One of the endings I briefly considered for "Secrets and Riddles" is Patricia taking blame for pretty much everything to protect Jacob and Helena (and even Merula). And even though things don't really add up, the Ministry is like: "Well, she insists she's guilty, and we're not gonna argue with Rakepick, alright". So she spends some years in Azkaban, but then there's the big escape of the Death Eaters, and Patricia is like: "Ok, I'm done with it", and so she escapes as well.
Shortly after that, she finds out where Jacob lives. And one late evening, when he's reading, he suddenly hears a knocking at the door. He opens it, and he sees Patricia.
"Hello, Mr Ellis," she says with a sly smirk.
He smiles broadly and says nothing for a while. "You came here because you had nowhere to go, or you just missed me?" he asks eventually.
"Maybe both."
And then later it turns out that nobody looks for Patricia since there was something sus about this case anyway, so whatever. The war is over! But Jacob and Patricia keep living together in semi-hiding because "we tried the world, good God, it wasn't for us".
And only Helena starts noticing at some point that someone might be watching her. But weirdly enough, it doesn't feel threatening... Almost as if they were just checking if she's fine. So, one day, just before leaving the meeting with her brother, she adds:
Aoife Rakepick was as beautiful as all women in the Rakepick family. However, unlike most of her family, she was very gentle and warm. A lot of people thought she’d become a Healer because she was both talented in Healing magic, but also her calming presence would be great for this career. Nonetheless, Aoife always had a strong sense of justice, and she decided to become an Auror pretty early on.
Matthew Flint, on the other hand, was a rather wild soul. He loved getting attention and making people laugh. He was a bit of a goofball and a show-off. But at the end of the day, he was a very decent person, and he wanted to become an Auror to help others. He was also quite self-confident – or at least he usually was because once he realised he fancies Aoife, it turned out she’s his big weakness in this matter. Whenever she was around, he would change into a helpless dork. And that’s probably why Aoife fell for him, too.
It was a sunny spring day when Aoife and Matt finally had a chance to get to know each other better, but the circumstances that led to it were… a bit unfortunate. Aoife and her friends were hanging out at the Black Lake when they spotted a Kneazle kitty which somehow got stuck at the end of a thin branch hanging over the water. It was clear it can’t climb back, and it looked like it’s about to fall into the lake. Then, Matt appeared, asking why they looked so worried. He was informed about the kitty, and that they don’t want to use Wingardium Leviosa as it could be an additional cause of stress for the creature. And since Matt was always rather impulsive (and perhaps he wanted to impress Aoife a little...), he entered the lake without waiting for any more information. For some reason, it seemed like Aoife and her friends wanted to stop him, but Matt was already too focused on his rescue mission. He pretty quickly coaxed the kitty to jump into his arms. Unfortunately though, he tripped and fell into the water himself, but he managed to keep the kitty dry.
When soaking wet Matt got back to the shore, he was surprised that Aoife and her friends still look worried, even though the kitty was rescued. That’s when he was finally informed that they didn’t want him to enter the water because it was the time when a certain water plant blossoms which causes a very unpleasant skin rash. As soon as Matt heard it, he felt the itching on his whole body. Needless to say, he had to be taken to the Hospital Wing. Aoife decided to accompany him because she felt a bit bad that she didn’t actually stop him. And perhaps she was a little impressed by his heroism… On top of that, the rescued Kneazle kitty kept licking Matt’s nose, and it was something hard to ignore.
“He clearly likes you, and Kneazles don't like just anyone!” Aoife pointed out then with a laugh.
After this event, they started spending more and more time together, and eventually, they became an official couple. It became their little habit to kiss each other noses, and they called them “Kneazle kisses”. After Hogwarts, they both joined the Ministry as Aurors. Matthew also changed his last name to “Rakepick” after their marriage as he loved the idea of taking the surname of his beloved wife. Besides, Matt’s father was actually disowned by his family for marrying a Muggle-born witch, so when he learnt about his son’s decision, he said he should’ve done it himself all those years ago.
And when Patricia was born, Kneazle kisses turned into a family thing – just a very pure way of showing affection and support for the other person.
A long time ago, I was reached out to by one of my readers, asking if she could translate Secrets and Riddles to German and publish it on her profile on FanFiktion.de. I mentioned it once very vaguely on my blog, but now I feel like I should give her a proper shout-out.
Her username is RedQueen0010 and you can find her HERE. She translated every chapter of Secrets of Riddles so far. I feel incredibly honoured by her dedication and very grateful for her support. If you speak German, I want to encourage you to check her profile, not only because of my fanfiction but also because of her original stories. She writes for the HP series and not only! She’s a really lovely person. And while I might not get to many people with my message, you never know when you’ll find something you enjoy. So, perhaps I can help someone with that.
