The Last Sanguimagus

Sarah continued her story. "The next morning I felt better. Grindelwald had an excellent collection of potions, and because of them I was able to walk around the manor house in relatively little pain. I had free reign of the library and I was given my own room. Yet the research he had mentioned did not materialise, and I wondered when it would, and what it would involve.

"Each evening I would dine with both of the men. It was pleasant and entertaining. I could not reconcile Grindelwald with his power-mad uncle; he seemed like a gentleman. I found myself wishing to know him better, and wanting to know exactly why he had chosen to help me.

"One day he found me in the library. We began to speak at length of Charms research and I found him to be quite knowledgeable. He began to join me every day there, and I always appreciated our conversations.

"Eventually he spoke of more arcane magic. He told me of an ancient tradition of blood magic, wielded by disciples called Sanguimagi. At first I was horrified. I couldn't imagine using the blood, the very essence of another, for your own bidding. But then I began to see the possibilities. If controlled properly, it could be a powerful, beneficial magic. My wounds spilled blood every day, after all. He encouraged me, showing me small tricks and easy spells, things any witch could do with blood. He hinted that there might be a permanent way to control my pain. I was still taking his potions, but I was rapidly outstripping their ability to dull my agony.

"Emil was silent one evening at our meal, and seemed pale and frightened. I tried to draw him into the conversation, but he would not speak until we were about to retire to our rooms. He told me that he was going to attempt a ritual soon. I had no idea what he meant. He explained further, that there was a secret ceremony to become a Sanguimagus, a rite that would kill the initiate if he did not possess enough of the proper blood."

Severus thought of his own ritual, his entrance into the world of the Dark Lord, and shivered.

Sarah looked grim. "I was horrified, and attempted to dissuade him from it, but he would not hear of it. He continued to ready himself.

"At this time Grindelwald told me of an artefact I could create that would help me control my pain. He gave me a gemstone, perfectly round, and showed me several complex spells. To have a release from pain...the thought consumed me. I became obsessed with the stone and spent hours casting the required spells upon it.

"The pain was becoming resistant to all but the strongest potions Grindelwald owned, and I now spent most of each day in bed. The evening of Emil's ritual neither he nor his master appeared in the dining room. I ate dinner alone and was about to return to my chambers when I was summoned.

"I stumbled down the steps to the dungeons. Emil was there, writhing in agony. Grindelwald told me that Emil was dying, that the ritual had failed. He told me that I could make Emil's death into something I needed, that I could use it to finish the stone."

"A Painstone," growled Moody.

"I knew it!" said Silas triumphantly. "I knew you had a Dark Artefact. My Dark Detectors informed me of its presence from the very first day you came to Hogwarts. They are of my own design, you see--"

"You murdered him," interrupted Moody, staring at Sarah.

She hesitated, looking pained. "Yes," she admitted finally. "I must admit that I wanted this stone very badly, and this was the only way to make it work. Emil was dying a horrible death that would have taken days. I released him from his torment and Grindelwald and I used it to set the last spell in place."

Molly was pale, and the expression on Arthur's face was uncertain. Severus felt unexpected compassion for Sarah; he, too, had made choices, dark choices.

"Soon I was able to control my pain," said Sarah. "I spent my time researching blood magic in the library. After working with the Painstone I began to see that I could bind spells in objects, and, even more importantly, I began to understand that I could keep those objects close to my blood, triggering hexes with their removal. It allowed me to layer spells in a way that was not normally possible. Grindelwald was intrigued. He surprised me by giving me my own workspace, and he began to teach me more advanced spells. He told me that he had kept an eye on me for many years, because my mother's side had once been Sanguimagi. After the most recent revision of his extensive chart of bloodlines, he realised that my father's side had once used blood magic as well. He wanted me to perform the ritual.

"I was hesitant, but the lure of it..." She paused and clenched her hands. "It was impossible to resist. Even after Emil...I thought, arrogantly, that his fate wouldn't be my fate. I began to prepare myself for the ritual.

