Oliver appeared at the doorway to Tree Top Castle. The apparation breached the protections around the estate, but it was not without cost. His nose trickled with blood, the distance travelled and the force used to push through the barrier with, caused a migraine and a nosebleed. He could not wipe the blood free as it dripped into his mouth. His hands were full, he was carrying a barely conscious Jynx. She was slumped in his arms. The wound on her head was healed over and her bleeding had been stemmed. The magical trauma was still present however.
The doors to the castle opened at the same moment, the house elf Voran apparated behind Oliver. He was carrying a box filled with papers taken from the Lenark house.
'Vhat the hell happened? Vhy take so long?' Shouted Finikis, as he raced towards them from inside.
'I thought it sensible to make sure she was safe for apparation. I also wanted Voran to collect things before we left. I'm sure the Death Eaters will be back. I wanted to be sure we took anything valuable.' Said Oliver, as he walked into the home. Voran shuffled in behind him.
'Take that into the library. Stay with it until I come back.' Ordered Oliver, as he headed towards the stairs.
Finikis followed Oliver closely. Panic and worry were all over his face. Oliver continued down the hallway into her bedroom and rested her on the bed.
'Stay with her. I'm just going to get my bag.' Said Oliver. Finikis sat on the edge of the bed as Oliver darted off to his room.
A few seconds later the ex-Auror rushed back in, bag unzipped, his hand delving deep inside. As he neared the bed, he placed the bag down and pulled out his hand. He was holding his wooden potion rack. He put it on the bedside and quickly mixed up a healing potion. A few drops from several different glass vials, created a glowing blue liquid.
'Jynx. Can you hear me? I need you to drink this.' Said Oliver, as he lifted her head to try to stir here.
Her eyes slowly opened as she became momentarily lucid. She accepted the elixir as he brought it to her lips. Taking generous sips of the glowing blue liquid, she managed to drink it all within a few seconds. Oliver gently lowered her head onto the pillow.
'That will remove the confundous element of the hex that hit her. She's lucky to be alive. That spell was sent with such force. But I think she'll be fine. She just needs time and rest.' Said Oliver, as he cleared away his potions.
'Are you sure she vill be okay?' Asked Finikis.
'Yes. She needs time to recover. But she will be fine.' Said Oliver, as he picked up his bag. 'Are you going to stay with her? I want to add some additional protection charms around the castle, in case the Death Eaters track us down. If that's okay of course?'
'Ya. Of course. Though they come here, I kill them.' Said Finikis, his voice sounded determined and enraged.
Oliver left the room on hearing the archduke giving his permission. He went outside the castle and shot spells at the stonework, reinforcing it from penetration and destruction. He also cast another shield line close to the walls, its purpose was to raise a protective barrier in the event of an attack. He launched a few seeker charms to circulate the grounds. They would send out large screech sounds if they detected a foreign presence. They were incredibly effective, but they only had a lifespan of a couple of days.
Oliver not long after, entered the library, to find the house-elf standing guard over the box of paperwork, which he had placed on the table at the centre. The elf stood tall, his chest pumped out, his demeanour attempting to project one of confidence and ready for a fight.
'You can stand down Auror!' Joked Oliver, as he walked towards the elf and placed a friendly hand on to Voran's shoulder.
Voran looked up at the wizard and smiled gratefully. He dropped his shoulders and relaxed.
'Thank you, sir. I kept it safe and secure as you ordered.'
'Good Job.' Said Oliver, as he pulled the box close to him and peered in. The box was filled with sheets of papers. There were some letters, family pedigrees, notes, maps, diary records. There was a plethora of documents that were taken from the Lenark house. Oliver was hopeful, that within one of those pages would be a clue to what exactly the Draconis cave was and more importantly, where it was.
Oliver let out a large yawn. He was tired. Slightly exhausted from the duel. 'I'll go through the box tomorrow,' he thought to himself.
'You should get some sleep and rest. I'm going to go to bed as well. I'll take the box with me and protect it from there. Thanks again for your help tonight.' Said Oliver.
'Welcome Sir.' As the elf finished speaking, he disapparated.
