The Heir of House Black
AN: I make no profit from this. Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling, Gundam Wing is owned by Sunrise.
40: The Strength of Family - Part 3
Quatre headed into his office as he listened to his brothers speaking with Harry about the stone before handing it off. He had to stop a moment, holding the frame of the door as he was slammed with a mix of emotions from Harry. He was already dreading his own turn with the stone. Part of him was tempted to just say no. No reason to dredge up painful memories of the past. Part of him wanted to just make a strong drink, settle down and forget about everything that was going on in the room behind him. He couldn't though. He needed to speak with his father. That night still haunted him to this day and he knew that he would hate himself if he didn't take this chance to settle matters.
He turned on some music to allow him to better think... moreso to drown out Duo. He'd talk to them later to find out what happened. There were several things that needed to be considered. He picked up a note that had been delivered via Phoenix that Christmas night. It felt so long ago, but really it had only been a few months. The letter was short and to the point, 'It has been done.' -Brian. Dumbledore's acknowledgement of fulfilling his job, having found and destroyed the Diadem. All that was left was Nagini and then Voldemort himself. Chances were high that the snake would be at his side… but then again, if Voldemort was smart, he would have hidden the snake and fled without her. Hidden her somewhere no one would ever find her. It would assure his victory and everyone else would automatically assume she was with him anyway, she always had been before, according to both Snape and Lucius. No… Quatre believed she was still on earth. The most likely places would be environments where her species were common. Of course, there was one of possibility and that possibility niggled at the back of his mind. It was the possibility of something far more dangerous.
"Little Brother."
Quatre was brought from his musings by those two simple words with a start. He jolted up and actually fell to the floor. The room was filled with people… dead people. He could see his father and his mother, both standing in the back, waiting for their turn. More immediately he could see some sisters.. Some of his Maguanacs, fallen in the line of duty and with his eyes glancing just out the window, he could see them. Hundreds… possibly thousands. Families… people… he didn't know any of them, but then he inhaled. He knew all of them. Quatre whimpered, but he shut his mind tight. He wouldn't let any of the others know. This time was for him. He was stronger now and he would get through this.
His immediate response was to make apologies. He knew he didn't have time to speak with each and every person. He doubted he had enough time to even make a proper eulogy to these people, murdered in his grief addled madness, but he had to say something. He stood at the window, head bowed and gave his deepest apologies. At this moment he swore to do better. After the war he had tried to make amends with the living that these people had left behind, but he hadn't wanted to admit that it had been him that had done it. To this day, only his brothers and a few select were aware of his war crimes. He had escaped public censure for his horrific acts, but seeing them now, he swore. He would right things. He wanted to continue to wallow in his own self-loathing, but he had other things to discuss.
He turned to his parents. His words with his mother were brief. A simple greeting, and exchange of 'I love you's' and a glowing Quatre when she had said how proud of him he was. There really was nothing else to say. He simply didn't know this woman, beyond a few pictures. His father though. His father was an entirely different ordeal. They stared each other down, sizing each other up. His father stood by his beliefs, that hadn't changed and Quatre was proud him for that. He always had been like that and he hadn't wanted it to change in death. However, his father did have several kind things to say to his son. Several that surprised him and over all, Quatre came out of the discussion feeling immensely better. The dread from before gone. Relief washing over his shoulders as these many weights were lifted from his back. His father had made one request though. He had approved of Trowa as his consort. Something that had honestly surprised Quatre. He had requested though. 'I expect to see an Heir… and some grandchildren.' Well Quatre could adopt an Heir, he even had a pretty good idea for one, standing in the room just outside… possibly even a choice of two. Grandchildren though… that was a different hurdle entirely.
Eventually, he stepped away from his parents, to look around the rest of his family. Many of them he simply didn't recognize. Siblings who had died before he was born or during the war or during Mariemaia's Rebellion. There was one though that surprised him. He let out a gasp, surprised that he hadn't noticed her before.
"Abiha! When did you pass? What happened?"
The ghost of one of his youngest sisters, still a mother to her own children as all of his sisters were at least 10 or more years older than him, stood before him looking both happy to see him but tearful to be the one to bring this news to him.
"A curse has come to L4, dear brother. A curse in the form of a man. No one saw it coming. At first a few disappearances, some strange murders and then a mob attacked Winner Towers. Iria Fled with executive power."
Quatre nodded. If this was what he suspected it was, then she was right to have fled. She held his votes in his absence, as well as his ability to access certain experimental technologies that absolutely could not fall into enemy hands.
"I was killed for daring to stand up to him. I bid the others obey though. L4 is now in the hands of Tom Riddle."
The anger of a thousand suns burned in Quatre's chest. His fury breached the barrier of life and death as his family wilted from the fury that radiated from their precious one. He turned to the window as he looked up into the sky, just towards where his home colony was floating serenely in orbit, now the base of their enemy, driven to murder Quatre's family by his own hand.
"I swear, by the end of this year, your head will roll, Tom Marvolo Riddle. You have made your last mistake. I will end you."
Heero and Trowa burst into the room, looking both terrified and worried. The ghosts of his family and his victims had vanished. Whatever causing them to appear had ended. Quatre turned to his brothers with a fire in his eyes.
"I'm going into space. Riddle has taken L4. I'm going to take it back."
