A/N: This story is as original as I can make it, but the premise and structure for at least this portion of the story are all pieces fitted together from other good stories in the fandom like Harry Gaunt and Imprisoned In the Past. I liked the idea of doing an Isekai-esque approach with it and it will show that it will be different, even in this first step. I thank anyone who just gives this a shot, because I honestly like what I came up with here. I hope you enjoy.
Prologue
Summer of '75
Crystal Springs, United States, August 2022..
The world moved a fraction of it's normal speed as seventeen year old Nick Negron stood frozen on the sidewalk, an out-of-control Chevrolet SUV swerving off of the road towards him. He didn't know what was going on, and all Nick could think of was his friends waiting for him just a few blocks down the street at the local movie theater. His vision went black as he felt his body get thrown back upon impact with the large vehicle, his last thought a curse.
Down the street, a girl of seventeen, curly red hair framing her face, turned as she heard sirens down the road. "Wait, doesn't Nick.. Oh, no!" She said, rushing back towards the sirens as her best friend turned to her.
"Trixie! What the hell?!" She asked as she caught up to her friend.
"I just have a bad feeling.." Was all Trixie said as they ran towards the scene and sirens.
A Week Later..
Trixie and her best friend Lizzy stood, both dressed in black as the sky seemed to cry along with them. The two girls and the other member of their group, Leon Solaria, were the only ones who had even thought to come, even though Nick was well-liked in school. Trixie, the worst affected of the three teens, was on her knees as she bawled. "I never got to tell him.." She muttered through her tears. "He's lucky the driver killed himself in that crash.."
"Trixie.. We're all going to miss him. Nick was one of the best of us, after all."
Trixie only sniffled and nodded, her thoughts too erratic from her emotions to form into words. She only hoped that wherever Nick was, heaven, hell or in-between, he was happy. Lizzy, on the other hand, just hoped that her best friend would be alright, since the hysterical girl had been fostering the biggest crush on Nick since the seventh grade, and she had finally gathered the courage to tell him so at the movies when tragedy had struck him down..
East End, London, UK, August 1st, 1975..
Nick shot up from his bed, realizing instantly that something wasn't right, as he remembered being hit by the drunk driver. Then it was even more obvious things weren't right because of the very dated posters and items around his bedroom, which was also much different than he remembered. Where's all my Pokémon memorabilia? And what's with these posters? Aren't these all old propaganda-type things? He thought, seeing the iconic poster of the working woman as well as others that didn't add up. There wasn't even a computer around anymore, and Nick was always using that.
"Nick?! Are you awake? Breakfast is ready, and the mail's here." Already? It's only.. seven in the morning? He looked at the old alarm clock on his nightstand.
"Coming, mom." He climbed out of the bed and rummaged through his dresser, thanking whatever higher power there was that he could at least dress similarly to what he was used to, although the fact everything in the dresser seemed different, almost magical in his hands piqued Nick's interest.
Nick realized as he left his bedroom that he wasn't in the same house he remembered. Looking out a window, he gasped and realized why. "When the fuck did we move to London?!" He asked himself, the iconic building that was Big Ben looming over the cityscape Nick looked out at. Shaking his head, he motioned to go downstairs for breakfast. Don't think about it, just go with the flow. It'll all explain itself eventually.
His thoughts became even more confused as he walked into the kitchen to find his mother reading a newspaper, the name of which he couldn't see but he could see the pictures on the front page moving. Then, looking towards the stove he saw a pot stirring itself as well as a sponge in the sink, scrubbing dishes as if there was an invisible person doing the deed. What's really going on? "Morning, mom."
Nick's mother Neela smiled at him as she lowered the paper. "Morning, dear. You got your letter, it seems. I'm surprised the Headmaster pushed your inclusion through so easily, what with the trouble brewing out here."
"Letter?" Nick asked, looking at the small pile of letters that sat next to a falcon, pecking at treats from a bowl next to it. "When did we get a falcon? Isn't it illegal to have one as a pet without a Falconer's License? Wait, do we have one?"
Neela looked at him for a moment before giggling. "Oh, you and your joking, Nick. No, silly, we don't have a Falconer's License, not in the sense I think you're talking about. We did need to get our ownership of Adria confirmed by the Ministry when we first moved across the pond. Thankfully Auror Hannigan was able to push the paperwork through for us."
"The British Ministry? Like, the Ministry of Defense?"
"What's wrong with you today, silly boy? No, the Ministry of Magic. You're supposed to be starting your seventh year at Hogwarts since we moved here for my work. All your friends from Ilvermorny have been beside themselves with boredom all summer without you back in Crystal Springs."
That really got Nick's attention as words popped out more than others. Ministry of Magic? Ilvermorny? Hogwarts?! He looked towards the calendar Neela always kept on the kitchen wall, which read August of 1975. Fucking hell! "Oh, yeah, of course. It's just the move, still affecting my memory I guess."
