The Beginnings of the New Future((Ruby))

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

The dark brown liquid swirled easily within the glass as Pyro tilted his fingers, shifting the angle of the glass so that the light reflected off the swirling liquid. Running an entire families fortune and business ventures was a tiring chore, but it did have its sweet rewards. Power, respect, and some of the finest quality Firewhiskey one could get their hands on. Pyro usually wasn’t much of a drinker, he had seen what the stuff turned his father into, and there was no way he wanted to become that, but occasionally a leisurely drink was something he could get used to. He sighed and downed the last of the glass as he glanced once more at the post in front of him.

It was from Ruby Lehane, and it merely stated that she would be coming to have an audience with him tonight. Pyro didn’t have to rack his brains hard to figure out why either. Their talk in Hogsmeade had been a rather interesting and stimulating conversation. Pyro had quite enjoyed himself in that little game, even though Ruby had managed to end things on her terms, but giving Pyro a deadline in which to make a decision and then walking away, Pyro found that he was not mad at being beaten that time. Well the deadline had come to a close and it was time for Pyro to make his decision. Ruby had been careful to not give him specifics as to what she was planning, but he was able to gather enough of its meaning to know in what direction this was going to go.

Pyro had already made his decision not more than an hour after their conversation, but Pyro wasn’t going to seem eager by running to Ruby’s side and offering his allegiance, no way. Ruby came to him, Ruby asked for his involvement. She had approached him, She needed him much more than he needed her, that much was obvious to him. So Pyro had allowed the deadline to simply pass, Ruby wanted him, she would have to work to get him. Pyro would join Ruby’s cause, her plan, but he had few little details that needed to discuss with her before Pyro threw his resources into her pool. Pyro wasn’t simply won over by the promise of little trinkets, and if he didn’t get what he desired from this encounter, well than Ruby would just have to suffer without his help.

Pyro pulled out his wand and with a simple wave cleared the table of the Firewhiskey and replaced it with a finer wine. Whiskey wasn’t exactly appropriate for meetings such as these, and it was almost time for Ruby to arrive. Another wave brought forth two glasses with he merely set aside, no sooner had he done this than a House elf apperated into the study. “Master Blackfire. A Miss Ruby Lehane has arrived.” Pyro leaned back in his chair, waving his hand at the elf. “Well, show her in.” With a quick bow the elf apperated away once again and Pyro sat easily within his chair and waited for his study’s doors to open and give entrance to the one and only Ruby Lehane.

[Ruby Lehane]

The meeting was set, the time was now. There was so much to discuss, so much to find out. There time was limited and their need was great. Ruby Lehane stood on the path that led to the door of the Blackfire home. Arms were crossed over her chest, long blonde hair whipping about in the cool wind, blue orbs locked on the door. She was dressed simply, but business like, her frame holding itself in an upright, prestigious manner. Ruby had come alone that night, Wynd was not her partner in this, sure he knew the deal that she had extended out to Pyro, but what Wynd did not know was how far she was willing to go to get Pyro on their team. He was a great asset; his powerful stature in the wizarding community would be beneficial in more ways than one.

Ruby felt the corner of her lips turn up, the smirk coming on quickly as she moved up the walk way. Memories of their last encounter reminded her of some deep-seated emotions, emotions that Wynd would more than likely be curious about later if she were to reveal them now, but she would not. She would wait until the ideal moment before her feelings about Pyro were known. After her last fiasco she was more than inclined to keep her feelings to herself. That being said Ruby let the smirk play across her face as she found herself at the entrance to his home. No sooner had she raised her hand to the door had it opened and a house elf appeared at the door. Such useless creatures for the most part, but at least they could make it to the door on time to answer it, no doubt from the swift punishments that the Blackfire’s handed out to keep them in line.

“Tell Master Blackfire that Ruby Lehane has arrived,” Ruby said with a wave of her hand at the questioning house elf. She knew Pyro was already waiting for her, his business like attitude was hard to miss and she knew without a doubt that he’d been prepared for it since he received her owl earlier that day. So Ruby let that smirk widen as the house elf disappeared and then returned not long after. While it was gone, she found her attention focusing in on the little bits and pieces of flare that decorated the Blackfire home. It was definitely a pureblood home, one that didn’t stretch too far from her own home.

The moment the house elf returned Ruby was escorted into the room where Pyro waited. The smile still prominent on her face as her arms unfolded from her chest and she moved to stand before him. “Pyro Blackfire,” Ruby said with a cool, calm, and collected voice. She waited for the doors to the study to close before she spoke again. “I am pleased you accepted my invitation for this meeting on such short notice. My brother and I have come to a turning point and we are in need of your response to our previous offer, that is of course if you are still up for a challenge.”

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro’s fingers tips touched lightly as he studied the door, mentally trying to time the exact time it would take for Ruby to travel the Manor and reach this room. As in most of his calculations, he was correct. Almost as if he gave the doors a mental command they swung open and in stepped Ruby Lehane. As always Ruby was a stunning picture of beauty and elegance. She carried herself with an aura of power that was quite rare in this day and age, this impressed Pyro a great deal. Pyro stood as Ruby entered and dipped into a short bow at her simple greeting. She paused for a moment and Pyro realized it was because she was waiting for the study doors to be fully closed. Pyro leaned to the side, glancing around Ruby’s body and glaring at the House Elfs by the door.

