14 August 1992, Diagon Alley
"The truth is, with most of my descendants either dead or in Azkaban, I need to find an heir. There are a few candidates that are suitable to be the next head of the Black family. You have proven your worth in Hogwarts and, I just had to see it for myself. I have to say, so far, I am not disappointed."
Harry's answer was simply gaping at what the man had just revealed.
It took a few seconds for the Potter scion to recollect himself, "You want me to be your heir?"
"Oh, by the powers no," the Black patriarch responded with a snort, "I'm just here to get a measure of you, to see if you would be a good fit."
"And… What do you think?"
"Kid, the Black family headship is something that people have coveted for centuries. I never expected my family to implode the way it did when I stepped down and gave reigns to my son. Our family is old and very powerful. We have access to knowledge that has been lost many times over during the purges. Our family crest contains enough information about forbidden magics that could shake the very foundations of our world. We are the only family with a member that reached the very root of magic itself, something every mage worth wanted to achieve. Dark lords and Light lords alike have vied for our legacy, and we have protected it for thousands of years. I will not give away the legacy of my ancestors on a whim. I will test you; I will observe you day and night, and I will make my judgement. Should I find you unworthy, you will never see me again."
Harry stiffened and murmured, "The root of magic?"
The man chuckled, "You're curious. That's good, very good indeed. After centuries of research, it was concluded that magic has a source, an origin, outside of time and space. One of my ancestors long ago managed to uncover it and reach it for a fraction of a second, but the knowledge he had gained when he glimpsed at this mythical source was otherworldly. He became the first chronomancer, known nowadays as Kronos. He disappeared after a while, whether it's by choice or not, no one knows. But reports say that he was able to see multiple futures at once, change the very course of destiny, affect the fulfilment of prophecies, and so much more. He was the first Black, the creator of the first magical crest, even if it was filled with a pittance of his true knowledge. After the man disappeared, countless descendants tried to replicate his experiment but were barred from entry. Magic remembered the path he took and fixed it. This was the start of an arms race, the very purpose of every wizard and witch for thousands of years, reaching the mythical root of all magic and earning its blessing."
"But why isn't it a thing nowadays?" Harry couldn't help but ponder.
"Albus Dumbledore," the man's grey eyes were practically growing from the sheer hate he held for the man, "he destroyed our society without any of us noticing. We are meant to be explorers of the unknown. Our purpose is to experiment, to enhance our knowledge to allow the next generation to have a chance of reaching the mythical root. Slowly, with his reforms, he banned many fields of magic, he turned Hogwarts into a place where the study of new magic is not encouraged, and he turned our heirs lazy. I and like-minded individuals formed a group to oppose him, the Knights of Walpurgis. We fought him on the political scene and were partially successful in evading him. Of course, we failed to see the effect of his efforts on our heirs. And that damnable fake Dark Lord convinced them to join his camp after we retired. The Knights of Walpurgis turned into the Death Eaters, and well, no one was able to stop Dumbledore anymore. Our heirs had turned into nothing more than savages, slaves to their desire to cause pain and misery, and we stood aside helpless to stop it. Our heirs forgot what it meant to be wizards. To be a mage is to walk with death, and yet the entire magical world became content in wallowing in their mediocrity."
The man looked mournful at saying this. But some of his knowledge was terrifying. The very existence of Kronos as a true Chronomancer was very disturbing. Someone capable of affecting fate in any measure was scary, capable of seeing timelines and go back and forward in it, that was just ridiculous. Harry definitely didn't know anything that could frighten him this way. Although the existence of a root of magic had a lot of connotations. If it was outside of Time and Space, then how did Kronos reach it in the first place? And if magic originated from outside the physical world, then how did it spread? And if it could remember and block the last intrusion, did that mean that there was sentience to magic?
Arcturus Black seemed to be amused at Harry's pondering expression, "I see it now. You're not like the other children, are you? You want to understand magic, to research it, not just use it. You're far above your peers, not because of some sense of honour or duty, but only because you're curious. Oh, you would have been wonderful if I had just gotten to you when you were younger. I would have raised you as a proper mage, with proper education, instead of the muggle nonsense you had to endure. You were able to catch up rather easily. If you continue down this road, I can see myself choosing you."
Harry hesitated for a moment, before answering, "But I can't hold the Black crest. I have one of my own. And you will know that there is no way a body can handle two crests at the same time."
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