Hello everybody, here is Tc bringing you all another chapter of Harry Potter and the New Black Sisters.
This will be the last chapter in Diagon Alley.
I hope you all enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Harry Potter and the New Black Sisters: Chapter 03
Harry and Hagrid had almost finished buying everything that Harry would need for Hogwarts. They were just missing one item.
"Hagrid, it said here," Harry said, pointing at his letter, "that I need to buy a wand. Where will I get a wand?" the green-eyed boy asked.
Hagrid pointed at a narrow and shabby shop. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.
"There is Ollivanders, the best shop to buy a wand, Harry. My ex wand came from that shop too," he said, touching his umbrella.
The shop didn't exactly look in good condition, but if Hagrid said it was okay, then it was okay.
"Now Harry," said Hagrid. "I have to go do some last-minute shopping, so you go alone," he said. "Don't worry, I am sure that by the time you finish, I will be done too," he reassured Harry.
Harry looked at him anxiously but nodded his head.
"Good boy," said Hagrid before turning around and started walking.
Harry then walked to the wand shop and entered it.
When he opened the door, he saw a tiny place, filled with a counter, a single, spindly chair, and thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling.
In front of the counter, there were two people. One was an old man with pale silvery eyes and white skin. He looked like he had a hundred years. He must have been Ollivanders.
The other was a girl the same age as him. She was a little bit taller than him, with long, silky white-blond hair, cold grey eyes, and a pale complexion. She was looking at what looked like a wand that the old man had in his hand.
"Let's see, how about this one," he said, giving her the wand. "Hawthorn wood and unicorn hair. Seventeen cm long, reasonably pliant."
The moment she took the wand, he could feel the air getting slightly warm and the lights of the shop flickered. Her face went from concentrated to happy the moment her fingers touched the wand. He didn't know what was going on, but it looked like something good had happened.
"Very good, Miss Black," he said, getting Harry's attention when he heard the name. "It will be seven galleons," the old man finished saying.
"Very well," the girl said. Once having paid him, she said, "Thank you, Mr Ollivander," she said.
She turned around to leave when she saw him. She wide her eyes in surprise before narrowing them in suspicion. The old man also saw him, but instead of looking at him with apprehension, he had a cheerful look.
"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's face and eyes but your father's hair. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, and made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."
Mr Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.
"Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."
Mr Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.
"And that's where..."
Mr Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.
"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…"
He then backed down and, putting a hand on his chest, said.
"Ah, but where are my manners," he said, apologetic.
He made a slight bow and said.
"My name is Garrick Ollivander and I am a Master wandmaker. At your service, Heir Potter," he said, cheerfully.
Looking a little uncomfortable, Harry said.
"Nice to meet you," he said.
Still smiling, Ollivander said.
"No one for formalities, I see," he said, chuckling. "Very well, if you could wait here for a moment, I will go look for my instruments to measure you," he said, going to the back of the store.
Harry just stood there, waiting, when he heard someone cough. Turning his head, he saw the girl who had just bought her wand looking at him with a neutral face. Judging by her last name, she must have been the youngest sister of Aries and Delphini.
Seeing her do a curtsey, he could guess what she was about to do.
"Greetings Heir Potter, I am Altair Antares Black, Daughter of the most ancient and noble house of Black, plea…"
"Stop, stop, stop," he said, raising his hand, and interrupting her. She looked at him with surprise on her face.
"Before you start doing all the formal introduction," he said, "and get angry at me because I have no idea how to do the same," Harry added, "I have to tell you that I was raised with my muggles aunt and uncle, so I don't know what I am supposed to do in this situation," he said, finishing his explanation.
She kept looking at him for a moment in silence, before saying.
"Truly?" Altair asks.
"Yes, truly," he responded.
She looked at him for a moment before saying.
"Very well," she said, "I suppose that I can't expect much from someone raised by muggles," she said, with a stuck-up tone and arrogant eyes.
Harry looks at her confused. He expects someone a little more friendly, or at least not so haughty, like Aries and Delphini, but it looks like that wasn't the case.
"But..." she said, with the same arrogant tone as before "I suppose that, as the compassionate and humble person that I am," she said, almost making him snort at his statement. He may have just met her, but even he can tell that she was not very humble. "I will give you the honour of presenting myself, be thankful for my understanding," she said, with a prideful smile.
