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AN-3: A very big thanks to Lordlexx and Rezurex both, who did a fantastic job—as usual—on this chapter.
"Thanks for helping Persephone and me," Harry said as he shook her hand, "Who knows when we would have gotten help if it had not been for you."
Left unsaid was the fact that if it had been anyone other than Nymphadora, they both might very well have been left on the floor to bleed to death, and if the small knowing smile she gave them was any indication, then she also understood it.
"Now, I think you four have classes to attend to," she declared after a few moments in which none of them said anything, to break the awkward silence. "So get to your classes, and if it is not a problem, can we meet in the Library at 7 today? I am usually there at that time, so if you a-"
"We will be there," Persephone interjected, "Once again thanks for helping us, Tonks."
"Ah, no problem cuz," Nymphadora waved at her with an embarrassed smile, her hair turning red for a moment, "That is what family is for you know?"
With that the Hufflepuff turned around and walked away, the four Slytherins doing the same a moment later as they strolled towards the dormitories. Tracey, on the way there, told them how the feast had started last night, with students performing several songs under the direction of Professor Flitwick, followed by Dumbledore distributing several treats to the students. And just when the dinner had finally started, Argus Filch had barged inside the Great Hall, screaming at the top of his lungs about the troll in the dungeons.
"On that note," Daphne spoke up, "How did you defeat the Troll?"
"We summoned its club, and transfigured it into a spear before banishing it into its chest," Harry explained, pointing at his own chest in the end, "I don't know why everyone is making such a big deal of it, I mean all we used was first-year magic you know, sure there were two of us last nigh-"
"Harry," Daphne cut him off, "I don't think you understand it, but defeating a mountain troll is a big thing when you are just eleven years old. Do you believe it is easy to transfigure something as big as a troll's club into a spear, without preventing it from becoming brittle and breakable? Not to mention the amount of speed you must have given that thing while banishing it so it could pierce the troll entirely."
"Oh," Persephone exclaimed as Harry and she shared a look, "I thought it was becoming such a big deal because of our parents."
"That certainly plays a part in it," Daphne nodded, "but even if you used dark magic and curses against the troll and were secretly a pair of murderous, psychopathic killers, you would still need more magical power than a first-year to overcome its magical resistivity and the toughness of its hide."
"That is what they are calling us now?" she asked with a chuckle as they entered the common room.
"I am pretty sure I caught the words murderous and killers in the newspaper," Tracey grinned at her, "Who knows what other adjectives were used to describe the upcoming Dark lord and lady of Hogwarts."
Persephone giggled at that and the twins went into their respective dorms to get their bags before all of them started to move towards the Charms Classroom, Professor Flitwick being the one to teach them first today. They spotted, after having reached the door, only the professor in the otherwise empty classroom. The diminutive man frowned heavily as he scribbled something on the board.
"Ah, welcome everyone," he greeted as he turned around and hopped down, "Good Morning Mr. and Ms. Potter, Ms. Davies, and Ms. Greengrass."
"Good Morning, Professor" they chorused back, taking their seats at the front of the row, Harry sitting with Tracey while the other two sat together.
"Hmm, I hope you are feeling well," he said, nodding at them both before he turned towards Persephone, "especially you, , considering that you had just gotten out of the hospital wing last afternoon."
"I am fine, Professor," she responded with a smile, "Prefect Tonks got us to the infirmary in time, and I wasn't really hurt last evening except for some tiredness."
"That is good to hear," he replied, "words cannot express how glad I am that you both were able to defeat the troll and… I apologise for the actions of Mr. Grey, as the head of his house and more importantly, as one of the teachers who should have noticed your treatment here."
"It is of no concern Professor," Harry shook his head with a small smile, "You are not at fault here, …decided to be impulsive and he was punished by you. That is all that matters."
Flitwick nodded at his words before he turned around and went back to his desk. With a flick of his wand, he vanished the glyphs and words on the blackboard, and the papers strewn on his desk flew up and stacked themselves in a neat pile, and he turned to look at them, "Now, since all four you have learned the Levitation Charm, you can either practice it on on those small rocks, or you can read up on the next topic we will be discussing today until the other students get here."
With a collective "yes Professor", all of them turned towards the stones Flitwick had indicated and took out their wands, while he exited the room into his office. Harry and Persephone levitated their rocks off the platform without any trouble, their ascent and movement bereft of any wobbles or sudden jerks.
