======== Part 41. Tournament, duel, blood and eternal love ==========
On this day, February was trying to give way to spring as quickly as possible. A warm breeze ruffled his hair, tickling his neck. Black squinted happily, turning his face to the sun, and the smell of seaweed brought to mind thoughts of boating.
Today, Cassius watched as his masters finished work on the stands. Only the final touches remained, and then the project could be handed over to the Hogwarts administration. While Hassan was studying new knowledge in the Black library, Cassius visited his parents' manor and moved to Hogsmeade, from where he walked to Black Lake. Turning towards the castle, he saw Dumbledore and Bagman walking leisurely towards him.
The wizards approached the shore and began to examine the gigantic structures of the stands being erected directly in the lake.
"Mr Black," said Dumbledore, turning away from the wizards bustling busily back and forth.
"Yes, Headmaster?" Cassius also turned to him.
"You were Miss Delacour's partner at the Yule Ball. Under the terms of the second round, the champions will have to rescue their closest friends from the bottom of the lake. We decided that the ball partners would be ideal for this task.
"You will be enchanted and placed at the bottom of the lake," Bagman added. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to the captives. Magical rescuers will be on duty in case the champion fails to complete the task.Cassius looked from one wizard to the other in amazement:
"And you're offering me the role of prisoner for Miss Delacour?" the boy asked, unable to believe his ears.
"Yes, Mr. Black," Bagmen replied enthusiastically.
Cassius smiled crookedly, shaking his head:
"No, gentlemen. Miss Delacour is just an acquaintance of mine, and I have no interest in spending the day unconscious in icy water when I could be comfortably seated in the stands under a blanket, watching the champions compete on the screens. Hot tea and croissants are much more appealing to me today.
"But don't you want to help the beautiful French champion?" Dumbledore tried from the other side.
"Not at all, gentlemen," Cassius smiled slyly. "I am a patriot of magical England and will be rooting for Mr. Diggory.
"That's a pity, Lord Black," the great light flashed angrily through his glasses as he turned away.
"Well, we still have time," Bagman shrugged, looking at Dumbledore. "We'll find someone for the French."
***
On that day, everything was overcast, but the sun sometimes broke through the clouds, giving off a rare warmth, although the lake water still looked icy. The spectator stands were full of people, everyone who wanted to watch the second stage of the competition had gathered here.
Students from all three schools, judges, relatives, and spectators who had gathered here today were cheerfully shouting and making noise. Sometimes a group of students would start chanting slogans and cheers in support of their school.
The champions were already standing on the platform near the water, preparing to dive in. Only Potter was missing.
Cassius sat next to Hassan, pouring hot tea into cups from a large thermos. Throwing a cover over the cups to distract attention, he quickly poured Henri IV Dudognon into the tiny glasses. The magicians clinked the glasses together and drank. The pleasant warmth of the fine cognac immediately spread through their throats, warming their bodies and lifting their spirits.
"Well, here's to her victory!" exclaimed Hassan, clinking glasses.
"Eh, no," Cassius shook his finger and put a slice of lemon in his mouth. "I'm still rooting for Diggory, he's the real Hogwarts champion.
"Hey, Hogwarts and Beauxbatons have the same number of wins. A gentleman should let a lady go first," Al-Mansur said instructively, raising his finger.
"Yes, yes," Cassius grinned, "says the man from the East, where women walk behind you with their faces covered.
"What are you talking about?" Hassan clapped his hands feignedly. "We always have sun, heat, and dry wind. Women dress that way so as not to spoil their beautiful delicate skin. It's you wild Englishmen who don't understand anything about the East."
Both magicians laughed merrily, and Cassius immediately poured more...
Thus, teasing each other and discussing the upcoming tournament, the friends had a good time.
***
Draco was also sitting among his classmates, frowning angrily as he waited for the tournament to begin. When he found out who the Champions would be rescuing from under the water, his first impulse was to go and make a scene with Snape. However, after cooling down a little and thinking about the situation, he realised that it wouldn't change anything. After Hermione's sudden departure from Transfiguration class, the next day in the Great Hall, those who subscribed to the Daily Prophet saw a real sensation. On the second page was a short article by Rita Skeeter, which she dedicated to a young Hogwarts student.
The idle journalist had already managed to dig up that Hermione was not a mudblood at all, but quite an interesting witch. She was recognised and accepted as an heir by the famous potions master Dumbledore. Now Hermione was becoming an enviable bride, as the old man had accumulated quite a fortune during his long life. Even the Slytherins began to look at the Gryffindor table with some interest.