"A few weeks before the ceremony, Grindelwald introduced me to a young man named William. I was surprised. There had been no one else at the manor house since Emil, after all, and I had just assumed that we would be alone. William also came from a line that had once produced Sanguimagi, and Grindelwald began to train him, exactly as he was training me.

"The night for the ritual came, and I stopped using the Painstone that morning. By evening I began to have misgivings; I was afraid. I could not forget the look on Emil's face as he--as I--" She brought a hand to her mouth suddenly, and was still.

"This ritual," said Silas, leaning forward, "what did it entail?"

She lowered her hand slowly. She looked even paler. "To put it succinctly, one's blood is...awakened in a rather complicated manner. One with sufficient blood magic will recover; one without, will not. Those who live through the ordeal will find that blood answers their call more readily, with greater control.

"While I was enduring the ceremony, Grindelwald brought William into the room, and it was then that I realised that William was meant to do to me what I had done to Emil if I did not recover.

"It was a very close thing. I was not a pureblood, after all. The bloodlines on both sides were weak, and there was no certainty that they would combine into enough to make me a Sanguimagus, though I didn't understand this at the time. Hours passed, and I was in agony. William put the knife to my throat three times, and three times Grindelwald stopped him because he was still uncertain. In the end, I lived, though several days passed before I could rise out of bed. I had become a Sanguimagus, though, and I found comfort in the thought.

"I began to research again. Grindelwald showed me his private library, filled with books on blood magic written by Sanguimagi. He was one of the last pureblood Sanguimagi in the world, and had spent most of his life attempting to find others. When he found a prospective candidate, he would invite him to the manor house. Sometimes those who studied Dark Magic would search him out as well.

"William died in his attempt to become a Sanguimagus, as did Ivan, Alejandro, and Sean. Fewer and fewer apprentices came to Das Herrenhaus as the months progressed.

"One night during dinner there was a terrible knocking at the door. I stood up to answer it, and Grindelwald looked troubled. He walked with me to the foyer and would not let me open the door; he did it himself, with his wand, which was troubling.

"On the doorstep was a man, or what had once been a man. He was vile to look upon. He said his name was--that he was the Dark Lord, and my heart turned to ice. Here was the man who had ordered my mother's death; here was the man who had indirectly caused my continual pain. Though Grindelwald tried to hide it, I could sense his fear."

"You-Know-Who?" gasped Minerva. "Why was he there?"

Severus could guess why, and it made him profoundly uneasy.

"He wished to be taught blood magic." Sarah was white-faced now. "He noticed me, and laughed, saying that I had chosen an excellent hiding place. I had the Painstone in my hand, and I think he could sense its presence, even though he said nothing of it.

"The Dark Lord wanted to know spells, Dark blood curses that I had never heard of, curses that would enslave or destroy his enemies. When Grindelwald refused to teach him, he became horribly angry. Had it been anywhere else, I think the Dark Lord would have quite easily obtained what he wanted from Grindelwald. However, it was Das Herrenhaus, the family home that had housed all Grindelwalds for hundreds of years, and it was protected by many arcane spells. The Dark Lord left, but not without a struggle."

Lupin set a goblet of water before her, and she murmured her thanks. Severus watched as she took a long sip.

"When was this?" asked Emmeline.

"I believe it was a few months before the Dark Lord attacked the Potters," said Sarah.

"What happened next?" asked Bill, clearly engrossed in her story.

Sarah paused. "I lived at Das Herrenhaus for several years..."

"You did to Ivan and the others exactly what you did to William," interrupted Moody grimly.

Sarah placed the goblet back on the table. "They would have died, regardless."

"And after Sean?" prodded Moody.

"There were more," she said reluctantly. "Until the last three years...he seemed to have run out of possible apprentices. There was only one during that time."

"Did you kill him as well?" asked Moody.

Sarah's face hardened for a moment, and Severus was surprised to see a flash of anger. "Yes, I killed her as well."

