===== Part 49. An Unlucky Day for the Lestrange Family ==========
Cassius walked slowly through the corridors of Hogwarts, lost in thought. Professor Flitwick, who was accompanying him, walked alongside him. Once again, there was hardly anyone to be seen in the castle. The students were attending lectures, and there were only a few children loitering around, and even they were hurrying to find the right classroom. Autumn had not yet set in, and the castle was warm.
"Tell me, Mr Black, are you a dark wizard?" Cassius was brought out of his reverie by the little professor's unexpected question. At that moment, Flitwick did not look like a harmless eccentric. Standing next to Cassius was a truly serious wizard who had fought hundreds of battles.
"Of course," the boy smiled at the professor, "I'm Black..."
The half-goblin only grunted.
"I think you know what I meant," he said, squinting slyly.
Cassius shrugged modestly.
"I don't know what you want me to say, esteemed professor, but dark magic is prohibited by law in our country. Only employees of the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry are allowed to use it. And I believe Aurors were given permission during the Second Wizarding War.
"I mean the direction your source is taking, Mr Black," the half-goblin corrected himself. "I recognised the tattoos; there is some mention of them in the chronicles of my people. It is the mark of a servant of the dark magic of Atlantis. I don't know who played such a joke on you, if you are unaware of the true meaning of these symbols. Your story about the Scandinavian runes may have reassured Dumbledore, but I have slightly different sources. And I'm not going to share this information with anyone," protested the half-goblin, noticing Cassius's sharp gaze. "I just need to understand whether my people can cooperate with you on a matter of vital importance to us or not.
They were already walking across the courtyard when Cassius looked around carefully and, seeing nothing suspicious, said:
"I think cooperation is possible, and I don't mind discussing the matter. But certain things can only be discussed once a new government is in power. Right now, the restrictions on dark magic are too strong.
"You mean the one who must not be named?" Filius tensed.
"No, not him," Cassius smiled. "I mean myself..."
***
Harry awkwardly wrapped a cloth around his hand, which looked as if it had been carved with a scalpel: "I will never lie." The cursed "pink toad" on his detention had forced him to write with a special pen that carved the text into his hand, even though he was writing on parchment. It was very painful and humiliating, and Umbridge just grinned happily, watching the teenager's suffering. Immediately after Harry tore the pen from the parchment, the bleeding scratch closed up instantly, but then a crimson scar remained on his arm in the shape of the written phrase.
Potter didn't know if he was the only one being tortured by the new teacher DADA, or if she had victims in every department. Inside, Harry was boiling with indignation as he recalled the end of the evening's execution: "Well, I think that's enough for today," Umbridge cooed in a sickly sweet voice. "I'll see you tomorrow at the same time. Don't be late. I think you've learned a little self-control, Mr. Potter..."
"Toad, you hateful, evil toad!" The teenager grimaced with disgust.
Cursing his new teacher once more, Harry spat and continued on his way to the Gryffindor common room, feeling very much out of sorts. Despite Professor DADA's bullying, which had been going on for a week now, Potter had not told anyone about it. Not to the dean, not to Headmaster Dumbledore, not even to his new friends from the Order of the Phoenix.
He endured it bravely, ignoring even his friends' pleas to do something about it and at least talk to McGonagall. If the adults couldn't see how bad he felt and how much he was suffering, they probably had enough problems of their own. Besides, he still had to practise Quidditch and prepare for his lessons, and the pain from the feather wasn't really that bad.
"Well, at least my head has almost stopped hurting since the cemetery," Potter decided, but sometimes it felt as if someone was trying to get through to him, a sensation like ants running inside his skull.
And although Dumbledore had repeatedly asked him to come to him immediately if there were any changes in his well-being, Harry had other things on his mind right now. His studies had piled up with renewed vigour — it was his fifth year, after all — and the help with his homework that Potter had grown accustomed to over the past few years had completely disappeared. When asked if she would let him copy her work, the girl with chestnut hair just shook her head and smiled contemptuously.
