Chimaera Of Judgement

50: Heirlooms

"Gobsmacked" may be the best word for Atticus Malkin's reaction. His sunken eyes and mouth made three wide O's as he gazed around in wonder at the complete disappearance of one of his captives. For a moment, he continued to stand there, clutching at his wand and struggling to understand how it could have happened right under his nose. Then, he strode toward the spot Albus had occupied a moment ago.

"Vanished... but you can't Apparate on Hogwarts grounds." Teeth gritted, he whirled back to grasp Lewis by the lapels. "You did this!"

"Wh-what?" Lewis stammered. "No, how c-could I? I'm wandless!"

"Quiet!" Eyes burning with rage, he grasped the tyet in one hand and barked aloud needlessly, "Peeves! Stand guard at the door! The rest of you, search the room! He's got to be hiding here somewhere!"

Albus watched in dark amusement as Caspian also glanced around, trying to figure out how he'd managed it - though glad that at least one of them had escaped alive. Then, turning to the task at hand, he searched through his pockets as he crouched beneath the very Cloak of Invisibility their imprisoner had scoffed at. Three wands that belonged to Rose, Jezabel and Caspian - but which was which? There were two long ones, and he recognised the reed as Rose's - there were faint bite marks where she'd been foolish enough to chew on it during their first year with disastrous results. Between the other long wand and the shorter, he couldn't be sure of ownership...

But as he put the other two down and held the shorter wand, he felt a rush of madness, followed by a pang of sadness. Staring at the willow wood in his hand, impossibly, he knew it belonged to Jezabel.

The enemy had his wand. His cloak was all that stood between him and certain death, and Caspian was incapacitated by his equally-incapacitated cousin. Only Jezabel, curled up and sobbing on the floor like a defeated victim, could be of any real help - if there was any help for them at all.

Slowly, painstakingly, he crept across the floor, crouching as low as possible to make sure Malkin couldn't see his feet - though he was of no notable height. He held the wand out in front of him as he placed the other two in his pocket, praying silently to whatever gods might be listening that he got the chance to return those as well.

When the Grey Lady whooshed by him, blowing the cloak up and over his shoulders, he realized their answer must have been "fend for yourself". He froze to the spot, watching as Malkin eventually turned in his direction.

"There! Seize the lurker!"

Albus dived out of the way as both the Bloody Baron and the Fat Friar pelted down on his position, dropping the wand into Jezabel's ample hair as he rolled to his feet and fled. Unfortunately, this put him much farther from his cloak, but to have gone back for it would have been suicide.

"I don't know where you learned your Disillusionment Charm," Malkin laughed as Albus found himself huddling behind a battered suit of copper armor, "but I suggest brushing up before trying it again!"

He hadn't even noticed the cloak; perhaps it did blend in with the scattered and sundry contents of the room. A chance presented itself; Albus pulled out Rose's wand, drew a bead on Malkin from beneath the shoulder joint of the armour, and whispered fiercely, "Expelliarmus!"

Nothing. That is, he felt a slight hum from the wand when he spoke the incantation, but the spell did not manifest.

"That hardly seems fair."

Unfortunately, Professor Binns was floating overhead when he muttered this to himself, and turned glowing pink eyes on him. At that instant, he heard Atticus shout in triumph.