"I guess so. Well, we need to go to Diagon Alley downtown for your school supplies, and to open up a family account here, since the bank in the States is in the process of transferring the funds and needs an account here to finish the job."
Nick nodded. "Alright, I guess I'll just eat then. I can go myself, I'm seventeen so I'm basically an adult."
"That's a good idea, actually. Get you out of the house and meet some people. You'll probably run into plenty of students while you're there so you can even make some new friends."
"Yeah, mom. Of course." Nick said as he sat down to eat. He remembered this world, but it was fiction before he had woken up. Did I die and was somehow brought back in time within the Harry Potter world? How does that even work when that world was a work of fiction? He asked himself as he dug into the plate of eggs and sausage.
A short while later, Nick went back to his room, spotting the object he was looking for laying on his nightstand: his wand. He inspected it from afar first, noting the sets of matching scales in the pattern of a rainbow that ran down the sides. A memory popped into his head as he picked it up. Thirteen and a quarter inches. Core made from the horn of a Horned Serpent and scales from one as well, each infused with Horned Serpent venom as well for the most power output. Wood from a Sakura tree. My own wand, and it just sounds powerful, let alone how beautiful it looks. He thought, pocketing it in the holster attached to his leg and donned the traveling cloak he apparently now owned as well as an umbrella. It was a rather dismal summer day in Muggle London.
Diagon Alley, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Two Hours Later..
Since the Harry Potter books hadn't been too exact with directions or locations at times, it had taken Nick a while to reach the Leaky Cauldron Pub. Now, as he walked through the back brick wall as it sifted back to normal behind him, he looked around in wonder at the things he had thought would be impossible to truly see. As he looked at the shops, someone bumped into him from behind. Looking at the perpetrator, Nick saw a girl his age dressed in a lavish dress, her curly black and red hair bringing back memories of Trixie as the girl's hazel eyes flashed towards him angrily. "Watch it, asshole!" She said, frowning.
Nick put his hands up as he realized exactly who this young woman was. "My apologies, Miss. Black. It's my first time in Diagon Alley, you see as I've just moved across the pond as you say."
Bellatrix Black hummed. "Well, at least you have manners. Are you starting Hogwarts next month as well?"
Nick nodded. "Yes, Seventh Year. Now, I'm sorry but I must dash. I'm expected at Gringotts."
Bellatrix nodded. "By all means, don't let me hold you. Oh, and by the way, the name's Bellatrix." She smiled as she turned away. "Maybe I'll see you around.."
"I'm Nick, nice to meet you, Bellatrix. I guess I'll be seeing you around." Nick said, feeling bashful as he walked around the Slytherin girl.
She's.. Definitely different as a teenager.. Nick thought as he made his way towards the bank.
Bellatrix hummed again as the newcomer walked away, a smirk forming on one corner of her lips as a new voice joined her, making her jump in fright. "Bellatrix! Are you alright?" The eldest of the three Black sisters turned to look at her younger sisters, Andromeda and Narcissa both giggling behind their hands as Andromeda looked towards the bank, and the shrinking form of Nick. "Who was that?"
Bellatrix sighed. "No clue, really. He didn't give me a last name, so I can't say I know any of his family to ask.. But he will be joining us all at Hogwarts this year, and graduating by the sound of it. I didn't see his wand, either, but he's in my year so he must have one."
"Hmm. Well, you were very.. zoned out while you two had that brief conversation. In fact, we tried getting your attention several times before you reacted at all."
"Really? Well, that's definitely not like me. Well then, come on. We have things to be doing, don't we? Mother and father will be cross with us if we do not bring them their monthly supplies from the Alley." She said, clicking her tongue as she walked past her sisters towards their first destination.
Nick walked into Gringotts, shaking his coat of the barely noticeable dew-esque rain that clung to him, Diagon Alley having a much clearer- but not without bits of reality peeking into the illusion such as the drizzle Nick encountered (and hadn't put up a shielding charm against)- sky than that in Muggle London. He approached the front desk and the goblin seated there, the name Brookaxe Hobbleduke spelled out on the small brass nameplate in front of him.
Nick sighed and bowed slightly. "Greetings, Goblin Hobbleduke." He greeted.
The goblin looked over the edge of the highly-positioned desk and hummed. "Yes, Master Wizard? Can't say I've seen you before."
"Indeed. I apologize for taking you from your other work but I'm a new resident of the United Kingdom you see, from America. We were in the process of transferring my family funds from the vaults back in America to one here at Gringotts, with any surcharges removed from the grand total, of course."
The goblin smiled, his crooked and jagged teeth frightening Nick but not to the point he would show fear. "Ahh, yes. The quartermaster of the bank told me to wait your arrival, Mr. Negron. I was unaware your.. mother, I believe, would not be joining us for these events."
