The Bond of Night and Death

The Ritual

The sun was bright and warm over the sparkling waters of Greece, casting a golden glow on the small, secluded beach where Hyacinth Potter-Black sat with her son, Teddy. He was playing in the sand, building towers with his small hands as the waves gently kissed the shore. Hyacinth watched him with a soft smile. For the first time in what felt like years, there was peace.

Ever since she had adopted Teddy—her godson, her son, after losing Remus and Tonks in the final battle—Hyacinth had devoted herself to giving him the life they had dreamed of for him. There had been battles, war, and grief. So much grief. But now, at twenty-two, she was slowly learning how to live in a world without constant war. And Teddy... Teddy was her light. Her reason for everything.

"Look, Mummy!" Teddy called, his hair changing from brown to bright blue as it often did when he was excited. "I made a big mountain!"

Hyacinth chuckled, leaning over to inspect his creation. "That's brilliant, love," she said, ruffling his hair. "Maybe we'll climb a real mountain one day."

Before Teddy could respond, something strange and violent shifted in the air. A cold, oppressive darkness replaced the warmth of the sun, the kind that seeped into her bones.

Hyacinth's instincts kicked in immediately. She grabbed Teddy, pulling him close to her chest as a surge of magic enveloped them both. The familiar feeling of Apparition wasn't there—this was different, unnatural, like being dragged through a door she hadn't chosen to open.

When the sensation finally stopped, they were no longer on the peaceful beach. Instead, they stood in a dimly lit, cavernous room made of stone. The air smelled damp and tainted with something far darker. It sent a shiver up her spine.

"What in Merlin's name...?" Hyacinth whispered, her eyes darting around the room for threats as her heartbeat quickened. Teddy clung to her, his small body trembling with fear. She could feel him bury his face in her cloak.

"Mummy..." Teddy's voice was small, wavering. "Where are we?"

Hyacinth knelt down and cupped his face with her hands, trying to reassure him with a calm she didn't entirely feel. "I don't know, sweetheart, but I'm going to keep you safe." Her voice was steady, a promise she was ready to fulfill. She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Stay close to me."

She stood back up, keeping her son tightly at her side. Her gaze scanned the room again. It was filled with people—Fae, their pointed ears and glowing eyes a dead giveaway. Yet there was something off about them. These were no ordinary fae courts. The atmosphere was thick with cruelty, fear... and something else. Power.

In the center of the room stood a woman with flaming red hair and a wicked smirk twisting her lips. She seemed to be in command, the source of this darkness.

"Who dares summon me?" Hyacinth demanded, her voice ringing out with authority despite the confusion swirling inside her. She needed answers, and she needed them quickly.

The red-haired woman laughed, a cruel sound that echoed off the stone walls. "Oh, how delicious. The Mistress of Death arrives with a child? How quaint."

Mistress of Death. Hyacinth hated the title. She had become the Master of Death when she had claimed the three Hallows, but it wasn't something she had ever wished for. It wasn't a power she wanted to use. But now, with Teddy's safety at stake, she knew she might have to.

Her arms tightened protectively around him as the woman—whoever she was—stepped closer, her sneer growing. "You will serve me, or your little boy will suffer."

Hyacinth's blood ran cold at the threat. No. Not Teddy. Never Teddy.

She shifted him behind her, her body blocking his from view, her wand sliding smoothly into her hand, magic humming through her veins, ready to strike at the slightest provocation. Before she could act, however, another voice broke through the tension.