Series: Choosing a Darker Path
Book 1: Beginnings
Chapter 5: The Most Ancient and Nobile House of Black
Author's Notes:
Ç Denotes the use of parseltongue Ç
Edit 12/08/2017: Thank you PukwudgiePuff for pointing out a typo and an inconsistency. Arcturas should have been Orion and Walburga was referring to her nieces not daughters. I have edited the chapter to correct these mistakes
I apologize for the delay in the posting of this chapter. There are a variety of reasons for the delay. See the end of the chapter for the detailed explanation as well as an update to the scheduling for this story.
Additionally, those of you who read the previous chapter when it was posted can see that this chapter's title is different than what I promised. Well that is because I waffled a bit on the focus of this chapter until settling on a topic. I will be updating the previous chapter's author notes to make it consistent for new readers.
As the words left my mouth, I felt a sharp pull as if a hook had grabbed me behind my naval. In short order, I was overwhelmed with the sensation of spinning. My vision was clouded with a cacophony of colors all blurred into a horrible mess. Thankfully, the experience was less unsettling than the that of my normal teleportation abilities. Whether this was due to my age and relative inexperience or due to the different style of teleportation the ring implored, I could not be sure. Perhaps such things could be looked into at a later time. As quickly as the sensation had come, it departed. As I examined my new-found surroundings, I could see that I now stood in a pitch-dark room. Frankly, I would be utterly blind for not my improved eyesight thanks to the bonding with Amicus. Speaking of my serpent, he was complaining profusely of stupid human travel methods. I uncoiled him and told him that he could slide on the ground if he enjoyed his means of transportation so much. If snakes could truly glare, I am sure he would be giving me a truly terrifying death glare right now. With my familiar dealt with, I set about establishing exactly where I was. I should be at 12 Grimmauld Place, but there was no real guarantee of that. I saw no reason for Ragnok to lie, however it was not out of the realm of possibility.
As my eyes raked across the room I could tell that not only was it dark but it appeared to not be in the best shape. It seemed that I was looking at the remains of a grand entrance hall. To my left I could see two doors leading off to what were no doubt other ground floor rooms. Directly next to me stood a large bone made stand of some sort. As I peered to my right I saw a large expanse of wall adorned with several paintings and other hanging ornamentation. Directly above my head was a rather dirty but clearly expensive chandelier. It appeared that the candles that would normally occupy it were missing. I began to creep forward at a methodical pace. A faint creaking of old wood permeated the air. It became abundantly clear that this room and likely the entire house, was in a shameful state of disrepair. Assuming this was my new home, it would seem I had a lot of work caught out for me. The large ornate rug that covered the hardwood floor seemed to have sustained serious water damage and was frayed at the ends as if feasted on by small creatures of some sort. The walls had not seemed to fair much better as the paint was cracking and the wallpaper was peeling away. To finish the dreadful look, the place was absolutely filthy. It was evident that no one had occupied the space for quite some time. I stopped my tentative pace towards a rather large staircase when a sharp snap of what I suspected to be a door further down on this floor caught my attention. Perhaps I was not as alone as I first thought.
Ç Amicus, it appears we have company. Get out of sight and prepare yourself Ç I instructed him softly.
Ç Of course master, though…. Ç he trailed off as he flicked his tongue scenting the air. Ç With the abundance of filth it is hard to pinpoint, but I do not believe there are any other humans here master. Whatever made that sound is something different….I have not scented anything quite like it. Perhaps it will be tasty Ç he finished menacingly.
Ç We shall see, my pet Ç I replied as I began to stealthy approach the source of the sound. As I moved, I could my magic wrapping around me as if I were wearing it as a cloak. It had done this before when I did not want to be heard or seen and it made me able to completely avoid detection. Hopefully it would server me well here. I placed my hand on the floor near a door on the far side of the hall. I was fairly certain that whatever had made that noise was on the other side of the door. I could feel small vibrations in the wood that indicated that whatever I could feel wasn't particularly heavy footed. Whether that meant that the thing was small or was simply good at remaining light on its feet, I could not be sure. It seemed that whatever it was it was coming this way as I could now hear it as well. I silently pushed myself behind the door just as it swiftly swung outward. Soon the darkness was penetrated by a blinding glow and I could see a shadow moving under the now open door. From my spot behind the door, I could now see what it was that made the sound and I must say, it certainly was a sight.
It seemed that the cause of the small vibrations had indeed been the fact that whatever creature was standing in front of me was quite small. If I had to guess, I could say it stood no more than three feet tall. The creature's stature was the least interesting thing about it however. I would compare its appearance to a shriveled corpse. Its skin was grey and was pulled across its feeble skeleton, giving it a leathery appearance. I generally wouldn't like to speculate with such little information on such a creature, but if I had to guess I would say that this thing was old, extremely old. Just then it stopped and began to mutter to itself.
