Saturday, September 28, 1985
Hydrae and Arcturus were sitting opposite each other in the kitchen, staring intently at each others face. After several minutes of silent stares Arcturus looked away and Hydrae sat back, wiped his brow and took a deep breath.
"Your occlumency shields are becoming much stronger," stated Arcturus.
Hydrae laughed slightly, "And here I thought the occlumency I had learned from Daphne before traveling back in time was pretty good."
Arcturus shook his head. "Good, yes, but simply good shields won't be enough if you have Dumbledore or some of the Unspeakables try to use legilimency on you. And practicing here in the kitchen, while Kreacher is preparing dinner, is a good way to improve your skills. You never know where you will be when you will need to rely on this skill and you don't dare to risk not being prepared. Soon we will begin training you in Legilimency to help prepare you for encounters where you will need such a skill."
Hydrae was about to say something but Arcturus cut him off. "No arguing young man. And you will need to have your occlumency ready for protecting information, not just who you really are and how you came to be here, but your knowledge about what is about to happen to your young self, the current Boy Who Lived."
Hydrae rubbed his temples slightly, trying to massage away the headache that had been increasing during his occlumency training. Then he looked back at Arcturus.
"When will the manor house be ready?" he asked.
"The requested furnishings are almost completely installed," said Arcturus. "Through the goblins I have managed to procure a few more house elves to help with maintaining the property as well as to help with raising young Harry."
"So, when do we go fetch my younger self?" asked Hydrae.
"Let's start investigating the neighbourhood, in person, tomorrow," replied Arcturus. "Maybe we will be ready to make the move by next Wednesday."
"Sounds like a plan," said Hydrae, "other than one simple problem."
Arcturus raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"
"We will be going to a muggle neighbourhood, and we will need to be attired in muggle clothing, Most, if not all, wizards have absolutely no clue how muggles dress." Hydrae shook his head slightly, "I'm not sure how painful ti would be, but we do need to take you shopping."
Arcturus took a deep breath. "I suppose you have a valid point."
Monday, September 30, 1985
Hydrae and Arcturus had taken a bus to Little Whinging, and from where they were let off, Hydrae led Arcturus towards Privet Drive. As they neared the playground which had many unpleasant memories for Hydrae they paused. Hydrae pointed casually towards the next block over where Mrs. Figg lived.
As they approached her house, Arcturus reviewed their plan. "As I told you, let me deal with the memory charms on Mrs. Figg. If anyone ever discovers her memory was altered magically, I am the last one that the DMLE or even Dumbledore would try to interrogate."
The two men walked towards the home of Mrs. Figg, the squib who had been assigned to keep an eye on young Harry Potter from a distance. Not that it prevented any of the abuse Harry had received from the Dursleys, although she did witness the dementor attack before Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts, the testimony of a squib was still called into question. Hydrae was internally relieved to know that event was not about to happen again. His thoughts were interrupted as he noticed Arcturus slightly flick his wand at the woman who was tending to a number of cats in her garden. The woman seemed to nearly stumble, then looked back at her cats and smiled.
Arcturus turned and started to walk away.
Hydrae was puzzled. "What did you do?"
"Just a Black family variation of the confundus spell," said Arcturus.
Hydrae could have sworn he saw a smug smile briefly appear on Arcturus' face.
A few blocks later and they were approaching PriVet Drive. To be sure that they would not be disturbed, Arcturus had cast a notice me not charm on the two of them before they approached Mr/s Figg's house. As they passed Number 1 Privet Drive, Arcturus stopped suddenly. Hydrae noticed the man had frowned and then pulled out his wand and cast a series of spells. Arcturus frowned deeply.
Hydrae looked at Arcturus who muttered something. "That duplicitous little piece of shite. Worthless blood wards that clearly are not that useful, just irritating."
"I knew there were blood wards," said Hydrae. "Or at least I assumed that they were used. Dumbledore claimed it was the safest place for me in the summer, that my presence had to recharge the wards."
Arcturus seemed even angrier after casting a more complex detection spell. "The blood ward that protects someone related to your mother from being harmed by anyone without that blood is nearly useless. Probably due to being weakened by the effects of the way you were treated. And no, that ward wouldn't have protected you from anyone who wasn't magical, thus your uncle and cousin and all of his friends would have had no consequences for their behaviour towards you. But no, the strongest wards, the ones powered by your presence, are the monitoring wards."
"The ones connected to the trinkets the headmaster has in his office," stated Hydrae, now understanding the complication.
"So if we were to go in there right now and remove your younger self," began Arcturus.
"Dumbledore would be notified almost immediately," finished Hydrae. "This complicates things."
"You're a little over five years old," said Arcturus.
"Sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs, cooking them food and trying to not get punished for being a freak," added Hydrae.
"Then we need to accelerate the next part of the plan," proclaimed Arcturus. "Sirius needs to be freed so he can claim legal custody of you."
The two men apparated back to Grimmauld Place.
Hydrae was frustrated and Arcturus was seething.
"If it's any consolation, I destroyed all of those trinkets at the end of my fifth year, after Sirius died and I was told about the prophecy that linked me to Riddle," said Hydrae.
"No, it's not, because we still have them in the here and now to deal with," said Arcturus. "We need to get the rat so we can free Sirius. And we need to get everything else in motion."
"The soul anchors need to be collected," stated Hydrae.
"And we need a way to keep them contained until we are ready to destroy them," added Arcturus.
"For which we need the basilisk venom," continued Hydrae.
"You've been introduced to the closest members of the Black family already," said Arcturus. "Perhaps we introduce you to the more distant relatives, as you continue your duelling competitions. Then we meet with my distant relatives, the Weasleys and happen to discover the rat."
"Percy is fiver years older than Ron, he was a prefect when we started as first years," said Hydrae.
"Which means he is only ten and still at home with the other younger Weasleys," concluded Arcturus. "So we start by bringing you to Gringotts, to confirm your heritage and then we explore options for containing the soul anchors, which would require a trip to Knockturn Alley."
Hydrae raised an eyebrow at that statement.
"What? Do you think any merchant on Diagon Alley would have something to contain a dark artefact? It's bad enough having one of those soul anchors in this house already, but we need to obtain the diary from Malfoy Manor, and the one at Hogwarts and the others as well. We don't need any more of them near young Harry once we have him at our new home."
~~~MiB~~~
Gringotts Bank
Private room
Arcturus and Hydrae were seated across from an ornate desk as they waited for the account manger to arrive. After a few minutes an older goblin arrived and sat down at the desk without acknowledging the wizards seated across from him. He sorted a few small stacks of parchments on the desk before he looked up at the two.
"Lord Black, this is an unusual meeting for you," stated the goblin, "you rarely come by personally anymore. Is there a problem with the accounts? Do you have concerns about the status of your vaults?"
"No, Sharpfang, I have no concerns about the status of my accounts or my vaults," answered Arcturus. "I want to formally appoint Hydrae here as my heir, and to do so we need to confirm his magical heritage."
Sharpfang eyed the younger wizard carefully. "He is an odd one," stated the goblin. "He is not recognised by our simple wards, they could not figure out the magic that surrounds him. So you would like a lineage test performed then?"
"No, not a lineage test, but more simply, a heritage test," said Arcturus.
"Very well, that will be done," said Sharpfang. He reached into a drawer in his desk, pulled out a small hammer, and then tapped it against a bell on the side of the desk in a particular pattern. After replacing the hammer he looked back at Arcturus and then at Hydrae. "We will have the necessary means for the test brought to us shortly. And the test will only hurt for a few minutes."
Sharpfang eyed the young wizard and was impressed that he was not able to detect any visible reaction to the mention of pain associated with the simple ritual.
A minute later another goblin entered the room with a stone bowl marked with runes, and an ornate dagger and a bottle filled with a light blue liquid.
Hydrae raised an eyebrow as he had not seen this particular set up before, despite his experiences within the DMLE.
Sharpfang noticed the look on the younger wizard's face. "The heritage test is a little different from the lineage test, as it will not reveal who you direct ancestors are, but simply reveal which families you are most strongly connected with. To do this we will need to sources of blood. The first will be to obtain your information, much like the lineage test. Then you consume the blue potion, which will purge any masking agents that may give false information. Then we have you place a second sample of blood in the bowl. This will remove any families that are not truly your ancestors however it will also remove the details of who your birth parents and grandparents are, thus it is a heritage test and not a lineage test."
Sharpfang again noted that telling the younger wizard he would have to supply to samples of blood did not cause any sort of reaction.
"Very well, we shall begin," stated Sharpfang. "Take the knife in your non wand hand and make a slice across the palm of your wand hand. Let the blood drip into the bowl. Then you will need to drink the blue potion. We wait two minutes and then you cut the non wand hand with he knife and add it to the bowl."
Hydrae picked up the knife with his left hand, and made a quick motion across the palm of his hand. Sharpfang noted that Hyrdae did not flinch or grimace with the act. Then Hydrae took the vial and downed the blue potion. Sharpfang was internally disappointed that the young wizard did not gag on the fluid which was known to be quite foul smelling. After two minutes, Hydrae picked the dagger back up with his right hand, made the cut across his left palm and allowed the blood to drip into the bowl. Then he placed the dagger back onto the desk.
After a minute, Sharpfang picked up the dagger carefully, avoiding touching the handle that still had blood on it from Hydrae and used the blade to stir the contents of the bowl. Then he took the dagger and allowed the blood from the tip to drip onto a parchment on the desk in front of him. The dagger was placed back in the bowl and Sharpfang waved a hand over the bowl and the parchment. There was a momentary flash of blue light and the bowl and dagger were clean and words started to appear on the parchment.
Hydrae Arcturus Black
Major family ties
Black family by blood
Black family by blood adoption
Potter family by blood
Peverell family by blood
Minor family ties
Longbottom
Bones
Sharpfang looked at the list as did the two wizards. "Clearly you are a Black, and the family connection is strong enough to allow you to be named heir. You could also be the heir for the Potter family, which is surprising indeed. But most interesting is the Peverell family. We have not had anyone who could claim heirship to the Peverell family in well over a millennia. At least no one who has presented themselves to Gringotts."
Hydrae smiled slightly. "I will not have any intention of taking the Potter family title, but I am interested in the Peverell title in addition to being named heir to the Black family."
Sharpfang could not stop the grin from coming across his face. "That would be interesting to see, Mister Black, as the vault has remained dormant for many years, as I said. However, I am sure that Master Ragnok would like to be present when you attempt to access the vault."
"It will not be something I will be pursuing today," said Hydrae.
Sharpfang gave the slightest of shrugs. "You can be fitted for you heir ring while you are here. Lord Black can take you to the family vault if that is your choosing."
Arcturus spoke up. "Perhaps another day we will complete that particular task. He is already named heir and he has now proven he has a right to be heir."
After making their way out of Gringotts the two men headed towards Knockturn Alley. Hydrae had more than his share of time investigating various crimes during his years as an Auror prior to travelling back through time, so he had a good understanding of where they would be heading. Arcturus pointed to a shop on their right, Smithson's Magical Emporium.
"Why don't you see if there is anything suitable for containing dark items there, and I will check with Borgin and Burkes," said Arcturus.
Hydrae nodded simply, and turned to enter the shop. As he stepped through the doorway he was surprised that it was not as dark as most of the other shops along Knockturn Alley. The shelves were not as filled as he remembered Borgin and Burkes having been the last time he had to enter the more well known shop.
The blonde witch behind the counter looked up at the customer who had just entered the store. She recognised the face of the young man from the recent articles in the Daily Prophet.
"Mister Black, welcome to Smithson's Magical Emporium," she called out in greeting.
Hydrae paused momentarily as he briefly stared at the woman, calming himself after making note of her very attractive face.
"I'm sorry, I am at a loss," said Hydrae with a smile. "You have me at a disadvantage, miss."
"Yaxley, Cassandra Yaxley," she stated. "We've all read about you in the Daily Prophet, from your skill at duelling as shown in Australia, to your protecting Lord Black. You've made quite a stir since your arrival here from Australia."
She immediately noted the change in his demeanour when she gave him her name. She closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to calm her reaction. Too many witches and wizards were not too taken by her family name. Her father, Corban Yaxley, had been very involved with the Death Eaters and she was sure that she would have been betrothed off to another dark family, such as Runcorn, Selwyn or Rowle. But her professing to support muggle-born witches and wizards in a public manner had led to her being ostracised from her own family.
Hydrae detected her reaction and silently cursed his own subtle response to her name. "Yaxley, Yaxley, I am sure I have heard of that name before."
Cassandra avoided looking at the man standing in front of her. "My father, Corban Yaxley, had been involved with the DMLE but after You Know Who was defeated several years ago, he, and our family, have been looked upon with distrust. Not that I ever supported anything that my father ever did," she added.
Hydrae had too many interactions with her father at the end of the second Wizarding War which he was determined to prevent from happening. He tried to remember if he had ever heard of Corban Yaxley having a daughter, but he did not recall anything about his family. Perhaps he had ultimately disowned her at some point. "Oh, yes, I may have heard of Corban Yaxley. Oh, there was a Yaxley who had married into the Black family, but that was many, many years ago."
Cassandra looked back at the young man in front of him. "Please don't judge me based on my father. I have been outcast from the family, but he has not made it public so as not to draw further attention to himself. He has tried to distance himself from his supporting of the Dark Lord, and has so far avoided any charges. At times I think his trying to avoid repercussions for his involvement in the war is the reason he has not been more vocal about what he feels is my betrayal to the family and pure-blood wizards."
Hydrae allowed a slight smile to cross his face. "Well, if this fine young witch before me is an outcast from a family such as the Yaxleys, then I must out of honour befriend such a young lady. My mere presence has already caused repercussions within the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, so perhaps we have something in common."
Cassandra smiled in response to the over the top statement, noting the mirth in the eyes of the young man. "I hope you are not teasing me, Mister Black."
"Teasing you? No, not at all. And please, call me Hydrae," he said. "It is kind of new to me, this being a Black. As I am only just recently learning about my family heritage, good and bad, dark and not so dark."
Cassandra smiled a little more. "Well, Hydrae, what brings you into Smithson's Magical Emporium?"
"Well, Miss Yaxley, or may I be bold and call you Cassandra?" He did not wait for her to respond. "Well, Cassandra, I am in search of something that can be used as a container, a container to safely hold some dark magical artefact, and keep it safe from others touching it by mistake. The Black family is a very old family and some of the things pithing the Black family home are of, shall we say, quite a dubious nature."
Cassandra's eyes widened at his explanation. She then looked around the store, and her eyes came across an item on a shelf on the far side of the store. "Let's take a look at this one over here." She led the way across the room and picked up an opaque box. "The sides are not made of glass, but I believe they are made of quartz. The natural crystal can be attuned to either block magic or to absorb magic."
Hydrae examined to box, which was about twelve inches across on each side and about twelve inches deep. "You wouldn't happen to have any more of these? Or something similar?" he asked.
She frowned as she thought about what items they had in the store, "No, I believe this is the only one. Although I could ask around, if you would like."
"No, no, no need to ask around. Although I do believe I will take this box. It may prove to be useful for me."
They made their way back to the counter where Hydrae paid for the item. He then quickly summoned Kreacher and quietly asked the house elf to bring the item back to the home. Hydrae then turned to leave the store, and as he was opening the door to leave, Cassandra called out to him.
"I hope to see you again, Hydrae," she said, then silently screamed at herself for being such a foolish girl and saying that.
Hydrae let go of the door and turned to face her. "That would be wonderful, Cassandra. Perhaps dinner, tonight? What time to you close up the shop?"
"Five!" she called back. "I am done work at five."
Hydrae smiled at her, "Then I will see you then." He then opened the door and left Cassandra to her thoughts.
She admonished herself as she blushed at what had just happened. "You're acting like a fangirl for a Quidditch star back at school," she said to herself as she held her head in her hands. After a moment she stood up straighter and rubbed her forehead, before replying to herself. "So what? He said he would take you out to dinner. We're fine. He's fine."
Hydrae made his way to Borgin and Burkes and arrived as Arcturus was leaving the store.
"Any luck in there?" Hydrae asked.
Arcturus allowed a slight smile. "A couple of crystal containers, which Kreacher will bring back to Grimmauld Place. And you?"
Hydrae smiled in response. "Kreacher already picked up the crystal box I purchased. And I have managed to arrange a dinner date this evening."
Arcturus raised an eyebrow. "With Smithson? He's a but old for you, isn't he?"
"A young witch by the name of Cassandra Yaxley, was working the counter," said Hydrae.
"My uncle Arcturus' wife was a Yaxley. Cassandra Yaxley? Daughter of Corban? I think he was planning on disowning her or having her entered into a betrothal contract with Runcorn or Selwyn, but the war ended and he was disgraced."
"In my time, her father had become the head of the DMLE when Riddle took charge of the ministry," stated Hydrae.
Arcturus snorted slightly. "Good, I never liked Yaxley. If you date his daughter, that would be a nice way to spite him for his support of Riddle."
The two men then reached the apparition point and returned to Grimmauld Place.
~~~MiB~~~
Upon arriving at Grimmauld Place, Kreacher was waiting on them in the sitting room.
"Master, Mistress Andromeda is upset and wants to speak with you right away," said the elderly elf.
Arcturus ignored the statement at first. "Where did you place the items we gave for you to bring back here?"
Kreacher's ears drooped as he assumed that he was in trouble. "Kreacher put the items in master's study."
"Thank you Kreacher," said Arcturus and the house elf's ears stood out straighter once again. "However I will bring them down into the special room in the cellar. And once Hydrae and I have the room set up, we will have you place the locket into one of the containers."
"Master Hydrae says he can finish the job that Kreacher was given by Master Regulus," said Kreacher as his eyes widened.
Hydrae spoke to the house elf next. "Yes, I can, but I do not yet have everything to complete the job. But Lord Black and I will be working on gathering everything that we will need to accomplish that soon enough."
"Kreacher is bad elf for not completing the job," moaned the elf.
Hydrae leaned forward to look the elf directly in his eyes. "No, Kreacher is not a bad elf for that. Kreacher did not know how to destroy the object. In fact, neither did Master Regulus. I do know how to destroy it and it won't be easy and it will require some special and hard to obtain ingredients. But we will complete the task and it will be destroyed."
Kreacher smiled slightly which was still a little disturbing for Hydrae to look at.
"Now, Kreacher, what was it that you had said about Andromeda?" asked Arcturus.
Kreacher's ear drooped slightly again. "Mistress Andromeda wanted to talk to you about bad master Sirius."
Arcturus' look became cross as he stared at the house elf. "Master Sirius is not a bad master. Master Sirius was treated unfairly and we will need to correct the injustice that has been done to him."
Kreacher's ears drooped even more.
"Do not punish yourself," stated Hydrae quickly as he noticed the change in demeanour of the house elf. "You did not know the truth about Sirius, in fact most people do not know the truth. But will correct that soon."
Arcturus added, "You may go and tell Andromeda that she can come and meet us upstairs in the sitting room and I will endeavour to answer her questions."
Ten minutes later Andromeda was facing Lord Black and Hydrae. "You told us last week that you would be working on getting Sirius freed. When are you going to actually do something about it? He has already been in that horrid place for over four years. How long can he possibly last?"
Arcturus rubbed his chin and took a deep breath. "I told you the other day, it will take some tome to get things prepared."
Andromeda rolled her eyes at Arcturus. Before he could say anything further, Hydrae cut in.
"I need to obtain important evidence and I will make that my priority," said Hydrae.
Andromeda huffed in frustration.
"It has been less than a week since we spoke to you about this," added Arcturus. "It can't just happen overnight."
Andromeda Tonks returned to her home, still frustrated.
Hydrae rubbed his forehead briefly after she left. "I will need to be heading back to Knockturn Alley, soon, I do have a dinner date shortly. Damn that's a strange thought, willingly going back to Knockturn Alley."
"Enjoy yourself tonight," said Arcturus. "Merlin knows you haven't had much opportunity to do that at all."
~~~MiB~~~
Hydrae arrived at Diagon Alley and made his way to Smithson's Magic Emporium on Knockturn Alley. It was nearly 5 pm and the shop was scheduled to close when he stepped into the store.
Cassandra heard the door open as she was finishing tidying up in the back room. She came out to the main lobby of the store and she smiled brightly. "I wasn't sure you really were serious about dinner tonight."
Hydrae smiled at her. "And stand up a beautiful lady? That would be unheard of. Or at least it should be unheard of."
Her eyes seemed to glow in response to his comment. "So what was your plan for this evening?"
Hydrae tilted his head to one side and shifted on his feet. "Honestly, I didn't really have a plan. But I was thinking maybe heading out to muggle London and seeing what we can find."
Cassandra almost bounced on her feet at his suggestion. "Sounds like an adventure."
"Then an adventure it shall be," said Hydrae. He quickly considered what the options would be nearby, hoping that the restaurants within walking distance of Diagon Alley would be the same ones he had explored during his time as an Auror when he felt like getting muggle food. He then recalled a Chinese restaurant that he and Daphne would frequent together before he made his jump through time. "We can head through the Leaky Cauldron and then see what we can find."
A few minutes later Hydrae had found the Chinese restaurant, and it looked pretty much the same. "Have you ever had Chinese?"
Cassandra shook her head, "Not exactly something that would have ever been tried by my family when I was growing up."
They arrived at the restaurant and were quickly seated. Hydrae explained a little of the different options before they ordered their meals. The two chatted a little bit about their growing up.
Cassandra spoke about the constant pure-blood drivel that her father would spout at home. "He was annoyed when he learned that I had not been sorted into Slytherin, but at least he was grateful that I hadn't been sorted into either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff."
Hydrae internally understood the point she was trying to make, but he knew he had to play the part of someone unaware of the Hogwarts and the internal house rivalries. "Excuse me, Slytherin? Gryffindor?"
Cassandra blushed slightly at his comment. "The houses, all students when they start at Hogwarts are sorted into different houses. The houses are named after the four founders, two wizards and two witches. Gryffindor is supposed to be the house of the brave, or as my father would say the foolhardy and loud. Hufflepuff is supposed to be the house of the loyal, or as my father would day the timid and weak minded. Ravenclaw, the house I was sorted into, is supposed to the house for the studious, but my father considered it the house for those who didn't have enough cunning and ambition to be in Slytherin."
Hydrae nodded in understanding. "And Slytherin?"
Cassandra almost shivered in response. "Slytherin, the house that supposedly honours founder Salazar Slytherin, who was rumoured to have had a pet basilisk, is supposed to be the house for those with cunning and ambition. It has developed a reputation as the house for dark wizards. It's not like Slytherin house has a monopoly on that though."
"So, your being sorted into Ravenclaw was what made him not like you?" Hydrae asked.
"Oh, no, I think he was forgiving for that, to some extent," said Cassandra. "But when he learned that I had made other friends, in other houses, and some of those friends were not pure-bloods, he was absolutely furious. I graduated from Hogwarts in '79, I had friends from many different houses." She took a deep breath and her eyes teared up slightly. "I was in a study group when I was in fifth year, preparing for my NEWTs. The tests we have to take at the end of the year. Well, the head girl, she was the organiser for this study group. Lily, well, you're not from here, so you probably wouldn't know. She and her husband were killed by You Know Who several years ago. Their son, he somehow, and no one knows exactly how this happened, but he survived the killing curse and he defeated the Dark Lord. No one knows anything about him now. My father learned that I was friends with Lily Evans, or Potter, and that was unacceptable to him. 'No pure-blood wizard would ever want to have anything to do with a blood traitor like you,' is what he said to me. He spread rumours about me so that no pure-blood family would want their son to marry me. Most half-blood families would never trust me, simply because of my family background."
Hydrae closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He used his occlumency to bury his anger and his desire to ask Cassandra about his mother, but he knew that would be an awkward thing to do. Opening his eyes he looked at her and simply offered his thoughts. "I would say that I can't imagine someone being treated that way by family, but I have learned from Arcturus, from Lord Black, that my own family had similar issues, which was why my father left England all those years ago."
Cassandra wiped her eyes and smiled. "Thanks, Hydrae. Thanks for listening. You're probably thinking you don't want to do this again with this pathetic witch whose essentially disowned from her family."
"My father was essentially disowned from the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and now I am the heir. Not that I would wish for you to have to become the heir to the Yaxley line, but I do think I have an understanding of what you might be feeling," said Hydrae.
Cassandra reached out and squeezed his hand, smiling. Hydrae just let her hold his hand.
After a few minutes she looked down at their intwined hands and suddenly pulled hers back. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have done that."
"I didn't pull away," he said simply in reply.
The waitress came by with their check and soon they were leaving the restaurant.
As they were walking back towards the entrance to Diagon Alley, Hydrae paused. "Uh, I don't even know where you live, so I don't really know where we are heading. If I were to walk you home, that is."
Cassandra laughed lightly at his comment. "I rent an apartment in Diagon Alley. Probably a little safer than trying to rent one as a single witch in Knockturn Alley, even if You Know Who was defeated four years ago."
Soon they had arrived at the door that led to her apartment above one of the shops in Diagon Alley.
Cassandra quickly said goodnight to Hydrae, have him a quick kiss on his cheek and then turned and entered her home, leaving a slightly stunned Hydrae standing alone outside of the door. He smiled to himself as he turned and walked towards the apparition point and made his way back home to Grimmauld Place.
~~~MiB~~~
Wednesday, October 9, 1985
Over the next week after their first dinner date, Cassandra and Hydrae often had lunch and occasionally dinner together. On Wednesday it was a particularly nice fall day and they had just simply had an ice cream at Fortescue's and then Hydrae had walked her back to work. He was making his way back to Gringotts, when he nearly bumped into a slightly plump and red headed witch.
"Excuse me young man, I am so sorry, I am just trying to finish my shopping for the week," said the witch.
Hydrae looked at her and instantly recognised the woman he had just nearly collided with.
"That's okay, miss?"
"Weasley, Molly Weasley," she said.
"Oh, my," replied Molly, "you're that Australian duelling wizard. There have been several stories about you in the paper lately. My sons think you're the greatest wizard they have ever heard of."
"Your sons?" questioned Hydrae.
Molly tilted her head back and forth. "Well, mostly my twins, they're about to start at Hogwarts in a couple of years. I already have two sons there, at Hogwarts. My oldest, Bill, is a fourth year, and Charlie is in his second year. Percy will be a firstie next year."
Hydrae hadn't really thought about what year the Weasley boys would be in school, but he now knew that Percy and therefor Scabbers, would be at the Burrow. "My, that's unusual for a magical family now, to have so many children," replied Hydrae.
"Well, we do have a younger son and a daughter," she added.
Hydrae smiled, "Sounds like quite the family you have there."
"My sons will be so impressed to hear that I actually spoke with Hydrae Black!" she exclaimed.
Hydrae smiled in response.
Molly put her hand to her mouth and then seemed even more excited. "Oh, why don't you join us for dinner? They would all love to meet with you."
"Well, if you insist," said Hydrae. "Although I would need to check on things with Arcturus, Lord Black that is.
"Oh, of course, of course. Be sure to invite him. I do believe he is related to my Arthur," said Molly. "Arthur works at the Ministry!"
"I believe that Lord Black and I have business at the ministry later today, so perhaps we can touch base with your husband to finalise plans then?"
"Oh, wonderful, wonderful!" exclaimed Molly. "The boys will be so excited."
Hydrae watched her make her way towards one of the shops and thought to himself, "Now that was certainly convenient."
~~~MiB~~~~
Ministry of Magic
Arcturus accompanied Hydrae as he went to register for the British and European Duelling competitions. The Office for Games and Competition was headed up by Barty Crouch Senior, however the clerk they were dealing with was Miles Rosier. Arcturus sighed when he recognised the young man, knowing that it was probably only going to be a problem for Hydrae.
"We have reviewed your application for the duelling competitions," said Rosier. "And as you have no experience in duelling in England or in Europe, then you will have to attend several qualifying programs where you will be evaluated and your skills with be tested. We can't risk someone getting hurt because their skills are not up to scratch."
Arcturus closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down.
Hydrae took a deep breath before he responded. "You do have the certification of my being the current duelling champion for Australia? I know it was with the documents that were submitted already."
Rosier took a superior tone. "Australia is not a part of the European duelling championships. Whatever you may have done there has no bearing on what happens here."
"You are claiming that the champion of another country's duelling competition is not qualified to compete in the European contests? This is absurd," said Hydrae.
"It is simply the rules," said Rosier flatly.
"Rules? The duelling guidelines make it clear that champions from other jurisdictions are welcome to compete," interjected Arcturus.
"Rules for international duelling competition also include specific instructions if there is reason to believe that a potential competitor cannot adequately control their magic and would pose a threat to the health and safety of the other competitors. We cannot put the health and safety of the duellists in jeopardy to accommodate the ego of one foreign champion," added Rosier.
"My record in Australia clearly indicates that none of my opponents were ever at risk for being hurt or worse," said Hydrae.
"Your involvement with the death of Lord Malfoy would suggest otherwise," said Rosier, his tone growing even colder.
Hydrae rubbed his forehead and then took another deep breath. "So, this qualifying program, when is it and where is it?"
Rosier did not even hide his sneer. "The dates will be announce, probably in January. The location will be included in the notification."
Arcturus did not hold back his reaction and snorted and laughed at the comment. "Whose choosing? Barty's or one of poor Lucius' old friends?"
"Fine, we will await your notification of the qualifying program," said Hydrae.
Rosier sneered, "Then you can await our owl."
Hydrae and Arcturus turned and walked out of the office.
Arcturus muttered under his breath, "It's just a set up by those idiotic pureblood sycophants who are still bent out of shape that their precious Dark Lord was defeated and their unofficial leader was dealt with permanently, by you nonetheless. He didn't even have any attempt to hide his contempt for you."
Hydrae nodded as he replied, "That was quite obvious, you are correct."
Arcturus stopped in the hallway and turned to face Hydrae. "You do know that this is probably a trap."
"I always think everything could be a trap, which is why I am still alive," replied Hydrae. "Well, actually, I learned long ago that everything could be a trap, but this is one of the more obvious ones I have ever seen."
"Enough about that for now, we need to find Arthur Weasley," said Arcturus as he changed the subject.
"We need to find the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office," said Hydrae.
"That is one office I have never been to," admitted Arcturus.
After they came across an information desk, they asked the witch seated there for directions. She tapped her wand not a stack of paper and mumbled something about the office they were looking for. The top piece of paper turned green and folded itself into a paper airplane shape. "Just follow hat plane and it will take you directly to where you need to go."
After following the paper for fifteen minutes and taking an impossible number of turns that should have caused them to have crossed through hallways that they had already traversed, they eventually came to a narrow hallway with a small door part way down. The two men walked up to the door and Arcturus knocked lightly.
"Come on in," called a voice from the other side.
Arcturus opened the door and entered the small but cluttered office, with Hydrae right behind him.
"Arthur Weasley, I presume," said Arcturus.
Arthur looked up from some muggle device that he had taken apart, and his jaw dropped. "Arcturus? I mean Lord Black?"
"Arthur, I may call you Arthur? Please, Arcturus will do fine," said Arcturus.
Arthur wiped his hands on the leather apron he as wearing and he reached out to shake his hand. "This is a surprise, Arcturus. Clearly I was not expecting to see you here. Or even to see you at all."
Arcturus took a deep breath, "I know your mother was my cousin, and yes, the Lord Black at the time she ran off and married your father essentially kicked her out of the family. However, I am Lord Black, and I have been learning more about what the Black family should stand for and in case you are unaware, I am working on making it clear just what the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black does stand for. Why, just last week, Andromeda Black Tonks, and her husband Ted, and their daughter Nymphadora were welcomed back into the Black family."
Arthur mumbled something incoherent as he eyes looked all around the room. He then turned to look at Arcturus, "I had heard something about that, yes. But I am a Weasley, and we have long been considered blood traitors."
"But your mother, Cedrella, daughter of Arcturus Black, my uncle, did marry Septimus Weasley, You do have Black family blood in you. That cannot be denied, whether or not your mother's visage appears on the famous, or infamous, Black Family Tapestry." Arcturus let his words sink in.
"Well, that is something," said Arthur. His mouth was still agape, and then he added, "But, we will not be taking any vows or promising to support anything just because the Lord Black says so. We can't be bought. We may be poor, the Weasley family that is, but we are proud of who we are and what we do stand for." Arthur started to stand a little straighter as he gathered the courage to speak up to Arcturus.
Arcturus actually laughed slightly. "I admire your compassion and your commitment to your ideals. I am asking nothing of you. I am offering that you will not be considered not a part of the Black family. You, and your children, are not Blacks and will not be in line for the title of Lord Black. Hydrae here is my heir, and that is not about to change."
Arthur nodded in understanding. "Well, then, Lord Black, or Arcturus, what can I do for you? Surely you didn't make your way here simply to tell me that my family is not an enemy of your family."
Arcturus furrowed his brow, "Would you have wanted me to tell you this over owl post? Don't be absurd, you clearly deserve to be welcomed back in person."
Arthur continued to nod, but now he looked between the two men in front of him. "Um, so you came here all the way just to tell me this?"
Arcturus suppressed a sigh.
Hydrae spoke up next. "I ran into your wife, Molly, earlier today in Diagon Alley. She invited us over to the Burrow for dinner. We thought it would be best to meet with you first, so as not to catch you off guard."
Arthur's face turned to a smile. "Oh, well, then, that would be wonderful. Really, it would be."
"Then we will see you at your home later today," said Arcturus.
Several hours later…
Hydrae and Arcturus arrived at the Burrow just after 6 pm. Molly and Arthur met them at the door and welcomed them into the house. Introductions were made to the five children who were at home. Percy, the eldest Weasley son who had not already left for Hogwarts jumped up to speak with them.
"Hello, I'm Percy, but you already knew that as my parents just introduced you to everyone," he began with his excitement overflowing. "I will be starting at Hogwarts next year! I already have a list of everything I will need to start at Hogwarts next summer. I've been doing extra chores for other families, saving money so I can buy a new potion cauldron, with the appropriate thickness of the bottom! I have learned that not all cauldrons are made to the proper specifications, and that creates a safety hazard."
Percy reached out and grasped Hydrae by the wrist, "Come on, let me show you everything I have, it's all up in my room."
Molly was starting to protest but Hydrae spoke up, "No, it's fine, he's just really excited. It can't hurt to see what he has."
The small group followed Percy up to his bedroom and he started showing them the various items he already had prepared for his first year at Hogwarts which was still nearly a year away.
Arcturus and Hydrae both took note of the cage that had several broken wires which would actually make it quite easy for a rat to escape if it wanted to do so. As the group was leaving the room, Hydrae silently cast a spell that knocked over a lantern on one side of the room. The boys all went to go deal with he lantern that had broken, and Hydrae sent a port-key into the cage. As it hit the rat it was activated and the rat promptly disappeared.
Arcturus looked at the cage and then back at Hydrae who gave a slight smile before they finished helping clean up the broken lantern. The group then made their way back down stairs as Molly had called them all for dinner.
Over the course of the dinner the boys all asked Hydrae about his experiences duelling in Australia and what it was like to grow up there. He spoke a little about growing up in a very sheltered home, being taught at home and not having the opportunity to make many friends, as opposed to the Weasleys.
Towards the end of the meal, one of the twins asked Lord Black if he was a Dark Wizard.
Arthur's jaw dropped and Molly started to chastise him for his question.
Arcturus however responded with a slight laugh and then he leaned towards the boy and quietly asked, "Why would you think that I might be a Dark Wizard?"
The twin who had asked the question gulped at being confronted, but the other twin spoke up next. "Mom and dad said that you and all of your family were sorted into Slytherin, and we heard that all Dark Wizards come from Slytherin."
Molly again went to say something, then young Ron called out, "All Slytherins are slimy snakes!"
Hydrae shook his head as he realised Ron had been taught that phrase at quite an early age, and he wondered which of the older brothers had drilled that into them, or perhaps it was Molly herself who repeated that line to the family.
Arcturus raised an eyebrow and spoke again in hushed tones. "Let me tell you boys a secret. Not all who get sorted into Slytherin are dark and they sure are not slimy. However, it is true that many in my family have been considered dark. In fact, some of my own household even followed You Know Who."
There as a collective gasp from the boys.
"You are a dark wizard!" called out Ron.
"No, I am not a dark wizard, but I would not go so far as to be called light," admitted Arcturus.
Once again Molly tried to interrupt but Arthur silenced her with a gesture.
Arcturus then continued with his conspiratorial impromptu lecture. "What I do know is that the Dark Lord, who many people called He Who Must Not Be Named, was a very bad wizard. And his followers did some very bad things. Sadly, some of those were members of my own family. I do not and never did condone the actions of those people, the Death Eaters. There are wizards and witches who are not happy that I have named Hydrae here my heir. Why? They are mad because he is what is known as a half-blood. His mother was a muggle born witch. But you have heard how powerful he is and how well he did while duelling in Australia. If the pure-bloods were correct in their assertions that pure-bloods are better and stronger wizards, then how can they explain Hydrae? How can they explain the Boy Who Lived, who is also a half-blood and defeated He Who Must Not Be named when he was only a little over one year old? They can't and they don't like that. But what can I do? I can't change everyone's minds. But I can change my family. I can be an example. I can welcome back into the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black those who have been ostracised, those who were cast out. Because family is more important."
The boys were all staring at the elder wizard with awe on their faces. Molly herself was trying to hide any emotion from showing on her face.
Soon, the meal was over, the stories were done being told and Arcturus and Hydrae bod goodnight and made their way back to 12 Grimmauld Place. Once they arrived there they immediately went down to the cellar where Kreacher was watching over a magical cage that would cause the rat to sleep if it got too close to the edges. The cage also had charms to prevent the rat from changing back into his human form.
"Thank you Kreacher for watching over the rodent. That was a very important job you have done for us tonight," said Arcturus and the elf's ears stood up straighter than ever.
First thing the next morning Arcturus sent an urgent message to Amelia Bones, the director of the DMLE. He had explained that he had something very important to bring to her, however he needed to get through security without it being a problem, so she arranged to meet him at the security entrance.
The two then made their way up to her office and he placed the box on top of her desk.
"Just what is the meaning of all of this?" she questioned, her patience already wearing thin.
Arcturus spoke plainly, trying to keep as much emotion out of his voice so as not to make the entire situation any more difficult. "I do believe that my grandson never received a trial." He let his words hang in the air for a minute and before Amelia responded he added, "And this animagus was the Potter's secret keeper. Not my grandson, Sirius."
Amelia studied the man carefully. "It was a busy and confusing time. Everyone received trials."
Arcturus took a deep breath before he repeated his statement. "No, my grandson, Sirius Black, did NOT receive a trial. Barty Crouch Junior received a trial. Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers received trials. But Sirius Black did not. If you are so sure that he received a trial, the show me the trial transcripts."
Amelia sighed. "Very well, I will have my staff look for the records, but to humour you, assuming that you are correct, and Sirius Black did not receive a trial, then what is the point of bringing me this rat?"
Arcturus allowed the slightest of smiles to grace is face. "I suggest that you question him with Veritas Serum and make sure you do not let him escape. That is, after you have him in a properly secure cell and force his transformation back into human form."
Amelia continued to play along with the man in front of her. "And just who is this rat animagus? I am not aware of any registered animagi who are rats."
"Peter Pettigrew, who according to your predecessor in this department was supposedly killed by my grandson," proclaimed Arcturus. "Pettigrew was purported to have been killed without any evidence, mind you."
"It was witnessed that Sirius Black had blown up a street in a muggle neighbourhood," stated Amelia.
Arcturus actively suppressed a larger smile. "Your report, if I recall, came from a Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, who only witnessed Sirius laughing at the scene. The explosion had already occurred."
Amelia was clearly frustrated with this discussion. "And your point about all of this is what exactly?"
Arcturus made sure to speak clearly and without emotion as much as possible. "My point is that no one officially questioned my grandson. No one gave my grandson a trial. I believe in his emotional state at having lost his best friend and his friend's wife, he was reacting emotionally to having been bested by his one time friend, Pettigrew, who had managed to escape, in a manner that made it look like Sirius had killed him and those muggles."
"So, if we find no evidence of a trial having been held for your grandson, then you expect the following," said Amelia and then she enumerated the points. "One, we place this rat in a secure cell. Two, we transform him back to his original human form. Three, we interrogate him with veritas serum. Four, We make sure that he cannot transform back into a rat. Five, we hold an actual trial for Sirius Black, and use this testimony to show that Sirius Black was not the Potter's secret keeper, and that he did not betray them, but this here rat did the betraying."
"Simply put, you are correct Madam Bones," said Arcturus.
"This will quickly become a circus of course, you know that," commented Amelia.
Arcturus allowed a smile to form this time as he spoke. "You are a sensible woman. Avoid the circus as much as possible. Conduct everything, the interrogation, the confirmation of the illegal animagus. Blind side the Wizengamot with the need to correct history for a trial needs to be held. Once the trial is held, then release the information about Pettigrew."
"By the way," asked Amelia, "just where has this rat been hiding for the past four years?"
"Sadly, and perhaps more concerning," said Arcturus, "as some young person's pet."
"Do I even want to know how you learned all of this information? Or how you obtained the rat?"
Arcturus smiled slightly, "No, you probably really don't want to know those details."
"I suppose that all of those things can be arranged," said Amelia. "There will be those who will not like it when this all comes out."
"And most of those people responsible for what happened are not in those same positions that they were at the end of the war when all of this happened."
AN: a little longer chapter and little longer in getting the chapter ready to publish. Major problem was when I realised part of what was planned for this chapter just did not make sense, so I had to rewrite a significant portion.
