On a spring morning, when it was just beginning to get warmer outside, Walburga Black woke up and sat up in bed. The unkempt hair of the elderly woman spread across her shoulders like a raven's wings. Today she had another disturbing dream, and her heart was uneasy. In her dream, it seemed that Sirius was getting worse and worse in Azkaban. Once a year, when she managed to arrange another visit, her son invariably refused her help. His obsession with his guilt towards his friends was killing his mother.
She noticed steady changes in his character. Because he was constantly in his Animagus form, her son was even beginning to take on the traits of his animal. Of course, dog-like loyalty is not a bad thing in some ways, but not when it is directed at friends who are already dead and takes such grotesque forms. Today, Walburga had another nightmare in which Sirius was driven mad by the Dementors.
Hoping to please his beloved mistress, old Kreacher set off early in the morning for Diagon Alley to get some fresh pastries. Walburga loved to treat herself to something sweet with her morning tea. Now, having finished her morning toilet, she tidied herself up and slowly made her way to the kitchen. Suddenly, she felt a light breeze of magic coming from the broom cupboard. He had spent the night in the living room, and the cupboard stood almost abandoned, filled with Creacher's junk and old things. Carefully entering the storeroom, Valburga ran her hand over a pile of rubbish in the corner, from which the strange breeze was coming.
It felt as if magic was emanating from an old box, which Walburga, after hesitating, pushed with the toe of her shoe. The old cardboard gave way, and a small, round medallion fell out of the torn box. Valburga picked it up with distaste and brought the intriguing object closer to her eyes. The medallion turned out to be an intricately crafted silver artefact with snakes twisted around the lid and a string of symbols in an unknown language around the edge.
The medallion gave off a cool radiation that strangely brought calm and peace. Deciding to deal with it later, Walburga left the brownie's room and climbed the stairs to the living room. In the living room, the medallion's effect was completely gone, and Valburga sat down at the table, once again looking with pleasure at the protective talisman her grandson had given her. Of course, the child's craftwork was of no use, but Valburga simply enjoyed the attention of her heir.
After waiting for Kricher to bring her some cakes, Lady Black began reading the latest newspaper. In the evening, she remembered the medallion again, but simply placed it on the table in her bedroom and fell asleep peacefully. A month passed, and Walburga still hadn't found the time to examine the curious object, but she noticed that when she took it to bed with her, she had no nightmares about Sirius. At the beginning of summer, when Cassius was due to arrive in England, she suddenly woke up in the night with the feeling that her body was walking somewhere.
Terrified, she tried to call Kreacher for help, but couldn't make a sound. Walking jerkily down the corridor, she noticed the medallion glinting on her chest in the moonlight reflected in the mirror. Valburga had no idea how it got there or why she was wearing it. Meanwhile, her body moved purposefully down the corridor, past the living room and straight into the manor's ritual hall. At some point, near the door to the living room, the influence weakened and Walburga gathered herself and pushed her unresponsive body aside.
Falling to the living room floor, she tried to tear off the amulet, but it seemed to have grown to her chest and did not want to come off, even with her skin; it seemed to have simply melted inside. Valburga furiously tried to tear the dangerous toy from her neck, and she even began to succeed. Blood flowed down her body, but she continued her frantic attempts to tear it off. Suddenly, her grandson's amulet, hanging quietly on the wall, filled with a burgundy glow and exploded, scattering tiny fragments throughout the living room. At that moment, the woman's hands stopped scratching the skin around the medallion and, leaning against the floor, her body began to rise again with effort.
Inside her mind, Valburga continued to fight for control, but it was as difficult as walking against a hurricane. After several minutes of futile attempts, she realised that she was now in the altar room, where a large hexagram had been drawn around the altar by someone. Black candles and magical herbs stood around the edges, and on the altar itself lay a sacrificial knife. Realising with horror the meaning of the ritual, Valburga struggled even more fiercely in the grip of the alien magic.
The ritual was designed to transfer all the power of the family altar to some distant place. After that, the family would cease to exist, and all its members would immediately die from magical exhaustion. Meanwhile, her body stood up beside the altar and began to recite the words of the spell to transfer power in a loud voice. The woman tried to bite off her tongue, but with each attempt, her jaws froze in place. Her attempts to rebel slowed the ritual slightly, but it continued unabated. Realising the futility of her actions, Walburga, in the depths of her mind as an experienced sorceress, began to prepare her final blow.