"Creature knows someone is here. Intruders in Mistress' house. Creature knows, oh yes, he does. The wards tell Creature someone is here, but Creature does not sense them. How is that?" he mused. His voice was scratchy and very deep. It reinforced my notion that this thing was well past it sell by date. I began to slowly creep towards it, ready to grab for it in an instant. It had spoken about being told by the wards and not sensing the intruders as it had called me and Amicus, so I can only assume it must be magical. I would bet this thing was the house elf mentioned on the inheritance test and if it was than this thing was my property. With that in mind, I would reveal myself. I had no reason to be wary of it. It was mine and it would obey me. Just as I was about to grab for it, Amicus' hiss could be heard as he approached the creature from the other side. It whipped itself to face him and brought one hand up which flames erupted from. It shot the flames at Amicus and while I was at first concerned, I had nothing to worry about. The jet of flame bounded off Amicus' hide and fizzled out. Just as this occurred, I grabbed hold of the little thing and forced him to face me instead. I found myself face to face with it, looking down upon its sallow face and I stared directly into its tennis ball sized dark orbs with malice in my expression.
"You dare attack my familiar" I snapped at it in a cold whisper. The expression of both shock and genuine fear brought a warm feeling to my heart. I was glad that I could terrify others so easily. "Whom do you think you are that you can strike at what is mine" I hissed at it. The creature seemed too shocked to move or respond to my inquiry. After a short time, it seemingly gained some semblance of what was going on and began to struggle.
"Creature is defending the family's home. You and that snake intrude upon the Ancient and Nobile House of Black. You are the ones who dare. Not poor Creature. No poor Creature is a good elf who will not allow intruders to steal and violate this place, no Creature won't!" he groaned with each word increasing in volume. Just after he finished I could now hear wailing from a woman's voice at the top of the stairs.
"Intruders, thieves, scoundrels, how dare you defile my house!" she shrieked. Once the woman began screaming, the house elf started speaking about waking his mistress. I had lost my patience and had endured quite enough, thank you very much. I shoved it to the ground hard, adding a bit of force with magic to hammer home the point.
"You are the elf bound in service to the House of Black" I said raising my voice for the first time. I fixed the thing with a healthy glare until he finally responded.
"Yes, Creature is the house elf to the most…" he began.
"Good" I cut him off. "Then you will obey. I am Harry Potter-Black, heir to the Ancient and Nobile House of Black and I order you to stop and heed my commands." At my words, I could see the Black Heir ring glow a dark red that bathed the room in its ruby light. It seemed that my outburst certainly had an effect on the elf. He began to hyper ventilate and I could swear he was digging his nails into his palms to keep from sobbing. He eyes were transfixed on my ring for a long time before he looked at me and seemed to deflate.
"Cr-creature has a n-n-new m-master" he stuttered. "C-creature can see you are indeed the heir. The ring would not allow someone unworthy to bear it. Creature lives to serve" he said bowing so low his nose touched the floor.
"Good" I stated softly. "You will come with me" I said more forcefully. By now I could see Amicus was poised ready to strike the elf for the fire spell that I am sure Amicus took as a personal affront. Ç Amicus, you will not strike him. He is my servant now and you were not actually hurt by him anyway Ç I said with a smirk, knowing that this would not please him in the least.
Ç But master…. Ç he whined. Ç How am I supposed to teach the foolish little thing its place if I let such a slight go unpunished? Ç Amicus hissed with clear annoyance in his voice.
Ç You will have to get creative I am sure Ç I replied sarcastically. Ç Regardless he will be punished but as I see fit and not as you do. The only sentence you seem to know how to carry out is death. While I am glad for your ability to do so, sometimes a more flexible response is called for. At the moment I need to stop this incessant screeching. Ç To give effect to my words I signed dramatically and fixed the elf with my stare again.
"Who is yelling up there? My familiar has informed me that there is no one else here. So, am I to assume there is some sort of alarm magic or something like that?" I questioned the elf sternly. I was unsure if he had a name. He had referred to himself as Creature but I am not sure if all elves call themselves that or if that really was his name. It was odd that he muttered in third person as well. To me this didn't speak to normal behavior even for a creature such as him. Likely he had gone senile with his old age. Because even with my little knowledge of his species I had to come to the conclusion that he was indeed old based on the available evidence. Speak of the devil, more ramblings. Perhaps I should pay attention?
"New heir insults mistress, oh what is poor Creature to do? What indeed?" he stated with clear distress.
"I am talking to you Creature. Answer my question now" I said hotly.
"Mistress' portrait does not like to be disturbed, Master" he said. It was clear that he did not view me as his master even though he said the word. That would have to change and quickly. I cocked my head as I thought about it. So, the elf claims a portrait was the one making the sound. I suppose it could be possible. Perhaps magic made the portraits able to speak. That was a disturbing thought, were they alive or merely some sort of simulated life. Perhaps a doppelganger of the individual who was painted. This required some research at a later time.
