Chapter 7

The Importance of Blood Status

Still thinking about my conversation with my new friend, Draco Malfoy, I decided to wait until we got back to the manor before I talked to Aunt Becky about what name I wanted to enroll under. Once again, she did not allow me to use the floo poweder by myself. I rolled my eyes but did not put up an argument this time around.

The moment we appeared back in our own fireplace I did not hesitate. "So Aunt Becky. I was thinking maybe I should be registered under your surname instead of mine when I attend Hogwarts. What do you think?"

She raised her eyebrow. "Oh really. What made you think to ask this?"

"Well, wouldn't you rather your family name go into Hogwarts?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't really matter to me. It is just a name after all, nothing more."

I couldn't give up now. "Maybe Uncle Richard would want his name to continue in the school."

"Actually, I don't think it matters to him either." She then looked at me curiously. "This wouldn't have anything to do with that boy you met at the broomstick store today, would it?"

I sighed. "He did say that certain wizards and witches were more equipped to do magic than others, just because they were…."

"Pureblood," Aunt Becky finished for me.

I nodded. "He said others just weren't the same. He's right. I'm not the same. I know nothing about this world, not like he does."

Aunt Becky sat down on the couch in our living room and called, "Tinker?"

"Yes mistress?" The little elf appeared at the door.

"Could you please make Melanie and me some hot cocoa?"

"Right away, Mistress." The elf disappeared.

Aunt Becky then looked over to me. "Melanie, why don't you sit with me for a while so we can talk."

I nodded and sat down on the other side of our deep red leather couch as Tinker returned with our drinks, and then left.

Aunt Becky sipped her cocoa while looking directly at her, her golden blonde hair, shining from the fire in the fireplace. "Melanie, do you know how we got this manor?"

"I thought you said you inherited it," I replied wondering where she was going with this.

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, it came from your uncle's side of side, but he was the third son in the Chamberson family which is quite uncommon. Usually something like this would go to the first born or at least the second."

I recalled the conversation I had with Draco. "One of his brothers died, is that correct? It was Alec. He died fighting for our cause, right?"

Aunt Becky shook her head sadly. "No, Melanie. He did not die fighting for us. He, along with several other pureblooded witches and wizards, believed that anyone less than pureblood, especially muggle-borns, should be eliminated."

I gasped. "Did many other wizards fight for this?"

"Oh, yes. Both of your Uncle Richard's brothers, the other one is currently in Azkaban Prison, by the way. There was one point in time it had quite a following, during the times of Lord Vol… well, the dark lord."

"The dark lord? Who was that?"

She spoke more quietly. "The darkest wizard of them all."

"But what's his name?" I persisted intrigued.

"I can't say it aloud," she replied. "No one ever says that name because they fear it so, but I suppose I could write it down for you."

She grabbed a nearby parchment and feather pen, wrote the name down and passed it to me.

"Vol-de-mort," I read aloud.

"Shhh!" she hushed me. "Never speak this name out loud again, do you understand?"

I nodded but still asked, "What did he do that was so bad?"

Aunt Becky gazed at the fire as she spoke, "He brought terror to the magical world. He reigned to eliminate anyone less than pureblood, though I suspect the only reason he made that his cause was because he knew he would gain the greatest following of pureblooded wizards. His main purpose was to become the most powerful wizard and to eliminate anyone who may challenge him."

"Was someone able to stop him?" I asked curiously.

She returned her gaze to me and smiled. "Yes, as a matter of fact, someone did, a one year old, little boy, named Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter," I repeated quietly trying to think of where I have heard that name. "How did he stop Lord Volde…"

She looked at me sharply.

"Sorry, I mean the dark one. So how did this Harry Potter stop him?"

Aunt Becky shrugged. "No one knows. You see, usually once You Know Who decides he wants someone dead, they die. He went to the Potter's home, murdered both of his parents," her voice began to choke slightly, "and when You Know Who raised his wand to kill Harry Potter, the spell mysteriously backfired causing his defeat, and leaving the child with nothing more than a scar on his forehead."

I took a moment to absorb in all this new information. "So, did You Know Who die?"

"No one knows for sure. Some do reckon he's still out there, though very weak. I know Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster at Hogwarts, believes that he will return, and it will indeed be a dark day when he does."

I did not know what to say to all this. I seriously doubted all purebloods were murderous lunatics. Obviously my uncle isn't and surely not Draco Malfoy. Maybe some people had a good reason to believe the way they do. Its not like my parents don't think the same way towards the wizardry world.

"Do you still want to register as Melanie Chamberson instead of Melanie Rosen?" She asked looking deeply into my eyes.

I considered and said, "It's not like I'm going to start acting like that just because of a name. I don't think people deserve to die just because of they way they were born."

She nodded approvingly, "I'm glad you said that."

"But," I paused. "I still want to be known as Melanie Chamberson at Hogwarts. I'm a witch now and it's who I am."

Aunt Becky sighed. "Very well, then. If that's what you want. Just let me offer you some advice."

"What's that?"

"Choose your friends wisely and never forget who you are."

She stood up. "Well, I should go check on your uncle and make sure he hasn't worked himself to death, and I suppose I'll need to write to Professor Dumbledore before he sends out the letter accepting you into Hogwarts."

I looked up at her and smiled. "Thank you, Aunt Becky."

She offered me half a smile in return. "Don't thank me just yet. I just hope you have a wonderful experience at Hogwarts."

Oh, I will, I thought to myself. I wasn't really that concerned about what Aunt Becky told me about the pureblood massacre. After talking to Draco, it didn't seem as though many of them were really like that anymore. Remembering how much I impressed him with my ability to talk to snakes and the name Chamberson, I smiled. This may be the one place I actually fit in, instead of being an outsider or a troublemaker. I knew I would indeed have a great experience at Hogwarts and I planned to go in as Melanie Chamberson, a pureblood witch.