At the entrance to the shop, Draco saw Narcissa smiling happily and, with her, his exhausted-looking brother.
"Well, are we going to get a wand?" Cassius perked up a little, looking at his mother with some apprehension. What if she wanted to go into another clothing store?
"Yes!" Draco exclaimed happily.
"All right," Narcissa nodded, "over there, Lucius is already coming.
"It's a shame first-years aren't allowed to bring broomsticks with them. We could have had a competition with the guys, just like at home," Draco said sadly, looking at the broomsticks in the shop window.
"Don't worry," Cassius reassured him, "I'll give you my broom, you can fly on it.
"But what if we end up in different houses?" Draco asked, alarmed.
"It won't matter," Cassius reassured him. "What difference would it make? None.
Lucius approached and nodded absently. It turned out that all his attempts to get Cassius into Hogwarts had been unsuccessful. Even Fudge was afraid to go against Marchbanks. The old woman had been in her position for so long that it was simply impossible to get around her. And at one time, someone from the Malfoys had definitely stepped on her sore spot, because she simply couldn't stand anyone with that surname. And she was never shy about showing it.
"That's right, son," he looked at Cassius, "you'll have to spend a year with tutors to brush up on your English, and only then go to Hogwarts.
"Maybe I shouldn't go to that school at all?" Cassius shrugged. "I'm already a lord," he grinned. "You're teaching me how to run a business. The Malfoy and Black libraries are probably just as good as Hogwarts. Maybe I don't need to go?"
"Alas, son," Lucius sighed heavily. "To be your own man in England, a wizard must study at Hogwarts, otherwise some of your business partners simply won't do business with an outsider. Therefore, studying at Hogwarts is primarily a way for you to make new acquaintances, build partnerships and friendships, and only then acquire knowledge. I think you already know a lot about magic," he chuckled, glancing at his son's hand, where the family ring was hidden under invisibility.
Cassius was upset by this news, but Draco was most disappointed, as he had already planned how he would brag to his older brother and ride his broomstick. But the younger Malfoy's bad mood lasted exactly until they reached Ollivander's shop. The shop was located on the south side of Diagon Alley and looked extremely unpresentable. The walls were peeling, and the dusty display case held a single wand on a moth-eaten cushion. A shabby sign above the shop said that Ollivanders had been making wands since 382 B.C. Cassius snorted to himself, "The shop was probably last renovated around that time too."
Opening the door with a soft jingle, the Malfoys squeezed into the shop and stopped quietly near the counter, behind which there was no one. Master Ollivander had certain quirks and liked to appear where customers did not notice him. Now he suddenly appeared behind the new visitors and said quietly:
"I am pleased to welcome you to my wand shop," then his voice faded a little when he recognised the visitors. "Elder and dragon heartstring, eighteen inches. Walnut and dragon heartstring, ten and three-quarters inches. Good day, Lord Malfoy, Mrs. Narcissa, young people. How are your wands? Have you come to choose a wand for a young first-year student?
"Yes, Mr. Ollivander," Lucius said coldly, glancing at the master. "Thank you, my wife and I are fine. My son Draco is starting this year, and he needs a wand too.
Narcissa paid no attention to the old man, continuing to look around the dilapidated shop with disdain.
"Of course," Ollivander said hurriedly. "We'll find you a wand right away, young heir.
He began pulling dusty boxes from the shelves, wiping the dust off them with a dirty rag and placing them on the table. Cassius looked on in amazement at this circus, while Narcissa and Lucius remained completely unperturbed. Only Draco's face was flushed red, his hand clenching the handkerchief in his fist.
Finally, Ollivander finished fussing in his shop, and just over a dozen different wands appeared in front of the youngest Malfoy.
"Take any one of them and wave it," Ollivander asked with a fanatical gleam in his eyes. "A wizard's first wand is so exciting.
Draco picked up a wand, pointed it in front of him and waved it as if jumping into water. To his surprise, nothing happened, and Ollivander immediately snatched it from his hands.
"Take the next one," he asked...
As a result, Draco spent about an hour waving different wands around. Some of them began to wreak havoc in the shop, while others did not react to the waving at all, until finally one of the wands responded as it should. An invisible wave spread out from it, raising more clouds of dust, and then beautiful multicoloured sparks showered from the tip of the wand.