Making a curtsey, just like her sisters, she said.
"I am Altair Antares Black, Daughter of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, pleased to make your acquaintance," she said with confidence.
He just stood there, not knowing what to do. He hasn't had the time to read the book that Delphini recommended about formal etiquette and manners so he was a bit lost for what to do.
Not wanting to seem rude, he tried to do a bow like he had seen some nobles do on the television.
He clumsily put his right hand on his middle torso, extended his left hand outside his body and bent the upper part of her body.
"N- nice to meet you," he said, stuttering.
Even from his point of view, it was a pathetic attempt.
Altair didn't say anything for a moment before she started laughing, making him get red from embarrassment. It looks like it was pathetic for her too.
While Harry waits for her to calm down, he observes her. Altair wore a black robe that goes from her neck to her feet, covering his entire body and an elegant scarf. Unlike her sisters, she doesn't have many muggle clothes. She has a green ring on one of her fingers with a coat of arms, just like the one Delphine used. He can also see similarities between her and her sisters' faces. They all have the same high cheekbones and the same form of their eyes, though the colour of their eyes and hair is different.
She also has a nice laugh, though he will not tell her that while she is laughing at him.
Coughing in his hand, he said to her.
"You know, it is not very polite to laugh at another person in front of said person," Harry said, trying to appeal to her noble manners. If she was as prideful as she appears to be, she might stop laughing at him.
His words caught her off guard and made her blush. She cleared her throat and said.
"I know that. You don't need to remind me, Heir Potter," she said, still red. "Your gesture just surprised me, that is all," Altiar was clearly trying to save face.
"Naturally." He said sarcastically. "I am sorry that my 'gesture...'" he said, quoting her words. "surprise you. As I said, I was raised by muggle relatives who didn't find it necessary to tell me that I was a wizard until I received my Hogwarts letter," which made her blink in surprise.
"But don't worry," he said with a grim tone of voice. "Your sisters have already helped me in that matter, so the next time I see you, I will greet you properly, good day," he said, trying to end this conversation.
It was obvious that, unlike her sisters, Altair was not a very nice person, so he would prefer not to associate with her. He's had enough of that with the Dursley.
Obvious, not understanding his dismissal, Altair say to him.
"Do you know my sisters?" She asks, puzzled.
The black-haired boy sighed, before patiently responding.
"Yes, I have met both of them, Delphine and Aries," he said to her.
"And they have helped you?" She asks once more. Harry was starting to get annoyed.
"Yes they both helped me," he said with irritation. "Aries told me about Hotgwars and how was to live in the castle and Delphini about the curriculum and the professors. She even recommended me a few extra books about the wizarding culture and general knowledge of this world," he said.
"Oh," was all that she said, and remained quiet after that.
A few seconds later, Mr Ollivander appears once more.
"Well, now - Heir Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"
"Er - well, I am right-handed," said Harry.
"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head.
As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Heir Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."
Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.
While all that was happening, Altair approached him once more.
"Heir Potter," she said. "You will be honoured to know I have chosen to help you in the manner and presentation appropriate for a person in your position," she finishes saying, once more with the same tone of superiority as before.
Harry narrowed his eyes at her.
What was it with this girl and her ego? Harry considers telling her to go to hell, but he manages to refrain from doing so. She was the sister of Aries and Delphine, two people who had been kind to him. The least he could do was be polite to her.
Besides, he could really use the help. This was the third time that someone had formally greeted him and he would like to respond in kind.
Taking a deep breath and praying for patience, he says.
"I will like that, thank you," he said, smiling at her. "But won't be interrupting Mr Ollivander's work?" he asks her.
"Don't worry Heir Potter," he said from behind Harry, startling him and making him let out a little scream when he spoke. Laughing a little at his reaction, he continued, "The process of choosing a wand is not overly complicated, so if you desire, you two can talk between the two of you," he reassured him. "Here let me show you," he said
As he was telling him that, he was putting different boxes of wands on the counter. Once he finished that, he approached Harry.
"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Heir Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."
Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.
"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try -"
Harry tried - but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr Ollivander.