Hermione had completely distanced herself from them over the summer. She hadn't sent a single letter or tried to strike up a conversation like she used to. She was cold to both him and Ron, as if they hadn't saved her life in their first year, as if they hadn't been through so much together, as if they weren't friends at all. Harry was hurt that she was treating them like strangers, and he could have used her help with his homework right now.
Harry also noticed that the other students were looking at him suspiciously, as if they thought he was a little crazy. It was all very strange, because Dumbledore had believed him last year when he said that Voldemort had returned. It must all be Minister Fudge's doing, who didn't let the truth get out, but he was at the cemetery himself, he saw everything, how can they not believe him?
***
After the Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban, Narcissa really wanted to see her sister, but since Malfoy Manor was now under the Fidelius charm, the most she could hope for was to instruct the house-elves to accept an owl from Bellatrix if she did write to her.
As children, the three sisters had been very close. But life had divided them. Andromeda had married a Muggle-born and broken off all ties with her family. The Blacks, it must be said, had always been a little obsessed with blood purity. "Maybe that's why they died," the woman sighed bitterly.
Her only hope was that Cassius would be able to revive the ancient Black family. But so far, her eldest son was in no hurry to make his mother happy, citing external dangers and the lack of a suitable girl among his acquaintances.
She had tried countless times to mend her relationship with Andy and get to know her niece, Nymphadora. After all, she didn't really care about all this pure-blood nonsense, unless it concerned something truly important.
But her sister completely cut Narcissa out of her life after she got married. She probably never forgave her and Bella for not supporting Andromeda's rebellion against the family. They both found their middle sister's behaviour repulsive.
"Marrying a quasi-Muggle? That's like falling in love with a monkey!" Narcissa grimaced in disgust.
As children, their parents had deliberately taken the girls to the Muggle world under a cloak of invisibility, and those visits were enough for Narcissa to form her opinion of them. Sleeping on the ground in a pool of their own filth, dressing up from an early age like the most depraved prostitute in Luton? Those crowds of colourfully dressed animals near the open doors of some basements, from which a cacophony of sounds and stinking smoke emanated? A nightmare! It all looked too disgusting. For a ten-year-old girl who had spent her entire life in a family manor surrounded by flowers, beautiful landscapes and elegantly dressed people, visiting Muggle habitats was a real shock.
When Andromeda announced to her parents that she was marrying a half-Muggle, Narcissa was so disgusted she almost threw up. Of course, children from the Muggle world and half-bloods attended Hogwarts, but real wizards treated them with slight, or even outright, contempt and pity, as if they were inferior.
And so Andy's child turned out to be a freak, with a congenital defect in her source. The girl had a rare gift of being able to slightly alter her appearance. In childhood, the unstable source brought a lot of trouble to the rebellious family, and Narcissa even had to persuade the family healer to secretly help the little girl when Andromeda and her daughter visited Mungo. It was impossible to take a child with an elephant's trunk on her face to a Muggle hospital in order to avoid violating the Statute of Secrecy. "It's a good thing my sister never found out who was helping her, otherwise she would have caused a scandal," the woman smiled sadly at her memories.
Of course, as an adult, Narcissa got to know the other side of the Muggle world. She and Lucius visited many beautiful places, where Narcissa was simply breathtaking by what she saw. She realised that Muggles were just like them, with their own great achievements and victories. Grand construction projects and incredible discoveries. But the feelings she had experienced as a child and which were deeply ingrained in her subconscious unconsciously influenced all her actions and beliefs. Therefore, on the one hand, she respected Andromeda's decision to build a happy life with the man she loved, but on the other hand, she still couldn't understand how she had married a Muggle-born.
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a house elf, who bowed and handed her a letter.
"My lady, a message from your sister. There are no evil spells on it," reported the serious house elf.
Narcissa immediately snatched the envelope from the magical creature's paw and nodded her thanks to the elf. With a trembling hand, she unfolded the parchment and read the uneven lines. Bellatrix invited her to Lestrange Manor and promised that her sister was in no danger.
Of course, Narcissa was afraid of exposing Draco to further danger, and he naturally had no intention of going to Lord Voldemort at the behest of "His Darkest Lord." But this was her sister, Bellatrix, whom she had not seen for thirteen years!
