giving orders and making threats." He shot her an amused glance. "Shall I do it again?" He raised an eyebrow in open challenge, and Nagini recoiled, staring at him with something close to the look she reserved for genuine villains. He couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing. "I really should rattle you like this more often. You look especially charming when you're flustered."
"Idiot!" she snapped, then vanished.
"There really is something to that." He returned to his usual smile, glanced at the two chained bodies, then opened the cell. "All right. Time to get to work."
He decided to start with these two and examine the seal on their minds more closely before dealing with Amelia. She would know far more about the organization than they did.
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