April 10
The air was warmer now, snow almost all gone. Linus was sitting outside drinking tea by the lake behind the Gray manor. He liked it here, quiet. Not that the Gray manor was lively, but the silence of outside with the wind coming and going was just really soothing.
Astrid had walked up beside me. "Happy birthday Linus" she said. Right, it's my birthday. It wasn't that I'm unhappy by the gesture, the problem was that I've never really cared about my birthday, ever. It just doesn't feel special.
"Thank you" I really meant it. I am thankful for the people still around me to this day.
Letters had been coming and going all mornings wishing me happy birth day. Even some presents. Monika Winterholm had sent a book about herbology, when she was here, I did mention that my knowledge about it was lacking so this is great, it's a family book too so there is probably some better knowledge then the normal once. Maya sent me a handmade scarf, it was a grey scarf of course, but on one end of the scarf was the Gray wolf logo and on the other was the Blodfang logo, both logos were made with white stitching. It was nice I liked it a lot.
"The spies that have been looking at the Mörkhed family has reported that Johan looks nervous, he's watching his back every minute it seems" Astrid said breaking the silence.
Well, I would be nervous too if out of nowhere three of my spies disappeared. "I think we should scare him some more, but I don't think the whole Mörkhed family is involved." It was just a feeling could be wrong but my gut tells me so. "Has the prisoners said anything else?"
Astrid shook her head. "Nothing more then we already know, what should we do with them?"
Indeed what shall we do with them, we could scare the shit out of Johan and just send their heads. But it would be a living hell if the ministry of magic got involved with that. "Lets keep them looked up for now, maybe they will be useful in the future."
*Ding, happy birthday Linus Gray, the system has given you a gift*
Alright? Where is the gift. No rewards came up. Suddenly one of the Gray guards came jogging towards us. The guard bowed before he spoked.
"Lord Gray there is a wolf by the front of the manor" this wouldn't be surprising considering the Gray family had a lot of wolfs, but they don't usually come near the house, the usually just roam the forest and by the tamers that feed and kept them.
We walked to see this wolf and indeed there was a wolf, but this wolf was big, a lot bigger than the ones we usually keep. It had pitch black fur and deep blue eyes… very similar to mine. 'Yrsa, is this the present from the system?'
[Happy birthday Linus, hope you like him, he reminds a lot about you]
The wolf sat looking at me, as I walked closer his tail started to wag. Standing in front of him he was big, is he a dire wolf? The usually get this big. I held my hand out and the wolf started licking it, I began petting him. This fur is so fluffy and soft omg. Alright then i could use a companion like you. Now what to name him…
"Your name shall be Hati, the wolf who chases the moon" Hati was used in Norse mythology, when the moon moves it was thought that a wolf was chasing it across the sky, that wolf was named Hati. "But you have to be with the others in the forest alright, cant have you in the manor… okay only sometimes" Nice now I can scare everyone with a big wolf.
Back inside the office, Linus was sitting thinking about what to do with this Mörkhed. Hati was laying on the carpet beside him, I decided to let him in instead of him going to the forest. I also have to think about what school to attend, Durmstrang or Beauxbatons… could I attend both? A couple of years in both places. There was a knock on the door. "enter" the door opened and Alaric came in.
Alaric and Astrid stepped in. Something has happened.
Astrid stepped forward with a letter in hand, she placed the letter on the desk. I picked up the letter and the letter had the seal of Mörkhed… "are they sending happy birthday cards too" I joked knowing damn well who this letter was from. I opened the letter, reading the letter continued nothing special he wanted to meet. I gave the letter to Astrid so she could read it.
Astrid looked over the letter before looking at me. "This could be two things, either a trap a very bad one, or a explanation to why they did it" what Astrid said was true, I don't think it's a trap, no one would be stupid enough to try doing a trap like this. Were they forced to stalk me? Could be the explanation. This mess is getting thicker every time I turn one stone. And the meeting is tomorrow, they are in a hurry. I tapped my fingers on my desk.
"Let's go to the meeting, and let's show some force. Bring 10 Guards, and I will bring Hati." I'm going to kill them if this is a waste of time, my patience is running very thin. "Alaric, have out potion brewers prepare 12 veritaserums. We might need them if things get ugly and the ministry gets involved."
A day later in a remote forest outside Stockholm.
The carriage drawn by thesstrals landed about 10 minutes from the meeting spot. The group Linus, Astrid, Hati and the 10 Gray guards walked. The objective was simple, force them to tell anything and if they did anything else, they die.
Coming closer to the spot, three people were waiting. Johan Mörkhed stood on the right, Viktor Mörkhed stood in the middle and a girl who I didn't recognize stood on the left. Hati growled a little towards them. The guards started to spread out. Stopping about 3 meters from them, I looked them over one by one. They didn't seem happy, the girl seemed happy but I don't know she's hard to read. I stood in silence for a couple seconds. Until Viktor finally spoke.
