Disclaimer: Still own nothing
Chapter 3
Sitting on a cold stone bench, a slight breeze rustles the leaves making them fall to the solid ground, the sunlight warming my skin. Beautiful flowers, green grass and ornamented trees paint the perfect scenario. The pathway? Dirt littered with random rocks, no pattern, no logical sequence, just what the nature made of it. In the horizon, children are playing and their parents talking with each other.
Lately the park has been my kind of place. The reminder of my loneliness. The old swings are stationary, only moving when the wind blows, making the metalic sound that travels alongside the wind. It's moments like this, when I am alone, I recognize that, if for a mere moment, I forget that are others living the same fate of loneliness as me. It's when I am alone, truly alone, I can feel free but sad, flying free to a place that never existed but always called me. And yet I find that this is life, fully knowledged, but none understood it. Something that passes through me, something that I forgot.
Iago closes the magical book that he was reading entitled "Initiation to the Dark Arts", and thinks about his past years living as a Lestrange.
So much as changed and yet eveything remains the same. The magic that he studies everyday, his new mansion and training in the various magic fields and politics. Everything planned for a proper pure-blood Lord in training. Too bad that he wasn't one pure-blood, but that was one of his secrets that only Gringotts and his house elves know about. And learning family magic of two of the oldest houses like house Black and house Lestrange was something he wouldn't complain about. All in preparation for his Hogwarts journey.
Sometimes he thought about Iris, but after the first year without news, or a single letter, he tried to forget about the day they met. That the house of Potter was considered a light family and his was a dark family helped a bit knowing their families had different political views and some sort of rivalry.
All of sudden his thoughts were interrupted by someone approaching him. A girl that couldn't be older than him. Her skin was light, and her face had an aristocratic look to it, problably a pure-blood. She had high cheekbones and hazel eyes, giving her an air of mistery. Her air was wild and blonde, problably previously very neated, was now free, running with the wind. She was wearing a light blue dress and a smile on her face.
"Want some sweets? My mother says, they always help you make friends!" Said the girl in front of him, extending a small squared box. Inside were various candies with all types of colours. Grabbing one golden brown and tasting, he found it to be a mistake. Strangely enough, it tasted like earwax. Noting his discomfort, the girl asked him with a smile.
"Bad luck? It's always a surprise what we might find in what we don't know. Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans - A Risk With Every Mouthful!" She singed the candie's jingle.
"Did you offer me this specific candie, to know if I knew of them? To know if I was a wizard, much like yourself?" Asked a very curious Iago, looking at her pretty eyes.
"Maybe, maybe not." The girl said in a song like way, still smiling at him.
"My name Is Astoria Greengrass!" She holded her hand to him, the palm facing downward.
Iago recognizing the gesture, bowed towards the offered hand, grabbed her hand gently and brushed the knuckles with his lips, not actually touching it.
"Pleasure to meet you my lady, I am Iago Lestrange."
"Please, I insist you simply call me Astoria or Tori, we are friends now after sharing sweets." She said with a giggle, such an innocent and joyfull sound that Iago wouldn't mind hear it over again.
"Then please, call me Iago. And I would love to call you a friend." Iago gave her his best smile.
"Are you here by yourself, Tori?" Astoria beamed at her nickname, that only her family called her. The pureblood society were too stiffy for her playful persona.
"No, my family is over there." She pointed to a large oak tree, where three other people, that looked a lot like Astoria, were having a picnic and having fun.
"Want to meet them? I bet they would love to meet you! My sister will join Hogwarts this year!"
Iago could see that she was excited to the ideia of him meeting her family, but unfortunaly he didn't think it was the best ideia. After reading about the past war, he knew his family name wasn't very liked in London. Giving it to someone so young didn't seemed like a problem, but her parents might think otherwise.
"I am sorry, maybe anot..." He was interrupted by a coughing fit. Suddendly alarmed, bells of worry rang in his head. He quickly went to her side. His training on healing magic came to his mind, but for some reason, watching her in that state pained him too much to think straight.
"Are you alright? Wait for me, I will call your parents right away!" Iago said in a rushed way. He was about to run to her parents, when he felt a soft hand grasping his shirt.
"It's ok, I am fine now thanks. There's no need to worry them more." Astoria got up, her breathing calming down. Her eyes still a little watery but her smile was back on.
"Is there anything I could help with? I am training to be a medic you know, you could be the first person I can help."
"I don't think there's anyone that can help me, I suffer from a serious blood malediction, as a result of a curse placed on one of my ancestors, which resurfaced in me after many generations. Thankfuly my sister doesn't have it, but any children that we might have could suffer the same fate." She said in a sad tone, looking at the place where her sister was under the tree.
The life of one so young, ruined by something so out of her own control.
"Nobody treats me like a normal person... not even my family. I can tell by how they look at me. The pity in their eyes is unmistakeable."
"... I don't need their sympathy any more than I need their curiosity."
"I am sorry but...I don't expect anyone to pity me. Dying isn't so unusual, is it? What is there to gain by staying in this world for so long?"
After a long silence, Iago answered.
"Love?"
"Excuse me?" Astoria asked with a mix of sadness and hope in her eyes.
"Love!" Repeated Iago.
"Love is a fire that burns unseen, a wound that aches yet isn't felt, an always discontent contentment, a pain that rages without hurting. A longing for nothing but to long, a loneliness in the midst of people, a never feeling pleased when pleased, a passion that gains when lost in thought. It's being enslaved of your own free will, it's counting your defeat a victory, it's staying loyal to your killer. But if it's so self-contradictory, how can Love, when love chooses, bring human hearts into sympathy?"
"A beautiful poem about love. Your family acts the way they do because they love you, and you act the same way for the same reasons. And it's love that will make you want to stay around with your family. Now as we are friends, I promise I will do my best to help you from that curse. If it was magic that cursed you, magic can heal you the same way! Just believe in me and I promise to do my best to save you!" Iago's voice raising with each verse that he proclaimed, a passion that came from deep within him for the first time in his life.
At this point Astoria didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything. She just hugged Iago and Iago hugged her back. They stayed like that for a few minutes, under the soft blowing wind and the warm sun.
The moment was interrupted by a call for her name coming from her family.
"I have to go, but promise you will write to me." Astoria looked into his eyes, awaiting for his answer before leaving this place.
"I promise that I will. Goodbye Tori."
"Goodbye Iago."
And that was the last time he would see her, until they met again at Hogwarts.
Reaching back home, Iago is welcomed by the house elves of Lestrange manor.
"Greetings master. The dinner will be ready in thirty minutes, your bath is already waiting for you." Said one old house elf, light green, big black eyes and an uniform with the Lestrange icon.
"Thank you Vanry, could you grab me the notebook regarding the darkest curses from the library? I will get ready for the bath." Iago said while making his way to his room.
After the bath and dinner, Iago sat on his chair by the desk with the notebook he requested.
Opening at the desired page he read.
"Avada kedavra
It's an ancient spell in Aramaic, and it is the original of abracadabra, which means" let the thing be destroyed". Originally, it was used to cure illness and the "thing", was the illness, but it was later weaponized, making the "thing" the person standing in front of the caster. To cast the original spell, one had to will the "illness" to be destroyed and the wizard casting it had to maintain the focus, otherwise it could "destroy" something else the caster won't desire. The current spell requires a malice emotion of killing and strong focus aswell, plus a strong magic power to take the life of the caster's target."
Could this be it? It was a big risk, one that he would need his wand for and some sort of guinea pig to test before using it on Tori. And he would need her full trust, after all he would be casting the avada kedavra on her.
After making his mind, he grabbed a wand on his desk from some ancestor of Lestrange and went to train. The wand wasn't bad, alder wood, dragon heartstring and eight inchs. Wasn't very flexible. It's componentes made an easy wand to change hands, so it worked for him. And so he continues his training. The next day he would finaly get his wand and start a new adventour.
The next morning, while having breakfast prepared by the house elves, Vanry the elf, shows up with the mail.
"Master, here is the mail of today." The elf bowed and retreated.
One of the letters was from Tori, his new friend, and made him smile that she wrote to him so quickly. He decided to read it and answer first before reading the other letter.
"Dear Iago,
I hope this letter finds you well. My sister recieved her letter to Hogwarts, can you believe it? How lucky of her. My letter will only come next year. That reminds, will you go to Hogwarts this year aswell?
I thought alot about our talk yesterday and I must really thank you. I no longer feel that my family looks at me with pity, I guess it was all inside of my head. Love takes many forms. They noticed and were very happy with me and my new found light. They might want to meet you so expect an invitation to christmas, not my fault!
Hope to recieve news from you.
Yours, Astoria Greengrass"
Iago smiled reading the letter and was very happy for her and her relationship with her family. Maybe he could meet her sister at Hogwarts. He proceeded then to write a reply.
" Dear Tori,
I am glad that you are well and your family aswell. I have the Hogwarts letter waiting for me to open it, but decided to read yours first. Maybe I can meet your sister this year (and you next year).
I would love to have christmas as your guest, usually it's only me and the house elves, so it might be fun to change that.
Guess this is it, have a fine day.
Yours, Iago Lestrange."
