The Trail of the Black Star

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The room he found was smaller than he had expected, perhaps five metres by ten metres and was lit with a sort of dim ambient light. The air was cold and wet. He was quick to note that the source of water was just to his left. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he was able to make out that a great deal of water was falling over an opening in the wall, as if the room had been build behind a great subterranean waterfall. There was also a constant breeze emanating from the opening.

Looking more closely, he realized that a slanted slab of granite at the base of the hole protruded into the torrent just enough to bring a spray of mist into the room, and the moving air sent it swirling around the room.

He turned to examine the rest of the room and gasped.

The walls, ceiling, and columns were covered with Black Star orchids. There were thousands of blossoms infusing the room with their faint purple glow. The only place they didn't grow was on a small pathway of stones that circled the room. Making his way quickly down the path, he plucked a stem with three blossoms from a column, wrapped it in his handkerchief, and placed it carefully in his bag.

The Inca had successfully cultivated Black Stars. Unbelievable! This many plants could have made enough pain potion to dose every person in Cusco. This cache of plants was the seat of the Inca's military power, and had somehow it had been lost over the years.

Severus felt a sudden chill. Who could he trust with knowledge of this place? He didn't trust the current Peruvian government to protect the plants from exploitation, especially if they ever figured out the reason the Inca had cultivated them in the first place.

He nearly jumped in surprise when a beam of light shot from behind him. He spun to face the interloper, and found himself with a face full of light from a Muggle-style torch. Dazzled by the light, he pulled out his wand and shot a stunning spell toward the source. The light-bearer grunted and fell to the ground.

Severus let out a sigh of relief. He ran toward the fallen torch, intending to extinguish it and hoping that not too many of the plants had been damaged. He was unprepared for the stunning spell that came from near the waterfall.

He cursed himself as he dodged. There were two of them! Of course a Muggle couldn't have found the entrance! He leaped forward, intending to move out of the torch beam. Unfortunately, he slipped on the damp stone, and a second stunner caught him squarely in the chest.

He collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

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He woke with his face pressed against cold stone. His arms and legs were tightly bound, and experimental wriggling proved fruitless. He could just make out the forms of his captors, who had not noticed him wake. They were arguing quietly by the waterfall, though Severus couldn't make out their words over the pounding water.

A man and a woman. Their argument was growing louder.

"-couldn't have gotten in here without me! I was the one who got him to eat the charmed marzipan biscuit!" Her voice was furious, but unmistakably English. Vidalia?!

"You never track if I no tell you what he look for!" retorted the man, equally furious. "You don't know what to do with them all. I do! Seventy percent is mine!"

Puquio?!

Severus' head swam. Vidalia and Puquio?!

"You owed me at least that much information for getting you away from the rangers," she retorted, voice icy. "We split 50-50."

They continued to fight, and Severus weighed his options. He was bound head to foot with what felt like fishing line. Puquio's work, certainly. He was lying on the path in the centre of the room. The white stone was the brightest thing in the room, so they would immediately see if he tried to wriggle away. They were also between him and the only ways out- the waterfall opening and the door.

He shifted slightly, taking inventory of what was in his possession. His wand, satchel, luggage, and disguise had all been taken. All that remained was the shirt on his back and his transfigured trousers. If he knew Puquio like he thought he did, the poacher would be heavily armed, and Vidalia had a wand, and most likely his as well. If there was a way to force his way out, he certainly couldn't see it. His best option was to listen to see if there was a way he could talk his way out. Their current argument was certainly a factor in his favour. He had best do something about it before they resolved their differences.

He groaned loudly. "What is the meaning of this? Who are you? How did you get here?"

Vidalia chuckled. "We got here the same way you did. Who we are is none of your concern."

She was making an attempt to disguise her voice. 'Attempt' was the operative word. How quaint.

He added an artificial quaver of fear to his voice. "What do you want?"

"I think that's obvious."

"What are you going to do to me?"

"That depends entirely on you. What can you tell me about these orchids?"

Severus swallowed loudly. "Well, they're extremely rare."

"You'll have to do better than that," she said, taking a step toward him. "What made you come all the way from England for them?"

"Untie me, and I'll tell you."

Puquio chose this moment to make his presence known. He loaded what sounded like a large pistol. "Tell, or we kill you."

Time to divide and conquer. "Puquio? Is that you?"

"Silencio! A blaze of light flew from her wand and struck Puquio in the throat. "I warned you to be quiet," Vidalia growled. To Severus she replied, "Yes, it's him. What's it to you?"

"So that's how he escaped," Severus accused in scandalized tones. "He had help from a witch."

"Puquio is a necessary evil," she said irritatedly. "And you are stalling."

Severus began to laugh.

"Do you want me to silence you, too?" She sounded angry. Best to give her something to think about.

"You really have no idea what you have here, do you?" Severus asked. "If you did, you'd have no need for a Muggle smuggler as an accomplice."

Puquio was making desperate gestures, visible even in the dark. Vidalia clucked her tongue and released his.

"He lies! We kill him now and take the plants. I get you hundreds of thousands for each one!"

