299 Gaunt shack

"Need a moment to collect yourself?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow. "This is a simple extraction and destruction mission not a battle to the death so i'll be fine." The old man said reassuringly. Nick looked like he didn't believe him but chose not to mention it any longer as he sent Nazgul into his ring. "Apparition is forbidden in Hogwarts so are we going to Hogsmeade first or is Fawkes taking us?" Nick asked calmly. Dumbledore seemed surprised by the question but quickly recovered "It's best we go to Hogsmeade first." he answered and Nick nodded.-

They left the castle after that and took a carriage to the small wizarding town near the castle. It was a quaint little place with various shops that were clearly only there to profit off the students of the school that regularly frequent the town. Each shop was less business and more personal which made sense considering most of them were family owned and operated. Other than the shops there was the shrieking shack at the top of the hill on the far side of the town as well as various homes dotted about the place in the strange haphazard manner wizards were fond of for some reason.-

Nick noticed the slightly conflicted look Dumbledore gave the seediest pub in the town known as the Hog's head pub. Knowing that the place was run by the man's brother Aberforth Dumbledore he chose to leave the matter alone. Nick may not like Dumbledore all that much but that didn't mean he was going to purposefully dig at his old wounds for no reason. The death of his sister Ariana and thus the resulting falling out between the two brothers was an extremely sore subject to the old man and Nick knew it.-

"Take hold of my arm so that we may be off." Dumbledore spoke firmly and Nick did as he was told as he had agreed to. As always apparition was a dreadful thing to experience that felt like getting sucked through a straw gut first. Nick felt the magic with his magical sense but like before he couldn't make heads or tails of it as the spatial interference warped the feedback he received. The next moment they arrived in Little Hangleton which was a sleepy place with an almost equal mix of wizards and muggles. Despite the large amount of wizards the whole place was well covered in wards to prevent the Muggles from paying too much attention to their unusual neighbors.-

Nick and Dumbledore arrived in an alley with a semi loud "POP!" that apparition was well known for. Nick shuddered for a moment as he fought to settle his stomach from the nausea that he felt after the translocation. Dumbledore seemed amused about this but remained stoic as he led Nick eastward to the dark and run down building hidden behind the trees. Nick couldn't help but notice the obscene amount of magical energy that tainted the place from the long term occupation of a wizarding family there.-

The ambient mana was seemingly permanently stained with the residual traces of the Slytherin bloodline that drew many snakes to the area instinctively. The serpents avoid the two strangers on this land however as both felt dangerous. Soon the two of them arrived outside the building that still bore faint reminders of the long lost glory of it's previous occupants yet was now merely a ruined and cursed place. That last part was meant very literally as Voldemort had placed several dark enchantments in and around the building to protect his treasure.-

"Step lightly , this place is full of dark magic and not just the one we are after." Nick said seriously and Dumbledore nodded as all signs of fatigue vanished from him once the adrenaline started coursing through his veins. Both pulled out their wands before moving forward with determination in their eyes. Each of them covered the other as they disarmed each trap carefully and with precision. Together they made fast progress into the building and towards the living room that nick felt the unmistakable magic of a horcrux in.-

The defenses placed in this part of the shack were the firmest and slowed down the duo considerably as they needed to be very careful in dismantling them. The traps were intricately linked to prevent one from tampering with them one piece at a time which meant the whole thing needed to be done at the same time. Still they got through the cursed defenses and reached the place that hid the horcrux. "It's here , under the floor boards." Nick said seriously and Dumbledore flicked the elder wand sending the boards up and out of the way. There in the dust and dirt sat a small box tightly covered in curses and deadly traps.