B.Q. Book One: Princess of the Blacks

Chapter 27: Hostage Situation

"Well, shite. I'm doubly glad I erased his memory now."

Jen pulled her hand from the book she had been perusing with a small groan. After spending several weeks debating all the different possible meanings of the clues inside her golden egg and coming up with not a single definitive theory, the small flock of Ravenclaw girls, aided and abetted on occasion by the other members of her 'court' as a few had taken to calling them when they thought she was out of earshot, had finally capitulated and moved on to other topics. As it was only the middle of February, there was still almost a month for inspiration to strike. Cedric had confided that he, too, was having issues interpreting the half-dozen hints he had coaxed from the puzzle, which lifted her spirits slightly.

So, now that her research time was empty, she had taken to combing the library's stacks to answer a question that had been niggling her since the Yule Ball. When she had confronted Zabini about his 'dining habits' and essentially bullied him into vowing not to prey on other students, he had called her a Cacciatrice. It had not taken her long to discover the English translation of that word – Huntress – but knowing what he had said gave no hints as to why he said it, especially considering the degree of hate he had imbued the word with. Coming from his lips, it had been less title and more vulgar epithet. Four fruitless days later, she used her long mid-Wednesday break to finally look up general information on incubi, including their history in Britain, only to have the explanation slap her in the face.

She could still hear a nasal voice, the result of her magic twisting hand-written words into sound, rattling about her skull.

"...It was only after the death of Minister Dagworth's eldest son Wallace in 1758 at the hands and lips of the Matriarch of the British succubi that the Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot began to take the threat these creatures posed seriously. Though the Aurors fought bravely, when ten months had passed, the nest had taken only minor losses; the wizarding forces, on the other hand, had been cut to a third of their original strength. Knowing that this state of affairs could not continue, the Ministry finally asked outside their own borders for the assistance of any group that was capable of resolving the situation.

"This aid came in the form of the Order of Hunters, an organization of predominantly Prussian witches and wizards who had spent centuries honing their tactics and repertoire for achieving their ultimate goal: the extermination of succubi wherever they might be found. This wealth of experience now on the side of British wizards, the tables were turned. Within just over two years of their arrival, the nest had suffered ninety percent losses and to a member fled to Florence, where the greatest stronghold of their kind was and still is located. The Order spent an additional six months in Britain ensuring the magics they had developed were widely documented in case the succubi returned before they departed for their next target.

"As of the time of writing, I have been unable to determine if this Order exists currently, though the fact that incubi and succubi have not been proven to have emigrated from Italy since the eradication of the French nests in the 1870s indicates that they, at least, believe the organization continues to be active to this day. The spells most useful against these creatures are still part of the Auror training syllabus, specifically during the third and final year."

Jen shook her head and closed the text carefully; Pince, the shriveled-up biddy who watched over the library, had ears like a fox for anyone 'mistreating' her books, including shutting them too forcefully. And to think, I had considered letting him go with full knowledge of our little deal. St. Agnes's Rings was probably – no, certainly – one of the spells this Order used routinely, so if he had relayed to his mother that I knew what he was and how to hurt him, her spurning Sirius's offer of a minor alliance between our Houses would have been the least of our concerns.