"See?" Mr Ollivander told him as put the wand back in the box. "It is simple. I gave you a wand, you wave it a little and if it didn't choose you, I took it from you, put it away and we tried again," he said, as he gave him another wand.
Harry waved the wand and, seeing that it didn't work either, he turned to Altair, who had remained silent.
"It looks like we could chat calmly in the meantime if you still want to help me," he said.
Flipping her blonde hair to the side, he answers him.
"Um!" She said with a stuck-up tone. "I say I will do it and I am a witch of my word," she said, as Mr Ollivander took the wand in his hand and gave him another.
"First," she said raising one finger. "Let us start with a formal greeting," the blond girl said.
"First, these gestures are usually used only between aristocrats like us," she said. "When you encounter yourself with a commoner is not necessary to use any kind of formal greeting," she said, with clear distaste when saying the word commoner.
Trying to let it pass, he said.
"Okay, but what does that have to do with me?" He asked. "I am supposed to be a noble like you and your sisters?" Harry said, surprising Altair and Ollivander who let the wand in his hand fall from the shook.
"My apologies," Ollivander said as he picked the wand from the floor and gave it to Harry.
"You mean to tell me that your relatives didn't inform you of that either?" she asks bewildered.
Harry lowered his head at her question.
"The only thing that my 'relatives,'" he said the word with hate in his voice, "tell me about me and my parents was that they died in a car accident and that I should be grateful to them for taking me in," he finishes saying, gritting his teeth.
It is hard, to talk about the Dursley. They always treated him horribly, but he didn't think that they would lie to him about basically everything. Why they don't like magic? Don't they feel anything other than disdain for it?
Still, even though they don't like it, how could they lie to him about his parents? How could Aunt Petunia lie about her sister? Didn't she love her?
Trying not to think about these matters, he turned to Altair, who was still looking at him in shock and said.
"Anyway, you were saying that we are part of the aristocracy?" he asked.
Composing herself, she clears her throat and says.
"Hem, yes, we are," she said. "We, along with other twenty-eight families, are the nobles of the wizarding world. As such, we are expected to, among various things, have manners appropriate to our position," she said, as he took another wand, just to immediately discard it. It was really taking a long time to choose a wand.
"Well," she said, with a devilish smile that, for unknown reasons, made him tense. "Let us begin."
What followed was one of the more boring and tedious hours of his life. How to sit, how to stand, how to talk, how to walk, how to greet people, how to say goodbye to them, etc. Even how to eat appropriately was said to him.
It was maddening. How can nobles do all this crap? Doesn't it bother them to waste so much time on all these pleasantries? At least he now knows what he was supposed to do when a girl presented her hand to him.
And then there was Altair...
She has to be one of the most prideful, arrogant and conceited people he has ever met. Don't get him wrong, she was good at teaching and he has learned a lot from her but still, he could without her attitude.
For every word she said, there were two more of the 'I am great and the whole world should know it' type. She was really starting to get on his nerves.
Meanwhile, the search for his wand was going nowhere.
Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.
"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere," with neverending enthusiasm. "I wonder, now - yes, why not - wait here for a minute Heir Potter, I will be right back," he said, as he walked to the back of the store.
As he watched Mr Ollivander go, he heard Altair say.
"Well, if you listen to all the instructions that I have so generously told you," she arrogantly said, "you will avoid looking too ridiculous the next time you encounter another noble witch or wizard," the blond girl finished.
With his eyebrow twitching in irritation, he was about to finally tell her where she could put all her ego when he heard several female voices outside the store.
"...m telling you Mom, it was Harry Potter, the Harry Potter!" he heard someone say with enthusiasm. "And he was really scrawny!" The voice said, making his eyebrow twitch even more.
"It is true Mom," said another, more neutral, voice. "I too, encounter the Heir Potter, and while I won't say he was 'really scrawny...'" He could practically hear the air quotes. "He could use for more food in his body," she concluded.
Harry has finally identified the owners of the voices. They were the sisters of the girl next to him, Aries and Delphine.
"Alright, girls," said an elegant and doubtful voice. "I'm listening to you two, but for now, why don't we just reunite with your sister, so we can go home?" The voice said.