"Show me" I said to Creature, my tone clear that I expected him to do it quickly. He seemed to understand the intended message as he gave a quick bow and began to head up the stairs. I followed him noting the rather annoying creaking as we began to climb towards the second level. As we ascended the stairwell, I noticed the rather interesting stuffed heads of what I could only assume were previous house elf servants. It was certainly an odd display. Was it a warning to the other elves they would suffer a similar fate if they displeased the family or was it some sort of place of honor to show the best elves. Preserve them for their faithful service? That was an amusing thought. I kind of liked the notion in a morbid way. I supposed it fit the rest of the décor. It did not escape my notice that Amicus seemed to be right behind me. I would not have believed he would be able to slither up the stairs at such an alarming speed. I suppose he either was insistent on protecting me or he really wanted to just stay near the elf so he could eat him when I wasn't looking. While I would have loved for the former to be true, and to be fair it was almost certainly the main factor, I am sure the latter possibility was on his mind at the very least. We arrived at the landing shortly and as we approached the screaming grew louder and I soon discovered what the elf was referring to when he said his mistress' portrait was the source.
Hanging on the wall opposite the landing was a very realistic painted portrait of an irate looking woman. The portrait seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. Not just because it was moving instead of being static but because it was much cleaner than the area surrounding it. in fact it was completely spotless. To either side of the paining lay two very heavy black curtains, equally as grime free. The portrait frame itself was also quite exquisite and clearly expensive. The woman depicted was probably in her early 30's if I had to hazard a guess. She had long flowing dark blond hair and a facial structure that portrayed very aristocratic features. I would even say she was somewhat pretty looking, for not the contorted lines that her screaming had created. And speaking of screaming….
"How dare you! Who are you and why have you come here! What right do you have to invade my house you scum, filth, mudblood! How could someone such as you get past my ancient protections!" she continued to yell the insults at me one after another. While I was amused at first, that amusement quickly transformed to annoyance and that annoyance quickly transformed to anger. She did not have a pleasant voice and its current volume was quite problematic.
"SILENCE!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, attempting to infuse my demand with magic. I was satisfied when the house around me began to shake and groan under the invisible stress of my power. The woman in the portrait looked utterly shocked and actually had some fear in her dark brown eyes. She did indeed shut up and my ears were thankful for it. "Now, we will talk like civilized people. Well person and painting, I suppose" I said with a small chuckle, my demeanor shifting to a little bit cheery now that she had kindly stuffed it. "My name is Harry Potter-Black, son of James Potter and Lilly Potter neé Evans and I am now the Heir to this house named by Lord Sirius Black. So I will answer your earlier question with another question. What right do you have to exist in MY house. Who are you and why shouldn't I just break you in half?" I asked with keen interest for her response.
"You c-cannot be…" she trailed off her eyes searching me. It seemed she found what she was looking for when she noticed the heir ring. She continued to speak after a moment of contemplation. "Potter, you say. You said you were James' son, right?" she questioned me.
"You are correct. But back to my earlier inquiry, who are you" I demanded, annoyed she ignored me.
"Me? You…..." she trailed off with a sigh. "Never mind, fine. I will answer your question, even if you are being an impolite brat. I am the portrait of Walburga Black, daughter of Pollux Black and Irma Black Neé Crabbe. I was the matron of this house from my husband Orion's death to my own around four years ago" she rattled off in quick succession. "Now that I have answered you question in a such a polite manner, you can answer some of mine" she stated. While I hardly considered her way of talking to me polite, I would indulge her for the moment. Perhaps if I gave her the responses she sought, I could get more answers out of her as well.
"I will hear your questions" I told her flatly.
"How is it that you are the Heir?" she asked in a much softer and polite tone, showing a genuine curiosity. "I understand that you said you were named heir by Sirius, but why would my son even bother, he seemed to care little about the family when I was still alive" she told me.
"Your son was Sirius Black then?" I asked her, trying to match her civil tone. At least we were getting somewhere.
"Yes…" she said hesitantly. As she considered something her eyes seem to glaze over in some sort of reverie. "He was…...a difficult child. He never listened to what I had to say and ran away from us when he was a teenager. He resented me because he thought I was too overbearing and perhaps I was. But he didn't understand that he was to be the Heir, my eldest child. I was easier on his brother* Regulus because Regulus wouldn't have the responsibility that Sirius had. Sirius needed to understand that he would take over the family once me and his father Arcturus had both gone. He needed to grow up and he never really did" she said sadly. "I was so angry when he left that I blasted his name of the family tapestry in the drawing room. I have had time to think about it and upon reflection I came to the conclusion that I was angrier at myself than him. He was my little boy and I just didn't understand how he could have hated me so much. I am sure after our tiff he thought I disowned him. He probably didn't even realize by naming you his heir he was naming you the heir to the Black Family." she said with a tone that suggested she was very annoyed with the assumption she suspected Sirius had made. With that she seemed to realize that she had let her guard down and her demeaner shifted to be more guarded and she now had a terser tone. "I mean it wasn't as if he ran off with a mudblood or gods forbid a muggle." I noticed she said the word mudblood with some distaste, but her use of the word muggle hinted at absolute loathing. Interesting, so it seems some wizards don't like muggles very much. Good, I am inclined to agree with that notion. "However, I do here that he redeemed himself in the end, so it is not all bad I suppose" she said her tone shifting to fondness. "Anyway, I want to expand upon on my earlier question. When did he name you his heir and thus the heir of the family?" she asked.
