Chapter 22: The Automata of Aegis and a Shattered Prophecy (1996-1997)
The open declaration of Lord Voldemort's return, forced by his brazen appearance at the Ministry of Magic following the Azkaban breakout, plunged the wizarding world into a new, more overt phase of war. Fear, once a creeping shadow, now stalked the land openly. The Daily Prophet, its headlines previously dedicated to Cornelius Fudge's denials, now shrieked of Death Eater atrocities and the Ministry's desperate scramble to appear competent. For Corvus Blackwood, this escalation was merely a shift in theatrical staging; the true conflict, the one that mattered for his unique acquisition of knowledge, had been ongoing in Voldemort's dark mind, a feed to which he remained inextricably, if secretly, linked.
While the world trembled, Corvus dedicated himself to a project of singular ambition within the deepest sanctums of Blackwood Manor: the creation of the Blackwood Sentinels. These were not to be crude Inferi, nor golems animated by simple charms. His vision, fueled by centuries of Blackwood lore on constructs, amplified insights from Voldemort's own experiments with animating objects and controlling dark creatures, and subtly enhanced by the refined energies of his personal Philosopher's Stone, was for true magical automata – sentient, loyal, and terrifyingly potent guardians.
He spent months meticulously crafting their forms from obsidian infused with meteoric iron, etching them with complex runic arrays that shimmered with internal power. Their cores were not souls, but sophisticated magical engines, powered by ambient magic and small, perfectly stable transmutated power cells derived from materials refined by his Stone. Their intelligence was a sophisticated mimetic web, programmed with unwavering loyalty to House Blackwood and an encyclopedic knowledge of defensive and offensive magic, much of it drawn directly from Corvus's own (and by extension, Voldemort's amplified) repertoire.
The multiplier continued to deliver. Voldemort, now operating more openly, was a hive of activity. Corvus felt the Dark Lord's frustration with the Ministry's belated attempts to fight back, his strategic planning for attacks on key infrastructure, his efforts to recruit or coerce werewolves and giants more fully, and above all, his burning, obsessive focus on the prophecy locked away in the Department of Mysteries. Voldemort believed it held the key to destroying Harry Potter, the boy who was both his fated vanquisher and the symbol of his most humiliating defeat.
"He fixates on this sliver of foresight," Corvus mused to Isolde one evening, as they sat in their private library, the children, Orion and Lyra, having long since established their own successful paths but still frequent visitors to the family seat. Lyra, in particular, often sought her father's counsel on her advanced Charms research, unknowingly benefiting from principles he'd gleaned from Voldemort's own spellcraft. "A true Seer's words can indeed hold power, but to stake one's entire strategy on a few cryptic phrases, while neglecting the fundamental unpredictability of magic and human will… it is a flaw Dumbledore will undoubtedly exploit."
Isolde, ever the pragmatist, simply ensured the Blackwood estates ran smoothly, their trade routes remained secure (often through Orion's subtle influence within the Ministry, guided by Corvus's unnervingly accurate predictions of trouble spots), and that their societal obligations as a neutral but immensely respected House were impeccably maintained.
Corvus was aware of Albus Dumbledore's re-formed Order of the Phoenix and their desperate efforts. He sensed Voldemort's attempts to infiltrate their ranks, his successful acquisition of partial information about the prophecy through the Imperiused Sturgis Podmore and later, more significantly, through the torture of Broderick Bode. The amplified feed gave Corvus a chillingly precise understanding of Voldemort's intelligence operations and his methods of coercion.
Then came Voldemort's masterstroke of manipulation: planting a false vision in Harry Potter's mind of Sirius Black (the boy's godfather and, ironically, a disowned Blackwood) being tortured in the Department of Mysteries. Corvus felt the entire plan coalesce in Voldemort's thoughts: the lure, the trap, the dispatch of a dozen of his most trusted Death Eaters to retrieve the prophecy orb, with the expectation that Potter himself would unwittingly fetch it for them.
On that fateful June night in 1996, Corvus Blackwood was in his primary laboratory, observing the final activation sequence of his first fully realized Blackwood Sentinel. The seven-foot obsidian figure, its runic engravings glowing with an internal crimson light that mirrored his Philosopher's Stone, came to life with a silent, fluid grace. It turned its featureless head towards him, awaiting command, its magical aura one of immense, controlled power and unwavering loyalty. A perfect guardian.
Even as he felt a quiet surge of intellectual triumph at this creation, the multiplier delivered a maelstrom of amplified sensations from London. The Battle of the Department of Mysteries had begun.
