Chapter 98 — Unexpected Consequences
Chapter 98: Unexpected Consequences
"Draco, we have... well, I think we have a problem."
"Mm?"
I looked at my mother, Bella, in genuine surprise. Contrary to her usual manner, she appeared deeply uncertain. And that unsettled me, because even when Bella was worried, she normally knew precisely what needed to be done. But now...
"We have an unusual visitor."
"Unusual enough to make you look like that."
I let my voice convey how greatly her behavior surprised me (trying to introduce the faintest note of teasing), but she did not take the bait and turn it into a joke. Which told me a great deal about the seriousness of what was happening.
"Very unusual."
"And? What are you waiting for?"
"Not me. The visitors are waiting."
I sighed.
"Mom, stop stalling. Just tell me what's happened and let's deal with it."
"Well, we have some rather unusual guests."
I sighed again.
"Where?"
"The main sitting room."
"Right..."
"Wait!"
Bella caught my arm.
"What?"
"Dragon-hide suit. Axe on your back, not in the amulet. Wand in your sleeve. Spare wand at your belt. Another spare in your boot, next to the knife."
I looked at her.
"Mom."
"Do it. Trust me, once you see our guests, you'll understand why."
"Mom, it's not as though the Inquisition has turned up at our door!"
I said it with some emotion, intending it as a wry joke, but the moment I saw Bella's expression change, I understood that I had stumbled onto the truth by accident.
"No."
I shook my head slowly. Bella gave a single nod.
"No, come on. What would they want here?"
"That is precisely what I don't know. There are three of them. A young woman, she appears to be in charge. Two warriors who refused to remove their armor."
"Refused to remove their armor?"
I frowned slightly.
"Yes."
"And the young woman?"
"She kept hers on too."
My frown deepened. I did not like this at all. And if they had decided to come like that...
"Werewolves are no use here. If I remember my history correctly, they always silvered their blades. They may not match us in raw power or speed, but the full plate armor that Inquisitors wear is something wolves can't tear through with teeth and claws, not to mention that some of them may be warrior-saints."
"That is correct."
Bella gave a wary nod.
"Right. Surround the manor with every battle-ready witch and wizard not currently patrolling the district or guarding the perimeter. If I am attacked, and God forbid they actually kill me, not one of them walks away. Their heads come off, and they get sent to the Holy See. After which..."
I looked at Bella.
"You destroy them."
"No."
I shook my head.
"No one is destroying anyone. You simply go to the Queen and purchase a nuclear device from her, which you drop from a broomstick under a Disillusionment Charm onto the Inquisition's headquarters. If they still don't get the point, the next one goes to the main church of the Protestant establishment."
"Understood."
Bella nodded and immediately conjured a Patronus, whispered the necessary message into it, and sent it on its way.
"But we are attending this meeting with you. Cissy and I both."
I sighed. Arguing about this point was useless. I could see from her eyes that if I tried to say no, she would simply Stun me and that would be that. Besides, I was holding on to the hope that the Inquisitors had come to talk, not to fight.
"Fine, but remember that we have people to protect. My chances of winning against them are negligible, so I will be the distraction. You and Cissy are the main offensive force."
She nodded. I got up and went to change, and shortly afterward I was ready.
"Are you going in that?"
"Under this suit there's a close-fitting basilisk-hide under-layer. I wear it all the time now. The enchantments on it are such that you barely feel it, so it causes no difficulty."
"Cissy has one too."
Bella answered my unspoken question before I could ask it. I nodded and made my way toward the room where our guests were waiting.
"Why me specifically?"
"It turns out they watch television. And they have eyes and ears in the wizarding world as well, so they know who is in charge here. Even though Cissy and I handle most of the day-to-day work at present, you are still the one who signs off on all the decisions that actually matter."
"I see."
"Draco..."
"In a moment."
I gestured briefly for Fleur to wait.
"For now, go to your room, take Gabrielle and Penny with you, and hold your position there."
"What?"
"Nothing has happened yet, and quite possibly nothing will. But I want you to do what I'm telling you right now, without asking questions."
"All right, but afterward you are going to explain everything to me."
"Yes."
I nodded, and Fleur hurried off, conjuring a Patronus on the way and sending a message to her parents.
"Right then. Into battle."
I stood outside the door, waited for Cissy to join me, and then walked in wearing my best mask of composure. What I saw were two knights in full heavy plate, seated in their chairs in postures of barely-leashed tension, and between them a young woman in armor, though at least without her helmet. Her hair was the palest shade of wheaten blonde, almost platinum, and her eyes were grey.
"Good day to you."
I walked unhurriedly towards my chair and, to the obvious agitation of both armored warriors, lifted the axe from my back and set it down beside me, within immediate reach, before lowering myself into the seat.
"My name is Draco Black, heir to the House of Black. Beside me are my mothers, Bellatrix Black and Narcissa Black."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Angelina, Deputy Commander of the British Order of the Inquisition. These are my bodyguards. You needn't have brought your axe."