"A few months before he was incarcerated in Azkaban" I replied. I was a little annoyed that the supposed betrayal of my parents was a redemption in her eyes. But I guess I couldn't be too bitter. My parents were fighting in a war and she was clearly on the opposite side. I really couldn't take something like that personal. It appeared most wizards had taken a stand in this war and I still lacked enough information to make an informed decision on how I would have sided. I would not want to alienate half of the wizarding community if they aligned with my views, simply over a personal grudge. For now, I would stick with neutrality.
"I see" she said clearly considering something. "Well I suppose it could be worse. You are a Half -Blood and while I am not happy about a member of the family having lowly blood, at the very least you are not a mudblood, I would not abide such a thing. In fact, I am sure the ring would not have accepted you if you were one. If you marry a good pureblood than the family's reputation and standing shouldn't be harmed too much" she droned on clearly on the warpath to ensure the blood purity of her family. Speaking of that, I am sure she was an expert on the subject, so I should probably ask her about that.
"Besides it isn't as if you weren't part of the family anyway" she said simply.
"What do you mean" I asked her, my previous train of thought effectively derailed. As far as I knew I was only part of the family because of Sirius.
"Your grandmother was a Black" she said with slight annoyance. "Honestly have they told you nothing. She was Dorea Potter neé Black after all. Charles was a good match even if he was dreadfully light" she said. So, it seemed as if I actually did have some Black blood in me after all. This was good, It meant that I wasn't simply just an heir by name. I would have had a claim by blood as well. Perhaps not the first claim but a claim nonetheless. This would help if anyone sought to challenge my authority. But I needed the question about these blood terms answered.
"About this blood business. I have heard the terms, but I would like to know exactly what they mean" I told her. She looked quite put out by my request, scrunching up her face as if she had smelled something truly vile before deeming to respond to my question.
"Who educated you boy?" She demanded. "How is that you do not know something so simple? Surely even the blind light sided fools would have taught you something so basic." It was clear by her tone that, despite the words she spoke, she did not seem as confident. As if she could believe anything could come from the people she dubbed the blind lighted sided fools. Interesting, Mrs. Black could be a treasure trove of information if I approached it correctly. I should play up the fact that I was forced to live with muggles. I bet she would just about loose it with that little fact revealed. It would earn me some sympathy and she would ensure I was properly educated. I could sort out the facts from her biased opinion. Right now, I needed information and she certainly had some to share. It was simply a matter of using her notions of what was right and wrong and manipulating her with her emotional responses to get what I wanted. With that in mind I proceeded to tell her about my time with the Dursleys. It wasn't as if I had to exaggerate or anything. They truly were vile people and hated me and my magic. By the time I had finished, I could safely say that I had never seen so much fury on someone face before. If she was not a portrait, I am sure she would be teleporting off to the Dursley's home to skin them alive.
"How dare they" she said in complete and utter consternation. This must have been the sixth time she had said those same words. She muttered something under her breath in a language I couldn't understand and then looked at me with a piercing gaze. "It is good, you stopping what they were doing. I am proud that the heir to my house at least knows the place of muggles, If nothing else." She ended the statement with a frown on her face. "We must begin to teach you about the wizarding world immediately. You are completely unprepared. By now I would expect you to be able to have all of the etiquette and pedigree of a proper heir. While you can speak eloquently you do not have the necessary information to run with the circles you must in order to keep the family strong. I will be the first to admit that this family is not where I would want it to be. One of my son's is dead and the other is in Azkaban. My nieces…." She trailed off and got a look of annoyance on her face. "The ones that matter at least, are both married into well connected Pureblood families. So, we haven't completely faded. But the Black name must live on and now the future of that name falls to you. I will not allow you to fail" she said with finality. Her wording about her daughters who matter would have to be investigated. I got the distinct impression there was a tale to be told about the one or ones who didn't. Likely a disowning if I was getting the picture for how pureblood families operated. As I mulled things over she continued to speak.
"You will stay here while I teach you what you need to know. I will not have it any other way so don't even try to argue with me. I am inclined to end our conversation for now and let you get acquainted with the house. But before you settle in, I will make sure you know the differences between blood" she said dropping into what can best be described as a lecture mode. "There are three types of wizards in descending order: Pureblood, Half-Blood, and Mudblood, which the dammed light fools have now changed to Muggle-Born to not offend them" she said with a sneer. "As I am sure you have figured out, Purebloods are wizards that have at least one Pureblood parent and no lower than a Half-Blood parent. True Purebloods have not had any taint in their family but I am not going to pretend that there hasn't been mixing in every wizarding family because there has been at one point or another. So, no family can claim that anyway. We work with what we have. Now, Half-Bloods are those who have one Pureblood parent and a parent of lower birth, such as a Mudblood or dare I even think about it, a muggle. Finally, a Mudblood is one that has both muggle parents but has somehow stolen the gift of magic from somewhere. We do not know how they get magic, but it is a travesty that they are allowed to have it" she said, shaking her fist to make her position clear. "Do you understand?" she asked me.