They hastily shut the door, as an added precaution Pyro pulled out his wand and aimed it at the door, activating a few built-in locks and defenses against wondering ears. Pyro motioned to the chair across from him and did not sit back down in his own until Ruby had taken a seat. With another wave of his wand the bottle of wine began to pour itself into the two wine glasses, Pyro took the two glasses and offered one to Ruby. “Wine?” Now that most of the formalities were taken care of it was time to move on to business. Pyro took a sip of wine as he listened carefully to Ruby. There really wasn’t much that she could see in the opening parts of the meeting that would surprise him, he knew full well why she was here, and the short notice of this meeting could only mean that a new urgency had come into play.

Once Ruby’s introduction of business had finished Pyro allowed a short lapse of silence to fall between the two. Pyro stared at the wine glass in his hand during this silence, slowly swirling it within its glass much the same way as he had down with the Firewhiskey not too long ago. Pyro slowly turned his gaze to meet Ruby’s blue orbs. “I think you’ll find Miss Lehane, that I am always up for a challenge, but there is a subtle difference to a challenge and a full fledged slaughter.” Pyro took another sip of wine and then set the glass down on the desk in front of him.

“Although you didn’t give me specific details about this offer, I could guess at its meaning, and my guess will probably be quite close to the truth. I can only imagine that you and Wynd will be the spearhead of this….” Pyro paused as he searched for the correct term to use. “Movement.” That seemed to be the best he could. “If my guess about your offer is correct, than I am greatly intrigued and interested.” He paused once again, allowing his words to sink into her. “I will join you, but, I have a few conditions of my own that I wish to instate.” Pyro’s gaze once again locked with Ruby’s.

“I am nobody’s servant, or lackey. I wish to be an equal partner. I will give you full access to my resources, as long as I receive equal access to yours. I will not be just a simple hired grunt who is simply pointed in a direction and ordered around. If I am to join than I wish to be fully involved in any planning procedures and I have has much power in decision making as either you or Wynd.” Pyro fell silent, he had spoken his terms. He eyed Ruby for a moment, trying to gauge her emotions about his terms. He picked up his wine glass once again and held it out to her. Would she accept and clink glasses with him? Would she attempt to haggle on his terms? Or would she simply deny his terms and walk out? Pyro waited calmly and silently, turning the floor over to her with a simple, “So, do we have a deal?”

[Ruby Lehane]

At Pyro’s short bow, Ruby simply inclined her head. Her body moved gracefully to the chair Pyro motioned to. Form sat down, one leg crossing over the top of the other, hands resting on her knees until the glass of wine was presented to her. There was no need in resisting the wine as the liquid swished around in the glass when her hand wrapped around the glass and brought it closer to her. Ruby couldn’t help being impressed by the presence Pyro eluded. He was definitely the man for the job, but would he consider being part of the movement? Ruby didn’t think he would say no, but she was not sure, Pyro had many plans of his own, ideas that could make or break the Lehanes, but there was also so much more mystery to the man sitting before her. In some cases mystery was encouraged, but in this one…when the Lehanes would rely so heavily on the trust in one man…mystery was not a good thing.

Silence settled between them and Ruby gave no indication of being offended by the time it was taking him to answer it. Truth be told, Ruby quite enjoyed the fact that Pyro had not made up his decision, or was drawing his answer out just to play with her. Fact was she didn’t know for sure and therefore would remain silent until Pyro found the moment in which to give his answer. She trusted he would make the right decision, the one that would be helpful to both of them.

When he finally spoke, his eyes met hers. Her brow lifted softly at the use of the term ‘slaughter’. There would be a slaughter yes, but to openly use such a term was quite disheartening to Ruby. Her face held the rigid look she had walked in with, not changing the expression until she felt it was necessary. Could it be that Pyro really did have no intention to join them after all? Wynd would be disappointed in their Slytherin brethren and not only that but they’d now have to make sure Pyro would indeed keep his mouth shut, and there was only one sure way of making sure of that. It was quite a pity if it did come to that, there was far too much good Pyro could be doing for their cause.

The thought stopped abruptly at Pyro’s admittance to being intrigued by their offer. There was a pause and Ruby’s rigid look, softened, that being the only response to his words so far as she let him speak him mind, to offer the terms that she did not doubt she would hear from him. However, his terms were far beyond what Ruby and Wynd had wanted. An active partnership had been expected, but to be equal to they had not been expected. It seemed this Blackfire had more spirit than Ruby and Wynd could have guessed. And they thought that Logton girl was the Blackfire with the most spirit… Ruby watched his movements carefully as he held his wine glass out to her. She, however, merely leaned forward, her glass held not far from Pyro’s. “Your terms are quite…impressive to say the least. You want an active partnership and that we can give you, but the want to be a full-fledged equal will not be what you expect. Wynd and I will be running this outfit; we have no intention of making you a servant or a lackey of any kind. However we cannot give you full power. You are free to be part of all planning procedures as we see fit and even give your opinion, but my brother and I will make the decisions. In other words, my brother and I are willing to accept your terms save for your need to have absolute power,” Ruby said her words carefully. She had no intention of denying Pyro what he rightfully sought out, but she could not in good character allow him absolute power. This plan had been formed and thought out by the Lehane twins; Pyro’s want to obtain the sort of power he was asking for was not going to happen.

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro nearly couldn’t hold back the smile as Ruby decided to go with the haggle route. Unknown to Ruby Pyro’s respect for her had just grown exponentially. She stuck her to believes, no matter how badly she needed to win over someone, this was clearly the type of person Pyro wouldn’t mind following orders from, to a certain extent. Still, although Pyro had exaggerated his terms a slight deal to see how far Ruby would go, there was still an undertone to them that he required before he joined their cause. Ruby had already agreed to his most prominent terms, Pyro refused to be a servant to any man, or woman, and Pyro would never go through with a plan unless he knew every aspect, every detail of that plan, people kept in the dark during an operation were usually considered fodder.