Cassius, who had spent several days in prison with the Death Eaters, said that Bellatrix looked completely insane, but Narcissa was desperate to see her older sister, even if it was completely irrational from a safety standpoint.
With a determined look, the woman got to her feet and went to get ready. Rushing out into the street, Narcissa noticed her eldest son walking away from the portal.
"Hi, Mum," Cassius smiled, looking at his preoccupied mother. "Is something wrong?"
"Bella sent a letter," Narcissa replied without hesitation. "She wants us to visit her at Lestrange Manor."
Cassius's face reflected his concern for his mother.
"Mum, she's crazy," Black said in surprise. "At least, that's how she seemed to me the last time I had the dubious pleasure of seeing her.
"She's my sister!" Narcissa snapped. "And it's hard to stay sane in Azkaban, especially for a woman."
Cassius thought for a moment, then said,
"Then I'll be present at this meeting. She'll definitely grant me access to the manor because of our blood connection, so I won't have any trouble getting in. I'll cast a disapparition spell and we'll go together. At least that way I'll be sure nothing happens to you."
The woman nodded reluctantly. After Moody, or whoever was behind his disguise, attacked her, her family had simply smothered Narcissa with their care. Sometimes she really wanted to yell at someone, even though she understood that it was all because they were afraid something would happen to her again.
Pushing herself, Narcissa forced a smile.
"Please, son, try not to hurt her if anything happens," she asked. "It may sound sentimental, but I still love my sisters and wouldn't want to see my son kill her.
"Only her?" Cassius asked briskly. "What if all the Lestranges try to attack you?""I don't care about the rest," Narcissa dismissed. "The main thing is that Bellatrix doesn't get hurt.
"All right, Mum," Cassius cheered up. "When are we leaving?"
"If you don't have anything else to do, I was planning to leave right now," Narcissa decided.
"I just wanted to see you, Mum, and sit by my favourite lake," Cassius smiled. "Watching the fish helps me keep my balance."
He took a piece of wood out of his pocket and handed it to Narcissa.
"Mum, take this portal artefact and if you're in danger, just squeeze it in your hand and it will transport you back to the manor. I wouldn't want you there if a fight breaks out.
After that, Cassius immediately made himself invisible, and Narcissa, taking him gently by the arm, apparated to the Lestrange manor. The woman had been to this ancient castle many times before, so she simply took hold of the bronze ring, which had a blood and magic detector built into it. The gates creaked slightly as they opened, and Lady Malfoy calmly walked inside.
The house elf appeared beside the woman and bowed, asking her to follow him to meet the owners. The entire Lestrange family was gathered in the living room, decorated with antique wood panelling in the sombre tones of the early Middle Ages. "Well, at least Voldemort isn't here," Narcissa thought with relief.
The owners of the estate looked much better than they had immediately after their release from prison. The time spent away from the mentally exhausting influence of the Dementors had done them good and filled their faces with new colour. They no longer looked like living corpses ready to crumble at any moment. Of course, they were still far from fully recovered, but the wizards were now at least capable of posing some danger to ordinary muggles.
"Hello, little sister," Bellatrix smiled warmly, standing up and spreading her arms. "How happy I am to see you, my dear!
Narcissa stared at her sister in shock. Bellatrix would never have smiled like that, let alone called Narcissa "my dear." Behind her sister's appearance was another mage who had no idea how she behaved with her loved ones.
"What does this mean, Rudolphus?" Narcissa spat angrily. "Where is my sister?"
The Devourer instantly exchanged glances with his brother and sighed in disappointment:
"She's not feeling well after Azkaban, she's sleeping in her room right now.
Narcissa frowned angrily:
"Then why all this fuss? And who is this person impersonating her?"
"The lord ordered us to bring you to him," Rudolphus shrugged reluctantly. "And this is just one of our comrades playing the role of Bellatrix. The silly girl didn't want to take part, we even had to knock her out.
"She'll remember that, I'm sure," snorted his brother Rabastan. "Bellatrix doesn't like being attacked from behind.