"Yes, I believe I do. It isn't too hard" I said carefully. Then I took on a look of annoyance. "I assume that you look down upon me because I am a Half-Blood" I said slightly bitter.
"No. Not completely. I think that you blood isn't as pure as I would like but I can abide it. You father chose a mudblood to marry and while I do look down upon his choice, he made that choice and you are not responsible for his actions. Besides, you are powerful. I can tell that just by looking upon you. All I can do is ensure that you grow up to be a proper wizard and don't embrace muggle ideals" she said in a superior tone.
Fat chance of me embracing any such thing" I told her tensely. I had no desire to even associate with the world I was forced to grow up in. However, the wizarding world did need to advance in the technological department. The culture could stay the same for all I care. But if our world didn't catch up fast, the moment muggles got wind of us. And they would soon with their rapid advances. They won't understand us. Consequently, they would fear us and that fear would lead them to try and destroy us. If not through outright genocide, they may try to force us not to use our magic. I could not allow such a thing to happen, no matter the cost. As my thoughts began to ramble, I recovered and looked to the portrait once again.
"Going back to your earlier comment about me staying here. That was my plan anyway. After all, it is my house. However, the current state of the house is unacceptable. Isn't that thing that calls itself creature capable of keeping the house tidy. I thought that was his purpose?" I asked her. She gave me a small smile and simply said that I was at least learning to act my station. Then she gave the elf a sharp look. He seemed to shrink with her stare. It seemed he had thought we had forgot about him while we were deep in discussion. She told him to make this house livable at once. The small thing scurried away, no doubt to begin what I am sure would be a long process. She directed me to explore the house while the elf got everything ready. She also advised me that he would cook any meal I desired as he was fully capable of gathering ingredients from Diagon Alley if I gave him funds to do so.
With I discussion at an end for now, I began to explore the Black Ancestral Townhouse. The building was deceptively large. On the outside it would probably be only about two stories tall with a modest amount of room. However, I learned that it actually possessed four floors and was quite spacious indeed. There must be some kind of magic at work here. It could do wonders for conserving space apparently. The first floor consisted of the main hall, a dining room, a ballroom, and a living room. All were furnished with good furniture that had simply seen better days. Though the elf may be able to repair them like I did with some of the Dursleys broken things. I would have to see. At any rate, all could be replaced if need be. I did find some rather expensive looking china in the cabinet in the dining area. All had the Black family crest on them and were of exquisite quality. They were all grimy and disgusting but I am sure the elf was capable of getting them clean. I also noticed there seemed to be a sub-level which contained the kitchen as well as a healthy amount of storage space. As I moved back to the first floor I noticed a room off to the side that I had missed. It seemed to be some sort of drawing room.
The room was decorated similarly to the rest of the house, dark colors and a very cool atmosphere. As the room served to welcome guests I supposed it gave the right impression. Why should guests feel at home in someone else's domain. No, they should feel that they are here only because the owners allow it and they should understand whom their host are. The Black's seemed to have the right of this. They wanted to show everyone that they were powerful, rich and most importantly dark. The room had some expensive sofas and a rather grand fireplace. It had a view of the muggle street and provided a good amount of light from the outside to contrast the dark décor. But the main draw of the room that had me giving it more notice than others was the absolutely exquisite tapestry on the wall opposite the fireplace. It was clearly quite old and had a lot of history inside its depiction of the family lineage. It was extensive and wonderfully crafted. It seemed to depict the house of Black in its entirety. Ancient was a good term to describe the house based on this tapestry. I could see names and dates that ranged back to the Norman conquest. Each had a sketched portrait, save for some that seemed to have a scorch mark instead. These must have been the members that displeased their head of the family or his consort, as was the case with Sirius. I decided I would return here and memorize these names. It was good to know one's family after all.