"Oh, well. Even in America, a Pureblood family stands by some traditions. Such as my ascension to the Lordship of my family and any other possible inheritances we did not have knowledge about from before the initial immigration from Britain to America. I turned seventeen earlier this year and despite not really wanting the position, I've been forced this summer to embrace my imminent taking up of a Wizengamot seat in addition to taking my classes and N.E.W.T.S at Hogwarts. But, such is the life of a teenager, sometimes."
The goblin nodded with a guttural laugh. "Yes, for you wizards it happens more often than most would think, I would say. Have you ever had an Ancestry Spell done on your family before, by chance? I know MACUSA likes to only go back to about the time of the first European settlers in the New World, but ours go back to see if there's even a need for your family to use an unowned vault."
Nick nodded. "So you're saying you'd see if I share genetics with any of the families present here, right?"
"Yes, indeed. Whether active or not, you may need a new vault regardless. It only depends on whether or not the family line has otherwise disappeared from Britain."
Nick shrugged. "Fine, then. If it'll get me on my way. Not that I'm much of a hurry, but it's my first time in Diagon Alley and I would like to sightsee a bit in addition to my school shopping."
"Of course, right this way. You're lucky I was already working the desk," Brookaxe gestures to another goblin, who took up his old post at the main desk as Brookaxe led Nick to the back rooms of the main level of Gringotts, the offices of the goblins in charge of the various wizard family accounts if Nick remembered correctly. "The quartermaster asked me personally to oversee your account, regardless of prior account managers." Nick nodded as he followed the goblin.
The teenager and goblin entered an office and Brookaxe brought out a scrying bowl, a small knife next to it. "You already know how the ritual goes, yes?" The goblin asked Nick.
"Yes," Nick nodded. "I prick my fingertip to draw a few drops of blood into the bowl. The mixture already present will basically scan my DNA for any relation to the Older families here in the UK genealogies."
"Very good. I can imagine you're a very capable student."
"I've always liked school, I suppose. Bit of a prankster as well. So, let's get on with this, shall we?"
On the affirmative gesture from the goblin banker, Nick took the small knife and poked his index finger hard enough to feel it as he flinched back. He shook the finger and then held it over the bowl, squeezing the fingertip to allow three or four drops of blood to drop into the liquid in the bowl.
Instantly, the mixture swirled by itself until it had turned an almost highlighter sort of shade of red before a puff of smoke rose from the bowl. On the desk, an eagle feather quill came to life, finding a piece of parchment and scribbling on it faster than Nick could keep track of, long and seemingly endless moments of scratching sounds coming from the writing utensil. When it finally stopped, Nick could swear he heard a distant ding sound off, like some kind of egg timer. "Good, good. Nice and quick is usually a very good sign of both heritage and strength of blood." Brookaxe stated as he picked up the parchment and began to look over the results. "It all seems in order, it states as the copy of whatever MACUSA sent us, about your family being descendants of the Ilvermorny founders."
"Yes, I had a somewhat odd psychic connection with the school. I was usually able to figure out if anything bad was going to happen around the school because of it, even during holidays."
Brookaxe nodded with a grunt as he continued perusing the document. "A distant Blood Link, not descendancy, with the Peverell family, a long extinct but very powerful magical family here. Then we have.. Oh, this is most unexpected, but your connection to Ilvermorny would make more sense if it came to that.."
"What family are you so surprised to find someone living from?"
"A family, an Ancient House that no one has heard from since that particular part of the family left to settle in America. Your family, being of the founders of Ilvermorny school, connects you to a family we all thought otherwise died out. A family so steeped in bad publicity from their actions that made them the only family to be truly considered exiled from even attending a Wizengamot meeting. You, young Lord, are of House Gaunt, and therefore not only successor to Ilvermorny, but Hogwarts as well. The Gaunts, if you didn't know before, are considered the only true heirs of Salazar Slytherin."
"I've heard of the Gaunts," Nick was surprised at the news. "But what does that mean, then? There's a ring, I presume, as all the oldest families tend to have?"
"Yes, however it has been lost to all means of tracing, so we will just have to fashion you a new one." Nick knew what had happened to the original Gaunt family ring, but hadn't known that it was impossible to trace while being a Horcrux, at least in the way they needed the ring. "I shall retrieve it from the Forge at once and we can move on to your other inheritances and whatnot." Brookaxe said, leaving the room.
Nick looked at the sparse decoration of the office. So, I'm now living a life I never really did, one that would be considered fictional at best, normally. Not only that, but I'm the last living descendant of both North America and Britain's Wizarding schools, two of the Hogwarts founders since he mentioned the Peverell family.. Harry's family. And then there's the Gaunt connection. That means in generations go, me and Him are either same generation but different ends of it or we're a generation apart, making Him most likely an uncle to me. That definitely sucks, but then again no one knew Voldemort was a Gaunt, either.. I might be able to stop this stupid war from happening in the first place. Or, at the least, maybe my new position can help move some of the pieces around the board, maybe save her.. His thoughts were interrupted as Brookaxe walked back into the office with a cushy pillow in hand, a ring with a snake in the shape of an S surrounded by emeralds and diamonds. It looked like the original did, other than the extra extravagance. The snake was different too, however, now being a Horned Serpent instead of a generic snake, which probably reflected his connection to Ilvermorny as well as Hogwarts. "Here you are, Lord Gaunt."
