Dark Matters
The room fell silent as a wizard of middle height and years walked out onto the stage. He was wearing well tailored, midnight black robes. Black hair, threaded with silver was perfectly styled to match the lean face with its high cheekbones, arched brows and thin lips.
“Excellent likeness. He has clearly met Voldemort, but is most definitely not him. Not enough charisma.’ Regulus thought, amused despite himself.
The wizard styling himself Lord Vol de Mort began to speak, his calm measured voice magically amplified to reach the back of the hall as clearly as the front.
“I welcome you all tonight. I praise you for your courage, your passion and your commitment to a better wizarding future.” He paused. His voice dropped a fraction. “As many of you may be aware, the wizards of Great Britain rose to challenge the autocracy of the current ministry. A ministry in which corruption and disorganisation is rampant. A ministry which declares itself to be there for all but in reality cares little for any but its own. Those noble wizards who rebelled did so in an effort to bring stability and pride back to our great country. To embrace the values and beliefs that are the birth right of all pureblood wizards everywhere. I have been invited here tonight to share with you how one great wizard inspired a nation to rise up against its oppressors, to fight for freedom against corruption. You who stand here know the yoke of autocracy, the restrictions to move beyond the control of your ministers. Who amoung you does not wish to have greater freedom? To have more than is available right now?” The wizard paused. The crowd rumbled its assent. Members of the audience yelled in defiance of their government. The wizard smiled thinly. “I offer you the chance to join with me to build a better, purer wizarding world once more. Free from corruption of blood and power.” More yells of encouragement. The wizard's voice rose in volume. “A wizarding world that is organized, and secure. One with opportunities for growth, and for movement beyond your borders. Borders designed to keep us all in. To keep us constrained. It is time Friends. Time to reclaim the world which muggles and mudbloods have taken from us again and again and again.” He paused, relishing the roars which greeted him. “Time to move against our oppressors!”
The crowd roared even louder. Regulus felt the push of emotion at his heavily shielded mind. It stank of fear, of loathing, of longing. The man on the stage began talking again. Regulus had stopped listening. He dropped his head and whispered urgently to Pandora “We have to get out of here. Now.”
“What about the others?”
Regulus scanned the room. James stood a few rows in front of them. He closed his eyes and conjured a ghostly hand which he ran gently down the back of James’s neck. “Jamie.” He whispered “Jamie. You have to leave. Before the riots start.”
Pandora waited. “Done?” Regulus nodded. “Ok. Let’s go.” She grinned “I have a date tonight, so i need to look my best and a mob would quite ruin that.”
Regulus couldn’t answer. Employing a similar technique to walking through walls, he guided the two of them out of the hall and onto the street before he apparated them back to the hotel where Pandora was staying. He really hoped James would do as he asked.
James felt the light touch, and heard the softest whisper. “Reg?” He whispered back. “Leave. Riots.” Repeated the voice and faded away. James turned his head. The previously peaceful crowd was getting more and more restless. He looked at his friends. There was a growing glaze on their faces that scared him. He jabbed Sirius in the ribs and stomped on Remus’s foot.
“What the..” hissed Sirius.
“Look around you. Grab the girls.” James urged. He could feel something pushing at his mind, and it didn’t want to be friends.
James turned to Dan on his other side and applied his elbow again. “You gotta get out of here. Can’t endanger the team.” He said urgently as Dan turned an angry gaze on him. “Look around you. Something isn’t right.”
Dan scanned the crowd. It felt and looked like a quidditch match where the wrong team won. “Got it. Look after your friends. Maybe we meet again.”
James grinned. “I hope so. Thanks again for the training session today.” He said and worked his way through the crowd following Remus’s tail frame.
The six friends had barely made it out onto the street and across the road when the hall erupted. James tried to spot Dan, Bajnok and Csilia but there were easily two hundred wizards and witches of all ages pouring out of the hall, with too many looking ready for a fight.
“What on earth happened in there?” Tara asked
“Dark magic.” Remus growled. “Let's head back to the uni. We can talk there.”
It took a little while to make their way back to the university through the crowded evening streets. They entered one of the recreational areas the conference had been using. Currently it had some of the attendees doing last minute networking, exchanging details and promises to make contact again soon. Remus, Lily and Tara were approached a number of times on their way through the room in search of a quiet corner. Eventually the six of them were ensconced around a table. Remus cast a silencing spell so they could speak without being overheard.
“Thoughts?” He said meeting each of their gazes.
“Who was that man?” Asked Tara. “And why did he try to incite a riot?”
“What I want to know is how James knew to get out of there?” Sirius asked, staring at James “I could have sworn you said my brothers name as well.”
James replayed the ghostly sensation and the whisper he’d heard. He knew it was Regulus, although what he was doing in Budapest and at that lecture was still conjecture. “I don’t know. A sixth sense. I got a feeling something wasn’t right. Then I saw people’s faces all glazed over and knew it was time to go.” James answered. He was a terrible liar and knew it.
