"This fellow is trouble; you shouldn't have agreed to let her join," Sirius whispered to Evan as they continued their search through the room.
"I know, but she's also a French Ministry of Magic Auror. Will you tie her up here if we don't allow her to join? Knock her unconscious and leave her on that bed? Do you really have that in mind?" Evan asked, glancing at Sirius. "Once we catch that owl monster, we'll need her to handle the aftermath."
"Alright, but if she becomes a hindrance, I suggested..."
"Gentlemen, there's no need for hushed conversations now that we're cooperating. We should be open and honest," Elena interrupted, struggling to find the right words. "Since we're working together, you may as well treat me as an equal partner. Are you both from Britain? What are your names?"
"Yes, we're from Britain. I'm Evan Mason," Evan introduced himself, "and this is Sirius Black."
"Oh my goodness, Sirius Black! I've heard stories about you," Elena exclaimed, looking at Sirius in disbelief. "You spent 13 years in Azkaban on a false charge, didn't you?"
The atmosphere turned somber, and it was a topic that Sirius wasn't keen to discuss. He didn't reply, but Elena continued.
"I'm your admirer. I read about your actions during those times, how you helped your friend James Potter and his son Harry, tracked Death Eaters, and sought redemption for your time in Azkaban," Elena said, still looking at Sirius. "I find your deeds noble and courageous, something not everyone can accomplish."
"I'm not as noble as you make me out to be. My foolishness caused the deaths of James and Lily, and I had to earn my redemption afterward," Sirius admitted, his voice tinged with regret. "Now, please, let's focus on the task at hand. Your compliments affect me."
"Is he always like this?" Elena asked Evan in a low voice, speaking softly to Sirius.
"He's not used to dealing with women," Evan said, changing the topic. "Miss Lorraine, what has your Aurors team discovered regarding this case? Why are you working on this alone?"
"Honestly, my unit didn't pay much attention to this case; they've been focusing their efforts in Paris. Dijon is a small city, after all. But I insisted on pursuing the investigation," Elena explained. "This case is quite complex, and I saw it as an opportunity to prove myself. Such opportunities are scarce in Paris. Before you arrived, I had already searched this house and found some extraordinary things."
"What did you find?" Evan inquired.
"Well, it seems that the previous owner of this house, Mary, had a peculiar fascination. I discovered several hundred owl carcasses in the basement storeroom. They were all skinned and left there," Elena revealed.
The image of several hundred bloody owl carcasses piled up in a small room was horrifying. It confirmed Evan's suspicions, especially after seeing the dark magic on the wall. Mary, the house's former owner, seemed to have willingly turned herself into the owl monster. These owls were her chosen vessels, and she likely used their feathers in her transformation.
Now, the next step was to find the owl's soul, which could be located in the owl fortress outside the city. The question remained: Where was that monster now? What were Yaliana's true intentions?
In the darkness, the three returned to a building with rows of house-elf heads hanging above the corridor.
"Did that woman who appeared in the mirror tell you that people are hidden inside these heads?" Elena asked, having just learned this information from Evan. "I hadn't considered that possibility. It seems quite gruesome."
"It's truly disgusting!" Evan nodded, looking at the dried-up house elf heads, each with grotesque features.
He had to admit that this was a unique idea, even for the twisted minds of the ancient Black family. Perhaps he should return to the Hogwarts kitchen and thoroughly inspect those heads.
"After house elves die, hanging their heads on the wall is a tradition. The practice originated from the ancient Black family and was later adopted by other pure-blood wizarding families. It became quite popular throughout the European wizarding world and has persisted today," Sirius explained sarcastically. "My ancestors seemed to have contributed to the progress and development of the wizarding world. Look, there's number eight here—123 left. That must be this one."
This house elf had brown skin and appeared to have undergone some unusual changes. Its face was distorted, and it seemed to be rotting in several places. It stared at them with bulbous eyes, giving off a particularly unsettling vibe.
"Dealing with this kind of dirty job is more up my alley," Sirius commented as he approached the house elf. He broke off a piece of its mouth and started rummaging around inside.
Elena watched in amazement, her expression a mix of admiration and curiosity, as Sirius retrieved a small jar filled with garnet-colored liquid that resembled blood and handed it to Evan.
Evan opened the jar and sniffed the contents. It had a strong, metallic scent of blood. He couldn't discern whether it was unicorn blood, basilisk venom, phoenix blood, or something else. But it didn't matter; this was the item they needed.
Evan, Sirius, and Elena discussed their next steps, with nothing more to find in the house. They Apparated at the Owl fortress outside the city.
As they arrived, Evan saw a massive, ominous silhouette looming over a distant river valley. It was a colossal castle constructed entirely of dark brown stone, resembling a giant beast looking down upon them. Unlike Hogwarts, this castle was built into the hillside, taking full advantage of the terrain to create an impregnable fortress.