"Hawthorn and unicorn hair, moderately flexible. Ten and a quarter inches," Ollivander recited proudly. "Eight galleons for the wand and a holster for it. Do you prefer to carry your wand on your belt or in your sleeve, Mr Malfoy?
"On my belt, sir," the boy replied excitedly.
Draco clutched the wand with both hands and looked happily at his father. Lucius and Narcissa smiled slightly at their son, and the boy beamed with joy. He was a wizard! Only Cassius, grinning, propped the door open. He was bored out of his mind. Cassius immediately saw which wand suited his brother best and could have said so, but why break a long-standing English tradition? Besides, Draco looked so happy when he found his wand.
"And you, young man," Ollivander said, turning his attention to Cassius, "are you also thinking of buying a wand? I don't remember you among my customers.
"He's a distant relative of ours," Malfoy said haughtily. "He already has a wand."
Immediately after their arrival, Lucius had taken up the matter, and since Cassius didn't care what kind of wand he used, the family council decided to simply take one of the wands lying in the Black family vault. Cassius had no idea what it was made of, but any spells he cast with it worked just as well as without it. Lucius warned his eldest son not to demonstrate wandless magic unless absolutely necessary, as it would cause unhealthy excitement in England. And Lucius did not want to draw any special attention to his son.
"Hereditary, like yours," Ollivander sighed knowingly. "Well, gentlemen, it was a pleasure to see you in my shop.
***
After saying goodbye, the Malfoys stepped outside, and Cassius breathed in the delicious smell of fresh pastries and cinnamon wafting from the nearest café. It was much more pleasant than spending an hour inhaling the old-fashioned smell that seemed to permeate Ollivander's shop. Draco's stomach also growled treacherously, and his parents exchanged glances and strode purposefully towards Fortescue's café.
After getting themselves and their children some delicious ice cream, the Malfoys settled down on the veranda and began to eat their treats, watching the wizards scurrying back and forth.
"Look, Father!" exclaimed Draco. "See that huge, hairy man and the little boy with glasses running alongside him?
Lucius and the others immediately looked where Draco was pointing.
"That's Hagrid," Lucius shrugged, "the gamekeeper at Hogwarts. And who's that little boy with him?
Draco puffed himself up with importance:
"I don't know his name yet, we met him at Madam Malkin's shop. He said his parents were wizards, but he looked like a poor Muggle! And he also said that this hairy man is his friend," Draco rolled his eyes. "A nice friend, he could eat you if he gets angry, like all the big people do.
Narcissa laughed:
"Don't worry, son. Hagrid is a half-giant. He doesn't eat children. He even went to Hogwarts. He was expelled, though, but now Hagrid works for Dumbledore at Hogwarts.Cassius grimaced inwardly: "And they say we have wild times in Africa. Here, in the centre of a European magical country, a huge half-giant has free access to a school full of children. Funny. And this isn't Madame Maxime, whose giant origins have never been proven, but a real bearded monster."
"It's okay, Draco," he said jokingly to his brother. "Just don't stay alone with him in a dark forest, and he won't eat you!
Draco grimaced. The prospect of being eaten by a stupid giant clearly did not appeal to him. After finishing their ice cream and joking about the safety of Hogwarts, the Malfoy family headed home.
***
While the family was busy getting ready for the youngest son to leave for school, Cassius decided to replenish his potion supplies. He could have bought ready-made potions in Diagon Alley, but he liked to brew them himself because homemade potions were always of higher quality than mass-produced ones. After all, they could be tailored to the individual characteristics of those for whom they were intended. Having decided on the list of ingredients, Cassius took a regular backpack with a little extra space inside and, in true Muggle fashion, took the bus to Gloucestershire. The Royal Forest of Dean, Cassius's destination, was located in the south-west of England. The route went to Gloucester, where the wizard planned to change to bus number twenty-four and head to Mitcheldine, from where he would walk to the forest itself. After dozing off to the hum of the engine and waking up just in time to change to the suburban route, Cassius was almost there in a couple of hours. After admiring St. Michael's Church for a while, he decided to grab a bite to eat and wandered into the first café he came across. In his clothes, Cassius did not look like a wizard at all, just an ordinary "turon" from Gloucester, sticking his nose where it didn't belong, with his backpack and tent. The locals did not like tourists and looked at them disapprovingly.
