Chapter 5: Bonds of Blood
"Please be seated, everyone. Mr Black, I assure you that you are safe. You can transform back into your human form." With this now stood Sirius Black in place of the large black dog. They sat at the table, with Sirius at one side and Remus at another, Harry and Hermione in between. "What you all consumed had a strong purging potion and a mild dosage of goblin variation of Veritaserum. The potions ensured that all the external magic performed on you without your knowledge was nullified, and whatever is to be said in this room would be nothing but absolute truth. The purging potion will take effect in a half hour, you might feel dizzy and have a headache, but there is nothing to worry about. Truth serum will wear off by the time you depart." He waved his hand, and several parchments took off, one landing in front of each person. "In front of you is the Inheritance Test of one, Hadrian Charlus Potter and Isabella Victoria Dagaworth-Granger. "
As they read the document, their faces displayed a range of emotions, including confusion, realisation, understanding, and finally, anger. Even the Malfoys were unable to maintain their stoic expressions. "Has Dumbledore gone senile in his old age to believe he is above the law?" commented Lady Bones. "Don't worry, Hadrian, this evidence is enough to get Sirius a trial and put the Dursleys behind bars." "Can someone please explain why the Malfoys and I are listed as guardians for Harry-Hadrian? I don't remember agreeing to it," questioned Severus. "Nor do we," agreed Lucius and Narcissa. "I want to know why my name is ending with Lupin-Black?" Sirius and Remus said simultaneously. "Actually, I want to know that too," stated Severus.
"We have a theory for it, but, you will have to wait a few minutes to see if it stands true." He waved his hand, and another set of parchment took off. One parchment landed in front of everyone neatly with a dagger beside it. "This is an Inheritance Test. All of you use the daggers provided to slice your palms and drip exactly seven drops of blood on the parchments. It will take the results five minutes to generate." Instructed Ragnarok. They all complied and repeated the process. As the last drop hit the parchment, they healed their hands. Before anyone could say anything, they all started feeling dizzy and lost consciousness. "Looks like the potion took effect. Judging by the looks of it, they will be out for about 20 minutes," informed Griphook to Hadrian and Isabella. "Why are we not affected by the potion?" asked Isabella. "It is because you already went through the cleansing ritual," Griphook replied. Time passed, and everyone started to regain consciousness slowly.
Sirius and Remus were the first to recover from their stunned state, and they immediately locked eyes with each other. "MATE," they growled simultaneously and then rushed to embrace each other. "My son," Sirius whispered as he hugged Hadrian tightly. Remus joined the hug, their embrace almost crushing but promising to Hadrian. Draco, Susan and Neville quickly followed, pulling Hadrian into a warm and tight group hug. "We missed you, Hades," they said in unison, their voices filled with genuine relief and happiness. "I missed you too," Hadrian replied with a wide smile. The aunts and uncles of the group were the next to hug him, followed by Neville's Grandma, who squeezed him tightly and exclaimed, "I am so glad to see you, dear." They all hugged Hadrian to their heart's content, grateful for his safety.
"After this mesmerising family reunion, let's get back to business." They all took their seats, and Ragnarok continued, "To answer your questions, in a nutshell, you were dosed with several potions and compulsions from Dumbledore and subjected to multiple obliviation spells. You all can go through your test reports for a detailed analysis." "WHAT?" they exclaimed and scanned through their parchments. "ALBUS DUMBLEDORE, I will not spare you." roared Sirius and Remus. "Ohh! You are so dead, Albus," stated Lucius and Narcissa with a mean glint in their eyes. Hadrian chuckled, seeing their reactions. 'Dumbledore, you should not have gone against my family. No one can save you now. Well, except for me.' he wondered.
"Ahem, Ahem", Hadrian cleared his throat, "We have a plan, and I would like to run it through you, so there are no loopholes. "The first part of our plan is to free Sirius and establish political stability. I believe it won't be much of an issue with the support of the Malfoys, Blacks, Potters, Evans, Grangers, Longbottoms and Bones. We want to keep the rest of our titles a secret and reveal it at the right time. We'll need to iron out the minor details and plan a grand entrance to introduce our alliance before the upcoming Wizengamot, scheduled for the end of this month, on August 25th. This will also give us access to DOM without suspicion." They nodded their agreement at this. "The second part is to gain control of Hogwarts. Between me and Mione, we literally own the school. To keep up appearances, all of us will have to act like we don't know anything. Gradually, we can change things around. Like breaking our friendship with Ron when it's most convenient. Striking friendships with the Slythriens, making new alliances, and so forth. We will maintain passive surveillance, start turning people with potential and motive against Dumbledore and train them." A mummer of yes ran through the table. "The third part deals with cutting their economic support, and I find the Gringotts most suitable to deal with it and leave this to them." Ragnarok and Griphook had feral grins at this statement. "We would be most delighted, Lord Potter," Ragnarok exclaimed.
Hadrian continued, "The fourth and the last leg involves resurrecting Tom and restoring his formal glory." This statement shocked everyone the most. "But pup, why would you want someone who killed your parents resurrected?" enquired Sirius. "He didn't kill them, Padfoot. Yes, Voldemort was there, but not to kill them. He wanted to offer a deal to Mum and Dad, which was successful." "DEAL? Are you sure?" It was their mutual reaction, to which Hadrian replied, "Yes, I am very sure. If you haven't noticed, Tom is one of my Godfathers, declared by magic."
The temperature of the room suddenly dropped. "The one to create that fake prophecy which Uncle Sev overheard, the one who ordered Pettigrew to betray my parents, the one who led Tom to Godric's Hollow and to kill my parents and try to kill me is none other than The so-called leader of the Light, Albus-to many names-Dumbledore." His words echoed throughout the room, greeted by silence.
"How can you say for sure," started Sirius carefully, "that it was Dumbledore and not someone posing as him. I despise that mam for whatever he had done to you, but killing a mere child for his own good..." he couldn't continue his sentence after one look at Hadrian. The intensity of his gaze was striking; his eyes seemed to glow with a vibrant energy that captured the attention of all those around him. It was as if his aura radiated a potent force that far surpassed the expectations of someone so young. At just twelve years old, he emanated a power that left a lasting impression on those who witnessed it. "If you want to know what I know, you all must take an unbreakable vow to never reveal anything I say without my express permission. Only then will I consider sharing with you." His voice was firm and unwavering.