There's little next to nothing we can do as protest in troubled times, be that as it may. Even if it's a little bit that seems insignificant, we shall endeavor to do so, as common folks we don't have guns to defend ourselves against those with power…
I haven't really had too much interest in fiction writing given recent developments in my country. I finally managed to post this thanks to a VPN and some time off from y current occupations.
So then, you're here to get distracted and I'm here to unwind and have fun.
I decided not to publish in June, then I got a shit ton of work in July and at the end of July all kind of imploded, we got sick and tired as a society and took the streets. This was ready a while back but I decided to wait. And then shit happened (mostly the terrorists messing around so civilians won't have ethernet) . I'm going to keep it as a tradition of sorts (not publishing in June), you know, to each their own. Worry not, I have started the next chapter, I'll post it as soon as it's ready.
Someone was whispering and pacing. They were so noisy. Couldn't they see he was sleeping?
How come he was freezing to death on a stone cold floor but could also smell fresh flowers? That was kind of weird…
Then again, sleeping on the icy stone floor wasn't so great, not after meeting the heavenly beds that bastard nobles had, even if he suffered unspeakable things lying on such a surface… but hold on a second, he died, didn't he? If that was the case, what the hell was he doing here? Wherever "here" happened to be…
Ok, he established he needed to wake up and asses his surroundings ASAP.
Then, he heard something that revived his time as a "doll" on that dreadful attic. Gurgling… it sounded as if someone was drowning, he hated it. Hearing those boys die right beside him; unable to do anything, even worse, having to humiliate them along with their jailors and torturers, and also… being responsible to a degree for another's demise in many cases. Dark days were it was better when harm was inflicted on anyone but himself… he screamed and shot upright…
He came to in a place he didn't know, face to face with the one who stabbed him.
What the f…. - he scrambled back and didn't take his eyes out of the Phantomhive even as he could feel other eyes posed on him, he didn't want to give away how startled he was… it didn't matter if it was cold or fear, his body shivered and he hated it, but when he realized he was naked he hated it even more.
Things just got even worse after that.
…
How come no one had found any sign of Harry? That was beyond Dumbledore at present, that and his shortage of information. He had nothing to go. He'd been hoping to get something out of Arthur Weasley when the man told him he'd been selected for a mission in the muggle world. Just to learn that everyone had been submitted to an unbreakable vow tight as a vault. Even worse was the fact that the head of the operation was Amelia Bones and she was known precisely to be tight with any information or detail pertaining to any case she happened to be working on, hell she didn't even allow her assistant to browse her documents if they were confidential, even if she agreed with some of the bills and proposals Dumbledore supported in the Wizengamot, he didn't deceive himself thinking she might cooperate or abide by his command if push came to shove. She couldn't be counted as an ally because she only followed her own judgment and once she set on a decision there was nothing to be done.
This situation was far from ideal but not quite disastrous yet. If he didn't get control soon it might as well turn to be a disaster.
Lupin couldn't be reached and he didn't want the man to compromise his position amongst werewolves, all their work could go to waste if he was caught red handed with a single owl.
And if he were to come back and find out about Harry, he might do something foolish and he was valuable to be lost. A great duelist and also about the only link he had with magical creatures. Even if the man insisted in isolating himself from wizards and werewolves alike, he still complied with everything he asked of him.
If he could just find Harry most of his immediate problems could be solved.
Minerva didn't tell him but she was starting to question his decisions and he couldn't have that, she was his right hand and he needed her trust and respect.
Not being able to protect a baby didn't reflect too well on his image. And not just any baby but the one heralded as the savior, by his own handiwork. Merlin, problems seemed to pile up.
After he found Harry, he also needed someone to take the fall for this mess so it won't come back to bite him years after that.
Now someone like that wasn't conveniently waiting around to have a crime pinned on them, he had to create such a scapegoat; it had to be someone already hated and suspicious… and if he could ride himself of a potentially problematic individual in the process all the better for the greater good.
…
The following task hed been assigned by his demonic associate baffled Lucius Malfoy and it wasn't like he had someone to consult with, given the current state of affairs with his wife that is. It wasn't as if he and Snape could discuss something so delicate, he wasn't so sure on where the man stood with the demon, as he'd learned of their association merely by chance. Just in case he wanted to keep things quiet as he assumed that was the Earls wish.
