Chapter 3- First impressions are the best ones
For the past month, Harry had been observing the way Bellatrix watched him. She tried to be as discreet as possible and would have succeeded if it was any other person. But Harry could see through it. It was not her watching him, that was bothersome. No.
It was the way she watched him.
There is a reason behind her watching him like a hawk, Harry thought but he could not place it.
That day when she issued a challenge to him, she had changed. She would not sneer at him. She would not go out of her way to insult him. Harry was confused. Added with the fact that the other two Black sisters had suddenly become civil with him, he didn't know what to think.
He spoke to Felicia about all these weird changes. The girl would smirk at him and wouldn't answer, much to Harry's frustration. The three of them
( Andromeda, Narcissa and Felicia) would have huddled up most of the time talking and throwing smirks at him.
" Do you know what the hell they are saying?" Harry asked Damian as they sat in the common room. Damian chuckled.
" I have long since decided not involve myself in any discussions that take place with the ladies, Harris. It's better that way." He shuddered as he said that.
Harry didn't question him any further. He didn't want to know about all these things. He cast tempus and looked around. The hall was filled, and all the students were having their dinner.
' Perfect time,' he thought.
" Guys." He called Damian and Felicia.
" I have something to do. I'll see you in the common room." He said. The two of them didn't question him. They just nodded.
Harry exited the Great Hall, but in his haste, he failed to observe a pair of violet eyes following his exit.
Bellatrix didn't feel like eating much but still walked towards the Great Hall. She turned around the corner when she saw Harris exiting the Great Hall with a sense of urgency. She frowned. She would have forgotten it if he had walked away anywhere else, but he decided to walk in the direction of the Girls Lavatory that was not used by anyone these days.
Bellatrix in her curiosity had visited the scarcely used bathroom in her first year and from then, she decided that she absolutely hates Moaning Myrtle.
" What is he doing?" She said to no one in particular. She applied a disillusionment charm and silenced her feet and followed him.
Her confusion increased when he went into the place. At first, she felt disgusted.
But gradually, she thought it through.
' He is probably the most honorable man in this castle according to Felicia. I don't think he is doing something disgusting. There must be something.' she thought and peeped through the door.
Imagine her surprise when he hissed softly that sent shivers down her back. Her jaw dropped in shock and surprise.
He is a parselmouth?' She thought. ' Just what in Merlin's name is he hiding?'
A huge doorway showed up from the sink in the bathroom. Bellatrix didn't think it was possible, but she was being surprised again and again.
" Tom would certainly not be a boy who would jump down this hole. Let me try something." Harry said and hissed again.
A low groan was heard, and steps formed at the base of the hole.
" Et voila." He smirked. The damn smirk that caused her stomach to flutter.
" Come on Harris. You have a basilisk to see." He said and stepped through the hole and disappeared.
Bellatrix hears his entire conversation and feels alarmed. " Basilisk!?" She hissed. She was about to enter the bathroom when she suddenly felt the compulsion to leave this place. But another part of her mind was telling her that she was forgetting something.
With half a mind, she walked forward to the sink and suddenly, she was face to face with a huge pit.
Her mind cleared all of a sudden. It was then that she recognized what had happened.
" Notice me, not charm." She thought to herself. " Good thing that I was already here. My head is pounding heavily." She said and slowly walked down the stairs.
As she slid down, the sweet pungent aroma hit her and she almost emptied her stomach on the spot. She walked through a chamber and saw Harry walking through the place.
What surprised her was the way he cleaned the place as he walked forward. She didn't see any wand at all. Just a negligent wave of his hand and the passage would clear.
Bellatrix had never seen such control over magic. Not even from her grandfather.
" Just who are you, Harris Evanson?" She said softly. She closed the distance between them and tried to hear his words.
" The damn thing is mental. How should I tackle this?" He said as he continued walking.
Another hiss and a door opened. If not for the silencing charm, Bellatrix would have gasped loudly in surprise.
The statue of the man that decorated the walls of the place was unnerving.
'A place that is accessed with Parseltongue. He speaks of a Basilisk, and the design of this place and the big scary man. ' Her mind raced quickly looking for the answer and it flashed.