On the other hand, Daphne and Tracey also managed to get their stones to lift off the surface on their first tries, but unlike the twins, there were some sudden shifts and sways in the stones levitated by them. Soon, they were all creating patterns with the rocks, making them fly this way and that as they sometimes tried to knock each other's stones out of the air.
However, soon Professor Flitwick entered the room and with a wave of his wand ended their fun as the rocks returned back to their places, and within moments the other students of their class filed inside the room. Harry, while watching the Charms professor writing the today's lesson structure on the board, was more than aware of the glances being sent at him and Persephone by the students behind him, and if the sudden tensing of her shoulders was anything to go by, then his sister too had already noticed the gossip going on behind them.
"I thought you would be used to it by now?" Daphne asked after a few moments.
"We are, but being the subject of the national newspaper's front page and everything else is still discomforting" Harry admitted slowly. "We grew up in a much quieter place, and there wasn't even a fraction of attention on us during that time compared to what we are experiencing now."
"Must have been an experience if you both are so secretive about it," she said casually, making him pause his writing and just stare at his quill. "I doubt Tracey and I have ever heard which area of the country you both grew up in, or even anything regarding your childhood."
She said no more after that as Professor Flitwick started to show them how the Wingardium Leviosa Charm wouldn't work on objects enchanted against it, with the help of a goblet. Although Harry diligently listened to every word the Professor was speaking, his mind couldn't help but replay Daphne's words again and again inside his head, and with those came the memories of his so-called 'childhood'.
Persephone and he had discussed telling their new and first friends about Little Whinging and their days there when she had one evening brought up the topic, but he had quickly shot that thought down, listing all the reasons regarding why it was a bad idea.
The Dursleys had been utter fools about many things, beginning from their son's bright future to how much they were admired by the neighbours, but they had been right about one thing in the end.
Harry and his sister were freaks, if not by birth then by their nurturing over the years in the muggle world, but now, he realised that he was a freak even by the standards of the wizarding world. Because he knew that normal people didn't go around killing puppies and animals for magical practice, because he knew that ordinary wizards weren't capable of wandless magic, and moreover, because he knew that regular people didn't sick snakes on their relatives, no matter how much they hated them.
And that was the crux of the problem. As strange as it was to him and Persephone, now that they had gotten a taste of what friendship was like, they didn't want to do anything to jeopardise what they had with the Slytherin girls besides them. The reality of their childhood, of what they had done from that fateful day in that crumbling building…he was afraid of Daphne and Tracey leaving them both alone if they came to learn about it.
It seemed like Persephone and he would have to come up with a convincing backstory, because it wasn't only Daphne and Tracey that were interested in their lives before Hogwarts. Sooner or later, Harry knew that people would become curious about their childhood, especially when they were reported to be dead for more than ten years. Hell, for all he knew, they were already looking into where Harry and Persephone Potter had spent their days, learning magics so vile that they were able to kill a troll!
For the whole day afterward, Harry tried to think of a story and build a fictitious world to tell Daphne and Tracey about as he went about his classes, but a small, nagging part of his mind couldn't help but think of simply telling the truth as it was to them both, not wanting to lie to their friends…even though they would surely not remain so after the truth came to the light in front of them.
"Ah, welcome Lady Longbottom," Dumbledore said and dipped his head in greeting, "We were just waiting for you to arrive, so that I could finally get informed of the reason for today's sudden Board Meeting ."
She did not dignify him with any response, or even return the nod he gave her, but what else was to be expected from Britain's well known lady, Dumbledore thought as he sat back down. However, the witch's efforts to appear more important than others only amused him, and if the small curl of lips Lucius gave off for a moment was any indication, then he also found the attempt pitiful.
Augusta looked at them all from her perch upon her house's seat, and right at the moment when she opened her mouth to speak, the fireplace in the room flared up, and Dumbledore turned towards the green flames, as curious as the rest of them regarding who had appeared, especially when the only ones who could access this chamber were the members of the Board of Governors, all of whom were sitting right in front of him except for…
"Good thing I am on time too then" came the voice as the flames died down, making his beard twitch as he fought off a smile, and through the corner of the eye, the headmaster saw Lucius and Augusta both stiffen in their seats.