I climbed the stairs to the second floor and was presented with several bedrooms, a very large bathroom which included a grand tub and finally a study. It was the last room that interested me the most. It was if something was calling out to my magic. As I entered the room, I felt…something. It was like a pull on my very core. As I tried to figure out what was causing it my eyes caught an object contained within a glass case. It appeared to be a necklace of some sort. What really caught my notice was the crest on the necklace. It consisted of a silver snake on a green shield. The snake had read eyes and I could see that it's fangs were protruding. I felt the urge to grab the object and I absent mindedly forced the glass doors apart via magic with a wave of my hand. Soon the necklace was in my hand I could feel a great warmth emanating from it. It almost felt like body heat. I could detect waves of energy coming from it, almost like it was alive. In fact, the rhythm of the pulses seemed eerily similar to a heartbeat. It was at this point that I realized it was not just a necklace but appeared to be a locket. It was currently closed but I could see the telltale clasp. I was curious what was inside but I was also getting the feeling that I shouldn't open it. I could not explain why though. In fact, I could feel only one thing towards this locket, protect. It seemed to be the only thought I could come up with. I needed to keep it safe, at least that is what it felt like. This whole experience was very unsettling and I decided I would investigate it further later and slipped the chain around my neck. My magic had not failed me yet and I would listen to it. If my magic wanted to protect this locket, then that is what I would do. Once it was firmly in place I got a very good feeling about it being there. This locket was clearly more than it seemed and I hoped that I hadn't made a huge mistake putting it on. But I had never felt something so right. My magic couldn't lie to me, could it?
A load crack brought me out of my thoughts. The elf, Creature, was standing before me and gave me a long bow. It seems that the house elves were capable of teleportation as well. Well that certainly made them very good servants. Perhaps they could also deliver things for me. I would have to look into that.
"Master, Creature has cleaned the downstairs of the house and it should be to master's liking. Creature has also repaired the damaged furnishings and stopped the creaking in the floors" he said. Then he started mumbling again in a low voice. "Creature is a good elf, creature does what mistress says and creature will do as the new heir commands, oh yes creature will." It was now clear to me what all of the muttering was. It appeared that the thing actually spoke all of its thoughts out load. That is….interesting. At any rate, I was actually quite pleased with his work. The dreary atmosphere was not quite as pronounced now that the dust had all been cleared. The downstairs still had a sort of old gothic feel to it, what with the stuffed heads and other grotesque decoration I had seen while exploring. But honestly, I kind of like it. It gave the place a sort of dark charm. After the Dursleys completely mundane, boring home décor, I could use a little eccentricity in my own home.
As I headed up to the third floor I could see there were more bedrooms, some sort of practice room, and my favorite room so far, a library. As I entered it I could tell that the Blacks certainly valued knowledge. The room was huge and contained thousands of books at the least. It seemed to have a good organizational system and I was pleased to note that it looked completely spotless. Either the elf had cleaned this area regularly or there were some sort of enchantments that kept it clean automatically. The later made sense as it would be important to not let such valuable things take on any kind of damage. Assuming it was possible, it would be frankly negligent not to use magic to preserve such things. I soon called out for Creature. I heard the familiar crack and the elf was now before me.
"Creature, I will be reading in here for the next few hours. I expect this house to be completely taken care of by the time I have finished" I told him sternly. If I could clean the entire Dursley house in two hours with my magic, surely a magical creature that existed solely for this sort of work could clean a house of this size with triple that time. For I intended to get lots of reading done. The elf looked at me and gave a stiff bow.
"Creature will ensure that the house is to master's standards" he said as he disappeared with a sharp crack. It was certainly interesting that he liked to teleport all over the house. I suppose those ancient stubby legs didn't work to good anymore. But never mind the strange elf. I had lots to learn so I better get started. I began to walk around the very large room. I could see the room had nearly a dozen bookshelves and each one seemed to center on one particular topic. As I examined the books titles I could see familiar topics such as history, astronomy, astrology, fictional literature for adults and children and what I could only surmise was etiquette and customs. The other shelves contained titles that seemed to include things such as curses, jinxes, hexes, and other terminology that didn't really make sense to me. Perhaps I would only be able to determine the purpose through reading some of the other material.
It was at this point that I noticed a large black tome sitting on a stand away from the others. The quality of the book was outstanding and it appeared as if it were brand new, which was certainly not the case for all the books here. The book was very thick and as I approached it I could now see the words "Index" emblazoned in gold lettering. I flipped open the large tome and discovered a large table of contents that provided with sections of study and then listed where a book in a particular area could be located. I noticed that it also had the books organized in different ways such as by author or by publication date. As I flipped through the pages I could also see that each book had its own page with other details such as how many pages it had, publication date, author, synopsis of what it entitled and what could best be described as keywords. This was certainly interesting, but a notable phrase caught my eye. It seemed that the book claimed to be "self-updating". What an interesting concept. I looked through the book until I found a page that described a book on curses. I approached the area the index indicated it lay and swapped the books' position with another in that section. When I came back to the index book, the text had indeed changed to indicate its new position on the shelf. It seemed this book was completely magical in nature and could change itself to circumstance. Magic truly could do some very useful things. I would definitely need to look into how that enchantment worked.
After sating my curiosity with the index book, I decided to use it to locate a book on an introduction to magical theory. It seemed the best place to start. The book directed me to Fundamentals of Magic by Percival Urquart. I sat down in one of the comfortable black leather sofas on the wings of the library to read. After a short introduction explaining what the book would cover, the author described his view on magical theory.
