Before they were allowed into the building, Rafael, the gang leader, and the others were checked for foreign charms with a potion, forced to drink Veritaserum, and even had Revelio, Homenum Revelio, and Specialis Revelio cast on them. Still, they could not find Nagini, because the spell modifications had been chosen incorrectly, and trying to make Severus drink potions when he had learned to dispel them back in fifth year was pretty foolish. So they got inside without much trouble, and, as if under escort, Severus was led through the mansion's long corridors toward the place where the two Masters were located.
Inside, the mansion was furnished lavishly. Chandeliers of pure gold set with precious stones, candelabras of the same metal on every table made of magical wood. A huge number of paintings in gold frames hung on the walls. The rest of the furniture matched the overall style just as perfectly.
At every turn stood a guard in a plain, classic suit, not to mention those posted at each window and in groups on the stairs. There were detection and alarm charms, of course, and on top of that a barrier surrounded the building, and it was a fairly complex one.
If Severus had to break through all of this by force, there would definitely be casualties, so he chose a simpler path. It carried the risk of exposure, but it was much easier than the first option. Of course, he had Potter's Invisibility Cloak, but he did not rely on it much, since the same Revelio could easily detect someone beneath it.
By the time they finally reached the third floor and had just left the landing, a procession of ten wizards passed them, led by an elderly wizard who was clearly one of the Masters. Their clothing, however, was completely different from what Vitor's people wore. It was cleaner, more pressed, and resembled the official uniform of the local peacekeepers that Severus had seen several times in Dark Alley. They wore green suits with cloaks over them, and a hat the same color as the suit completed the ensemble.
The grim old wizard leading the group did not pay much attention to them, absorbed in his thoughts, but Severus followed him with a thoughtful gaze.
So the gang has only one Master after all, and judging by the clothes, he is most likely someone from the authorities. That is for the better. Two would be a bit harder to deal with. When Severus glanced back at Rafael, he saw contempt aimed at the landing. Interesting.
"Get moving," Rafael barked menacingly, noticing Severus's thoughtful look.
"Have you forgotten something?" Severus asked with a smirk, and Rafael's face twisted as if he had bitten into a whole lemon.
"Please. Let us. speed up. a bit." Rafael hissed each word, barely holding back his anger at Severus's smug smile, because he could already feel that a few more minutes alone with him and he would strangle him.
"Good. Now let us go."
Approaching the door, in front of which stood a group of six wizards, Rafael stepped forward and went to the sturdiest of them.
"Carlos, we brought the person the boss called for."
"Hm? Called for?" Carlos looked at him in puzzlement. Then, exchanging glances with his colleagues, who also stared at each other in bewilderment, he frowned. "The boss did not call for anyone."
"You stand here all day and still cannot keep track of this," Rafael said, pulling out the letter and shoving it at Carlos. "See for yourself."
At that moment, Severus stepped forward, and the guards tensed sharply.
"Have you forgotten that a few hours ago he told you his old friend's son would come to see him?" Severus asked with a smile, and at his words every guard went slack, as if stunned, though a second later they snapped back to normal.
"How could we forget that?! Please, forgive us," one of the guards behind Carlos blurted, and Carlos's expression flipped to the exact opposite, though his smile looked more like a snarl.
"Really slipped my mind completely," Carlos said, and he quickly stepped aside, as did the others. "Please, come in."
"Thank you." Without saying anything more, Severus headed for the door. The moment he touched the handle, a dagger screeched as it struck the barrier. "Big guy, you are a bad actor," Severus said to Carlos with a smile.
Carlos was surprised that Severus had managed to react to the attack, but he did not relax. He yanked out his wand and aimed it straight at Severus's face, but a crack sounded from beneath his shirt.
"Expe." Carlos did not finish. The next moment his eyes rolled back, and with a dull thud his body hit the floor.
The others stayed exactly where they had been standing, as if they had not even noticed what had just happened.
"Not bad. I am even a bit sorry about that artifact," Severus said, shifting his gaze to the door. He could not suppress a smile as he felt two magical sources bustling in the office, one of them hiding in a corner and slightly suppressing its magic.
"Why am I not surprised it ended this way," came Nagini's slightly weary voice, having watched everything from start to finish.
"I was not going to interfere in any of this. I do not consider myself some hero or fighter for justice, but once my teacher told me: 'If you can help someone, and if it is within your power, then help.' I am just following his teaching."
