The Horror at Raven Creek

All I ever wanted

All I ever needed

Is here, in my arms

Enjoy the Silence

Depeche Mode

Chapter 6: Archer Harris School of Magical Brawling

“So, brother, huh?” asked Archer.

Teddy just grunted in response.

After they had left the pub, they went straight to the train station. They were outside the wagon, holding to the rail, the cold wind whipping mercilessly at the parts of Teddy’s face that were not covered by his magical cloth.

“I mean,” started Teddy, “it was the first thing that came to my mind.”

“We don’t look alike much, kid.”

“I know. But I thought you were too young to be my father or uncle and too old to be my school mate, so the next thing I thought of was brother.”

Teddy looked at Archer who returned a glare of annoyance. “If you call me ‘old’ again, I’ll hex you so bad, you’ll spend the rest of your life thinking you are a Bowtruckle.”

Teddy snorted; for a moment he dismissed the idea as mere bragging, but then again this was the man who had thrown potentially lethal spells on a test. He decided to ignore the matter. Both men were silent for a while, looking at the passing scenery. Teddy started to hum a song he liked a lot; it was a classic from his favourite rock band, Goblet of Goblin Gobblers.

“How come you like that song?” asked Archer.

Jeez… nothing suits you, does it? “What’s wrong with it?”

“Well, where do I start? First, the singer sounds like the gurgling of Bobotuber pus; the guitar sounds as if someone was torturing a banshee; and the drums sound as if someone was stoning a wall.”

“What do you like, then?”

“The Beatles.”

“Beetles?”

“Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you don’t know them?”

“Well, yes, they creep underground and sometimes roll crap around.”

Archer’s scandalized face didn’t last since he had to turn towards the direction of a hooting. Teddy looked at the same place and spotted Flare making a tremendous effort to catch up with the train. Luckily, they soon entered a bend, forcing the train to slow down, allowing Flare to get to them.

“Hey! Look who’s here already,” said Archer smiling. “Did you—oh, fuck!” Archer looked shocked and angry.

“What?” Teddy leaned in to see Flare perched on Archer’s arm; she was carrying two letters. Teddy soon noticed what had got Archer’s attention. The last time Teddy had seen her, Flare had her feathers neatly arranged in shimmering copper and grey tones; now, there was evidence that several feathers had been taken out forcibly, leaving various patches of bald skin around. She was also bleeding from some of those wounds.

“Who the fuck did this to you?” said Archer as he began to rummage in his pockets.

Flare squealed and offered one of her legs to Teddy. He extended his palm, and Flare dropped a large, black feather.

Archer then dropped a small pouch in Teddy’s hand and snatched the feather away.

“Look for a clotting potion, kid.” Archer started to pat Flare carefully.

Teddy enlarged the pouch to its original size, and quickly, thanks to the cackling sound of bottles, found the bag of potions Anna had given them. Teddy rummaged the bag and found two vials with the word ‘clotting’. One was a bright, translucent blue, and was marked as ‘Clotting A’ the other was a very viscous, dark green liquid labelled ‘Clotting B’. Teddy was confused; as far as he knew of clotting potions, they were red, turbid liquids.

He held both of them in front of Archer. “Which one?”

Archer tore a small piece of his shirt, and then he put Flare on Teddy’s hand and grabbed the potions. “Hold her carefully.”

Archer then poured a bit of the green potion on the piece of clothing and started to apply it to Flare’s wounds. She started squirming and hooting loudly, as if trying to escape, forcing Archer to hold her in place. After that, he gave Flare a small drink of the blue one.

“Now, give her to me.”

Archer cradled Flare in his arms. “Anna invented that new system. Each potion separately is much less effective than the common one, but together they are incredibly effective since the wounds are treated from two different fronts. The green one disinfects the area and begins coagulation on the spot; it burns quite strongly, though. The blue one increases the number of platelets on the blood flow and relieves the pain.”

“Clever.”

“Indeed, but you must be careful with Anna’s potions. Generally, her methods are more effective than the common ones but involve greater risks.”

“Like what?”

“For example, if you exceed the dose of the blue potion, you can cause thrombosis.”

Teddy remained silent for a while contemplating what other possible harm could come their way if they used the potions they had brought in an inadequate manner; but his attention returned to the black feather Flare had brought. Teddy took it and examined it closely.

“She was attacked, don’t you think?”