Due to the fact that many were related to each other, the search for the most suitable partner was far from an empty topic of discussion at home. Therefore, young wizards and witches in their senior years at Hogwarts carefully evaluated potential candidates. Today, a cloud of post birds flew out of the school owlery, hurrying to deliver the latest news to their parents.
A couple of days later, Hermione, who had already gotten used to automatically checking her food and drink, once again noticed unaccounted-for additives in her juice. She demonstratively spilled it on the floor and looked around angrily. Everyone understood who was responsible, so there were fewer attempts to slip love potions into her drink.
"And where is this Potter?" Draco muttered lazily, as if to no one in particular. "Am I the only one who thinks he's delaying the tournament?"
"There he is, running," Theodore Nott pointed along the shore.
Turning their heads, the Slytherins saw Potter rushing along the water's edge towards the competition venue.
"All the champions are saving their dance partners, and Potter is saving his Weasley," Malfoy said contemptuously. "Maybe we don't know something about them, friends..."
The Slytherins roared with laughter. After laughing and making a few more dirty jokes at the Gryffindors' expense.
Daphne Greengrass looked at the Beauxbaton delegation and sneered contemptuously:
"The French girl is going to save her little sister, whom her parents brought to watch the tournament and cheer for Delacour.
"Yes, the girl will see everything now, and then she'll get a little sick," Pansy laughed nastily. "From the bottom of the lake... Thanks to her parents for letting them drown their child.
Draco was very angry that such a commotion had arisen around Hermione. It wasn't that he claimed any right to communicate with the girl, but little by little, irritation was building up inside him. Where were all these womanisers when she was a dirty little orphan?
On the contrary, everyone tried to hurt her as much as possible, envying her talent for magic. And when everyone realised what a beauty was hiding behind the facade of a Gryffindor nerd, many decided to try to take her in as a kept woman after school.
Draco didn't admit it to himself, but somewhere deep down he was jealous of her, especially of that boastful flyer. Malfoy used to admire the achievements of the Bulgarian Seeker; he had his cards and moving photos of his victories at home. But now it seemed to him that the clumsy-looking and slightly bow-legged Bulgarian was unworthy of even being near his Hermione, let alone touching her or saving her.
When Cassius privately shared Narcissa's health problems with him, the heir to the family almost ran away from Hogwarts that same day. Draco desperately wanted to see his mother and hug her, help her in some way, just be near her... Realising who he could lose, his hands trembled all evening. Fortunately, his godfather gave Malfoy a sedative and, in his usual sarcastic manner, scolded him for his recklessness.
Potter finally caught up with the rest of the participants, and Bagman began to announce the conditions of the competition. When Fleur slowly and smoothly removed her outer clothing, leaving her beautifully toned body in a tight-fitting swimsuit, an excited gasp spread through the stands, and Hassan nearly choked on another glass of brandy.
The other Champions also hurried to prepare. Kram began his animagic transformation into a shark-man, Fleur and Cedric limited themselves to head bubbles, and Potter put something in his mouth, causing real gills to appear on his neck.
The champions dived into the dark water, and the spectators began to follow their movements on special screens. Several miniature cameras hovered above each champion, tracking their path, and a single huge screen showed an overall picture, as if from a bird's eye view.
When Fleur couldn't cope with the grindilow and got tangled up in seaweed, the spectators gasped with excitement, and the water immediately turned cloudy, mixed with the contestant's blood. Cassius struggled to hold back Hassan, who rushed to her aid. Biting his lips, he watched intently as the girl tried again and again to break through the swarm of grindilows, but was forced to turn back helplessly towards the starting area.
Kram, as befits a shark, glided forward swiftly, scaring away all the underwater creatures in his path, and was already approaching the mermaid village. There, in the square, tied to a huge triton figure with strong seaweed, the victims of the tournament waited for their rescuers.
Strangely enough, Potter was the first to reach the underwater square. It is unknown what he ate at the start, but his arms and legs had gained extra webbing, his eyes could see everything as if he were on land, and his strength had increased significantly. Harry easily outran the flocks of wild grindylows and was able to reach the square first. Swimming towards the victims, he spotted Hermione, Ron, Cho Chang and a little girl who looked like Fleur.
