Sebastian cried softly, holding his sister close to him.
.
That was it.
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He had no more parents.
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The Ritual of Exile had just ended.
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How painful it is to realize that this is his only chance at life!
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Before my eyes stood the portrait of Riven, explaining what his parents had done and what it would do to them. And also what would happen to their descendants.
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... Riven gasped for air, unable to speak. The other portraits didn't look any better, and all I could hear in the Hall was muffled noises. Finally, after about five minutes, Riven was able to pull himself together and catch his breath.
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" What did they do"?! - he muttered. In response, Sebastian read again the testimony drawn up by the goblins and sealed by Gringotts, testifying that what was written was true and that the goblins vouch for it with their honor and lives.
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" The great darkness"! the lord groaned, covering his face with his hands. " For what? Why do you punish my House like this"?!
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The Lords and Lady Potter looked at each other silently, looking at the children with horror, pain, and pity. Riven shook himself up, his brown eyes glinting gold.
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" Carlus! Over here, now"! roared the lord. James' father immediately appeared in the portrait. Riven stared fiercely at his offspring, barely keeping his hands off of him.
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"Carlus! What do you have to say for yourself"?
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Carlus sighed.
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"My fault, My Lord. I failed to see, letting him play pranks..."
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"Pranks"! Raven snarled, his eyes flashing as brightly as his grandfather's. " That's what you call pranks! Congratulations! Thanks to YOUR connivance, the House is all but destroyed! Get out of my sight"!
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Riven closed his eyes and tried to calm down.
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"Right now our only hope is that Salazar will show mercy and help..." he said softly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. " I know, children, that you do not understand what your parents have dragged you into, and therefore I will try to explain".
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The lord was silent, gathering his thoughts, and began to speak at a leisurely pace, only the ripples in his cheekbones betraying his tension.
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" Children are untouchable. This is a basic Law of Magic, which cannot be broken. A first-born is the hope of the whole Kin for survival, because we are few and every lost Kin is an irretrievable loss. Parents are obliged to take care of their child, because it is the care of the future".
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The lord looked somewhere in the distance and continued monotonously:
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" Your father was deprived of the title of Heir, and these are not just words. It is confirmation of the fact that this mage cannot represent his Kin, and only his children have hope of receiving Gifts and Legacies. James has apparently decided that he is the cleverest, so he can get his title back, or, at the very least, it will go to you. Beair's bonds are indissoluble while he lives; they are broken only at death, and not even he who made them can undo them. In chaining his firstborn son, the Heir, in this way, James has flouted all laws and morals. As long as his son didn't know what was wrong with him, James had a chance, but once he did... " Riven covered his eyes and quieted," When he found out, Harry triggered a magical backlash for the crime against his blood. And that rollback hit the weaker man first, your mother," the mage grimaced squeamishly.
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" She will become a squib, maybe even a muggle, at best an extremely weak wizard. The next victims of the rollback will be you, for you are children and you are weak. The last to be affected by the rollback is your father. Loss of magic is just the beginning, then anything can happen: from the Seal of Betrayal to the Collar of the Outcasts or defeat in rights, in the latter case, death awaits you. Either way, our House will cease to exist. The only thing that can save you is the expulsion of the transgressors from the House" .
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The children looked at each other, and Dorothea's eyes filled with tears.
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" Can't anything be done" ? whispered the girl. The magician looked at her hard:
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" Child, they condemned your older brother to a death spanning years, and magic always punishes adequately, an eye for an eye. When you learned of what had happened, you, too, fell under the Law".
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The children looked at each other, deciding their own fate. It's not easy and hard to decide when you know there's no way out. Sebastian sighed and looked sadly at his sister. She nodded after a moment of silence.
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" What shall we do, my lord"?
%%%
Salazar scrutinized the children who were once his brother and sister. The boy tried to be strong, hiding his fear and insecurity behind a proud chin. Dorothea squeezed his palm quietly, looking for support.
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Sebastian was now very much like his distant ancestor the same will, strength and fortitude.
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This Salazar liked. He smiled slightly at the children and turned to the goblins. Some formalities had to be taken care of.
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After another hour, when the paperwork was done and the children's bellies were squeaking pitifully, Salazar bowed to the steward and beckoned the children after him.
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" The children. It's time to go home".
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Apparating to the manor (having slightly scanned Sebastian's thoughts), Salazar went to the door and stroked the carved surface with his hand. At one time, the builders did a good job creating a house for combat magicians.
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Sebastian opened the door ceremoniously and bowed:
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" Welcome to Potter Manor, guardian".
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"Thank you, Sebastian. Come, it's time to release your ancestors".