Vidalia was silent for a moment. "I'm listening."

Puquio aimed pistol at him and drew back the hammer with a click. She disarmed him with a flick of her wand and stunned him. She did not fetch the gun. Instead, she turned to Severus.

"This is only temporary," she assured him. "If what you say sufficiently sways me, I'll obliviate and get rid of him. If I am not impressed, I will revive him and he will kill you."

This was proceeding better than he could have hoped.

"I really would be more comfortable if you released me. This string is cutting off my circulation."

A severing charm released his legs. He sat up slowly with a sigh. "Thank you."

"Make one move toward me, and you'll wish you'd never even heard of Peru."

He hid a smirk. "I understand."

"Now, talk."

The gun was about five feet away from him. He needed to talk her into complacency, then make a grab it. Most Magical folk had no conception of Muggle firearms, and Vidalia appeared to be no exception. Most assumed they were like wands, and difficult for anyone but the owner to use.

"The Black Star orchid is the active ingredient for a number of extremely useful, albeit arcane potions. Their obscurity puts into a unique position those with access to the plants and knowledge of their uses."

"And I suppose you have such knowledge."

"I am a Potions Master."

"What sorts of useful potions?"

By the end of this, she'd be either dead or obliviated. No harm in sweetening the deal. "One renders the drinker immune to all forms of pain."

He heard a quick intake of breath. She was still staring at him, so he remained perfectly still.

"You lie. No such potion exists."

Her words were harsh, but her voice trembled with greed. He dove in for the kill, doing his best to sound panicked.

"It's true, I swear! I re-created it only yesterday from an ancient Incan poem about Illapa! The same poem led me to this place! Don't you see, it's a goldmine! With my help, you could be the richest witch in the world!"

She stared at him, but before she could respond, Puquio groaned. When Vidalia turned to deal with him, Severus leaped for the gun. The fishing line that bound his arms to his sides bit, but he was able to point the gun approximately at Vidalia and fire.

She cried out as the bullet nicked her, but she did not drop her wand. The bullet ricocheted harmlessly into the ground. He fired again, but this shot sailed wide, blasting bits of stone from the entrance arch, but hitting neither of his assailants.

Puquio rushed at Severus and kicked him in the ribs and threw himself on top of him. Severus gasped, and lost control of the gun. Scrabbling in the darkness, Puquio managed to find the pistol and jumped away from Severus.

Vidalia approached him, wand aimed at him. "You made a big mistake, Potions Master."

This was the end. "Vidalia," Severus began, ribs afire.

She didn't even respond to his use of her name. "I'm sorry Professor. I'm just going to take my chances with the Muggle market."

She raised her wand.

"Lumos solara!"

Before the new voice had a chance to register in Severus's mind, piercing, blinding sunlight filled the room. There was a collective cry from Severus, Puqio, and Vidalia. Severus's was partly because he could hear a soft crackling sound from the room around him: the sound of thousands of plants dying.

His rescuer, bushy head still surrounded by a shimmering corona of sunlight, shot thin cords from her wand, neatly trussing Puquio and Vidalia like turkeys. She stunned them, seemingly as an afterthought.

"You don't want to use stupefy on Puquio," Severus commented, wincing as his ribs protested. "He's had it used on him so much that he's practically immune."

"Good idea," she said, muttering something in a language Severus didn't understand. Puquio's body twitched, then lay silent.

They both surveyed the room around them. Severus could now make out the even joins between the stones and the beautiful carvings on the columns and area surrounding the waterfall. Every last plant in the room had withered, blossoms, stems and leaves grey and brittle, as if a breath of air would reduce them to dust. None of the orchids had survived, not even in the far corners of the room or the shadows behind the columns. So many rare and beautiful plants, all destroyed.

Hermione laid a hand on his shoulder. He suspected that she felt their loss even more keenly than he did. "I had to do it, Severus. If anyone found them, it would be a disaster."

He nodded.

There was a moment of silence. She made an exasperated sound. "Aren't you going to ask how I found you?"

He felt the beginnings of a smile curl his lips. "No, but I suppose you're going to tell me anyway."

"The pair of jeans you borrowed from Tino was one of the items we put tracking charms on," she explained eagerly. "When I got back from market, I checked to see if you had left the country yet. When I saw you in an unknown area beneath San Blas, my curiosity was piqued."

"So you blundered in, blinded the smugglers, and destroyed a few thousand endangered orchids in the process."

"And saved you by the seat of your trousers," she added, sounding more amused than defensive.

"Yes, you did," he admitted, annoyed. "And I suppose you're going to lord it over me for the rest of your life, just like Potter."

"Only when you're really cranky. Really, Professor. What use do I have for a life debt?"

Severus could think of more than a few things she could force him to do, but he wasn't about to mention them to her. Hermione was perfectly capable of thinking of wicked ideas on her own. He shrugged.

Hermione walked over to the unconscious duo on the floor. "The last time I had an unconscious smuggler on my hands, I made a bit of a mess of things. It's your turn to decide what to do with them."

He glanced over Vidalia's plump, prone form and smiled, revealing both rows of teeth.

"I have just the thing."

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