"I don't need you to baby-sit me, you know," Remus whispered to the hulking
black dog that walked alongside him. The animagus simply sniffed and
ignored Remus's glare. Ungainly and conspicuous as Sirius was, Remus was
privately glad he didn't need to travel through Knockturn Alley alone.
Knockturn Alley was no doubt an eerie place. Watching eyes gleamed from the shadows and it was impossible to turn a corner without feeling that something was waiting to pounce. But, most unfortunately for Remus, Knockturn Alley was the only place to get Hungarian Horntail egg teeth, which he needed for his Wolfsbane potion. It had taken weeks for Remus to find somebody to brew the Wolfsbane, and only then on the condition that Remus would deliver the ingredients. No respectable wizard would allow himself to be spotted here, and that was the reason Remus and Sirius both were surprised to see Severus Snape storming down the path.
Severus sneered as he saw Remus approach." What are you doing here, Lupin? I wouldn't think someone as innocent as Dumbledore's pet monster would step foot in such a dark corner of the world."
Remus failed to keep his annoyance in check. "I normally leave this place to bottom-feeders and overgrown bats, Snape. But today, I need potion ingredients, so I've temporarily lowered myself to this level. Speaking of overgrown bats, why are you here, Snape? Surely someone who is working for Albus Dumbledore wouldn't have any business in this place."
Severus scowled. "It's none of your concern, Lupin. I have as much right to come to this alley as anyone else. You're the one who shouldn't be here. You won't even come past Prufrock's Emporium of Enchanted Underwear without your little watchdog." he jeered, sending a scathing look at Sirius. "I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave."
Sirius finally lost his temper. Transforming quickly into a man, he started toward Severus, growling in a very dog-like manner. "Well, you're certainly living up to being a slimy, evil Slytherin, Snape!"
"Sirius!" Remus hissed, "Calm down! Turn back before..." Remus gazed around the alleyway, "Before someone sees you..."
The alley, which previously contained whispering shadows and shifting eyes, was now unsettlingly empty. The three men peered around the deserted back street.
"Just how long were we arguing? What time is it?" Remus asked, growing more and more uneasy.
"Not late enough for everyone to have left." Sirius said, trying to hide his confusion. "Maybe they saw something."
"Or. someone," a voice said from behind them. In a flash, Severus and Remus drew their wands and pointed them in the direction the voice was coming from, but lowered them when they saw who was stepping out of the shadows.
It was only an old man. Hunch-backed and with gentle eyes, the old wizard looked no more dangerous than a turnip.
The old wizard slowly spread his hands. "Gentlemen," he said, croakily. "You appear to have trouble deciding which one of you belongs here, is that correct?"
The old man smiled toothlessly. "Well, not to worry." The man's voice suddenly turned cold. "None of you belong here."
In the blink of an eye, the old man whipped out his wand. "Expelliarmus!"
He clutched their wands in his hand, then snapped his fingers, beckoning a group of people out of the shadows."One of them hit Severus, Sirius and Remus with a binding spell, leaving them unable to escape. Trapped and surrounded by unknown mages, Remus turned to the old man. "What do you want? Who are you?" he snapped.
The old man sneered. "It's of no importance. The point is, you three are here when you shouldn't be. You're going to provide a little. amusement for our little group."
Chuckling cruelly, the man signalled for the group, currently brandishing their wands like spears, to follow him. As they walked, Remus hissed to Sirius, "Who are these people? Where are they taking us?"
Sirius didn't look at Remus, but out of the side of his mouth he whispered, "They must be 'The Horde of Caligo.' They capture people and use them for their own twisted enjoyment. I didn't know they had any territory here."
Leading the trio Zelda's Poisons and Jabberwocky's House of Mirrors, the gang finally stopped at a dilapidated building. After roughly shoving the three bound wizards inside, one of the captors peered around outside before shutting the door and locking it.
Sirius gazed around the room, and was startled to see that they weren't the only prisoners in the room. Eight other people were there, all looking equally terrified.
The old man grinned once again. "Have you three ever played Wizard's Roulette? I assume you're familiar with it."
Nobody answered, but the old man hadn't expected a reply. "No? Well, then, let me explain. I load a spell into my wand and then see which one of you is hit when I say the triggering charm. Doesn't that sound fun?" he said, disdainfully tossing Remus's
Severus glared at the old man. "So, we're here to satisfy the whim of a doddering old madman?"
The old man smirked. "Precisely. Now hush," he said, shoving both Severus's and Remus's wands between his teeth to stop him from speaking.
"Now then." The old man cleared his throat and preformed a complicated pattern in the air with his wand, with the spectators watching hungrily. After a final spin of his wand, he hissed out an incantation. "Kajkengotta!"
From out of nowhere a swirling, ghostly wind appeared and was sucked inside the wand, like a whirlpool. The watching group seemed to be growing more and more excited.
Grinning wickedly, the old man turned his wand at the first victim, a young woman, and growled out the trigger spell. "Ririsu!"
Nothing happened.
The old man smirked and turned to the second prisoner. "Ririsu!"
And so it followed for the next three captives, until he reached Sirius. The old man looked thoughtfully between Severus, Sirius and Remus for a moment before coming to a decision "You three. You all came together. Why don't you play together?"
Two members of the cruel audience roughly shoved the three men closer together. The old man pointed his wand and smiled more insanely than ever before. "RIRISU!"
In a blinding flash of sparks and flame, the spell erupted from the wand and engulfed the trio. The inferno raged for a moment, before suddenly collapsing on itself in a burst of light.