" The chamber of secrets." She whispered. This was the legendary Slytherin chamber. She was in the chamber of the Founder of her House.
Is he a Slytherin descendent? she thought. It didn't make sense. He speaks the tongue. He is sorted into Slytherin. But he is a muggleborn. He has excellent power. High control over it. She groaned in confusion.
She stopped short when she heard another hiss. The resounding silence was scary. One second, two seconds, three seconds, four seconds and after a minute later, a large hiss was heard. The mouth of the Slytherin statue opened up and her blood ran cold when a huge black snake exited from it.
Bellatrix stood their wide eyed and slack jawed, watching in awed fascination.
To say it was huge was an understatement. It was around seventy feet tall. Bellatrix closed her eyes immediately. She knew what happened when the snake saw her. She hoped against hope that the snake wouldn't notice her, but it was fruitless as the snake smelt her presence and started to slither towards her.
Harry was confused. ' Why is it not attacking me?' he thought, turning around until he felt a familiar magical presence. His blood ran cold. ' What was she doing here?' he thought.
He had to do something and fast.
His body moved without conscious thought, an idea formulated in his head. He had learnt that the gaze of the Basilisk doesn't work on a Speaker. He raced towards the front of the snake and just as it was about to turn the bend, he stood in front of the beast. The basilisk hissed and roared again with anger. Harry smirked.
" Nice try, buddy. But you should go." He said and without any thoughts, he brought out the Elder Wand.
"LEGILIMENS!!!"
This was not something he would have done, but this was a fairly good idea. Well, at least for him. Mind arts were something that Ignotus had stressed a lot upon. He had personally instructed it to him. Harry as time passed, started to see the added benefits with it. His retention abilities increased a hundredfold. He had superior control over his magic and with these came another difficult ability. Tuning his magic. Occlumency gave him the power to charge his spells accordingly and that in turn helped him a lot in dueling. The reason was that some spells required less power and more finesse. So if he used up power in such spells, it would take an invariable hit on his core. His core might be ridiculously large right now, after years of practice and practice, but that doesn't mean that he must waste it. It would do more harm than good.
Now, he really needed to overpower this spell. Taking possession of a beast of this caliber was not something many can do. That alone tells him why Tom was such a powerful wizard. Yes, he is Slytherin blood, but that does not mean that the beast was in his control.
It took another twenty minutes, but Harry finally cracked the beast's mind open and destroyed the link that was controlling it. He had to applaud Tom. Though, his arrogance was visible. He had put up the charms in parselmouth. That being the only reason that held the beast to do his bidding. If it was done with the normal spells, a person like Dumbledore or his Grandfather or Great Uncle could have easily tackled this situation. The killing sight of the snake doesn't help much either.
The raging beast calmed down. It's shaking subsided and Harry let out a sigh of relief. " Aren't you a difficult thing?" He said with a chuckle.
" I can sense my essence in you, speaker."
The basilisk hissed.
" Yes. I have the ability." Harry pointed out.
" Thank you for helping me out, Speaker." The basilisk hissed. Harry nodded.
" It's fine. I hope that you won't go attacking and petrifying anyone if you ever come out?" Harry asked the beast.
" No…. speaker. I just want to live out my life and do the duty that my master set up for me. I must protect the school." The Basilisk hissed back.
Harry nodded.
" What can I do to help?" He asked.
" Nothing much. Just call me if you need my help. When the school is under attack, I can exit this chamber without any issue, but I can't leave this place without being summoned. I want somebody to call for me. If the caller is righteous , if he truly seeks help to protect the school, then I will arrive. If not, I won't be able to leave this chamber." Harry frowned.
" Won't they require a parseltongue to call?" He asked.
" I was put here to protect the school, speaker. Every single magical entity. Not just Salazar Slytherin's line. The previous one who spoke to me is unworthy of calling me anymore. I shouldn't have bestowed the same trust to him that I gave Salazar. " The snake hissed, and Harry nodded.
" I will call for you. If the need arises, I will certainly call for you. Thank you." He bowed and the creature slithered back to the place where it came from.
Harry let out a sigh of relief. He had initially thought to kill the beast, but this approach seems to be better. His attention then fell upon the other person in this chamber.
