Chapter 225 - 224. Meeting in Romania. Part 2. Results.

Chapter 224. Meeting in Romania. Part 2. Results.

As soon as Sandro and Xardos sat before him, a flicker of surprise appeared in Severus’s gaze, followed by an almost imperceptible smile.

*An unexpected encounter... no wonder his magic had seemed strange and yet so familiar from the very beginning... apparently, I had greatly underestimated the necromancers of this world.*

Xardos, beneath Severus’s gaze, felt increasingly uneasy with each passing second. The change in his opponent’s expression did not escape his notice, intensifying the unpleasant sensation, yet he was in no hurry to start the conversation.

The members of the community gathered in the hall were somewhat bewildered by the silence hanging in the air, exchanging surprised glances and unspoken questions. Sandro, however, felt a strange anxiety and unpleasant tension in his body, while frantically trying to remember what Arnold had said about Severus after the warning from Xardos, a man he had not dared to distrust.

Only the young prodigy was lost in his own thoughts, recalling everyone he might have inadvertently offended over the last ten years, even in the material world.

His teacher’s voice alone had been enough for him to understand that the wizard sitting before him was no ordinary person, and that if his guilt were proven, he would hardly be protected.

When everyone finally felt the strange atmosphere hanging in the air, after almost five minutes of silence, Severus’s voice cut through it, indifferent and devoid of emotion.

"I don’t have much time to waste on you."

At that same moment, two dozen irritated pairs of eyes focused on him. They did not like that some unknown wizard dared to speak to their leader in such a manner, for they were far from insignificant: they were the largest society of necromancers in the entire world.

"Of course. May I know what you are accusing Robin of?" Xardos inquired calmly, maintaining his composure under Severus’s heavy gaze.

"Of attacking a family under my protection and destroying them completely."

At that accusation, the eyes of the necromancer standing beside them widened until they seemed ready to pop from their sockets. Deep within Robin, panic began to stir.

*Could those weaklings have been them?!* His face changed in an instant as he recalled how three months ago he had destroyed an entire family of wizards in the Muggle world and used their bodies for his experiments. *If it’s them, I’m dead!*

Robin caught Sandro’s grim look. Sandro had understood everything the moment he noticed the young prodigy’s reaction. Goosebumps rose on Robin’s back. He looked hopefully at his mentor, who did not even glance in his direction.

"Do you have proof that it was him who did this?"

"Yes."

"...May I see it?" Xardos asked with the same calmness. A flash of irritation crossed Severus’s face. He passed his palm over the table, and a vial containing memories appeared, along with a small stone vessel inscribed with symbols around its edges, its contents emanating a silvery glow.

"Leader, allow me to examine it," one of the necromancers in the hangar volunteered, fearing a trap, but a raised gloved hand stopped him.

"I have no reason not to trust this person." *Because if Severus had wanted to, he would have killed them all without batting an eye,* but Xardos kept that thought to himself. He calmly pulled the memory basin and vial toward himself.

Under the astonished gazes of the dark wizards, he uncorked the vial and poured the contents into the basin: a shining, gaseous substance that resembled vapor but had the properties of a liquid.

"Very well. I will take a look."

Nodding slightly, Xardos immersed his face in the basin and remained frozen for several minutes. Sweat poured down Robin’s face as he sank deeper into despair, trying to find a way out of his situation.

*If it turns out to be them, I’ll Apparate out of here immediately. Thankfully, I persuaded my teacher to add me to the exceptions earlier. While they lower the barrier, I’ll have time to escape and hide... Damn! I should have listened to Dune and never left the community. I’m such an idiot for deciding to test my strength...* In the depths of his soul, he berated himself for his arrogance and vanity. *If it isn’t them, I swear by magic that for the next fifty years I won’t set foot outside the community!*

At the same time, Severus, reading his thoughts, fell into deep reflection.

The Robin standing before him was nothing like the man from the vision: too emotional, at times uncertain, his gaze simple rather than full of icy calm.