Corvus sat back, closing his eyes, his consciousness a silent observer tethered to Lord Voldemort's own. He experienced the frantic duels in the Hall of Prophecy as if he were there: the clash of spells between the teenage members of Dumbledore's Army and seasoned Death Eaters. He felt Bellatrix Lestrange's sadistic glee as she battled her cousin Sirius Black, and then the sickening, amplified shock and grief from Harry Potter as Sirius fell through the ancient, veiled archway to his death.
Then came the arrival of the Order members, and finally, Albus Dumbledore himself. The true battle commenced. Corvus experienced, with an intensity that was almost overwhelming, the legendary duel between Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort. It was a cataclysmic display of magical power, strategy, and will. He felt Voldemort's full arsenal unleashed – Unforgivables, complex Dark curses Corvus had only theorized about or seen in ancient texts, transfigurations of terrifying speed and potency. But he also felt, amplified tenfold, Dumbledore's masterful defense and counter-attack: his use of elemental magic, his precise shield work, his ability to anticipate and deflect. It was the ultimate lesson in high-level dueling, every nuance, every feint, every surge of power delivered directly into Corvus's mind.
He felt Voldemort's fury as Dumbledore systematically outmaneuvered him, the Headmaster's calm control a stark contrast to the Dark Lord's increasingly desperate rage. He experienced Voldemort's brief, ill-fated attempt to possess Harry Potter, and the searing agony that followed as the boy's capacity for love and grief proved anathema to the Dark Lord's parasitic spirit.
And then, the crucial moment: the prophecy orb, fought over so desperately, shattered on the floor of the Atrium, its ethereal voice silenced forever. Corvus felt Voldemort's scream of pure, unadulterated rage – a sound that echoed not just in the Ministry, but in the depths of Corvus's very being. His primary strategic objective for the past year, the key he believed would unlock his invincibility, was gone.
The arrival of Ministry officials, including Cornelius Fudge himself, forced Voldemort to Disapparate, but not before he was seen, his terrifying visage a confirmation of Dumbledore's and Potter's long-denied claims.
Corvus opened his eyes, the obsidian Sentinel standing motionless before him, awaiting his command. The battle had been a treasure trove of amplified information. He now possessed an even deeper understanding of both Dumbledore's and Voldemort's capabilities, their strengths, their weaknesses, and their dueling styles. He knew Voldemort's fury over the lost prophecy would be immense, and his focus would likely shift to eliminating Harry Potter through more direct, if less subtle, means. The Dark Lord might also become even more reckless in his pursuit of power and knowledge to compensate for this setback.
In the days that followed, the wizarding world was turned upside down. Fudge resigned in disgrace. Rufus Scrimgeour, the hardened Head of the Auror Office, became the new Minister for Magic, promising a more aggressive stance against the Death Eaters. The public, finally acknowledging the truth, was terrified.
Corvus Blackwood, from his impregnable Manor, made his own calculations. The destruction of the prophecy was, in a way, a relief. It removed a focal point of Voldemort's obsession, but it would also make him less predictable. The open warfare would intensify. His newly activated Blackwood Sentinels would be the unyielding guardians of his home, a silent deterrent to any who might foolishly consider testing Blackwood neutrality. He would eventually create a legion of them, each a masterpiece of magical engineering, each loyal only to his bloodline.
He used his Philosopher's Stone to subtly transmute a significant quantity of base metals into purest gold, further solidifying House Blackwood's already vast reserves. In a world descending into chaos, resources were power, and he would ensure his family wanted for nothing, their security absolute.
The amplified feed from Voldemort was now a chaotic symphony of rage, regrouping, and planning for a new offensive. The Dark Lord was plotting to attack Azkaban again, to free the rest of his followers. He was also, Corvus sensed, beginning to turn his attention towards Hogwarts itself, and towards Albus Dumbledore, the chief obstacle to his dominion. The game was escalating, the stakes rising.
Corvus observed it all with his customary calm. His own power was reaching its apex, his knowledge unparalleled. His Philosopher's Stone offered him longevity and resources beyond measure. His Sentinels guaranteed the physical security of his domain. He was, in every sense, an independent power, beholden to no one, his destiny his own. Let the Dark Lords and the Orders of Phoenixes clash; House Blackwood would endure, a silent, unyielding fortress of arcane mastery in a world tearing itself apart. And through it all, the dark gift of the multiplier would continue to provide him with the ultimate intelligence, the ultimate advantage.