Chapter 407: So, Where is it?


    <strong>Disimer:</strong>


    Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.


    I own nothing but the original characters I create.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Dialogue"


    ''Thoughts''


    -Author notes-


    <strong>Chapter 407: So, Where is it?</strong>


    "I don''t see anything but trees…" A burly man d in ck robes muttered while pacing in circles, his eyes scanning the dense forest.


    "Are you sure it''s here?" asked another equallyrge man, mirroring the first''s movements.


    "Yes, I''m sure!" A third figure, crouched low to the ground, sniffed the air and the grass in frustration.


    "Crabbe, Goyle, shut your mouths and let the rat work," snapped Betrix Lestrange, her icy voice cutting through the air.


    Instantly, silence fell.


    Despite their thick-headedness, even Crabbe and Goyle Senior knew better than to irritate Betrix when she was in one of her moods. And right now, her mood was downright murderous.


    "Ahh!" Betrix let out a shriek of frustration, flinging her ck umbre to the ground before smashing a nearby tree branch with her bare hands. "Nothing but grass, flowers, and trees! What a disgusting ce!"


    "Miss Betrix!" Goyle yelped, panicking as her discarded umbre left her exposed.


    The sun in this part of Britain was mild, but it was still daylight, and vampires were notoriously vulnerable to sunlight.


    "The sun!" Crabbe shouted, pointing skyward. "The sun!" He scrambled to retrieve the umbre, fearing she would burst into mes at any moment and attempted to return it back to her.


    "Do you two think I''m an idiot?" Betrix hissed, her sharp yellow eyes narrowing dangerously.


    She pulled back the ck robes covering her arms, revealing pale, glittering skin. With a flick of her wand, her flesh shimmered as if made of diamonds.


    "I can protect myself from sunlight just fine."


    "Magic…" Crabbe mumbled, scratching his head.


    "…But vampires can''t do magic," Goyle added, equally confused.


    "They''re simpletons, Lady Betrix," Wormtail muttered as he slunk closer, his hunched figure casting a shadow over the grass. "Your… <em>gift</em>isn''t exactlymon knowledge among the Dark Lord''s ranks."


    It was well-known that vampires couldn''t wield magic in the same way wizards and witches could.


    However, rare vampires could awaken unique "gifts" that set them apart. These abilities elevated their status, often cing them above even older, more experienced vampires.


    Betrix''s gift was an extraordinary one at that....she retained her ability to perform wand magic. While her spells werergely limited to dark magic, it was still a formidable advantage whenbined with her vampire speed, strength, and senses.


    This, coupled with her fanatical loyalty, had made her Voldemort''s second-inmand with no contest.


    "Forget about me." Betrix scoffed, her lip curling disdainfully. "Focus on finding those traitors."


    The cowardly Wormtail needed no further prompting, returning to the ground to sniff and crawl like the rat he was.


    "This ce… it feels familiar," he muttered, frustration clear in his voice. "I know I''ve been here before, but the protections… they''ve erased it from my memory!"


    The group had narrowed their search to this field, but there were still miles of forest and grassy ins tob through. The wards around Potter Manor rendered itpletely invisible, even to seasoned dark wizards.


    If they could at least find the edge of the wards, they could attempt to break through using the <em>bludgeoning approach....</em>a crude, brute-force method of dismantling magical defenses. But until then, they were grasping at shadows.


    An hour passed with no progress.


    "Bloody hell!" Betrix screamed, stomping the ground in frustration. Her yellow eyes zed with fury.


    "At this rate, I''m going to miss my Lord''s conquest of Hogwarts! I won''t allow that to happen. I <em>need</em>to be at his side when he ims his victory!"


    "This is bad," Goyle muttered nervously.


    "Very bad," Crabbe agreed.


    Wormtail felt their eyes boring into his back, their unspoken usations weighing on him.


    "Don''t look at me like that!" he snapped. "I''m trying my best!" He could feel the noose tightening...if they failed to locate Potter Manor, their deaths at Betrix''s hands were all but guaranteed, and even if the Dark Lord would likely scold her for that...that was not going to help them right now.


    Betrix''s patience finally snapped. She raised her wand and began hurling fireballs in every direction. "That''s it!, I had it!"


    "Lady Betrix, please stop!" Goyle ducked behind a tree, narrowly avoiding a zing projectile.


    "You traitorous fools!" she shrieked. "Get over here! I''m going to rip your skulls out and turn them into a ne!"


    Wormtail, trembling, was about to transform into a rat and flee when something caught his eye.


    One of Betrix''s fireballs exploded midair as if it had struck an invisible barrier.


    "Wait!, Wait Lady Betrix!." he cried, pointing. "There''s something there!"


    Betrix''s eyes gleamed with predatory delight. She had not missed it either. "There <em>is</em>something there!" She stalked forward, wand raised.


    "Did we find it?" Crabbe asked hesitantly.


    "Is it finally over?" Goyle added.


    "What do you mean <em>we</em>?" Betrix sneered. "I found it. If you imbeciles were more useful, we''d have done this hours ago! " Why didn''t we do this from the beginning?"


    " Well, that would havepletely given away our intentions to the ones inside the house," Wormtail said without thinking.


    "Silence!" Betrix snapped, her gaze sharp enough to cut steel. "So what? Do you think I''m afraid of a pack of cowardly traitors hiding behind wards?"


    " No... of course not. " Wormtail hurried to say. " As long as My Lady is with us, there is no enemy to fear!"


    Ignoring him, Betrix approached the spot where her spell had collided with the invisible barrier.


    "Now… let''s get in there." Her voice was brimming with eager anticipation.


    A.N: - Remember toment, vote, and/or leave a review if you have the time. Those things help me a lot and I would really appreciate it.


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