Oliver picked up the box and headed through the castle and up to his bedroom. On entering the room, he used his wand to close the curtains and turn on the lights. He placed the box down in the corner and threw a protection shield over it, followed by a concealment charm.
He took off his clothes down to his boxers, put on t-shirt and climbed into his bed and drifted off to sleep, it was the best night's sleep he had since he had been in Latvia.
*
Oliver trawled through the contents of the box in the study; over two days of lonely work. He had made his way through most of it. Painstakingly reading each sheet of paper, it was an arduous and time-consuming task. There were over a thousand pages, differing in detail and type. Despite the attention, nothing was related to Radoslav's or the Tear of Ra. Most of the contents were about the magical community in the Baltic region. Not one bit referenced the Bergmane family. It was all rather dry, and Oliver was finding the whole task incredibly tedious. His thoughts were wondering to the more interesting and insightful writings within journal and the Domantas letters. He put the contents of the box that he had read though into a brown box that he had found in the cellar of the castle. He had gone through nearly three quarters of the Lenark documents, and the quarter that remained were left in the original box.
Pushing the unread documents under the table in the study, Oliver took out his wand and through a concealment charm upon them. They vanished from site. He went to the kitchen and made a cup of tea, which he quickly drank. Drinking it in less time than it took to make. After cleaning the cup, he made his way to the first floor to check in on Jynx and Finikis. Over the last two days Jynx had become more conscious and far less sleepy. She had recovered from the main effects of the hex but was left with what was best described as a hangover. She was feeling groggy, thirsty and couldn't keep much food down. She had felt that way for most of the day and it was slowly relenting. She was able to have a gentle conversation with Oliver in her room. Finikis had barely left her side since her return, but on Oliver's entrance, he took the opportunity to go to the kitchen and get something to eat.
Jynx was curious about the events at the Lenark house. Her memory was shattered. She wasn't sure if that was due to the spell itself or because she was struck before the battle really started. Oliver described the conflict, step by step. Not missing any detail. Jynx was incredibly thankful for him taking care of her and providing the portions that were able to lift the effects of the hex. It was a long conversation. It lasted nearly ten minutes. Finikis re-entered the room, as Jynx's nausea returned. Oliver left the archduke to nurse Jynx as she vomited into an empty iron cauldron.
Before Oliver left the room, he asked Finikis for two of the Domantas letters. They were two love letters, not about the Tear, so Finikis was happy to part with them for the moment. The ex-Auror wanted to read through them again. He had only read each of them once. He was drawn to them for a reason he didn't quite know. Apart from giving an insight into Domantas's soul, they contained nothing about the bracelet.
Oliver walked to his room to read them. The first letter was brief, a short letter to the Lady Aja.
To the sweetest soul of this cruel world. I write only to say that the Banshees that sought to seek a stronghold in the battlefields of the Selonians, have been defeated. The battle was long and lasted until sunrise. But I am victorious. I dedicate this victory to you, my love. My homestead is nearly finished. I will send word when you can come and take residence. Until that day. I will unite these lands under my shield and sword. A prosperous home, I construct for you.
Domantas, first Archduke of Bergmane.
The Banshee, interesting; so far from Ireland, Oliver thought. He had never heard of them causing trouble so far from the British Isles. The Banshee were not creatures that Oliver had come across before but had known Aurors that had. They could be incredibly tricky creatures to vanquish.
Oliver pulled out the second letter he took from Finikis. It was a much longer one, and it was clearly the last letter he sent to Lady Aja of Hesse, before she married and became Lady Bergmane. The paper was warped in places. Odd circular patches on the sheet, which were liquid stains, distorted the writing. Oliver could still make out the writing as he read on.
To my love.
I must apologise before I continue. For I cannot hold back. As I think about you, and us, I cannot keep in the rawness of my emotion. I am sorry my dear for the saturation of the paper. As I write, tears fall from my eyes. Tears are curious things, the embodiment of true emotion. They can encapsulate loss when heartbroken or love itself when filled with happiness.
To cry is the purest representation of the soul, therefore the strongest form of magic. How you have bewitched me, makes me consider portions or spells. I joke. For I know this feeling cannot be replicated. And if, it ever was achieved, any fabrication of such emotion, would be so twisted it would give rise to a wicked creation. Perverted and immoral.
