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This is the first of the 'House of Black' series:
Summary: What would life have been like if Hermione Granger was born a Black? Follow our little heroine as she grows up in the House of Black and becomes Bellatrix Lestrange's right hand girl.
Chapter 20 - Uninvited Guest
Hermione and Bellatrix were just cleaning the stone room in the dungeons, Hermione having had another training session with Bellatrix. Hermione was busy reactivating the door to the adult muggle when they heard and felt an explosion ripple throughout the entire Estate grounds. Looking at each other in alarm, they raced for the stairwell that would take them directly into the Manor.
Cassiopeia saw Bellatrix and Hermione stumbled through the training room door; she stood, an imposing figure on the landing and watched as her main gates were blown open by an uninvited guest. Tapping her fingernails upon the balustrade while Hermione and Bellatrix came up the stairs to stand next to her.
"It would seem that we have unwelcomed visitors. Shall we give them a welcoming befitting to their unwanted presence." Cassiopeia sent a shiver through Hermione's tiny frame with the amount of power she was exuding. She had activated the wards and had told both Bellatrix and Hermione stay inside the Manor as she made her way down the stairs and out the main doors.
Coming to a stop at the landing that overlooked the front gardens, water feature and long drive; she observed as the wolves and griffin of the water feature activated and moved away from their positions, they came to stand at the foot of the stairs in a protective stance. The two fifty-foot-wide Willows were shifting along the garden, their branches already stretching out to create another barrier while their roots began uplifting the soil from below creating soft bogs that would easily cave inwards capturing the intruders.
Further along the drive the hedges started pushing their thorny vines through; trying to snag the intruder; one of the hedges already on fire. Cassiopeia waved her hand in an arc, turning her arm forward in an almost welcoming gesture. The earth began to shudder and tremble beneath her, a hidden tunnel appeared below the training room that was situated within the battlement tower. A great number of metal effigies came marching out with crossbows and swords, all of them began forming a front line in front of the Manor.
Standing on the balcony above were Hermione and Bellatrix and they watched with great amusement at the display that was Cassiopeia's defense; further ahead they could see Albus Dumbledore along with four other men. Bellatrix saw that they were practically dragging the one male that was with them and he seemed to be putting up quite the fuss.
"Bella, is that not the Auror Dawlish from your trial and that one that they're dragging looks an awful lot like the mutt." Bellatrix looked at them all again and could identify the Auror Dawlish and she snickered when her eyes landed on the dog, it was indeed Sirius that was being dragged along.
"I believe you are correct kitten; it is the dog. Come let's go to Aunt Cassi, she can't see who they are from her angle." Shifting forms and allowing Hermione to climb onto her back, Bellatrix leaped of the balcony, landing a few paces away from Cassiopeia.
"Grandmama, our intruders are Headmaster Dumbledore, Auror Dawlish, Sirius and two unknown males." Cassiopeia gave her a glance but didn't call of the protectors of her Manor.
"Hermione, sometimes uninvited people must learn to not destroy another's home or property. They did not follow the correct protocol so I will not allow leniency." Bellatrix came to stand behind Hermione, her hands resting on her shoulders. Cassiopeia watched as her five unwelcomed guests finally appeared at the top of her drive.
"Good day to you Cassiopeia." Bellatrix growled at the blatant disrespect.
"I believe that is Madam Black to you Mr Dumbledore; I have given you no such authority to speak to me as if we were friends." He had the audacity to smile.
"Madam Black, it has come to my attention that two trials took place without my prior knowledge. I as the Supreme Mugwump cannot allow for false trials too take place without my approval." He was cut off rather quickly by Cassiopeia's wand suddenly pointed at him.
"I am very much aware of how our Wizengamot works Mr Dumbledore and as I recall it; I hold more esteem within the Wizengamot than even you. You, who is supposed to oversee the comings and goings of arrested Wizards and Witches, were conveniently not present when my niece and nephew were arrested, you gave them no trial to prove innocence or guilt. I who holds seven seats within the Wizengamot's recorded Sacred Twenty-Eight, requested for the trials as members of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black were arrested illegally." Albus Dumbledore stood glaring at Cassiopeia and she gave no acknowledgment to his opening mouth.
"Madam Black, you have no right to request for a trial; I am the only one beside the Minister himself, who can give the authority to hold an entire Wizengamot trial." Cassiopeia cut him off before he could continue.
"You Albus Dumbledore, have no rights; you have no higher status and you most certainly do not have the legal power over the rulings given directly from the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Sirius and Bellatrix are legally cleared and there is nothing you can do to change that. Now leave, you are trespassing on my property in which you forcibly entered and I am well within my rights to protect my Estate in which ever way I see fit, if you do not release my nephew and remove yourselves I will have no choice but to release my current hold over my guards." The Auror Dawlish leaned toward Albus and spoke to him advising that Madam Black was correct, and they could face imprisonment themselves, nodding toward the one male to release Sirius they slowly began moving away from the imposing presence of Cassiopeia Black.
"Madam Black, Ms Black, Miss Black; good day to you all." Albus bowed his head slightly and turned to leave along with his three cohorts.
"Filthy halfblood scum." Bellatrix grumbled, Hermione patted her one hand and moved away to watch as the grounds began to return to their former selves. Cassiopeia moving down the stairs to collect Sirius from where he had been left. They all winced when the gates scraped along the cobblestones left off intermittent roars of displeasure.
