The Hand That Feeds You

Aaron stared at the building which he now called HIS shop. A small small could be made out on his face, one of pure satisfaction. Not satisfaction from being an official wandmaker, no, it was much more than that. He could care less about the whole wandmaker ordeal, it was all a front anyways. Of course he was, in fact, a skilled wandmaker. The trade had been passed down from his father who was notorious for manufacturing wands for dark wizards, and Aaron had always cared very little for the whole thing.

The excitement stemmed from something else. Something much bigger than being a shop owner. That was small time to Aaron who had his eyes set on much bigger things. One of the biggest problems he had to overcome was having a place that was completely secret. A place where he could conduct business without having to worry about being overheard or barged in on.

He pulled his hands from his pockets and he glanced at his watch. Silvyr would be arriving any moment, and the excitement was almost too much. This was going to officially be the first time he introduced himself as the leader of his little rag tag group. Up until this point they had been nothing but a few men who were working for a cause that, really, they had no idea what it was. It was time to unveil his ideas to the only men he even semi trusted.

Whight and Silvyr were both adept wizards. They believed in the same ideals that Aaron did, they strove for power, but most importantly they were willing to work for Aaron. Of the two, Aaron trusted Silvyr more. Aaron knew that if he called upon Silvyr there were very few things he would not do. At least that was what Aaron wanted to believe.

Silvyr would have to do two more things for Aaron before Aaron could completely trust him. One was that he was going to have to let Aaron use Leglimens on him, and two he was going to have to complete the task that Aaron had set forth for him. It was going to be a long evening for Silvyr, but a very lucrative one if he decided to stick with Aaron.

Silvyr sat at his desk late in his small room in the old three brooms. He enjoyed the small work area that he had grown to call home over the past months. He hadn't been able to stay in one place for years after school as he traveled with Leah. "Those were the days." His mind chimed in as he remembered the nights under the stars.

They hadn't a care in the world as far as authority was concerned. They were the authority. As they traveled they made it their business to hunt down the criminals that the Ministry over looked. How times have changed.

The night sky was cloudy behind the window that he was sitting in front of. The candle sitting on the desk in front of his journal and paper work made it impossible for him to see out though. It was exactly how he liked it. Lost in his thoughts and free from distractions.

He had been working on his list of spells that had come in from Aaron a few weeks before. A task that he had began working on as soon as Aaron's owl had left. His only time of rest was the time he spent with meetings for their cause. His hair fell limply on his forehead. The candle light cast shadows of his hair over his eyes while he scribbled on parchment rapidly. His body was leaned over his desk, hunched over due to hours of work.

His concentration was broken suddenly from a cooing behind his window. He looked up, trying to look out the window, yet he found himself only able to see his own reflection staring back at him. He almost didn't recognize the man staring back. He looked run down, haggard, and his hair was limp with oil sitting against his forehead now.

He reached up while staring at himself and allowed the owl to fly in before he shut the window and the cold out behind him. The owl flew around before finding a place next to Chouette on the foot of his bed. Silvyr looked at him with a confused and rather agitated expression. "I'm over here." He said before standing and walking over to the bed, removing the letter and opening it.

He read the writing quickly as he took it over to his desk and set it down. "Finally.' Was his only thought. He moved across the room to his stock of rats sitting next to Chouette's cage. He tossed it at the owl and missed it completely. It landed on the ground with a thud and the owl jumped down. He lifted it in his beak and gulped it down quickly.

Silvyr had stopped at his desk once more and red the note once again even though the information was already stuck in his memory. He lifted the note and watched as it caught flames in his hand, burning it to a crisp. The flames burning away the ink and the message it had contained.

He looked at the owls and watched as Aaron's took flight. He opened the window right before the owl flew out. He closed it promptly and began loading his bags before motioning for Leah.