Pyro had assured that he would not be kept in the dark in any aspect by being allowed in the planning aspect. There was only one other part he needed before he jumped into Ruby’s boat. One of the greatest failings of any ruler or lord was that they never cared for others opinions; they felt their plans to be perfect and undefeatable, only to be brought down by a simple mistake that many others had noticed immediately. Pyro would not go through with any plan if he saw a mistake in it. Pyro had asked for equal power as Ruby and Wynd merely so that he could get his voice heard and counted if he ever saw a flaw in the plan that Ruby and Wynd were too ambitious to notice. Pyro’s eyes twinkled with excitement, he didn’t need absolute power, and there were many, many ways to skin a cat.

Ruby would not grant him the equal power, and that was fine, Pyro didn’t need it. He had no wish to be the poster boy of this movement, or start a triumvirate ruling. Ruby and Wynd had the courage to start this movement; they were the ones with the highest vendetta against the ministry. Pyro would do his part to see them through their plans, but if things turned out wrong, it would be Ruby and Wynd that would burn, not Pyro. Though Pyro would simply hate to lose as marvelous a woman as Ruby Lehane, he would not let emotion drive him to ruin, or so he believed. Pyro realized that the silence had grown quite long as he quietly contemplated, and silently congratulated, Ruby’s excellent maneuvers. The pose the two had entered was still in effect, Pyro holding his glass out, and Ruby leaning forward, her glass just inches from his.

Pyro allowed a thin smile to spread across his lips. Although he had been holding his wine glass slightly elevated for a while now, his arm was not tired and it did not waver in the least. “Forgive me. It seems that in the heat of the moment I didn’t quite clarify my terms well enough. I did not mean to install what is known as a triumvirate into your movement. You and Wynd may remain alone at the top as duet, all I ask is that my opinion in matters will be truly counted .” Pyro’s smile slowly drifted away back into his calm business face. “I have a lot of experience, both personal and both learned from outside sources, about the drunkenness that power can grant. My own father, when he built this company had close group of advisors whose opinion he valued at all cost. As the years grew, and so did his power, he began to disregard the advisors more and more until eventually….” Pyro waved his free hand to indicate this very room. “He was murdered, in this very room.”
Pyro allowed another short moment of silence before speaking again. His voice dropped an octave, yet still remained within that calm and deadly business like tone. “I will not move ahead with flawed plans. Flawed plans ruin people and get people killed. If I ever spot a flaw or mistake in one of your plans and my opinion gets shut down merely because I did not have an equal share of the power as you or Wynd. Then I am gone, I will withdraw all of my resources and you will have lost an alley that would have crossed any line to see your movement to victory.” Pyro’s voice returned back into the complete businessman voice. “As long as my opinion well always count and be considered, than you will have found yourself a valuable alley.”

[Ruby Lehane]

Ruby waited in silence. Her expression held no aspect of the fear she had in Pyro’s rejection, but she had faith that Pyro would join their cause. He was interested, even if he didn’t show it, Ruby could tell. Besides there was no way he couldn’t be interested. There had been rumors of a group…of pureblood elitists. Most people thought this group had been just a Slytherin myth, but a few others had heard the rumor that Pyro Blackfire had been involved in this group, this chosen elitist group. It had been something that had caught Ruby’s attention since she had first heard the rumors of this group. So she was more than sure that Pyro would be interested in something that had more promise, assuming of course that the rumors were true and weren’t grounded in mythology

The silence stretched a few more moments Ruby never leaving from her position, her glass mere inches from Pyro’s. Wynd had been clear about what he wanted to see come of this meeting and both of them were agreed on that matter. Pyro would join with them and they would meet his demands, because as much as the Lehane’s wanted to admit they had everything thought out that was far from the truth of the matter. They were still in need of the ideas and opinions that one more party member would bestow upon them, especially Pyro whose rank among purebloods was renown. The Blackfire name would get the Lehane’s far and truth be told Ruby knew that Pyro, himself, was a greater aspect than anyone else could be.

As Pyro began to explain himself, Ruby felt a soft tug at her lips. She knew at that moment that Pyro was going to join with them…that he had every intention of doing so. This made things a might easier on her. She knew she would be walking away the victor and that put her in a very good mood. There was just this matter of his opinion to deal with. Not that it needed dealing with per say…just defined. She listened to him, her ears straining to pick up any slight shift or vibration in his voice that would give away other intentions than the ones he was laying out on the table. If there was one thing Ruby didn’t want it was to be made a fool of.

It was Ruby’s turn to smirk, her form leaning forward just a bit more than before as she found Pyro’s eyes, her icy blue orbs holding his for a minute. “Your opinion will never go unnoticed nor will it be shot down because of lack of equality. You will have equal say in the goings on, just so long as you understand that Wynd and I are leading this movement then we are in agreement with your wants,” Ruby said as she raised her glass close enough to his that a slight movement would hit them together, but Ruby did not make that movement. Instead her voice dropped to the same deadly tone that Pyro had just used. “Let me make one thing clear however…if Wynd or myself feel threatened in any way by you…or feel you have a deeper plan in mind neither one of us will hesitate to let you meet your father.” It was all Ruby had to say as her hand moved enough to clink the glasses together, the sound reverberating around the room.

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro sat calmly, studying Ruby closely. He wasn’t worried, he didn’t particularly have anything to loose in this arrangement. If Ruby was to deny him at this moment and simply walk out, Pyro would still be exactly where he was now, at the ever climbing pinnacle of his power. Currently, Pyro had no hidden agendas. He had his business ventures, he also had his secret projects, Pyro was in the position to bring about change if he wanted though. He was perched on the precipice of balance, he could manipulate behind the scenes quite easily at his current status. The Lehane twins were the ones with an agenda, for them the current rate of change was taking too long. Pyro held no doubts that their current desires were parallel with his own, only they did not have the patience to wait the many, many years that Pyro’s method would take. If Ruby walked out now and denied him, it was she that would be hurting her own cause.