The woman understood that she would not survive, but she could prevent the destruction of her family. Mentally reaching out to the ancestral altar, she began to recite a posthumous spell. She offered to exchange her life and the life of the creature that had taken over her body for the strengthening of her family's magic. And the magic of the stone, to which dozens of generations of Blacks were bound, responded to her plea. When her hand plunged the ritual dagger into her chest with a sharp crack, Walburga regained control of her body for a moment, threw herself onto the altar and, at the last second, feeling the icy cold of the stone, exhaled:
"Accept my sacrifice, Rod! For the glory of Black.
An angry howl rang out and a black shadow darted out of her body, but tentacles that instantly appeared above the altar immediately clung to the magical entity. After a few tense seconds of struggle, the dark shreds were pulled into the altar and the candles went out.
Walburga opened her eyes and did not understand where she was. Trying to see something in the surrounding darkness, she noticed a faint light slowly approaching her. At first, she made out the vague outline of a person, and then her husband Orion appeared before her. He was just as she remembered him from their last meeting.
"Let's go, Val," Orion said with a sad smile on his familiar face. "They're waiting for you." Trustingly placing her hand in his, she followed him into the darkness...
In Malpepper's pharmacy, after picking up a bag of potions ordered by his mistress, an old house elf suddenly fell to the floor. Surprised, Malpepper shrugged and dragged the unconscious house elf aside, carefully placing him on a bench.
Sirius was feeling particularly lousy today. Maybe it was the constant pressure from the Dementors, or maybe it was Bellatrix's crazy screams, which she just wouldn't shut up about today.
"Shut up, Bellatrix!" the man shouted, unable to take it anymore. "How long are you going to scream?"
In response, the madwoman's crying and wailing only grew louder.
"He's coming for us, I can feel it!" she screamed. "Lord will return. He will return..."
Suddenly, Sirius felt a sharp pain in his chest, and it began to grow. He tried to get up from the cot, but his weakened arm gave way, and he collapsed face down on the floor, smashing his face on the stones.Cassius threw his belongings into a huge bag, emptying the shelves of the cupboards. Over the years he had lived in Africa, he had accumulated a lot of different things, and now he was stuffing everything indiscriminately into his suitcase. Chibuzo had given him access to the house at any time and promised that he would continue his studies as usual during the summer holidays. Now the young man was getting ready to go home to England. His mother had already prepared his room at Malfoy Manor and was eagerly awaiting her son's return in the coming days. The precious scroll with his final exam results in a beautiful wooden case also went into the suitcase.
Tired of rushing around the room like a hurricane, Cassius sat down on the bed, panting. Suddenly, his heart seemed to contract painfully, and then an invisible spiral uncoiled, and the boy realised with distinct clarity that someone close to him had just died.
With trembling hands, Cassius began rummaging through his suitcase and throwing out the things he had packed with such difficulty until, unable to bear it any longer, he castled "Akcio" and the long-distance mirror finally flew into his hand. After sending the request, he waited nervously for a response, and when Narcissa's face appeared on the surface of the mirror, he relaxed a little.
"Mum, one of our people has just died," he began excitedly, "Are Dad and Draco all right?"
Narcissa paled, but replied in a firm voice:
"They're fine, I can see them through the window, they're playing in the garden. Draco is on his broom again, and Dad is throwing Bludgers at him.
Cassius calmed down a little, but continued anxiously:
"It's definitely not a teacher, otherwise his house would be under siege. Something must have happened to Grandma.
Narcissa nodded anxiously on her way to the garden, continuing the conversation with her son:
"We'll try to get to Black Manor with Lucius.
"I'm almost ready too," Cassius replied, getting up. "I'll be home in an hour."
"All right," Narcissa cut off the connection.
Grimm 12 was closed to everyone, and no one answered the mirror calls. Attempts to summon the house spirit were also unsuccessful.
Cassius arrived at the manor's apparition site, where he was met by his brother. Draco, a short, thin boy with slicked-back blond hair, looked very agitated.
"Hi, Cass," he greeted him. "Our parents aren't back yet. Mum can't get hold of Kreacher, and the house on Grimmauld Place is locked. They've gone to Gringotts to see if the goblins know anything. I'm sure some kind of alarm has been triggered on the family safes.
"All right, we'll wait for them at home," replied Cassius, levitating his suitcase behind him.
While the house elves set the table with a light snack, Draco bombarded him with questions about school and the tournament. Sitting his brother down next to him, Cassius told him all about his adventures at school.