After freeing Weasley, Potter was about to swim back when Cedric appeared in the square, followed by Crum. The champions quickly grabbed their rescuees, and Harry was left alone again in the square, slowly towing the rather heavy Ron. At the edge of the village, he stopped to catch his breath, but no one came for the fourth victim. Hesitating, under the disapproving gestures of the underwater inhabitants, Harry freed the little girl. Then he swam away, dragging both of them with great difficulty and heading back.
Cedric Diggory was the first to jump out of the water, holding the tiny Chinese girl in his arms, and quickly carried her to Madam Pomfrey's tent. Hogwarts erupted in loud applause. Everyone shouted in support of their champion, the pipes sounded again, and the house flags flew, with the happy badgers trying especially hard.
Crumb was the second to reach the shore, dramatically transforming into a human being with a sleeping Hermione in his arms while still in mid-air. Nodding to the Durmstrang students who congratulated him, he quickly made his way to the nurse's tent.
Fleur crawled out onto the pier, covered in wounds, her body covered with small bites from Grindilow, blood oozing from numerous holes in her swimsuit. The man and woman who had been sitting on the stands rushed to her, followed by Hassan, who jumped up immediately.
Running up to the girl, who was surrounded by her parents trying to help, he took out his wand and cast Marrakesh's healing spell. And while everything the Delacuras had tried had been ineffective, the young man's spell worked instantly. The bloody wounds began to disappear without a trace, leaving her skin completely clean. With a second wave of his wand, the Moroccan restored her costume to its original state.
"That's it," he nodded to the grateful parents. "Now take her to a doctor and give her something to drink to help her blood production. Fleur must have lost a lot of blood in the water. She didn't feel it in the cold, but once she got into the artificially heated area, all her wounds started bleeding. I live on the coast, and we treat Grindilow bites with special spells, because ordinary spells don't work as well on these magical creatures.
"Thank you, young man," the woman smiled at him. "I am Apollin Delacour, and I thank you for your help.
"Hassan Al-Mansur," the wizard introduced himself, "pleased to meet you, Lady.
Fleur's father also shook his hand firmly and invited him to visit their home if Al-Mansur ever happened to be in France.
Hassan helped the distraught Fleur to the medic's tent. She kept trying to get back into the water, muttering about her sister, but her parents calmed her down, assuring her that the mermaids would not harm the captives. The contest organisers were simply trying to create tension for the Champions so that they would strive to achieve results as quickly as possible.
"Do you really think we would let Gabrielle be sent to the bottom if we hadn't received a magical oath from Dumbledore?" Apollin reassured her. "Your sister was in no danger, calm down."
"It's all right," her father stroked her shoulder. "The main thing is that you are safe and sound. That young man used some of his people's magic, you won't even have a scar, don't worry."
"So what if scars from magical creatures can't be removed? They would remind me of how weak I was," Fleur said defiantly. "For some reason, spells work completely differently in water," she complained, confused.
After sending her to the nurse's tent, Delacour's parents turned back, and there they found Potter, who had just reached the pier, struggling to pull Ronald Weasley and their daughter behind him. The Delacours hurried forward again, but Potter had already been helped onto the pier and had pulled the rescued out. Blankets were immediately thrown over them, and the Delacour family rushed over and grabbed the smiling Gabrielle. The girl clearly enjoyed her adventure at Black Lake, as was evident from her beaming face.
The entire red-haired family gathered around Harry and Ron, cheering him on and hugging his younger son. Seizing the moment, Bill whispered to Percy with a smirk that perhaps the Beauxbaton champion had caught his eye with her rear end, especially when she was undressing on the pier.
Percy rolled his eyes and suggested that his brother marry someone quickly and leave the Frenchwoman alone.
"She's half-Wail," Percival said, twirling his finger at his temple. "You'll be drooling all day."
"That's okay," Bill grinned, "I picked up a great amulet in Egypt that protects against Veela magic. Not only does it block their charm, but it also makes the birds themselves feel a strong attraction to the wizard. I used it many times in the brothels of Egypt," he grinned lewdly, and Percy just sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Look at her family," Bill continued, nodding towards the Delakuros hugging their youngest daughter. "Her mother has so many diamonds that you could build two more Burrows for a couple of those chicks, brother.
"There's at least three months to go before the final," Percy shrugged. "I think you've got plenty of time to pluck that bird.
"Right," Bill laughed, slapping his brother on the shoulder. "She's not going anywhere.
