“We meet at last Luca, I have a stack of letters for you.” the Minister reached for a drawer on her left and took out a sizeable pile of paper strung together by a black ribbon, handing it in the direction of the boy while looking into his ruby eyes with her’s light-green ones.
“For me?” mystified Luca stepped up to the table and took the pages already taken out of the envelope, clearly written on a modern A4 paper using a ballpen contrasting with the practice of the wizarding world.
“What’s the point to burden him with the knowledge? If you are mad enough to agree with those terms, it’s your last day in the office.” Tom Grimsditch held down his ignored friend’s already unsheathed wand and said authoritatively as he pulled Fontaine to sit on one of the twin sofas in the middle of the room. Luca meantime frowned while quickly browsing the letters, they all read more or less the same, a concern for his well-being and a summary of the sender's latest activities, signed by all three of the core Blanco family, Catherine, Isabel, and Pablo.
“Of course, they realized we can’t possibly budge no matter how many get kidnapped, so the new conditions are impressive to the point that warrants asking Luca’s opinion.” Minister looked briefly at the old wizard and replied respectfully before looking back at the boy. “As you can see, the vampires and their thralls that kept you as a bloodslave are fine despite MACUSA's dispatch of seven Auror teams so far in pursuit of them. They accumulated a hold over more than a hundred hostage wizards, demanding an exchange of them for you. Frankly, we run out of people that can be used to catch them, the only silver lining is no casualties and the treatment of prisoners guaranteed to a certain extent.” Luca needed a minute to digest this information, during which his mind raced with a carousel of faces belonging to those ten wizards saving him and Mr. Toll he imagined held in a dark room bound up by steel shackles while the two women vampires drank their blood and complained all the time how the taste doesn’t come close to his, the casual insults making the imprisoned wizards thrash about in indignant fury, all thinking the same sentence: ‘If you don’t like it, let us go!’.
“And? I thought the consensus is overwhelming, never succumb under threats from those dark creatures, we aren’t held on a leash like the no-maj Senate.” Fontaine couldn’t wait for Luca’s ruminations to end and impatiently chimed in.
“Am I asking you, a retired fossil? Luca, what do you think?” the Minister didn’t change her calm voice and noticed Luca’s eyes drifting away a bit, so she snapped him back to reality. The boy finished recalling what he could of the year spent in the manor, he assessed the present problem hard for the next minute, this time uninterrupted as Mr. Grimsditch gave his teacher a spare pipe to smoke in order to shut him up. The Blanco family obviously after his miraculous blood, it dawned on Luca that Catherine wouldn’t ever use the crest over his heart as it completely cuts off a chance to obtain it, she instead worked hard to come up with a plan to seize it in violent negotiations, not hesitating to make deadly enemies of the fifty thousand wizards in America. Mixed feelings over this omission that caused him immense stress pointlessly, he also figured out a way to simply give her what she wants, a sacrifice on his part could save a hundred lives. His eyes shone with determination, ready to reply.
“I should be exchanged, it’s clear that I won’t get killed, and a swap of one’s suffering versus a hundred dead is the only justified action to take.” the boy slowly said right into the Minister’s naturally angular face.
“What a joke, revert to your spirit animal while the adults talk.” an irritated voice came from behind him along a flash of light, Luca was horrified to discover his spine bending involuntarily, hands and legs transforming into hooves right in front of his eyes, he lost balance and fell on his side awkwardly. Looking down, his teacher saved him the last decency of still wearing a robe now wrapping around his butt, tail sticking out, the body of a black-haired donkey presented itself instead of his human limbs. Luca tried to stand up or sit in his novel anatomy, but it proved too hard to execute immediately on the waxed floor, he pedaled there with elbow joints out of control while his teacher asked for him. “So what is the latest proposition? It better be worth consideration, or you will join my disciple as a miniature pony.” Fontaine blatantly threatened, the stars woven into his robe changed to form multiple shining white-blue constellations. Minister Lopez looked at him at last and explained, alternating her eyes between the two old-timers in her office.
“It’s a giant compromise, Isabel settled on receiving Granger’s blood once every three days and paying for it however much he wants. Freeing the people is a given, but the best news is this: Blanco family promised to nominally join the Ministry as the first vam…” her speech got interrupted by the wooden desk coming to life and trying to wrap around her long legs just in front of Luca’s eyes, the woman suddenly enveloped in a light-blue barrier inch from her skin that seemed to absorb the twisting matter and beams of light flying over the boy’s head.
“Best news?! Putain de vampires want to join, and you intend to let them?! Get out! You are under arrest as a worthless traitor!” outraged Fontaine escalated the assault, shattered window rained glass onto the Minister, the floor started to fire spears of stone, the chair she sat on got absorbed by the barrier making her stand calmly in the center of a vortex that the room turned into with seemingly every object in it transfigured into something sharp. Luca had the prime seat watching the onslaught from the bottom where the Minister’s assistant also found himself, transfigured into a golden retriever puppy after his ring and cast barriers broke, feeble attempt at resistance declared a failure.
