Damaged Goods by slytherin_after_dark

Chapter 23

- NOT MY STORY!! ALL CREDITS TO @slytherin_after_dark ON A03!!

It looked more like a cave than a room. They had gone underground, so perhaps that was an accurate description. Ragged stone walls and a high, uneven ceiling were only illuminated by torches as a group of men in suits (and the occasional female companion) filed into the space.

Malfoy and Hermione took a seat on a dark couch. A waitress brought them drinks, which she sat on the marble coffee table.

Hermione looked at the stage where a podium stood empty. This could all be a waste of their time. Maybe there was a secret deal the Ministry was aware of somewhere else and they completely failed to stop the transaction?

She was thankful for Malfoy's jacket, not just because she was able to hide her scar, but because it offered additional warmth. She had left it draped on her shoulders but it was so big on her that it easily covered her arms.

He was quiet next to her, eyes dancing over the audience, wondering who was working with the Ministry. At least that's what she was thinking about.

How would they know what they were even looking for?

"Good evening, gentlemen," a middle-aged man with a puffy face announced on stage. "Thank you for attending tonight's auction. You will find some of the most exquisite artifacts the dark arts have to offer. I will remind you of the rules. Auctions are final. Once a bit is accepted, the seller has no right to accept a higher bid. The auction is complete when I accept the bid, creating a binding contract. At no points are wands allowed to be used during or after the auction."

Her wand was in her robes which were now at Malfoy's place. She hated being parted from it. She had a hunch Malfoy wasn't wandless.

"Let us begin," the auctioneer said and the curtain was raised.

One item after the other was auctioned off. Hexed necklaces. Powerful crystals. But none of them fit what they were looking for. Malfoy raised his auction paddle several times and Hermione wasn't sure if he was genuinely interested in acquiring any of the items, or if he simply wanted to not seem suspicious.

The room was packed and she was sure it wasn't for any of the items that had been called so far. Anxiously she shifted, crossing one leg over the other.

"Now to tonight's highlight," the auctioneer said as another pedestal was rolled in.

The item on top was concealed by a black satin sheet.

"May I present to you, the ancient relic of death."

The sheet was removed and a gasp went through the room. Malfoy straightened with a jolt next to her.

"It was first discovered in the first millennium A.D.," the auctioneer continued.

Hermione stared at the relic, made out of bones, depicting a man dying.

"What does it do?" She whispered to Malfoy.

"It summons Inferi."

She froze. Inferi were dead bodies, reanimated by a dark wizard's curse. The amount of dark magic it took to create them made it impossible for most wizards to do so—aside from Voldemort.

As thoughts swirled in her head, every auction paddle in the room went up, including Malfoy's. The auctioneer yelled out prices that were jumping higher and higher and she tried to think about what she had read about the relic. There was a mention of it in one of the dark arts books she read. 

"Triangle-shaped," Hermione whispered to Malfoy. "It has the power of three."

He nodded as he raised his paddle again. "Enhances dark magic."