The judges awarded first place to Diggory, with the other champions following behind him. Workers dismantled the stands and loaded them into containers with extra space, while Cassius listened to suggestions for the organisation of the third stage at a meeting. They even had to bring a sphinx from Egypt, so Cassius was racking his brains trying to figure out how to organise everything.
Hagrid suggested using local monsters; he had just bred some new chimeras, which the half-giant called snouttails. He also suggested bringing in several large acromantulas and releasing them all into the maze.
When the heated half-giant promised to catch a nundu in the Forbidden Forest and deliver it to the start of the tournament, even McGonagall looked at him disapprovingly.
"Let's limit the dangers for the champions," she shook her head. "Otherwise, I'm afraid your pets will simply eat them, dear Hagrid."
The disappointed gamekeeper just waved his paw in disappointment.
***
Today, Hassan invited Fleur for a walk in Hogsmeade. Arm in arm with the charming half-veela, they walked down the street, curiously looking at the names of the shops.
"Madam Puddifoot's Café," the half-veiled girl read on the sign. "Shall we go in?"
Al-Mansur smiled in agreement, and the couple entered the café. They sat down at a table for two and began reminiscing about the tournament at Durmstrang and comparing it to the current one.
Fleur shared her experiences during the second stage, when Grindylow's poisonous saliva made her believe that her sister might drown at the bottom. No one listened to her, convincing her that everything would be fine and that only the Marrakesh man's magic had worked as it should, gradually removing the hallucinations from her mind.
Hassan smiled warmly, enjoying the sight of the flushed, impulsive girl. The hot Eastern guy felt a kind of aching tenderness for this incredible blonde and had already decided that he didn't need anyone else.
Their warm conversation was suddenly interrupted in the most unceremonious manner. A tall red-haired guy with a manly, weather-beaten face simply pulled up a chair next to Fleur and sat down. He was neatly dressed, and a silver amulet glinted on his chest.
"Hello, do you mind if I join you?" the redhead said with a smile. "I'm Bill Weasley, I saw your performance in the second stage of the tournament, my friend, I liked it.
He smiled so expressively that Hassan, stunned by such impudence, immediately wanted to punch him in the face; Fleur, on the contrary, felt a burning desire for this guy.
Not understanding what was happening to her, she simply froze, trying to fight herself and make sense of what was going on.
"Listen, mate," Bill said to the Marrakesh man. "Go get us some cream beer, we're thirsty." He put a couple of gold coins on the table and looked at Fleur. "What would you like, beautiful? We have some excellent eclairs and wine," he said, placing his hand on the half-veiled girl's shoulder in a familiar manner.
When the slow-witted girl didn't even try to shake off the redhead's paw, Hassan lost his nerve and, moving sharply closer, grabbed Weasley by the chest and broke the redhead's jaw with his fist, sending him crashing into the café wall. The force of the blow tore Bill's shirt, leaving a piece of the collar and a medallion in Hassan's hand.
The crowd began to stir, some girls screamed, and Fleur, trying with all her might to chase away the obsession, looked at Hassan and immediately felt that sweet longing inside her again. Only now it was directed at the Marrakesh man.
"What's happening to me?" In a rage, Fleur bit her lip until it bled.
At that moment, Hassan, realising that he was holding something in his hand, threw the scraps of clothing and the medallion towards the unconscious Bill, and the source of his desire shifted back to his defeated enemy.
"The medallion of seduction!" A fierce fire flashed in Fleur's mind. "He used it on me somehow. No wonder I'm acting like a cheap prostitute in a brothel!"
"Incendio!" the girl barked, directing the spell at the silver trinket, which miraculously failed to reach the unconscious redhead.
The medallion immediately began to melt, and she instantly felt free from the imposed desires.
"You bastard!" Fleur screamed furiously, feeling herself unconsciously begin to take on her second form. "You decided to put a leash on me, you scoundrel?!"
Khan barely managed to distract the angry girl from killing the redhead. At that moment, the senior Gryffindors entered the café and discovered a scene of complete devastation. They looked around in confusion until they saw Weasley lying against the wall.
"Bill?" cried the tall red-haired Gryffindor and rushed to the boy on the floor. "Energysnack, Bill, wake up, come on, wake up!"
The older Weasley slowly stirred and sat up, gradually coming to his senses.
"What hit me like a centaur's kick?" the man muttered, then his eyes fell on Fleur, who was burning with rage. "Did your boyfriend knock me out, girlfriend?"