At that hour, the café was empty except for the bartender behind the counter and a young waitress, whose attention was absorbed by the voice coming from the radio. Cassius ordered tea and pastries and sat down at a table near the window, which was transparent and took up the entire wall.
He was looking at the boring rural landscape and didn't notice the man behind the bar and the waitress exchanging glances.
"Your tea," she said, placing a cup and saucer with a bun in front of him, from which came the incredible aroma of fresh pastries. Cassius inhaled the aroma of freshly brewed tea and scones with pleasure. The cup gave off the scent of some local herbs, but Cassius didn't bother to identify them, taking a first sip with relish and biting into the scone. An old, beat-up Rover drove past the window, its four wheels rattling on the road, and across the street from the café, a woman in a yellow bonnet walked by and waved good-naturedly at the driver who had kicked up dust on the road.
The next moment, Cassius opened his eyes and realised he was no longer in the café. He was lying in some kind of enclosed metal space, and this thing was shaking mercilessly. He hit his head on something metal and woke up. His first thought was to destroy everything with magic, and he even began to spin the power wheel inside, but then curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to see what would happen next.
Creating a "lumos" on the tip of his finger, he realised that he was lying in the boot of a Muggle car and wasn't even tied up. What's more, his backpack had been placed under his head, and if the road they were travelling on hadn't been so bumpy, he would hardly have cracked his head on the boot lid like that. Twenty minutes later, the car stopped. When the metal lid was lifted, Cassius saw three young men in front of him, looking a little fierce.
"We're here, 'turon'," one of the guys said sarcastically. "You probably wanted to visit the Din Forest, so we brought you here.
"It's a full moon tonight, so we'll have a clear view," said the second guy, flashing his strong white teeth. The third kidnapper also grinned, baring his teeth.
"Thanks for the ride, of course," Cassius replied, not even trying to get out of the boot, "but why all the trouble, gentlemen? I could have made it to the forest on my own.
"Get out," the kidnappers moved aside slightly, allowing Cassius to climb out.
The magician didn't keep them waiting long and carefully stood up, stretching his numb arms and legs.
"Why did you kidnap me?" he asked the men. "I don't believe your girlfriend at the café just gave me this tea with sleeping pills for no reason.
"No, the tea was fine. It was all because of Uncle Peters' wonderful pastries," the three of them grinned. "We'll let you go now, go where you were going. You can even spend the night in the forest. It's a full moon, you can pitch a tent and get some rest. You 'tourists' love adventure, don't you?"
Cassius looked again at the boys, who were clearly anticipating something, and shrugged:
"All right, I'll go then?
"Go ahead. Kenopp Bridge isn't far, you'll find water to drink and swim in," one of the guys waved his hand.
Making his way deeper into the not very overgrown forest, Cassius just grinned. The trip had turned out a little unexpected, but his arms and legs were intact, so what was there to worry about? As for letting himself get poisoned, he'd be smarter next time. Even in the Muggle world, it turned out, you could get into trouble. Besides, the guys smelled of something animalistic, and parts of werewolves were also used in magic potions, especially dark ones, which Cassius knew very well. That's why he wasn't afraid of a possible attack.
When night fell and the moon rose, Cassius settled down on the bank of the pond near the bridge at Cannop Ponds and decided what to look for first: "Should I gather leaves from the Alikosti tree for a memory potion or find some Dittany herb? The protection from wounds provided by potions made from this herb would certainly be useful to him and his relatives in the future."
A fresh breeze blew from the lake, and the evening coolness gradually overcame the heat of the day. Frogs croaked, and something large splashed in the dark water. The forest lived its own life, and Cassius still couldn't make up his mind. Suddenly, his ears picked up a noise approaching from the usual sounds of the forest, and three wolf-like figures leaped out from behind the trees onto the shore. Noticing the young man sitting on a stump, they howled sharply and rushed towards him. Cassius rose from the stump and quickly waved his hand towards the charging beasts. An invisible wave immediately reached the werewolves, and a plaintive squeal rang out through the forest as the animals crashed into the stone wall. The stunned four-legged creatures had no time to recover before they found themselves pinned against the tree trunks, helplessly waving their paws.