“Use your brain and think as an Auror, kid.”

Teddy had already contemplated such scenario. “Someone knows she is our owl and knows we use her for communication…”

“So?”

“So, they are trying to cut us from the rest of the world.”

“And what does that tell you?”

“That… that we are getting close.”

Archer nodded. “Maybe even closer than we think. Now, we must continue and watch our back, because all that you said also means that they think of us as a threat, and they will act on it.”

Teddy briefly let his fright take over, but he took a deep breath and stared at the horizon. There was something else besides fear: thrill. This kind of excitement was the reason he had chosen this career; he was an Auror, like his mother before him, like Harry and Ron… like Archer. In seconds he was filled with courage and resolve.

“Let them come.”

***

It again started to rain as Teddy and Archer left the station near the centre of Kingsport. The town didn’t have an exit to the sea, but rather to a river and a large lagoon of salty water. Teddy twitched his nose at the stench from the fish market he had seen a couple of blocks to the west, near the river.

“Got stomach for a bit of trout, kid?”

Instead of responding, Teddy merely gave Archer a look as hostile as his hand covering his nose allowed him to. Flare, travelling on Archer’s shoulder, squeaked and shook her wings in disgust as well. “It really stinks; I think I recall Anna making something for these moments.”

Archer rummaged his bag, but after a few minutes gave up. “Bloody hell, I must have forgotten it.”

“Where to, now?”

“As much as I hate to admit it, we might have to stop by the port.”

“I was afraid you’d say that.”

Both men started to walk down to the central square. On their way, Archer suggested they once again stop at a pub. Teddy was already aware of Archer likeness for pubs, but at that moment, the first hope of getting out of the rotten fish stench of the streets felt good to him. Besides, it’s not as if Teddy didn’t like pubs.

The choice proved useful; the small and homey establishment was filled with a spicy cinnamon scent and a warm atmosphere that relieved Teddy from the cold wind outside.

As soon as Archer and Teddy sat on a table, and Flare landed on a nearby rack, an attractive waitress with dark and curly hair arrived and promptly placed two small cups in front of them. Teddy then realised the cinnamon scent came from the liquor in the cup.

“Uh… we haven’t ordered yet,” said Archer.

“The first one’s on the house, gorgeous,” said the girl, looking from Archer to Teddy and winking at both of them. “You won’t be able to resist it later.” She then left, swaying her hips as she did. Maybe it was the so-far sad atmosphere or the long absence of Victoire, but Teddy couldn’t take his eyes off her until she went back behind the bar.

“Well, it is, after all, a legitimate business tactic,” said Archer as he tasted the hot liquor.

“The girl or the free round?”

Archer chuckled, spilling some of his drink. “Both, I’d say.”

Teddy then took his cup, raised it in Archer’s direction, and made a toast. “To legitimate business tactics, then.”

“Amen.”

***

More than a couple of hours later, the night wind hit Teddy’s face as he and Archer left the pub. Teddy, a bit more than slightly tipsy, was helping a very drunk Archer walk along the streets of Kingsport, with the injured owl now resting on Teddy’s shoulder as Archer walking had become unsafe for the creature. The cinnamon liquor had proven much more appealing with every shot, and neither man could deny the welcoming warmth and flavour of it, not to mention the increasingly more daring advances from the each-time-better-looking waitress. It’s in the attitude.

When things seemed to be getting too out of hand, some part of Teddy’s reason brought Victoire back to his mind, and Teddy decided to leave the pub before he did something he would most likely regret the rest of his life. The downside was that now he was drunk, in an unknown town, on a cold night, with an even more drunken partner.

Remembering his survival lessons, Teddy guided himself and Archer, who was by now muttering something unintelligible, to the forest. There, he made a fire with his wand, set Archer against a nearby tree, and he rested opposite to him.

Teddy started throwing dry leaves, one at a time, at the flames to watch them burn. He felt bad, not only he had been close to cheating on Victoire, but he also realised that he had neglected his duties. He was supposed to stop an evil entity that was responsible for missing children; instead, he had spent the afternoon drinking and responding to a very flirty barmaid.

“Do it.” Teddy looked up to see Archer staring at him across the fire.

“What?”

“Hesitation… is a loss. Do it, before it’s too late.”

“What are you talking about?”

“In this life, if you fickle, you’re done for. Doubt fucks everything. Never, ever, doubt, kid.”