He was about to ask Altair if that was her mother when the door of the shop opened.
The first to go through the door was Aries with an excited face. When her eyes are placed on him, her face morphs from excited to surprised.
"Harr-!" She started saying before stopping herself and, with a more neutral voice, she said. "I mean, Heir Potter," she said, stoic. It would be more serious if it wasn't for her pink hair.
After her, Delphine slowly entered behind her sister, with the same apathetic expression on her face that she had when he met her. When she saw him, she merely raised an eyebrow before saying
"Heir Potter," she greeted him, acting distant.
"Hey gir-," he started saying but stopped himself when he saw the third person entering the store.
He felt his face heating up. He didn't have to ask her identity; this woman was Altair in twenty years. With her blonde hair with a few strands of black, eyes that were the same as her younger daughter's and her high cheekbones, she was clearly the mother of the three witches. Her expression was as neutral as Delphine's. She is wearing a dark blue sleeveless silk blouse with a high neck, a black skirt and black and white heels. In her hand was a white ring with the same coat of arms as her daughters. She was also the most beautiful woman he had ever met.
His brain was trying to reboot itself. He can't stop looking at her. He didn't even know people could be that beautiful. That is how he always imagined what the angels in heaven would look like.
When her eyes land on Altair, her expression transforms from neutral into one of love and affection before placing her sight on him. Her eyes were wide for a second before setting once more in a more indifferent expression.
They continued looking at each other in silence, he trying to relearn how to talk and she with the same face as early before raising an eyebrow in what he assumed was amusement.
A cough next to him wakes him up from his trance and he looks at the three sisters. Aries was trying, and failing, to suppress her laugh, Delphine was rolling her eyes and Altair was looking at him with irritation.
"If you will do us the favour of stop drooling over our mother," Altair said, making him blush. "Could you use what I have been teaching you for the last two hours?!" She said impatiently.
He strait himself up and, bowing before her as Altiar has taught him, he says.
"Greetings, Lady Black, I am Harry James Potter, Heir of the Most Ancient House of Potter, pleased to make your acquaintance," he said, thanking god that he didn't stutter this time.
The blonde woman returned the curtsy and replied.
"Greetings to you too Heir Potter, I am Narcissa Aquarius Black, Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black, pleased to make your acquaintance," she said before presenting him her hand.
Harry took her smooth, pretty, deliciously soft- 'dammit, Harry, this is the first time that you are doing an acceptable greeting, don't ruin it now!'- hand and gently pressed a kiss in her knuckles.
She withdrew her hand and spoke with a graceful tone.
"It's good to see you once more in the wizarding world, Heir Potter. My daughters were telling me about their meeting with you and I must confess that I didn't believe them," she said, making Aries get a smug look before once more morphing into one of neutrality when her mother looked at her.
"They were telling the truth, ma'am," he said, helping the two girls. "I meet Aries in Madam Malkin and Delphine at Flourish and Blotts," Harry said. "They were very helpful and I am grateful for their assistance," he said, trying to sound all noble-like.
Apparently, it wasn't enough, because not a second later, he heard Ms Black laughing.
"Don't worry about your form of speech, Heir Potter," she said lively. "My daughters have already informed me of your upraising, so don't worry about that," she said, reassuring him.
Harry relaxed at her words. He was relieved to hear that. He didn't know how much time he could speak like that before he screw it up.
But someone did not agree with him.
"You are too soft, Mom," Altair said, pouting. "I spend the whole afternoon teaching him how to talk and he will not get any better at it if he doesn't practice," she said.
Before Ms Black could say anything, Mr Ollivander returned with a box in his hand.
"Heir Potter, I think that I have found just wh- Oh Lady Black," he said surprised.
He left the box on the counter and bowed at the waist, the gesture more elegant than anything Harry could manage at the moment.
"Madame Black, what a pleasure to see you again, you look as lovely as ever," the old man said.
Ms. Black smiled pleasantly before saying.
"Master Ollivander, it's a pleasure to see you as well and please, call me Narcissa," she said.
"Of course Narcissa, of course. And how is your wand? Ash tree, thirteen inches and the heartstring of a particularly grumpy Swedish Short-Snout, if I remember correctly," he said.