I struggle to find the words that will convey my turmoil. It pains me deeply that you are not here all of the time. Yet I am blessed that I have you some of my life. This insufferable sense of desire and loss is the true reminder of my love. I am mindful that it could compel me to do wondrous things in your honour. Yet, I worry that that same feeling could compel me to do terrible things to ensure that it continues, to increase the amount you are in my life. Love the purest magic.
I count down the days until your return to the Bergmane Castle. As the wedding day nears, all I know is that I want to spend the rest of my mortal existence in your company. For if you were now not in my life, it would be like a wand without its core. I would be a wooden shell and pointless.
Restore my magic.
Return to me.
Oliver's hand traced the indentations in the pages. It was odd to think they were genuine human tears. It made the letter more poignant. For Oliver he felt connected to such an extraordinary wizard that had achieved so much butchery through war, yet so touched by the vulnerability of human love. Reading such things of past greats, helped make them more real, accessible. It made their deeds feel achievable. That is what Oliver got from the letters, a connection. To him, that was a far superior magic than the one contained within the Bracelet of Domantas.
*
Nearly a fortnight had passed since the duel at the Lenark house with the two death eaters. Oliver had not gone over the last contents of the box yet. Finikis had taken the box and offered to go through the last papers himself. Oliver had agreed. He wasn't confident that it contained anything that would move the search forward and he was tired of reading over the contents he found incredibly tedious. The last six months were filled with reading book after book, letter after letter. The ex-Auror needed a break from it all.
Saturday night's fortuitous fixture provided the escape he desired so deeply. Fate had provided an evening event that brought with it so many childhood memories. For his very own, favourite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons were on an out of league tour of Europe. A selection of matches against European Quidditch teams, all designed to bring new life and dynamism to beleaguered team. A team struggling to get off the bottom of the British and Irish Quidditch League. The cannons hadn't won the league since 1892. And ever since battled to make any meaningful progress in the championship. Their failings didn't discourage Oliver from his following, he wasn't a fair-weather fan. His passion for the team stemmed from his love of the game, and the fact that going to the local home games were the happiest memories he had of his childhood. The Chudley cannons stadium was his sanctuary when he first moved to Devon from Scotland. Being at a Quidditch match, made him forget, for 40 minutes at least, the loss of his farther and the move from his home. It was what helped with the transition. He played Quidditch recreationally but was never good enough to consider playing it professionally in any way. All in all, he far more enjoyed watching the game then playing.
He had travelled by the floo network to Vratsa in Bulgaria. He was joining Henry and Marcus, the Aurors. They had secured tickets for a game from the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic. The Vratsa Vultures versus the Chudley Cannons. A friendly match, with no one believing that the Cannons had a chance of winning.
The two Aurors and the ex-Auror, had amazing seats in the grand stadium. It was a VIP box. The tickets were gifted to Henry specifically, for the work that he was carrying out as an ambassador for the British Ministry of Magic.
'These are amazing seats.' Said Oliver, as he sat down. With a clear view of the scoring area that the Cannons would be defending.
'They're not bad are they? I think I was given these tickets to get me out of their ministry. I get the feeling they're not keen on me.' Replied Henry.
'Ha. Can't imagine why that would be.' Remarked Oliver.
'Three Chereshas Nosht. You'll like this. It's like Bungbarrel.' Said Marcus, as he signalled to an elf serving drinks to those within the boxes. Moments later the elf appeared with three large glasses of brown mead with a hint of ruby redness to it. Oliver took a swig. It was tasty. Not as liquorice in flavour as Bungbarrel spiced mead. But he could taste the comparison.
'That's good stuff.' Said Oliver. 'It is good to have a change of scenario. And company.' As he finished, he raised his glass as the other two cheered and clunked their glasses with his.
'I'm glad you came. It's good to relax. And when I got offered the tickets and knew it was the Chudley Cannons. I instantly thought of you. I heard you were still around so it made sense to invite you.' Said Henry, as he took a large gulp of the beverage.