"And you beat them all?" asked the little one admiringly. "That's what pure blood means!"
Cassius smiled:
"It's strength that matters, not blood. If you're a strong half-blood or even a Muggle-born, you have a chance to make it to the top.
"I'm going to Hogwarts this year," the younger Malfoy declared proudly.
"Me too, probably," Cassius shrugged. "I'll have to ask my parents. The training programme must be different."
"Yeah, right," Draco replied with a laugh, "you guys twist elephants' tails and study magical monkeys in magical creature care.
"I don't know," Cassius snorted, "I'm in the combat department. We're more into beating up elephants and cooking monkeys. 'Likaku,' as we say.
"Ugh," Draco wrinkled his nose, "how can you eat that?
"You can eat anything when you're hungry," Cassius laughed.
A house elf appeared in the living room:
"The young gentlemen asked when the masters would be home. The masters have arrived.
"Thank you, Tippy," Draco nodded importantly. "Shall we go and find out the news?
The brothers immediately jumped up and rushed to the exit. Running out onto the lawn in front of the house, they saw Lucius walking alongside Narcissa along the path from the apparition site. Their faces were thoughtful and serious.
After hugging and greeting their parents, the brothers returned to the living room. Half an hour later, their parents, having changed out of their travelling clothes, also came down to join them. It turned out that the goblins had refused to explain anything, but the Black family manager had asked Cassius to convey their wish to meet with him as soon as possible. Cassius just shrugged.
Lucius looked seriously at Cassius and said:
"Try summoning the Black family's house spirit. As the heir, you should have enough power to make him appear. We have three options: summon Kreacher, get information from the goblins, or order the house on Grimm Street to open. We've tried all three, but Narcissa is not the heir to the Blacks, even though she is related to them by birth. You, however, are the heir. I think you can make something of this."
Cassius nodded in agreement:
"Tell me, father, am I going to Hogwarts this year, to sixth year?
Malfoy nodded:
"Yes, I need your certificate. I'll drop by the Ministry tomorrow. I'll check all the details with the education department, and in the autumn, you and Draco will go to school.
Cassius nodded in agreement."I think you have enough control over your magic now to avoid getting into trouble at school, son?" Lucius smiled.
Cassius grinned:
"Yes, Dad. Everything will be fine.
Despite all her fears and concerns about the Blacks, Narcissa couldn't help but rejoice: "Both her boys were home. Draco is so sweet and looks up to his brother, and Cassius is already so grown up. It's a shame she didn't get to see him grow up, but never mind, she'll make up for it. Lucius seems happy too. What happened to Walburga? Why is the house closed? Never mind, Cassius will meet with the family lawyer at the bank tomorrow and find out everything."
Finally, her chaotic thoughts gave way to a deep sleep.
Cassius dreamed of a large black dog made of darkness and flames. Its mouth, full of white daggers, approached the young man's face, and he angrily hit the dog on the nose. The astonished creature recoiled from the magician but did not disappear. Cassius, remembering that dreams are not what they seem, approached the dog and stroked the nightmarish creature on the head.
"Don't be afraid, dog. It's just that I was taken by surprise.
The dog licked his hand and disappeared, and on Cassius's finger, now in reality, appeared a large gold ring with the Black family's heraldic symbols and the inscription: "Purity of blood forever."
In the morning, Cassius almost hit himself in the nose with the artefact when he tried to rub his eyes out of habit. When Lucius saw the ring on his son's finger at breakfast, he simply sighed heavily, while Narcissa turned pale with fear.
"So Walburga is dead," she said in a trembling voice.
After a quick breakfast, the Malfoys set off for Grimmauld Place. Once in the square, Cassius immediately noticed an invisible house that the others simply couldn't see. Orion Black had once cast a spell on the house that made it virtually impossible to find without the owners' permission. Cassius approached the door and placed his hand on the silver door knocker in the shape of a snake. His finger pricked, and the door began to open slowly, but Cassius stepped out of the protective area and turned to his father:
"Dad, the house recognised me, but the protection is definitely in combat mode. I'll go down to the ritual hall and switch the house to normal mode, and then I'll give everyone free access.
Lucius nodded, and the boy cautiously returned to the protected area. Upon entering the house, he first called for Kreacher. Nothing happened for several minutes, and then a confused house elf literally fell out of a spatial portal in the middle of the kitchen.