"You remember correctly," she said nodding her head. "And it works as well as the day that it chose me all those years ago," she said still smiling.
"I am glad to hear that," Ollivander said. "And while I would like to keep talking with you, I am afraid that I have a customer who has been long waiting for his wand," he said, apologetic.
"Of course, I would hate to interrupt," Narcissa said.
Ollivander retook the box and pulled out another wand from inside.
"Here, tried this," he said giving Harry the wand, "unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."
Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light onto the walls.
Mr Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious..."
He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious..."
"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"
Mr Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Heir Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother - why, its brother gave you that scar."
Harry swallowed.
"And who owns that wand?" he asked, apprehensively.
"Oh," Mr. Ollivander said, getting closer to Harry, "We do not speak his name," he whispered. "The wand chooses the wizard Heir Potter, remember... It is not always clear why. But what is clear, is that we must expect great things from you... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."
Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr Ollivander too much.
"It is also curious," Mr Ollivander continued. "That you are the second person that this wand has reacted to, Heir Potter. But, unlike you, that person didn't accept it and chose another one," he said, giving Harry his new wand.
Harry titles his tilted head in curiosity.
"Who was that person?" he asked.
"Well..." he said, scratching his chin. Unknown to Harry, he gives a discreet glance at Narcissa Black who, after a quick look at the, even more than usual, emotionless expression of her middle daughter, shakes her head in denial. "I am afraid that I can't reveal their identity without their consent Heir Potter, but don't worry, I am sure that you will meet said person," he said, giving Harry a creepy smile.
Nodding his head, Harry paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.
"Well, that was something," Harry said out loud.
Let it out a pleasant laugh, Ms. Black said.
"Don't worry too much about what he said, Heir Potter," she said reassuringly. "Master Ollivander is very passionate about his craft and sometimes he can let himself carry away," she said.
Harry nodded, looking at his wand. He didn't know how to feel about it.
On one hand, he was happy to finally have a wand. On the other, it looks like it giving him a connection to some kind of evil wizard. A wizard that was so bad that people were afraid to speak his name.
Wanting to know more, he looked at Mademe Black and asked.
"Um, excuse me, ma'am," he said, drawing her attention. "Do you know who Mr. Ollivander was talking about? The dark wizard that attacked me when I was a baby?" he said.
His words have a curious effect on her. Her posture went from relaxed to more rigid, firmer. Her expression slowly morphs from pleasant to one more stoic.
Looking him in the eyes, she said.
"My daughters have told me that Mr. Hagrid is the one accompanying you. Is that correct?" Seeing him nod, she continued. "In that case, as my daughters and I have to leave, and also because he will be more impartial, it will be better if he told you about that 'man'..." she said the word with distaste. "And the conflict he brought into this country," she said.
"Oh, ok," Harry said, a little depressed.
He was slightly sad at seeing them go. It was nice getting to know magic people like him and the three sisters have been very kind.
"But before we go," Mr. Black interrupted his thoughts. "Let me tell you something to keep in mind while Mr Hagrid tells you the story. Nymphadora told me that she spoke to you about the different houses at Hogwarts and the principles each house represents," he nodded. "In that case, please remember something," she said taking a step closer to him.
He gulps at her actions, wondering what she will tell him.
"Loyalty, intelligence, cunning and courage. Those are the four basic values that represent the students of each house. But you have to remember that we humans are more than those four values. The most intelligent man alive is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump. This person is not a brilliant Ravenclaw, but a brave Gryffindor. The head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement saw most of her family slaughtered during the last conflict. Nobody would blame her for retiring and raising the last member of her family alive in peace. But she didn't do that, no. She kept fighting bravely until she rose to lead one of the most important departments in the ministry. This person wasn't a courageous Gryffindor, but a loyal Hufflepuff. The most loyal person that I know was willing to switch sides in the last war because the woman he loved, a love that was not reciprocated, was in danger. Even now, with her dead, he would still be willing to fight against that woman's enemies just for the memory of her. This man was not a loyal Hufflepuff, but a cunning Slytherin," she said, passionately.
Harry can see the corner of her mouth twitching when she names the last one. Harry wondered who she was talking about. He also wondered in which house she was sorted.