It is my goal to give an unbiassed, unfiltered assessment of magic. Explain its branches and sub-branches and classify its many mysteries and unravel the twisted tapestry that holds our world together…
The author's goal seemed quite noble. Though I would hardly take his word for it that it was unbiased and unfiltered as he claimed was his intent. Everyone had their own biases. It was my plan to cross reference this material with others to see where they agreed and where they disagreed. Then I would form my own opinion on the subject. This was the basic tenant of critical thinking and I would be dammed if all I knew of magic was quoted straight from a textbook. I had not allowed such to occur during my studies in the muggle world and I certainly wouldn't do such a thing in my new world.
After finishing the forward by the author, I moved to the first chapter: Branches of Magic.
Branches of Magic
Branch of Transfiguration: transfiguration is the art of transforming one object into another. This type of magic is very precise and requires a great amount of visualization and intent. Those who love logic and the mechanics of the universe will excel in transfiguration as it requires rigid adherence to structure and conformity to strict patterns. There is very little margin of error in this branch of magic and thus it can be considered one of the most dangerous forms of magic to the caster
Branch of Charms: charms are defined by the altering of an object's or creature's properties without altering the fundamental nature of the object. Charms are able to do things such as change color, weight, density, reflectiveness, friction, etc. Additionally, charms can give objects properties that may seem physically impossible such as making them hidden, bigger on the inside than on the outside, etc.
Branch of Potion Making: potions are liquids that have been imbued with magical properties, through the additions of magically active and inactive ingredients. Some would argue that potions are simply physical manifestations of the other two branches, but it is much easier to delineate potions into its own category since otherwise potions would have to be split by type and effect….
I was hooked as I read the text. The rest of the chapter broke down the branches into their sub-branches. It described animate vs inanimate transfiguration, conjuring, vanishing, switching and described how the common notion of jinxes, hexes and curses being their own forms of magic was incorrect as they were all charms in the end. The chapter ended by recommending other books on each individual subject by the author and other authors that were deemed competent. Unbiased, indeed. Regardless, I found myself moving straight away into the next chapter which was titled: Alignment of Magic.
Every bit of magic has an alignment to it. These alignments determine the nature of the spell and also determines what is required of the caster to cast the spell. There are three alignments a spell can have. These include Light, Neutral and Dark. The vast majority of spells are neutral while fewer spells have the alignments of light and dark. Neutral spells generally require only intent to be successful. As with all magic, incantation and wand movements are optional (See Chapter 4: Non-Verbal Magic and Chapter 5: Wandless Magic for further explanation). By contrast, Dark and Light spells require an emotional component as well as a state of mind.
Of the two, Dark Spells are more well-known but are just as misunderstood as their light counterpart. In most texts you will see the definition of dark spells being summed up by their wielder's intent to harm. While this is generally true, it is not always the case. A more complex definition of such spells can be described as spells that require the baser emotions to be involved to function, such as anger, hate, envy, companionship, fear and sadness. Due to their connection to the baser emotions, dark spells are also very addictive when used as they physically stimulate the wielder's brain. An example of the most powerful dark spells is the Unforgivable Curses.
On the other side of the spectrum are Light Spells. These spells are characterized by their reliance on the higher emotions and states of mind such as peace, happiness, and self-actualization. Like the misconception that all Dark Spells cause harm, there is a misconception that all Light Spells are beneficial. While many do allow for beneficial enhancements and protections, Light spells can be used to harm, such as using other's connections to you to bind them to your service or using one's will to subdue the desires of others. While not controlling their actions, you can in a way rob them of their freedom nonetheless. A prominent example of the most powerful light spell is the Petronas Charm, which is fueled by joy.
The rest of the chapter consisted of examples of the different spells and their connection or lack of connection to emotional state. It also went on to describe different types of wands that worked well for the different alignments of magic. It was curious that it mentioned wands again. It seems most wizards required them to do magic properly. This seemed at odds with my own experience, as I had never required such a thing to do my magic. It had mentioned a chapter on wandless magic later on in the book, so perhaps my answers lie within those pages….
It was nearly dark when Creature disturbed my reading. I had learned much. The book I was reading indicated that only the most powerful wizards could summon controlled wandless magic and even then, they needed to keep using it or could lose the ability as they relied more heavily on their magical focus. Apparently, that focus of choice had become the wand in the last two centuries. It seemed that all the focus crafters agreed this was most stable and powerful focus instead of previous foci used such as pendants and staffs. The book additionally discussed that wandless magic, while just as strong as wand assisted magic was less precise. It was extremely difficult to perform complex transfiguration with wandless magic as an example. Furthermore, even if a powerful wizard could learn to perform such tasks without a wand, they would have a far easier time performing such spells with a wand and would expend less magical energy while doing so. The other thing the book discussed at length was the use of non-verbal spellcasting. It seemed that most spells had an incantation associated with them and that these incantations did not need to be spoken aloud nor did they have to be thought exactly as printed. The caster simply needed to understand the meaning behind an incantation and think about that while casting the spell. This all seemed quite intriguing and once I verified its validity through corroboration in other texts, I would base my learning around it. No matter what, I would hone my wandless abilities while also improving my abilities with a wand when I could get one at the age of 11, as the law forced. I had no desire to reveal myself to the ministry before I was ready after all. The second thing I knew is that I would use all of my spells non-verbally. The benefits were clear, and it would also show how powerful I was. I had no intention of pretending to be weak in front of others.