“What?” Come on, explain!” But it was too late; Archer had fallen to the effects of the drink and was finally asleep. Teddy thought he could ask him the next morning, and simply laid his head against a mossy patch before he too began to snore.

***

Next morning, Teddy woke up with a crushing headache. By instinct, he went for a sobriety potion from his bag, and then doused his head with cold water from his gourd. He shook his head and opened his eyes to find himself alone in front of the ashes of the bonfire.

It took a moment for his brain to register he was not be supposed to be alone. Where on earth is Archer?

Teddy stood up, and as he was dusting the dirt off his robe, his eyes caught one word carved, actually burned, on the tree trunk he had left Archer to sleep on. The word was dock.

***

Teddy sprinted through the western part of Kingsport, following the stench of rotting fish. Just a few feet ahead of him, enshrouded in morning mist, stood Archer Harris with Flare on his shoulder.

“Morning.”

“What do you mean ‘morning’? You left without a word! You could have been kidnapped or killed, and what would have been of the mission then?”

“The cinnamon punch seems to mess with your mind, kid. If I were abducted or murdered by the criminals we seek, why would they spare you?”

Teddy raised a finger but found himself without an answer.

“Fine, but you have not answered my question.”

“Look at this,” said Archer as he pointed at the wooden frame of the dock. Teddy walked to it and leaned in to watch closely. Carved on the old wood were some sort of mystical symbols. Teddy dared touching the surface, and when he did, the symbols glowed in an eerie shade of blue.

“How did you find this?”

“The girl at the pub told us, but I guess you were too jolly to listen.”

Teddy snorted, upset; he didn’t even remember that part. He started to feel worried and a bit guilty. If he didn’t remember that, what else could he have done that he didn’t remember? Did it involve the girl in the pub? Oh, boy.

“You know, if you are you going to suffer about it, you could have as well done it. You know how it goes; may you be in heaven for one hour, before the devil knows you are dead.”

“What?”

“I’m just saying that if you are going to suffer the consequences, you might as well do what caused them. Otherwise it is very bad business. If you are going to do something bad, do it right.”

Teddy was scandalized. “You’re scum. I don’t know how that girl trusts you.” Teddy turned around to copy the runic symbols. He didn’t know a thing about runes, but he could ask Aunt Hermione about it; she would surely know. Suddenly, he felt the poking of a wand against the back of his head. Teddy turned around slowly and couldn’t believe his eyes; Archer was pointing his wand at him.

“What in thunder are you doing?” he asked.

“Have you ever killed a man, kid?” asked Archer coldly. Teddy shook his head, feeling terrified, furious, and betrayed.

“It’s easier than you think, take my word for it. For example, I could kill you right now if I wanted. All I have to do is mutter the incantation and the jig is up for you. I could say you were killed by whoever turns out to be the criminal we are looking for. Dozens of Aurors, Trainees especially, die in similar circumstances. No one would suspect me.” Flare hooted as if in protest, but that did not make Teddy feel any safer.

Resorting to his usual attitude, despite the fact that it had gotten him into a lot of trouble in the past, Teddy grew bolder. “What’s holding you then?”

“You didn’t hear me, did you? I said I could kill you, but I won’t.” Archer lowered his wand. “Remember when I told you not to let rules control your life? See, I didn’t kill you not because some moral code, or because some law says it’s wrong. You know the definition of trust? Well, I won’t kill you because of two reasons. Number one, so far, you have trusted me. You might not completely realise this, but by becoming my Trainee you’ve put your life in my hands. I’ve been called many things before, and many of them bad, but never a traitor, you hear me? And second, because a good man entrusted me with something that is precious to him.”

Archer took a deep breath. “I haven’t, and I would never cheat on Alex; not because someone says it’s wrong, but because I can’t betray the trust she has in me. On both cases, it’s as simple as that.”

Archer and Teddy stared at each other in silence for a while. As a soft breeze drifted over them, and Archer spoke again. “Now, do you see my point?”

“Yeah,” said Teddy, and in a flash, he punched Archer in the face. Archer went down heavily with his nose bleeding. He quickly looked up at Teddy, who had taken out his own wand and was pointing it at him. Flare, who was still too weak to fly, merely flicked her wings hovering over the ground, and then she made a poor attempt to attack Teddy by trying to peck through his boots.