"Her?" Moody sneered. "What happened to her? Did she get between you and him?"

Sarah's hands clenched into fists. "In a way."

With a jolt, Severus suddenly realised what Moody was saying. Sarah had been in a relationship with Erich Grindelwald. The room was suddenly much too warm. "You loved him?" Severus blurted out before he could stop himself.

"I did," she said, turning to look at him. There was an almost apologetic look in her eyes.

"Exactly what happened?" Emmeline had a look of revulsion on her face.

"Her name was Mary," said Sarah. "She came to Das Herrenhaus of her own volition. It was very rare for him to take female apprentices; blood magic seems to flow strongest through men, you see. But she was so determined that he agreed.

"She wanted to learn Dark Magic. Anything and everything Erich would teach her. She quickly became enthralled with him and would not leave his side. She was outspoken and fierce, and in her capable hands Das Herrenhaus thrived; the Dark nature of the house embraced her. In the beginning, she spent her time restoring it to its early glory, and it was amazing to see the full majesty of the manor when she was finished.

"I admired her. But she was the catalyst for dark things...she made Erich dream dreams that he had long put aside. He was infected with the desire for power just like his uncle.

"Mary could never have been a Sanguimagus. He would not let her attempt the ritual because it would have been futile. But they did many things together, Dark things. They began to plan, in secret, how they would rise to power.

"They meant to start with me." She smiled bitterly. "Erich still loved me, in a way, but he had brought me to Das Herrenhaus to create a Painstone first and foremost. They are not easy to create and sustain, after all. A Painstone can have only one person as its source, and only that person can handle the Painstone peculiar to herself, and only that person can harness the power directly, whether by herself or upon the command of another. To have a wizard imprisoned, and torture the wizard each day to feed the Painstone...it has happened, but it's difficult to maintain, and if the wizard decides not to feed their pain into the stone, there isn't much else that can be done. When Erich heard of my plight, he knew that I would be perfect, that I could create a strong Painstone with my wounds.

"At first Mary did not want me to continue to live at Das Herrenhaus. I think that she changed her mind after Erich told her of my Painstone. They decided to keep me close, and use me to further their plans.

"I assumed that it was a temporary situation, much like the other apprentices. Mary was very clever, you see, but she was not a blood witch, and could not be. I kept to myself and bided my time, thinking that he would grow tired of her eventually.

"It was then that she discovered the Undying Devotion spell." She paused, taking a long, controlled breath.

"I've never heard of that," said Bill.

"It's a Dark spell," said Severus in horror. "A terribly Dark spell."

"It's a blood magic curse," said Sarah flatly. "There is a spell, cast with a wand, which renders the dead into a half-living thing; it gives the spell-caster control over them. The Dark Lord has used such a spell in the past.

"There is a blood magic spell that does the same, but with the living. It is very Dark indeed, for it puts one's soul in direct dominion over another's. It takes away every free thought and leaves the victim in its thrall. Undying Devotion is akin to the Imperius Curse, but far, far worse, as there is no chance of resisting it, and no chance of recovery, save the caster's death or recant. The victim is poisoned and then left for a length of time in the dark, after which he will rise, blind, pale, and mindless, implacable, completely controlled by his master. There were once stories of Salazar's white army, an army of victims of the curse, though they were greatly exaggerated. Administering the curse is extremely complicated, and only one victim can be kept by a Sanguimagus at a time. It was something only the most powerful of Sanguimagi would attempt.

"Once Mary discovered this curse, she became obsessed with it. She wouldn't rest until she had such a weapon."

"Surely she couldn't cast it," said Severus, his mouth dry.

"She could not, but Erich..." Sarah looked haunted. "I think Erich was reluctant when she first approached him. He still cared for me, and he hadn't found another Sanguimagus in years. Even though I was a poor Sanguimagus by his standards, I was still a Sanguimagus, and he was loathe to harm me. But she would not stop. Mary meant to have a throne, she would use me as she could or destroy me. She eventually convinced him to cast the spell upon me, saying that after their dominion was secured, he could always release me from it, and he finally agreed.