"As the head of the family of Mörkhed, I want to apologize for the actions my brother took towards you" he bowed his head slightly and looked over at his brother.
"I apologize to the Lord of house Gray" he then bowed.
Is this a fucking joke… "You got a meeting here in the middle of fucking nowhere just to give a little fucking apology like a seven-year-old?" the two of them looked shocked, they probably thought just because I'm young, that I would just take their apology and be over it. "Is this the grand Mörkhed family I've heard so much about, the masters of potions, the black-market masters. And yet I find you here thinking a simple apology would be enough?" I spat at the ground. "tell me exactly what you are apologizing for."
They looked nervous, this didn't go with the plan the had that much is sure.
Viktor looked at me. "For ordering people to give information about your movements, and locations…"
"Was the Mörkhed family involved in the murder of my family" lets stop with the fucking games and get this over with.
The other party looked shocked. "N-No absolutely not we would never…"
"You would never? But you did hire people to watch me? Are you sure you meant that you would never, because from where I'm standing it looks like with are involved, hiring people to watch over me after an assassination attempt that left my family dead"
Viktor looked like a ghost pale, and very nervous.
The air between us thickened like a storm about to break. Even the trees around the clering seemed to bend under the weight of the silence. Hati growled again, low and deep, his hackles raising as his blue eyes glowed faintly in the dim light. Snow crunched under his paws as he shifted forward just enough to make the Mörkheds flinch.
I stepped closer, my boots sinking into the soft earth. The Gray guards didn't move, but their wands were already loose in their hands. Astrid stood at my side like a blade unsheathed, her wand already drawn.
"Let's try this again" I said quickly, but my voice carried through the clearing like thunder. "You're nor nervous because you hired some street rats to follow me. You're nervous because you know what comes next. Now tell me- was the Mörkhed family involved in the murder of my family?"
The girl standing with them barley older than me, her long black hair glinting in the pale sunlight shifted slightly. Viktors eyes flickered to her, then back to me. Johan swallowed hard, sweat beading at his temples despite the cold.
"No." Viktor said finally, his voice hoarse. "We didn't kill you family. We… we were told to watch you."
"Told?" I tilted my head. "By who?"
Viktor hesitated, his lips parting but no sounds coming out. Hati growled again, and a faint frost crept over the grass between us as I let my magic slip just enough to make the air drop in temperature.
"Who," I repeated, sharper this time.
Johan cracked first. "It was a contract," he blurted out. "We don't even know who the client was just that the order came through an intermediary. We were paid in advance."
Viktors glare shot to his brother, but it was too late. I had what I wanted, proof they weren't acting on their own.
"A contract." I murmured. "So you took money from a faceless seller and used it to watch a boy who'd just lost his family. Brave men of Mörkhed indeed."
The girl beside Viktor straightened, her expression hardening "We did not kill them," she said, her voice clear and sharp. "And you are not the only one who's been lied to."
I looked at her, my eyes narrowing. "Who are you?"
She hesitated, the lifted her chin. "Sigrun Mörkhed. My father mat not tell everything but I will."
Viktor hissed her name under his breath, but Sigrun ignored him. She took a step forward, the gray guards immediately shifted, wands raised. I lifted my hand, and they froze, eyes locked on me.
"What do you know?" I asked
Sigruns eyes met mine, steady despite the danger. "I know the contract wasn't just to watch you. It was to draw you out, to see how you'd react. And I know the one who gave the orders wasn't acting alone. Someone is using our family's name to cover their own plans."
Viktors face went white "Sigrun that's enough!"
But I was already smiling. "Finally!" I said softly. "A crack in the mask."
I glanced at Astrid. "Get the Veritaserum"
Astrid handed me the vial, and I held it up towards Viktor. "You will drink," I said to him. "Or I will assume everything you've said is a lie."
Hati's growl deepened, the sound echoing through the trees like a drumbeat. The Mörkheds froze under my gaze.
"Choose" I said coldly. "Truth or blood". He can't be stupid enough to pick blood, buttt…. Would be fun to use some new spells.
Viktor looked at the vial, he hesitated. He took the vial unscrewed the cork and drank it. Aww man… wanted to use some spells.
We waited for a few seconds for the potion to do its magic. "alright Viktor did Sigrun here tell the truth, that you were hired by contract, to lure me out, and is someone using your family name to care out their plans"
Without hesitation Viktor said. "Yes that is true, the one who gave us the contract was hidden, wearing a mask. He told us that he wanted everything we could get from you, locations, times you were in isgränd and everything we could find."
"And how do you contact this man to give him the information?" maybe we could trap the fucker.
