Chapter 149: Family Game Night, Noble House Of Black Style
As it happened, Wulfric Dumbledore did not attend Hogwarts the following year, but instead began at Durmstrang where he and his parents lived. Albus did have him sorted when they paid their yearly sneak visit to Hogwarts to visit Filius and Minerva, though and the hat proclaimed him a Gryffindor. Wulfric would've liked to attend Hogwarts in order to gain a bit of freedom from his parents, but neither Albus nor Bera were interested in giving him this freedom at such a young age. "If it makes you feel any better, I really really wish the daddies would allow me to attend Durmstrang," Loughness told Wulfric.
He and Sortia were over to spend the weekend with Loughness and Hydra before term began at Durmstrang the very next week. "It has the best dark arts training, and even Daddy Regulus always wanted to attend there over Hogwarts."
Regulus nodded in agreement to Loughness's words. "Indeed. Even with your parents breathing over your shoulder, it is a wonderful opportunity," he told Wulfric with a smile. The family was gathered in the library after dinner playing a board game called Maze Of Doom. Whoever got through the maze without being killed by game pieces of other players won. As they talked, Hydra's broom game piece swept across the board, taking down Kreacher's basilisk from behind in a sneaky round about move. Regulus smiled as his daughter crowed with delight, bouncing up and down in her chair. "See, even big strong creatures can be taken down with the proper maneuver!"
"Indeed," Kreacher agreed, nodding as he smiled proudly at her.
"Don't worry," Wulfric told Loughness as he took his turn, moving his phoenix across the board to avoid Regulus's dragon. "I'll teach you all the interesting things I learn at Durmstrang that Hogwarts doesn't cover. My dad used to run the place so he'll know anything that you won't be learning and he can tell me."
"Alright," Loughness said reluctantly.
"It's silly that girls can't go to Durmstrang," Hydra complained and Wulfric nodded.
"Got you," Sortia called triumphantly as her monster book of monsters game piece ate Wulfric's phoenix. "Phoenix's aren't immortal today!"
Wulfric tittered as his game piece fluttered into the box to join Kreacher's basilisk. "True enough," he agreed. "Good going." He gave the younger girl a proud smile. "She's learning. The past three games, she was too eager to take out every piece in her path so I kept getting her from behind, but today she was more careful," he told Kreacher and Regulus. Wulfric was a great deal like an older brother to Sortia, which Regulus thought was sweet. Severus had always been like a son to Albus, and the fact their children were close seemed fitting. "Mummy and Daddy are making me attend Beauxbatons," Sortia said, returning to the conversation of schooling. "I know it shall be just dreadful!" She made a face, looking quite a lot like Severus in that moment.
"Having parents that decide to play dead does limit our options," Wulfric said with a sigh.
"I know," Sortia agreed fervently. Scowling she pushed a strand of long black hair behind her ear. She looked a lot like Severus when she frowned, but the shape of both parents faces could be seen in her own with Mag's high cheekbones and large green eyes combined with Severus's thin lips and long, hooked nose. "Those French girls are going to be stuck up and dull, I just know it."
Hydra nodded sympathetically.
"You all have four more years before you have to go anywhere, so why worry about it," Wulfric asked.
He had Albus's red hair and his mother's elegant bone structure and her dark eyes. His personality seemed to hold a bit of both parents as well, with his father's kind temperament and astute observations and his mother's interest in the darker arts. "For all of you it won't be so bad, but I'll be surrounded by boring girls who are likely to hate me. Not that I care because I plan to hate them too," Sortia said. "You'll have it made at Durmstrang and while Hydra and Loughness may not be thrilled about attending Hogwarts, they won't hate it as much as I shall detest that stuffy all girls school!"
"Well when you put it like that," Hydra said.
"Yeah, I suppose as long as Wolfy teaches us everything he learns at Durmstrang, it won't be that bad for us," Loughness agreed. "Just for you, Sortia...Even knowing everything Wolfy learns won't make that school better." Though Loughness was speaking sympathetically with all the best intentions, his words of commiseration had the opposite effect as Sortia wasn't comforted. Instead her glum state deepened and she slumped over in her seat, expression utterly dejected.
"Loughness! Don't call me Wolfy," Wulfric groaned before reaching to pat Sortia on the shoulder. "Perhaps it won't be so bad. Perhaps there will be a few darkling little girls there just like you. And if not, all three of us will meet you in the fire every night to hang out or something," he promised.
Loughness and Hydra nodded in agreement. "Of course we will," Hydra enthused.
Sortia brightened, either at being called a darkling or because of the assurance that her friends would be supportive even from schools away or both. It was at this moment that Loughness's cloak of invisibility game piece covered Sortia's Monster book of monsters, sweeping it off the board. The game now belonged to Regulus and his two children, with Kreacher, Wulfric and Sortia left to watch as their pieces were dead. Conversation lagged as Regulus, Hydra and Loughness began to truly concentrate. It was a matter of finding places on the board to hide in wait or outright stalking another person's piece to take it down while hoping you weren't taken down first.
"Look behind you, baby!" The alarmed cry came from Walburga. No one had noticed the two ghosts floating into the library to watch the game. They now both hovered over Hydra's shoulder. Starting, Hydra whirled to look behind her and Walburga's eyes widened in horror. "No," she screeched. "Not behind you, behind you, but behind you on the..."
"Ha, got you," Loughness roared, as his cloak swept Hydra's broom off the board.
"I meant his cloak was behind your broom," Walburga lamented.
"That's what you get for cheating," Wulfric said and Regulus nodded.
"You're agreeing with him, but you're a Slytherin," Sortia exclaimed, pointing at Regulus as she chuckled.
"Yes, but being cunning and sly does not mean needing to cheat," Regulus pointed out. "Mum, do not encourage the children to cheat."
"I did not encourage her to cheat," Walburga huffed. "I simply did the cheating for her. I helped Loughness last time when he needed it more."
"Cheating for them teaches them to cheat," Regulus insisted, but he knew the amused smile on his face was effectively ruining his point. He moved his dragon behind a rock near the right of the board as he spoke, wanting to make it harder for Loughness's cloak to sneak up on him now that it was just the two of them.
"My grandmothers can take me places where as ghosts you can't, but they won't help me cheat," Sortia told Walburga with a grin. "I think you rule."
Walburga inclined her head. "Yes, Dear, I do, but thank you for noticing. You are a sweet darling child."
"She's Wednesday Addams," Wulfric said with an amused snicker.
"What's that," Walburga asked, blinking her ghostly eyes in confusion.
Wulfric considered for a moment then gavea a satisfied smile blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "A darling child."
Walburga nodded. "Well, that's alright then."
"And I won," Loughness roared happily as he pounded the table. He'd rolled the dice and landed on a flying charm which his cloak used to get over the rock behind which Regulus's dragon was hiding.
Regulus beamed proudly. "There you go. And all without having to cheat."
Loughness grinned back. "That's right! Because I'm that good. That's why I shall be a great dark lord some day with Wolfy, Sortia and Hydra as my three seconds."
"Can one have three seconds," Hydra wondered, frowning in thought. "Is that mathematically possible?"
Loughness nodded confidently. "Sure it is."