INFERI (REGULUS BLACK)

86

"Now, where could they be?" Aletheia mused, waving her hand in the air, trying to get a taste of the environment. Orion watched her, skeptical and impatient.

"Can you stop with the excess flamboyance and get on with it?" he snapped as politely as he could, which failed due to his tiredness and weariness. He and Fleamont had been travelling for 48 hours straight, and hadn't even rested for a moment. It was through sheet willpower alone that he was standing upright.

That nasty bugger was probably already asleep, Orion though, scoffing internally. Not getting enough sleep made him cranky and irritable.

The woman just smirked. "Patience, Black. Magic is no party trick, especially mine, contrary to what you might think. There's no room for tricks and show-offs. Now," she said briskly, "if you could just follow me, I think I've pinpointed their location."

Her first line sounded vaguely familiar, like he'd heard it millions of times, but he couldn't put a finger on it. She sounded like ... but that was probably fanciful thinking. His old friend - if she could be considered that - was probably on the other side of the globe, being the badass woman she was and coercing information to begrudgingly help Orion. They'd been through this ritual millions of times. What were the odds that thry would bump into each other in Wales.

Besides, Orion was sure he could identify her in a glance, even through her Metamorphmagus abilities. This woman was similar, but could not be his friend.

His friend would never wear the hideous contraption of a dress this lady was wearing.

"I never caught your name, Ms ...?" His voice came out as polished and even toned as ever, though one who knew him well could pick up on the slight hint of weariness.

God forbid he ever be exposed and vulnerable.

"I'm pretty sure you know it, Mr Black," she turned her head around to flash him a smile. "Just ... think about it."

"What do I call you then?" She continued walking, not giving any indication that she'd heard him.

"You know my name, Orion. Call me by it."

"You are pretty insufferable, you know that?" Orion huffed, his eyes fixed on her red hair, which was illuminated by his wand light.

"You're not the first one to tell me that."

*****

5 minutes in and he was already sweating.

It was taking quite a lot of effort to keep the spell focused, but Aoife had stopped looking see-through like a ghost, so it was worth it. They had no way of treating her - at least, not one they could think of - so they had to get her out, fast.

The only problem, her mother.

After Regulus slowed down the process, and un-earthly shriek echoed through the room, and an ethereally beautiful woman materialised in front of them, her image wavering like a reflection in a pond. She had the same facial structure as Aoife, and the same eyes - a beautiful green - but had cascading auburn hair like Belladonna. With a feral cry, she'd jumped into combat, and Shafiq was currently trying to fend her off.

That left Regulus alone to get them out of this situation. Maybe he could apparate in and out the room, but this idea was shot down as quickly as it had arisen. He couldn't even insert his hand through the bars of the cell; there was a magical barrier in between them. Getting his spell to work had been chance.

Maybe he could cause a cave-in, perhaps? That might be able to break the barrier and the cell, but was he capable enough to keep Aoife from being crushed and letting her mother do whatever she was doing, while keeping Shafiq alive too? He didn't care much about his former friend, in fact he was skeptical about his true loyalties, but he was friend of Aoife. No matter how much he wanted, that wouldn't work.

The tunnel idea then? He shifted his position, keeping the wand in his right hand trained at Aoife. Neat little trick he'd picked up, using both of his hands to cast magic. Not quite impressive, but got the work done at double time.

The wand in his left hand was the Potter wand - it worked fine, nothing special; acacia, he presumed - and it was currently pointed at the floor. A simple defodio! won't do, of course. He remembered a spell he'd once come across in his library. It might work, but would he be able to cast it? He was quite busy.

He murmured the incantation, hoping for the ground to give away and make their work easier. Sadly, the spell ricocheted, hitting a crack in the ceiling. With an almighty roar and a heavy shower of dust, the cave tumbled down.

Instinctively, his time-slowing spell exploded, engulfing everyone in the cavern except him. He hauled Aoife over his shoulder (given that she was unconscious) and grabbed Shafiq with his left hand. There was no need for the acacia wand now.

Aoife's mother was lying stunned, but it didn't seem like she'd stay that way for long. How could they get out?