17. Too Long in the Tooth
"Erm… Hello?"
Giovanni had been brought to an empty room by Mr Wozniak, and told to wait in there for the Furies. He had been sitting there, rubbing his bruised knuckles and sweating bullets, hoping he wouldn't be expelled. Of course, he knew that they were going to punish him, but he was hoping he could stay, no matter what the punishment would be. Mostly, he wanted to stay because Circe's face still kept popping up in his thoughts. But a few seconds ago he had heard someone shout, "let's go tell them Furies!!" and heard a door slamming and thundering footfalls hurrying away. So he poked out his head to see what was going on.
"Mr Wozniak?"
Turning the corner, Benoni walked up to Giovanni.
"There you are! Come with me, come…"
And without any conversation among them, they walked towards the Furies' office.
***
"It seems incredible that such a monster could have such a… such an unassuming appearance. You would think that he would be horrible to look upon, but this… man… he's just an average man, for crying outloud!," Potter said as he handed the picture back to McGonogall, shaking his head slowly, in disbelief. She took it back and returned it to the small cubicle hidden behind Dumbledore's portrait.
"Very well, now you know. Please keep this information secret at all costs. If the Vampire comes, please take a stand with me. I have instructed the rest of the staff to take the students and flee."
"Yes, of course: We will stand with you."
McGonogall and Potter looked at each other across the ancient desk, fully aware that they may have just agreed to a suicide pact.
***
In a rented old cabin, on the tourist side of the mountain side of Ketchum, the Slick Man opened his eyes and got up from the floor, where he had remained motionless for the whole weekend, waiting to be called upon. He cocked his head to the side, as if listening to the silence, and mumbled, "Yes, Master…"
He felt relieved. He had not expected such generosity.
During the last fifty years he had been acting on his Maker's behalf, running errands and delivering messages. He had been made a vampire by Benjamin himself, and had been given the dark gift of endless life with the sole purpose of becoming his herald. He was given riches and strength, but no special powers of the spirit. He was made with a very human appearance, so that he could better deliver whatever messages needed to be delivered. He had been taught in the blood how to avoid other vampires and to remain inconspicuous. But he was never permitted in his prescence. All these years he had received his Master's commands in his thoughts. And, throughout all this time he had been ordered to observe and keep a watch on certain families, and on special individuals, all of them Gifted in the Magick.
He didn't know his Master's plans for these people, and he didn't care: The Slick Man existed only to obey. Through the blood he had learned of all the horrible powers that Benjamin wielded, and the Slick Man lived in constant fear of causing him any displeasure. The one time that he failed his Master the punishment had been horribly cruel. He had been unaware that Margaux Wingrove had disobeyed the direct orders of the Furies and had gone on to England to offer her help to Minister of Magic Scrimgeour. He failed to keep her safe, and she was killed. And she had been a very important person for her Master's plans. He was fortunate that his Master had been "sleeping off the madness" and was unable to destroy him out of hand in person. But Benjamin flooded his mind with visions of pain and suffering, and his thoughts dwelled day and night, for a whole decade, in complete desolation.
But the Slick Man had done a good job this time around in setting up the pieces in his Master's chess board, and Benjamin had shown himself magnanimous to an extreme: He had been freed to go into the world and do as he pleased. But he was forbidden to ever cross paths with Benjamin again.
The Slick Man, who had no identity left to him, took nothing with himself, and walked out into the night.
***
"So… what do you think, Adelaide?
The Furies and Wozniak were crowded around Johannsen and his tiny notebook PC, standing outside the office, in the hallway. They were now all wearing the same pale, worried expression.
"It's Benoni, no doubts there… The Dissaparating trick of the British is child's play compared to this… I've never seen anything like it: He was in complete control of his motions even at that speed…!! Well, we can admire his craft later. Agatha, grab those five in there and take them with you. Tabitha, alert the rest of the staff: We are evacuating. This is uknown Dark Magick, and dangerous to say the least, especially since all the monitors failed to detect it. So you all know the procedure. Johannsen, go get Loeb to help you activate all your automated intruder suppression systems. Wozniak, secure the Lodge. You know the spells needed to shut it down better than anyone else. I will get Cyan Pod and evacuate them myself, since Benoni was supposed to be in charge of them. The rendezvous point will be alternate site B. Make sure everyone knows. Once we have secured the building and the kids, we will return and confront this… person… this thing… whatever he is, and figure out what he wants. And… Wozniak… Uh, where's Giovanni?"
"I'll go get him, I left him back there, in an empty room, sorry…" Wozniak confessed sheepishly.
"There you are!!" Everyone jumped, and turned even paler. "How convenient! Why don't we step into your office?" Benoni had just turned the corner into the hallway, followed by Giovanni, and was hailing them cheerily, his shark smile more evident than ever.