"Lord Black" he greeted with a nod, receiving one in return before Arcturus' grey eyes turned towards Lucius, and then to the chair he was sitting on.
"You are in my seat Lucius," Arcturus announced slowly, his fingers tightening a little upon the cane he was using to walk, something which everyone noticed. "I don't remember declaring you the proxy of House Black."
"Lord Black," Lucius answered back, standing up from the seat and taking a step to the side, "my son is your heir, and with your longtime absence and silence even towards my wife…I decided to handle the affairs of the house Draco is to inherit one day. It wasn't done out of any disrespect to you my lord."
"Whatever your reasons may have been, I am the Lord of House Black," Arcturus proclaimed softly as he walked forwards and sat down in the seat of House Black, his eyes not even looking at Lucius as he instead turned towards Dumbledore. "And unless I say so explicitly, no one shall ever lay claim to so much as a single spoon which belongs to me and the Blacks. Now take your seat Lucius, because as the Headmaster said, we all eagerly wish to know why the Dowager Lady Longbottom decided to call this meeting."
Said lady visibly glowered at Arcturus, and for a moment Dumbledore worried that she might abandon all restraint and just strangle the man barehanded, which would undoubtedly result in a literal mess. But before the woman could attempt anything, Tiberius Nott, Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Nott interjected. "Regent Longbottom, we don't have the luxury of time that you are blessed with, since we all have to work for our wealth and families, and we are far from House Longbottom's wealth and prosperity. Therefore, please get to the reason for summoning us."
'The years have not dulled his sharp tongue a bit. Despite what Lucius may believe, he is the face of the traditionalists and Tom's followers only because Tiberius has no interest in such things. He has always liked to stay in the background work as little as possible.', Dumbledore mused as he looked at the red face of Augusta, now feeling a little concerned about the Longbottom's health—Surely that shade of red was not good for one's face?
"Couldn't have put it better myself." Lord Abbot muttered, but in the confines of walls around them, the words may have very well been shouted for all of them to hear.
"Ahem," Dumbledore cleared his throat, his eyes twinkling as usual as he smiled at the wizards and the irate witch in front of him. "As Lord Nott so nicely put it, we all are pressed for our time, so if instead of squabbling perhaps we could get to the matter at hand?"
"Pressed for our time? That must be true for you Dumbledore, after all a mountain troll found its way into the castle full of our children under your nose didn't it?" Augusta spat out, instantly changing the atmosphere of the room. "And now once again, Potters have gone and shown their true colours, though it is not a new or surprising thing considering who they are descended from."
His jovial expression was gone in an instant, and he released some of the tight control he had over his vast magical power, causing the atmosphere more stifling for the lack of a better word. At the same time, a coldness permeated throughout the room as the sound of knuckles cracking echoed within the walls, all of them barring him turning towards Arcturus as his hand tightened over his cane. The shadows in the corners seemed to elongate and reach out from the depths, and fire in the grate and the torches flared a little brighter.
"Careful Augusta," Arcturus said, his words once again soft but his completely pitch-black eyes anything but. "You may have climbed up in the world with the deaths of your son and his wife, and with how Fudge and his administration both were all too willing to sign away the Potter wealth to you. However, if you once again dare to speak against my sister, then remember first that I can crush you beneath my boot without a drop of sweat and a lick of remorse."
Dumbledore didn't add anything, but the simple flex of his power was enough to remind the room that for all of his smiles and grandfatherly-nature, he was still the man who had brought down Grindelwald to his knees, and the man who had fought the Dark Lord to a standstill several times in the civil war years ago.
"Now if this meeting was called in order to bring up my incompetence," Dumbledore began the next second as both he and Lord Black stopped their silent demonstration of power, causing the coldness to vanish from the room.
"Then rest assured, I and my faculty have investigated the incident. A powerful wizard or witch hid the troll behind an obscuring spell and led it inside the castle, after which Argus Filch found it lurking near the dungeons. I of course reacted in an instant, instructing the Prefects to lead the students back to their commo-"
"And did you forget that not only the Hufflepuff, but also the Slytherin common rooms are in the dungeons?" Amos Diggory interrupted in an incredulous tone, his eyes wide with shock.
"That man is more than twice your age and regarded as one of the wisest and intelligent wizards on the planet," Arcturus drawled, his smile mocking as he looked at Amos. "I don't know why you children are still so…childish."
"I wouldn't put it that way, but yes, I certainly didn't forget that half of my school resides in the dungeons Lord Diggory," Dumbledore smiled, and Amos winced at the remarks from Arcturus and him. "The beast would have sooner or later followed the smell and would have consequently reached the Great Hall. It is for this reason that I saw it necessary to send the children to their respective common rooms accompanied by not only prefects, but also by professors. It would have been harder for the troll to injure anyone in the corridors with the constant spellfire from the professors and the prefects, whereas in the Great hall the beast would have had a much greater chance of harming someone."
"And why were you not at the forefront of the hunting party, Headmaster?" Artemis Greengrass asked politely.
"I trusted any of my colleagues to take care of the troll, but I was worried that even more creatures may have entered the castle." He said ,"or that maybe it was a plot from the escaped followers of Lord Voldemort, who were trying to harm Mr. Longbottom and the students under my care on the anniversary of his defeat."
"Then we are quite fortunate that such a plan never existed now did it?" Lucius spoke to him, "After all, no one was harmed, and neither did we hear reports of any other beast entering the grounds… save for those who were already present."
"Quite true Lord Malfoy," he acquiesced with a nod, giving his trademark smile at the man before he continued. "At the risk of sounding boastful, I think save for Bellatrix, there is no one amongst Lord Voldemort's followers who would dare to bring the fight to me."
"Now that you have all measured your peckers and derided each other, do you have anything else to say Augusta, or are we all going to wait until you keel over?" Arcturus once again opened his mouth, and it took a considerable amount of his control to prevent a chuckle from escaping him, but Dumbledore somehow managed. Tiberius, it seemed, had no such compunctions as he chortled at his fellow Lord's words.
Augusta surprisingly ignored those words and instead turned towards Dumbledore, her eyes glaring at him as she hissed, "Why are they not serving detention, or are even being punished for the clear usage of dark magic? There is no way they should have been able to kill a mountain troll if they had been growing up as muggles, and I cannot think of a single magical family in Britain save for one who would take those two in. I said it back then, and I am saying it again. Those two are a danger to everyone around them, they are capable of killing a mountain troll with just two months of magical education! What will they be capable of in a year? In five?"
"Going by that logic, Neville Longbottom should have been smothered in his crib."
Dumbledore pinched the bridge of his nose as Arcturus drawled out the sentence in the most acerbic voice possible. Abbot and Diggory both gasped at the words, and even the other three Lords turned their shocked eyes towards Lord Black, who was theatrically tapping the top of his cane as he smiled at Augusta, his smile all teeth.
"What did you just say?" she hissed out, her face twisted into anger and hatred.
"Did he not kill the Dark Lord from within his crib, a wizard who was powerful enough to fight off the entire Auror force alone. Now imagine what Neville Longbottom could do in a few years if that is what he was capable of a decade ago."
Augusta fumed at the insinuation, and the fact that her own logic was twisted around to smack her down verbally, and there was not a thing she could say without coming off as a senile woman consumed by her hatred. She, snarling in anger, stood up from her seat and stomped her way to the floo, and a second later vanished into the swirling green flames.
One by one, each of the Lords exited the meeting room, but not before praising the headmaster and the teachers for their and Henry Abbot did try to inquire how Persephone and Harry had done the deed, and whether the children were safe from them, but after some platitudes and words from him, the Hufflepuff graduates too left the room.
However, when he heard no movement from the last man remaining in the room, Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Why are you here Arcturus? Why come out of your castle now, after a decade of living behind those walls and letting the world believe you were dead," he asked, finally looking up to meet the stone-grey eyes of Arcturus.
"I don't believe I owe you any answers regarding what I do with my life, Dumbledore," Arcturus chuckled. "However, if you are wondering why I am here today? Well, riling up that stuck-up bitch is much more entertaining than living alone in a large castle with only your house elves and your sister for company."
"Cassiopeia is alive?" Dumbledore asked, genuinely surprised at the revelation, since the last time he had seen the witch, she was lying on the ground with a hole the size of a bludger in her abdomen.
"Cassiopeia's death is not the point of discussion here, Dumbledore," Arcturus declared with a finality in his voice as he leaned back in his chair. "I expect you to renounce the magical guardianship of the twins."
"I am not their magical guardian Arcturus," he responded as he folded his hands across his lap. "As far as I know, they disappeared from Lily's arms the night she was killed, and then they came forwards during sorting this year. If I had known th-"
"Spare me that drivel Dumbledore," Arcturus snapped before he took a deep breath and continued, "I don't expect you to agree with me Dumbledore, but at least don't insult my intelligence with those words. There is no doubt in my mind that you knew about the twins and their condition. You are not the type to leave his followers to the hounds."
"Even if we assume for a moment that what you say is true, then why would you even want the responsibility of having the twins as your wards? You can go back to your reclusive life and live out the rest of your days just like you did the last ten years."
"Family means more to me than it meant and means to you," Arcturus smiled sharply, " Without the money and prestige of the Potter name that James had, they are of no value to you, Dumbledore. At least living and associating with me might change that."
"They are already learning advanced lessons from Professor Quirell alongside Neville Longbottom, and I know that bit by bit, Neville's hatred towards them is reducing and the twins themselves seem to be coming along quite well. Why should I trust them to you when you clearly seem to be hell bent on antagonising Augusta at every turn? You may have the protection of your name and power Arcturus, but those two children have none of it. A single step out of line at the wrong moment, and I fear that even I may not be able to save them from the consequences."
"If it weren't for the fact that I have seen you tear apart families Dumbledore, I would have believed that to be genuine concern for their wellbeing," came the swift reply, but without giving him a chance to speak Arcturus continued, "But rest assured, I will not teach the twins how to think, they will do that by their own, and by the blood relation between us, I could just as easily go to the Ministry. How many Galleons do you think Fudge will need in his hat before I have the papers signed and ready?"
"Then why come to me at all?" Dumbledore raised his eyebrow, genuinely curious about the answer.
"Because I dislike Fudge more than I dislike you," he shrugged. "And moreover, you owe me Dumbledore, so I get to do it this way without taking a single knut out of my robes."
Dumbledore's lips pursed at that reminder and he looked at the grey-eyed wizard for a few moments. "Do you truly wish to use that debt for this purpose?"
"Get the papers Dumbledore, and as a bonus, I will swear a magical oath to never reveal the memory or events of this meeting, or mention it to any other living soul henceforth in any way or form or through any magical or non-magical means."
"Very well," Dumbledore nodded and waved his wand once, causing a small stack of parchments to materialize in his hand a moment later. "These are the guardianship forms of Harry and Persephone Potter. In the absence of any parent or godparent, the Head of the House is chosen as the magical guardian. Severus however refused such a position and therefore I took the role as their magical guardian."
"Pleasure doing business with you Dumbledore," Arcturus smiled as he levitated the papers to himself and stood up from the seat. "Now, I hope you aren't going to let these situations be a regular occurrence inside the castle. After all, who knows what else someone may desire within these stone walls?"
With that parting remark, Arcturus Black was gone in a flare of green light, leaving Dumbledore stunned behind him as the meaning of his words sank in.
The next evening:
"So…why are we here?" Tracey asked as she entered the classroom Persephone was ushering her into, her eyes turning towards Harry and Daphne. Both of them sat without any books or parchments in their hands. "I mean, I don't remember receiving any assignment to be submitted tomorrow."
"Nom this is not for homework or self-studies," Persephone sighed as she dropped on the chair beside Harry, "Daphne mentioned something today that made us realize a few things, and therefore… We want to tell you about our childhood. Not everything, but-"
"It wasn't meant to guilt you Persephone," Daphne interjected with a small frown on her face. "I just feel that you both are hiding something from us. Whenever Tracey or I discuss our families or our homes you both clam up for a moment and we just wish to understand why both of you are so cagey about it." Tracey nodded along with the blond's words, and reached out to grab Persephone's hand as she looked into her eyes with a small encouraging smile.
"We are not pressuring you Persephone, Harry. But we are asking you to trust us however much you can. Even though we may not mention it, Daphne and I realise that your life before Hogwarts has not been…smooth or ideal. Bu-"
"We grew up with our mother's sister and her family in Little Whinging," Harry began softly, his right hand reaching out to grab Persephone's fingers. "Petunia hated our mother, probably for being non-magical herself and for being not even fractionally as beautiful as our mother was. She and her husband had a mania of being normal, and a wizard and witch dropped into your lap is as abnormal as it gets. Our first bit of magic was healing the bruises we had gotten for some reason."