Nick made a dissatisfied face. "Thank you, my friend. However, the Gaunt family is all but extinct with my very existence, so maybe we can change that title? Technical new blood in the Wizengamot may make people side with me more than the name of a family I'm sure had their share of enemies."
Brookaxe nodded. "Yes, you are correct about that. However, before any changes to your title and Lordship may be acknowledged, you must be able to pay off any debts the Gaunts may have had before their line died out here in Britain."
"Damn, and I was hoping they'd be in the clear. Alright, so you said there was some inheritance as well?"
Brookaxe sat down opposite Nick across the desk. "Yes, yes. As the Gaunt family has been inactive for well over a century, debts have grown. Fortunately, most families won't bother collecting unless they think it necessary or worth trying to broker an alliance.."
"I understand all that. Just lay it on me." I know about this world well enough to get myself out of some debt, especially being so far back in time from when I'm used to..
"If you insist. Now, the House of Gaunt was one of very few true allies, mind you, what with the cloud of dark magic and its practices they tended to follow. But, we'll get to that.
"Firstly, your property. As the Gaunt line is most prevalent to you, oddly enough, you do not own much, I'm sorry to say. There is the ancestral cottage outside Little Hangleton-"
"Sell it, demolish it, do whatever you can think of where the property is at its best use. That rundown shack isn't fit for anyone to even go near without a full ward and curse scrubbing, other than me or whoever holds the Gaunt ring, at least."
"Very good. I wasn't going to suggest you use the shack, anyway. Now, for your funds, those would be lower than lower, really. Most families the Gaunts owed anything to took it upon themselves to get their money when the statute of limitations expired over twenty years ago. Apparently, no one wanted to even appraise the damned shack, despite them all being Sacred Twenty-Eight Houses."
"I would expect nothing less of such.. unsavory types, if the rumors are true.." Nick said off-handedly, hoping the goblin could shed some more light on the situation Voldemort would be making for himself, since the war could very well start at any time now.
"Yes, you're right to suspect that, Lord. Indeed, most of those families are so firmly rooted in the darker arts of magic that even us goblins don't like to deal with them. There are exceptions, however, some that saw the error in their thinking from years past. But, back to your funds. It's unwise to speak of such matters, the Ministry has eyes and ears everywhere, even among the bank staff." Nick nodded, knowing the bank regularly employed Curse Breakers. "You do have some money, and that will only grow once the land the shack stands on is revitalized and sold off, but then again, not every House took the easy way, to put it one way."
"Again, I expected as much. Which were the families looking for recompense in person, then?" Nick said, sighing. Oh, acting like a Pureblood is easier than I thought. Although maybe that's just because I read too much fanfiction before that stupid accident..
Brookaxe laughed again. "You are an amusing young wizard, Lord. Well, we have the Yaxley Clan of Scotland, who according to our records built the Gaunt shack back in the day but somehow we're never given the payment. With interest, it has accrued to almost a hundred thousand, eight hundred and fifty-two galleons, four knuts." Nick hummed at that. It was a lot to put up. "Then there's House Malfoy, as Ancient as they claim to be. Supposedly, a vase that belonged to the Malfoy's was broken before the Gaunt line disappeared and henceforth was never paid back. The current Lord would rather talk business in person, a trait his young daughter Lucina is very likely to continue practicing once she takes over." That perked Nick's ears up. Lucina? Not Lucius? "Next is the Potter's, which is the last strain of Peverell DNA as far as we can tell. The current Lady wishes to meet you at your earliest convenience, of course."
"Of course." Nick rolled his eyes. "Anyone else? The Dumbledores, maybe? Perhaps the Jones or Greengrasses?"
"The Dumbledores have been a rather forsaken House as of late, but they do not require repayment as their current Lord much rather keeps out of such dealings if he can help it. House Jones is fairly new, so there has been no affiliation with the Gaunts in our records. Similarly, the Greengrasses tend to keep to themselves these days, with the trouble brewing. You do, however, owe the Black family."
Nick nodded. Somehow, I knew he was going to say that.. "Alright, what has Lord Black asked for? Another meeting in person?"
"A dinner, actually. Sometimes in the next fortnight is preferred, as he is quite anxious to see how the Gaunt family has grown since the old records, but I have here a list of addresses for these Lord's and Lady so you can write to them yourself, if you so choose." Brookaxe handed Nick another sheet of parchment. "Also, and I apologize if this is too much to ask, but there is one prerequisite I must check for if you are to take up the Gaunt Lordship."
Fuck, I knew he was waiting to ask about it.. Good thing I confirmed with Mom about why my wand has so much Horned Serpent decoration to it. "And that would be, master goblin?"
"The Gaunt family kept their claim over the descendancy of Slytherin intact because of the fact it was only ever their family to possess a rather unique ability. I don't know if the term is the same in America, but here they call it being a parselmouth, or one who can commune with snakes and serpents in their native language."
"Oh, I have it. And my connection to serpents is made obvious with this," Nick took his wand out, holding it out for Brookaxe to inspect. "Everything but the wood itself is from a Horned Serpent. Come to think of it, the specimen lived on the grounds of my house in America, felt safe because it knew someone there could Speak. My mother does not have the ability."
"If you wouldn't mind a small demonstration? Us goblins can understand the language just fine, as Parseltongue is just another of the fairy folk languages, so we are good mediators to judge whether the ability is indeed possessed by an individual."
Nick nodded, gripping his wand to cast a spell. "Serpensortia!" A strip of light shot from the tip end of the wand, twisting and rolling until it formed a medium-length ball python, that brought it's head up and back as if to strike as it took in the new surroundings it found itself in.
§Stop it! We mean you no harm, you will be returned to whence you came momentarily.§ Nick hissed out in Parseltongue, the first time he'd done so to his knowledge so far as it seemed to tickle his throat.
§A Speaker? It has been far too long since I've met a Speaker.§ The snake said before Brookaxe reversed its summoning, sending it back to wherever it had come from.
"Very good, Lord Gaunt, the title truly belongs to you, now. Is there anything to be done with any other funds today? You mentioned shopping for your Hogwarts supplies?"
Nick nodded. "That's correct. But, please, Lord Negron. My House is Noble enough without that next to worthless name. I'd like to transfer some money between the vaults, though, once that is situated. Only a fair sum in one to be invested into such things as I see fit before the summer's end. Is that doable?"
"Of course, Lord. With goblin magic, your old land will be sold off and investments ready to be made within the week."
"Good, then I'd like the keys to my new vaults and the money I require for my shopping, plus some extra if I find something I particularly like."
Brookaxe nodded and left the office once again, coming back quickly with two vault keys, each with a tag connected to them and a pouch that would fill as he needed. With that, Nick was able to be on his way, but not without asking the goblin account manager for one more tiny little thing: copies of the letters or inquiries sent instantly to Gringotts when those few possibly ally Houses had felt the magic shift, telling them of the new Gaunt heir apparent.
Almost an hour later, Nick found himself standing in the entrance foyer of Madam Malkin's Robe shop. Why can't we just transfigure a set of robes into new school ones on the train? He thought to himself as he heard the rustling of fabric. He looked over at the curtain of fabric that served as a partition between the waiting area and the fitting room as it parted. "Thank you, Madam Malkin. Your robes are always just so comfortable." Came a giggling Bellatrix's voice as she ducked into the foyer, her brown-green eyes meeting his as she smirked playfully in his direction. "Oh, hello again. Nick, right? Bella doesn't forget many faces." Nick couldn't tell whether she was actually joking with him or not, and with his prior knowledge of who this young woman became later on, that scared him somewhat.
"Uh, yeah, although I'm sure you'll be hearing about my other title soon enough. May I ask something, Bellatrix?" The black and red haired girl nodded curiously. "Who's the Lord or Lady of your House?"
"My family Lord, you mean? My father Arcturus, of course. Why?"
"Just expect a guest to dinner sometime in the next couple of weeks." Nick said cryptically as he was called into the back room. "Coming!" He said, waving his hand towards Bellatrix in farewell as he moved past her, her eyes widening from the sight of the specific ring on Nick's finger.
Wait, don't I have one almost just like that hidden away in the family vault? She thought to herself, trying to figure out why the ring seemed so familiar to her as she went to meet up with Andromeda and Narcissa outside.
"Wasn't that the boy you were speaking to earlier?" Andromeda asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh, how our brothers would love to hear Bellatrix finally showed interest in something other than her studies."
Bellatrix felt her cheeks get hot. Yeah, she was a good student and cared about her grades. She wanted the best career for herself once this final year at Hogwarts was over. But, that didn't mean her sisters had to tease her about it, especially not when mentioning their two brothers, Bella's twin brother Sirius and their younger brother, the youngest child Regulus.
"You will not mention anything about today to those two dunderheads. Sirius is already a bad influence enough with those friends of his." She wrinkled her nose in annoyance. "Plus, there's no need for any of that. While I admit the mystery surrounding Nick is interesting, it hardly counts as something such as a schoolgirl crush."
"Whatever you say, Bellatrix. So, where to now?"
"Flourish and Blotts. Seems the school doesn't want us handing down textbooks anymore, not that I blame them. Remember that Potions textbook we found last year? The one with all the notes and doodles that Slughorn confiscated as soon as he recognized the shortcut techniques."
"Oh, but that book was so useful. Hopefully Slughorn forgets and mixes it back into the extras. I'd love to find it again." Narcissa laughed, the youngest of the three sisters having a knack for potions like Bellatrix herself did.
"Of course you would, Cissy. You like shortcuts, little cheater." Bellatrix giggled, rolling her eyes. "By the way, girls, do either of you remember a ring I hid in our family vault? Something that looked very Slytherin-like?"
Narcissa nodded. "Yeah, the original Gaunt family ring. Father gained it as an heirloom through the old alliance the Sacred Twenty-Eight held together back then. It had a snake that looked.. I think pinned to the face of the ring, with emeralds for eyes."
Bellatrix's eyes widened again, her mouth open in a gasp. "No! It couldn't be.. Could it?" Have the Gaunts returned to Britain?
Nick had finally finished gathering his school supplies, as well as several other items he was sure would come in handy at Hogwarts. He had needed to duck into the Muggle section of books in Flourish and Blotts in order to escape Bellatrix a third time, her and her sisters having entered the bookshop soon after he had himself. "It's like she's tracking me." He said to himself as he wandered into the Eyelops. He sighed and approached the front desk. "Hello. Any chance I can use the Owlery upstairs? I have some important letters to send out that are of the utmost importance."
The girl behind the counter smiled at him. "Of course, cutie. Stairs are at the back of the shop. If you need to use one of our Owls, it's a five gallon surcharge per letter." She explained.
Nick nodded. "Alright, that's fine. Is it halved if you use your own bird?" The girl nodded. "Excellent. I'll drop off my payment on my way out." As the young woman nodded, Nick was already making his way through the pet shop.
Once upstairs, he gently tugged the leather cord around his neck, revealing a small whistle. While their house was a few miles away, Adria would hear the whistle and come straight to Nick, and the small falcon soon perched on a roosting pole near Nick. "Hey, girl. Got a few things to send, alright?"
The colorful Merlin falcon seemed to chirp affirmatively as she tilted her head to one side. Nick nodded and wrote out what he needed to, addressing the accompanying envelopes with the addresses Brookaxe had given him earlier. Remembering something, Nick took his wand out and cast a couple of enchantments on the letters, one to erase the already written statement and replace it when the sender was ready as well as a minor Portkey charm that allowed the current carrier to send the letter back and forth. It was unorthodox, but the times dictated that Nick be careful with what he said and did with others, especially families like the Malfoys and Blacks. Once he was done, he tied the letters to Adria's legs and sent the small bird on its way.
The seventeen year old sighed as Adria flew off into the distance. "Well, all my stuff is done. Might as well get back home before mom gets worried. She'll want to know what I found out, too." Putting his hands in his pockets, Nick left Diagon Alley after dropping off the payment to the Emporium clerk.
Malfoy Manor, An Hour Later..
Lucina Malfoy jumped as a tapping was heard at the window to her bedroom. Looking up, she saw a Merlin falcon, a bird not found anywhere in the British Isles. She opened the window as Adria dropped a letter into her hands. "Hello girl. You're an adorable little thing. Now who sent you, hmm?" She asked as she examined the front of the envelope. Seeing it addressed to her father, Lucina rushed out to give him the newly-arrived mail.
The blonde teenager entered her father's office after rapping her knuckles on the door three times. "Father? You've received a letter, and the delivery bird is a Merlin."
Abraxas Malfoy looked at his daughter with cold indifference, even as he smiled. "A Merlin falcon? All the way out in Britain? Well, give it here, girl." Lucina nodded and brought him the letter, bowing and dashing back to the office door. "Go and study for the upcoming term. Our Master is supposed to be coming around for a meeting soon."
"If I am to be Lady of the House, then I deserve to know what this man keeps talking to you about. He looks like a snake, father! How can you trust a snake, especially when you dabble in politics?"
Abraxas sighed. His daughter was a spirited one, but that made her more appealing to the rising Dark Lord, and he didn't want her mixed up with the darkness in the world. Not yet. Abraxas felt, as cold as he was towards her, that his daughter and her peers deserved to have their final year at school before the War truly began. "Listen, Lucy. I can't tell you because I'm looking out for you, just trust your father on this. I swore to your late mother I would not let you come to harm and that man will harm you, one way or another to get his way. Just go and study, please."
Lucina huffed. "Fine. Just know that you keeping secrets is only going to further drive me away from you. I'm seventeen! If I wanted to I could rent a room at the Leaky Cauldron and work a steady little job like those poorer than us. Don't force me to make that choice." She stormed off, her long blonde hair glinting in the sunlight from outside as she passed a window.
Abraxas sighed. "They never said raising a child alone would be easy, let alone a daughter, even for a wizard." He looked at the envelope, knowing he'd never seen such handwriting, but gasped as he saw the stamp placed on the wax seal of the envelope: the symbol of House Gaunt. He unsealed the letter quickly and read the document, replying as the letter stated after the present ink disappeared from sight. He only wrote a single sentence: Buckingham Palace, East Corner Café, Three days from now, Noon.
Black Manor, Shortly After..
At Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Bellatrix sat on the window seat situated in her room, a book in her hands again as she heard an adorable chirping sound.
"Filthy blood traitors, the lot of them! The Pureblood Houses deserve their rightful level of power!" She flinched at the sound of her mother's voice. Walburga Black was a woman hellbent on gaining power. Bellatrix had thought once or twice that she had even tried to poison father, all to steer the family how she wanted. It was bad enough her mother wanted to marry all five of her children off in contractual unions. Andromeda, who was dating a Muggle-born in Ted Tonks at school, wanted as much to do with them as Bellatrix, but as the heir to their families' Wizengamot seat, Bellatrix was obligated to go along with her mother's machinations, if father approved. And Arcturus wasn't trying to just sell his daughters off to the darker Houses as Walburga wanted. The elder of the married couple was too progressive for Walburga's brand of thinking, and he knew it every time he looked at the shrieking hag his wife had become as they argued whether her views or his were the rightful thing to decide by.
If and when I get married, that won't be me and my husband. She thought with finality. Father doesn't deserve mother's attitude, even if he thinks it's time we slowly abandon the darker allied families. But then mother and father have that mysterious Master they mention.. She was taken out of her thoughts as she heard the chirping again, this time much louder as she turned her head and jumped back at the sight of the small falcon perched on the outer portion of the windowsill.
Bellatrix smiled as she recognized the breed. "You're an American bird, aren't you? Ironically called a Merlin, I believe." Despite being a Slytherin, snakes were hardly Bellatrix's favorite animal, although it did occupy a semi-high ranking at fourth, below horses, dolphins and indeed, falcons and other birds of prey at the top of her list.
She held her finger out for the little thing when she noticed it was holding a letter in her beak, the signet of House Gaunt looking back at her as she put two and two together with a giggling gasp. "Oh, I see now. This is what he meant, then, isn't it?" She said, more to herself as she stroked Adria's head, the falcon letting out precious little chirps from the attention. "You belong to that Nick fellow, don't you girl?"
Adria looked at Bellatrix and the girl knew she was right as she tugged the letter from Adria's beak, the small bird of prey apparently wanting to play tug-of-war with her as if the envelope was a piece of string or rope. "Come now, this must be for my father, you know. Give it up, little one." She pressed, giggling all the while as she heard her bedroom door open and close before hearing what sounded like.. hooves?
Letting the letter go, Bellatrix spun her wand arm around and pointed it towards her door. This part of the house had never had any poltergeists or anything of the sort, meaning only one thing as she smirked playfully. "Revelio. Locomotor Mortis."
Suddenly, there were two animals in her room, a black dog and a young stag, his horns just starting to sprout more than a few inches. Before the animals could react, however, they froze in place with Bellatrix's second spell and fell to the ground, their legs tied together invisibly. "Honestly, Sirius? James? Why are you both in my room?" She asked, knowing full well about her twin and his friends' shared ability to transform into Animagi, as illegal as their Animagus forms were. Technically. She hadn't the foggiest about why they had all gone to such lengths, the ritual to be one a shapeshifter took a lot more preparation than Bellatrix figured her dunderhead of a brother and his trouble-making friends could usually muster. She sighed, wand held up still. "Finite Incantatem." The animals could move again as they both morphed back into their human forms, Sirius grabbing the invisibility cloak now laying nearby to cover up himself and one seventeen year old James Potter. "What do you two dolts want?" Bellatrix asked the pair, frowning.
"What? We just didn't want to be anywhere around mother, she's on another of her mental rants, she is." Sirius said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah, and you know I'm not even supposed to be here. Your mom absolutely hates me." James added.
"Yes, well she seems to think you're a horrible influence on my brother. I, however, feel you are nothing more than an annoyance really. And a bad source of encouragement."
"Aw, see? I knew your sister loved m- Oww!"
"Don't talk about my sister like that. Go after your own damn girl. You and I are already related, anyway, cousin."
"Well, I can't just well pop on over to Lily's house, now can I? Her whole family hates the Wizarding world, thinks we're all weird, they do."
"Fair enough. Please leave my room, though. Go hide up in Sirius' room, keep me out of your shenanigans."
"Aw, but sis.. What's with the bird? Are you practicing your transfiguration again? During summer vacation?"
Bellatrix rolled her eyes as she saw Adria was still there, now with a second letter in her beak, addressed specifically to Bellatrix. "Oh, just some mail from a.. new acquaintance. Sirius will tell you all about him when he comes for dinner one of these nights, and you better not skip out. I don't want to be left with our parents for dinner without my brother." She smiled at Sirius, who nodded.
"Of course, Bella. Just let me know the exacts when you do. Come on, James, let's leave her to her letters." Sirius sniggered, eyeing his twin's name scribbled across one of the two envelopes.