He cleared his account at the desk and handed the man a slip of paper. "This is where I will be expecting my luggage. Thank you for taking care of my property in the times I have been away." He said truly appreciative. He walked out of the bar hoping he would not be having to return as often as he had been. Though when he got outside onto the street he felt a feeling had hand't had since his graduation day from hogwarts.

It was on that very street that he had walked away from society and into the wilderness. Never looking back until meeting Aaron in the wilderness. The thought of Aaron brought him back to reality as he turned and walked out of the town.



Silvyr and Leah arrived in London before he morphed back into his human form. He made his way to Diagon Alley with dedication in his mind. He knew that the next few days were going to come to define the relationship between Aaron and himself.

Aaron's letter had been short and sweet. Though as Silvyr had come to expect from him, the message was vague and allowed his mind to analyze the words over and over again. Forcing him to find new meaning in the words.

He noticed Aaron standing in front of his shop looking up at the small building that Silvyr was sure was none other than the one Aaron had written about. He walked up to him and stood next to him scanning over the building he would soon find himself spending most of his time in.

His mind raced as he stood next to the man he had been answering to through letters from his owl.

Aaron did not even glance up as Silvyr came and stood next to him. He waited for him to speak, but it became evident quickly that he was not going to. He was a silent man, and Aaron respected that. Aaron had been the same way up until recently. He realized quickly that being reserved and quiet all of the time did not always get him what he wanted, and Aaron was a man who got what he wanted no matter what.

"Some people wait their entire lives to own something like this," Aaron said quickly and with a bit of humor in his voice. "What sad lives they live." He turned to Silvyr and he smirked before proceeding into the shop. He walked inside and once the both of them were in, he shut the door and he waved his wand over it and a small click let him know that the door was locked.

He quickly set the room up to his liking. He flicked his wand a chair scooted across the room, setting itself gently beside of Silvyr. "Sit." He said gently, not wanting to seem rude, but implying that he really wanted Silvyr to sit. He did not want to be very overbearing, it was clear that Aaron was the one in charge, but he also wanted Silvyr to feel like he had power in his own way. Silvyr, of everyone Aaron had recruited so far, was probably the most highly touted in Aarons eyes.

"Silvyr, we have come to know each other a little bit over the past few weeks. Hopefully you have come to realize that I am a man who strives for great wealth and power, but above all else, I strive for what needs to be done." He walked over to a counter and he grabbed a glass of water, slowly taking a sip and not offering any to Silvyr. Not out of spite, but out of a simple non caring attitude.

"I am also a man of my word. I promised you something, and I have every intention of keeping that promise. But first, I need something from you." He paused for dramatic effect, he was such a drama queen, but it worked. "Trust. I need you to trust me enough to know that this business we are getting in is dog eat dog and it can get very brutal very fast. So I am sure you understand that when I am offering up promises and spots within my ranks, I can take no risks." He paused again, taking another sip and nodding his head, trying to get Silvyr to agree.

"Leglimens, as you know, is the ability to read minds and see memories. A skill I trained in for years under my father. I am, not to brag, quite skilled in this area. So, in the name of trust, I ask that you let me use this spell on you so that I know you are one hundred percent willing and are harboring no secrets. It is a very quick and painless process, but I will admit, it is not the most fun. No one likes giving away their memories or secrets, and i do not relish it. Truly I do not. But it is, sadly, a necessity."

Silvyr laughed lightly his mind at Aaron's quick remark towards his new shop. He was glad to see that their ideas continued to blend in many areas of life. Not all of their ideas were the same, but it was rare to meet anyone with the same favorite color as his any more. He valued the new relationship he was building with the man though he knew it would change drastically after the night was over.

Silvyr notice Aaron's body, in his peripheral vision, move towards the door to his new shop. He followed promptly with Leah by his side. Aaron was standing behind the door, waiting for Silvyr and closed the door behind them when they had entered.