What purpose could a play date between Draco and Harry Potter accomplish? In the letter delivered to his desk the usual way, instead of disappearing, the note stayed as solid as it was while he read it. The demon and his charge will come to the manor and he expressed his wish of having another play date with other purebloods and their offspring.
Well, they shall see. This seemed to be another test.
Now how to get Narcisa to cooperate was something he had to sort out on his own. Maybe if he assured her she could spend as much as she wanted and invite all of her friends, even the ones he couldn't stand. That could go a long way in easing her assistance in his upcoming task.
Merlin help him, he just wanted the demon to be pleased, and no longer angry at them. He wouldn't admit to it willingly, but like every other pureblood who knew the stories of old, he had a healthy respect and fear of demons.
Sir Ciel Phantomhive could pretty well be the end of the house of Malfoy if he so desired. And Lucius would be damned to face his ancestor if that fault was to be laid at his feet.
…
There was no delicate way to cope up with coming back to life after centuries of your death, really. It wasn't as if he could find counseling or advice for that online, right? Reluctantly, Alois found himself being tutored by the demons of the household; he had received lessons in order to pass as a noble, centuries ago. But that wasn't nearly enough to go, now. Having to cope with everything and also wrapping your head around things that were inconceivable in your own time and age, Alois felt out of his world. Hell, it felt as bad if not worse than when he lost Luca.
He wasn't someone to mope around but… he didn't have anyone else besides the ones residing in this household, with no resources or identity to rely on… he depended entirely on someone who had been partly responsible of his demise. That sure had to contribute to his overall feeling of dread.
It was decided hell go to school, the same one the head of the household assisted in order to blend in and build his future "identity".
Thus, the household had some things to do and they found themselves at a mall.
The massive structure of the muggle mall was something beyond the scope of anything the pureblood wizards had seen before. Sirius had a little bit more experience with it and could pay attention to Regulus reaction.
Sirius and Regulus felt uncomfortable with just the amount of people surrounding them, more so when they compared this to any day in Diagon Alley. Muggles surpassed wizards twenty to one; just in numbers they could easily hunt wizards to death. It was a humbling and horrifying experience for someone like Regulus. Even more so than how it had been for Sirius.
Sirius took it better since he was exposed to the good and the bad muggles had to offer, but for Regulus it represented a shock. And all the staring wasn't exactly helping. He itched for his wand, the wizards had been asked to leave it behind for this occasion, and even if they didn't like it one bit, they didn't dare argue with the head of the household.
Sebastian kept his distance from the brothers, Sirius in his female form received unwanted attention even in baggy clothes and with a nasty scowl … Regulus and Sebastian glared at more than one of Sirius fans. Some of them backed down… others needed a slight persuasion. And Sebastian relished in tormenting them with hellish and nightmarish visions of their untimely demise… with no one besides his master noticing.
Said master walked beside a certain blonde that stood out in their party as much as Sirius.
And Ciel found himself glaring at some fellow shoppers when they focused too much on the blonde walking beside him. Alois did some glaring of his own, but he wasn't too intimidating in his limited capacity, his looks didn't exactly help. Ciel had confused him with a girl after all…
And also, more than glaring at people, Alois was more interested in taking in everything this place had to offer, he could look in all directions but it had been made abundantly clear that he wasn't allowed to go on his own.
You see, Sebastian had stretched to the blonde that he didn't want any shenanigans. He held a grudge towards the former earl of Trancy; the boy was guilty for his being trapped in eternal servitude after all. Even if he couldn't exactly act on this, he had made it abundantly clear he hoped the blonde to be in his best behavior when they were in public; otherwise, there shall be consequences.
Todays outing was to get clothes for Alois and Regulus. First they decided to go to a muggle mall for Alois clothing and depending on the result of this, they will decide if they wanted to head out to Diagon Alley too after they finished here.
Ciel wasn't too thrilled with this outing, but it couldn't be helped. They couldn't let Harry alone at home with Bellatrix, and he didn't feel like staying alone at home with the youngest of the household. He also didn't trust this lot enough to let them unsupervised with his cards and spending his hard earned money.
Hell, it was crazy just getting everyone out of the house…
As it turned out, they did their shopping with no incidents. Alois had a pretty peculiar style that raised a few eyebrows and the Phantomhive counted his blessings when the others managed to convince the blonde of also getting some normal clothes.
The Phantomhive hadn't been privy to that many shades of purple and neon. Also, the blonde liked skinny jeans, pretty tight skinny pants and jeans. Baggy and tight clothes in bright colors for Alois, his school uniform was the last stop and also the place where Regulus got most of his purchases. If Alois embraced the modern style quite easily, Regulus was far more conservative
They ended up getting lots of suits and classic clothes, oxford style and to Sirius surprise, jeans.
Regulus liked jeans even if he knew how his mother might react to it if she learned it.
Sirius teased him quite a lot for it. It figures their peaceful time was bound to be disturbed. They were sitting at the fair with some snacks, Sirius was feeding Harry a little bit of ice cream, Alois was fascinated with his purple and green cotton candy, Ciel was having some tea with a decent slice of chocolate cake (Sebastians was far better). That is until the butler straightened and looked at something behind the group.
_Master, it seems we have unwanted company. - He announced- Do you want me to deal with this?
_No, we don't know if they're here for us- Ciel stated. It couldn't be. Who might recognize Sirius in his current form? Also, Regulus was presumed dead. - Engaging them might backfire and interfere with my plans on a later date.
Sirius was tense, prepared to grab Harry and make a run for it if he had to, without a wand he didn't want to cross paths with another wizard. Regulus was also prepared to run but he at least wanted to get a glimpse of the wizards before he made his decision.
Alois… he was unusually silent, no longer focused on his snack, one of his hands pressed against his forehead as if it hurt.
_Do you really think it's wise to discuss that when other people hear?!- He snapped turning around- Those fellows were talking about hexing or cursing a toilet so it can… bite people that sit on it. I thought wizards were more discrete, with the Statute of Secrecy you told me about.
Everyone else at the table stared at the blond as if he had grown another head.
What was he talking about?
_Alois, there's no one sitting there and no one walked pass - Sirius told him, studying the blonde with a bit of concern and also sharp focus on his features- Are you alright?
Certainly they had discussed wizards and were currently talking about them, but, they weren't near their table and it was virtually impossible Alois could've heard their conversation when they were so far. Surely, not before the demons could. Something was up.
_Hell, no I'm not. I've got a pounding headache, they're so loud. I wanted to tell them to be quiet but I figured Bassman here wouldn't be too pleased if I made a scene. - He certainly looked pained.
Sebastian ignored the name calling in favor of actually questioning the boy exhaustively, giving no pause even if they all could see he was suffering. There wasn't much they could do here to mitigate or alleviate his headache. Especially since this wasn't your normal headache. This was supernatural or magical and no medicine could calm it.
The shopping trip cut short. Regulus and Ciel took care of the bags as Sebastian picked up the blond when it was clear he wouldn't be able to walk, and Sirius walked beside them, Harry fast asleep on his baby stroller, they looked like any other family and made it to the car without further incidents. When they were a block away from the mall, Alois got better.
This just let a lot of questions that needed answers. But if it could be controlled or harnessed, this might turn up to be useful. If it just didn't hurt Alois that much.
…
With some help from the wizard turned woman (and he thought demons were the farthest you could go) Alois got settled in the household routine; he felt more at ease with Sirius and helping to babysit Harry than whenever he was around someone else… Sirius was pretty chill and he and Alois got on like a house on fire while everyone else in the household suffered it. Their pranks were pure genius but certain demon wasn't amused in the slightest, as the primary target of the prankster's shenanigans, Sebastian was quickly getting tired of it, he didn't want to address his reason to be bothered by what couldn't be more than childish pranks and that just served to anger him even further.
It was the feeling behind it, Sirius message and intentions communicated loud and clear through it all. It was childish and petty, but it also had a degree of sadism he appreciated even if it pained him.
Admitting he was bothered by their handiwork was against every proud fiber of the demon, so he ignored the pranksters to the best of his ability and carried on running the household with pristine efficiency until he could come up with a countermeasure that fit his criteria. Well, if he couldn't do something like that, what kind of a butler was he? And certainly, a demon had to pay back his due.
A non-spoken rule of curbing their urgent prankster instinct around Harry was enforced by everyone. It was pretty difficult not to be quite taken up with Harry; he was such an adorable baby, full of smiles and loved to be held. You just couldn't turn blind eyes to his bright, wide and innocent green orbs.
Not even Regulus and Ciel could deny him. So, the baby spends time with everyone at the household, save for Bellatrix.