Also, I want to use this opportunity to say that I did not abandon SnR and I definitely still want to continue it. I can’t tell when it’ll happen, and I don’t want to make any promises in that matter, but it will be back eventually. That I can promise you.
After Jacob was expelled and before he got imprisoned by R, he came up with the idea of “illusion magic”, as he calls it. It’s a method of tricking your opponent (or simply another person) by using Legilimency to cast projections. Once he started working on it, however, he quickly realised that it wouldn’t be very effective as a distraction if the projection could be seen by only one person when there are multiple people around. Therefore, he managed to modify the spell to affect everyone in a certain area away from him. Sounds pretty great? Well, there are some limitations.
Since Jacob basically influences multiple minds at the time, using illusion magic is very exhausting. It’s the most effective when used for short periods. Moreover, the best illusions are not complex (for example, something of simple structure or if it’s a person, they shouldn’t move too much etc.).
Since illusion magic is based on Legilimency, it means that it can be blocked by Occlumency – at least to some degree. If the illusion is seen by an Occlumens who’s actively shielding their mind, the image will be blurry, distorted or “glitchy”.
Now, the reason why I talk about it is because I want to write the scene from one of the future chapters of “Secrets and Riddles”. I have no idea when I’ll finally get there in my story, and so, I don’t know if it’s gonna be Christmas time. But I do think it’d be the most enjoyable to read during Christmas time, and this scene lives in my head rent-free anyway, so… I wanna write it :)
And yes, there’s illusion magic involved in this scene! So, I decided to explain it now to reference this post later instead of explaining it as a side note to the story.
Please drop your version of villain Peregrine, I need some good writing.
.
Oh wow, it’s such a nice message 🥺 Thank you for sending it! 💖
Unfortunately though… I’m afraid there is no my version of Peregrine, so I don’t really know what to tell you.
See, the thing is that in my version of the story, R is more like... a mafia than a cult. Or I guess you could compare them to MCU’s HYDRA. Yes, their origin is directly connected to the Cursed Vaults, and they’re still definitely interested in them. But by now, they’re simply much bigger, and they work in different areas. And honestly, I feel that with such a structure, it’s a bit more interesting to leave the main leader totally mysterious. Maybe I’ll change my mind in the future, but for now, I don’t really want to involve that Big Boss in the plot.
Another issue is that I don’t want my family to be involved with R at all, and so I don’t want to create a different version of Peregrine who’s another relative than a father, for example. To be clear, I’m talking only about my story specifically. If you go in this direction – you do you! But for me? It doesn’t work. It’s actually kind of important that R can’t locate my siblings at all until Jacob gets involved with the Vaults on his own. Therefore, if anyone from the family was connected to R already, it’d be rather odd for the kids to be off the radar for so long.
That being said, I have a character named Isidore Sullivan, who shares some similarities with Peregrine. He’s an Auror who becomes Head of the Auror Office during the First Wizarding War after a tragic and mysterious accident (which might involve the parents of a certain redhead). He’s high in R’s hierarchy, and he basically manages “a department” focused on the Cursed Vaults. He’s also the one who stays in touch with Jacob. Of course, when Jacob is still at Hogwarts, the correspondence with R is mostly secretive, but whenever direct contact is necessary – it’s with Sullivan. They interact much more after Jacob’s expulsion, though.
If you’re interested in reading a bit more about Sullivan, I’d recommend Chapter 7 of my series “Secrets and Riddles”. It’s a retrospective chapter, and I believe it can be fully enjoyed on its own, even if you’re not interested in the whole series. And it shows those first moments when Sullivan and R entered Jacob’s life.
So, yeah… I’m always a bit nervous answering asks like that because I don’t know if I met expectations… 😅 But that’s all that comes to my mind for now!
After years of being under R’s influence, Jacob got used to manipulation and lies. However, Rakepick was… just different. While she had many secrets, in a way, she was blatantly honest as well. She never pretended to have pure intentions, she never promised him more than she was giving. She was selfish, and she didn’t see anything wrong with it. It’d often make Jacob perplexed, especially when he realised that he… He liked her.
He liked learning from her, not only because of her vast knowledge, but also because she was a brilliant mentor. He liked how full of herself she was because, at the same time, she never made him feel worse than her. He liked her sarcasm and the way she rolled her eyes. He found it both frustrating and intriguing that he couldn’t find any box to contain her. And before he knew it, he saw Patricia as his ally and possibly his last hope.
Secrets and Riddles, Chapter 10
What if one of the reasons why Jacob became “one of the most feared wizards in Knockturn Alley” was because of how chilled and good-humoured Patricia was around him? If he was able to tame the lioness, he’s clearly someone to be reckoned with, right?
