#ITSOFF17.2

[teddyniffler]

Chapter 17: Part 2

Everything was ready.

The Gaunts and the Notts gathered on the path leading out of the house, looking down at the town below.

“To their traditions, Muggle men go out tonight to encourage the courtship and breeding of their kind. They leave calling cards to say they have been, as they don’t use owls.” Mr Gaunt told the group. “How disgusting. We are not only having sport tonight, but stopping more of them being created. Such a noble work we do on this night.”

Mr Nott laughed.

“Such bizarre customs” He observed.

Ominis stayed quite, he was to remain at the house while his family and the Notts went down below, he couldn’t see the Muggles to capture any, but he had been told he would have an important role, and a warning from Marvolo told him he should do as he was told. What they wanted him to do, he had no idea.

“Ominis, we shall be back soon with tonight’s ‘guests’.” His father told him as they all walked away to the town.

He was alone. The snow was falling all around him, he could feel it landing on him, however due to enchantments around the Gaunt’s house this night the snow felt dry and fluffy. Their home on the top of the hill would be lit up for all to see for miles around, it would look festive but nobody would know of the horror this house held. He had no doubt that a charm would be in place to block the screams and the flames being seen and heard down there in the town. He could almost picture what was happening in his imagination, his father walking boldly through the streets, at the head of the crowd, slowly and purposely walking towards unsuspecting Muggles. The Notts on one side, his mother and Marvolo on the other. All their wands concealed.

No muggle would raise an alarm, they would never see his family coming, they were truly serpents who came, attacked, and left without trace.

Maybe they would be flashes of lights that shone up people’s walls, flashing in the windows. Before the Muggles had time to look through their curtains, they would see nothing in the street below, all the oil lamps would be strangely burned out, unexplainably extinguished. The falling snow would cover any fresh prints of footsteps. Red lights flashing like the colour of strawberries or white lights like what Lumos apparently made.

Then the Muggles would be taken, it would be over so fast, They wouldn’t know what hit them. They would be snatched and taken by the night.

He was so horror fixed by what his own mind was trying to show him he didn’t notice Snakey tapping the skin behind his ears.

‘Friend. Friend’

“Oh sorry, what was it?” He asked in a hiss.

‘Smells and voices’ his snake answered.

Ominis stood up.

Yes, there it was, the faint crunch, crunch, crunch of footsteps in the snow. Then he could hear the sound of something being dragged across the floor, many things.

“We got them! We got them!” Marvolo said, slapping Ominis’ arm. “We got one of their children!” His arms came around Ominis like a distorted hug from behind, followed by Marvolo jumping up and down. He was beyond excited; he couldn’t control himself.

Ominis’ inside turned to ice hearing that.

“How old?” He asked in horror.

“Who cares, young I guess? We got its father too!”

The way they spoke, it was like talking about birds hunted for game.

“Wine?” Mr Gaunt asked Mr Nott and his wife.

“That was some good hunting.” Mrs Nott complimented. “I did enjoy how you levitated that one so the other wouldn’t see. She looked so shocked when her mate just disappeared. The Ministry should make Muggle Hunting legal already.”

“She didn’t even look up, its because they’ve never seen anything levitate before.” Marvolo’s voice popped in.

“I was not expecting a woman and a child to be out tonight, that’s not normally how the Muggles work, but perhaps these are deviants.”

“Oooh, criminal Muggles?” Marvolo laughed. “Ominis, don’t befriend this one, you already have a murderer for a friend.”

“Who was cleared, Marvolo.” Came their father’s voice. “The boy was innocent; my son would not befriend low life who kill their own family.”

Ominis felt faint, he felt like the floor was rotating slightly to the side. He couldn’t see the Muggles but his mind did, it was giving him awful visions.

“Let’s get them on the pyre, then we can serve the food” Mrs Gaunt said “I do hope you are all hungry, we have quite the spread. My husband has ordered the best foods. Wait until you try these foods right from Italy, we have the same people who prep food for the Minister for Magic and our own house elfs are highly trained, they made the cake here.”

Dragging noises and footsteps walking away, Marvolo was making odd noises of excitement as he followed the hunting party with their prizes.

“Marvolo, stop that, it will bite you.” His mother was saying.

“Such a small Muggle though.” Marvolo taunted.

“This one can go in the center with this one.”

“Incarcerous”

“Need more rope there.”

“Thank you.”

“Father, there’s still room! Can we go back and get more?”

“We’ll just do with these.”

He could hear them talking and joking so casual with each other. Ominis could hear them laughing, it was surreal.

“Remove their gags, nobody shall hear them now.” Mr Gaunt said.

Almost at once, the sound of a child crying and a man’s voice pleading for help filled the air, Ominis guessed the others were too stunned to speak.

“– What’s happening? – Please let us go! – Please, don’t, don’t- “

“Can we light it now?” Marvolo asked in glee.

“Ominis, come here.” Mr Gaunt said suddenly. Ominis looked up in shock. He felt their eyes on him like piercings rays. He stepped forward, closer to his father.

“Yes father?” Ominis asked. His heart was racing, his ears straining for the noise of any sound around him.

“You shall light the pyre.” His father said.

It was just like before.

They had brought him out in front of the Muggles they had captured, they were kneeling somewhere in front of him on the floor and a small Ominis was placed before them, a wand placed into his hand. It was his father’s wand. Each Gaunt proved themselves worthy of the Slytherin bloodline by practicing the dark arts from a tender age. He was to torture them, he couldn’t bring himself to make those Muggles scream more, he had been upset at hearing the screams, then his family tortured him until he turned torturer himself.

Now, his father was holding him in front of what he knew was the pyre they had been building. He could hear the cries of the Muggles begging to be freed.

He felt a hand pulling out his wand and felt it being put in his hand, his own wand this time, not his father’s.