Harry felt his anger overtake him. He shook with rage. With a flick of his wand, he summoned Bellatrix and dispelled the charms around her. His eyes were glowing eerily. The girl was shaking with a hint of fear and his overwhelming magic.
Harry grabbed the girl by her throat.
" What the fuck were you thinking?" He roared. The girl whimpered in what seemed like fright. " Are you stupid? Answer me, girl." He snapped.
" I ...am ...sorry." She ground out. Her breathing was becoming labored.
" Stuff it. Why did you follow me?" He asked her. The girl shook her head.
" I saw you enter the lavatories. I was curious." She shrugged. Her face was getting flushed, and Harry suddenly realized that he was still leaking his magic around. He took a deep breath and brought himself under control.
" You heard what I said?" He asked her.
The girl nodded. " Then why the fuck did you follow me knowing that I was going towards a basilisk. A fucking basilisk." He raged. The girl raised her chin defiantly.
" I thought that I would see and help you if needed." She said.
Harry stared at the girl and suddenly laughed. The girl frowned in confusion.
" What?" She asked. Harry smiled.
" No offense, Ms Black but I don't think you can help me… YET, I have confidence in my ability." Harry said.
The girl glared at him. " You seem too arrogant." She spat.
Harry shrugged. " Ah. Potato ..potaato." He spoke. " You call it my arrogance; I call it my confidence. You might be very good with a wand, Ms. Black but you haven't seen what I can do with a wand.
Now Bellatrix was positively pissed as she muttered, "Is that a Challenge."
"Take it as you will." Harry exclamed
' How dare he!' She seethed. She didn't think it through, but in her anger, she fired a piercing hex. Harry was caught off guard, but he stepped out of the way at the last second.
She started to send spells at him without a pause. All kinds of curse and hexes and the majority of them were less than desirable at the least. Harry waited and evaded and finally redirected her bone breaker that caught her on her wand arm.
She screamed in pain and collapsed on the ground, her wand clattering to the floor. Harry casually walked up to the girl.
" Listen, little girl. As I said, you won't like it if I fire a curse at you. Your pretty little ass would be packed and sent to your family as a gift. I have let you go this time, but the next time I won't be so forgiving." He said as he healed her hand.
The girl gulped as he glared at her. Bellatrix prided herself as one of the best duelists in this school. No seventh year could hold a candle to her power. She was well versed with fighting. Her grandfather had taught her. But this was something else. The boy had swatted away her spells like it was a mosquito. ' Who is he?' was the question that flitted through her mind again.
His magic was intoxicating. Bellatrix loved power. She loved the powerful. She found people with power strangely attractive. She had no shame in saying that she was power hungry. She didn't want a weak person. She never wanted to be weak. She valued a lot of things in a man. Kindness, consideration, intelligence, handsomeness, rich and powerful. But the power and handsome factor was the first and most important factor. But that doesn't mean that he should have only those factors. Without kindness and understanding, he would become unattractive.
For the past month, she had observed this boy in front of him. The way he interacted with others. With children. She felt that she had found a perfect person for herself.
She had not come across anybody of such qualities until today. This person was one such person. When she felt Harris's rough hands pull her towards him and when she felt the extent of his power, she orgasmed on spot. When she lay on the ground, panting and moaning in pain, she never felt so powerless and that turned her on even more. She felt high lust. She felt needy. She wanted to revel in his power. She wanted him to pull her closer and kiss her. She wanted him to tear her clothes with his teeth and ravish her. She wanted nothing more than to let him take her and pound her to oblivion.
' Calm down, Bella. Take it slow.' She thought as she quelled her raging hormones. It was then that she decided that Harris Evanson will be hers. She won't let some bitch take him away from her. She would have him. Her stupid aunt be damned. She would be his one and only. She stood up shakily to her feet.
" Sorry." She apologized, taking him by surprise. Harry stared at her warily. " I didn't hurt your head by mistake, did I?" He asked. The girl nodded.
" Come on. We need to get out of here." Harry said as he started to walk out of the chamber.
He stopped abruptly and turned back to her. " I would appreciate it if you keep these things quiet. I don't want it to be an issue." He said. " Why?" She blurted and chastised herself for her slip.