…
Having a full manor once again was more than Ciel could have managed a year ago, but now it wasn't that big of a deal and he didn't mind most days… but today wasn't such a good day.
They had lots of things to do and it seemed time had come to an abrupt halt. So far they hadn't received word from the Ministry about Sirius retrial, Snape didn't have anything relevant to share about Dumbledore's activity and Ciel was restless with foreboding. That had everyone on edge at the manor.
They hadn't been able to find the reason for Alois ability and that just meant trouble, Ciel hadn't brought him back from death to torture him, and seeing him suffer had not been acceptable. That was something he wanted to prevent from happening again, and he was no close to prevent it if he didn't know what caused it. Sebastians observation of the blond hadn't revealed anything unusual for a human, yet. But it was agreed they will keep watching out for anything put of the ordinary.
All of his affairs were done, so he now could focus on his recent plans for Harry.
Sirius wasn't too thrilled about the play date at Malfoy Manor but he knew better than to say anything about it. Regulus wanted to see Narcisa even if he wasn't on board with meeting Lucius or any other death eater. Even if he was in the same house than Bellatrix he wasn't so sure about talking with her, yet. He was plain in his wishes of not being associated with Voldemort or the death eaters anymore. He didn't want anything to do with them, but also he wasn't too thrilled with Dumbledore or the other side of the war, not if they keep discriminating dark magic.
He shared with Ciel and Sebastian the little information that he possessed about his former master with next to no prompting. He wanted to cooperate.
Apparently the dark lord had entrusted his inner circle death eaters with some sort of object or treasure they had to protect at all costs. Ciel suspected it could be horrocruxes but wasn't sure. Certainly he found the whole ordeal of dividing a soul to be in poor taste. That a piece of such a vile creature could be inside Harry made his skin crawl and he could barely contain his growing anger. Souls had to be kept intact and that someone had decided to foolishly divide one and lost control of it to the point it attached to the first thing it could… well if that wasn't a sign of their inadequate nature, he didn't know what it was.
This certainly opened a whole world of possibilities and offered some insight on Dumbledore's scheming ways. The man had to be aware to a degree of what he was facing if his defeat of Grindelwald was to be believed.
Heralded as the most powerful wizard of his time and the only one that Voldemort feared, Ciel found Albus Dumbledore to be lacking and suspicious. He had to have hidden interests; otherwise he couldn't understand his behavior.
They spent hours discussing Dumbledore's possible hidden agenda and they just couldn't understand it, Regulus certainly held a grudge for what the old man did to Sirius (even if he wouldn't admit to it) and wanted to take revenge against Dumbledore as much as he wanted to defeat Voldemort, faced with unquestionable evidence of his inadequacy as the leader of the dark families, it wouldn't be reasonable otherwise. He had learned of the horrocruxes before his death and that decided him to actually face the man. Now, learning that he'd been vanquished by a mere babe that was also cursed to house a part of the man's soul. Well.
After learning of the existence of more horcruxes than the one he'd discovered, the younger Black had kept to his own devices. He had to weigh his options, his mother had died, and he didn't know what happened to the house or their assets. He bet Lucius Malfoy was just waiting to stake a claim thanks to his marriage to Narcisa, but he couldn't allow that to happen. He was still here, be it by chance or an impossible feat of magic. He was indebted to the Phantomhive, a debt he wouldn't be able to pay in this lifetime and he intended to honor it, for the future prosperity and rebirth of the House of Black. It fell on his shoulders, he assumed as much, but before acting as he so wished, he needed to know where his older brother stood. Sirius was the natural firstborn, the heir. Even if his mother disinherited him, it mattered not. Magic didn't worry about such petty things.
Sirius was the current head of the household whether he liked it or not.
Sirius had been in Azkaban and even if he'd been free, Regulus didn't trust his brother to do what needed to be done. And if he wanted to do what must be done he had to go out into society again and abandon the safety of his "dead" and he didn't know if he was ready to face it all, if he were honest with himself, he felt inadequate for all that was surely expected of him as the formal heir of the house of Black. Things had changed after he died. Seeing the locket and reading the note he left in the cave before dying… and seeing the real Horcrux.
What had he wanted to accomplish? That, he had to face it now, had been incredibly foolish and something more amongst the line of things Sirius might do.
The future of his family and legacy was hanging and Regulus couldn't let it all go to waste, his family, the house of Black had to rise once again.