“Set it ablaze” His father instructed.

Marvolo’s eyes zeroed in on Ominis, so did his mother’s. They were all watching carefully. This was a test to see if Ominis really was worthy of the Gaunt name.

‘Do it’ Marvolo mouthed frustratedly. If Ominis embarrassed the family in front of the Notts…

Ominis stood frozen on the spot.

He could feel his father holding him, one of his hands moved off Ominis and then Ominis felt it, there was a wand touching the back of his neck. His father was hiding it from the Notts, but Ominis could feel the wand.

“Ominis.” His father warned.

There was a ringing in his ears. He was going to be sick.

His heart raced and the cold night air suddenly felt very hot. He had escaped his family only to deliver himself right back into their hands. They wanted him to kill this time, not hurt, but to kill.

He was not a killer.

“Do it or you know what will happened. One last warning, you won’t get another.” His father muttered.

His hand around his wand was sweating so badly his wand felt wet.

This could not be happening, it couldn’t be happening!

Not again.

He remembered the pain, the hot burning pain ripping through every fiber of his being, it had been more than agony. He never wanted to feel that again, ever.

“Cruc-“ His father started in a whisper so the Notts wouldn’t hear.

“CONFRINGO!” Ominis yelled in pure terror, such was his fear he wasn’t thinking straight and the wrong words came out of his mouth, rather than setting them on fire, he had-

Tears were running down his face as his wand trembled in his hand.

The resulting explosion that followed only made him flinch more, right into his father’s arms.

There was a great heat, his fingers felt burned, he fell into his father then landed on the ground, he curled his legs up and tried to protect himself from the Cruciatus Curse that was surely about to hit him any second.

It never came.

While he lay cowering, he became aware of Marvolo roaring with laughter. It sounded like his brother was also on the floor, his laughing so great he couldn’t stand, then came the sick thud, thud, thud of many wet things hitting the floor, causing Marvolo to scream in mirth.

“Incendio not good enough darling?” Came his mother’s voice, touching his face. “My little boy likes the dramatics.”

The Notts were also laughing, clearly not noticing what had really happened.

“His spell threw him backwards, amazing!”

Ominis raised his head when he felt hands picking him up. Marvolo was left on the ground, it sounded like he was crying and struggling to breath, from all his laughing.

“You blew them up!” He gasped. “That was magnificent! We only wanted a fire, but that explosion! Brother! There’s pieces of Muggle everywhere! They are splatted up the house walls!”

Ominis didn’t need eyes to know what had caused the thudding noises.

‘Eat now?’ Came Mori’s voice

“Yes Mori, and look, Ominis blew your food into small bite sizes” Marvolo chuckled.

Somebody lifted his hands and he felt a wand tapping gently as somebody healed his scorched fingers.

“A little messier than expected.” His father sounded as delighted as his mother. “You did well my son. Ah, he burned his hands dear, but it’s all healed now.”

The fire was blazing hot, the pieces of the Muggles currently not in the flames were strewn around the Gaunt’s normally perfect garden, with Mori feasting freely upon them.

“The food remains untouched” Mr Nott sounded upbeat. “Shame about the bonfire, but I do enjoy pyromantics, you have raised your son well, Gaunt.”

“He is a wonderful gentleman in the making, come Ominis, Marvolo, get some food.”

Ominis was half carried to the food table, handed a plate filled with food.

He sat, horror and shock gripping him. When the Notts were not looking, Marvolo pushed food into his mouth, rubbed the tears from Ominis’ face and pushed down his trembling hands.

None of the Notts suspected anything, nor did they notice Ominis collapsing and Marvolo taking him to bed.

“He’s tired.” Mrs Gaunt said affectionately, when Ominis’ disappearance was noted. “He’s only sixteen, he can’t stay awake as long as Marvolo can, we are very firm about bedtimes until they are off age.”

The night closed with the remaining Gaunt’s and the Notts playing a wonderful trick on the Muggles.

The year 1892 opened to a beautiful red winter sunrise, pinks and oranges filled the sky but it was all flooded out by a low red sun.

Some of the houses still had festive decorations up, but any festive mood was ended abruptly once the screaming started.

The police were summoned by a running man coming in from the streets, all around people were rushing to the police to report another nightmare finding.

It appeared, to the confused policeman, to be multiple victims of exploding houses, possible due to a fire and a build up of gas, such things sadly did happen when homeowners neglected to hire a chimney sweep. However one giant fact broke this theory, no houses had blown up. The policeman, growing more and more concerned by more and more body parts turning up all around town, came to the conclusion it could be the killer known as Jack the Ripper. He had never been caught and he had been quite for a few short months, it could be likely he was now in the north of England rather than London. The police would issue a curfew for women to be home before dark and for his force to patrol the streets, in the meantime, more body parts turned up, including one that sent horror and despair through the town of Little Hangleton. Nobody could explain it, but everybody could see it. Far up on the church roof, too high for any man to climb, was a served head looking down at everybody below.

A few streets away, in the village center, a man with a hat pulled low over his eyes glanced up at the house on the hill in the distance. The gruesome discoveries of that morning were still being found by his group of Aurors, they vanished them and altered the memories of the Muggles in this area. The story they had placed in the none magically community was a Muggle duel had broken out, but the unexplained explosion had all the signs of magic origin. The head Auror kept looking up at the House of Gaunt, he knew exactly what had happened here. This was their work, he just knew it, however he was helpless to act. Even if he were to march his Aurors up the hill right this very second, there was no hard proof the Gaunts did this, just his inking, and that family were very well protected. If he tried to take on the Gaunts, it was more likely the entire Auror office would be forced to disbanded on some cock and bull claim against them.

He sighed and vowed right there, that one day, one day, he would bring that family in.