Pyro waited patiently as Ruby digested his words. He had all the time in the world, her offer had him interested and he greatly wished to be a part of the movement, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world for him if he wasn’t. Perhaps Ruby had no idea the precarious position she was in at this moment. If she said no to Pyro’s offer, not only would be she be hurting her own cause, but she would be creating her worst enemy also. Pyro’s network was deep and vast, a denial might insult him enough to bring his full power against the Lehane twins. He may not know their exact plans, but if he devoted his time and energies to it, he could become a very serious problem for the twins, and if he helped the Ministry uproot and thwart the twins it would only elevate his own position and give him more power. Even Pyro himself was a formidable opponent. He was an above average wizard, not great in the terms of skills such as Voldemort and Dumbledore, but he was not push over. Pyro also had his physical skills, skills that rarely any wizard ever worked on, giving him a slight edge. Even if the Lehanes managed to get past Pyro’s network to strike at him directly, he would not be an easy target to get rid of.

It all hinged on Ruby’s next words, would she accept or walk away? Not even Pyro could hide his smile as Ruby spoke her next words. There it was, she had agreed to his terms and had also passed his little tests. Ruby had proven to Pyro that she was motivated to her cause and would stick with it, despite the consequences and sacrifices. Pyro let the threat wash over him, if anyone but Ruby had said those words they would find themselves crossing the board between the living world and the dead. Pyro understood where her threat had come from, besides, he had practically given his own threat not minutes ago, Ruby was entitled to hers. The clinking of their glasses was one of the most complete and inspiring sounds. To what height of power could these two families climb? Pyro slowly brought his glass back and took a sip of the wine after a quick salute to Ruby and her decision. He leaned back in his chair, setting down the glass on the desk. “Deeper plan?” Pyro grinned in amusement. “I’m sure that your plans will run as deep as deep can get. The only way I could deepen those plans is to plan an internal coupe to remove you. In which I would be facing a 2 on 1 battle, hardly the odds I would enjoy entering a battle on.”

Pyro shook the thought away. “But enough talk of hidden plans and coupes. I’m sure we have a lot more pressing issues to discuss.” Pyro sighed and pulled out a small gold coin and began to walk it along his knuckles. It was a simple hand exercise, but lately Pyro found that it helped focus his thoughts. “So far I haven’t heard any specifics, though I’m sure my guesses won’t be far from the point. So, I’d like to know exactly what it is this movement is all about.”

[Ruby Lehane]

The clinking of the glasses curled the corners of her full lips up into a smile…the same knowing smile that seemed to be on Pyro’s lips. This is what her brother and her had been waiting for. This would mark the beginning of their movement, the day that all parties joined together. Form leaned back to her beginning position as she brought the glass to her lips, the liquid cool and yet warming as it slipped between her lips and down her throat. Blue orbs watched Pyro as the glass was brought down, hand moving in circles to swish the liquid around in the glass. The sound of the clinking glasses was still in her mind and she knew that Wynd could feel the satisfaction radiating between that twin bond they had. He would know immediately that Pyro had accepted and that they were now one step closer to completing their mission.

Ruby tilted her head slightly at Pyro’s amusement about having a deeper plan. Most people who even joked about having one was met with stark distrust from Ruby, but Pyro…a part of her knew that there was no questioning his motives now. He had agreed and he did have a point. Wynd and her was a pair not to be trifled with and Pyro must have noticed that, for he, himself, admitted to not wanting to take on the odds of a 2 to 1 battle. Ruby was impressed by Pyro’s words…he knew what to say, was very quick and had an air of intelligence within his speech alone that gave him charisma. Indeed the world was soon to fear the trio that had now become united. However things needed to first be discussed before Ruby’s mind ran away with itself.

Ruby’s eyes flitted around the room briefly at his request to hear about the movement. “I trust that you’ve fixed this room to keep the secrets mentioned here correct?” Ruby asked simply as she placed her glass on the stand, her leg coming up to uncross itself. Her brow quirked up at him as she awaited his answer. As soon as it came the smirk returned to her features and she nodded her head. “What have you guessed about our movement? I will tell you if you are correct or not. I’m sure however that you will guess correctly and then we will get into details of what will happen over the next few years.” Ruby flicked her fingers over her knee in a rhythmic pattern as she waited to see what Pyro’s ideas were on this movement and what part he believed Wynd and Ruby would be playing.

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

The deal was done, the alliance had been set. Both parties had agreed upon certain terms and now they were both obligated to hold up their part of the bargains. Pyro studied the beautiful blue eyed woman before him. She had installed the largest amount of respect in him than any person had ever achieved, and she had done it in record time. As he studied her and replayed their few past experiences together, Pyro realized that there was a deeper emotion under his skin than just respect for her. Pyro hardly dwelled on it and quickly shoved it aside, this was a business meeting, and there could be plenty of time to explore his emotions throughout the course of the next few weeks. Instead his mind dwelled on the last five minutes. Now that the terms had been set he would have to pay even more special attention to his actions around either of the Lehane twins, just as they had to do around him.