Creature asked if I would like some food and a growl from my stomach gave me the answer before I could even contemplate it. I gave Creature 200 galleons and asked that he fully restock the kitchen. I had dealt with the Dursley's underfeeding for long enough and I expected to eat like a king now that I was away from them. As Creature disappeared I decided now that I had finished the book I was engrossed in I would see to my sleeping arrangements. I proceeded to take the stairs to the final floor of the building and found two bedrooms at the top of the stairs. I went to the left one that had the words Regulus Arcturus Black. The bedroom was well furnished and would suit my needs nicely. I would have to remove the name on the top of the door as Regulus was no longer occupying the house. As an added bonus it seemed that the elf had been through this room and it was spotless. I flopped myself unceremoniously on the bed and allowed sleep to overcome me.
A few hours later Creature had returned and asked whether I wanted to eat in my new bedroom or come to the dining room. I felt that the dining room would be more appropriate and proceeded downstairs. I was actually quite impressed with the little elf's showing. The downstairs was not only completely clean, but the incessant creaking of the floors had been abated completely. All of the peeling wallpaper had been repaired and the rug appeared to either have been repaired or replaced entirely with a new duplicate. It was honestly hard to tell. The gothic aesthetic still stood strong in the home, but I still thought it was perfectly suitable and had no intention of changing it. I waltzed into the dining hall and saw a feast laid out before me. I could see mountains of different meat tastefully plated over beds of greens, mashed potatoes and gravy, various casserole dishes, sauces, and puddings completed the bounty. It was all delicious looking but seemed a little wasteful as it was far more food than I could possibly put away. A loud crack signaled the appearance of the elf.
"Creature was not sure what food Master liked, so Creature made many things and Master can tell Creature what is acceptable and what is not. Any leftovers can be preserved for other meals and then Creature will prepare more tailored meals for Master Harry" he said quickly noticing my somewhat bewildered expression.
"You have done a fine job Creature, thank you" I said, letting a small smile grace my lips. The elf beamed at me looking truly happy that he could have pleased his master. Ah if only my other servant could give me such an expression. Oh well I would just have to settle with Amicus' ability to kill my enemies as a consolation. Speaking of the serpent…
Ç I hope master plans on sharing some of the tasty meats since he denies me the no doubt tasty elf Ç was hissed behind me. Amicus slid into the room lazily as if he owned the place. Which was the right attitude that he should have considering that he was mine.
Ç Of course my friend, what kind of master would I be if I denied you yet again Ç I said with a small chuckle. After the exchange Amicus slithered into my lap and we both shared quite a delicious meal. I even allowed the elf to join us. It was important to keep him in my good graces if he were to be living with me. Kindness is often a better motivator than cruelty. Based on his mannerisms and the way Walburga's portrait had addressed him earlier, it was easy to see that purebloods typically treated their house elves somewhat poorly. I would not do such a thing unless he truly had displeased me in some way. He already knew to fear me. Constant reminders of this were not needed. All I needed now was for him to love me, for that would guarantee his undying loyalty.
After finishing dinner, or perhaps breakfast considering the actual time, I found that I was quite tired even though the sun would be coming up in a few hours. It seemed my schedule had been quite thrown off. It was of no consequence, I could simply start later tomorrow than I usually did. No doubt Walburga would want to start my education in pureblood etiquette. I shambled up the many stairs to my bedroom, with Amicus hot on my heals. It always amused me that he seemed to want to lay with me in bed even if he had already spent a significant time sleeping. Regardless, it was no bother. As loath I was to admit it I did enjoy having a companion to lay with at night and Amicus provided that for me. Perhaps it was childish but after being alone for so long, having someone even if it was just a snake did make me feel much more at ease.
Author's Notes:
Well that is it for that chapter. I do very much apologize for the delay between updates. Several have asked that I update soon and well I had to disappoint them. Due to recent changes in the amount of time consumed with my job it has been hard to take the time to write. However, I would like to get back into this story albeit with a slightly more generous interval between chapters for me. So, I will now be releasing a chapter every other week on Friday instead of every week on Monday. I will do my best to meet this schedule.
A small note on genealogy. I am aware that in canon Dorea Black was not Harry's grandmother but was instead his distant aunt or something along those lines. I think her relations with the Potters is needlessly complex and the closer relation serves the story better.
Next chapter will have a significant time skip but my cynical, dark Harry might actually make a human friend. Who could it possibly be, I'm sure we all know. Next chapter: Meeting the Malfoy's.