Chapter 18
After saying goodbye to the Macmillan family, Severus wandered around Diagon Alley for a while, bought a few more potion ingredients, and then went home.
Two days later.
He slowly opened his eyes, waking to the pleasant scent lingering in the air, and looked thoughtfully at the tray on the table with a cup of coffee and some pastries.
"These elves are strange creatures, though I guess I have no room to talk." Severus pulled the cup closer and took a sip, then got out of bed. Hmm. am I imagining it, or am I forgetting something? He took another sip and shrugged, pushing the thought away. If I cannot remember, it probably is not that important.
After breakfast, he went down to the first floor, caught sight of the basement, and in that very moment it finally hit him.
That is it! Severus slammed his fist into his palm, yanked the door open, and hurried downstairs, only to see Tobias's body lying in a pool of dried blood. Yeah, if I had stayed away for a couple more hours, he definitely would have died. He quickly pulled a potion from his pouch and started pouring it down Tobias's throat, using magic to help him absorb it.
At the same time, the wounds on Tobias's forehead began to close. His fingers, twisted into an unnatural position and crushed by the hammer, also started to mend, and the sickly pallor slowly faded from his skin.
I did not think a simple general-restoration potion would work this well, though that is probably because he is a Muggle. I should find a mage as a test subject later. Nodding to himself, Severus studied Tobias's face. Tobias's eyelids fluttered, but his eyes stayed shut even though he had already regained consciousness. Without holding back, Severus slapped him hard, sending his body crashing into the wall with a loud, dull thud. "Are you awake, or should I do it again?"
"W-woke up!" Tobias yelped, jerking upright in a convulsive scramble, horror in his eyes as he trembled like he had seen a real demon.
"Do not be afraid. I am not going to torture you or kill you today. I have a job for you. If you do it, I will let you go."
Hearing Severus's words, Tobias lit up and nodded like a doll.
"Anything you want!"
"Good. You have two days to sell this house at the average price. If you try to cheat me, I will torture you and kill you, and everything you went through earlier will feel like a pleasant stroll. Understand?"
"And where will I live?"
"Should I care?" Severus drawled, his gaze narrowing dangerously as he raised his palm and pointed a finger at Tobias's pale face. "If I hear one more word from you, I will kill you. Get back to work. And I strongly suggest you do not contact the police or any other agencies like that. They will not help, because I will get you anyway. Do not think that just because you could bully a weakened sorceress, the same tricks will work on me. Go. Your time is running out, and remember this: the sooner you sell the house, the sooner I am gone."
Without another word, Severus left the basement and went back to working on his potions.
The very next day, while working through a recipe from his old world, Tobias shuffled into the living room with a fairly thick bag clutched in his hands.
"I-I sold it."
"Good boy. Leave the money on the table and you can go," Severus waved him off listlessly without even looking up, already starting another attempt at brewing a potion.
Tobias set the bag on the table and, afraid Severus might change his mind, hurried out of the room and, breaking into a quick walk, headed for the front door.
Live while you can, you damned monster. I will get my revenge on you yet. Do you think I do not know who to turn to to pacify you?! Bitch, you will be begging for forgiveness while you grovel at my feet! Tobias thought with a mad grin, already picturing exactly how he would vent his rage on Severus.
When he reached the door, he flung it open and, after carefully closing it behind him, ran at full speed toward the busiest street. After all, living with that witch had taught him plenty about the laws of the wizarding world, one of them being the ban on using magic in front of ordinary people who did not know about magic. So Tobias decided he would be safer if Severus changed his mind and came after him.
Ten minutes later, once he was finally among people, Tobias felt calmer. Pulling out a small business card with a phone number, he walked up to a phone booth and smiled.
"As soon as I report you, I will get everything back." He reached out with a trembling hand toward the numbers, anticipation twisting his mouth. "You are finished, I will fucking. what." His finger froze. Tobias could not move at all, as if something had turned his body to ice. A moment later his arm went limp, and he dropped to his knees, cracking his forehead against the telephone. What is going on? Why can I not move? he thought in horror. Could it really be him? His head started to turn to the side, and what he saw drained every last bit of color from his face, animal panic flaring in his eyes.