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“You do not understand, nominal means exactly that, they only declare obedience to the wizarding law and to never hurt a wizard again, no further contact between us. Imagine how huge would that be, smaller families might do the same and stop making trouble for no effort on our part.” as she stated, Luca noticed a silver collar that appeared on her neck along the barrier, thick and heavy metal sculpted meticulously, the boy couldn’t see with what as it was too bright currently blocking his teacher’s outburst of magic.
“This is still legitimizing the existence of slavers and murderers! Kneel down and apologize at once!” Fontaine didn’t want to let the government make any contact with the cursed immortals besides making them a pile of ashes on sight, his robe changing its patterns and his spells their colours in search of something that can bypass or affect the blueish wall, a cloud of fire the shape of cat now dissolved right on her face.
“Stop this nonsense, you can’t break the barrier! How dare you use fiendfyre!” even the calm Mrs. Selina Lopez got irritated by seeing her office emptied of furniture and documents, the cold wind bringing the polluted air for everybody to breathe. Fontaine’s robe going dim while the collar remained lustrous confirmed her assertion, Luca now rolled on his back could see it well, trading his dignity to keep one eye on each of the ‘duelists’ with the four hooves sprawled up pose. The relieved boy realized nobody would agree with letting him go, he only had to provide some blood for those people to be free.
“Reasonable.” after thinking hard during the prolonged target practice, Mr. Grimsditch spat out a word that halted his slightly panting younger friend, that sat back on the sofa resigned, the only intact place in the room. The collar and barrier enclosing Mrs. Lopez disappeared at the same time magic stopped targeting her, Luca wondered about the exact function of both his teacher’s robe and it.
“Damn alchemy, I can’t even discipline a member of my own house. This deal is an unbelievable affront to souls of those butchered by the dark creatures…” Fontaine knew from the appearance of the collar he had no chance, only the hurt pride and empathy for the thousands of victims undoubtedly fallen over the years in the hands of Blanco’s made him at least purposefully trash the Minister’s office.
“I graduated long before you, a failure, even dreamed to become a dean.” Mrs. Lopez sneered and took out her wand to turn back Luca and her assistant, the boy now, in a curious reversal, unable to wield his normal limbs, had to grip her outstretched hand to get up on shaky legs.
“Admirable resolve, Ilvermorny’s statues didn’t make a mistake vying for your membership. I don’t know or care why the vampires want it, but the Blanco family settled for half a gallon of your blood every three days, I will personally compensate if you agree, it still counts as a feat of rescue for a hundred compatriots. First Order Merlin’s Medal would be awarded, but we want to keep the deal secret from the public. It will get explained as a textbook rescue operation and submission because we have them in the corner.” she patted the boy on his shoulder encouragingly, explaining further how will it work.
“Thank you, Mrs. Lopez. What do I need to do? Is there a way to check if Catherine will abide by the contract?” Luca brought up the issue, earning a deeper appreciation from the Minister’s sight.
“We have to iron out the details, that’s why you were invited. I can only imagine that you have to eat special magical creatures' meats and drink Blood Replenishing Potions to stay healthy. We can propose a reduced amount if that’s ever a problem.” she said in an inquiring tone, asking for Luca’s opinion on this point.
“It’s either less or around what they got from me when I was a captive, that’s fine.” the boy approximated it quickly and agreed.
“On the issue of the contract, it is only valid because they want your blood, there is no way to enforce it comprehensively. The method of delivery is the same way they tried to send you letters, using eagles. Ministry has to continue checking them for traps, love potion residue, or what else before the two-way communication with the Blanco family can happen for you. Sorry for violating your privacy, the team that rescued you lost contact, we immediately figured out to monitor the kid they brought in.” she pointed her chin to Mr. Grimsditch and set the framework for Luca to accept.
“So thoughtful for selling a kid’s blood to vampires, almost like you got paid for it in advance. Open your mind, or I will absolutely not let this bullshit go!” the boy’s determined nods trigged his teacher’s protective side, and he accused the Minister of corruption to terminate the contact with vampires for his pupil.
“No problem, Tom can check me anytime. You can’t, some are just too stupid to learn magic related to the brain.” she smiled with venom and looked at Fontaine over the boy’s shoulder, Luca shuddered seeing the suddenly terribly cold eyes.
“Come on Agilbert, it’s the only rational choice. I will take care of Luca’s diet, after all, I’m running a restaurant.” Mr. Grimsditch stepped in the middle of the pair of feuding cats and brought the topic back.
“That’s it, I will prepare an enchanted syringe and vials for storage before you send it to my hands, also a quick training on how to aim at veins is in order, bring him to St. Jelweth’s today. Address the packages to Selina Lopez, Minister of Magic, Woolworth, buy a strong pet eagle. If somebody didn’t ruin the office, we could write it down. Really nice to transfigure your student’s letters into paper shurikens.” the Minister listed what she considered necessary to prepare before the transaction, Luca’s input was reduced to compliant nods as he had nothing to add to the comprehensive plan. The trio eventually left the Oval Office and went back the same way, this time slowly, but the boy still wasn’t exactly in the mood to look around blaming himself deeply for the year of prison his liberators and innocent wizard endured.
“Iverstead.” he followed his teacher’s footsteps into the fireplace.