As Pyro thought about the terms they had set a certain one stuck out in his mind. Ruby had stated that if they ever got wind that Pyro had a deeper agenda, they would remove him. His mind toyed with that for a second, was there even enough room in this to create a deeper agenda? If there was it wasn’t making itself apparent to him. Pyro hadn’t been joking about the coupe either, Pyro was skilled and he could do some damage, but a 2 on 1 battle was highly disadvantageous to him. Though that didn’t mean that Pyro would back down from one if it came to that option. As he continued to study the woman before him he knew that it would never come to that. They were of like mind, both working towards the same goal, the same outcome; Pyro had no reason to plot against her, just like she had no reason to plot against him.

He couldn’t help but grin as she questioned the security of the study. This was his place of business, and many of his business operations were performed under the table or outside of the Ministries laws. In fact Pyro even had a few Ministry officials’ hands in some of his pies. Before him this had been his father’s place of business also. This study had held more secrets than anything in the world, two generations of Blackfire had used this place for the majority of its secret keeping. This study had even seen the death of one of those generations at the hand of the other. “Of Course. Rest assured I have spared no expense to keep the security of my place of business at its highest. Only the house elves could penetrate this room, and as we both know they are sworn to hold the secrets of the family they serve.”

Pyro leaned back and prepared for the most important part of this transaction. Laying aside all the curtains and fully exposing the plans. It was with great difficulty that me managed to keep the surprise out of his face when Ruby unexpectedly flipped the tables on him. She was clever and slippery, a dangerous vixen, Pyro found his respect for her rising. Ever since their meeting in Hogsmeade Pyro had kept tabs on the Lehane family, using his contacts to make inquiries. He had learned a few details about the family. Now though he was being forced to reveal his hand, and if he tried to withheld information to try and catch Ruby in a lie, she would be able to turn that lie right back around, since he had withheld information he was clearly plotting something and not keeping to his bargain of fair exchange. He grinned and silently saluted Ruby’s clever move.

Pyro leaned back and organized his thoughts. He hadn’t managed to get a hold of a lot of hard facts, but he could speculate quite well. Ruby and Wynd had a much larger grudge against Muggles than anyone else. Pyro may despise the creatures and the freedoms that the Ministry gave them, but they hadn’t caused his family any grief. “If I had to guess I would say it will be a reformation of the Ministries laws. The Ministry has become a bit muggle loving, and many don’t agree with that. Although whereas I chose to play the system, I believe you are going to move forward with something a little more….” He searched for the words. “Straight forward.” He chuckled a little, “Perhaps get some revenge on some particular jurors on the way?”

[Ruby Lehane]

“Not all house elves can be trusted,” Ruby said, her tone straight forward and serious, but she did not say anything else on the matter. It was just a simple observation that she had made over time. It was true though, some house elves found more of a conscience than others did and some were masochistic enough to accept the pain that came from their own punishments. She had seen it before and wasn’t thrilled to see it again. So she trusted that Pyro knew how to control his house elves enough to keep them in line. The last thing she needed was to have Wynd and her plans foiled before they even began. It was a sure fire way for her to go on a rampage against muggles and wizards alike. They couldn’t afford to burn their bridges now…not when things were so close to beginning and they were. This was the beginning of the rest of their lives.

Ruby’s thin smile, pulled up as Pyro began to speak. She should have known that her plans would be somewhat obvious to someone such as Pyro Blackfire. His influence ran deep in those he did business with and Ruby was sure she’d come across one of his associates before, she was more than sure of that. Her leg crossed over the other leg once again as she waited for him to finish, his last sentence ending in a question as if he needed confirmation. However, Ruby was sure he did not need a nod from her to know that he was right. Her hand slipped into her pocket at that time, the piece of parchment had been worn and torn a little more than was probably necessary over the last few months. She leaned forward and handed the paper to Pyro, his name was scrawled across the parchment in a messy, hasty scroll.

The smile on her face grew into a smirk as she picked up her glass again and took a drink. “I am assuming you do not need my confirmation on your assumptions of our plans. You are a smart man, I am sure you knew you were correct. However, before I go into details on the movement I have one more question for you. Now, I take it you are curious as to why your name is scrolled on this piece of parchment?” Ruby asked rhetorically as she placed the glass back down on the table beside her. Her hands came together, fingers lightly tapping against each other as she looked at him over them. “It seems you are in possession of something I have been looking for. Something that I…correction we need for this movement against the ministry. The man who scrawled your name on that piece of parchment would not lie to me. So, dear Pyro, my question to you…do you have the book I’m looking for? The book that is absolutely necessary for our plans?” Ruby waited, her hands continuing their relentless tapping, but for all other purposes her body was taut with tension.

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro decided not to comment on her feelings about house elves. The Blackfire elves had been in the family for a long time, there were secrets about his own father that some of the elves wouldn’t even tell him. They were loyal, and there were many spells in effect to stop them if they ever decided to get treacherous with the Blackfire secrets. It would be pointless to get into an argument over the pitiful creatures at this point in their relationship. Instead he launched into his little spiel, bringing forth all the information that he had found and guessed about Ruby’s plans. Once Pyro was done he looked at Ruby expectantly, waiting for confirmation of some sort. Would Ruby be surprised at what he had guessed or would she have already come to the same conclusions. Pyro was anxious though to hear the specifics involved, he knew that Ruby and Wynd had wanted him on their team, but he didn’t know why yet, and that he intended to find out.

Ruby pulled out a small slip of parchment and Pyro regarded it as she passed it across the table to him. The slip was small; barely large enough to write some ones name onto it, there was no way that her plan would be on this small slip. Pyro flipped it over and read his name on the slip, many things happened at the site of his own name on that piece of parchment. Confusion was the first and primary emotion that ran through him. Following that was caution, why was his name on this slip and why was Ruby in possession of it. Pyro had done enough under the table dealings to recognize a lead when he saw one. Was Ruby doing research on him before she had approached him? His eyes narrowed slightly, why would she be revealing this to him now. Pyro lifted his eyes from the parchment and locked gazes with Ruby and was about to ask the question but she beat him to the punch.