Has the latest game chaos given you any inspiration for your fanfics? Either towards or away from an idea ;)
The biggest inspiration has to be the one for the Insane AU – because yes, it technically was inspired by the insane version of Rakepick in the game. I totally wasn’t expecting that I could be inspired by that to something I enjoy so much. Also, I can’t think of a better way of showing a middle finger to Jam City xD
Seriously though, I actually have ideas for like a mini-series about this AU. The thing is that I’d like to reference some things which will happen in “Secrets and Riddles”, so I’m not sure how to approach it exactly. I’d have to think about it more. But! There’s definitely some basis in my mind!
Other than that… Well, I want to say that everything inspires me to get away from the game chaos, but it wouldn’t be entirely accurate. Truth be told, I have quite a lot of the events planned already, including the ones concerning the most recent news. So if anything, I’m rather confirmed that I want to stick to my own ideas. I know what I’m gonna do with Olivia Green, I have my own plans for Shiratori (who might get a different name)… I also never wanted to create a specific leader of R.
I dunno. I guess my story is just really separated from the game at this point.
What about you? I know you’re not caught up with everything, but from the things you know, has anything in particular inspired you?
Summary: Jacob meets with Patricia to ask her for one last favour. Some time after that, his plan is compromised, and his partnership with R changes forever.
Warnings: The scene of torture, violence.
Words: 5400
Chapter [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Spring, 1986
When Jacob met Patricia Rakepick for the first time, he thought that she’s arrogant, self-righteous, and domineering. He still remembered her smug smirk at the Leakey Cauldron that one afternoon. Truth be told, he’d almost decided not to get involved with her later on and ignore their peculiar encounter entirely. Yet something made him leave his dorm after all. Maybe it was simply curiosity, as Jacob started believing it’s one of his greatest flaws.
For some reason, which he didn’t really understand until this day, he never told Duncan about any of that – not about their first, second or even tenth meeting. He didn’t tell anyone. Perhaps, he didn’t want to admit to such recklessness. Though as time was passing by, his partnership with Rakepick began appearing less reckless and more beneficial. And ironically, for the first time in forever, Jacob didn’t feel like he’s being used – which might’ve been the most confusing thing in the whole situation.
After years of being under R’s influence, Jacob got used to manipulation and lies. However, Rakepick was… just different. While she had many secrets, in a way, she was blatantly honest as well. She never pretended to have pure intentions, she never promised him more than she was giving. She was selfish, and she didn’t see anything wrong with it. It’d often make Jacob perplexed, especially when he realised that he… He liked her.
He liked learning from her, not only because of her vast knowledge, but also because she was a brilliant mentor. He liked how full of herself she was because, at the same time, she never made him feel worse than her. He liked her sarcasm and the way she rolled her eyes. He found it both frustrating and intriguing that he couldn’t find any box to contain her. And before he knew it, he saw Patricia as his ally and possibly his last hope.
By the spring of 1986, he hadn’t seen her for over a year. He didn’t want to ruin their plan just because he wished to get advice from her or check on how she’s doing. Every now and then, he overheard that she was around or he saw her name in a newspaper. Yet he’d never gone out of his way to reach to her – until the night when one of his concerns started weighing him down too much.
He knew that she’d be in Knockturn Alley, so he waited for her to leave Borgin and Burkes. He didn’t approach her right away, though, but he followed her down the streets. He was catching glimpses of her red hair whenever their parallel lanes crossed, but then, she suddenly didn’t reappear. Jacob thought that perhaps she simply walked faster than him, and so he missed her. He was pretty sure that she did notice him already, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she tried to taunt him. Therefore, he turned in direction of Patricia’s lane, but when he peeked around the corner of the building, he was unexpectedly pinned to the wall.
“You’ve become terrible at sneaking,” Patricia sneered, pressing his larynx with her forearm. “Not what I expected after hearing of your reputation.”
“I wasn’t really trying,” he explained in a strangled voice.
She slowly stepped back. “Of course not.”
“It was rather unnecessary, y’know…” he spoke defensively, rubbing his throat. She didn’t use a lot of force, but the feeling was quite unpleasant nonetheless. She glared at him in response. “Are you… mad at me?” he asked uncertainly, but she said nothing. “Alright, why you’re mad at me?”
“Jacob, what are you doing?” she spat out eventually.
“What d’you mean?”
“I thought we’re not supposed to be in touch.”
“Yeah… But that’s important…” he mumbled under his breath.
“Oh, of course,” she replied sharply. “And what about your sister finding warnings from R about severe consequences?”
Jacob looked at her, surprised. “How d’you know about that?”
“Severus.”