"I thought I knew what was coming. I thought I was prepared. I was wrong." She took in a shaky breath. "They waylaid me one evening, late, after my research had left me weakened. They brought me to the chamber in the dungeons that they had prepared. I was unable to move, but aware, and they began to drain my blood into a bowl, where they mixed it with...horrible things, scratching things, burning things, the blood of a basilisk, the blood of a jobberknoll, his blood, her blood..." Severus felt his insides crawl. Sarah's hands began to tremble, and she concealed them under the table. "He held his hand over my arm and began to force the...poisoned blood back into my veins. It felt..." She shook her head. "I won't describe it.

"When he was done, my own blood was searing me from within, and already my vision was blurring. They lifted me and placed me inside of a stone sarcophagus, and sealed it shut. The grinding noise that it made--I could not draw breath to scream, and it was dark, darker than..."

For a long moment, she sat, still and pale, looking more undone than he had ever seen. Severus had never imagined that she had gone through such a nightmarish ordeal, and his heart gave a painful squeeze.

"I don't know how much time passed," Sarah said softly. Severus saw in her eyes an utter blackness that was terrifying, a scalding pain of poisoned blood flowing through the body, a mind that feared it was going mad.

"How could...how did you escape?" asked Emmeline.

Sarah looked at her. "Eventually they unsealed it."

"And the curse?" asked Bill. "What happened?"

"She made a grave error," said Sarah quietly. "Erich's blood would give him control over me, and it was a necessary part of the spell. Mary added her own, thinking that it would give her control as well. But she wasn't a Sanguimagus, and her blood did nothing except dilute the mixture.

"They raised me up and Erich terminated his binding spell. They laid me back down on the lid of the sarcophagus. Mary was nearest, and though I was blind, I could hear her breathing. Erich would not approach me. I could feel him, standing there, and my mind felt as if it was leaking, as if all of my thoughts were slowly slipping away. Powerful compulsions were taking root, compulsions to be vacant, to be hollow...

"Mary came closer to me, until she was digging the tip of her wand into my cheek. She told Erich that she was quite satisfied with their work. She stood there for a moment, quiet, and then she said, 'I will mark her with my symbol.' Erich did not want to watch, and said he was going upstairs. She turned her attention to me, and said, 'You and I have much to do.' She sounded pleased. 'I'll send you into battle, and you'll scare them all...your white skin, your white eyes...Erich won't regret this anymore when he sees you, all dressed in white armor, a weapon Salazar would have been proud to own...' She said nothing for a long moment, but I could still hear her, and it seemed that my thoughts were ebbing and flowing with her every breath. She said, 'Well, that's decided, then,' and I felt a hot pain on my forehead.

"It seemed to pierce through my skull, and I knew with utter certainty that I only had a moment. I was still blind, but I reached out and grabbed her throat with both hands. There was a clatter as her wand fell to the floor. I was desperate. My body was on fire, my arms were shaking, my mind felt as if it was splitting in two, but I knew that I could not let go, not unless I wanted to be--marked, and vacant, and her tool of war..." She shuddered and was quiet for a long moment. "It seemed to go on forever. She was kicking and flailing, and she pulled me to the floor, but in the end..." She released a shaky breath. "Erich found us both later, and I heard him weeping for her. It was hard to form a coherent thought, much less speak, and I heard his footsteps on the stairs as he carried her away.

"For some time I lay on the floor, until I decided that I had to find him. I crawled up the stairs by feel, but once I reached the main floor I was lost. It was a large house, with many rooms, and I was blind, and confused.

"Time passed, and then I felt his hands upon me, and there was a horrible feeling in my heart and my head, and the poison began to leak from my skin, burning and scalding, and I lay on the floor and screamed until I was unconscious.

"He had lifted the curse, but things could not be the same between us. He would not let go of the visions that she had awakened in him. He missed her terribly. I missed her, too, in some strange way. She had been the heart of the house during her short stay, and now that she was gone, it seemed like a broken, hollow place."