"But we also have the other side of the spectrum," Ms Black said, with a slightly restless voice. "There were some brave Gryffindors who were absolute cowards, intelligent Ravenclaws who were complete simpletons and cunning Slytherins..." She hesitated for a moment before, looking sorrowful, saying. "Cunning Slytherins who were naive," she finished saying.
Harry didn't need to wonder anymore in which house she was sorted. What could she have done to make her appear so depressed?
Recovering her posture, she said.
"What I want you to remember is that the last war was a time when many wizards and witches display the best... and the worst traits of their personalities. And yet, there is more to people than those traits. Remember that," she finished saying
Harry didn't know what to say after her speech. It was very deep and complicated but without knowing what had happened, he was a bit lost.
Before he could say anything, he heard someone shouting.
"Harry!" he heard.
Turning around, he saw Hagrid approaching quickly. He has a nervous look on his face.
"It seems our time is up," Ms Black said, looking at the gamekeeper. "Girls said goodbye to Heir Potter." She instructed her daughters.
"Bye Harry, we will see you at the station!" Says Aries, cheerfully.
"Goodbye, Heir Potter, don't forget my advice and study this month," said Delphine, a corner of her mouth up, in what he supposed was her type of smile.
"You better practice all that I teach you, Potter. I wouldn't like you to embarrass me with your bad manners," said Altair in her usual conceited tone.
"Bye, girls, bye Lady Black," Harry said.
"Goodbye Heir Harry Potter," said Ms. Black before she and her daughters disappeared.
Just as they vanish, he feels a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey Harry," says Hagrid, taking him by the shoulders and looking him up and down. "Are you all right? Did Madame Black do anything to you?" He asks, alarmed.
"No," he said, disconcerted by his question. "We just chat for a bit. Why?" He asks, narrowing his eyes.
Hagrid's eyes got wide and he started to fidget right then.
"Oh, no reason. It was just... It was just curiosity," he said, avoiding Harry's eyes.
"Is this because of him, the bloke who attacked me when I was a baby?" He asks.
"Um Harry," Hagrid said, rubbing the back of her head. "I am not sure I am exactly the right person to tell you that."
"Please Hagrid," Harry said, grabbing his arm.
Hagrid hesitated for a moment before saying.
"Alright, alright, I will tell you, but not here!" Hagrid says. "Come, let us grab something to eat," he started guiding Harry to the Leaky Cauldron.
They were sitting on a table with two bowls inside the pub.
Harry was playing with his food, looking impatient at his friend while this one devoured hungrily his food.
Tire of waiting, Harry says.
"Hagrid, can you tell me now, please?" He asked.
Hagrid looked at him for a moment before putting his bowl away.
"Ah, Harry, I still don't know if I'm the right person to tell you — but someone's gotta — you can't go off to Hogwarts not knowing."
"Well, it's best you know as much as I can tell you- mind, I can't tell you everything, it's a great mystery, parts of it..."
He stayed still, staring at the table for a few seconds, and then said. "It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible you don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"
"Who?"
"Well - I don't like saying the name if I can help it. No one does."
"Why not?"
"Gulping gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..."
Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.
"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.
"Nah — can't spell it. All right — Voldemort," Hagrid shuddered. "Don't make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started looking for followers. Got them, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit of his power, because he was getting himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who to trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was taking over. Of course, some stood up to him - and he killed them. Horribly. One of the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not just then, anyway.
"Now, your mum and dad were as good a witch and wizard as I ever knew. Head boy and girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the mystery is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew they were too close to Dumbledore to want anything to do with the Dark Side.
"Maybe he thought he could persuade them... maybe he just wanted them out of the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you were all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You were just a year old. He came to your house and - and -"
Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.
"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad - I knew your mum and dad, and nicer people you couldn't find - anyway...
"You-Know-Who killed 'em. And then - and this is the real mystery of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. Wanted to make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killing by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on your forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what you get when a powerful, evil curse touches you- took care of your mum and dad and your house, even - but it didn't work on you, and that's why you are famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided to kill 'them, no one except you, and he'd killed some of the best witches and wizards of the age - the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts - and you were only a baby, and you lived."