He eyed her and knew it was pointless to confirm her rhetorical question, he simply leaned back, the note still clutched in his hand and waited for her to get to the point. Suddenly she spoke the words and a huge stone dropped from Pyro’s heart into the pit of his stomach. Un-knowingly the hand holding the slip slowly crunched it into a ball as his mind traced back over the book that was still in his possession. That damn book was popping up in his life no matter how many times Pyro tried to lock it away. For an artifact of a secret society, a ton of people seemed to know about the thing. Pyro’s eyes played calmly over Ruby’s figure as he took a breath. It all started to make sense to him now, the urgency, the absolute need to have Pyro in on this movement. Ruby wanted her hands on the book, Pyro couldn’t help but smirk. He could lie, make up some sort of story about taking it somewhere else, but those kinds of lies would be easy to see through.

Another thought struck him, was the book the only thing Ruby wanted from him? It was indeed a powerful artifact, but would she really have given him as much leeway within the movement for just the book, she simply could have tried to trade for it if that were the case. There was no point in trying to hide the fact, he knew the book could help them, he had attempted to read the book a few years ago when he first acquired it and had managed to defeat a few of its pages, turning them into just ordinary book pages, but a great majority of the book was still fighting back. He noticed that Ruby had stopped talking and there had been a moment of silence, it was his turn to speak again. “Yes.” He answered simply. “I still have the book. Though I warn you, only the enchantment on the first few pages has been broken and can be read. A great majority of the pages will still fight back and try and destroy you.” Pyro rolled the ball of parchment around in his fingers lightly as he continue to look into Ruby’s eyes. “It is not a book to be taken lightly, but if you’re sure.” Pyro shrugged. “We can pick it up right now if you care to?”

[Ruby Lehane]

Ruby was waiting on pins and needles for Pyro’s answer. She wasn’t sure if he had it…in fact she could really careless if he did or not. This was a test…her ultimate test for Pyro. This would tell her everything she wanted to know…tell her everything about Pyro’s character and the loyalty he would have. It was important for her and Wynd to know how far he would go for them, what secrets he would divulge to them. It was required of Ruby to test him; Wynd and her had discussed it long ago. With an ally as strong as a Blackfire they had to be sure he would follow them, would trust them, so they could trust him in return.

Do you hear that brother? He still has the book…we aren’t that far from achieving our goals as I assumed we were and we’ve gained an ally of high importance. Our luck is running strong, Ruby thought to herself as the smile curled her lips upward even more. Everything was going perfect. Pyro had agreed to join them and he had passed their first test. He was loyal to their cause and that was all that mattered right then. Loyalty…to her and Wynd. It was something she really hadn’t seen coming. Sure she had hoped he would trust them, would truly join their side, but she would be lying if she hadn’t thought that he would lie to her, to keep secret one of the most important objects he owned. In fact, if she were in his position she probably wouldn’t have told him. The book was an important commodity, one she wasn’t even sure about. She had been going out on a limb trying to find it…this nonexistent book. The rumors and hints of it from other books had led her to search for it, she had no idea the book would lead her here.

Ruby’s hands dropped back to her lap as she nodded her head. “I would most desire a chance to gaze at the pages you have unlocked, but I will not be taking it. I trust you will continue to keep it safe and out of the hands of those that would try to stop us. You have every right to keep what is yours,” Ruby said as her hand motioned out and around, indicating the room and everything inside it. “I would like to help break the enchantments however, my brother would like to as well I am certain. So if we can arrange a time to be able to do so it would be time well spent I imagine. With that being said if you would be so kind as to let me see the book for a few moments I will then divulge to you all the information and plans regarding our movement.” Words were, as always, carefully sought out as Ruby’s hands came back together. There was no doubt in her mind now, they could trust Pyro…though it seemed she always had. There was something about him that made her want to even when they had first begun talking. A part of her had seized upon the opportunity to confront him again and that familiar want and need ran deep in her…deeper than it really should have. Keep hold of your emotions Ruby…don’t need to be getting yourself into trouble, she chided herself as she flipped the switch on those emotions, keeping them in the dark where they belonged as the silence fell around the two.

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro nodded at Ruby’s words, he was glad that he wouldn’t have to verbalize that request himself. That book had brought Pyro through hell, there was no way he was going to simply hand it off, if anyone wanted the book, they would have to deal with him holding it. Pyro waited until she finished speaking and allowed a short moment of silence to fall between them as he digested her words. Soon he nodded and stood up, “Follow me.” He stated simply and began to walk. Pyro lead the way as he opened the study and began to head toward the lower levels of the Blackfire Manor. The Manor was three stories tall, with two extra layers underground. The first underground layer was the cellar, but bellow that there was the Blackfire vault. The Blackfire vault was the second safest vault in all of Britain, the first being those in Gringrotts.

As they walked Pyro’s mind was cast back to the beginning of his dealings with that book. It had all started back when he was still a member of the secret society “The Chosen.” They group had blackmailed a student had Hogwarts who they had believed held the book in her family library. The girl had cracked though and gone to Pyro’s own cousin, Cassandra, for help. Cassie had taken the book herself and confronted Pyro about it. The two had battled and Pyro had taken the book from Cass and then turned it in to the Chosen. It had been used as an initiation tool for one of their members, Fiona, and then Cole had taken the book away. Sometime after that Cassie had begun to move again to try and reclaim the book, only this time she had allies on her side. Pyro managed to convince Cole to give him the book back, a few attempts had been made against the book, but each attempt had been unsuccessful and Pyro still had possession of the book.

