For eight years, since he had impulsively left England for reasons even he couldn't fully understand, Alphard had settled in the British colony of Hong Kong. At first, he felt lost in his new life, but soon realized that it was the perfect place to pursue his dream: buying, rescuing, and reselling magical artifacts and art to the highest bidder.
Most of the time, it was simple work—visiting someone looking to pass on an inheritance. But sometimes, he had to go to dangerous places, like the underground ruins of a magical city where he was now, searching for an ancient jade statue.
The only obstacle was that the place was supposed to be guarded by dragons. Luckily, due to the biological cycle of Chinese meteors, they should have been nearing puberty at this time of year, hibernating due to their scale-shedding period.
That's why Alphard took the risk of entering the location, accompanied by one of his employees. However, they had to split up at a fork in the path. This ultimately led the man to the dire situation he now found himself in.
He had made the worst mistake one could make when entering an animal's territory. He had stumbled into the nest of its offspring, and as anyone with basic biological knowledge knows, no matter how peaceful a species may be, if it feels its young are threatened, it will go to any lengths to protect them.
Nothing compares to the fury of a mother defending her young.
Those dragonlings weren't supposed to be there. The pregnancy had been atypical, something the expert Alphard had hired failed to predict.
Alphard jumped behind a rock at the last second, narrowly escaping the flames the mother unleashed in his direction. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two hatchlings retreating to the back of the cave.
The space he had to move was too small. It was only a matter of time before the female dragon cornered him completely. He had only one option, and it wasn't a pleasant one. He would have to fight her.
Alphard took a deep breath, steeling himself to face her.
He focused, trying to channel enough energy through his wand to strike with full force as soon as he circled the rock.
He moved stealthily, but even so, the female noticed his movements and turned. Alphard rolled on the ground, dodging her tail as she swung it at him. He fired a burst of magic in her direction, and luckily, she staggered and collapsed heavily. It was clear he had struck a vital point.
A wave of relief washed over him as the dragon's head hit the ground, but in the next moment, with a final effort, she opened her crimson eyes. Flames erupted toward Alphard, and he thought it was the end.
In that fleeting instant, he understood the truth behind it all...
The barriers of the ancient Obliviate he had been subjected to crumbled. Alphard remembered Marguerith. The nights they spent together. The promise of marriage. Old Sirius manipulating his mind with the Imperius Curse.
He couldn't die such a foolish death. Without thinking, he cast a spell at the ceiling. A wall of rocks shielded him. He could still feel the heat of the flames through the rocky barrier separating him from the dying dragoness.
He was trapped at the back of the cave, but it was only a matter of time before his employee came to rescue him.
Now that he knew the truth, he had to live. He wanted to return to London, to see Marguerith again, even knowing it was too late to win her love.
The carriage jolted along the narrow streets of a small English town, heading toward a cemetery located in a distant corner. As usual, Irma Crabbe Black had decided to visit her father's grave on the anniversary of his death. Newly returned to the country, Alphard Black accompanied his mother.
The man glanced sideways at the family matriarch. Irma remained silent, gazing out the window with a vacant, thoughtful expression. As the second eldest child, Alphard remembered more clearly than his younger brother the mistreatment their mother had suffered at the hands of Pollux Black. The parties and prostitutes were bad enough, but their father often came home drunk, arguing with his wife, which invariably ended with Irma's cries reaching Alphard's ears when he was just a boy. Walburga was already at Hogwarts by the time things got worse.
Irma tried to hide the bruises under makeup and heavy dresses, avoiding any suspicion from those around her.
Though Pollux was the aggressor, it was her father she blamed, as the marriage between Pollux and Irma had been arranged by their families—still a common practice among the older generation.
She had sought help from old Horatio Crabbe, only to be told that for the sake of honor and propriety, a wife must submit to her husband's desires.
Abandoned by her own father, she resigned herself to her fate.
Due to his mother's silence and his own frustration with the situation, Alphard had sought help from Hesper Black. He knew Sirius wouldn't listen. Alphard never knew what his aunt had said or done to Pollux, or whether the great patriarch had intervened, but the truth was that after that, his father never laid a hand on his wife again.
They remained married for convenience, but lived separate lives.
This brought relief to Irma, but not happiness. She buried herself in shopping and ostentation as her only means of coping with the bitterness of her life.
For that reason, Walburga, Alphard, and Cygnus always turned a blind eye to their mother's excesses.
It was also why Alphard accompanied her whenever he could to visit his grandfather's grave. He suspected his mother made the trip every year to curse him—and perhaps even spit on his grave when no one was looking.
"You should change your life, Alphie," the woman said, still looking out the window, breaking the silence. "You're much better than your father or your grandfather."
The man gave a slight nod, understanding his mother's subtle hint. After leaving England, under the influence of the Imperius Curse cast by Sirius Black, Alphard had lived a bohemian life, indulging in wine or any other form of alcohol. He had been with a few women who failed to fill the void left by Marguerith's absence in his life, even though he didn't remember his relationship with her due to the Obliviate.
However, he had never hit a woman or forced her to do something against her will. Nor had he allowed his leisure time to interfere with the work he had built for himself, buying and rescuing rare artifacts and auctioning them off to collectors worldwide.
He would never be like his father. Or his maternal grandfather. Or even Sirius Black.
That bohemian life had been his subconscious's way of coping with scars he hadn't even known existed for so long.
"Alphie?" his mother called again, bringing him back to the present moment. "I know you don't like talking about it, but maybe it's time you found a wife. You can't hold on to your passion for Marguerith forever."
Alphard lowered his face, bringing his hand to his chest; his fingers closed around the locket hidden inside his suit, where he had kept a picture of his former fiancée since returning to the country.
It seemed to him that his life's story was steeped in blood and tears... or perhaps that was the fate of everyone with Black blood. Maybe the curse was real.
He raised his face to meet his mother's worried gaze, trying to offer a reassuring smile.
Irma had her flaws, but Alphard admitted that she loved him. Of everyone in the family, she was one of the few who didn't see him as a rebel.
It was ironic that he was considered the black sheep of the family, with an older sister hungry for status and a younger brother who had married too young, without understanding the weight of his actions.
Considering the environment they grew up in, it was no surprise the family was dysfunctional.
"Don't you agree with what Uncle Sirius did to me?" he asked, unsure of the answer.
The woman shook her head.
"Of course not! You're my son. Though... I was never fond of your infatuation with that bastard girl..."
"Mother... please..."
Irma rolled her eyes.
"Alright, you're right. She's not to blame for the parents she had, just like you're not to blame for being Pollux's son."
"I just wish she knew the truth. That I didn't abandon her..." he replied, not hiding the hurt.
Irma looked back out the window; they'd soon be nearing the cemetery.
"She has two children now. Two boys—Aldebaran and Ludovic. And a stable life. She's respected among our peers. Do you really want to disrupt all that with a truth that would do no good for anyone?"
Alphard bowed his head, gripping the locket tighter.
"I don't know, Mother..."
"I hope you'll do the right thing, Alphie. I've never doubted you."