On the bench sat Eileen. the same Eileen from the portrait, the one he had been begging for forgiveness for these past few days. His wife, the woman he had beaten to death while drunk. She stared straight at him with cold, faded eyes, not a single emotion on her face.
It is impossible. she. I did it myself. His whole body shook, and cold sweat drenched his back. He could not believe what he was seeing, because barely ten meters away stood the woman he had killed with his own hands. "No! This is that monster's work! I killed that creature, she cannot be alive! IT CANNOT! IT CANNOT! IT CANNOT! NO." But the instant she stood and took the first step toward him, Tobias seemed to sober up and pressed himself against the wall across from her. "Do not come any closer, witch! You are dead! Dead! DEAD! YOU ARE JUST AN ILLUSION SENT BY THAT BASTARD!" The moment the words spilled out, her steps quickened. The indifference vanished from her face, replaced by hatred mixed with rage, and at the sight of it Tobias shuddered. He was right on the edge of losing consciousness, but he could not fall into the mercy of a faint, as if something was holding him upright. "D-don't c-come any closer! Monster! I killed you! You are just an illusion! An illusion! You are not her! She is dead! Dead! Dead!!!"
A crowd gathered around the booth with the screaming man, confused about what was happening. They tried to open it and drag him out, but the lock was jammed. And seeing the horror on his face, and hearing him confess to some kind of murder while pointing at empty space, most people decided he was simply insane.
At the same time, Severus stood in the living room with a satisfied smile in front of the cauldron. He had finally finished his potion.
Tobias. Tobias. you should not have lied to me, I wanted to let you go. But Severus still could not help laughing. Oh. what a hypocrite I am. I would have killed him anyway, just quickly, and now you have to suffer. Oh. I wonder how soon this phantom will reach the second stage, when it can truly cause physical harm? Using the Curse of Desolation and the Vengeful Phantom together really is a good idea. It is the perfect combination. The first one slowly destroys the magical core and takes away control over the body, while the second attacks the psyche, tearing down the mind, destroying every bright thought and feeding on the dark ones, growing stronger until it finally kills the target. I never thought I would ever use this. Severus thought with a smile as he poured the cauldron's contents into two vials. Hmm. the effect ended up weaker than I expected. It is only able to boost magical abilities by half. As for the duration. I should find myself a test subject, or. test subjects I will not mind poisoning. The next moment his eyes lit up, and a cold smile bloomed on his lips. I cannot wait for the school year to start.
Severus did not stay long in that house. That evening, he calmly gathered everything that was connected to magic in any way, erased every trace of magic, and the next morning, after breakfast, he was getting ready to leave.
But he did not get the chance. Just as Severus was about to step outside, someone began pounding on the door so persistently it sounded like they meant to break it down.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Open the door! We know you are inside!" a rough male voice shouted, making Severus frown. He did not remember inviting anyone.
I even got curious about what they want.
As soon as he opened the door, two suicide bombers stormed into the house, because there was no other way to explain it. They shoved past Severus like they owned the place, pushed him aside, and began inspecting the house under the slightly stunned wizard's gaze.
Even then, when Severus finally came to his senses, he did not burn them alive at once, because he assumed they were the new owners who had bought the house. But after listening to them talk about the approximate price and who they could palm the house off on, he realized he was wrong.
Ahem! Ahem! "And who are you?" Severus decided to get their attention.
"And you are a relative of that bastard, then? His son?" A two-meter-tall bald man in a white T-shirt and dark pants walked up to him.
"Yes. Why?" The man's burning gaze crawled over Severus's body in a way that made him want to kill him on the spot, but Severus held back. This man was already dead to him. He was never leaving this house again.
"Not bad. Your dad owed us a pretty large sum and went crazy, so somebody has to pay the debt back."
"The house will fetch a couple thousand at most, and that is definitely not enough," the second man called down as he came from the second floor.
"Well, kid, you are lucky. You can help your daddy pay off his debt. Work for us for a couple of years, and then you will be free."
"To work?"
"I told you, you are lucky!" the bald man said cheerfully, his eyes sweeping over Severus again as he patted him on the shoulder, almost fatherly. "You might not be much to look at, but we have plenty of friends who like gentle boys like you. Do not worry, you will pay your father's debt back fast."
"I see." A cold smile formed on Severus's lips, and little lights danced in his eyes. Last words?
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