"Here are the ingredients," the mage said cheerfully, his eyes sparkling. "And we didn't even have to look for them!
Taking a carving knife from the seemingly ordinary backpack, Cassius again wondered which beast to start with first. The animals watched his deliberations with fear. Finally making up his mind, Cassius slowly moved towards the nearest one, wondering where to start gutting it. The beast whimpered, sensing something bad was about to happen. At that moment, another werewolf jumped out of the forest, only much larger in size, and transformed into a human while still in mid-air.
"Stop, mage!" the newcomer shouted hoarsely, holding his hands up in a defensive gesture. "Wait, don't kill them."
Cassius quickly turned and carefully assessed the man. His tall, powerful figure, rough features, and confident, heavy gaze revealed a serious opponent.
"What do you want to tell me, shapeshifter?" Malfoy looked at him.
"I am the leader of the pack, Fenrir Grey, and these are stupid puppies who couldn't tell a wizard from a simple turon. Today is their initiation, when they were supposed to hunt their first deer and bring the prey to our settlement. Only idiots would believe fairy tales that if you kill a human during initiation, the werewolf's power will be much greater, so they decided to catch a tourist. And since people don't often come to the forest to spend the night, especially on a full moon, these fools came up with a plan. When old Peters, who is crazy about his granddaughter, told me what they had planned," sighed the leader, "I rushed here immediately. After all, a werewolf who tastes human flesh during the initiation will never be able to take human form during the moon, and even a partial transformation will be extremely difficult. And the worst thing is that when such a fool transforms, he becomes nothing more than an animal and after the full moon remembers nothing at all. I beg you, wizard, let them go," he bowed. "Werewolves can also be grateful. We know everything that grows in this forest, and if you are looking for any special herbs or mushrooms, we can come to an agreement.
Cassius thought: "On the one hand, the body parts of young werewolves would not be superfluous; he had already had to gut shape-shifters in Africa, but they were truly insane in their animal form. On the other hand, what if the body parts of an intelligent werewolf had a side effect in the potion? It was dangerous to take that risk. It was good that he had figured this out at such an important moment."
"All right," Cassius waved his hand, releasing the beasts, and they immediately hid behind the man's back, tucking their tails between their legs.
"I'm looking for Alikosti and Dittani, do they grow here?
Fenrir shook his head:
"There are no such herbs here. They grow in the Forbidden Forest, near Hogwarts. Here you can find wiggen, moli, and singing willow. You can also find lukotrus and red caps.
Cassius grimaced. It was all interesting, especially the moles, but right now he needed completely different herbs and creatures.
"Then I don't need anything, Mr Fenrir, but I'll know who to turn to," Cassius sighed disappointedly.
Picking up his backpack and hiding his knife, he touched the tip of the enchanted rope and instantly found himself on the doorstep of the Grimm 12 mansion. Upon entering, Cassius immediately saw Kricher, who was pleased to see him.
"Make me some tea, please, but no additives," the young man grinned.
Then he went into the living room and collapsed into an armchair, stretching out his legs. It had been a hectic day, and tomorrow he planned to go to the Forbidden Forest. Of course, he didn't want to take the bus to Scotland, but he knew that he could get to the magical village of Hogsmeade by any public fireplace, and from there he could set off for the forest.***
The next day, Cassius set off for Hogsmeade via the fireplace network. After experiencing many pleasant moments flying through the fireplace network, the young wizard fell out of the emerald flames into the Boar's Head. Brushing off the soot, Cassius, still dressed in his Muggle clothes, stepped outside to the surprised whispers of the first visitors to the tavern. The sun was already high above the forest, and the air was filled with the pleasant smells of the awakening village. Smiling broadly, Cassius strode towards the green strip in the distance.
Reaching the forest, the wizard immediately plunged between the trees and instantly disappeared from view. As he ventured deeper into the Forbidden Forest, Cassius never ceased to marvel at its antiquity and beauty. Huge, gloomy trees and spacious glades overgrown with all kinds of magical plants created an impression of formidable magic. The forest seemed to whisper, "Be careful, traveller, be careful..."