“Oh…” She was staring at him urgently. “I might’ve forged some notes from R to direct Helena to the Vault of Ice…” he explained slowly, still in hushed tones.
She frowned. “Jacob, what if they’d find out?”
“Look, she had to find the first Vault somehow, and if I could use this to make sure she knows R means bad news, I had to do something,” he said more confidently. “Patricia, if not for your old warnings, Sullivan would definitely try to present himself as a good person. To manipulate me into believing they’re on my side. You think he wouldn’t try it with Helena now? I can’t let him approach her and be like: Hey, I can help you find your brother! Just do what we tell you!”.
“He still can do it, though. He doesn’t have to say he works for R,” she noted seriously.
“Yeah, well…” He hung back. “Still, it’s better to make her more cautious, just in case.”
Patricia wandered off a little without a word, crossing her arms and peering into the shadows of Knockturn Alley. Her expression softened, or so appeared from the side.
“I don’t like your decisions lately,” she said at last, her voice a bit quieter.
Jacob followed her and came closer. “Hey, you don’t have to worry about me,” he reassured her blithely.
“That’s not what I said. I don’t worry about anything, Mr Ellis.”
He couldn’t help but smile weakly. “Oh, I think you’re lying.”
“Is that so? And how can you tell?”
“Let’s say I had a good teacher. You often worry too much, Patricia. Would it really hurt to admit it once in a while?”
She turned to him, her posture still closed, but he noticed that a corner of her lips curled ever so slightly. “What’s so important then?” she asked, ignoring his question.
“I need a Secret Keeper.”
Patricia scoffed, raising her eyebrows. “Why?”
“I’ve been wondering about it… And I don’t think Helena should know about the Cabal.” She gave him an enquiring look. “First of all, that’s another thing R might try to use against her. They might offer her protection from the Cabal.”
“And secondly?”
“I…” He paused for a minute and rubbed his neck. “I don’t want her to know her life is in danger. At least, not sooner than it’s necessary. I know she’s gonna have to face it eventually, but… I want to give her a couple of relatively normal years.”
“Well, she’s going to learn it rather soon anyway. How long do you think it’ll take me to return to Hogwarts? Once I’m back, she’s gonna ask me what happened to you after we went separate ways, and the explanation will lead to the Cabal.”
“About that…” He hesitated and bit his lips. “I don’t think she should know about us at all.”
“What? What I’m supposed to tell her then?”
“Nothing.” He pondered his next words. “When you come back to Hogwarts,” he finally went on. “… it’ll mean that I failed. And if Helena learns that you let me join R, she won’t trust you. On top of that, she’ll either turn on me, or on the contrary, she’ll try to help me in another way. The point is, she might abandon the Cursed Vaults.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “So, I think it’s better for her to believe that finding the Vaults means finding me.” Patricia gazed at him with a sign of concern. “Listen, if I’m alive by then, I’ll get back to you. I will. And then, I’m gonna explain to Helena everything myself, okay? I just… I just think it’s the right way to do it.”
“And if you won’t be able to explain anything?”
“Well… I left you a couple of things which should help you.”
“What d’you mean?”
“I… I had Dung deliver a package to Hogwarts. It’s just one of my notebooks. And some letters. You’ll know if you find it,” he clarified hurriedly. “I turned them into three Black Quills. It will back up whatever you’ll have to say about us. About our plan.”
She glared at him suspiciously. “What if Helena will find them earlier?”
“Well, it is possible,” he admitted with a shrug. “But then she’ll come with it to you either way. And you’ll explain the rest. I can’t really fully control it.”
“I mean, you could’ve sent your evidence directly to me,” she pointed out.
“Uhm, no? It might be unnecessary in the end, in which case, I don’t want you to have my private journal. There are some boundaries, Patricia.”
She rolled her eyes while amusement crossed her face. “You said it’s a notebook.”
“Notebook, journal… Same thing,” he replied, cracking a smile. “Alright, I admit it sounds like a better idea. But I didn’t think of it at the time. I didn’t think we’d meet again, and I didn’t want to make any connections between us. I thought it’d be safer that way.”
“Yet here we are.”
“Oi, you don’t have to lecture me. I acknowledged my mistake.”
“I don’t lecture you!” she protested with a playful smirk and sighed. “It’s fine. I can work with it, I suppose.”
“The key was also in the package,” Jacob added more dubiously. “I just don’t know where exactly it was delivered.”
“You had Dung deliver a very important object to Hogwarts?”
“Yeah… I mean, sometimes, it’s the darkest under the candlestick, y’know…”
“I’m not questioning that.”
He furrowed his brow. “He’s not gonna sell us out, I reckon…”
Patricia scoffed. “Oh, I know,” she said contemptuously. “But he will think he’s a bloody hero. And he won’t shut up about it for the next century.”