Harry didn't reply. " I have some people who would be very much interested in me and would take special interest as unhealthy as an obsession. I need to sort out a few things." He explained.
Bellatrix didn't understand a word of what he was speaking of but she didn't push. He was not in a good mood and certainly didn't like him in temper. He looked almost as dangerous as the beast he just fought.
" What if I disagree?" She asked and cursed herself. ' What is wrong with you?' she asked herself. Harry didn't turn around, but what he said next was not one she was expecting.
" You will not wake up tomorrow, little girl." He said and walked away leaving a suitably cowered Bellatrix.
She didn't move from her spot for two minutes. " I will show him. Little girl!?" She growled and stormed to her dorm.
&&&--
As the Black sisters sat down in their compartment, Bellatrix was in a thinking mode. Why, the conversation from the dinner three days back still etched in her mind.
FLASHBACK
" Harris?" Felicia called out and Harry looked up from the boon he was reading.
" Can I ask you something?" She asked. Harry nodded.
" What do you desire in an ideal girl?" Harry dropped his book and sat up straight. He eyed the two of them and the Black sisters warily. The sisters had taken to sitting with Felicia recently.
" What are you planning, Felicia?" He asked. She raised her hands in mock innocence. " Why, Harris? I never have!!" She exclaimed. " Sure." Harry scoffed in disbelief.
" Come on Harris, I want to know too." Narcissa whined childishly, pouting at him knowing that would give her answers.
Harry had developed a sibling kind of relationship with Andromeda and Narcissa, but Narcissa was the one who had him under her wraps. She would pout cutely at him and Harry according to Felicia, being the 'big softie' he is, would relent.
Harry glared at the girl who smiled cheekily. " Well, I don't know. I have no idea to be honest. Beautiful. Smart. Must be very smart. Strong willed. Powerful with a wand. I mean, very powerful. I don't know but I have a liking for girls who are strong. Someone who can trump anybody's arse if they annoy her. And with the amount of trouble I get into, one that can pull me back in line." He said.
" I don't care if she is a pure blood, muggle born or a half. It doesn't matter. I only want her to have an open mind about others if she is pure blood. I hate bigots. I know that it is difficult, if she has grown up in an old household. But that is what I ask. She keeps an open mind." He explained.
FLASHBACK ENDS
" Thinking about your Prince charming??" Andromeda piped from next to her. Bellatrix glared at her. " Shut up." She said, causing both her sisters to chuckle.
" Oh come on, Bella. Don't be like that." Andromeda chided. " Why don't you just talk to him?" She said, " I am feeling a bit annoyed at you making eyes at him. Just go on and speak to him about how you feel." She said.
Bellatrix shook her head muttering, " It's not so easy. Most of our interactions have ended with me insulting him and he never even spoke back. Sometimes, I get the feeling that he hates me."
" You heard what he said. You are exactly the kind of girl he likes. Yes, your interactions were less than pleasant, but you can correct it." Felicia said from the door.
" After five years, you have shown an interest in someone, Bella. He is stupid in matters like these. He won't know even if all the signs are there. Just be your normal self, but curb down those insults. It will work fine." Felicia said.
" And you better get a move on, Bella. Otherwise, I will steal him away. He is already wrapped around my fingers. He will listen to me and take me away." Narcissa piped up with a grin causing a round of laughter from the two and a scowl from Bellatrix.
&&&--
Harry exited the training room and was about to walk out of the platform when Damian called him back. Harry saw two older people and a little girl who may be no older than nine. 'His family', Harry thought as he walked to the group.
" Harris, my family. My father, Andrew Greengrass. My mother, Karen Greengrass and this little runt is my sister, Sarah Greengrass." He introduced.
Harry bowed in greetings.
" Lord Greengrass. Lady Greengrass. A pleasure. " He smiled as the woman nodded appreciatively. Harry then saw the small girl who let out a small eep and hid behind her father.
He chuckled softly as he knelt down. " So you are Damian's sister?" He asked. The girl peeked from behind her father and nodded shyly. Harry held his hand out asking for the little girl to place hers in his. She slowly approached Harry and held out her hand for him to take. " He didn't mention what a pretty young lady you are. A pleasure Ms Greengrass." He bowed and kissed her knuckles. The poor girl burned bright red before darting behind her father.