“Seems easy so far.” After a tense moment, Teddy put away his wand, offered his hand to Archer, and helped him up. “But I won’t.”

“I knew you wouldn’t do it,” said Archer, with his usual smug tone mixed by a little nervousness that amused Teddy.

“That was for pointing a wand at my face.” Teddy smirked but then received a punch on his jaw. Teddy staggered, but didn’t fall.

“And that was for punching me,” said Archer, smiling. “Call it a tie?” he asked, offering his hand to Teddy.

Teddy, still rubbing the side of his face, shook Archer’s hand. “Even.”

“Now, if we can stop trying to kill each other, we have a case to solve,” said Archer as he began to walk.

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” answered Teddy as he followed.

“By the way, kid,” said Archer as he picked up Flare, “where did you learn to hit like that? You punch like a fucking Gryphon’s kick.”

“And you hit like a girl.”

Much to Teddy’s amusement, Archer stood dead on his tracks, scandalized.

***

After some more verbal sparring, Teddy and Archer copied the runic symbols on the fence of the dock and headed for Raven Creek with the intention of mailing the information to London. Archer said he would consult Alex and other, Teddy supposed, Ministry official, one by the name Watkins, about the meaning of the symbols. Teddy thought of mailing Aunt Hermione. Before continuing their journey, Archer and Teddy decided to look around and saw that the entire dock of Kingsport and many fences of houses were covered with the same symbols. Finally, as the night was closing on them again, Teddy and Archer took the train with the intention of seeing the ruins of Arkham before Apparating back to Raven Creek.

“Anyway, what do you think?” asked Archer while they rode in an old and smelly wagon.

“I have no notion of runes, but I know someone who does.”

“Oh, of course… she knows it all.” Teddy caught the irritated tone in Archer’s voice, and didn’t like it one bit. Especially because he knew Archer, and he were talking about the same person.

“Excuse me?” he gave Archer a sour look.

“Hey, I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Weasley, alright? But his wife and I… well, we don’t get along. Let’s leave it at that.”

“I can’t imagine why?” said Teddy, sarcastically. He did have an idea, though. Archer, being the maverick he was, was the exact opposite of by-the-book Aunt Hermione.

“She once called me… a rowdy scoundrel,” said Archer, pouting. Teddy snorted in laughter.

“I’ve heard insults far worse than that.” However, Teddy reasoned, coming from Aunt Hermione ‘rowdy scoundrel’ could easily qualify as a serious insult.

“So have I; I’ve been called worse myself. But you should have seen her; she was positively livid…”

“What did you do to deserve it?” asked Teddy, grinning.

“Ask her; how would I know?”

Knowing Archer as well as he did now, Teddy was sure of two things. One, he must have said or done something Aunt Hermione disapproved, something bad. And two, Archer couldn’t have just stood there getting insulted, or being told the truth to his face, he would have done something. “What did you do then?”

Instead of speaking, Archer slightly opened his mouth, reached the right side of his upper jaw and pulled. Teddy heard a clacking sound and Archer extended his hand holding something. It was a line of four prosthetic teeth. Archer used his free hand to pull his lip up so Teddy could get a good look of the place his natural teeth ought to be in.

“What happened?” asked Teddy, truly concerned.

Archer put back his fake teeth before answering. “Well, as usual, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. And after what I told her in response, Mr. Weasley punched me… and gave me this. You know, that weird metal arm of his really gets to the gist.”

Teddy and Archer remained silent for a while. By now, Teddy knew Archer well enough to be sure that earning Ron’s disapproval was worse for him than losing a few teeth.

“You could have grown them back with magic.”

“I know, but this way they remind me that I have to watch what I say… not that I succeed often, though.” Both men laughed softly.

***

The wind howled, chilling him to the bone. His eyes were filled by visions of decay, wreckage and abandonment. All that was left from the town of Arkham were barely recognizable ruins. It looked as if a hurricane had swept the land from nearly every vestige of men’s presence.

Teddy tightened his cloak to shield himself from the wind as he walked around what had once been the streets of Arkham. Teddy and Archer had left Kingsport a few hours ago, and had recently got down from the train. When they told the ticket collector where they were heading he had looked at them as if they were barking mad. Now, he saw why.

There was nothing but wood debris on both sides of the road and some remains of concrete structures, and even those had already begun to decay into debris.

