Jason followed the footsteps his spell had materialized for a few hours, he didn't seem to be in a hurry as he wandered towards the location of where the 'subject' may be. After seeing the trail stop and no sign of the subject he sighed slightly, however the smile on his face didn't die down one bit.
"That campfire was fresh, so I know it's alive… and if it's been surviving here for so long on its own, enough to build that camp and shelter. I should have some time… I already started setting up that place to contain an obscurus after the situation in Belarus, if I just finish it off then I can truly track it down…"
Jason grinned evilly as he turned into black smoke, apparating above the bed of leaves and over the black forest at an incredible pace.
After travelling for a long while, he hit a barrier that accepted him inside. From the outside, the area Jason headed towards looked like another part of the black forest, but as Jason entered it, a new land appeared in front of him. There stood a large manor with a sizable garden alongside other surrounding buildings. Outside the front entrance of the manor was a gate with two large flags showcasing the manor's sigil—a heart surrounded in black with a wand piercing through it.
Jason landed at the entrance of the manor with a smile and a slight spring in his old step as he walked towards the gate. Approaching the gates, he looked to his right and saw a house-elf who was sweeping the leaves in front of the gate away. As Jason locked eyes with the house-elf, the little elf shivered and lowered its head, awkwardly greeting him.
"Ahh, m-master J-jason, welcome back."
Jason looked down at the house-elf, who was stuttering as it spoke to him, its eyes shut tightly, gripping the broomstick in its hand, as if it expected something bad to happened.
"Good to see you, Dron. Good to see you!"
Jason greeted the house-elf Dron and immediately headed inside the gate. Dron, who had heard whispers and even experienced Jason's 'kindness' every now and again, was left dumbstruck.
"Merlin's beard... the world must have been turned on its head! Jason Blightheart greeting a house-elf like Dron without insult or casting a cruel spell... Dron must be in a dream!"
The house-elf pinched himself multiple times before finally realizing the situation was a reality. Most of the family here, the Blighthearts, were dark wizards, and they held contempt for many of the elves that worked for them. Despite this, they still maintained a level of decorum to show that they acknowledged the help of these house-elves, despite their visible disdain for them. Depending on the witch or wizard in the family, their treatment of the elves differed. Some were worse, bullying them often and sometimes even torturing them, while others treated them at least somewhat kindly.
Jason Blightheart, the chief potions master and researcher of the family, was a man who treated these elves the worst, above all other members of the family. The family would employ a good few house-elves, and usually a solid bunch would end up missing, needing to be replaced annually. Whispers amongst the family and elves indicated that these elves would usually disappear after a run-in with Jason, even if they were good-natured towards him. If you caught Jason Blightheart on a bad day or on a 'research' day, he'd curse you and use you for his experiments and his own ends. His status within the family allowed him to do such atrocities...
Yet today, that Jason was absent! He greeted Dron like an old friend instead of a disgusting creature. Not even a curse! Nor a smack or hateful comment!
"Dron must be seeing things... yes, seeing things..."
Dron continued to sweep outside the gate of the manor, muttering to himself in disbelief.
.
Jason headed into the manor and through it at a quick pace not giving a second look to anybody he walked by. He headed towards his own research study briskly, however as he was about to head down the stairs, he was called out to by Sid, who was standing next to a man with very similar features.
"Jason! Did you manage to find that obscurus in the forest?"
Sid walked over alongside the older man, who scrutinized Jason. Jason clicked his tongue and heaved a sigh.
"Haaaah... Not this time. However, I will find that 'Subject'! This forest is a prison for it already; I just need to pluck it out of that prison and put it in an even cosier one..."
The old man next to Sid snorted and spoke for the first time. This old man looked somewhat like Jason, but he was far more well-built and had no hunch. His face, while scarred, didn't have any ugly blotches attached, and his gaze wasn't as crazy as Jason's, but instead domineering.
"Jason, you surely know the dangers of an obscurus, right? A dark malevolent force of that nature isn't easy to contain. Even some of the greatest wizards, both dark and not, have tried their hand at researching them, only to wind up on the receiving end of their attacks, some with fatal injuries and in other cases, death."
"Graham... since we were young, you always were the worried sort, weren't you? Don't worry about it! Ever since last time I had been designing a room to contain a Obscurus, I'd been working on it on and off but now I have a reason to fully finish that place... With it contained in that room, I will have safe access to experiment on the obscurus while also surveying its growth and power! Ah, just imagine if we could harness the dark parasitical power in some way... A potion perhaps? Or maybe..."
Jason lost interest in both Sid and Graham as he headed down into the depths of the manor. He continued musing and whispering to himself, and his voice faded as he descended further. Watching Jason walk away, Graham sighed.
"That brother of mine is always so easily obsessed. Even when our father was around, he always told him to experiment in the realm of possibility but that never got into your Uncles thick head… I just hope he doesn't cause any trouble with this..."
Graham turned towards Sid with a slight smile.
"Now, Sidious my son, back to the matter at hand. You spoke of wanting to practice the families' dark arts... Looking at your recent prowess, I'm thoroughly impressed with how you've grown. Even I, at your age, didn't have your attainments."
"Thank you, father. I appreciate the comments."
Graham's words made Sidious incredibly happy. His father was a pillar for him in this family and someone he always looked up to—a man of power and cunning far beyond others. The head of the Blighthearts. As he stared at his father, he noticed his face changed from a smile to a cold frown.
"Despite your efforts, though, you are still far too naive to think you are ready for some of the Blighthearts' ancestral magic arts, especially the 'Grimoire of the Vein' you so covet. You may be a proficient wizard, surpassing your peers, but you are only 16 years old. You lack experience after being caged here for so long. Remember, the 'Vein of the Blighthearts' title is just that, a title. You need to live up to it, and you have a long way to go before you even think you are ready for the weight it holds."
"But father—"
"Sidious, enough... Maybe it's time we uncaged you and let you roam free for a while. It's time for you to leave this place and wander the wizarding world out there. Only when you've gained enough experience of the world beyond these trees will you be able to even touch one of the Blighthearts' ancient tomes. Do I make myself clear?"
Sidious stared at his father's stern and cold eyes for a moment before lowering his head.
"I... understand, father."
Graham's face immediately changed from that of cold and malice to warmth and pride.
"Never mind that now, son. We will prepare for your departure soon. At least you can finally make use of the galleons sitting in your coffers when you go out into the wide world. Come, let us go join the rest of the family for dinner. We will leave your uncle to his devices for now, ill have to talk about this with him properly at some point…"
As Graham started to walk towards the dining hall, Sidious followed in his footsteps. Looking directly ahead, Graham began to speak to his son again.
"So, about what your uncle found in the forest old Jason. Are you sure it's an obscurus? That's certainly strange if so. To be this far in means it somehow evaded the vampire factions scattered around and the various beasts roaming around…"
"I understand that it seems ridiculous father but I can confirm it's true. I saw the damage for myself and saw Jason's assurance that it was obscurus activity. We also found an Inferi that was destroyed in the wake of the obscurus' outburst. Half its body had been destroyed."
"Half the body destroyed… That is one powerful obscurus. I see why Jason's obsession over it has grown to this degree already. After his outing in Belarus a few years back when he ran into that obscurus girl, he became fascinated by those parasitical creatures. I had hoped he would give up on such things when that girl died but it seems he's always held the obsession to this day… I'd rather him not bring such a thing here but your Uncle is a nightmare to deal with when he's like that. Ill have to see if I can talk some sense into him soon…"
Sidious nodded as he continued to walk with his father. His uncle was a man of obsession, after all, and when his heart was set, it was set for good until he reached a conclusion in his research.