The Kindly Ones

The Kindly Ones

Chapter Twelve

If You Deal With the Devil . . .

Wonderfully beta\'d by Ashley, big round of applause.

Disclaimer: He’s Alive! Alive! I don’t own Harry Potter but the lighting will strike soon and I will have my own.

The vermine is a small black and white relative of the lemming, found in the cold Hublandish regions. Its skin is rare and highly valued, especially by the vermine itself; the selfish little bastard will do anything rather than let go of it.

Discworld wildlife (Terry Pratchett, Sourcery)

Nagini peered intently at her new toy. She had been playing with it for several days and never tired of pushing the little ball around. At the moment she had it posed at the top of the winding stairs leading to the marble foyer. Wormtail stared out of his plastic ball in terror and exhausted dread. Voldemort had placed him inside the Hamster ball nearly a week ago, and since then his snake had been using him as her toy since. With what the rat swore was a snake snicker, she nudged the plastic ball off the top step and he tumbled head over heels down the stairs.

The little ball bounced and rolled to a stop against the Dark Lord’s study door. Wormtail clutched his little ratty chest and wondered if he could have a heart attack. It didn’t take long for Nagini to appear in front of the doors next to him. Squeaking, he could feel the sweat coating his fur. He had once been a plump rat now he was skin and bones and had a nervous tick. Nagini wrapped herself around the little ball and pushed it in a new direction. Oh, now where was the homicidal bitch taking him? Contemplating ways of sneaking poison into her next meal, he tried to keep balanced inside the moving ball. Until he saw where the mad snake was taking him: Voldemort’s bedroom.

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In the warm dark room little light shone on the rich furnishings. A fire in the large hearth had burnt down and soft red coals sent a hellish light over the room. What could be seen was a large four-poster bed on a raised step, it’s heavy curtains opened, a body sleeping inside. In a dark corner of the room electric light shone; bright colours flashing to the accompaniment of the cheesy muzak of a hand-held computer game . \" Past the commando penguins, get the red jewel, and onto level ten. Who rules? I rules. Who’s the best? I’m the best.\" The sleeping figure on the bed moved at this noise. More cheesy muzak sounded in the room.

\"What the hell is that. How many times have I told you Peter I don’t need a night light. God damn rat.\" The grumpy mumblings of a cranky ‘Dark Lord’ over shadowed the game machine, and it stopped.

\"Oh good, you’re awake.\"

Voldemort yanked his blankets up under his neck and clutched them tight. \"What are you doing here?\"

Chucking the game up in the air, it disappeared in mid-flight. William Lovettes, who had spent the last week working at Hogwarts, smiled; he would never have picked the ‘Dark Lord’ for sleeping in pyjamas, especially not a pair with little golden snitches on them. He always had a mental image of a long white ‘Wee Willy Winkie’ style nightgown.

\"Oh, you know, not much. Wondering if you could splice albatross and spider monkey DNA\"

\"What?\"

\"Well I was thinking you needed the smallest monkey possible, combined with the biggest wings it you wanted it to work.\"

Jerking back the covers of his bed, Voldermort rose from his bed, and snatched his dressing gown on. \"I really don’t care to hear about your lunacy at this hour in the morning. If you would tell me why your here.\" Acting the not so gracious host, Voldemort settled into a chair next to the dying fire.

Swinging up from the chair he had been sitting in William walked over to a chair opposite the ‘Dark Lord’. \"It’s been a week, and I thought you might like to hear what I’ve been up to. Of course, if your not interested I can just go do my own thing.\"

Voldemort sighed and summoned a cut glass bottle from the sideboard. He was going to need it, he knew. \"No, I am ever eager to hear your version of reality. It is always something to ponder.\"

Picking up a book from a small table next to the chair he sat on, William whistled when he opened to the first page. \"I never knew you could do that with a snake. Well you live and learn don\'t you.\"

Voldemort snatched the book from his hands and placed it carefully beside him. Repeating his trick of pulling something from nowhere, William brought forth a heavy ceramic mug, steam gently rising from it, and sipped. \"Have you thought about what I mentioned last week?\"

Sipping his own drink, Voldemort shook his head in wonder. \"I’m sorry but I don’t know what you mentioned.\"

\"Changing your name. ‘Fushia Lord.’ would be much scarier. Much more intimidating than ‘The-Man-Who-Let-The-Boy-Live.’ If you do decide to change your name, I know a friend who’s a screen printer and I can get some cheap deals. \"

\"You are here for a reason I hope, not just to annoy me.\"

\"That’s just a side benefit. Actually I wanted to know if you know what’s buried under Hogwarts.\" Swirling his mug in one hand William looked into it and not at the ‘Dark Lord’, who was slowly sipping his own drink.

\"I have heard stories, about a chamber.\"

William waved a hand and dismissed Voldemort’s line of conversation.

\"Yes, yes, the chamber of secrets, big snake, you have to blind to not know about that. But below that there is something else, isn’t there. Something you forgot to mention.\" William had an inquisitive look on his face all his attention focussed on Voldemort.

\"There maybe . . .\"

William laughed, \"Maybe. You know if your planning on taking over the world you can’t depend on maybes. What haven’t you told me?\" William leant forward, the steaming mug falling from his fingers and disappearing before it hit the floor.

\"Do you know why Hogwarts was built where it was?\"

\"Does it matter? I heard that Gryffindor got a tax break because the land was too magical.\" There was a light thudding sound from outside the room.