Fleur wanted to curse him immediately, but the second red-haired guy blocked the bastard, who was quickly coming to his senses.
"Listen, you smoked meat," Bill barked, leaning on the younger man and struggling to his feet. "I challenge you to a magical duel, one on one. Just you and me. There's a village called Ardsleignesh on the shore not far from here. We'll settle all our differences tomorrow, near the ruined castle. Well, are you in?"
Hassan snorted contemptuously and nodded:
"Don't be late, redhead. Maybe you're just brave with your words? Come on, Fleur, it stinks of red rats here."
Fleur walked nervously all the way to Hogwarts, where Hassan had offered to accompany her. Stopping at the carriage, she turned to him anxiously and looked him demandingly in the eyes:
"Don't go to that duel, please!" She stamped her foot on the half-veil. "Weasley isn't worth it. Who knows what dirty trick that redhead has in store for you.
Hassan just shook his head, gently holding her hand: "How could he, a warrior, refuse a duel, especially in front of so many people? Only an Avada Kedavra spell would rid him of such shame."
"Don't worry, Fleur," he smiled reassuringly at the girl. "I'm very good friends with combat magic. I was second in my class at Wagadu, and I didn't forget to practise afterwards."
***
The dignified Kricher, with a sense of self-importance, deftly poured tea and placed plates of fresh pastries on the table. Both wizards immediately reached for the croissants, bumping into each other halfway. Laughing, the boys divided their spoils and happily sipped the hot, fragrant drink.
"Thank you, Kreacher, you've made an excellent dinner," Cassius thanked the house elf.
"This isn't dinner, it's a treat," grumbled the mischievous elf. "You need to eat meat, sir! Meat with good ale, not French rolls.
"Don't grumble, old man," the boys laughed. "Beef and ale are fine, of course, but sometimes you want something sweet.
The dissatisfied brownie disappeared without saying goodbye, and Cassius listened to the story of Hassan's adventures in Hogsmeade.
"So you saved a defenseless girl," Black grinned, "and like a true knight, you decided to marry her?"
"At first I was completely stunned," Hassan admitted. "That redhead was about to grope her, and Fleur just sat there as if that was normal. Then it turned out that the freak was using magic on her.
"Yeah, right," Cassius grinned, "we've got an amulet like that lying around here somewhere. Our ancestors must have been mischievous. You know, in England, they treat Veelas and their children too lightly. So the artefactors come up with all kinds of junk.
"Tomorrow I'll beat the crap out of that red-haired shithead, and he'll be too scared to come near us," laughed Hassan. "He didn't look like much of a wizard to me.
"Be careful, my friend," Cassius said seriously. "Even a small snake can deliver a deadly bite."
"No, my friend, that red-haired slime won't even come near me," Al-Mansur snorted. "Father won't let me home if he finds out who I lost to. Fleur asked the Hogwarts girls about him. Weasley is a beggar curse-breaker at Gringotts, from a family of blood traitors. I'm surprised he even bothered with us.
"Don't say that, my friend. Curse breakers are very skilled wizards, even if they're not very powerful.
"Well, we'll see tomorrow," Hassan concluded. "Okay, I'm going to bed, Cass.
Cassius watched his friend climb the stairs, asked Kreacher to pour him a glass of firewhisky, and settled back in his chair, thinking, "Maybe I should cover Hassan in case something unexpected happens? If his opponent were anyone else, I wouldn't interfere, but those Weasleys are vile creatures. They're capable of anything. What if Dumbledore shows up in disguise instead of Bill? At least this way we'll be able to escape."
"Kreacher," Cassius called softly.
"Yes, Lord Black?" The house-elf appeared immediately.
"Put a magic beacon under my friend's insole. He has a duel tomorrow, and I want to make sure everything is fair. And be ready if you're needed," Cassius ordered quietly.
"Yes, master," the house spirit bowed and immediately disappeared.
In the morning, when Cassius woke up, Hassan was already gone. The magician went to the place of the duel, although there were still a couple of hours left before the meeting. He wanted to carefully examine everything around him so that there would be no surprises later. Sometimes a mole hole under your foot could lead to defeat or even death. Despite his seemingly reckless behaviour and bravado, Hassan was far from stupid; he was an experienced and skilled warrior.
After carefully checking the area near the sea where the duel was supposed to take place, Hassan sat down in the lotus position and began to rock the spring, preparing for the fight.
