Chapter 260 - Damocles Belby (1/2)
At the edge of a small village by the name of Bitterweed the fog is rising as the dawn is just over the horizon. An apprentice is hard at work in an elegant, rather large thatched cottage. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows as his strawberry hair flops onto his freckled sweaty face. The pale young wizard glances at the clock and curses under his breath as he quickly stirs the potion about to boil in the cauldron. Given the potion two more stirs, he stops and lowers the flames leaving the potion to shimmer.
Hurrying over he quickly reaches for a tie to pull his hair back as his master did not like untidiness. The apprentice rolled his sleeves back down and buttoned them. Reaching for his necktie, he quickly realizes his collar is yet unbuttoned as he gazes into a small mirror, before properly tying his necktie. Rushing to the window, he flings the window open as he glances into the sky to see two owls fluttering towards him. ”Master isn't expecting any correspondence today,” the apprentice mumbled as he waited for the owls to reach him.
The first regular owl from the Daily Prophet lets out a hoot as the spotted owl drops the newspaper onto the edge of the window. The apprentice barely manages to catch the paper before it rolls onto the ground below. Giving the owl a dark glare, he reaches for five knuts and places them into the small pouch tied around the owls. The spotted owl glares at him for lack of tip and noisily flaps its wings at him, before flapping away.
The second owl, a Great Horned Owl had patiently landed on the edge clutching a letter addressed to his master, Damocles Belby. ”Thank you, master has yet to come down,” the apprentice said. ”I'll be taking that.”
The Great Horned Owl sharply nipped at his fingers as it apologetically let out a hoot as the apprentice let out a cry of pain. Cradling his red bitten fingers, the apprentice says, ”Please, I'll get in trouble!”
”What is the problem, Wilfredius?” His master impatiently called out as he came down the stairs. ”Did you forget to pay the owl again?”
Paling more than usual, the apprentice, Wilfredius's freckles stood out even more. ”No Master! But this here owl won't hand over the letter intended for yourself,” Wilfredius stammered. ”I think only you can receive the letter, Master.”
A sharply dressed man in chartreuse-colored robes steps forward frowning. Thin lips, a pointed chin, sleeked back hair, everything about Damocles Belby was sharp. Striding forward, Damocles gestured for his apprentice to move as he reaches for the letter from the Great Horned Owl. Potion stained fingertips take the envelope as he furrows his brow at recognizing the family crest on the wax seal.
”Prince? I don't know any-,” Damocles paused at recalling the tall, slim wizard, who'd once save his life in passing.
”Wilfredius,” Damocles stared to say as his apprentice instantly stood rigid. ”Feed the owl, while I read the letter and think of a reply.”
”Of course, master!” Wilfredius said as he hastened towards the kitchen to find a bowl of water and some sort of owl snack to feed the large owl. To feed the large owl, before the owls set into the cool morning air.
Heading into his private study on the first floor, Damocles closed the door behind him. The study was lined with books from the top of the ceiling to the wooden floor. Beyond various potion ingredients scattered across a worktable, the rest of the room was largely bare except for the piles of books on the floor. His work desk unlike the rest of his office was neatly arranged with piles of parchment in stacks that only he knew what they contained.
The chair creaked as he sat down and took a silver letter opener. Damocles with a sleek motion opened the envelope and pulled the letter out to read ignoring the second folded paper inside.
”To Damocles Belby,
I'm sure that you do not know, who I am, but please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Rowan Prince.”
”A fan letter-?” Damocles thought with a frown but read on.
”I am aware that you have made it your life's work to discover a cure for werewolfism and for that I believe you are worthy of this gift above all others. Within a book at Hogwarts, I discovered an old parchment with written instruction on how to cure the blight.”