“Did anyone recognise the speaker?” Lily asked breaking the odd tension which had fallen between Sirius and James.
“He looked like Voldemort, but not quite.” Remus said.
“That’s what I thought. I think he’s the person Monty spoke about who’s spreading dissent through Europe.” Lily agreed. “But why look like someone who is dead? And considered the number one enemy of wizarding Britain?”
“Eastern Europe doesn’t really follow what’s happening in England, so whoever this person is may not realise Voldemort's body was found”
“or doesn’t care” interjected Sirius
“Or doesn’t care, and wants to capitalize on what little is known and grab power for himself?” said Remus
“So what do we do now? Should I contact Dad? Or shall we continue as planed and keep an eye on what happens after tonight?” Asked James.
“Let’s follow through with our original plans. Now we know to be extra vigilant, maybe we will hear and see more.” Tara suggested
The others nodded in agreement.
“So local bar tonight, move to the hotel tomorrow morning and explore the labyrinth under the city in the afternoon.” Sirius said with a grin.
“I’m in.” Said James eagerly.
Willow and Tara shook their heads. “Not us. It’s been an intense few days and I need some downtime just to get my head around what I’ve learnt this week.” Tara said, stifling a yawn as she took Willows hand and stood up. “Night.”
“Night. Lils?” James asked with a sinking feeling he was going to be the third man on a date given how little Sirius and Remus had seen of each other this week.
“Sorry Potter. Met someone in the research department this afternoon so we’re catching up for a drink.” Lily said breezily, though her eyes glowed with mischief and happiness. James raised an eyebrow. Lily smiled and dipped her head slightly.
“Well be good. See you in the morning.” He said. Lily grinned and followed the other two out of the room. “I’m happy to go solo if you guys want some together time.” James added tossing a stray peanut at Sirius who had grown bored and decided he’d rather be snogging Remus.
Sirius jerked away from Remus. “What! No! We’ll catch up properly later.”
James looked over Sirius’s shoulder at Remus who shrugged smugly. “You know Sirius. If we’re up later that means we’re going drinking now.”
James laughed. Remus grinned. Sirius shimmied back to stand up and held out his hands. “Come on lads. It’s time to see what this city has to offer.”.
—-
The streets were quieter when Regulus ventured out in search of some where not his house. He had made sure Pandora and Lily were safely ensconced in a fancy restaurant away from prying eyes and now he was bored. Again. This was becoming a bad habit. Usually he would read, have projects to research, sources to tap for information, but the almost riot had taken him unawares. He had dropped Pandora back at her hotel and then returned to the hall in time to see the last of the attendees leave. Rather than finding the streets a heaving mass of discontent and violence, there had been no more than a couple of breakages and a lot of dark muttering. It was as though the magic had only reached the edge of the building and had no lingering effects. He hadn’t stayed long.
‘What is this wizard about?’ Regulus wondered as he wandered the quiet streets. The restaurants, cafes and pubs were filled with a variety of wizards and witches staying out of the freezing night air. Festive lights had appeared outside, decorating the streets’ many shops and hotels. Wizards may not follow the Christian Christmas but they loved the excuse to extend the mid-winter festival and many families celebrated the occasion with lights, music and gifts. The Black family Christmas had always been a depressingly formal affair, so held no special significance for Regulus. He wondered briefly what the Potters did, then decided that was a useless train of thought and melted into the crowd of a nearby pub. He needed to focus on the local gossip regarding the Englishman and his lecture.
As part of his preparation for taking over the family business one day, Regulus had set himself the task of learning the language of every country in which the Blacks held interests. French, German, Italian and Latin he learnt with tutors at home during his childhood and school holidays, Hungarian, Russian, Dutch and Spanish he had taught himself. Regulus freely admitted that he didn’t know them as well, however it was enough to understand those talking around him whether in a public space or a private meeting room. It turned out to be a very useful skill, especially given the assumption that all business would be conducted in English or French as they were the languages of the head of the family. As a result Regulus uncovered a plot to oust Orion as the Chairman of the Board for the Black Cathedral business, overheard some senior diplomats talking about using the Englishman to take over the current Hungarian ministry of magic, and discovered that he was the subject of far too many romantic imaginings.
The pub he’d blended into was full of talk about the lecture and confusion around why an Englishman would want to incite a riot. Sure the muggle world was not doing as well as they had hoped in the last few decades but the wizards on this side of the divide had continued on much as normal. They could still travel, albeit with some extra paperwork and longer wait times, the schools and universities continued to provide excellent education, and no one really cared about whether someone was muggle born or pure blood.
“I care.” Muttered a nondescript wizard “A mudblood stole my job.”
“Yeah. My kid lost a place at university because they capped numbers. Lots of mudbloods got in though.” Another wizard grumbled
“Several generations working with the ministry and dismissed for something that wasn’t my fault.”