The old man's eyes glittered wickedly. "Well, then. I suppose I win the bet, again. Pay up, my friends," he said, holding open a sack of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. Grumbling, the surrounding mages complied and left the room. The old man Oblivated the remaining prisoners and left the old building, happy at yet another profitable day.
Knockturn Alley was no doubt an eerie place. Watching eyes gleamed from the shadows and it was impossible to turn a corner without feeling that something was waiting to pounce. But, most unfortunately for Remus, Knockturn Alley was the only place to get Hungarian Horntail egg teeth, which he needed for his Wolfsbane potion. It had taken weeks for Remus to find somebody to brew the Wolfsbane, and only then on the condition that Remus would deliver the ingredients. No respectable wizard would allow himself to be spotted here, and that was the reason Remus and Sirius both were surprised to see Severus Snape storming down the path.
Severus sneered as he saw Remus approach." What are you doing here, Lupin? I wouldn't think someone as innocent as Dumbledore's pet monster would step foot in such a dark corner of the world."
Remus failed to keep his annoyance in check. "I normally leave this place to bottom-feeders and overgrown bats, Snape. But today, I need potion ingredients, so I've temporarily lowered myself to this level. Speaking of overgrown bats, why are you here, Snape? Surely someone who is working for Albus Dumbledore wouldn't have any business in this place."
Severus scowled. "It's none of your concern, Lupin. I have as much right to come to this alley as anyone else. You're the one who shouldn't be here. You won't even come past Prufrock's Emporium of Enchanted Underwear without your little watchdog." he jeered, sending a scathing look at Sirius. "I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave."
Sirius finally lost his temper. Transforming quickly into a man, he started toward Severus, growling in a very dog-like manner. "Well, you're certainly living up to being a slimy, evil Slytherin, Snape!"
"Sirius!" Remus hissed, "Calm down! Turn back before..." Remus gazed around the alleyway, "Before someone sees you..."
The alley, which previously contained whispering shadows and shifting eyes, was now unsettlingly empty. The three men peered around the deserted back street.
"Just how long were we arguing? What time is it?" Remus asked, growing more and more uneasy.
"Not late enough for everyone to have left." Sirius said, trying to hide his confusion. "Maybe they saw something."
"Or. someone," a voice said from behind them. In a flash, Severus and Remus drew their wands and pointed them in the direction the voice was coming from, but lowered them when they saw who was stepping out of the shadows.
It was only an old man. Hunch-backed and with gentle eyes, the old wizard looked no more dangerous than a turnip.
The old wizard slowly spread his hands. "Gentlemen," he said, croakily. "You appear to have trouble deciding which one of you belongs here, is that correct?"
The old man smiled toothlessly. "Well, not to worry." The man's voice suddenly turned cold. "None of you belong here."
In the blink of an eye, the old man whipped out his wand. "Expelliarmus!"
He clutched their wands in his hand, then snapped his fingers, beckoning a group of people out of the shadows."One of them hit Severus, Sirius and Remus with a binding spell, leaving them unable to escape. Trapped and surrounded by unknown mages, Remus turned to the old man. "What do you want? Who are you?" he snapped.
The old man sneered. "It's of no importance. The point is, you three are here when you shouldn't be. You're going to provide a little. amusement for our little group."
Chuckling cruelly, the man signalled for the group, currently brandishing their wands like spears, to follow him. As they walked, Remus hissed to Sirius, "Who are these people? Where are they taking us?"
Sirius didn't look at Remus, but out of the side of his mouth he whispered, "They must be 'The Horde of Caligo.' They capture people and use them for their own twisted enjoyment. I didn't know they had any territory here."
Leading the trio Zelda's Poisons and Jabberwocky's House of Mirrors, the gang finally stopped at a dilapidated building. After roughly shoving the three bound wizards inside, one of the captors peered around outside before shutting the door and locking it.
Sirius gazed around the room, and was startled to see that they weren't the only prisoners in the room. Eight other people were there, all looking equally terrified.
The old man grinned once again. "Have you three ever played Wizard's Roulette? I assume you're familiar with it."
Nobody answered, but the old man hadn't expected a reply. "No? Well, then, let me explain. I load a spell into my wand and then see which one of you is hit when I say the triggering charm. Doesn't that sound fun?" he said, disdainfully tossing Remus's
Severus glared at the old man. "So, we're here to satisfy the whim of a doddering old madman?"
The old man smirked. "Precisely. Now hush," he said, shoving both Severus's and Remus's wands between his teeth to stop him from speaking.
"Now then." The old man cleared his throat and preformed a complicated pattern in the air with his wand, with the spectators watching hungrily. After a final spin of his wand, he hissed out an incantation. "Kajkengotta!"
From out of nowhere a swirling, ghostly wind appeared and was sucked inside the wand, like a whirlpool. The watching group seemed to be growing more and more excited.
Grinning wickedly, the old man turned his wand at the first victim, a young woman, and growled out the trigger spell. "Ririsu!"
Nothing happened.
The old man smirked and turned to the second prisoner. "Ririsu!"
And so it followed for the next three captives, until he reached Sirius. The old man looked thoughtfully between Severus, Sirius and Remus for a moment before coming to a decision "You three. You all came together. Why don't you play together?"
Two members of the cruel audience roughly shoved the three men closer together. The old man pointed his wand and smiled more insanely than ever before. "RIRISU!"
In a blinding flash of sparks and flame, the spell erupted from the wand and engulfed the trio. The inferno raged for a moment, before suddenly collapsing on itself in a burst of light.
The old man's eyes glittered wickedly. "Well, then. I suppose I win the bet, again. Pay up, my friends," he said, holding open a sack of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. Grumbling, the surrounding mages complied and left the room. The old man Oblivated the remaining prisoners and left the old building, happy at yet another profitable day.