"Erm… Hello?"
Giovanni had been brought to an empty room by Mr Wozniak, and told to wait in there for the Furies. He had been sitting there, rubbing his bruised knuckles and sweating bullets, hoping he wouldn't be expelled. Of course, he knew that they were going to punish him, but he was hoping he could stay, no matter what the punishment would be. Mostly, he wanted to stay because Circe's face still kept popping up in his thoughts. But a few seconds ago he had heard someone shout, "let's go tell them Furies!!" and heard a door slamming and thundering footfalls hurrying away. So he poked out his head to see what was going on.
"Mr Wozniak?"
Turning the corner, Benoni walked up to Giovanni.
"There you are! Come with me, come…"
And without any conversation among them, they walked towards the Furies' office.
***
"It seems incredible that such a monster could have such a… such an unassuming appearance. You would think that he would be horrible to look upon, but this… man… he's just an average man, for crying outloud!," Potter said as he handed the picture back to McGonogall, shaking his head slowly, in disbelief. She took it back and returned it to the small cubicle hidden behind Dumbledore's portrait.
"Very well, now you know. Please keep this information secret at all costs. If the Vampire comes, please take a stand with me. I have instructed the rest of the staff to take the students and flee."
"Yes, of course: We will stand with you."
McGonogall and Potter looked at each other across the ancient desk, fully aware that they may have just agreed to a suicide pact.
***
In a rented old cabin, on the tourist side of the mountain side of Ketchum, the Slick Man opened his eyes and got up from the floor, where he had remained motionless for the whole weekend, waiting to be called upon. He cocked his head to the side, as if listening to the silence, and mumbled, "Yes, Master…"
He felt relieved. He had not expected such generosity.
During the last fifty years he had been acting on his Maker's behalf, running errands and delivering messages. He had been made a vampire by Benjamin himself, and had been given the dark gift of endless life with the sole purpose of becoming his herald. He was given riches and strength, but no special powers of the spirit. He was made with a very human appearance, so that he could better deliver whatever messages needed to be delivered. He had been taught in the blood how to avoid other vampires and to remain inconspicuous. But he was never permitted in his prescence. All these years he had received his Master's commands in his thoughts. And, throughout all this time he had been ordered to observe and keep a watch on certain families, and on special individuals, all of them Gifted in the Magick.
He didn't know his Master's plans for these people, and he didn't care: The Slick Man existed only to obey. Through the blood he had learned of all the horrible powers that Benjamin wielded, and the Slick Man lived in constant fear of causing him any displeasure. The one time that he failed his Master the punishment had been horribly cruel. He had been unaware that Margaux Wingrove had disobeyed the direct orders of the Furies and had gone on to England to offer her help to Minister of Magic Scrimgeour. He failed to keep her safe, and she was killed. And she had been a very important person for her Master's plans. He was fortunate that his Master had been "sleeping off the madness" and was unable to destroy him out of hand in person. But Benjamin flooded his mind with visions of pain and suffering, and his thoughts dwelled day and night, for a whole decade, in complete desolation.
But the Slick Man had done a good job this time around in setting up the pieces in his Master's chess board, and Benjamin had shown himself magnanimous to an extreme: He had been freed to go into the world and do as he pleased. But he was forbidden to ever cross paths with Benjamin again.
The Slick Man, who had no identity left to him, took nothing with himself, and walked out into the night.
***
"So… what do you think, Adelaide?
The Furies and Wozniak were crowded around Johannsen and his tiny notebook PC, standing outside the office, in the hallway. They were now all wearing the same pale, worried expression.
"It's Benoni, no doubts there… The Dissaparating trick of the British is child's play compared to this… I've never seen anything like it: He was in complete control of his motions even at that speed…!! Well, we can admire his craft later. Agatha, grab those five in there and take them with you. Tabitha, alert the rest of the staff: We are evacuating. This is uknown Dark Magick, and dangerous to say the least, especially since all the monitors failed to detect it. So you all know the procedure. Johannsen, go get Loeb to help you activate all your automated intruder suppression systems. Wozniak, secure the Lodge. You know the spells needed to shut it down better than anyone else. I will get Cyan Pod and evacuate them myself, since Benoni was supposed to be in charge of them. The rendezvous point will be alternate site B. Make sure everyone knows. Once we have secured the building and the kids, we will return and confront this… person… this thing… whatever he is, and figure out what he wants. And… Wozniak… Uh, where's Giovanni?"
"I'll go get him, I left him back there, in an empty room, sorry…" Wozniak confessed sheepishly.
"There you are!!" Everyone jumped, and turned even paler. "How convenient! Why don't we step into your office?" Benoni had just turned the corner into the hallway, followed by Giovanni, and was hailing them cheerily, his shark smile more evident than ever.
To Be Continued…
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