\"Well research has lead me to believe that there was an older building on that site. Extremely older. That may have been a place of worship. And, as a place of worship it was placed, on the site of a prison. Of course, I will admit my Etruscan is very rusty, but under this temple they said lay Stheno, last of the ‘Gorgon’s’.\"

The spy leant back in his chair and laughed hard. \"One of the three sister’s faces ugly gargoyle’s feel sorry for her. You mean she’s been stuck down there since the Gods know when. She’s going to be pissed when she gets out. I can see her now...\" He shook his head and snickered. \"How sure are you it’s Stheno under there? There were many captured and buried during the wars.\" Voldemort’s smile was like an oil slick.

\"I am reasonably certain.\" Unspoken were the Voldemort’s words ’certain enough to risk your life not my own’.

\"Would she have anything to do with my employment?\"
\"There may be. In some of the writings a connection with Erinyes and Gorgons was spoken ofand some did mention that the sacrifice of an Erinyes upon her prison would free her. And I am not one to pass up an immortal, who would be very grateful to the one who freed her.\"

From the same place the last mug came from William held another with a different pattern. He leant his elbow on the chairs arm and placed his chin in his palm. \"I guess having someone that can turn an entire army to stone with a glance would be kind of handy.\"

The light thudding coming from the bedroom door continued. Voldemort jerked out of his chair and stalked over to the double doors and flung them open only to have Wormtail’s little ball roll between his legs. It rolled across the room to the foot of William’s chair, chased by a swiftly moving Nagini. Picking the plastic ball up, William turned it back and forth in front of him.

\"Now this is a perfect Christmas gift. ‘Rat in a Ball.’\"

Voldemort closed his doors and sat back down, pouring another drink.

\"You have a very ambitious plan, but how are you going to get into the school to kill the Erinyes? While Dumbledore doesn’t have the best track record. He is known for his amazing last minute saves. Especially against you.\" William began to absentmindedly toss the rat from hand to hand, watched hypnotically by Nagini at his feet.

\"I had been hoping for your assistance.\" Voldemort’s tone was slightly less grating.

\"No, you are paying me for one job. When that is done I may consider another, but not until then.\"

Voldemort poked the dying fire until the coals burnt again. \"It would be a terrible thing if the papers you so desire were to come to an unfortunate accident.\"

\"You do well to make sure those papers are in perfect condition when you hand them over. While you are the ‘Dark Lord’, it doesn’t give you leave to cheat me.\" His voice remained light and laughing as though he were just about to tell a joke. \"I find truly creative violent threats are wasted on many people.\" Wormtail continued to leisurely pass from one hand to another, the snakes head following it’s flight.

Placing his glass on the table beside him Voldemort leant back in his chair. \"I would never dare to cheat you, Mr Lovettes. Is there anything you can tell me about the Erniyes yet?\"

\"I have narrowed it down to a group of twenty.\"

\"May I dare ask how you managed that?\"

William smiled and chucked the rat ball high.

\"Simple. If anything in the school happens, anything at all, it all happens around the boy Harry Potter. It can all be traced back to him. It is easy to begin any search with those that surround the child. Which reminds me! As part of my search, there is something you can provide for me.\"

Warily ‘the Dark Lord.’ nodded.

\"I did a little research on Erinyes, just a quick google.\"

Voldemort assumed this was a strange new magical oracle.

\"They have an ancestral enemy, one of many, in the Stymphalian‘s. Birds that devour the flesh of men. A thousand chicken dinners fight back.\" William smirked at his own joke. \"These birds can hunt like the keenest hound, and their feathers are made of steel, cutting through even the hide of an Erinyes. Now, I heard that one of your own possesses the forest in Arcadia these birds reside in. For me to hold some would greatly increase my chance of success.\"

Voldemort contemplated the demand. For some of his death eaters to capture the birds and bring them to this country would cost greatly, but the outcome, to have at his beck and call a Gorgon, one of the blood of Chronus, a child of Ceto, sister to the infamous Medusa, was worth nearly anything to possess. The deaths of a few weak Death Eaters would not matter in the long run.

Nodding slowly, he agreed. \"It can be done. I will have one of my own contact you when they are ready for you to take possession of them. Just remember, I want the Erinyes.\"

\"I have a better idea: I get back to you in a week and pick them up.\" Voldemort was not learning who his cover was at Hogwarts.

\"That could also be arranged.\"

Smiling widely, William jumped to his feet tossing the ‘Rat Ball.’ to Nagini who was waiting for it mouth open to catch.

\"Great. I’ll be seeing you then. You should really get back to bed. You need your beauty sleep.\" With that he strode out of the room evaporating as he went through the door.

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Voldemort saved the plastic ball from Nagini’s mouth, where she had been trying to chew it open. Cracking it open, the frazzled rat tumbled out and quickly grew into a trembling Peter Pettigrew. The stench of a mortally frighten rat man who has been stuck in a little plastic ball for nearly a week filled the air.

\"Wormtail, I want you to floo Parkinson, he has something I want.\" He took a deep breath. \"And have a bath while your at it.\"

Peter scurried out of the room dodging a snap from Nagini, annoyed that she had lost a toy. Crawling up onto her master she wrapped herself around Voldemort’s chest and waist. Rubbing his forehead, Voldemort sighed. A Dark Lord’s work was never done.

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Authors Note

I am finally in New Zealand; this chapter was the last I wrote before I flew here. Lucky you. I am still unsure when I will have solid computer access so am able to write more but I will not stop the stories. I swear.

See there is a plot it is not all random.

Just remember that just because Voldemort says something that it’s the truth.

Thankyou very much for reviewing, please continue.