Jacob laughed softly. “Dung and I are even, alright? Don’t let him tell you otherwise.” She raised her eyebrow. “Okay, I guess I don’t need to tell you that.”
She smiled softer and inhaled deeply. “Anything else I should know of?”
“I tried to contact Helena through Legilimency a while ago.”
She shot him a curious glance. “Did it work?”
“It did, twice even, actually. But it wasn’t easy if I’m being honest. I focused mostly on images; it takes less effort than full messages. I might try it again, though.”
Patricia got lost in her thoughts for another minute. “Why me?” she asked eventually. “You could be your own Secret Keeper.”
“Yeah, well… the secret will probably live longer with you,” he replied casually. “Besides that…” He paused before continuing more seriously. “You’re the only person I trust.”
“I definitely didn’t teach you that, now did I?”
“That’s true,” he agreed teasingly. “But I guess it means you still have room for improvement as a mentor.”
She peeked at him disapprovingly, yet she didn’t stop smiling. “Fine. Wanna visit Saiford Avenue one last time?”
Jacob hesitated, pulling out the coin from his chest pocket. “Uhm, I’m not sure. I still didn’t figure out how these work exactly.”
“You think it could break the Fidelius Charm?”
“You’re willing to risk it and find out?”
“Fair enough…” she admitted. “You’re staying at the White Wyvern, right? You want to go there?”
They didn’t really have many other options, and since Jacob felt that his place is relatively safe, they settled that it’s the best choice. They both headed in direction of their destination, but when they walked from around the corner, Jacob unexpectedly crashed with someone.
“I’m sorry…” he muttered, stepping back hurriedly.
It was a dark-skinned woman. She wore floaty emerald robes and bead jewellery. Her neat appearance suggested that she’s rather not a regular in Knockturn Alley. She was staring at Jacob with a mix of anxiety and wonder in her expression.
“Death follows you, boy,” she said mysteriously in hushed tones.
Jacob blinked, confused. “I’m sorry, what?”
“It will follow you until you bring the end of the world.”
Jacob’s heart skipped a beat, and he got paralysed, but Patricia quickly stepped between him and the stranger.
“We didn’t ask for fortune-telling,” she spat, pulling Jacob’s hand, but he resisted, still taken aback.
“There’s dark power within you,” the woman continued more firmly, this time looking straight at Patricia. “Your soul burns with black fire…”
“Interesting,” Patricia replied sarcastically. “C’mon…” she hastened Jacob, who finally was able to move, and soon, they both quickened their pace.
Jacob peeked back to see the woman observing them ominously for a while. At last, she went her way, but Jacob’s heartbeat was still racing. His nervousness had to be showing because Patricia stopped abruptly, turning to face him. She glanced on the sides. The streets were almost empty.
“What is it?” she asked harshly. “Don’t tell me you got worried about what she said.”
Jacob swallowed hard. Then, he embraced her shoulders and pulled her even more to the side, in the shadows. “Patricia… it’s not the first time I heard something like that… about the end of the world…” She looked at him questioningly. “Years ago, Sybil Trelawney told me a prophecy. The dark power has been awakened. Forbidden and forsaken, it desires to be freed… The dark power will answer his call… The firstborn son, born before the last month ended the year… He will be buried three times. And after he knows the loss, after the ultimate price is paid… He will make a choice. And with his heart bleeding out on the silver spade, he will bring the end of the world…”
Jacob recited those couple of sentences in his mind many times over the past years. He did it almost unwillingly, always hoping that they’re meaningless. He didn’t really believe it could be a real prophecy, but it was the second time he was reminded of it on seemingly unrelated occasions. Patricia, however, didn’t appear particularly moved.
“When did it happen?” she asked stolidly.
“Uhm, when I was still at Hogwarts…”
“No, but in what circumstances?”
He had to wonder for a minute. “It was the beginning of my fourth year. I went to talk to her about quitting her class… She just started teaching Divination.”
“There you go then. She wanted to impress you, so you’d stay.”
“So, you think she made it up.”
Patricia chuckled. “Of course she did. Jacob, most of those prophecies are made up. You can’t--”
“Then why she talked about the silver spade?” he cut in nervously. “Just a coincidence? Wizards don’t use spades, Patricia. Nobody does anymore.”
She gazed at him more seriously. “The Silver Spades is not very common knowledge, but it’s not a secret either. She must’ve heard about it somewhere. And doesn’t it sound spectacular to get a prophecy about being killed by a great duellist?”
“Except it’s about my wand. My Aspen wand which you bought over a year ago.”
She shook her head, her brow knitted. “Why would it even be about your wand?”
“Because when I’m dying, I’ll be bleeding out on my wand, in my hand.”
