Dark, Twisted and Time Turned

Chapter 40: King and Queen of 6th

Hermione knew it was creepy. She knew it was suspicious, she knew it was wrong, she knew she shouldn't be here. Yet there she was, creeping around the sixth floor, looking for one specific son of a bitch she vowed never to talk to again. Eli Fawley.

Eli was far from being skilled at any form of exceptional magic, and therefore she knew for a fact that he was not the Dark Wizard lurking in the back of her mind. Rather, he might have details on every dark, suspicious and evil purchase throughout the year. And she would be able to hunt down and kill the bastard who not only traumatized her friends, but also made sure they couldn't remember who he was.

The sixth floor at night was spooky. The halls were especially dark. There was often a pile of stuff covered with a blanket lying around, there was a classroom that had a bed in it that made her uncomfortable, there were sounds of students engaging in vigorous physical activity. Jumping jacks probably. And she was beginning to lose hope of finding Fawley's lair, as Araminta called it, when someone clears their throat behind her.

"Hermione Granger. Welcome, I never expected to see you on sixth floor. My name is Lucretia Black, come join me for tea." Hermione was stunned for a moment. Sure, she had heard of Lucretia, but she had never seen nor met the girl, despite both being seventh years. Her long hair was generous and pale, which flowed in soft waves over her shoulder and back. Even in the darkness, Hermione could still see the dark blue eyes set in smooth flawless skin. Dressed in a silk and lace pink robe that clung to her otherwise bare form, she was shocked at how much of Lucretia's skin was exposed.

"I can't, I'm looking for Fawley." Lucretia's full lips quirked a small smile.

"Then I think you ought to join me for tea. Unless you're here because your fiancé isn't satisfying you as he should, in which case, I'd be happy to fetch Fawley for you." Hermione reddens.

"I'm definitely not here for that." 

"Then join me for tea." Hermione reluctantly follows the elegant seductress down the corridor, before Lucretia reaches up and tugs back a tapestry to reveal stairs leading down. The stairs were washed in darkness, but a dim light guided the two girls to the chamber of Lucretia's.

"Any guests- ah, Miss Granger." Fawley grins, seated at a table in the center of the room. "Come for tea, Miss Black, or myself? Or both of us, I'm into that too." Hermione ignores him to take in the room. A velvet chaise lounge, a camera set up in front of it. A large bed sits in the corner, an armoire next to it.

Lucretia sits at the table with Eli, Hermione carefully next to her. Though her sleeve slips down, Lucretia makes no effort to cover her collar and shoulder. A pot magically pours tea in a cup for Hermione.

"Tell me, duck, why you needed to see Mr. Fawley. There's usually only one reason girls look for him so late at night." Lucretia says, sipping at her tea.

"I need information. Do you keep a record?" Eli scrubs at his chin.

"My, this is very interesting. You need information from me? The king of underground information? So you're looking for something secret."

"I'm looking to go through purchases of the past few months. Including back to last year."

"All the way back to last year? I don't keep logs for long, unless they really pique my interest, in which case they're in a separate book. For blackmail purposes."

"Then thats the book I need to access. Please."

"It will cost you. That's very sensitive information, client confidentiality and all that. Of course I can be bribed though."

Hermione considers. "How much? I have money-"

"Your ring." Hermione freezes at the demand, looking down at the beautiful expensive diamond Abraxas had given her. Lucretia stands, immediately in Fawley's face wagging a finger.

"You will not be bartering for her ring! Whatever issue you have with Malfoy will never cross into here. This deal is in my chambers, and as such it will play by my rules." 

"I want Elise and Claire then, tomorrow afternoon around 6. Make it happen, Black, or I'm not playing by your rules. Miss Granger, I want to know about that little project of yours. What you and all your friends did, regarding the Grindelwald attacks. I may have something you'd be interested in. Come with me." As they stand to leave, Lucretia smiles at a girl that comes in, dropping money on the table.

~*~

"Welcome to my kingdom." Fawley lifts his arms up to the ceiling. His 'kingdom', so to speak, was a heavily perfumed room, draped in red, yellow and purple cloths, and several strings of gold beads. There were chests of gold, crates of illegal alcohol, potions, inferno, dittany. The entire room had a red light filtered from curtains over windows. At the end of the room was a red chaise lounge nearly identical to Lucretia's. "I keep all my ledgers in a magically sealed vault here." He flicks his wand up to the ceiling, and it shimmers before a crate lowers down. Real secure.

"Anything dark, suspicious. Things that were difficult to get ahold of." Hermione states, walking closer to Eli and the crate. 

"That will all be in my book here. Difficult to get? Last year, some unicorn blood, that raised some red flags. Runespoor eggs. Heroin. Phoenix tears. Powdered unicorn bone, that stuff will really mess you up."

"The phoenix tears, who was that and when?" Hermione questions. The antidote to Basilisk venom, from last year. Obviously suspicious. Eli runs a finger down his ledger.

"Oh, this was that one third year, must have been her first time ordering anything through me. Very nervous, cute little thing. She said her name was Ariana, little Ravenclaw. May 30th." Hermione frowns, but commits the name to memory.

"What about this year? Poison, anything particularly dark." Eli flips forwards a few more pages and looks through. 

"Lets see, there was a book about Unforgivables, but thats too obvious. Um... a cursed locket, several types of minor poison, all traceable. Except for Bloodroot, nasty stuff there."

"Who?"

"Oh, thats Ariana again. Merlin, I'm starting to get a little concerned that your interests are traced back to her. She's also sold a few things to me, as well as send a few things with my inconspicuous owls. And a few weeks ago she traded me something for the Bloodroot. This," he pauses, most likely for dramatic affect, "is when you tell me about your little project with your friends." 

And so Hermione goes into a detailed recount of all of their research, their map pinpointing, the Arithmancy, getting secret Ministry information, and finally handing over their papers to the Ministry. Eli clucks his tongue.

"You had a map, thats what I was afraid of." He unfolds a large paper that had been tucked in his book. The map, all the pins ripped out of it. Faintly, the names of them all could be seen in the corner. The original.  "She says she stole it from Dumbledore. Thats why its a little torn here." He points to a spot, and Hermione clutches her mouth as tears form. A hole, exactly where they had been narrowing down Grindelwald's fortress.

"Tell me more about Ariana." She whispers, knowing she had found the dark wizard in the castle. He shakes his head.

"She doesn't exist. She's never been a part of the school student list, its a faux name someone gave me. I doubt they're anything who they say they are, most likely Transfigured themselves."

Transfigured themselves. Of course they did, who wouldn't?

"Eli, you're absolutely useless. Can't even find someone with a fake name."