Something harrowing was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before - and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.
Hagrid was watching him sadly.
"Took you from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought you this your relatives..." He said with distaste.
"But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?"
"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. The same night he tried to kill you. Makes you even more famous. That's the biggest mystery, see... he was getting more and more powerful - why'd he go?
"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. I don't know if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, biding his time, like, but I don't believe it. People who were on his side came back to ours. Some of them came out of some kind of trance. Don't think they could've done it if he was coming back."
"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. Because something about you finished him, Harry. Something was going on that night he hadn't counted on - I don't know what it was, no one does - but something about you stumped him, all right. That is why you are famous, that is why everyone knows your name. You were The Boy Who Lived," he said with a smile.
Harry just remained silent. So that is what happened. His parents are dead because some maniac killed them and then tried to do the same to him but failed.
Harry started to feel something in his chees. He didn't know what it was at the beginning. But it didn't take long to figure it out.
It was hate. Pure and undiluted hate.
He has always thought that he knew what it was, being raised by two people who hated him. But no, this that he was feeling right now was hate. He tried to calm himself but it was a futile effort.
He looked at his surroundings and saw that some people were looking at him with adoration in his eyes. That was just the cherry on top.
So his parents died and the rest of the words thank him for it. Look at him like he was some kind of hero. That just made him even more angry.
Harry didn't feel like some kind of hero at the moment. In fact, he was furious.
He has supposedly stopped some evil wizard and what was his reward?
Get shipped to his Aunt and Uncle to be treated like a slave for thirteen years. What was he supposed to say to that?
If his parents were as good as Hagrid made them to be, how was it that none of their friends could take him in? He knew for a fact that if given the chance, his Aunt and Uncle would give him away in a heartbeat.
Still, one more question pops into his head.
"Is that why you looked concerned when you found me with Ms Black? Was she one of his followers?" He asks.
"As far as I know, there were no accusations against her," Hagrid said. "But his husband, one of her sisters, her brother-in-law and his two cousins were supporters of You-know-Who," Harry's eyes widened. "All of them, except one of her cousins and her brother-in-law who are dead, are in prison. Why do you think Delphine has a bad reputation in Hogwarts?" He asked.
Harry tilted his head in confusion.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Hagrid looks at him puzzled, before bumping his hand into his fist.
"Right, I forgot you didn't know that either. Aries and Delphine are not his biological daughters, they are her nieces. Daughter of her two older sisters," he said.
"What?" Harry asked, shocked.
"Yeah," he said gravelly. "Narcissa's oldest sister, Bellatrix, was the right hand of You-know-Who and the mother of Delphine. She is in prison right now. Her other older sister and the mother of Aries, Andromeda, was killed by You-Know-Who's followers in one of the many raids that they performed during the war, and her husband, Ted Tonks, died, trying to avenge her," he finished saying.
Harry was stunned. He didn't think that those two had that kind of background. Aries looked so happy when he met her and Delphine... Well, he didn't even see her smile at any moment during their conversation but still, he didn't expect that.
"And what about Altair?" he said.
"The younger one?" Hagrid asked, to which Harry nodded. "No, she really is her daughter but her father, Lucius Malfoy, is in prison too. He was You-Know-Who's left hand and a real bastard, from what I have heard. But that was why I was nervous when I saw you with them. Don't get me wrong, after her husband's and sister's arrest, she annuls her marriage, adopts her two nieces and has been having a quiet life. Still," Hagrid took his bowl of food once more. "One can never be too careful," he said, starting to eat once more.
Harry just sat there, hundreds of thoughts running through his head.
Could it be true? Was Madame Black really innocent? Or was it just an act to escape prison? But the speech she said to him before she left...
But before he could think about it, Hagrid said.
"Alright, enough of all this depression stuff," he said, having finished his food. "I have a surprise for you," Hagrid says, checking his pocket.
Harry looked at him with curious eyes before Hagrid found out what he was looking for.
"Tada!" He said, putting the object on the table, "Happy birthday!" He happily said.
Harry looked at the object in silence for a few seconds before looking at Hagrid.
"What is that?" he asked baffled and pointing at the object on the table.
I hope you like it.