"So, dear Narcissa," Rudolphus grinned again. "Please don't resist. The master ordered us to bring you to him, and you hid Malfoy Manor so well under Fidelius that there's no way to get to you now.
The magicians also rose from their chairs, and Rabastan began to circle Narcissa.
"Our master also has some questions for you regarding your protection," Rudolphus continued insinuatingly, lazily playing with a wand that had suddenly appeared in his hand. "Have you been conspiring with that old madman? There are no wizards in England capable of such sorcery, and even before there were very few.
"Ahem," came a polite cough, and the silhouette of a man suddenly appeared by the window.
"I told you," he said to Narcissa, "that this was a bad idea.
An arc of spatial distortion shone around the woman, and then she instantly disappeared into the portal, breaking through the manor's strong defences. The building swayed from the recoil, and the Lestrange family barely managed to stay on their feet.
"Who are you?!" the mages turned to Cassius, warily holding their wands in front of them.
"You can consider me a messenger of Olumbe," Black grinned crookedly. "Or Grimm, if you prefer.
His eyes filled with blackness, and his smile turned into a grimace:
"And it looks like the Lestrange family will be missing a few members today.
"Take him!" Rudolphus barked, instantly connecting to the ancestral source and setting the manor's defences to maximum, blocking all means of spatial movement.
At the same time, Rabastan cast Petrify Totalus on Cassius, and the third wizard attempted to cast Binding. Black lazily deflected all of the Devourers' spells with his empty hand and shook his head, looking contemptuously at the wary wizards:
"Perhaps you don't understand, gentlemen wizards," he smiled. "It's not me who's locked in your manor right now, it's you who are locked here with me.
Suddenly, a heavy press of monstrous dark magic fell upon everyone present, so powerful that everyone except Rudolphus fell to their knees.
"Seko," Cassius growled, and the severed heads of Bellatrix and Rabastan were thrown against the wall. A stream of blood spurted from the severed necks, splattering the room, and Rudolphus, seeing what had happened to his brother, furiously launched an Avada at his enemy and immediately began bombarding Cassius with all his deadly spells, drawing generously on his ancestral power.
Any other wizard would have been crushed by such power in a matter of moments, but Black held back all of his enemy's attempts, using transfiguration and Protego spells. Suddenly, Rudolphus felt the stone floor of the ancestral mansion give way beneath his feet, and when the mage fell to his knees, it collapsed just as abruptly, crushing his legs to a pulp.
"A-a-a," Rudolphus screamed, falling on his back like a broken doll. The last thing he saw was the ugly grin of the blond wizard, who clenched his fist toward his head.
Having dealt with the last of the Lestrange family, who had proved to be quite a formidable opponent, Cassius also easily destroyed the three house-elves who had rushed at him when the defeated head of the Lestrange family fell. The loyal creatures were sprayed into bloody splatters as soon as they tried to cast a spell to protect their master.
Turning his neck and cleaning the blood from his robe with a simple spell, Cassius slowly made his way upstairs in search of his aunt. As soon as he entered the first room on the second floor, an Avada Kedavra spell flew at him, and a dishevelled, half-mad woman deftly rolled behind the bed. The mistress's loyal house-elf rushed to Cassius's feet, trying to force the wizard to stay where he was. Without changing his expression, Black immediately created a metal disc in the path of the deadly spell, which shattered the curse in a green flash. The loyal little house-elf was instantly vaporised by the dark wizard's aura, just like the others.
"Damn you," Cassius cursed, looking at his bloodstained trousers again. "Bellatrix, do you attack all your guests like this?
Without waiting for an answer, Cassius waved his hand and turned the four-poster bed into a snake, which instantly swallowed the Devourer lying behind it, leaving only its hands on the surface, one of which was clutching a curved black stick.
"You won't need that yet," said Black, wrenching the concentrator from his aunt's clenched fingers. "But this, on the other hand, will come in handy," and Cassius placed the portal artefact to the Black Manor dungeon on her hand, which Lestrange automatically grabbed.
Almost immediately after the aunt disappeared in a flash of light, an incredible blow struck the house, completely shattering the remaining defences of the estate, and a huge black aura appeared on the first floor, with protuberances resembling snakes, which immediately began to feel around everything.
