Chapter 43: The Ring.
Two month later.
"This place really is quite grim to my taste." - Alan mumbled and further wrapped himself in scarf, making his way to the local pub. He was a bit tired of the journey, as even train stop is miles away from here and finding a cab is easier said than done.
Eventually Alan made his way on foot, entering a pub you will find only during medieval times. It had rough furniture and uneven floor with dim lights all over the hall.
He cleared the snow from the hood and removed it, showing a youthful, but extremely handsome face, adorned with platinum-gold eyes and pitch black hair, a bit longer than one would see on a boy, but well groomed into a short pony tail with couple of loose strands falling on his face from one side.
"Hello." - he went to the bartender who was looking at him with interest.
"Hello there, boy. It is quite rare in our corner of the world to see a new face. What brought you here?" - a fat man sat on the stool and Alan could almost feel drilling gazes at his back. Villagers do like to gossip and have things to talk about.
"I'm a student and currently here for investigation of little settlements and their customs. Was there something notable here?" - Alan sat by the bar stand. - "Oh, and it is quite cold outside, can you give me a cup of hot milk with honey?"
"That we have." - bartender nodded with a smile, but it was not very appealing. - "Wait for a moment."
"Ai, little boy, I don't know what you look for, but don't go around a house out there." - she pointed away through the window and Alan, following her finger noticed only dirty glass and wood. Also there was a picture of a naked woman on the wall, that really lacked artistic sense.
"Come, come." - she pulled him to the window, making it cleaner with her sleeve, that got really dirty, but the woman seemed to be fine with that. - "Look, see that house, do you know who it belongs to?"
"No." - he stated the obvious nearly covering his face in wonder.
"I will tell, ya, boy!" - she said sagely and leaned to whisper in his ear with an intonation as if telling him a horror story. - "Frank Bryce!"
"Who is that?" - Alan asked confused.
"You don't know the notorious Frank Bryce?" - she said in overly dramatic manner. - "He is a murderer who killed family of three!"
'Well, actually it was Voldemort, no, back then he was Tom Riddle, who killed them himself. Atta boy he was. Well, I'm not here for that, only the shack.'
"Wow, I'll make sure to avoid this place then." - said Alan with face full of fear, earning himself a satisfied nod of the woman.
"Don't worry boy, just say you know me, Dot, and you will be fine." - she said.
"Are you a local lord?" - he asked for a prank.
"No, but I'm respected." - she puffed out her ample chest that was adorned down below with no less ample belly. Someone snickered in the hall. She threw a gaze of rage and all lowered their heads.
Respected? More like they don't want trouble with a first gossiper of the village since it's creation. Her tongue without bones already broke through the limits of humanity and became legendary.
"What else is there?"
"I knew you will ask it! Our village is very mysterious and people here are unique. There is a shack of Gaunts on that side. Better not go there either. It is abandoned anyway." - she said.
"Thank you, miss Dot, I have a very informative talk with you." - Alan bowed slightly and before she was able to hold him for longer, ran to the bartender and drank cup in one gulp, leaving money on the desk.
"I will meet you all again one day, thank you for you hospitality." - with that phrase Alan escaped like a wounded deer into the descending night.
He went through the little settlement with large strides, but not fast enough to make others think he is hurried to do something. Eventually a road twisted into the grove with trees all around and went from comfortable to uneven and steep sometimes.
"Their shack is way farther from a village than I thought." - Alan arrived at the little house, broken and invaded by nature. It had a very strange installation on the door – a snake skeleton pinned down with a knife. What kind of message one wanted to convey using it?
Perhaps none will figure out and for Alan it was equal mystery.
While approaching the destination he felt suddenly heavy not in the body, but mind.
'Soul attack? And such pressure, that is quite wicked. Seems like Voldemort placed some badass enchantments here, but all of them directly attacked soul. For anyone but me it is a sure death to venture here by force without proper knowledge and prior disablement of the threat.'
He made a step, receiving another ram into the soul. Pain was just a fraction of intensity away to sent him out cold. But if he can be relatively easy hit to unconsciousness state through physical power, soul attacks on the contrary will be useless.
Alan shook his head vigorously to get back the vision that went awry after part of his soul was directly passed through a magical meat grinder.
'Goddammit, haven't felt it for ages. What a nostalgia...'
Alan nearly screamed due to unbearable pain assaulting his whole body. He stood up again and breathed heavily. Perhaps only he is idiotic enough to tank all this head on.
He came up to the shack with a pale face that was gradually getting better, and unlocked the door. A wet and stale air assaulted him. Alan waved his his hand to remove web that was so thick, it prevented him to see inner room, if that little shack can be considered to have one at all.
Finger snap created a glob of light, illuminating the little space there was and Alan moved to knock on the floor slates. Eventually he found a relatively suspicious one and removed it.
"Here it is." - he took out a golden brocade box and knew better than opening it. Curse will remain there until it is destroyed. He thought about removing it earlier, but if by any chance Voldemort can sense his magic being canceled, all his planing will go to waste, so Alan decided not to.
Here he will not take any chances.
Not waiting for any reaction he threw the treasure into his ring to the specially designated space that will be able to seal everything nicely.
Than he apparated back to his dorm room.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone