AUGUST 1989
I crept into the hallway, listening carefully. Mr and Mrs. Forrester were still downstairs, eating breakfast. Quietly, I tiptoed over to the window and opened it.
After listening to the Forresters again, I slipped out onto the ledge and closed the window quietly.
Grinning, I leaped from the second story window and ran all the way to the Skylar residence.
Using the key under the mat, I let myself in and called out, "Ms. Skylar?"
She didn't respond, so I closed the door behind me and went to the kitchen to make a bowl of cereal. When I was done, I carried it into the living room.
She was staring out the window, like she does everyday.
Ash's death had been hard on her. It still is if I'm to be completely honest. Ash had been her only child, and the last of her family. After the funeral, she hardly moved or spoke. So I cleaned the house and made food for her.
I put the cereal down on the window ledge.
"Good morning. I'm going to go clean out the fridge and grab a bite to eat afterwards," I said.
As I turned away, she grabbed my wrist firmly. "Lunarae, I want you to go get dressed. We're going to Diagon Alley," she said in a firm but quiet voice.
I stared at her incredulously. "Really?"
Ms. Skylar gave me a small smile and nodded. I ran upstairs, and paused, looking at Ash's room. It's been untouched since they died. I haven't been able to open the door.
Shaking off the melancholy feeling, I went to the room next door, which was mine.
I had all but moved here, and only kept my painer clothes at the Forresters'.
From the closet I choose an outfit that consisted of a white tee, a red flannel, black pants, and a pair of Timberlakes.
Once I was dressed, I ran downstairs. Ms. Skylar, who had gotten dressed quicker than I somehow, chuckled at my eagerness.
She grabbed my hand and I closed my eyes. A loud cracking sound filled my ears before I felt like I was being squeezed through a tube.
When I opened my eyes, we were in front of a tavern called the Leaky Cauldron. Ms. Skylar went in, and I followed her cautiously.
The place was quite crowded and loud, even more so than the cafeteria at school. Some of the people looked at us curiously, but most of them ignored us to my relief. Ms. Skylar walked up to the bar, ignoring almost everyone.
It's almost like she hasn't been grieving for a year.
"Ms. Skylar! I haven't seen you in quite a while," The bartender said.
"Hello Tom. I'm... adjusting to it now. But you and I can catch up later," She gestured to me. "We need to get to Diagon Alley."
Tom looks down at me. "This is who Ash mentioned, I presume?" he asked.
I bowed slightly and say, "Je m'appelle Chaos Lunarae Nightshade. S'il vous plait appelle-moi Lunarae s'il vous plait Monsieur Tom."
He nodded slowly. "A Nightshade eh? Thought your lot left Britain. Where are your parents?"
A few of the patrons nearest to us perked up after hearing my last name.
Lowering my voice, I said, "Indisposed sir."
Tom nodded sadly and lead us through to the back of the pub. Ms. Skylar tapped a pattern of bricks quickly with her wand.
The wall slid apart to reveal an alleyway with tall, leaning buildings. I stared in awe.
"C'est magnifique!" I exclaimed excitedly. Ms. Skylar laughed at my reaction and pointed to a large white building almost directly across from us.
"That is our destination today,"
My mouth hung open slightly. "C'est magnifique plus. Allons-y!" I grabbed her hand and begin pulling her toward the large building. It's by far the most beautiful building I've ever seen.
The inside is just as grand, and I'd have been looking around in open awe of it weren't for all the wizards and witches around us.
No one paid us attention as we approach the front desk, stopping in front of Teller Griphook. "Tu as une très belle banque, Monsieur Griphook." I said with a bow.
"I'm glad you think so. What is your business here?"
"We have an appointment under Skylar," Ms. Skylar said.
Griphook whistled to another goblin who led us to Mr. Ragrok's office. I bowed again when we were let inside.
"Mister Ragrok, I would like to request a blood test for Lunarae," Ms. Skylar said. He motioned for us to sit. When we did, Ragrok produced a knife and a piece of parchment.
"Three drops of blood on the parchment." he told me. I cut my palm, and made a fist to increase blood flow so I could drip the required amount of blood before I healed.
Words formed on the paper with my blood as the ink.
Name: Chaos Lunarae Nightshade
Parents: Crystal Nightshade (nèe Lux/deceased), Arimarae Nightshade (deceased)
Heir to/Lord of:
Noble and Most Ancient House of Lux (born into)
Noble and Most Ancient House of Nightshade (born into)
Noble and Ancient House of Ravenclaw (inherited)
Noble and Ancient House of Hufflepuff (chosen)
Noble and Ancient House of Slytherin (by proxy)
Noble and Ancient House of Guant (by proxy)
Noble and Ancient House of Peverell (by proxy)
Noble and Ancient House of Riddle (by proxy)
Properties:
Lux Manor (Canada)
Lux Castle (Ireland)
Lux Vacation Home (Botswana)
Lux Paradise (Hawaii)
Nightshade Castle (Transylvania)
Nightshade Boarding House (Yukon)
Nightshade Casino (Louisiana)
Ravenclaw Castle (Russia)
Ravenclaw Ranch (Scotland)
Hufflepuff Castle (Hungary)
Hufflepuff Home (Ireland)
Slytherin Castle (Ireland)
Guant Residence (unknown)
Marvolo Manor (Little Hanglington)
Peverell Castle ((3) unknown)
Riddle Manor: Little Hanglington
Investments:
Lux Paradise (sole proprietor)
Nightshade Boarding House (sole proprietor)
Nightshade Casino (sole proprietor)
Daily Prophet {(70% share) 25% proceeds}
Gringrotts {(10% share) 5% proceeds}
Quibbler {(25% share) 10% proceeds}
Amanuensis Quills {(25% share) 25% proceeds}
Apothecary {(65% share) 25% proceeds}
Whiz Hard Books {(30% share) 50% proceeds}
Obscurus Books {(30 share) 30% proceeds}
Seats in Wizengamot:
Lux: 39
Nightshade: 49
Ravenclaw: 40
Hufflepuff: 30
Slytherin: 37
Guant: 26
Riddle: 12
Vaults:
Lux Vaults: 6
Nightshade Vaults: 7
Ravenclaw
Hufflepuff
Slytherin
Guant
Peverell
Riddle
Creature Inheritance: (full abilities to be unlocked at age 14)
Dhamphir
Shifter
Earth Elemental
Powers/Abilites:
Enhanced everything
Creature form: Dragon Unicorn
Earth Magik
Telepathy
Creature Speak
Magic sense
Creature sense
The ability to read, write and understand Parseltounge
Soul grandfather: Tom Marvolo Riddle Junior ( Veela, six horcruxes [wraith])
Soul mission: fix Tom's soul
Soulmate: North Black
I read the parchment, astonished. Not only am I well off, it seems I have alot of properties if I ever need to escape the Forresters.
And apparently I have a soul mission, whatever that means.
"Oh my Merlin.. " Ms. Skylar murmured next to me.
"Sweet Morgana! How could I not recognize a Nightshade? Dear Magic, please forgive me for not recognizing earlier." Ragrok apologized profusely. I waved my hand dismissively. "It's quite alright, it's not like I made it known,"
"What can you tell me about my family Monsieur Ragrok?" I asked.
"The Nightshades are one of the oldest families in the Wizarding World. They are notorious for being extremely powerful, headstrong, and the best dark wizards around. Morgana was a distant twice removed cousin of yours as was Merlin.
They never really mingled much with other wizards. Despite being purebloods, they abhorred they practice of inbreeding. Most were mates with creatures, and those who weren't often choose creatures instead.
But occasionally, to provide new blood, a wizard would be picked as a spouse. Of course, there were no forced marriages in the Nightshade family, since they were strong supporters of free will and magic. No squips have been born from the Nightshade bloodline, due to this practice.
The investments listed here were made quite awhile ago, most likely when the shops first appeared. However, the Lux and Nightshade family have always been kind to the Goblin Nation, even before Gringrotts. It was one of your great grandfathers, Inceptimus Nightshade, who suggested we start this bank. He was a Seer, and knew how much power we would hold. His best friend, Sanguine Lux, convinced the wizards to go along with it. The two families were very close to each other, but no one from both families married, until your parents.
The Lux family have a similar reputation to the Nightshade family, except they mated with creatures and wizards equally. Their squips were never turned away and were extremely powerful mages. Before the war, both families withdrew from the Wizarding World, occasionally making appearances in every magical place except for Magical Britain." he said.
I stared at him in shock. I had no idea my family was so old or powerful.
"Is there a way for me to make Ms. Skylar my guardian?" I asked.
Ragrok pulled a file from one of the many desk drawers and opened it. He read it silently, and then looked at me. "Little Nightshade, unfortunately, Ms. Skylar only become your magical guardian,"
I frowned. I had hoped to escape the Forresters entirely, but it seems that that is not possible yet. "I understand."
He placed a paper infront of us and handed us both quills.
Ms. Skylar and I signed it immediately.
"Congratulations Little Nightshade and Ms. Skylar," He turned to me with a small grin on his face. "Now, would you like to claim your Heirships?" I nodded.
Ragrok pulled out eight boxes and placed them infront of me. I opened them enthusiastically.
The Nightshade ring is a simple black band with a purple nightshade engraved on it. The Lux ring is a silver band with a gold sunburst. The other rings are rather intricate, each with it's own crest. "такие красивые кольца. (Such pretty rings) Can I start collecting those investments? And may I be so forward as to donate to the Goblin Nation?"
...
"Where do you want to go now?" Ms. Skylar asked as we left the bank.
Closing my eyes, I spun around quickly and picked a direction.
I allowed my feet to wander and soon found ourselves outside of a shop called Magical Menagerie.
Ms. Skylar opened the door and I flinched at the noises and smells that bombarded me. Steeling myself, I walked in and allowed myself to wander again.
I felt a pull on my magic and stopped. Looking down, I saw four cages on the floor. Suddenly I felt as if I had been dunked in cold water.
I was met to find these animals, that was something I felt in my gut.
There was a black tiger cub in the cage on my left. He looked to be about three months old. The label on his cage said SHADOW TIGER.
The cage on my right held a sick looking hare and the label on her cage said SNOW HARE- W/SAND CONTROL.
Next to her was an albino fox kit who also looked sick. He couldn't have been more than two months old. The label on his cage said RED SNOW FOX.
And next to him was a month old wolf pup with wings. The label on her cage said MAGIK WOLF.
I looked back at Ms. Skylar, who looked horrified. "I'm taking them all," I said firmly.
"I know better than to take someone's familiars," she replied.
"Familiars?" I asked, confused.
"These animals are bonded to you, and your magic. You're also bonded to them. You'll always be able to understand each other, and they're going to protect you when they grow older. They'll also help you stabilize your magic and increase development."
"Wow. That's incredible,"
"Yes, they are. Here, I'll go find a clerk while you get to know them." Ms. Skylar said.
"Ok," After listening to her walk away, I cooed, "Hello there."
The wolf pup opened her eyes and blinked at me. The tiger cub looked up at me and said, "Speak creature?"
"Yes. You four are my familiars,"
"Master?" the fox kit squeaked. The hare also looked up at me from her tiny cage. "We leave Bad Smell Place?"
"Of course. I will stay with you at my guardian's house for a few months, and then I'll make daily visits after that." I explained. The Forresters will not like that, but that's a problem for future me.
They smelled happier once I said that.
"Lunarae? We can go now," Ms. Skylar said as she approached. Grinning, I took them out of their cramped cages. I cradled them in my arms as we left the store.
"Ms. Skylar, the fox and the hare need a colder environment if they're going to survive. How are we going to help them?"
"Well, Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment carries trunks that have apartments in them. I can go get you one while you wait for me at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor," she said.
"Okay."
She took some money out from her wallet and gave it to me. "That should be enough for some ice cream. Keep the change."
...
While I waited for Ms. Skylar, I got ice cream and milk for my familiars and I. The hare and fox seemed to enjoy the ice cream, while the tiger and wolf lapped up the milk eagerly.
After that they seemed to perk up alot more. They started playing with each other, much to my delight.
Ms. Skylar came in about two hours later holding a dark green trunk with a golden handle and clasps.
"Lunarae, this trunk has four compartments, an apartment, voice recognition locking spells, and a feather light charm. I helped set up a room in the apartment that caters to the environments you familiars would live in." she said.
I got up and immediately hugged her. "Thank you Ms. Skylar. This has been the best day ever!"
"You haven't even checked the first compartment yet,"
I quickly threw open the trunk. On a bookshelf that rotated when I touched it sat several books. They had titles such as Pureblood Practices and Etiquette, Care for Rare Magical Creatures, Familiars and Things To Know About Them, Magical Britain and The Ministry of Magic, Magical Countries and Their Governments, Goblin History and Gringrotts, Gobbledygook, Horcruxes (written in Parseltounge), Modern Magical History, Earth Elementals, Creature Inheritances and How To Prepare, and Wizarding History.
My eyes widened in awe as I scrolled through. I have never received so many things in one day before. It was overwhelming. Tears started dripped from my face as I looked up at Ms. Skylar.
"Thank you so much. You've made me the happiest boy on Earth."