"After what she did?" said Emmeline in disbelief.

"She was young, and ambitious," said Sarah. "She craved power, like many do. But she was...alive in many ways that we weren't..." Sarah took a sip of water. "Erich retreated into himself, and I worked on my own research more than ever. I imbued three objects with three powerful spells and hid them in my flesh, should he attempt to attack me once more.

"They were unnecessary, as it turned out. I interrupted him one evening in his private workspace, something I only did rarely. We spoke, but as we did, his eyes strayed to the shelves where he kept some of his components. I noticed a flask of basilisk's blood. It has only one purpose in blood magic, and I was suddenly afraid.

"I think that he...purposely allowed Mary to add her blood to the spell. I think, in his heart, he did not want to subject me to the curse, and was afraid to tell her. But after I killed her...something in him changed, and it was at that moment, standing in his workspace, that I understood. The next time he performed the spell there would be no diluting of the blood. I think that he felt he would be honouring her somehow, that achieving their shared dream would be a fitting memorial to her.

"I knew then that he was infected beyond help, that the desire for power was too strong. It would only be a matter of time before I would be his slave completely. I drew my wand, but he easily disarmed me. I drew my knife, but when it touched his skin, it melted into uselessness, which I should have foreseen, as it had been a gift from him.

"I tried attacking him physically. He knocked me across the room. I called him a deceiver...a betrayer. He looked troubled. He said, 'I haven't lied to you.'. I told him that he had brought me here only to be a pawn in his plans.

"'Yes, at first,' he said. 'But then there was more between us, more than I expected.' I told him that made it worse. He was holding both wands, and there was a look of regret on his face. He said, 'I will make you powerful. I will make you into a true weapon, one that will make my enemies tremble.'

"I told him that he did not have enemies, that he had Das Herrenhaus, and that he had me as well, and he needed nothing more. At this he became angry. He shouted that he was meant for more than to slowly decay in this horrible house. He cast something, and I only barely ducked in time. I looked around frantically, but there was nothing within reach. The Painstone..." She took a deep breath. "I had sworn a vow that I would never use it against him, but I did. I used the Painstone, and he cried out and fell, dropping the wands in the process. He began to say terrible things, horrible things, what he would do to me now that I had shown him who I really was. I took his knife from the table and pressed it against his throat.

"For a moment he was furious, and then it all seemed to drain away. He begged me to spare his life. He said I would have a weapon for so long, until the Painstone was exhausted, and then he would have lifted the curse. He said...many things." She blinked a few times.

"You killed him," said Moody matter-of-factly.

"Yes," she said, near-inaudibly.

"The spells on Das Herrenhaus failed." Moody was watching her closely.

"Yes," she said quietly. "With his death, the Grindelwald line ended, and Das Herrenhaus was no longer Unplottable. There were Aurors--I didn't know what to do, but I didn't want to be found. I had no idea what would happen. I hadn't left the house in many years, and I was afraid I would be taken to Azkaban.

"They arrived so quickly that I had no time to gather anything. I heard the front doors explode into splinters not an hour after his death. I took my wand and his knife, and left the house, hiding nearby and watching as they burned Das Herrenhaus. The blood magic books...the artefacts...they destroyed everything. The Aurors were older men, led by Moody, and I began to understand that they had been waiting for this, waiting ever since Erich's uncle had been destroyed. They were waiting for Das Herrenhaus to show itself to them. They might not have been acting under the Ministry's orders; I don't know. Blood magic was being wiped from our world.

"I hid, but it became apparent that I had to leave. I couldn't Apparate; I was afraid of drawing their attention, and I was afraid that they could trace my Apparition. I crept away through the woods. The fires from the house lit up the night and for a while I could see where I was going.

"Afterward, I hid myself as well as I was able. I travelled, and hid and rested when I could. Walking this way, I eventually came to the border, and crossed into Poland."

To be continued