"You really did have a good teacher."
"He was very good," Severus nodded with a smile, remembering the moment he had been thrown into the forest with the words: "Survive and that is great, die and oh well." Even the fact that the old man followed him then and drove away particularly strong creatures did not do him any credit, damn old sadist.
Nagini looked at him in puzzlement, tilting her head to one side as she noticed the displeasure on his face.
"Just remembered something unpleasant. All right, I am going in, and you go back for now," Severus said, tapping her on the nose and nudging her back into his pocket, and then, without much trouble, he pushed the steel doors open.
In the office, a short elderly man with dark gray hair slicked back, wearing a black suit, greeted him. He sat calmly at the table and watched Severus with indifference.
"Who sent you? Fred? Lucas, or those bastards from the government?" he asked at once with a frown, never taking his eyes off Severus.
"None of them. Your assistant brought me here," Severus said, walking up to the bookshelf and studying the spines with mild interest. "Honestly, I was not going to interfere in your affairs, but after watching how you turned Dark Alley into your feeding ground, I wanted to help ordinary people who do not have the strength to fight back against you."
"Want to play hero?"
"No, of course not. You heard what I said," Severus replied with a smile, looking at him, still perfectly indifferent. "And do you think I am doing this for free?"
"So someone did pay you after all," he concluded, baring his teeth. "I will give you five times more if you bring me your employer's head."
"Interesting offer, but I will just take everything you have anyway."
"Decided to be Robin Hood?" Vitor asked with a smile, gripping his wand tightly and glancing for a moment at the shadow in the corner.
"Wrong again. Why would I give anything to anyone?" Severus said. After finishing his inspection of the books, he shook his head in disappointment and focused on Vitor. "I will keep everything for myself."
"Greedy brat."
"Consider it payment for your life. Your fortune is worth it, is it not?"
"Indeed." A chuckle escaped Vitor. "A worthy payment for this old man's life, but." His smile stretched into a bloodthirsty snarl, and darkness swallowed the room. "TODAY YOU WILL DIE!" A shadow blade burst from the corner, rushing toward Severus, who was about to deflect it, but. "Wh-what?!"
The darkness dissipated, revealing the boss with a hole in his chest, staring into the dark corner with genuine amazement. His white shirt had turned red in a matter of seconds, and a pool of blood had begun to form under the chair.
"Unexpected," he said, tilting his head to the side with mild surprise.
"You're lying."
"I'm lying," Severus admitted. He could have stopped the Dark Mage's attack at any moment, but he hadn't. Why kill someone unnecessarily if they're going to do it for you? "I was planning to kill him anyway." He stepped closer and examined the wound on the wizard's chest. "He aimed to deny him any chance of survival. Apparently, this hatred had been building for a long time. But whatever. I already got what I wanted." He pulled a rose from the dying man's breast pocket and dispelled the spell. A key appeared in its place.
"H-help." Vitor looked at him with pleading eyes.
"Why? I was going to kill you anyway. Sleep soundly. Your wealth is in safe hands."
"Y-you."
"I know the password too." Severus nodded with a smile. Genuine amazement appeared on Vitor's face, which after a few seconds turned into burning hatred.
"Severus, what are you going to do with the rest?" Nagini leaned out of his pocket and looked towards the entrance where the other gang members stood.
"You don't have to worry about that. I neutralised almost all the guards we passed. But they'll have to deal with the rest themselves."
"VITOR DE CAMINHA, THE BUILDING IS SURROUNDED! SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY, OR WE WILL ASSASSINATE!"
A loud male voice sounded from outside. Nagini was surprised.
"Speak of the devil. Well, it's time for us to go." Severus turned to the dying wizard, who was shaking with rage. "Good luck, old man. It was a pleasure meeting you." He nodded with a smile, and they disappeared. Only one elderly man remained in the office, dying with a twisted face, cursing one insolent 'boy' before he died.
At the same time, Severus appeared near a small cave. Obtaining information about where the gang's riches were 'buried' hadn't been all that difficult. Simple Legilimency and a couple of leading questions, and the information would appear in the old man's head. It was one of the easiest ways to obtain the necessary information, with almost no effort.
"Hmm. So that's how it is." He looked down at the ground, noticing a broken branch and some bruised grass. "So, he decided to kill his boss, blame it on me, and take it all for himself. What a bad man."
//===================//
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