With his backpack almost full of all kinds of herbs and mushrooms, Cassius had already ventured deep into the forest. Suddenly, he heard the crunch of branches approaching, and two spiders the size of bears jumped out of the thicket. The arthropods, ignoring the magician, rushed further into the forest, but suddenly fell dead, never reaching the trees.
Almost silently, from the same direction the spiders had come from, the head of a huge snake appeared, crowned with a bone crest in the shape of a crown. Cassius stared in amazement at the largest basilisk he had ever seen in his life. His teacher had shown Malfoy the basilisk, and they had even visited the farm where these deadly creatures were bred. As a snake charmer, Cassius was not afraid of the deadly gaze, but its power was still awe-inspiring.
The snake also stared at the wizard with piercing yellow eyes and hissed in surprise:
"It's not falling! Am I no longer able to immobilise a mere human?
Cassius immediately greeted the snake respectfully in Parseltongue. Basilisk minds take hundreds of years to develop, and judging by this one's quite reasonable speech, it was nearly a thousand years old.
"Hello, snake," hissed Cassius. "I'm just gathering mushrooms and herbs here, I didn't mean to disturb your hunt.
The bright green skin of the monster glinted in the sun as it slowly crawled out into the clearing and coiled into a ring. Fifteen metres long and as thick as a marble column, the basilisk looked like a death machine from a Muggle nightmare. Nevertheless, seeing the young snake charmer before him, and with a hint of such remarkable power beloved by ancient monsters, he had no intention of attacking the wizard. Instead, the giant snake began to ask Cassius curiously who he was, how he had ended up here, and what he wanted in the ancient forest.
After another hour of conversation, Cassius could already consider the ancient basilisk a friend. The huge snake told him that he lived under a castle, slept in winter, and in summer crawled out into the Forbidden Forest to hunt unicorns, centaurs, and spiders. He didn't need much food, but the hunt itself excited him. The chase, the fear of the fleeing creatures, and their delicious agony.
The snake even stuck out its forked tongue several times with pleasure, apparently imagining what he was talking about. Cassius immediately offered to bring him a cow if he had the opportunity, which would be much tastier than tough spiders, completely covered with protective chitinous shells. In return, he asked to be given some of the snake's venom and any unwanted offspring. The basilisk nodded in agreement, and Cassius hurriedly took his leave so as not to see the ancient monster gorge itself on the dead spiders.
Gobbling down the kidney pudding served by Kreacher and washing it down with Stilton cheese, Cassius thought about Hogwarts. A school where a thousand-year-old monster lives in the dungeon and a half-giant works as a gamekeeper, whose father or mother must have loved human flesh. What other interesting and terrifying things could he encounter there? What a pity that he hadn't been accepted to such a wonderful place this year. He would have to study hard with his tutors this year so that next spring he could pass his English OWLs at the Ministry and go to Hogwarts.
***
Malfoy walked past the doors from carriage to carriage, periodically greeting his friends. He was told that Harry Potter himself, the boy who survived, was on the train, and Draco was incredibly interested in meeting the celebrity. Behind him, Crabbe and Goyle were silently following, assigned by their parents to accompany him. As his father had said, "You must get used to each other from childhood. So that later, in case of danger, they will be ready to come to your aid without hesitation."
Opening the next compartment, Draco saw a familiar bespectacled boy, and opposite him sat a disgusting red-haired boy with a freckled face and a dirty nose.
Deciding to ignore him, Draco asked his casual acquaintance in a pompous tone:
"Hi! I heard Harry Potter is travelling in this carriage?
"I'm Harry Potter," replied the bespectacled boy, looking a little embarrassed. Then Draco noticed a distinctive scar that had been hidden by his fringe, remembered the description of the hero from the children's books, and mentally slapped himself for his inattentiveness.
"Maybe you've forgotten, so let me introduce myself again. I'm Draco Malfoy, and these are my vassals, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle," the two nodded in response.
"I'm ready to tell you who's who in the wizarding world," continued Malfoy enthusiastically. "Who you should be friends with and who you should avoid. I'll be your guide among the wizards," and he held out his hand to Harry Potter.