Shortly after that Pyro left the Chosen, the group was weak, useless, and completely unable to protect its own borders, but he still held on to the book. After all he had more right to it than anyone, he had procured it, and he had protected it; it was his by right. Pyro had had only a few encounters with the book, the first one had nearly killed him because he hadn’t been prepared. After getting the enchantment on its cover removed Pyro had opened the book and glimpsed its first page. Pyro hadn’t realized the book was sentient and it tore into his mind and attempted to consume him. He had been caught by surprise and the book had nearly done what it had tried to do, only one thing saved Pyro. Any other wizard would have been consumed because they did not have the avenue that was open to Pyro. Pyro had great discipline thanks to his martial arts training. This allowed him to regroup his focus and battle against the book and finally manage to overcome its first page. After recovering from that encounter Pyro had moved on, but with each page that was defeated the book became harder and harder to beat, Pyro finally stopped. There was no point in risking his life pointlessly for what was in the book, he didn’t need it, and as long as his enemies didn’t have the book, he would never require what was written on its pages.

They had made their way into the cellar and were standing in front of a simple wooden door. Pyro took a small key from his pocket and unlocked this door to reveal a pair of stone stairs leading into a pitch black hallway. As Pyro stepped onto the first step torches sprang to life to illuminate their path. At the end of the hall sat a simple ironbound door. Pyro approached this, wondering if he should have Ruby wait or allow her in, to do so would require another sacrifice by him, one that he saw no reason to give since it held no relevance to their situation. Pyro grabbed the ring and shoved the heavy door open, this was the pivotal moment. Pyro stood in the doorway and looked at Ruby, than at the room behind him. He sighed and nodded with his head, “Come on.”

Pyro waited for Ruby to enter and then swung the iron door shut. This room was square and made of stone. There was only one door directly across from the one they had entered from. The ceiling was adorned by marble dragon heads, their mouths open and pointing down into the room below. Pyro approached the door, as he got close suddenly the door warped and a dragon head protruded from it and looked at Pyro. “Who dares to attempt entry into the vault of Blackfire?” The guardian spoke. Pyro stopped in front of the head. “I Pyro Blackfire and a guest.” He answered its question.

The head seemed to regard him for a minute. “You have the voice and visage of the master of this vault, but do you have his heart?” It asked in a sly tone. “What is Pyro Blackfire’s deepest darkest secret?” There it was, the reason Pyro was torn about bringing Ruby into this room. He turned his head and looked at her. “You are the only person in the world who will know this with 100% certainty. Consider this my show of loyalty to your cause.” Before she could reply Pyro turned back to the guardian. “I killed my father, Charles Blackfire, during a duel in the Study.” The guardian sat quiet at this and then nodded its head. “You have proven yourself. Welcome, Master Blackfire.” The head melted back into the door and the door swung, revealing the Blackfire vault.

Shelves upon shelves lined this room, holding many different artifacts, tomes, and pieces of gold. Pyro bypassed all of this and walked down the center aisle to the center of the room. There, upon a pedestal sat the book. Pyro had done a lot of research about this book, it had been costly, but he had managed to dig up a lot of things about its history. Pyro stepped up to the side of the pedestal and turned to face Ruby and allow her, her look at the tome.

[Ruby Lehane]

Ruby’s form pulled up from the seat at Pyro’s prompt to follow him. A light smirk played across her features as she watched him move through his house. She was impressed really. Pyro Blackfire was turning out to be a far better asset than she had first thought him to be. He had access to people and items that her brother and her would need, and not only that but he didn’t seem to be too concerned with ruling over everything…just wanted to be sure his voice would be heard among the meetings and that it would indeed. Ruby respected Pyro, much in the same fashion as she expected he respected her. He played a hard game, but she would match it. She was always one to make sure things were working in her favor, but was also one to make sure those she wanted in her schemes were well treated and had a high position. Of course with Pyro there seemed to be something more, but with Ruby she always felt there was something more with men…especially ones that held power and influence, both of which Pyro held and more. Made him a desirable catch, but that was not why she was there and she had to keep reminding herself of that as she followed him down to a cellar she suspected few had seen.

It was a moment or two of standing there in the doorway, icy blue orbs watching Pyro as he seemed to debate something. A secret she figured would be reveled that night to her and as he stood there looking at her, she couldn’t help put raise her chin. If he so deemed for her to wait for his return she would wait, though her curiosity would always get the best of her and in doing so she would wish to seek out it’s answer, but she would pretend that it did not bother her. Of course her decision mattered little, as Pyro finally seemed to come to the conclusion that she was free to enter behind him, a fairly wise decision if she may think so. To hide something at this stage of their alliance would only deem to be a risky and futile attempt.

Ruby followed him into the room…it was square…made of stone, and held an ancient feel to it. There was also power, power that Ruby could feel all around her. She knew then that this room had probably only been seen by the master of this place and she would be the first outside of the Blackfire bloodline to truly see it. It gave her an odd sense of pride as well as reverence that Pyro would so deem her worthy, even as an ally there were some things best left unshared. This she realized now was probably one of those things he would have best left unshared. Blue orbs traveled up to the ceiling, taking in the marble dragonheads, the mouths open and ominous. It was at this point that a voice boomed through the room and she felt a chill run down her spine.

The world seemed to flip upside down in that moment as the words of the great voice boomed out a question that Ruby was uncertain Pyro would answer in front of her. His deepest, darkest secret? she thought to herself, her eyes flashing to him, trying to remain shrouded in nonchalance, but a part of her dying to know what it was. She had many theories on Pyro, but none had been confirmed, this here would tell her something about him…put a crack in the walls he threw up, just like her. It was a moment she probably didn’t want to know about…to know his deepest secret would give her power over him and that was something both terrifying and yet satisfying at the same time. His words made the shiver return to her spine and a smirk to her face as his words filled the room, his attention on the guardian.