He wanted to tell her about his ideia to heal her, but didn't want to give her false hope, he would test it first.
He left the letter on the table, where the elves would then send the letter via owl. The other letter, as predicted, was his Hogwarts letter.
"HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Iago Lestrange,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragonhide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings) Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida
Spore Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS
ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK
Yours sincerely,
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions"
After reading it, Iago wrote his reply and called for his house elf.
"Vanry, send this letters and go to Diagon Alley and buy all this books and materials for my first year. I will buy the cloths and wands." The elf bowed and teleported Iago to Diagon Alley, before he disappeared with a soft pop, on his way to accomplish his master orders.
Iago quickly made his way to the shop that sells the robes to most of Hogwarts students. Having spotted the shop, he read the name on the door, "Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions".
Entering the shop, it was easy to see the shop was very busy, with all the costumers and assistants moving around and making the noises you would expect to hear on a cloths shop. The shop had many colorful robes for many different occasions and Iago could see one section that sold invisibility cloaks, maybe he would buy one or two for study and...fun!
"Hogwarts first year, dear?" A voice came from behind him. Turning around he saw an older woman with white hair and blue eyes. She was a squat witch dressed all in mauve who seemed very friendly, the name Madam Malkin was sewed on her jacket.
Iago merely nodded at her, making the lady lead him to the back of the store. There, was one other girl, his age if he had to guess, getting her robes ready.
She had red hair, wearing her hair in a long plait down her back and brown eyes. She tried to stay still so to no disturb the woman working on her robes but was failing spectacularly.
Iago stood next to her so that Madam Malkin could work on his robes. Turning her head, the girl started to speak to him.
"Hello, my name Is Susan Bones. Are you a first year aswell?" She smiled at Iago while trying not to be pierced by the needle.
"Hi, yes my name is Iago and I am also a first year." By now his robes were being worked on aswell.
"What house do you think you will be sorted? I am expecting to be sorted in Hufflepuff, like my aunt Amélia Bones, she is Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." She added with a look of pride.
Iago had read about the different houses on Hogwarts and he wasn't impressed. Over the years, all the houses had lost their true meaning, being replaced by ridiculous notions that Gryffindor was the house of hot blooded, cannon fodder, Hufflepuffs were the rejected, Ravenclaws were only bookworms and Slytherins housed only dark lords. The founders couldn't be happy with that. Returning his attention to Susan's question he wondered what to answer and decided to be politically correct.
"I don't know, but whatever house I get sorted in, I will be happy with it. But it's highly problable that I will get sorted in Slytherin." Iago added with a smile.
"Ouch!" Susan said in pain after hearing the word Slytherin.
"Stop moving so much, little lady or this needle will keep poking you." Said the assistent working on Susan's robes with an annoyed tone, making Susan blush at the remark.
"Well, we are all done here." Madam Malkin told Iago, handing him the robes.
"See ya at Hogwarts, Susan." And with that he left the the store with his new robes and two invisibility cloaks and made way to get his wand.
He finaly reached a store named Ollivanders. The shop's display consisted of a solitary wand lying on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. A strapline saying "Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C."
Inside, the shop was tiny, empty except for a single, spindly chair in the corner. Thousands of narrow boxes containing wands were piled right up to the ceiling of the tiny shop, and the whole place had a thin layer of dust about it.
Upon entering, the sound of a bell announced his presence to the owner.
"Ah, a new client. Be very welcomed to the Ollivanders, I am Garrick Ollivander the wandmaker. Come closer, let us see which wand will choose you, Mr? " Ollivander eyed Iago with intererest.
He came closer and looking around to all the boxes around him, answered.
"Iago, sir." Said Iago looking at the disapearing form of Ollivander, already moving to gather some wands.
"Willow wood and unicorn hair as core, 9 inchs, very flexible. Well, give it a try." Said Ollivander clearly excited.
Waving the wand some weak yellow sparks flew from the wand, overall not very impressive.
"No, not that one. Hazel wood, dragon heartstring, 10 inchs, not very flexible."
With yet another wave, this time the wand shot a little fireball that almost burned Ollivander.
"No, no, absolutely not."
One hour later of failed trials, Ollivander grabbed one wand that made him confident this time would work.
"Yew wood, two cores, rougarou hair and thestral tail hair, 11 inchs, good flexibility. Good for the pratic of the dark arts and fearsome on duelling and curses. A very rare wand, indeed." Ollivander delivered the wand very slowly, and the moment Iago grabs the wand he knows this is the best result so far.
"We can expect great things from you Mr. Lestrange" Ollivander gave a creepy smile. Iago was confused on how he knew his last name but proceed to pay and quickly left the store behind. Something were better unanswered.