The group smiled at her antics.
" Damian has written about you, Mr. Evenson. I am glad he made friends. He was always a bit of a loner." Karen spoke.
Harry shook his head. " A good friend to have. And I for certain didn't expect someone like him to be in Slytherin. Now, I am not complaining." Harry said, causing the older couple to smile.
" I can't help but notice the similarities between you and Charlus and James, Mr Evanson. I hope you know it too?" The man questioned.
Harry nodded. " I have been told so, Sir. I did indeed meet James. Good kid and certainly a handful." Harry chuckled.
The older man nodded. " That he most certainly is."
Andrew raised his hand and greeted someone. It was then that Harry realized that the others were the Potters.
Seeing his grandmother and grandfather alive and well was a special moment to Harry. He had heard of them. Charlus Potter, the feared and respected Potter Lord. The one who went toe to toe with Grindelwald. Dorea Potter. His grandmother. An accomplished healer.
" Harris. I want you to meet my mother and father." James said, pointing to the older couple. " Dad, mum, Harris Evanson. My friend." He explained.
" Pleased to meet you, young man." Dorea smiled at him. Charlus nodded in greeting, his face still surprised at his appearance.
" I thought James was joking when he said that you resemble us, partly." Charlus said.
Harry smiled. " I have been told that too many times, sir." He explained. Charlus nodded in understanding.
" James sings your praises a lot. Seems like he has a good role model." Dorea said, beaming at Harry.
" It's an honor if students take me as a role model. Especially someone as talented as James, here." He explained.
" We Potters, hold a ball for the New Year at the Potter Manor. I kindly request that you be present there, Mr. Evanson." Charlus invited with a small bow.
Harry bowed back. " It would be my pleasure, Lord Potter. Of course, I will be there."
They were interrupted from their conversation when a group of people stood next to them. Harry identified Bellatrix, Narcissa, Andromeda and Sirius accompanied by three older people.
" Harris." Sirius waves at him. " I will see you around, mate." He said with his usual smirk. Harry nodded.
"I assume that you must be Mr Evanson." The elderly lady next to Narcissa spoke.
"And you will be right in your assumption." He said, He knew this woman. Cassiopeia Black. Gellert Grindelwald's right hand.
The woman and her brother and her father were the only ones along with a few families that stood against Britain and with Grindelwald during the last war. Perseus Black and Orion Black Sr had passed away. This woman was the only one remaining. She was accepted back by Arcturus Black. The man admittedly cared a lot about his family.
" You don't seem as impressive as the Prophet makes out." She snarked.
" And a mudblood to boot." She spat.
" Cassie!!" Dorea interrupted. " What is the matter with you?" She asked.
" What? I speak what I see." She shrugged.
Harry snorted. " Well, coming from Grindelwald's bitch, I won't even consider your remark as something to ponder. " He said to the shock and surprise of the others around him.
The woman stood shell shocked. No one dared to speak to her this way. And she would not be spoken that way by a mudblood.
" Do you know who you are talking to, boy?" She growled. Harry nodded.
" I do. Poor me." He smirked as the woman growled again. The others watched as the smirk on the young man's face vanished suddenly. It was replaced by fury.
" But if you dare take that tone with me again, I will send you back to suck your master's cock on the forty-eighth floor of Nurmengard." He finished dangerously. His eyes were glowing brilliantly.
" You might be Cassiopeia Black, but remember to pack your arrogance in a trunk before addressing another person." He said as he started to walk away. He turned back at the last moment.
" Sara?" He called out and a flash was seen and Harry's loyal phoenix was sitting on his shoulders.
" I might be a mudblood, according to you. But I am a thousand times the person you will ever be, woman. I didn't betray my family. I didn't leave my family to go and join a power hungry deluded fool. I didn't run away from my country and fight against it." He finished. " The others won't outright say it to your face, but they will always curse you and your life. Your name might keep you a bit respected, but other than that, nobody will even think twice before cursing your name."
The woman took a step back as if struck on her face.
" After everything that you have done, you have the gall to address another person with that level of arrogance. Maybe it's true. You Blacks are just a stupid lot with a fucking treasure of knowledge and privilege. " He said.
" You might be the most feared witch in generations but pray to Merlin that you won't find yourself at the end of my wand." He said and then turned to a blushing Bellatrix. " Your granddaughter can attest to that." He said offhandedly.
" Lord Black. Lady Black. Forgive me, but sometimes I let my temper get the better of me. The downside of having certain knowledge that we shouldn't have had." He said and the older couple nodded dumbly, too shocked to say anything.
He waved at Andromeda and Narcissa who waved back. " Ms. Black." He nodded to Bellatrix. He didn't even bother looking at Cassiopeia.
" Lord Potter. Lady Potter. Lord Greengrass. Lady Greengrass. Damian. I'll see you guys around." He bowed.
" Sara. Let's go." He said and the phoenix trilled and the two of them disappeared in a flash.
&&&--
When the Blacks arrived at Grimmauld Place, they looked suitably subdued. Nobody spoke a word as they all sat down at the dining table.
Druella greeted her daughters one by one, happy that they were home. She was about to ask something when she noticed that something bad had happened. She stopped and just went about and took a seat next to her husband, Cygnus.
Walburga Black and Orion Black sat at the table too, discussing something in hushed tones. " Is there a reason why all of you seem so subdued?" Druella asked.
Bellatrix shook her head frantically, but it was too late.
" How dare he?" Cassiopeia screamed.
" That jumped up mudblood. The gall of his to say those words to my face." She said.
" You had it coming Cassie. It was something that I had told you repeatedly. You didn't heed my words. Now, you have to listen to those words." Arcturus grumbled.
Kreacher popped in. " The Lord and Lady Potter are here, Lord Black." He said as he bowed low.
" Bring them in, Kreacher. And set up tea for us." He said and the elf disappeared with a pop.
As Dorea, Charlus and James walked in on the woman throwing a rant, they seemed confused as hell.
" Did you have to speak that way, Cassie?" Dorea questioned her elder sister. The woman huffed as she sat down.
" The next time I get my hands on that filthy mudblood, I will show him why I am feared all over this world." She growled.
Bellatrix had enough. " You will stop addressing him as a mudblood." She said as she stood up, wand in hand. This reaction was the most surprising of all.
Cassiopeia narrowed her eyes on her grandniece. " Are you mingling with filth, Bella?" She asked.
" I expected better of you. Mixing yourself with mudbloods. You will stop it before you bring shame to the family." She spat.
Bellatrix glared at her. She was a good person, but her goodness ended with the topic of mudbloods. She was far cry from the woman she had been. The lieutenant of Dark Lord Grindelwald. She had changed a lot from those days, but she still was a pain sometimes.
" Don't speak like that." Bellatrix said as she shook her head.
" And don't even get into a fight with him. He doesn't show it outside. But he is ruthless. He shows no mercy. He remains calm, but if he explodes, we would be at his mercy." She explained. The room stared doubtfully at Bellatrix.
" Aren't you exaggerating a bit, Bella?" Druella spoke. " Sure, the boy might have got the best scores in recent history, but that doesn't mean he is dangerous. " She spoke.
Bellatrix snorted. " Do you take me for a fool?" She spat. " I don't speak without thinking anything through. And this Harris Evanson is a dangerous unknown." She explained.
" What is it that you know, Bella?" Her grandfather questioned her. Bellatrix's mind flashed her the memory of Harry's words that day. She shuddered.
" Without an oath of silence, I cannot tell you everything he told me." She said and that led to protests around the table.
" Why do you need a silence oath?" Walburga asked. Bellatrix just shrugged.
" He will kill me if I spread this information and believe me, he will know that I spread this matter because there was no one else but the two of us when all this took place." She said.
" I would see the bastard try." Her father spoke for the first time, his fists clenched tightly in anger.
It was her uncle Charlus that asked the next question amid all the chaos.
" Did he demand an oath from you?" He asked. The girl shook her head.
" He knew that you had sensitive information that might be a danger to him and yet, he didn't demand an oath from you?" He asked incredulously. Bellatrix nodded.
Charlus hummed. " And the threat. Did he threaten you, knowing what family you belong to and still didn't care?" He asked.
Bellatrix shook her head again.
Charlus nodded. " I, Charlus Potter, swear on my life and magic that I will keep the information given to me by Bellatrix Black as a secret until the person of interest relieves me from it. So mote it be." He swore to the shock of the room.
" What were you thinking, Charlus?" Dorea hissed. " Think about it, Dorea. A muggleborn, he says. And he knows where this family stands. And yet, he didn't demand an oath from Bellatrix knowing that it might be public knowledge if it ever got out. That tells us a few things." He said.
" Either he is a fool…" he continued and Arcturus broke in. " Or he is a very dangerous man that one must never take lightly." He finished and his brother-in-law nodded to it.
Arcturus Black followed suit and swore an oath. One by one, every single member assembled swore an oath though Cassiopeia and Walburga were very much reluctant for different reasons.
Bellatrix raised her wand to her forehead and closed her eyes. Arcturus summoned Kreacher to get his pensive. Bellatrix deposited the memory in and they dived in to have a look at it.
&&&--
It was half an hour later that the group exited the pensive. Their expressions range from various degrees of shock and awe and surprise.
" Merlin!!" Charlus said under his breath.
" Parselmouth?" Arcturus spoke. " He is a bloody parselmouth."
" Impossible. There is only one person who can speak that language. And he is not him." Walburga said.
" He is not a muggleborn. No muggleborn can speak that. It is from the bloodline. And I don't think there is another line other than the Slytherin one. Who the hell is Tom?" Arcturus asked his grandchildren. They shook their heads.
" Apparently, he entered this chamber before." Arcturus said.
" His control over his magic is astounding. I have never seen someone who can use spells with such ease. And a mind art, one at that." Dorea said, still in awe at what she had witnessed.
Charlus nodded. The boy was special and he will be someone of a lot of importance. Though, there was something off about the boy. Something familiar yet something farfetched.
" Where did the boy learn all these things?" Druella asked.
" That is the thing. Nobody knows. He is silent. Extremely silent. But his posture screams vigilance. His eyes take every single thing around him. And there is this special move of his that summons his wand out if nowhere. I have not seen him use a holster. No. His wand appears out of thin air the moment he raises his hand.
He is well versed in muggle fighting as well. You should have seen how he put down Warrington. " Andromeda said, surprising the others.
" What? I observe every single thing, you know." She said with a grin.
" He is good at what he does. The way he explained the Patronus charm was something that I will never forget in my life." She continued.
" He can conjure a patronus?" Asked a bewildered Cassiopeia. " Conjure? He can make the bloody thing speak as well." Andromeda snorted.
" Well, this is surprising." Arcturus said, shocked at what he had heard all night. For the first time since their arrival, Melania Black spoke.
" Something is going on in your head, Arcturus. What is it?" She questioned her husband. The man remained silent for some time.
He then looked at his brother in law and his best friend for more than four decades.
" I will speak to him." Charlus said. " Or we will speak to him. There is something about him that I can't place. He feels so familiar, yet so far. " He said.
" Everything apart from that, he seems interesting. You have invited him to the Ball?" Asked Arcturus.
Charlus and Dorea nodded in affirmation.
" Good. Let's see what the boy has to say for our questions." Arcturus grinned.
" Why do I have the feeling that I won't like what you have planned?" Melania asked her husband, watching him suspiciously.
Arcturus and Charlus grinned childishly for men their age.
" It's confirmed. We are not going to like it." Dorea confirmed her sister in law's question.
TBC--
Hey guys. The next chapter is here for you. I am happy that many have liked this fic very much. Your reviews and responses are helping a lot. I hope you keep liking my work.
So, Harry meets the Potters and the Blacks for the first time. A meeting that cannot be called pleasant. I hope you will like the interaction between Cassiopeia and Harry. Many might feel that Harry was bragging a lot, but no. Harry never bragged about his power. He just gave a fair warning. Let's see where that goes.
Walburga was not involved in this chapter, but she will be coming up. Get ready to hate her already.
Well, with that being said, stay safe and happy. Stay tuned…...