“If your wand is still in your hand, you shouldn’t be dying. I thought I taught you at least that,” she scolded him. He was about to add something, but the words stuck in his throat. Patricia waited and then stepped closer to him. “If you have any doubts because of that, or because of anything else, you have to tell me,” she said more placidly. “I won’t judge you, but I have to know.”
“No. No, I don’t, but…” He lowered his head momentarily before looking in her eye. “Patricia, what if we can’t destroy the Vaults? What if, no matter what, we end up unleashing… something? I’m the only one who can open the final Vault, right? And the prophecy says: The dark power will answer his call…”
“That witch also said there’s dark power within me. And I did answer your call right now,” she said half-jokingly. “Prophecy fulfilled; we can move on.” He dropped his gaze once again. “Jacob, look at me.” When he didn’t react, she gently but firmly touched his cheek to draw his attention. “No prophecies decide about your fate. You do,” she continued more sincerely, moving her hand to his chest. “We won’t unleash anything, and there will be no end of the world. You know why? Because we will be prepared. You took a risk to buy us more time, and I’m not going to waste it. Okay?”
She was watching him carefully, her head slightly tilted. He nodded slowly and took a deep breath, feeling knots in his stomach loosening.
“Yeah. I guess I just… panicked because of that wording.”
“You’re better now?” He nodded once more. “Are we changing our plans?”
He scoffed and smiled weakly. “No. Nothing changes.”
“Alright. Then let’s go.”
Once they finally reached the White Wyvern, Jacob entered first to prepare the room by lightening the lamp and clearing the space. Patricia joined him upstairs after a minute. He locked the door behind her and additionally secured the area, hoping that his coin wouldn’t start vibrating. The whole process shouldn’t take a long time, but he still was a bit worried. Yet Patricia seemed to be steady when he stood in front of her in the middle of the room.
“Are you sure?” he asked hesitantly. She only took off her gloves and reached out her arm. “You don’t want to hear the exact secret first?”
“I don’t need to.”
Jacob approached her, and they clasped their right hands. Patricia brought her wand nearer, and after a moment, gold strings of light entwined their grip, casting a fade glow on the walls. She nodded slightly, giving him a sign to begin.
“The organisation known as the Cabal swore to protect the Cursed Vault. In order to achieve that, they attempted to kill Jacob Ellis and Helena Ellis. The siblings were guaranteed safety from the Cabal, providing that Jacob Ellis helps defeat the organisation known as R once the circumstances are right.”
“The organisation known as the Cabal swore to protect the Cursed Vault. In order to achieve that, they attempted to kill Jacob Ellis and Helena Ellis. The siblings were guaranteed safety from the Cabal, providing that Jacob Ellis helps defeat the organisation known as R once the circumstances are right,” Patricia repeated. “This is the secret I conceal inside my soul,” she ended the ritual.
The light around their hands started pulsating. Then suddenly, it exploded into an orb and turned back to its previous form. Eventually, the gold strings began fading and disappeared entirely. Patricia and Jacob remained motionless in silence a little longer, though.
“I’ll walk you out of Knockturn Alley,” Jacob said at last, letting go of her hand.
“You don’t have to.”
“But I want to. If that’s okay with you,” he added hurriedly. She replied with a grin.
They left the White Wyvern separately, and they rejoined right around the corner. Obviously, they had to be more careful while walking together, but at least it was an opportunity to talk. They were taking their time, keeping a steady pace.
“So, how are you these days?” Jacob spoke, trying to sound blithe.
“I’m not complaining. I’m going back to Castelobruxo tomorrow.”
“Oh, really?”
“Mhm. They found some interesting cursed artefacts, so they needed a professional consultation. But I’ve got a feeling there might be even more behind it.”
“Something serious?” he asked, both intrigued and a little concerned.
“Probably not. Still, more regular curse-breaking might be exciting as well from time to time. Besides, the castle’s spectacular, the food’s great, and the climate just lovely. It’d be rude to refuse their hospitality.”
Jacob looked at her closer. He could see subtle freckles on her face, which would only appear after longer exposure to the sun. He always enjoyed listening about her work, and he was dying to hear her stories about Brazil now – especially since it sounded like she’s genuinely content with her time there. But he knew it’s not the right place nor time.
“Sounds nice,” he said softly.
“It is quite nice,” she replied, watching him narrowly. “Are you nervous about Helena getting close to the Vault of Ice?”
The sudden change of the subject surprised him, but he saw no reason not to be honest either way. “Of course I am,” he admitted.
“She’ll be fine,” Patricia said confidently. “Severus doesn’t seem to like her, so she has to be doing well.”
Jacob snorted. “I didn’t realise you two are in touch.”
“I wouldn’t say that. But he updates me once in a while.”