"I can't sense the mistress," Kreacher whispered in horror and began to rush around the house, appearing in flashes here and there.
"Kricher, stop," Cassius ordered, and the brownie immediately stopped. Tears ran down his wrinkled face, and he trembled, but he did not dare disobey his master's command.
"I think I know where she is," Cassius began uncertainly. "You don't have access to the ritual room, do you?"
The house spirit nodded.
"Then let's go down there and find out," the young man decided.
Cassius and the trembling Kreacher went down to the ritual hall and were met with a terrible sight. Walburga's body lay across the altar, and a dagger and medallion lay nearby. Seeing the medallion, Kreacher suddenly cried out:
"It's that cursed thing! It's responsible for the deaths of our masters. Oh, my poor master Regulus. Oh, my poor mistress Walburga!
Tears flowed down the house spirit's wrinkled cheeks again, and he could not bear it any longer and burst into tears, embracing Cassius's legs. Barely managing to pull the crying old man away from him, Cassius ordered that Walburga's body be taken to the living room and covered with a sheet. He carefully picked up the medallion with his dagger, but felt no trace of dark magic emanating from it. If there had been anything there before, it had now been destroyed.
Placing his hand on the altar stone, Cassius felt a sensation he had already experienced in his dream. A wet nose, smooth fur, a feeling of friendliness and devotion. A desire to play and a request to be petted. All of this came flooding into his consciousness, but Cassius easily limited this emotional flow. Turning his thoughts to the altar, he imagined his family in detail and gave them full access to the house, switching his defences to normal mode at the same time.
Before the eyes of the Malfoys, standing in the square, two neighbouring houses suddenly split apart, and between them, as if from under the ground, rose a rather shabby but proud mansion, the Black family home.
When the Malfoys entered and passed through the dark hallway into the dining room, they were greeted by Cassius:
"Auntie is indeed dead. We found her in the ritual hall. She killed herself on the altar, or something happened. Kreacher claims that this medallion is to blame, but I don't sense any magic coming from it. It's just an old trinket.
"Where's the body?" Narcissa began to look around.
"I ordered Kreacher to place her in the living room on the second floor," Cassius replied.
"I don't think we should publicise her death. It could damage Cassius," Lucius said cautiously. "Who knows what rumours will start. First, we need to confirm the family's obligations at the Bank and take possession of all the property. Otherwise, many will try to grab a piece of the Black legacy. And that's not just real estate, but also operating factories," he continued.
"Ha ha," a cheerful old voice suddenly rang out from somewhere. "You can't change a Malfoy.
Everyone looked around in surprise and suddenly saw a previously empty portrait on the wall. Now it was Valburga herself, sitting at a table and holding a tiny teacup in her hands.
"My respects, gentlemen, since my portrait has awakened, is it certain that I am dead?
The last phrase sounded like a question, and Cassius nodded in confirmation:
"Yes, grandmother. Kricher took your body to the living room. We tried to call you all day, but you didn't answer, and the house was under siege.
"It's all that damn trinket's fault," Walburga glared at the forgotten medallion from the portrait. "Some creature from that medallion tried to take over my body and destroy our altar along with the entire family.
Narcissa shuddered and looked fearfully at Cassius.
"That's right, little cousin," continued Walburga. "I barely managed to send that snake to feed the family altar, but as you can see, she didn't stay there. Never mind, I'll play with your nerves some more," she concluded cheerfully. "Burn my body as required and place it in the crypt next to Orion.
Moving to the family cemetery where all the Blacks were buried, Cassius, as the future head of the family, personally conducted the funeral rites, and it even seemed to him that a patronus appeared in the air above the burning body and quickly melted away in the air trembling from the flames. The Malfoys standing a little behind sighed sadly.
"Now Walburga is gone," Narcissa said through her tears.
Lucius only held his wife tighter. Draco also stood frowning, barely holding back his tears. He loved his grandmother Walpurga, her warm hands and cheerful eyes with radiant wrinkles, and now she was gone. Everything inside him froze. He would never again be able to snuggle up to her or sit on her lap. Be that as it may, a magical portrait could not convey even a tenth of what a living person was capable of.
Narcissa ruffled the boy's hair:
"Don't cry, son, her soul has gone to be reborn, and somewhere right now a wonderful little girl has been born who was your grandmother not so long ago. And we are left with a grumpy portrait, an imprint of her soul, emotions and memories.
As the funeral pyre burned down, the entire Malfoy family stood there, hugging each other tightly...
***
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