As he walked by what had once been a wooden wall, Teddy kneeled to take a closer look at a spot that had got his attention. All the surface of the wood panel was dark because of the exposure to the weather, but there was one part of an even darker shade. The stain spread becoming more obvious as it got near the place where Teddy supposed had once stood the wall. It was burnt.

Whatever had happened to Arkham, it involved fire.

“Mum used to say,” Archer said behind him, startling Teddy, as he had been too concentrated to notice him approaching, “that sometimes places keep memories too. And sometimes, very rarely, those memories are too strong and filled with anger, pain, and sorrow, those kind of places come to be haunted. And, sometimes, people who come in contact with those places, remain with a bit of themselves haunted for the rest of their life.”

Teddy felt outrage at the criminals responsible for the child disappearances, at himself for not having figured out the truth, at the long gone Death Eaters for taking his mum and dad… he was haunted already.

“What now?” he asked with his voice raspier than usual.

“Back to Raven Creek, kid.”

***

With a loud explosion, the two cloaked figures landed on the stone floor of the threshold of Willow Manor. As they did, a figure jumped out of a seat placed next to the door, giving a surprised scream. They had been gone for nearly two full days.

Teddy illuminated his wand and the light revealed the startled face of Satchel Willow. “What are you doing out here?”

“How did you do that?”

“We’re wizards, you know?”

“Right… well.” Teddy helped Satchel back on his feet. He tried to shake off the dust of his robes in vain.

“You still haven’t told us what you’re doing here in the middle of the night.”

“I was worried, you left without a word so I thought you could have… well, you know.”

Archer and Teddy exchanged looks, uncertain if Satchel was indeed simply concerned or if he had meant it with some other intention.

“Well, did you find anything useful?” urged Satchel, desperate by the Aurors’ silence.

Teddy and Archer exchanged another brief look. “Perhaps,” said Teddy. And both companions entered the house amidst a storm of questions from Satchel. Teddy and Archer then indulged themselves with a nice dinner; after all, they hadn’t really eaten for a couple of days. This time, the maid’s forgetfulness worked in Teddy’s favour as she served him a full meal and dessert twice.

“Now, can you tell me what you found out?” inquired Satchel.

“We are not sure ourselves,” spoke Archer. “We have sent messages to our contacts in London and await confirmation.”

As they had caught the train from Arkham, Archer and Teddy had sent Flare with a new set of letters; Anna’s potions had worked very well on the bird.

“Mostly, folk tales and old stories passed down from generation to generation,” added Teddy.

“I see,” said Satchel, obviously disappointed.

As they finished their meal, Archer glanced at the clock. It was ten o’clock; the perfect time to turn in if they really wanted to get a good rest to recover from the trip or to get some last minute research done…. perhaps at the graveyard, more precisely, at the tomb of the person they had seen being buried two days ago.

“Well, thanks for the dinner,” said Archer as he stood up. “Now, if you don’t mind, the kid and I have something else to do.”

***

“What in thunder are we doing in here?” The rain had stopped, but the mist had settled and the weather was getting colder by the minute. It was late, and Teddy was very tired. It’s not that his bed at Willow Manor was that comfortable, but heck, it was better than standing outside on a cold night in a grim town.

“Side quest,” said Archer quietly, as he surveyed the grounds with his back turned to Teddy. They were atop a small hill with a relatively wide and flat top. The hill was visible from the square of Raven Creek, but the small depression where Teddy and Archer were was not.

“We are going to do some sparring, kid.”

“Now?”

“Yes, now.”

Teddy was tired and cold. Yet, he was not the kind of man to walk out of a duel;. Besides, he had waned to beat Archer ever since their duel in the forest during the test.

“Fine by me,” said Teddy as he freed himself from his cloak.

***

“COME ON! IS THAT THE BEST YOU GOT?”

“SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

Bleeding from his right eyebrow, breathing heavy, and covered in cold sweat, Teddy stood a few feet away from Archer, who looked at him with eyes full of resolve. They had been fighting for hours.

Every muscle in Teddy’s body ached, and he was barely able to hold his wand. Physically, it was impossible for him to be still standing, but his determination was stronger than ever. This was about pride.

Archer was breathing heavily and showed quite a few bruises. However, Archer was in far better state than the battered and burnt Teddy.

For the entire duration of the duel, the cause of which was no consequence to either man any longer, Teddy had been forced to dodge and block fireballs, flames coming from the ground, and explosions. Such exposure to heat and unclean air surely had worn him down.