James and him transformed back into their Animagus states, James using his nub-like antlers to tug the invisibility cloak back over them, the two struggling to leave as Bellatrix tried to stun the annoying boys, a blush creeping onto her face despite the false accuracy of her dog of a brother's words.
She grabbed the letter addressed to her father and left the attic room, locking her door with several spells to keep the troublemakers out any further.
Soon after, she returned to her room and grabbed the letter for her, seeing the adorable little bird had also flown off, no doubt to deliver the final letter she had been carrying. Humming, she wondered whatever Nick could have written her about, having only just met him that day.
Opening the letter, she was thankful her memory was nearly eidetic, for as she read, Nick's little enchantment erased the words behind where she had read up to. That is a neat little trick.. She thought as she read the full letter:
To Bellatrix Black,
I hope this letter finds you in good spirits. I wrote to you in order to apologize if I acted in any way untowards a woman of your.. reputation. We may have been seen interacting and hence I was asked about such things, as well as an apology for being all too.. secretive in our short times speaking. However, I wish to rectify that, but I find myself.. hesitant to, for reasons I don't know if I may even discuss openly.
I have also sent word to your father, being the new Lord Gaunt as I'm quite sure you've already figured out. In that letter, where he has already stated an interest to, I told him I would love to have a nice little dinner with him and his family, save I believe the count of one Walburga Black. I heard far too many nasty things about her from others in Diagon today. I wrote to arrange it for sometime in the next week, but that is not my business with you.
I.. I feel I must tell you things, actions you may never even commit, but I cannot allow myself to show such favoritism. Not yet when the true threat, the only other blooded Gaunt in existence, is out and about and starting revolutions. My goal is firstly to stop him before it is too late, as the darkest of magics are his to control even now, I fear. For that, I urge you to stay far away from the git calling himself the Dark Lord, for his prejudices mean nothing in light of his heritage.
I'm sorry, perhaps I wrote too much already. Matters of a temporal nature are, of course, chaotic at the best of times. This parchment, like the one sent to your father, is connected to another sheet I have in my possession, which work similarly to that of a pair of two-way mirrors. If you so wish, once this message fades from the page, you may write back to me using the same page. I won't obligate you, for you truly don't know me and have no reason to trust anything that I even say.
Signed, Nick Negron, Lord of House Gaunt.
Bellatrix frowned. The letter started out sweet enough, but then Nick became even more confusing to the girl. Temporal nature.. did he come from another time? An experiment with a Time Turner gone wrong? And what does he mean by my reputation? Am I famous in his time? All these questions began rushing through her head, unsure whether to try and phish an answer out of her soon-to-be classmate.
Deciding to leave the matter, for now, Bellatrix got herself ready for dinner, before Mother sent their infernal House Elf Kreacher after her.
That Night, Location Undetermined..
The forest was dark, cold as the small, spell-built cabin roared to life from inside, emerald green flames illuminating the surrounding forest. From the fireplace inside the cabin, several people entered the small space as the crack! Of apparition was heard, revealing Tom Marvolo Riddle standing in front of his most loyal followers, his red slitted eyes narrowed. "MacNair, what is the meaning of this meeting?" He asked coolly.
Pritchard MacNair grimaced as he faced the Dark Lord. "My Lord, there's been some unsettling news from Gringotts. Our insider within the Curse Breaker ranks has informed me that the infamously lost House of Gaunt still survives."
MacNair wasn't ready as Tom rushed him faster than most present could follow. The pale-skinned man sneered. "That is utterly impossible. The last Gaunt died decades ago. Explain yourself, MacNair!"
"My Lord, he's correct." Said Walburga as she stepped forward, taking her hood down. "My husband received a letter from Gringotts notifying him of the Line's reinstatement. He's planned to have dinner with this new Lord as soon as possible, even if he is supposedly the same age as my eldest children. An orphan, as well according to rumors."
Riddle turned towards her. "And you can get more information about him, then? A face to a name, in a sense?"
"Yes, My Lord. I'll just have to have another tea session with him. He does love my special ingredient." Walburga said with a sinister grin.
"Then do it. And do not waste time. The newest Death Eaters to come out of Hogwarts are vital in making sure we move further into power. And that includes your daughter, Abraxas," Now, Tom turned to the blonde located directly next to the door in case he needed a quick exit. "Who, may I add, has been told to be quite rebellious as of late."
"My Lord, I promise you, she will help the cause. I can make her see the reason behind it and stop her rebelliousness before the summer's end. You have my word."
Tom sneered. "You're all weak, but I still must depend on you all to see us into the true seat of power that we all deserve. Purebloods ruling over everyone! Even those magicless Muggles."
The Death Eaters rallied around their leader as they all apparated away one by one. Once he was alone, Riddle threw a fit, tossing several powerful bombarda spells flying and destroying parts of the cabin before he calmed down and repaired the walls. "As long as they are safe, even this new cousin can't stop me. I just need to stick to my strategy as I always have.."