Bellatrix motioned for Hermione to follow her inside, Cassiopeia walking behind Sirius who followed Hermione. Cassiopeia took lead in front of Sirius once the door was closed, taking him to her drawing room, where they were going to discuss what had happened.
Sirius sat glaring holes into the desk in front of him; he had been trying to see his godson but wasn't aware that Dumbledore had set up protective wards around the home of Lily Potter's sister.
"Sirius, I am most unhappy with you. How in the name of Morgana did you get caught and what were you doing that got you caught?" Looking into his aunt's angry eyes he decided to save his skin by telling her the truth.
"I wanted to see Harry; I didn't know Dumbledore had put wards around the house that Harry was living in." Shaking her head at his stupidity she asked him another question.
"Sirius, do you not realise how much work went into getting you cleared of wrongful allegations? Then you are brought home to an Estate that no one in the Ministry knows of; you put not only yourself in danger, but have now brought Hermione, Bellatrix and myself the risks of being seen; they now know of the area in which this Estate is situated."
"I'm sorry Aunt Cassi, I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't think they would force me to take them with when I came home."
"That right there is the absolute truth. You did not think, you have endangered us and as a Lord in training you have failed the most sacred task – Protecting the lives of your family! Your Father is wanting to step down, but I have dissuaded him from doing so, however the actions of today have had me think that perhaps placing the title on the shoulders of Bellatrix would be better." Sirius looked at her then and she saw the anger bubbling beneath the surface.
"What would you have me do then! Leave the boy with those people he calls family, when our family is better equipped to protect him!" Cassiopeia cut him off mid-rant.
"Protect him! Protect him, Sirius, are you listening to yourself! This family was protected until you decided to do something unbelievably stupid and bring Albus Dumbledore to our HOME! You cannot even protect us, and you want to protect The-Boy-Who-Lived!" Slamming her hands on the desk to emphasize how angry she was, she continued.
"You had better pull yourself towards yourself, you will leave that boy out of the equation, he is the glory child for Albus, and I will not have that man's eyes on this family anymore than they are now. Harry Potter is not a part of this family." At this Sirius jumped to his feet.
"That boy is every bit as part of this family as you or me, he is Aunt Dorea's grandson! He has Black blood running through his veins, the same as you and me." Cassiopeia glared at him, getting angrier.
"Sirius, you will not dare to raise your voice to me…"
"I want to adopt him." Cassiopeia was the most notable at controlling her facial expressions when in the middle of a heated debate with anyone, but Sirius' words had her slack jawed and wide eyed.
Bellatrix was just passing by Cassiopeia's drawing room when her shout penetrated the wood that enclosed the occupants within.
"YOU WHAT?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!" Bellatrix jumped away from the door in pure shock, she had never in her life heard Aunt Cassiopeia's voice raise to the octave's she had just reached. Hermione's head appeared from a door further down the passage with a look of shook, Bellatrix made a run for it when the drawing room door was suddenly thrown open violently.
"Sirius get back here now; we are not done!" Sirius stormed out of the room but stopped midway, turning to throw a nasty glare at her.
"We are done. I cannot let him live amongst those filthy beasts any longer! I will take him in, move out of this Manor and renounce Lordship of the House of Black!" Cassiopeia got up and followed him through the door, she threw a spell at his body; which bound him and brought him back to her drawing room, the door slamming shut once more.
Bellatrix who was now standing inside Hermione's room, looked down at her cousin and raised an eyebrow.
"Wonder what the mongrel did to enrage Aunt Cassi like that, I never seen her this angry in me life." Hermione had to agree, she was afraid that Sirius may have pushed her grandmother to breaking point. They could hear faint sounds of shouting from the drawing, deciding to get some more practice in, Bellatrix led her to the dungeons.
Sirius was staring at his aunt in utter confusion, she was going to allow him to take magical guardianship over his godson, but the boy was not allowed to step foot into any of the properties owned by the Black Family. He would continue with his training on his Lordship and would care for the boy from a distance with the intermittent visits to a location close to the boy's current residence.
"Do you accept this, or do you still wish to pursue your foolhardy idea of adoption?" Sirius looked at her with defeat, he knew if he did not accept the new position, she'd throw him out and leave him with nothing and he wouldn't be able to support himself and Harry or even keep a roof over their heads.
He also did not want to be apart of something dark; he left his family at sixteen and found a sense of comfort with his Aunt Dorea and her husband with James, but he also found torment and pain within the confines of the light side. He was confused, on one hand being with his family brought him some semblance of peace, he had a roof over his head, food in his belly, a place to sleep and he did have a family; on the other hand if he chose to stay within the light side, he would be made to spy on his family, he'd be found out with Bellatrix around and then he'd be cast out with nothing to his name and out of spite he'd probably land up back in Azkaban.
At least if he took his aunt's offer, he could still care for Harry and try and keep from Dumbledore's manipulations and his schemes. He looked up and his eyes found hers and within them he saw his undoing should he choose wrongly, letting out a small sigh he replied.
"I accept what you've offered Aunt Cassi." She nodded, pleased with his response.
"Good, I will set up an appointment in Gringotts to have it done legally and then I will need to place the Estate under the Fidelius." Sirius nodded and read the dismissal for what it was, leaving the room and making his way to the kitchen to ask the elves for some food.