"And you might have left your weapons in the hallway, or come without weapons or armor at all. But you chose not to, and you must understand that merely being in the presence of Inquisitors is enough to put any wizard on edge, to say nothing of arriving in this particular attire."
I shook my head.
"Sometimes we are not masters of our circumstances."
The young woman gave a disarming smile.
"We are always masters of them. It is simply that the choice available to us is sometimes not one we would prefer, and so we say there is no choice at all."
She sighed.
"And what brings you here?"
"The Convergence."
"What about it?"
"You do understand that it is a danger to our entire world? Though of course... what am I saying..."
She shook her head almost imperceptibly.
"I watched the broadcast. So yes, you understand that it is a danger to the entire world, and from what we've seen, you are preparing for it to the best of your abilities."
I said nothing. I had no intention of answering unasked questions and thus handing the Inquisition additional cards to play.
"It is truly remarkable."
She pressed her lips together very briefly, just for a moment, and I caught it, but gave no reaction whatsoever. Thank God for Occlumency, which keeps the emotions in their proper place. Though as I recalled, Inquisitors had something similar, so this could easily be nothing more than theater for the benefit of a shortsighted boy.
"Creating such extensive wards over an entire city district."
Angelina shook her head, apparently conveying the depth of her impression.
"It represents an enormous amount of work."
"And?"
I had to prompt her slightly, as she had gone quiet and was clearly waiting for a response from me.
"You don't like me very much."
"I have no particular feelings about you one way or another."
I chose not to play along.
"You are a complete stranger to me, representing a completely foreign organization: hostile, I would say, rather than simply foreign. In other times, you would have been neutralized before you came within sight of my front door. Or instead of me, you would have been met here by a coordinated strike formation of battle-mages against whom you would have had no chance whatsoever."
"Pathetic boy."
"Saemon, be quiet. I am conducting this negotiation, and your remarks are not helping."
Angelina's voice was dry and precise. Her bodyguard showed no sign of being frightened or of taking his superior's words less than seriously. He simply fell silent.
"As I was saying, in other times, you would simply have been killed. Believe me, assembling one or two strike formations of wizards who would arrive within minutes and reduce you to suits of armor and food for the wildlife is entirely manageable. However, as you correctly noted, the Convergence is a danger to the entire world. And from the moment I learned of it, your organization and everything it represents became a matter of complete indifference to me."
"Bold words."
"Well."
I shrugged.
"I have the full backing of the Crown for everything I am doing here. If you interfere with that, it will be treated as an act of sabotage against Britain in the face of an existential threat, and that is unforgivable. You would be dismantled on these islands, after which the Queen would reach out to the heads of other nations. How quickly do you imagine your brothers and sisters in other countries would distance themselves from the British Inquisition? Or would some of them also find themselves on the receiving end of an angry government before they had the chance?"
The young woman's frown deepened very slightly.
"Which is precisely why I have no interest in playing games with you. And this:
I stroked the handle of my axe. Both the young woman and her bodyguards flinched.
"is simply my answer to the manner in which you chose to enter my home."
"I see."
Angelina closed her eyes briefly.
"I offer my apologies. Perhaps we were somewhat... overly cautious in how we came to see you. But you must try to understand: so many years of open enmity..."
I gave a shrug that made it clear I was entirely unmoved.
"What do you want?"
"Access to the young woman conducting lessons on these creatures—the Grimm?"
"The Grimm."
I allowed myself the faintest sigh.
"You have the name right. As for the young woman, what do you want with her?"
"We want to know what faith she holds."
"Not ours."
I shrugged.
"In the world she comes from, our faith did not exist in any form. No one there had ever heard of our gods. That much I can tell you myself."
"Then she must be baptized."
"Try again."
I gave a quiet snort.
"If that is all, you are free to go: I am not detaining you. Or rather, you are free to leave in any case, because after words like those, spoken in that tone...
I shook my head.
"no representative of the Inquisition will be permitted anywhere near her."
"You don't want us to be prepared?"
"Frankly?"
I tilted my head inquiringly.
"Yes."
Angelina nodded.
"Frankly, I don't care whether you are prepared or not. As I said, the entire planet is in danger, and whether your Order is ready or not is entirely in your hands and the hands of your leadership."
"And it was to ensure our readiness that I came here."
"No."
I shook my head.
"You came here to put pressure on me, assuming that at thirteen years old I would be easy to manage. You were mistaken. I will not allow anyone to pressure me, directly or through my people. So you may leave my territory and inform your superiors that they are not welcome here. No other Inquisitor will set foot on my land. Not in armor. Not carrying weapons."
"I..."
She bit her lip for a moment.
"...sit down."
One word, and her bodyguards, who had already begun to rise, dropped straight back into their seats.
"I apologize. Perhaps I truly did begin this entirely the wrong way."
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