'The game starts in fifteen. We should finish these and get another round in.' Marcus said. He was keen to drink and relax. The six months he had been on assignment in Europe had been long and he too was craving a night off the clock.
'We should agree to keep the shop talk to a minimum.' Said Henry. 'But first. I take it you haven't had much luck on whatever mission you're on? Considering you're still being around these parts.'
'Indeed. It might be a mission that I have to give up on. One of only a few that is beyond me.' Joked Oliver. He was keen to keep his cards close to his chest. 'What about you guys. I know shop talk needs to be kept to a minimum. But you've been in Europe for as long as I have. If not longer.'
'Tell me about it. Just when I think the ministry will recall us, something else comes up. Like the reason we here, in Bulgaria.' Replied Henry.
'Yes. Every time. Something comes up.' Said Marcus, as he polished off his glass. He was quickly getting the elf's attention and ordering three more.
'What's the Bulgaria thing, if you don't mind me asking?' Said Oliver. Quickly finishing his drink on seeing the next order go through.
'Just politics and Death Eater stuff. How to put it. Death Eaters have been in Bulgaria practicing a spell. It's a simple spell, one that floats around with the wind. It can encompass miles, it pervades everything. It's harmless technically. But scary. Saying it out loud, it sounds a little silly. A few Death Eaters have cast a spell over most of the country, where if anyone says the Dark Lord's name. It alerts them to that person's location. Its purpose is crazy. To install more fear, I guess.' Said Henry.
Three new glasses of the mead arrived. Oliver swapped his glass and took another big swig. He was thinking on that spell.
'It's messed up right. Why they would do that. The craziest thing is. The Bulgarians aren't going to do a thing about it. Not going to lift a single wand.' Said Marcus, sounding extremely frustrated.
'Well, why?' Asked Oliver.
'Not too sure. To put more fear out there about him. People were afraid to utter the name before. Now it could be deadly.' Replied Henry. 'We have tried to use it to our advantage. There was a plan to call his name and have Aurors in waiting for any Death Eaters that came looking. First time was a success. Two death eaters arrived, and me and Marcus took them in. the second time was a different story all together.'
'Yeah, it went downhill from there.' Interjected Marcus.
'What happened?' Asked Oliver.
'We attempted the same plan again. This time with a colleague. But five death eaters showed. And they were ready. We had to retreat. We were lucky to escape with our lives'. The Ministry decided to try for a third time. There were nine Aurors that time. But when we called the name. We were engulfed by twenty of them, including the Dark Lord himself. We lost three Aurors that night. The six of us fled. It was a massacre. We haven't dared attempt anything like that again. The Ministry believes there was a mole feeding information to them. They were just one step ahead those two times. We lost three good Aurors that night. The scum. I argued we should try again. But the service is too stretched they say. And they don't want to try until they plug the leak.' Said Henry.
'Utter nonsense if you ask me. They're scared. Everyone is right now.' Said Marcus, again taking another large mouthful of his drink.
'Holy crap! That's mental. You guys, okay?' Asked Oliver, shocked at the story.
'We're all good.' Replied Henry.
'Good to hear. Strange you say that about Death Eaters around these parts. I ran in to Dolohov the other day. Had a small duel, but he got away.' Replied Oliver.
The two Aurors were left gobsmacked. They were privy to the information that the renowned Death Eater was not captured at the Ministry break in but were shocked to hear he was so far from England.
'We were aware he isn't in Azkaban. The ministry is keeping it on the quiet. However, all Aurors should be on high alert to look out for him. I'll report that to Department tomorrow. If you run into him again. Let us know.' Replied Henry, who paused for a moment took a swig of his beverage and continued. 'Right, tell me more about your stuff. You're at the Bergmane castle right. Marcus said he saw you with that American. Can't remember what she's called. But she's well known as the head of security for that place.'
'Yeah Jynx. She is more the security than head of anything. I'm just staying there. I went to school with Finikis the Archduke. Just using it as a base.' Replied Oliver.
'Right. I see. You giving any thought to coming back to the fold brother?' asked Henry.
'A little.' Said Oliver, who was thankful for the fact that the players came out of the tunnels and flew high up into the air.