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The housekeepers were already crowded in the hall, bowing low and looking at their young hosts with amorous eyes. They looked at Salazar as if he were a god.
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As he approached the door to the Hall, Salazar examined the interweaving spells and grunted, then jabbed himself in the finger with a pin and jabbed at the center of the door, leaving a bloody trail. The blood froze for a moment, and then soaked in rapidly, the door glowed, and all the spells fell away.
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The Slytherin chuckled: He and Godric had fraternized, after all, for a reason. He threw the doors wide open and entered at a leisurely pace, followed by the shocked stares of the portraits. When he reached the wall, Salazar approached the portrait, which hung in a magnificent frame, and smiled fondly:
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" Riven... how you've grown, you little beast..."
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" Grandfather..." whispered the mighty Lord Potter, furtively wiping away a tear.
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Lord Riven remembered well his grandparents, the Founders, who had become legends during his lifetime. Godric would often ride his young grandson on his back in the guise of a manticore. The boy would squeal and clutch at his mane and make the surrounding countryside crackle with laughter.
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When little Rivey saw the big snake that Salazar was turning into, he was speechless. It was his dream to ride it, but he had to do his best to make it happen, because he wasn't the only one who wanted it.
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The serpent-tongued mage was an example to him, along with Godric, Helga, and Rowena, so when he learned that Salazar had disappeared, Raven, who had by this point become a battle mage and a Master, shut himself in his chambers and wept with grief, not ashamed of it at all.
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Seeing the wizard again... It was a miracle for Riven, a tremendous gift of magic.
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The housekeepers, summoned by Salazar, took the children to lunch, and Salazar stayed behind to talk to Riven. Lord Potter was worried about his descendants, and he anxiously asked Salazar for details, inquiring about his plans and how he had come to this time in the first place.
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The rest of the portraits breathed through the air, afraid to miss a word. The great wizard was stunning from the very first second with his power, his intelligence, his strength of spirit. He left no one indifferent, and the Potters were no exception.
%%%
James breathed heavily, lying on the rug in the living room of the Italian summer home he'd bought a couple of years ago. The cramps still twisted his body in fits of pain, but not as often as they had a few hours ago. The painful wave went through his body again, and James gritted his teeth in rage, taking a moment to wait it out.
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He was no fool at all, and he knew exactly what had caused this effect: the loss, and considerable, of magic; the sensation of blood boiling; the convulsions, incredibly painful; the sudden, momentary decline in health... and the corpse-like stains that appeared on his forearms.
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James tried to say his last name and couldn't. His tongue just wouldn't come out.
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He stared up at the ceiling in hatred and howled, choking back stinging tears.
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There was only one explanation.
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Banishment from the House. The final one.
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A groan was heard in the distance.
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The man looked at the bed where his wife lay and was horrified.
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Lily had grown abruptly... Lily had aged as if she'd been given a decade or more: her skin was pale and wrinkled and her hair was dull and shiny.
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But that was not the worst of it.
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He couldn't feel the magic in her at all.
%%%
Gustav looked on with satisfaction at the result of the hard efforts of his subordinates. The hall of the High Court was ready. The mage closed the door and drew a rune with his blood on the surface, sealing the hall until the Court began.
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Which would take place tomorrow.
%%%
Fred and George finished the next chapter and went out into the garden under the supervision of the housekeepers. The trees were covered with a thin layer of snow, snow-white down enveloping the branches. The breeze moved them quietly, and occasional snowflakes fell from the sky.
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The brothers looked up into the dark sky, holding hands, and prayed to Magic for the first time in their lives.
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They asked for forgiveness.
%%%
The children lay quietly in the same bed, afraid to be separated.
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The ritual had a strong effect on them both physically and mentally.
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Salazar crouched on the edge of the bed and gently kissed their cheeks.
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"Shall I tell you a story" he suddenly asked. Sebastian sniffed his nose and nodded, Dorothea nodded.
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" All right, listen up. Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a boy. When he turned fifteen, his father decided to give a ball in his castle in his honor, presenting him as his Heir. And so, at this ball, he met a boy who was the same age as himself. His name was... Godric..."
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The children listened mesmerized as Salazar told the story of his encounter with their distant ancestor, and giggled softly, gradually recovering from their shock and depression. The fireplace burned quietly, Slytherin's voice murmured, lulling, and the children fell asleep before they knew it.
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The magician quietly passed his hand over them, bringing pleasant dreams, and cautiously left the room. He still had unfinished business.
%%%
Voldemort lay in bed, covered by a warm comforter, dreaming of the day when his face would be human again. Then he could approach his idol without hiding. And perhaps he would finally be able to say his name proudly, without hiding.
All things are possible in life, aren't they?