Having his wand from Ollivanders, he made his way to the wandcrafter knowed by his family in Knockturn Alley. The store was only a couple of feets away from Borgin and Burkes.
"The Quiet Ritual" could be read over the door in dark colours. Entering the store, a small dark and cold room welcomed him. All around him, multiple samples of woods and cores decorated the walls. Most of them he had no ideia what could they be.
"Are you lost dear? Cheap and premade wands are not here, you will find those at Diagon Alley." A lady with dark black hair, performing a cascading effect on her shoulders. Equally dark eyes that could unsettle most people, if the eyes were a mirror to the soul, Iago wouldn't want to upset this lady.
"I am a Lestrange and I seek the wand quality that only you can make. Gold is not a problem." Iago said without a pause, looking directly at her eyes.
"A Lestrange, you say. Good, good. They were always fine clients of mine. Come here, let us start."
"Hover your hand over the samples of wood first, when you feel a pull on your magic, tell me."
Doing as she said, Iago went through all the woods until he felt his magic pulling one specific wood. This wood had a rather strange shape and colour.
"This one." Said Iago to the lady.
"My what an interesting client, are you perphaps a parsemouth?" Watching the tense reaction of Iago, she explained.
"Worry not, I merely asked because your magic chose snakewood. Very rare, their leaves are said to have powerful healing properties. Now, do the same for the cores."
Hovering his hand over the cores now, he felt the same pull on something that looked like a horn.
"Here." He called expectful.
"A basilisk horn. The same materials as the famed Salazar Slytherin's wand, interesting. This won't be cheap but it will be a very interesting work. Return in two hours and your wand will be ready." She quickly gathered the materials and went to work.
Being left alone, Iago called for his house elf, to start preparations.
"Vanry!" A small pop later and the short elf appears.
"Yes master?" Said the elf while bowing.
"Please, make the required preparations for the plan. In two hours we will start."
"Very well, master. It shall be done." And with another pop, Iago was left alone once again.
Two hours later, the lady came out with his wand. A beautiful metalic coloured wand, with green gems ornamenting it and small snake designs covering the wand from top to bottom.
"Here it is. One of my best jobs. Snakewood, with horn from a basilisk, 10 inchs, very flexible. Excepcionaly powerful, take good care of it. I will add two wand holsters. And be careful, having two wands is not viewed in good light by the law." And with that he was dismissed.
All that was left to do was returning home and start the experiment. Upon reaching home, Vanry welcomed his master and directed him to the room where the experiment would happen. Entering the room, Iago saw an old woman with grey hair, round glasses that helped her eyes to see what her age was taking off her. Her skin, rugged from the old age, hid her once beautiful face. Now there's still beauty. But a different kind of beauty, one that was calm and serene like a river.
He approached the old lady and introduced himself.
"Hello, my name's Iago." He extended his hand to her.
"Hello, Iago. I am Ms. Tanner." She answered with a smile.
"Do you know all about what will happen in here?" Iago's voice was low and full of sadness.
"Yes, my dear. Worry not, I have 103 years. I lived my life to its fullest, my friends and family left already. So if I can help you with this old body of mine, it would make me happy." Her smile giving confidence to Iago.
"But if you didn't do this you could live another...eighty or ninety years." Iago replied.
"I think you're being a little irrational." Ms. Tanner answered sweetly, laughing at his antics.
"No I'm not." His answers shorter and shorter trying to hide his emotions.
"Everybody dies sometime." Her answer still sweet but final.
"No they don't."
After a short silence he finaly said.
"Very well, I will cast a different version of the avada kedavra, and the goal will be to eliminate your heart disease."
"Ready?" Iago asked, doubts feeling his mind and heart. He drawned his snakewood wand.
Ms. Tanner just smilled and nodded her head in confirmation.
Iago took a long breath, and cast.
"Avada kedavra!"...but nothing happened.
"Avada kedavra!"...but again nothing happened.
"Avada kedavra! Avada kedavra! Ava..." Iago couldn't finish. His heart just couldn't take it anymore and he broke into sobs, crying for the first time he could ever rebember.
Ms. Tanner goes up to Iago and asks the crying form of Iago.
"Are you ok dear?"
"I am scared." His voice breaking at this point.
"Shhh, it's alright. Come here, dear, you're ok" She embraced him into a hug to try to calm him down.
"When you master this spell imagine how many lifes you will save. It's alright dear. Let's try again, shall we?"
Iago nods and closes his eyes focusing all his will.
With one whisper, his eyes shining with power, he says.
"Avada kedavra!" And a jet of bright green strikes Ms. Tanner.
A/N: Merry Christmas everyone.