Another round of drinks arrived before the game hit off. There were a few minutes of warming up before it began. The three watched, drank and enjoyed the game. The night was exactly what Oliver had hoped for and needed. The match was mostly one sided. When the game ended the score was 290-10, to the Vratsa Vultures. But no one screamed as loud and celebratory as Oliver did when the Cannons secured their one and only goal of the match. The match was entertaining. And although the score indicated a thrashing, it wasn't that dire. The Cannons had played hard, valiantly and didn't give up. The team seemed to work well together; they were just very much, outclassed. Marcus became extremely drunk throughout the game and couldn't help but keep remarking on the resemblance between Oliver and one of the Cannons beaters. Jimmy Madeley was a blond haired, muscular man in his twenties. His face was more rugged than Oliver's. He was probably the best player that the Chudley Cannons had at the moment. But Marcus also kept going on about how freaky looking the beaters looked on their brooms. They were large built men, who appeared awkward sat on a broom.
As the night came to a close, the three continued to drink in the bar attached to concealed stadium. As the early hours approached the two Aurors were keen to continue to drink their worries away. However, Oliver was certain he had drunk too much. The night had been refreshing and he enjoyed it immensely. However, he was keen to get home and reduce the risk of a hangover for the next day. He left his old colleague and his partner to it.
*
A day had passed since the Quidditch match, it was a day Oliver had spent mostly in bed, recovering from the drink. His attempt to leave early had failed to stay off the dreaded hangover. The day in bed was enough to get over the worst hangover he had faced for a few years, and with a full night sleep, Oliver woke early with a new purpose and drive. He had an early morning run, ate breakfast and was in the study, ready to get going.
Finikis and Jynx had got up not long after Oliver, though they didn't partake in an early morning jog. The two had attempted to go through the final remnants of the Lenark box. It was during that final search that Finikis happened upon something, that he believed was the most exciting clue they had found so far. Entering the Study, Jynx carried the box, Finikis waved a sheet of paper that had an impressive, sketched picture on it.
'The Draconis Cave!' Said Finikis, jubilantly.
'What?' Asked Oliver, shocked.
'This picture Vas in the box. Look at the title.' Said Finikis. He paced quickly to Oliver who was sat on the armchair in the corner reading a book about Dark Magical creatures.
Taking the picture off the Archduke, Oliver was filled with a mix of emotions. He was excited at what his eyes were revealing to him, and a little disappointed that it hadn't been him who had found it. The image etched in pencil, was a drawing of a cave entrance. It showed the entrance to a cave, from the perspective of someone standing in the entrance way looking out. The opening was large that tapered off at the top sharply. In the space there was a view of hills filled with tall birch trees that spilled off into the distance until it reached a large body of water. Underneath the image, was an unidentified signature and a simple inscription.
– The view from the Draconis cave, Home of the Dread.
'Incredible. Any idea who drew it?' Asked Oliver. 'Was it with anything else in the box?'
'No. Nothing. It was just on its own, folded up.' Said Jynx.
Oliver lifted the drawing up towards the light and examined it intently. His eyes widened as he spoke. 'Well, those trees look like Birch to me, could be Aspen. And that looks like ocean but could be a large lake.' He was talking to himself more than to the others. 'Where did I put my list of possible caves?'
'Possible caves?' Asked Jynx.
'Yes, I started to look at caves when, it became clear it was an actual location. It was a long list of nearly seven hundred. Though this.' He paused and waved the picture. 'This could narrow it down a lot. If it's accurate.'
'Ya. And the stone interesting as well. Ve should be able to narrow it down much.' Said Finikis.
'I'll go and grab the list; it must be in my room. Jynx, it probably would be a good idea, to try and work out who drew the picture. Finikis, I think it would be wise to look in books for any reference to the Dread. Sounds like a beast to me. If there's a chance, we could come across it, we should try and read up on it. I'll start narrowing it down, come up with a list of locations we can start to visit. I think this is a good lead. But it's far from conclusive though.' Said Oliver, delegating tasks as though he was back working as a Lead Auror.
Jynx and Finikis willingly followed the direction, they trusted Oliver, particularly after his success with retrieving the sword and beating the Death Eaters.