He heard the door click behind him before the room began to move at Aaron's will. A chair was now sitting beside him and Aaron asked him to sit. He looked at the man standing in front of him again and he took the seat without question. He was beyond questioning simple demands from Aaron. To do so would only prove to be pointless, and more than likely deadly, in the years to come. If he decided to make a habit of it then it would sit in the back of his mind, like a cancer, waiting to jump out in times when time was the only resource they lacked.

He listened intently as Aaron began speaking again. His mind hanging on the mans pause causing him to wonder what he was expecting from him. He would soon find it better to not look into Aaron's every word. He was noticing slowly that Aaron enjoyed his control over his words causing the peoples minds to twist and turn at his control. Aaron spoke again picking up rhythm with each word until he had come to a pause again.

Silvyr had kept up easily and understood him well. He had seen first hand how important it was to have the trust of the people who he was wanting to work underneath him. Without it and everything would crumble. there had to be a foundation to any structure. The stronger it was the chance it had to rise higher then anything around it.

Aaron paused to take another drink from his cup before beginning again. The word he spoke stuck in his mind quickly. He that the night would prove to be interesting though he hadn't of been expecting this. He should have. he knew all about Leglimens being that he had trained seemingly every day in the art of Occlumency to keep people with the ability out of his mind. Now it seemed he would be allowing Aaron to share his most intimate thoughts and feelings openly.

Aaron continued to explain why he was asking him of this but Silvyr knew there was no saying no. This would be the final step to become a leading part in his plan. For the fact that he was here first walking into the shop with Aaron spoke volumes. He wouldn't have handed that honor to anyone. And Silvyr would give the man what he asked for, due to the respect Aaron had already invested in him already.

He spoke calmly for the first time since he had arrived. "You know what you are asking? You will be seeing things that only I have seen. You will know me only as Leah does and that brings me to my only request from you." He stopped catching his eyes once again. "Leave her mind alone. She does not think in the ways you and I do. She will not understand what is happening and I will not have her effected for the rest of her life due to a blunder on your part. But my mind is yours to search. It will take a moment for me to find all of the walls I have built over the years and if you find one, unlikely as it may be, do not think it as a disrespect on my part." He stopped speaking and closed his eyes diving into his own mind to begin the process of releasing his hold on the walls he had built since his sixth year in Hogwarts.

After five minutes had passed he opened his eyes. Looking up at Aaron and speaking softly. "You may begin when you are ready. You will find nothing in the way of my memories."

He braced his body in preparation to Aaron who would soon be inside his mind picking through memories he had locked away long ago. He would have to relive every feeling from his childhood, bad or good. With his mind open he realized how truly naked he felt without the protective barriers in his mind standing guard to the outside world. He hated the feeling, wanting nothing more than Aaron to finish quickly so he could gather himself again.

Instantly his memories began to speed rapidly in front of his eyes. His parents, the woods he grew up in, Leah and his first meeting, The bear attack, memories from his years in hogwarts. His hands gripped the chair's arms as his head felt the splitting pain from within. His eye's were squeezed tight and cold chills ran over his body while he felt the feeling of being completely alone in life yet someone else being inside his body. His thoughts and his memories were being raped and his instincts were yelling for him to throw his defenses back into place. He resisted. Aaron moved through memories more recent. SIlvyr and Leah before he found them in the woods. The muggles and wizards he'd killed and the pain he still bared in his soul because of them. His meetings and conversations with people along with his feelings he had for them. Order meetings, their meetings, and recruiting meetings all were dug up again. Then as if the world were right side up again, the pain was gone. Silvyr allowed his head to rest on the chair slightly limp. Silvyr knew the extent of the power that the mind held. Yet, with the deep and vivid memories shown for him, he was impressed as he had been the first day he worked with his head master in learning Occlumenency. Leah rushed up to him and offered her body for stability. Silvyr sat where he was while speaking to Leah in an inaudible tone. She sat obediently in between his legs while guarding him in his time of need. Silvyr's feelings for her had once again grown after having the memories put into perspective for him. He was lucky to have her. He looked up at Aaron, knowing that if he tried to approach her now, Silvyr would die to defend her.