“Did Dumbledore try to contact you already?”
“Oh yeah. I expect another visit from him rather soon.” He was about to comment on that, but she interrupted him. “It’s fine. I have it under control.” She halted, seeing they reached the point connecting Knockturn Alley to Diagon Alley. “Well, I’ll be going then.”
“Patricia?” he stopped her tentatively. She gave him another inquiring look. “I… Thank you. I owe you.”
She beamed again. “I’ll add it on the list to the money you borrowed for cigarettes,” she replied teasingly. Then, she hesitated for a second, but she stepped closer and tenderly took his hand. He was always surprised how soft and warm her skin was. “Be careful,” she almost whispered this time.
In the next moment, she Disapparated.
The following day, it seemed like nothing changed, just like the day after that. Jacob kept carrying on as always. During the week, he even visited Violet. For some time past their breakup, he’d considered avoiding her entirely to protect her from R. However, on second thought, abandoning the best potioneer in Knockturn Alley all of a sudden could’ve been more suspicious. He always considered Violet’s business a decent cover for their meetings, if it’d ever happened that anyone paid too much attention to their relationship. He believed it was working when they were dating, so it should be efficient now as well. Besides, he was really getting low on his potions supplies – and chatting with Violet still always brightened up his day.
The weeks were passing, and in the meantime, Helena broke the curse on the Vault of Ice. It was a weird experience, and Jacob couldn’t really explain it, yet he somehow felt that moment. It was quite random, too. He was on the streets of London, going to the grocer’s, when he sensed some kind of connection – whether it was with his sister or the Cursed Vaults. Either way, he knew he had to use this opportunity to reach her through Legilimency once again. But then, the connection was suddenly broken, and he realised he’s standing in the middle of the pavement, blocking other pedestrians.
That being said, even if Jacob hadn’t had that experience, he could’ve pointed out the exact day when the Vault of Ice was opened, and that’s because of how angry Sullivan was then. Jacob didn’t know who exactly was supposed to open it according to R. He knew that they had to have an informant at Hogwarts, so perhaps it was that person. Unfortunately, he didn’t know much about them.
In the past, he’d heard bits of conversations which had to be about this topic, but he never managed to gather any specific information other than the fact that the informant was female. Judging by his own experience, he’d say it could’ve been a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. On the other hand, both exchanges he eavesdropped on happened in two separate school years, and both were about “her”. It had to mean that either the alleged curse on the said position was broken, there were two different informants, or it was about someone else entirely. Luckily, Jacob’s involvement in ruining R’s plans wasn’t discovered yet – whatever those plans were exactly. Things changed a couple of months later, though…
Late winter, 1987
The third winter Jacob spent working for R was particularly hard. Not necessarily because his conditions changed in a meaningful way, but because his health got worse. At first, he thought it’s simply due to flu season. Unfortunately though, a Pepperup Potion wasn’t helping much. It was nothing too serious at first, really. He was mostly getting tired faster and suffered from headaches more often. Eventually, he discovered that extra hydration seemed to lessen weariness, so he didn’t pay further attention to that. He did become more alarmed when he noticed a dark veiny mark forming on his neck, though. It didn’t hurt, but it started itching as the skin around it was getting dry. He even decided to show it to Violet at some point, since he didn’t know anyone else who would be both trustworthy and competent enough to examine it. Unfortunately, Violet found no solution except for some moisturizing balm. It wasn’t much, but at least the dryness was less trying.
Other than that, most days felt similar, both during working hours and after them. Linda was still keeping newspapers for Jacob, and Mittens was visiting him in his room whenever he felt gracious enough. One time, however, when Jacob returned to the White Wyvern, Linda also informed him that he’d missed Seamus in the morning. It was actually the first time he heard about him since he delivered the book. It worried Jacob a little, but apparently, it wasn’t about anything urgent because Seamus promised to come back only the next. He didn’t leave any messages either. It was somewhat reassuring, so Jacob decided to occupy his mind with something else and spend the evening helping at the pub.
He had just finished cleaning the tables when he felt his coin vibrating. He usually wasn’t called this late at night, but it wasn’t really that surprising either, so he approached Linda to tell her he had to leave.
“Sure, if you have to,” she said indulgently.
“I might be back soon, so…”
“It’s okay, Jacob. It’s not that busy anyway.”
He put on his coat and was about to walk out when he stopped and turned to Linda once more. “I’ll pay you the rent when I’m back. I know I’m late!” he added apologetically. “But I should have money then.”
She only glanced at him with a smirk, shaking her head.
Shortly after that, Jacob Apparated near the factory in Birmingham and entered the building, going upstairs right away. He was told to wait in one of the rooms. It’d had to be a place for company meetings previously because there still was a pretty big table with rows of chairs on two sides. The room was seemingly empty aside from that, but once Jacob was inside, he heard a female voice behind his back.