Cassius descended the steps and saw a man with a snake-like face glaring angrily at the broken Lestrainleys, who were scattered picturesquely throughout the living room. Noticing Cassius coming down the stairs, the wizard turned his whole body towards him and drew his wand.
"You killed my most loyal servants, wizard?" hissed the half-reptile viciously. "Now you will die for it!"
Without waiting for a reply, a green flash flew at Cassius, which he dodged with some difficulty. Meanwhile, his opponent had no intention of stopping there, sending dozens of dark curses at Black, causing him to jump off the stairs. The force of the magical blows was such that the entire stone archway also crumbled down, leaving a gaping hole into the next room. Cassius rolled nimbly across the floor and immediately sent a "Dust Beam" at the wizard, which his surprised opponent also had to dodge.
"Could it be that Voldemort himself has come to visit his vassals?" Cassius commented mockingly on the Dark Lord's awkward jump. "Something's wrong with your coordination, Your Darkest Highness."
"Who are you?!" Voldemort's eyes burned red. "And how do you know that spell?"
"I am Cassius Black," the boy's lips twisted into a malicious smile. "And I already know who you are, half-blood. You are a cadaver, reborn from the remnants of your soul."
"What?" Voldemort roared, taken aback by such insolence. "Die, you stupid boy!"
Magic poured out of the Dark Lord's wand, and Cassius regretted for the first time that he didn't have a concentrator. Of course, Black had enough power to cast spells without one, but what the Dark Lord was demonstrating was far beyond the young wizard's capabilities. Therefore, periodically snapping back with sharp blows of dark magic spells that forced the lord to dodge or put up shields, he mostly sat on the defensive, conjuring transfigured objects in front of him. Voldemort added more, and several "blunt curses" hit Black, tearing another hole in the wall through his body. Cassius shook his dusty head in a daze, tangled in some rags, apparently thrown into the wardrobe by Voldemort's last spell. Deciding that he was not yet ready to face such opponents, Cassius chose to retreat rather than fight to the last, and clutching the portal stone to Malfoy Manor, he disappeared from the room before the raging Dark Lord could knock the door down with another "Bombarda Maxima."
"Shush, you bastard!" Voledemort hissed, beside himself with rage, striking the surrounding space with black lightning bolts. "How dare he stand up to me, this Black who came out of nowhere?!"
Only when there was nothing left of the vassals' lock did he calm down a little, and Voldemort apparated back to Parkinson Manor, where he immediately cast Avada on the Death Eater who had unwisely approached him. The dark wizard had encountered a worthy opponent for the first time, one who was not at all shy about using black magic. What's more, he never once drew his wand, which was incredibly insulting to the dark wizard. It seemed to Voldemort that the unknown Black was simply playing with him, so skilfully did he evade the attacks of the Dark Lord himself. This apparent ease infuriated the half-reptile, causing him to gnash his teeth in rage. Voldemort had always thought that his main opponent could only be Dumbledore, and had not taken into account the appearance of a new powerful player.
"Parkinson!" roared the enraged Dark Lord, falling into his chair. And even though he had not been injured and had successfully avoided his opponent's attacks, the very fact that he, the great dark wizard, had had to dodge at all drove him mad.
There was a soft scratch at the door, and a moment later the lord of the manor crawled into the room on his knees.
"You called for me, my lord," the servant stammered quietly, without raising his head.
"Crucio," hissed Voldemort, and the Devourer convulsed, letting out bloodcurdling screams. "Why do I know nothing about Cassius Black?"
He held the Cruciatus Curse for only a moment before kicking the man with the toe of his boot.
"Answer me, Parkinson, why are you silent?
"I don't know, my lord," the Death Eater whispered, barely regaining consciousness and returning to his bowed position. "But I'll find out," the trembling man squeaked when he noticed his master's face contorted with rage.
"Go, Parkinson," Voldemort gritted his teeth, barely restraining himself from "Zaaavid" the slow servant.
Nagina, hissing viciously, followed the fleeing Death Eater with a hungry gaze and slid under her master's arm.