At that moment, the red-haired boy sitting on the other side giggled nastily.
"You don't need to introduce yourself," Malfoy said, turning away from him and lowering his hand. "I already know you. Poor clothes, red hair, ugly face — the hallmarks of your disgusting family, Weasley. A family with more children than they can afford.
He turned away from the redhead and held out his hand to Potter again:
"I offer you friendship, Harry. It's not worth associating with blood traitors. It could be dangerous for your magic!
At that moment, the redhead couldn't take it anymore and lunged at Malfoy, but was immediately knocked back by a kick from the alert Goyle.
"That's what they are, devouring sons," the redhead hissed, half-choking as he crawled out from under the table. "Their fathers helped kill the one who must not be named, your parents, Harry," and he glared at Malfoy with hatred.
"I won't be friends with you!" the bespectacled boy squealed angrily. "Get out of here."
Malfoy glanced irritably at Potter:
"What a fool! I wouldn't be surprised if you soon stoop to associating not only with traitors to your blood, but with mudbloods as well.
With another contemptuous snort, deeply offended, Malfoy left the compartment. Bumping into some girl in the corridor whose large front teeth made her look like a beaver, the enraged Malfoy cursed her Muggle ancestors and, accompanied by his vassals, made his way back to his compartment.
His hopes of meeting and befriending the hero of children's magical fairy tales had just melted away in the landscape rushing past the train windows. He had imagined meeting the hero of the magical world, explaining everything about the world of wizards to him, and introducing him to his friends. How they would become friends and study at the same faculty, Slytherin, of course.
Draco even gritted his teeth in anger. What did this four-eyes think of himself? A hero of children's fairy tales, my foot. Putting the stupid Potter out of his mind for a moment, the young Malfoy immediately suggested a game of renegade fool to his friends, which is what they did for the rest of the journey.
The stop at Hogsmeade station, the boat trip across the lake, the sorting. None of this registered in young Malfoy's mind, and only when the old hat that had been placed on his head said, "Slytherin!" did the boy realise that everything had turned out as it should.
Smiling, he walked over to the table of his house, where he would study for the next seven years. Vince and Greg, of course, ended up in Slytherin with him. Potter, with Weasley stuck to him like a burr, and a girl who looked like she was standing on her hind legs with a mop of hair on her head, ended up in Gryffindor.
***
Albus Percival Wulfric Dumbledore sat in his favourite armchair and pondered. His hands worked habitually with the school documents that never left his desk, especially now, with a new generation of wizards about to enter Hogwarts. But the old wizard's thoughts were far away. This year, Harry Potter was entering the school, and the long-running saga with Tom Riddle would come to an end. Albus had already prepared a worthy trap for his enemy, into which he would inevitably fall. The scoundrel had managed to scatter his Horcruxes all over England without telling anyone about them. Albus had no idea how many there were, but he knew for sure about the first Horcrux, which Thomas had created while still at school. At the time, Dumbledore had decided not to interfere with the young prodigy because he had seen the darkness that had settled in the boy's soul when they first met at the orphanage. Pure evil, which looked especially frightening in a seemingly innocent child. But he immediately saw the makings of a future monster. And, as usual, he was right. All these ancient and noble magical families, boasting of their power. Retrogrades who did not understand that the magical world had long been ripe for change. They bet on Riddle, but lost. Their children, who became allies of the new leader of the dark, turned into his slaves, which, however, only helped the scoundrel to grow stronger. But he, a great light mage, still outplayed Riddle. First, he slipped a prophecy to a foolish boy, then he gave a naive half-blood a mirror ritual tied to a sacrifice. Oh, the ritual was undoubtedly light. A mother sacrifices herself for her child, isn't that noble? If it weren't for the Muggles, Thomas would already be forgotten, and all those who were associated with him would have followed their master. Their places in the political arena of England have long been claimed by wizards loyal to the light. It's a pity that the damned pure-blooded reactionaries cling so tightly to power and influence. Well, never mind, he and his teacher Flamel have long been ready for any action taken by the opposing side. The pieces are in place, although they don't know it yet. All that remains is to play this game called life.
***
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