So he considered another possibility: his worst fears had indeed come true, and someone had used Polyjuice Potion to take on Robin’s appearance, or perhaps the Imperius Curse, or even a leather mask.

But even in that case, to use the Imperius Curse or similar charms, one would have to cast them, and Severus would immediately sense it. The same applied if someone tried to slip him a potion or pluck a hair for Polyjuice, and scalping wasn’t even worth mentioning. So he decided not to change his plans after all. Besides, a great deal could change in five years. He knew that from personal experience, having learned bitter lessons.

As soon as Xardos pulled his head out of the memory basin, he began stroking his chin thoughtfully. Noticing his student’s state, he spoke.

"It’s not them."

Hearing those long-awaited words, a crushing weight seemed to lift from Robin’s shoulders, and his face lit up with incomparable relief. But the words that followed made him nervous again.

"But you won’t believe my words, will you?"

"No. I want to examine his memories from the last six months and check whether they’ve been erased or modified."

"Watch your tone!"

In that same instant, one of the necromancers who had moved to speak in defense of the leader was engulfed by wild scarlet flames. He didn’t even have time to grasp what was happening before he evaporated, leaving not even ash behind. The sight shocked every wizard in the room, including Xardos and Sandro. Those who recovered their wits immediately drew their wands and aimed them at Severus, but

"Everyone, lower your wands!" For the first time, Xardos raised his voice, and it was thunderous. "Robin, go to him. Let him look."

Robin, lowering his head, nodded to hide the panic on his face and approached Severus on unsteady legs.

If he’s already this strong, then what kind of monsters are behind him... Swallowing nervously, Sandro recalled the conversation with Arnold two weeks ago.

Severus, studying the young prodigy before him, felt an almost overwhelming temptation to kill him on the spot, but

"Severus, don’t. You have a plan." From his gaze, Nagini immediately understood what Severus was thinking, believing he genuinely intended to kill the man. That provoked an even broader smile on Severus’s face, which made the necromancers gathered in the hangar even more nervous, especially Robin, who trembled openly where he stood.

"I remember. I just... got lost in thought."

Extending his hand, he placed it on the head of the man bowing before him and began examining Robin’s memories, allowing him to observe his own actions while imperceptibly planting a mark much deeper in his mind, hiding it behind a tangle of other memories.

After a few seconds, Severus raised his palm and a disappointed sigh escaped his lips.

"Teach your student the rituals of Severing of Ties."

With those final words, scarlet tongues of flame engulfed Severus and he vanished, leaving the wizards in the building blinking foolishly. But Robin, seeing that the man could Apparate through anti-Apparition wards and recalling his escape plan, simply collapsed onto his backside, paler than any corpse. Only in that moment did he realize that Severus had most likely read his plan from his mind.

Xardos offered no comment at all. He simply rose to his feet, took his foolish student by the scruff of the neck, and disappeared as well.

He fully intended to teach him a great many things, especially after someone had, with ninety percent probability, taken on his appearance using Polyjuice Potion. But beyond that, Xardos meant to hunt down the bastard who had set them up so badly, for the murderer had also used necromancy.

But first of all, Xardos wanted to examine Robin’s mind himself, for Robin was more than just his student.

The memories Severus had shown him were fake, or to be more precise, borrowed from a seller in Diagon Alley and slightly modified.

In them, a necromancer with Robin’s face, using dark magic and the undead, attacked a small house somewhere in the forest and killed all its inhabitants. The reason Xardos believed the memories immediately and never doubted their authenticity was that everyone in this world considered such a thing simply impossible, no matter how skilled a wizard might be in mind magic. The memories had been recorded from the perspective of an owl, which simply flew away at the end.

At the same time, Severus appeared on the roof of a building three blocks from the meeting place, immediately sensed the mark vanish from the hangar, and then felt it reappear somewhere to the north.

"Well, it’s time to pay them a visit."

Grinning, he drawled the words. Lucky landed on his right shoulder, and then they disappeared again.

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