As Archer had pointed out, Teddy was very skilled with Apparition, which had contributed greatly to keeping him from further harm, but Archer’s ruthless attack was simply too much. No wonder they say he can hold his own even against Harry.

“Do you know the difference between you and me, kid?” Archer spoke.

“Piss off!”

“Sorry, that’s not the one.”

Archer made a few wand moves, Teddy prepared to Disapparate again to avoid the incoming attack. But Archer’s attack surprised Teddy; it was the same meteor-like spell he had used in the forest during the test. Teddy Disapparated to the only place that was not in the radius of strike of the fireball: a small ledge of the hill, on the opposite side of Raven Creek. But Teddy wasn’t ready for Archer’s next attack. Archer took his wand to his mouth and blew, and like a dragon, a torrent of flames emerged from his mouth.

With nowhere to run, Teddy’s mind blocked, and the last conscious thought to register in his mind was that he was leaping forward…

***

Certain coldness, that which appears in the early hours of the morning, when the sunlight hits the ground that had been covered in darkness until seconds ago, chilled him to the bone.

Teddy slowly opened his eyes. It was still dark. All his body ached; he was dizzy and didn’t remember where he was. He then realised he was lying on the grass, and upon hearing Flare’s hoot from above, everything came back to him in a rush.

He and Archer had come to a small hill the night before and had fought. Apparently, Archer had won. But why was it, exactly, that they had begun to fight in the first place?

“I was wondering when you’d wake up, kid.”

Teddy lifted his head a bit to the left and felt a sting of pain. He took his hand to his side and found a bleeding wound; nothing to worry about, but painful enough to be noticed. Teddy looked at Archer and found him smiling, sitting against a tree with a bandage that covered the left side of his chest and a shoulder; the bandage was stained with blood.

“I’ve got to tell you,” said Archer as he drank from a small bottle. Teddy recognized the smell of Firewhiskey. “I don’t know what got into you, but you charged like a bloody bull.” Archer pointed at his injury.

“I really don’t know where you got that nerve from. That was amazing.”

“What, exactly, was so amazing?”

“You mean you don’t remember?”

Teddy shook his head slightly, which proved a mistake as his head started pulsing painfully.

“Well,” started Archer after another drink, “in the blink of an eye, you Disapparated. I thought you would appear in the lower platform of the hill, but you appeared right behind me and…” Archer made a whipping move with his hand, and pointed to his injury again.

“You know that saying?” Archer asked. “Something along the lines of, ‘If you can’t beat them, join them?”

Teddy nodded. “Well,” Archer continued, “I say it’s rubbish, if you ask me. I would rather say, ‘If you can’t beat them, I can’.”

Teddy snorted and Archer went on. “You, however, are at a ‘If you can’t beat them, keep trying’ level. But don’t worry, we’ll work on it.”

Teddy remained silent for a while, absorbing the story of the end of their encounter. But soon, another idea popped in his mind.

“Give me a drink of that.”

“I don’t think so kid, there’s some relation between alcohol and bleeding.”

“Alcohol dilates blood vessels increasing the blood flow from an open wound?”

“That’s the one, kid! Where did you learn that?”

“Auror’s manual, chapter six, medical conditions.”

“Oh, that.”

“Besides, do I look as if I care? Come on, give me some.”

Archer stared at him for a moment before handing over the bottle. Teddy drank with big gulps, feeling relief at the receding pain.

“We’re going to do this as often as we can, to polish your skills, kid. I’m especially interested in how skilled you are for Apparition, but now you must rest.”

Teddy took another sip from the bottle and quickly fell asleep.

To be continued…

Author’s Note: Arkham, Dunwich, Aylesbury and Kingsport are named after the fictional places created by HP Lovecraft as settings for many of his stories. These cities are part of a region that we, Lovecraft fans, have come to call the ‘Lovecraft County’. Archer’s description of the Goblet of Goblin Gobblers is based on what an uncle of mine once said about the Sex Pistols, a band which I like, by the way.

Also, if you feel a bit lost on the issue of Ron’s arm, I recommend you give a look to my earlier fic ‘Ronald Weasley and the Wooden Wolf’, there you’ll find further information on it. That fic, however, was written before the release of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’, which makes some of the incidents there invalid. To solve this, in a future chapter, a valid explanation of Ron’s arm will be added.