“You think you’re such a clever boy, don’t you? Crucio!”
He didn’t even have time to turn around before a sharp pain hit his spine and instantly spread on the whole body, causing his fall. He desperately tried to focus on his Occlumency, but the sensation was too unexpected and grew too fast. In the next second, he could think of nothing else than pain. Every inch of his skin felt as if it was being stabbed with a blade, his bones were set on fire, and his blood started boiling. The feeling was piercing his brain until the point when the agonising scream escaped his throat. He wished it would end, even if with death, but it was only getting stronger…
“ENOUGH!”
And then, just like that, the wave of incoming pain stopped. Jacob’s body became his own again, even though it still hurt. He slowly started feeling the cold floor underneath him. He was lying on his back, motionless and powerless. He heard a male voice shouting, but he didn’t understand the words. After that, there was some noise followed by a whine, and all sounds turned into a persistent ringing in his ears. With all his will, he concentrated on two thoughts: shield your mind, find your wand.
He was certain he had his wand in his hand previously, but he didn’t spot it anywhere near him, so he turned on his stomach to see whether it fell somewhere further. It was indeed almost in the reach of his arm. Nevertheless, before he managed to get any closer, black boots appeared within eyeshot, and a male hand snatched his wand.
“I never asked you where you got your new wand from,” Sullivan said casually, squatting in front of him. Jacob lowered his head and rested it on his arm, resigned. “It's beautiful. And deadly. Just like Rakepick herself, wouldn’t you say?” He paused for a second. “Did she mention that she was supposed to kill you? Oh, she forgot?” He laughed theatrically. “Yes, Jacob. She was. But she’s too greedy to give up on what she wants. And so, your beautiful friendship was built on her lies…” Then, all of a sudden, he pulled Jacob’s hair, forcing him to look at him. “So, what’s your plan now?” he asked through his teeth. “She’s going to step in to save the day?”
He let go of Jacob’s hair, pushing his head towards the floor. Next, he commanded someone to lift Jacob up. Jacob didn’t recognise the man who sat him down in one of the chairs; it probably didn’t matter anyway. His wrists were immediately tied to the arms. He glared at Sullivan, who took a seat next to him and leant closer to him.
“A little birdie told me that someone’s helping your sister find the Cursed Vault,” he said mockingly. “That she found some interesting things in the Vault of Ice. Like the book to the Restricted Section. Care to explain that?”
“I gave you the book almost a year ago,” Jacob replied steadily. “It’s not my problem if you couldn’t keep it safe.”
“You gave me a fake book,” Sullivan hissed. “Which makes me wonder where did you get such a decent copy from.” He abruptly grabbed Jacob’s face, clutching his cheeks. “Did you really think we wouldn’t find out? I believed in you, Jacob. I was always trying to compromise with you. You were almost like a son to me… And that’s what I got in return?” Jacob felt his fingernails pressing harder and harder on his skin. “You could be so much more… You don’t realise what potential you have. And I could help you with reaching it. I was trying to help you! But you prefer to… what? Sacrifice yourself?”
He withdrew and leant back in his chair, taking a similar position with his hands resting on the arms. He was still watching Jacob closely, breathing heavily, his jaw clenched. Yet Jacob remained quiet.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by an uncertain voice of the man who apparently stayed in the room, waiting for further orders. “Should I--”
“Take him away,” Sullivan cut in blandly.
“Take him where?” the wizard asked, confused.
“I don’t care. Just lock him up somewhere. I’ll decide later what to do next. And if he gets away, you’ll pay for it with your life.”
As soon as he said it, the binds on Jacob’s wrists disappeared, but another charm tied his hands together instead. There was another silent moment before he finally was picked up again, and a strong grip tightened on his arm. He instinctively wanted to resist, but he quickly realised it’d be a lost fight. He didn’t have his wand, and he still was weak. He didn’t know how many members of R were present at the factory either. Therefore, he let to be led down the hall to an empty room and pushed inside.
The door shut behind him with a slam. He glanced about, but there was nothing except the bare floor and walls. On one of them, however, was a narrow window placed close to the ceiling. Jacob approached it to look outside, though he saw only a beetle sitting on the frame and the moon in the clear sky. He cursed under his breath and crouched.
He’d always known that this day was coming, but somehow, it didn’t make it any easier. He was certain he had more time before anyone reached the Vault of Fear. Did it really happen so early? Did Helena trust the wrong person, and that’s how the information about the book leaked sooner? Or was she simply not careful enough when the informant was eavesdropping on her?
And more importantly, would he ever find the answers to these questions?