“I killed my father, Charles Blackfire, during a duel in the Study.”

Ruby was floored…the secret was something she had never imagined it to be. Of course there were the rumors going around that he had indeed killed his father, but to have it confirmed right before her was something she was not entirely prepared for and as such she sucked in her breath, her lips snapping shut at the soft, but noticeable sound. She quirked a brow at him. This was new…and rather interesting. Pyro Blackfire had indeed killed his father…she would have to find out the reasons behind that…she didn’t need him to get any ideas about trying to kill her or Wynd. Though he was obviously loyal to their cause this new bout of information was startling and proved that he was either a dangerous ally or a dangerous opponent, either way she would have to keep her eyes on him until she felt she could trust him full heartedly.

In the mean time her eyes drifted to the vault that hid behind the door. The shelves lined with all sorts of objects that were probably more dangerous than beautiful. She kept her hands to herself though as she trudged along behind Pyro, her eyes already falling on the book that sat on a pedestal in the center of the room. If she hadn’t felt power before, she could definitely feel it emanating from the very book she wanted to read. She moved slowly as Pyro turned to her, she wanted to remember this moment as she stepped up to the book. She had heard so many stories about this book, so many secrets. For a very long time she had thought it was nothing but a myth, but now here it was…right in front of her. This was her destiny and she suddenly knew it. Their plans would succeed and they would rule…Pyro had been the key they’d been searching for all along…it had just taken her this long to realize that. “How many wards did you say you’d broken? How many pages have you been able to read?” she asked her blue orbs finding his eyes as she reached out to stroke the binding of the book, to feel it’s power actually touch her. The book was dangerous…even she knew that, but there was one thing she also knew…it’s pages could be defeated and with her brother, herself, and Pyro together it seemed a greater possibility to defeat them and read it’s pages.


((I didn't really advance it much...if you'd like to go ahead and end it with your post that would be good and we can continue on with the plot with the next post.))

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro hardly looked at Ruby as he led the way into the vault. He knew that what he had just confirmed to her had thrown her for a loop. There had always been rumors surrounding Charles’s death, of course there would have been rumors, but there had never been any evidence to proof that Pyro had done anything. Pyro had been carefully to set the stage so that he would not be implicated. Charles had been killed at a time when Pyro was not of age, so his death would not have been advantageous to him. Also Pyro had paid dearly to have Nova’s memory altered so that the elf easily confessed, even under the effects of a truth potion. Pyro didn’t want to turn around and see Ruby’s face at this moment. No doubt the gears were turning inside her head and Pyro had no desire to see that current struggle. Pyro had gone to great lengths to tie up any loose ends, and seeing Ruby now weighing the odds within her own head may push him into a direction he didn’t want to explore.

Soon they reached the book and Pyro allowed himself to turn around, knowing that the site of the object would drive everything else from Ruby’s thoughts. He couldn’t help but smile as he noticed the new look enter Ruby’s eyes as she slowly approached the tome sitting at his side. He allowed her to have her moment of admiration for the book as his own mind slipped into the past. Pyro’s interest in the book had steadily grown over the years. Early on he had hardly cared about the book, it had been Cole that wanted to get a hand on it and Pyro had been happy to achieve that goal for the Chosen Than Cassie had started to make moves toward retaking the book, Pyro had managed to get it back from Cole for two reasons; one was to make sure that Cass didn’t get her hands on the book, and two, if the other members of the Chosen had found out about Cass’s intentions they might have made forceful moves to stop her, and Pyro couldn’t allow Cass to get hurt.

So the book had merely sat in his possessions collecting dust until one day his curiosity got the better of him and he opened the book. A shudder coursed through Pyro’s spine as he remember that first battle with the book, Pyro had almost lost and would have been consumed by the book. That encounter had made Pyro aware about the sentience of this particular object and he wanted to learn more. He studied and wasted many resources to uncover the books history and weaknesses and had been presently surprised at the amount of information he had managed to dig up. He had continued to dig deeper into the book, with each mental battle he had chipped away another layer of defenses that the book had to bring against him. Pyro had stopped his advances though shortly after. The book held powerful and dark magic, but Pyro hardly needed that type of magic to hold his current position of power and the inherit risks in continuing his battle with the book were fast starting to outweigh the benefits.

Pyro snapped out of his recollections though as Ruby began to talk and asked him a question. Pyro’s eyes looked with Ruby’s as he noticed her start to stroke the bindings of the book, Pyro had to fight the urge to snatch her hand away. “I’ve battled against the book 7 times.” He stated, looking away from Ruby’s striking blue orbs to look down at the book. “30 of its pages can be read freely without fear of an attack from the book. Still, its not a lot, most of the spells and rituals are so dark and complicated that they span several pages.” His gaze returned to Ruby’s as he tried to remember all that he had glimpsed within this book before. “I believe that the 30 pages I’ve unlocked only list a few spells and rituals, each with varying effects.”

Pyro felt like saying more but he also knew that this was not the time. The Lehanes and Blackfires had only just begun their alliance, there would be plenty of time to discuss strategies in the near future. “Come,” Pyro announced motioning toward the vault’s door. “This is not the time to discuss what the book’s importance might hold for our future. You and I have forged our alliance and both parties have agreed upon the terms. Any future discussions should be held with all the alliance members present.” Pyro knew that Ruby and he had said all that was needed to be said, soon he and the Lehane twins would continue this discussion. The wizarding world would soon know of the powerful force that plotted against it.