Serenity | 1

ONE

"Treasure"

January 1982

The Wizengamot murmured among each other as they eagerly awaited their next prosecuted death eater. They sat in a circle around a large pit containing piles upon piles of books and papers varying in sizes, quality and creditability. Atop the pile was a clumsily stationed black metal cage. Alike to an oversized birdcage, it sat precariously atop the pile as if it was ready to topple over at any point despite its many enchantments. The white-washed wood wall rose above the pit and protected the wide collection of witches and wizards from whoever entered below.

Around the circular room, sat the main members of the Wizengamot. Each of them wearing equally alike plain black robes and wearing solemn expressions; they weren't here for idle chatter or a pleasant afternoon chat, no, they were here to investigate and imprison any witch or wizard that entered the room guilty of conspiring with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and being involved Death Eater activities.

The Wizarding War had taken a great toll on everyone and the members of the wizarding court were particularly antsy to enact some legally correct revenge.

So when one side of the room hushed, the chatter diminished and all eyes turned to the corridor directly below the Chief Warlock's position. As Albus Dumbledore stood, he looked down his nose distastefully at his ex-student. She had deflected as soon as she graduated from under his schooling and nearly immediately she'd been abandoned by the people she claimed to love.

He understood her reason for deflection and had tried desperately to keep her away from the wrong side of the war as soon as the signs began to show. Her family had already deflected, her friends had... it wouldn't be long until she was lost to the Dark Lord too.

The young Hufflepuff had been helpless.

The room watched. They watched as the twenty-seven-year-old witch was led into the room, her dark brunette hair curtaining her bowed head as she walked between the two wizards besides her. They watched as she stopped before the steps in silence, she raised her head to stare at the room rather than her cold, bare feet. Turning to look over her shoulder, she pursed her lips at her old professor. He looked down at her through his narrowed eyes over the bridge of his glasses. 

Silencing the room with a single glance, he takes his seat back and listens as the metal of the cage is locked shut.

"Serenity Rier?" The witch looks away from Albus to the man sat next to him. Her brown eyes were wild as her pale cheeks stung bright pink against the cold. The white top and trousers they'd given her upon being arrested hung loosely from her figure and, the arms fell to the crevice of her elbow as she reached up to grasp the bar.

"Dad?" Pressing her face against the cool metal, her eyes wild as ever, she smiled in relief up at her father. Her voice was soft and hushed, as though she was whispering to him. "I've missed you." The surrounding wizards looked to the man who had originally addressed her.

The man shook his head, shut his mouth, and huffed silently. He didn't enjoy this at all. Setting his jaw, he straightened in his sit and spared a glance to the Chief Minister besides him. Nodding, he looks back to his daughter, who was caged in the middle of the room.

"Miss Rier," he began again, his face stony as he watches the woman hang her head, "along with your affiliation with the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters, an accusation in which you have misused wandless magic has been made. We refuse any attempts to deny such ability as you have demonstrated such gifts publicly in the past and your family's track record also proves such. These charges, however, can be dropped if you can provide us with the location of any known death eaters such as Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange or Lakita Senate. Do you have any comments?" Her response came, yet no one heard the muttered response. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that, please?" Looking up again, she began to circle the cage. Behind her, as she soon noticed, was the face of a man she knew all too well. As she traced her finger over the gap in the cage where she could see his face, she looked back over her shoulder at the two main men in the room and clutched her chest where a pendant used to hang.

"My treasure."