"He is going to meet us at the lake ten kilometers from our family manor, at midnight."
Well that just sounds like music to my ears. "Astrid prepare the team to move" Astrid nodded and talked to the guards.
"Do you have the info that you were going to give him written?" I asked, I wanted to know just how much they could find out about me.
Sigrun opened a small bag and handed me a couple of papers, reading over them was funny they really only had info about me in isgränd? Nothing more then that. Wow I'm good at hiding, or well I've mostly been at the manor. "Alright, now then. The Mörkhed family will return to their manor, and they will stay there until I tell them to, considering you are technically involved in the plot against my family I think this is a small price to pay. Do you agree?"
Viktor knew Linus was right, the Mörkhed family would be in chaos if this got to the ministry of magic, or even the press. "I- I understand, I will put the family on lockdown until the situation has been resolved" he put his head down.
"Very good," looking at Sigrun once more. " Once this is over, how about I invite you for tea?" can't blame guy for trying.
Sigrun looked shocked. "I-I would gladly accept." She said with a little blush.
Looking at the other two with serious eyes, they knew what I was saying without saying it, 'don't even try anything else against me'
-----
Pov : Unknown
At the edge of a lake.
Fucking Mörkhed are almost late. The Man looked at his watch, 23:59. "sigh" the man picked up a rock and used it as a skip rock on the water. The stone flew, bounced 3 times then disappeared into the cold lake.
The man heard footsteps behind him. "You're late, Mörkhed." The man didn't turn to look at Viktor. "Just give me the info, I shouldn't have been to hard for your little family to get I hope." There was no answer. He finally turned around.
In the dark the stood a boy, his blue eyes shining lightly, and beside him a wolf with the same terrifying eyes. 'fuck' the man thought. "You are not Viktor."
"Great detective work there, how did you possibly figure that out" the boy said in a mocking tone. The boy just stood there, I can barley see his figure because of the dark, just those damn eyes.
"You must be Linus Gray I presume."
"I am indeed, you seem to know me so how about you introduce yourself."
This young one has bite, I can tell just by how calm he is. "Well, I can't really tell you that. That would ruin a lot for me."
The boy stood quiet for a moment. "Are you part of the group that killed my family." At the same time, he finished talking the wolf let out a deep growl, that no ordinary wolf that…
"I am part of that group yes, but I was not there the night when it happened." That was a lie but…
"You are lying, you were there"
Huh… how did he… wtf was that in hurts.
The man put his hand on his back where he felt the pain. Looking at the hand, blood. 'This fucker' the man picked up his wand. But when he was about to do that another pain hit his leg and he lost balance. The man fell into the soft ground. 'What is this dark magic'. When the man looked up again, he came face to face with the beast that was beside the boy just before. Before he could react the wolf bit into his leg and started dragging him towards the boy. The man screamed but no one heard him. No one would ever hear him.
The man was now laying in front of the boy. 'hes a monster, they really fucked up when they missed killing him'
The boy crouched down next to the man and took of the mask from the man.
Pov: Linus
I've never seen this man before. He was bald, around 40 maybe. Pretty round face. "How about a name now then…" while I asked him, I took out a little vial and held it by the wound in his arm, keeping some of his blood incase he somehow escapes might make it easier to track him down.
"What are you doing with my blood boy" the man asked
"Going to put a curse on you of course, now tell me your name otherwise my puppy over there is going to eat up both your arms." Hati growled as answer.
"Im not telling you anything you fucking Gray…" he was punched in the face with enough recoil to make his head hit the ground with a loud thud.
Linus signaled Astrid and the guards to come forward, and suddenly 10 guards and Astrid surrounded the man. I pulled out a Veritaserum and two guards came to his hold head still as I poured the potion into his mouth.
"What's is your name?" I asked
The man tried to fight it but to no avail. "My name is Peter Ostö"
"What is the name of the group that killed my family, and why did they kill my family?"
"The group that killed your family goes by the name The Veilborn."
Veilborn, like the veil fragment I got as a reward? That can't be a coincidence.
"What is the Veil?"
As he was going to start talking, he suddenly stopped. I slapped his face and well he just took it. 'did he die?' I put my finger on his pulse point on the neck. No pulse. "He had an unbreakable vow. Fuckers"
Linus stood up and walked a couple meter away from the body. "Search his body for anything and then burn the body" the Guards went to work. Astrid walked up to Linus. And heard a sniffle.
Astrid didn't know what to do at first but decided to hug him.
Linus melted into the hug. It felt good. He wasn't crying because he died, but because he was so close to learn more about this group that killed his family.
Astrid whispered in his ear "We will find them Linus" she hugged him closer and he hugged back. Hati also came over and pushed his head against Linus.
I'm getting closer, now I know that it has something to do with the Veil.