At this moment, the castle's surroundings were desolate and eerily silent. Aside from the black stones, the ground was devoid of any signs of life.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The rays emitted by their three wands were swallowed by the endless darkness of the night. As Evan's eyes gradually adjusted to the dark, he saw a massive black fortress appear before him.
This was the Owl Fortress, perched atop a steep cliff overlooking a river valley. The castle had been strategically placed vertically, blending the fortress seamlessly with the cliffs through magic. It was a miraculous sight that left anyone who saw it in awe.
The giant fortress was protected by powerful defensive spells, making it visible only to wizards who knew its location. It was a famous magical landmark in Dijon, shrouded in an eerie atmosphere and an unsettling aura that discouraged most people from approaching.
"This old castle has been surrounded by many protective spells. Only wizards can find it. It's a well-known magical sight in Dijon," Elena explained as she looked at the distant fortress. "Before I arrived here, I took a peek inside. There were over a thousand translucent owl ghosts calmly gazing at you. It was eerie, and you couldn't help but feel that something bad was about to happen."
"Let's take a look inside," Evan suggested. With that, the three of them Apparated at the castle's entrance.
The enormous front doors were tightly sealed by giant stones. Still, the wall had been carelessly patched nearby, providing visitors an entry and exit point.
Beyond the entrance, they found themselves in a vast square-shaped hall filled with various debris. Over the centuries, countless visitors with different intentions had plundered the castle, leaving nothing of value behind.
"This place is even more desolate than I expected," Sirius remarked as he looked around.
"From top to bottom, it's all been stripped clean. Nobody knew what this place looked like originally. Greedy folks have looted everything," Elena replied. "They didn't care whether these things were cursed; if they were valuable, they took them. The remaining valuables were relocated to a museum in Paris by the Ministry of Magic."
In Europe, many abandoned castles stood silently in the fields, bearing witness to history. If the owner was wealthy, they might preserve the castle's cultural artifacts or repurpose it as a vacation home or hotel. If no one cared for them, the castles would remain abandoned, with the Muggle government allocating funds for annual maintenance to prevent them from collapsing. However, the Ministry of Magic had a different perspective.
Maintaining a castle was a significant burden, even for pure-blood wizarding families that had fallen on hard times. The Malfoy family, for example, held an old castle in some remote English area, employing dozens of house-elves to manage it. However, such pure-blood wizarding families were a minority.
"Although there's nothing left here, the place is quite vast. The owl monster must be hiding here, making it difficult to find. We're too few in number to search the entire fortress simultaneously," Elena explained.
"I believe it will come to us, seeking us out on its own," Evan said confidently. "What about these owl ghosts?"
"You'll see them. They don't usually appear near the entrance," Elena replied, her wand emitting a brighter light. She lowered her voice and said, "These owl ghosts are peculiar. They move like humans, following human-like paths, which is quite strange. But if you think of dungeons, we should go in this direction. There should be a passage to the basement through the kitchen. I saw it from a distance earlier."
They proceeded down the narrow corridor, wounding through the castle's seven floors. Instead of ascending a staircase, they followed the path downward into the basement.
This experience reminded Evan of a labyrinth where one couldn't be sure what lay behind the next tightly sealed door, waiting to confront them.
After passing through the dimly lit corridor, Evan finally saw the owl ghosts when they reached the kitchen.
Their bodies appeared translucent, and, as Elena had described, they didn't fly like normal owls or search for food. Instead, they stood calmly on the ground, resembling humans. They moved according to the pathways and habits of humans and wore an expression of faint sadness on their tiny faces.
As Evan, Sirius, and Elena entered the kitchen, the owl ghosts didn't approach. Still, they continued to gaze at them with their calm and eerie demeanor, sending shivers down their spines.
"This is why I don't like this place. I've seen ghosts before, but never ones like these," Elena whispered cautiously, afraid to disturb the spectral creatures. "We need to be careful. I have a feeling they can understand our words."
"It is indeed quite strange. I haven't seen anything like this before. Their bodies emit magical energy, almost like soul magic," Evan commented. He approached one of the owl ghosts and prepared to experiment with magic to see their reactions.
"What's going on with this kid?" Elena asked Sirius, looking at Evan's back. "He seems quite unusual, knowledgeable about various magics. But why are you bringing such a young wizard along with you?"
Sirius didn't respond to her question or even bother looking at Elena. In his eyes, this woman was hardly qualified to be an Auror. While she possessed individual strength and was attractive, her personality was too casual and lacked the necessary discretion. She had divulged far too much information to Evan on their journey, practically giving away all their secrets. This woman would have been in grave danger if they were Dark Wizards or Death Eaters.
It seemed she had forgotten Moody's initial warning about being cautious and not revealing too much information. Was she indeed an Auror? As Elena continued chatting, Sirius felt an overwhelming urge to silence her.