“Shouldn’t be allowed,”
Regulus felt the tension build as the grumbling started to spread through the different groups. ‘Clever.’ He thought dispassionately, and watched the pair who started the grumbling slip out of the pub. He decided to follow. Maybe they could lead him back to the wizard trying to be Voldemort. Unobserved Regulus followed the two men from one venue to another to another over the course of the next three hours. They seemed to be quite widely known if not well known as they inserted themselves into different groups, made a few comments then moved on. Regulus was intrigued. He continued to watch and follow from the shadows until they disappeared into an unremarkable townhouse not far from the Black Cathedral.
—
‘Tonight’s been fun.’ Thought James and laughing at Sirius who was, as usual, flirting with the bar staff. James had been grateful everyone he’d interacted with spoke English and had been happy to practice with him. Now though the atmosphere in the small restaurant they were in had started to turn a little sour towards them.
“What’s going on?” He asked Remus
Remus gestured at a group of men sitting around a table in a corner near the door. They had been talking quietly for most of the evening, with the occasional burst of loud laughter and banter though never raucous. Now they were starting to look anxious and one of the was looking furtively at James and Remus who, as usual, tended to stand out in this city.
Sirius came back with another bottle of the local wine. “Apparently we’re supposed to wait for table service.” He grinned
“You are incorrigible.” Remus said meeting the sparkling eyes with his own worried ones.
“That’s why you love me.” Sirius said, dropping gracefully into his seat. “What’s up?” He said quietly as he poured the wine
“Does the room feel odd to you?” James asked, amazed at how quickly the three of them had slipped back into their war-time roles watching suspects and waiting for something bad to happen.
Sirius paused and sipped his wine. “Yes. There’s a tension that wasn’t here when I went to talk with Esztar.”
“Hmmm. Let’s finish the wine as if we’ve not noticed anything and see if the atmosphere changes when that table leaves.” Remus said, his face a smiling mask despite his serious tone.
The others agreed. It didn’t take long before the table they were watching broke up. Two of the men left, while the other four separated and began talking to different groups in the room. The tense atmosphere continued.
“Time to go.” Remus said, finishing the last of his wine. The others promptly downed their glasses and stood up. Sirius gave a merry wave to the woman at the bar who blushed as they passed. Then they were outside in freezing cold.
“Any idea where those men went?” James asked, keeping his voice low as he buttoned up his overcoat.
Remus sniffed. “There’s a trail of cigarette smoke and something else heading towards the enormous marble building at the top of the hill.”
“Ok. Let’s follow. It’s a nice night for a walk. And we’re tourists who want to see a big beautiful black building at night.” Said James.
Sirius swallowed. He’d been avoiding the building and had really hoped no one would want to visit. It wasn’t a tourist attraction per se, but it did get a lot of notice from people visiting the city, especially the first couple of times. With a resigned shrug, Sirius linked arms with Remus and James and they wandered as casually as they could in the direction their suspects had gone.
“What is that place?” James asked, stopping to stare up at the building “It looks like a massive castle or muggle cathedral or something equally pretentious.”
Remus chuckled. “Are you going to tell him or should I?” He asked
“It’s the family Eastern European headquarters,” Sirius admitted. “One of my great grandfathers built it out of solid black marble and the locals of the time called it the Black Cathedral. The name stuck and became official about sixty years ago,”
“Wow!” James breathed “I take it you’re banned from ever entering.”
“Yep. Mother made sure I was disowned by every part of the empire they control. Individual fortunes, like Alphards, are their own which is why I was able to inherit.”
“So where does that leave Regulus?” James was even more curious now.
“He is the Heir. He’s probably already started taking over large parts of the business, and he would have received the first part of his own fortune on his sixteenth birthday. He’ll get the rest on his twenty-first, twenty-fifth, and thirtieth. The family fortune goes to him when our parents die of course. Then there are bonuses for getting married and each son for the first three. And a smaller bonus for the first three girls to provide a dowry when they marry. “
James stared at Sirius. The dispassionate business-like tone was one he hadn’t heard for a long time. “Are you okay?” He asked not hiding the worry in his own voice. Remus had pulled Sirius closer into his side.
Sirius shook himself. “I will be. I just wish… Well we all know what I wish. Doesn’t make it easier knowing he turned out to be a half decent human, but still…” Sirius trailed off. “Come on, let's go back to the dorms. I only visited this place once with my Father and have never been a fan, even it’s an architectural marvel,”
“Sure.” James and Remus replied. “Race you there” James added and set up at a run. Sirius laughed and took off after him.
Remus focused his senses, embedding sights and smells into his memory. He had pinpointed the door through which the men had gone and would be able to find again if needed. He had also worked out the vaguely familiar scent that had been mixed in, though that person hadn’t gone through the door,
“Good night Black.” He said faintly and smiled to himself as he picked up the sound of light laughter coming from beneath the cathedral awning.
“Goodnight Lupin,” came the breathless reply