There was a loud bang on the hill, and Hassan saw the red-haired guy from earlier walking confidently towards him.
"Well, are you ready?" the redhead asked him with a contemptuous smile. "I told all my friends that I was going to London on business and that I had enough time to teach you the rules of behaviour among real wizards.
"Who does this fool take me for?" Hassan wondered. "Maybe he thinks I'm one of those unwashed guys who work in Grangemouth?"
Hassan took out his wand and stood in a fighting stance.
"Enough talk, you red-haired nobody," the boy said, waving his hand invitingly to his opponent. "I'm tired of listening to your nonsense. Attack."
Bill had no intention of talking any more, and immediately threw the Reduct, then another and another. The Marrakesh man took cover behind his impenetrable shield and began to respond quickly with simple spells, probing his opponent's defences.
After a few minutes, Al-Mansur realised that his blows were more powerful and began to increase the pressure, going on the offensive more and more often. The spells whistled with redoubled force, and Bill began to retreat, putting up new shields. Each of Hassan's blows shook his defences more and more noticeably. Suddenly, "Cutting" broke through the weakened shield, and Weasley's leg was stained with blood for the first time...
Cassius apparated a kilometre away from the fight, cast a disillusionment charm on himself, and slowly made his way to the sea. He saw the ruins of the fortress in the distance and moved slowly towards it from the leeward side. Less than a hundred metres from the clearing, Black sat down on a boulder and began to watch the unfolding drama.
The opponents met, exchanged words, and began a magical battle. Weasley attacked, skilfully distributing his forces, while Hassan defended himself easily and then went on the offensive. After a while, Cassius decided that the battle would soon end in victory for Al-Mansur, but suddenly events occurred that made Black jump up from the rock in disbelief and rush to help.
Hassan was already celebrating victory, breaking through the redhead's defence. The wizard turned out to be a dangerous opponent, constantly changing tactics and manoeuvring. Gradually, they reached the wall of the fortress, and Al-Mansur breathed out gloatingly, because the Englishman had nowhere to retreat.
"Depulso," Hassan growled, and Weasley was thrown back, hitting the wall hard. "That's it, you're done for, redhead," Hassan thought cheerfully, raising his wand and beginning to cast "disarming," but then an "Expelliarmus" flew at him from behind and knocked the concentrator out of Al-Mansur's hand.
He jumped to the side, trying to roll away from the next attack, but behind him he heard the shrill cry again: "Everte Statum!"
A powerful spell immediately flipped the Marrakesh man's body in the air, slamming him into the fortress wall with all its might. The guy fell down like a sack of sand, losing consciousness. In what seemed to be an empty space, slowly losing its transparency, another redhead appeared out of thin air...
"Thanks, Percy," Bill croaked as he got up. "You took your time, brother. That 'smoky' guy almost got me. Now I'll teach him a lesson," the man hissed viciously.
He began to kick the unconscious body with relish, trying to hit the face. "Here, you bastard, n-na..."
Then he created a fiery whip at the end of the stick and began to lash the unconscious Marrakesh man with fury.
"Finish him off and let's go home," Percy spat out shrillly, shrugging his shoulders. "Who knows who might come here..."
Suddenly, his voice was cut off by a strangled whistle. A figure emerged from behind his brother, grabbed him by the head with one hand, pulled it back, and slit his throat with the other.
"Percy!" Bill yelled, waving his whip. "What did you do, you bastard?!"
He stared in disbelief at his brother's body falling to the killer's feet, then turned his furious gaze to his new enemy.
"Avada Kedav..." he began, with a fierce desire to punish the murderer, but immediately cried out in pain when a non-verbal "Seku" severed his hand along with his wand.
"Episkai," "Ferula," "Somnus," Cassius coldly stopped the bleeding in the stump, wrapped it with a bandage, and then put Weasley, who was twitching as if in a seizure, to sleep.
Finished with his enemies, Cassius rushed to Hassan's body and clicked his tongue in disappointment. While he was trying to approach the scene of the tragedy without making any noise, Weasley had managed to badly mutilate and desecrate his friend's body.
"Morgana," Cassius cursed, casting a freeze spell on Al-Mansur, then shrinking him into a stone figure and carefully placing him in his pocket. He did the same with both Weasleys, then methodically began to cover up all traces of what had happened. Dispelling even the faintest magical emanations, Cassius apparated away, heading for his parents' manor via intermediate points.