"We'll find out, my dear," Voldemort hissed thoughtfully in Parseltongue. "This wizard will be my servant or he will die, there is no other way.
***
Kreacher appeared in the living room of the Black mansion, where Lady Malfoy sat tensely, clutching a mug of tea. She did not notice that the mug had long since grown cold, and stared blankly at her aunt's portrait, which was very often empty. The old lady seemed to be making up for lost time, always disappearing to visit guests. It felt as if, freed from her mortal body and concerns for her family, Walburga was happily spending the rest of eternity visiting distant and close relatives.
Kricher coughed softly to attract attention.
"Lady Narcissa," the elf bowed respectfully. "Your sister Bellatrix has just been transported through the portal to the dungeons.
Narcissa immediately jumped up from her chair, spilling tea on the table, and rushed downstairs. Thundering down the steps, she ran through the dimly lit corridors and burst into the cold and gloomy underground hall where her ancestors were held captive in barred cells. Running up to the cell where she had noticed some movement in the dim light of the magical lanterns, she froze in front of the bars.
Narcissa stared in horror at the half-mad, grey-haired witch her older sister had become. Now Bellatrix looked more like a hag than a beautiful young lady, the daughter of influential parents. Her thin, bony body, the wild look in her dark eyes, her twisted mouth... She was like a distorted shadow, a monstrous parody of the former Bella.
Lestrange leaned back on the straw, pressing her back against the stone, and looked at her sister with a sneer:
"What, do I look that bad?" she burst out in a mad laugh. "Azkaban doesn't make anyone look good, Narcissa."
Ta, covering her mouth with her hand, looked at Bellatrix, tears welling up in her eyes.
"What have you done to yourself?" Narcissa's voice broke into sobs, and she struggled to find the strength to hold back her tears. She wanted to hug Bellatrix and shake her by the shoulders until she was exhausted, asking her why everything had turned out this way.
Bellatrix suppressed a sigh and looked at her younger sister with sudden tenderness.
"Narcissa, when our parents married me off to Lestrange, I thought I was in a fairy tale. He was so polite, so gentle. He cared for me and loved me. And then Moody, Longbottom, and Potter burst into our home, and I lost my child. They made me infertile, do you understand? They took everything from me...
Narcissa paled and stared at her sister.
"And then we went into the service of the Dark Lord, took the mark, all of us together," Bellatrix smiled. "Although our father warned us that it could lead to madness and slavery. In return, the lord promised to give us the opportunity to take revenge, and I also demanded a magical oath from him that he would never, under any circumstances, either alone or with anyone else's help, harm you or Andy. The lord swore an oath, and since then, my husband, his brother, and I have been his most loyal chain dogs," Bellatrix smiled crookedly, running her dirty hand through the straw. "Why do you think he never demanded an oath of loyalty from you and never sent anyone to kill Andy, even though they live with that Tonks like Muggles, completely unprotected?"
Narcissa stared at her in horror, unable to utter a word.
"And now that this wizard who tricked me, judging by the sensations from the altar, has killed my husband and brother-in-law and taken me captive, what will you do, sister?" Bellatrix grinned madly, baring her few blackened teeth. "Will you order me to be slaughtered on the altar in honour of the new dark lord?"
"Of course not!" Narcissa squeezed out through her tears. "I'll think of something, we'll be fine!"
"Don't bother thinking of anything, Narcissa, it's all over," Bellatrix grinned grimly. "I can hardly contain the madness rising within me. Five more minutes and I'll turn back into a crazy bitch kissing the Dark Lord's ass. Promise me one thing: let your husband or that wizard who dealt with us so handsomely kill Moody. He's the only one left of the three scumbags who ruined my ridiculous life.
Narcissa looked at her sister with tears in her eyes:
"I promise," she swallowed, "I promise I'll do everything to fulfil your wish, Bells.
Bellatrix stared intently at her sister, as if trying to see something in her features for the last time. Then she placed one hand firmly under her chin and the other on her head.
"Goodbye, sister," breathed the last Lestrange, and with a sharp movement, she twisted her neck.