Chapter 65
~15 Years later~
FILIUS FLITWICK—HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS
The Wizarding world of today was far different than the one he had walked into years ago, or even the one from but a decade ago. The scars from the last war had finally begun to heal and the wizarding world was once again moving forward with rapid transformation and change, most of which could be attributed to the boy sitting in front of him.
It had been more than a decade since Albus had left the world, and a year ago, Minerva had followed after the old boy, leaving him in charge of Hogwarts, and now, as Filius felt his own time drawing near, it fell to him to leave the school in capable hands.
And in the end, there was no better choice than the boy sitting in front of him, for while Minerva and he may have succeeded Albus, they were just place holders. For his real successor was the boy who sat in front of him.
Albus was not just the Headmaster of Hogwarts; he was the pillar of Britain's Magical World and one of the world's most powerful and influential wizards. The man had always shied away from that power because of his haunted past, yet any such mistakes did not weigh down Cassius Black, and he was beginning to step into the shoes left by Albus, and was already one of the youngest Warlocks of the ICW, and now was set to be Headmaster soon.
"We had a bet you know," he began as he glanced at Albus in the picture behind him.
"About me," the young man asked, and Flitwick nodded.
"Yes, years ago, upon your graduation, Albus and I sat down and discussed your future," and it was the last time they had sat down together, for Albus had left the world soon after, but he could still remember their little bet from that day.
"Albus was certain that you would one day become the Headmaster, while Minerva believed that you would be the Minister for Magic," and the young man chuckled.
"Well, my wife is the Minister, so, I thing Professor McGonagall was not completely wrong," and indeed, the Papers still talked about the rise of Daphne Greengrass, another one of their students and it warmed his heart to see them all coming into their own, each of them excelling in their careers.
"How is she?" and it had been some time since he had met the girl, as young Cassius Black answered with a nod.
"Fine, and swamped with work," and of course she would be, for the ICW had finally begun to notice the rapid pace of advancements being made in the Muggle World, and now all over the world, the Magical communities were working together to find a solution for the day when the existance of their world would not be able to remain a secret from the Muggle world.
"That is the life of a Minister," and the black haired man nodded.
"Still, you have told me their guesses, but what of you, Professor? What did you think I would become?" and Flitwick smiled, as he told him of his own guess.
"I thought that you would go into dueling," and wasn't it a teacher's desire to see their favourite pupils walk in their footsteps, and the boy had done so for a time.
"Well, one can say that all of you were partially correct," and they were for, while he may not be the Minister, Daphne Greengrass would never ever have been able to defeat the young Mr.Zabini, if not for the backing and support of her rather powerful and influential husband.
After his studies at Hogwarts, Cassius Black had gone from strength to strength as he became the youngest person to win the duelling championship, and then retired shortly afterwards to focus on his craft as a runemaster.
The young man then went on to invent an entirely new runic structure, one that allowed magical objects to work in tandem with muggle technology, and that was just the start of his rise for using the funds of the Black family he created a fund to support young and upcoming talent, which then later flooded the world with innovation and discoveries that had begun to change the very fabric of their world.
New spells, new methods of casting, and so forth. The world was changing, and it was doing so rapidly, and Hogwarts had to change with the changing times, and who better to lead it through this change than the one who had pioneered it all?
"Indeed, we were," for the boy had somehow become more than all three of them had hoped.
And Filius felt proud that he was one of his students, and that a Ravenclaw would once more become the Headmaster, as the old wizard reached for his wand.
"I don't think I need to tell you about the duties of a Headmaster," for the boy had been serving as a teacher here for some time now, and though he taught an elective Runes had sort of become a compulsory subject at this point, for nearly every student at the school took the class. There was talk amongst the Governors and the teachers to make the subject a permanent one.
"How is your brother?" he asked, and for a time, the two twins had become estranged until an intervention by his wife's sister, Astoria brought them together once more, and though he would never take the Malfoy name again, he had heard that they were on better terms now than they had been in years.
"Fine," he answered somewhat stiffly.
"I have heard that he is still competing with Harry these days," and their rivalry had refused to die down, as Cassius chuckled with him.
"Yes, they are both Aurors now and still remain rivals to one another," and it felt good to see students flourishing and growing, and building families.
"Well, that is good then," and with that, Filius slowly slid out of the chair and motioned for him to replace him.
"Come sit, this now belongs to you," and he could still remember the day he had sat in that chair, and it had been a sad affair for Minerva had just left the world, leaving him as the last beacon of a dying generation of wizards and witches.
The boy seemed hesitant at first, yet after some seconds, he rose up and sat down on the chair of the Headmaster, and Filius could see the title suit him as he felt the control of the wards transfer to him, as Flitwick passed on the reins of the school to the next generation.
"Albus mentioned that you were rather interested in the Founder's diaries," and those were records that no Headmaster was allowed to share with anyone in any shape or form, and every Headmaster was encouraged to leave a written record of their own, though few thought to do so.
"Yes, I am," and that was why he had taken them out and put them on the desk.
"They are right there, though, before you dive into them I would recommend that you read what Albus left for you," and the man had been so sure of his prediction that Cassius would one day become the headmaster, that he had left an entire section for him in his writings, and neither him nor Minerva had read it out of respect, but he was still interested in what was written in there.
"I will," he agreed, and Filius then walked slowly out of the empty Office, and he had already packed his belongings to make room for the new Headmaster, and just as he was about to leave, he stopped and turned to face his former student one last time.
"Good luck, Headmaster...."
.
.
.
.
And as Cassius Black sat there in the office of the Headmaster, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by it all. Sometimes he could hardly believe the life he was living and how the world had changed because of him.
But this was just the beginning, for just as the wizarding world was changing, the world of Muggles was changing as well, and the survival of witches and wizards all over the world depended upon him.
Yet he was not alone in this journey. He was joined by friends and colleagues all over the world, from Astoria and Tracey in Ilvermony to Hermione and Susan in Beauxbatons, each of them was working towards the same goal.
But his greatest support was his better half, without whom he would not have been able to accomplish half of what he had done, and now Daphne was the Minister of Magic, holding the highest office in the land, and with the way things were looking, she would hold it for decades to come.
Amidst all that, he was rather curious about the words Albus Dumbledore had left for him, and the man had often mentioned how he had left behind a message for him, one that he would receive when he was ready. It was finally time for him to read it, and so he reached for the late wizard's diary and skimmed over its contents until he reached a folded page, with his name written on it along with a silent descriptor.
~FOR CASSIUS BLACK~
~THE BOY WHO CHOSE HIMSELF~
0000
This is it. The story ends. I kinda forgot about uploading it with all the stuff going on in my life, which is a great mess up on my part. So, apologies for that.
This story did not go the way I wanted it to. I had an extremely dark and ominous plot in mind for this, yet I just couldn't get the shift done. I tried to do the best I could, which I feel was not enough.
Hope you guys liked it, and if you did not. I apologise!
I have begun uploading my next work.
Lily's Twin SI
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