The old healer of the Malfoy family tenderly watered his favourite flowers. He just needed to add some dragon dung, and then he could call it a day. His grandson, who had graduated from Hogwarts five years ago and had been studying with his grandfather ever since, looked up in surprise when he noticed the Patronus seeping through the wall.
"Master, please come to us as soon as possible," said the glowing whale's head in Cassius's voice.
"Oh, what's happened to them now?" The concerned healer immediately rushed out of the greenhouse.
Cassius broke the spell on his friend and placed him in the living room on a transfigured medical couch. He ordered the house elves to monitor his condition, sent his patronus to the healer, and meanwhile carried the Weasley bodies closer to the altar hall so that they could not be traced by blood. Then he carefully wrote a letter to his father and sent an owl to Switzerland.
The healer groaned and immediately set about healing Hassan, saying that it would be best to send him to Mungo's.
"I'm sorry, healer," Cassius shook his head. "He can't go to Mungo's, he's from an unfriendly country, there will be too many questions about his injuries.
"Then, Cassius," the healer scratched the back of his head. "Tell the elf who's on duty to give him these potions three times a day and these ones once a day. I'll check on him in a couple of days and adjust the dosage if necessary. Of course, it would be easier if Draco were looking after him, but, alas, I doubt they'll let him leave Hogwarts in the middle of the year," smiled the healer. "It's a pity, you have a talented brother growing up.
In the evening, a couple of wizards appeared in the manor, looking exactly like Black and Al-Mansur.
"Sit down, gentlemen," Cassius waved them towards the chairs and signalled to the elves to bring firewhisky. "How did it go?"
At that moment, the guests underwent a reverse transformation, and a few seconds later, the vassals of the Malfoy clan were sitting opposite the young man, grinning.
"Everything's fine," Crabbe muttered. "We reminisced a little about our youth and had some fun. True, the regulars at the Boar's Head were watching us with sour faces." "He took a good swig."
"And your French girls played along well, they turned out to be clever girls," Goyle grinned. "Your friend's girlfriend was so charming that I thought even Aberforth would abandon his goat and go hug her, let alone the rest of those drunks," he laughed loudly, remembering the bearded man's leering glances.
"We took our time walking them back to the carriage in the evening, so everyone could see them, and then we came to you," Crabbe said wearily. "Oh, how can you young people run around all day like that?
"Thank you," Cassius smiled. "Of course, all this acting may not be necessary, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
***
The next day, after making sure that the house spirits had not made a mistake, Cassius transgressed to his teacher's estate, and from there he set off for Marrakesh. Finding the palace of Al-Mansur, he asked the guards to report his arrival.
Before he could climb the steps, the palace owner himself rushed out to meet him.
"Greetings, honourable Mahmoud Abbas, lord of Marrakesh," bowed the young magician. "My name is Cassius Black, I am your son's friend. He was slightly injured in a duel yesterday, but his life is not in danger.
Mahmoud Abbas exhaled silently, his face miraculously unchanged.
"But it so happened," Cassius continued, "that his opponent behaved dishonourably...
And he told me in detail how it all happened.
"Hassan is now at my estate, recovering with the help of our family healer," Black continued. "But I would ask you to arrange for his secret departure from England as soon as it is safe for him to travel.
Mahmoud Abbas raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"The thing is," Cassius smiled crookedly. "His enemy is a close associate of a very influential man here, Albus Dumbledore. I'm afraid they will do everything in their power to avenge your son.
"I will find those jackals myself and skin them alive," Al-Mansur's face turned black as he grabbed his beard. "Weasley, you said? I'll remember that name.
"Dear Mahmoud Abbas," Cassius's eyes turned completely black for a moment, and the air around him grew slightly colder. "Those who wanted to kill your son are already dead. For certain reasons, their deaths on our altar are required for the good of our family.
The palace master nodded understandingly:
"Very well, Lord Black, so be it. Let me know when my son is able to get up, and I will send people with an international portal. And thank you for not letting him die.
Cassius nodded with a smile and spread his arms:
"Hassan is my friend, and true friends are no less precious to a wizard than family.
In response, the stern face of the Eastern magician broke into an approving smile:
"I invite you to my home, dear guest. A friend of my son is a friend of the Al-Mansur family. Share bread and wine with me, and I will tell you about the interesting things you can see in our beautiful country.