Chapter 159: Nott's Ambition
Standing before the door, Phineas took a deep breath and opened it slowly.
Even though he knew there wouldn't be any immediate danger inside, he still felt a flicker of unease.
But as the door creaked open and the scene within came into view, shock overtook him completely.
His heart pounded.
He had imagined many possibilities. Perhaps Nott was already dead, a lifeless body lying cold on the floor. Or maybe Sakaski hadn't left and was still inside. Or perhaps, as he'd initially suspected, Sakaski had left behind a magically controlled Nott.
But what Phineas saw gave his assumptions a brutal correction.
There were two people in the room: Sakaski and Nott.
Yet the scene was nothing like he expected.
Nott stood above Sakaski, who knelt before him. A smile played on Nott's lips—calm, almost gleeful. There were no signs of the Imperius Curse or any magical coercion.
In stark contrast, Sakaski appeared pale and weakened, as though he had been cursed. His expression was one of pain and humiliation.
What was going on?
Was Sakaski not the mastermind? Could Nott—the very person he and Professor McGonagall were trying to rescue—be the one behind everything?
As Nott caught sight of Phineas's stunned face, a look of pride and twisted satisfaction crossed his features.
"What's wrong? Surprised that it wasn't Ritchie, but me, who had ulterior motives, Master Black?"
Phineas exhaled slowly, regaining composure. He nodded and met Nott's gaze.
"I admit, I didn't see this coming. But now I'm even more curious. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Nott sneered, a trace of disdain in his eyes.
"Curious, are you? Typical of a mere mortal, trying to grasp something far beyond your comprehension."
He spread his arms theatrically and stood in front of Sakaski, as if preaching to a congregation.
"You Blacks, Ridges, Selwyns, and Gaunts have always been the ruling families of the pureblood council. But do you know how long we Notts have resented this? We are powerful too. Why should we submit to your leadership?"
Phineas frowned. Was this madness Nott's own doing, or was the entire Nott family involved?
If it was only Nott, then he could be stopped here. But if the family itself was in on it, the threat extended far beyond Phineas—it endangered the entire leadership of the Wizengamot.
The true Elders might survive, but the four ruling families would be Nott's targets.
But why was Nott so confident?
Seeing the flicker of doubt on Phineas's face, Nott smirked.
"Confused? Good. Let me enlighten you—before I kill you."
"Our family—Nott—is not native to Britain. Our name comes from the Norse goddess of the night. But over time, everyone forgot the terror we brought when we first arrived."
"As you know, most wizards are descended from magical beasts or gained magic through other means. But we Notts? We were different. We are descendants of gods—true gods. The goddess of the night is our foremother."
Phineas's expression tightened. If this were true, it matched certain theories and findings he'd encountered in the Wizengamot's archives. It could explain the Nott family's obsessive efforts to preserve their bloodline.
The Blacks intermarried to preserve magical purity—but occasionally married into other families for political advantage.
The Notts, however, had always preserved their direct line through sibling unions. This Nott was the result of such a union—his mother was also his aunt.
Still, what did divine lineage have to do with his current actions?
Reading his thoughts, Nott laughed, wild-eyed.
"You want to know what I plan, don't you?"
Phineas nodded. "I am curious. After Christmas, Sakaski began calling one student per week to his office. Nothing seemed wrong when they returned—but the frequency was too high. That's what raised my suspicions."
Nott chuckled. "So that's how you found me. Clever. But simple, really. Those students were materials for my ritual, but also camouflage. I hid among them. Even Dumbledore, if he noticed, would have suspected Sakaski."
"Pity you figured it out and told Dumbledore. Fortunately, I managed to divert him in time. Now, there's no one to stop me."
Phineas drew his wand and pointed it at Nott.
"I'll admit, I didn't expect even a lunatic like Sakaski to be under your control. Or that you were the one behind it all. But you said no one can stop you—aren't you underestimating me a little?"
Nott laughed again, completely unfazed.
"Black, you are clever, powerful, and even wise, but you still overestimate yourself. I am the descendant of the goddess of night. And soon—I will become Dagr, the sun god! How could you possibly think you can stand in my way?"
Phineas's eyes widened. Of all the wild ambitions he had considered, that had not crossed his mind.
Become the sun god Dagr?
In Norse myth, Dagr—the personification of the day—is the son of Nott and her third husband, Dellingr, the god of dawn.
So from that perspective… if Nott is her descendant, becoming Dagr wasn't so far-fetched after all.