"Morgana!" Daphne gasped as her hands flew up to her mouth, her eyes widening as her face paled. Tracey on the other hand, looked at Daphne with confusion before she turned towards them both, and on seeing their lowered gazes and the sad smiles, comprehension dawned on her. Similar to Daphne, she too gasped, and then tried to move out of her chair, only for Daphne's hand to shoot out and stop her.
"That is why we don't like to talk about our past," Persephone stated, looking them both in the eyes. "The two of us want to forget that family, that house and that life. Hogwarts and the Magical World mark a new beginning for us and we are never going back to the way things were. You are our first friends, and we wanted you to know that something…so if you wish to know anything else, Harry and I are ready to tell you."
A silence descended upon the room as Daphne and Tracey looked at the twins, before Daphne chose to speak first, her voice brimming with anger and fury, and for the first time in all the weeks they had known her, Harry and Persephone saw what an angry Daphne Greengrass looked like.
"Your relatives, where are they?"
"They are dead, it happened shortly before Hogwarts." Persephone responded, something akin to satisfaction flashing across her face for a moment.
"How did it happen?" Tracey asked. "I mean…you weren't hurt or anything like that were you, when it happened?"
"Poisonous snakes bit them all," Harry answered, "and no Tracey, we weren't harmed at all. We were quite far away when it happened."
"Thank Merlin!" Tracey nodded, "I have seen the effects of snakebites in a book on magical creatures, it must have been painful for them."
"Yeah, it was." Harry softly muttered under his breath. "Anyways, Is there anything else you would like to know?"
Daphne and Tracey both shook their heads at that and the latter chewed on her lip for a moment before she spoke, "I am really sorry Harry and Persephone. If I had known that…well I wouldn't have asked about your personal lives at all."
"Don't apologize, Tracey," Persephone chuckled slightly. "We understand your reasons, and frankly you don't know how much you sticking around us means to us. It may have started as bartering of lessons, but we have come to view you both as our friends, or at least what we understand the term to stand for. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you and Daphne to decide to talk to the outcasts of the magical world in the first place."
"You are outcasts now Persephone. Years down the line, that may very well change," Daphne shook her head. "But even still, you are eleven year old and despite what the world may say, you are not your parents reborn."
"That is exactly what Tonks said yesterday" Persephone said as she smiled and shook her head..
"On that note, how did your meeting with her go?" came the question from Tracey, "We never got a chance to ask you after you went to the library."
Harry and Persephone looked at each other, having an entire conversion silently with their eyes alone before he turned towards them. "It was awkward at first, like it was with you both in the first week. She asked about our hobbies and such, and told us about her mother and father. We in turn talked about how we were fascinated and quite happy to be in Hogwarts."
"Wait, that's it?" Tracey scrunched her brows. "You were gone for almost an hour."
"No, we were able to talk for only fifteen to twenty minutes," Persephone explained, waving her hand in a dismissive fashion. "Some Ravenclaw decided to talk to Nymphdaroa at that time, and when he saw us sitting at the same table as her, well he got quite angry on her behalf and pulled his wand on us."
"What?!"
"Yes, apparently we two first years were harassing and planning on harming a sixth-year student who has been scoring outstandings in Transfigurations and DADA," Harry said sarcastically, causing Daphne to shake her head at the idiocy of someone who was supposed to be intelligent. "But Nymphdaora grabbed him by the ear and berated him quite…colourfully. However, Madam Pince evidently didn't like the commotion she was creating so she kicked them both out of the library."
"After that, we just studied about trolls," Persephone mentioned, and at the raised eyebrow from Daphne, she went on. "We were curious about them after…dealing with one."
"On the matter of curiosity," Daphne suddenly started, grabbing their attention. "My father has invited you both to our manor during the winter holidays." She handed them an envelope next, the parchment bearing the seal of House Greengrass, a vertical staff covered in vines with the words 'Nutrire Crescere Vivere' under it.
"Nothing against you or your father," Persephone began after a few moments, "But why would he invite us, two orphans with a black mark on their names, to his home?"
"As I said, it is a matter of curiosity."