Twelve items... Cassius wiped his forehead wearily with a handkerchief and stumbled out of the study. Behind the door remained the delighted Professor Toffee and the irritated Mrs Marchbanks. The third member of the commission from the ministry had already rushed off with a folder of exam papers to issue the certificates. Despite Marchbanks' obvious bias, Cassius, though not without difficulty, passed all his exams with flying colours. Of course, he had to shell out for tutors, whom he met periodically throughout the year, but it was worth it. The English system of magical education was indeed full of pitfalls. For example, the knights, claymires, and nars, which were covered in the UZMS exam, were not studied at all in Uagadu; these creatures were only found in northern Europe, and perhaps elsewhere in America. And the general defensive theories at DADA were complete nonsense. Only the vapours of the soothing balm that Cassius had to brew for the potion-making exam slightly dampened the examiners' enthusiasm.
Tired of the incessant chatter and waving of wands, Cassius happily left the company of the respected examiners, who were satisfied with his level of knowledge. According to Professor Toffee, only one Hogwarts student had previously managed to pass twelve owls with flying colours. Now all that remained was to wait for the Ministry to send the certificate and forward the documents to the Hogwarts administration.
Cassius took the Ministry exams under the surname Black and intended to enrol at Hogwarts under the same name. Of course, Dumbledore and his supporters were able to sully the famous name of the English dark wizards. After all, according to the Black family, the last of the Black wizards was in Azkaban. Cassius and his father hoped to raise the Blacks' status among Hogwarts students, who would determine attitudes towards wizards in the future.
***
Following Albus's order, a house elf appeared in the office. The elder of the Hogwarts house elf community bowed low to the headmaster. After asking the old house elf about the affairs of the school, Dumbledore asked an unexpected question:
"Tell me, Eldri, have any outsiders joined the community in recent years?"
The elder chewed his lips thoughtfully:
"Yes, Headmaster, three such house-elves have joined us in recent years. One died, leaving only Marki and Dobby. They are good workers despite having been banished by their owners. Now they all work in the castle, like the rest of us.
"Did you ask who their former owners were?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"Markie worked at 'Mantles for All Occasions', but one day she accidentally pricked a customer from the Ministry of Magic with a needle. That nasty woman, who looked like a toad, forced Madam Malkin to give Markie her clothes," the elder shrugged his thin shoulders.
"And Dobby used to be the Malfoy's house elf, but because of his youth and stupidity, he couldn't handle the task of looking after a child. When the little boy wanted to take a bath, instead of taking him to the bathroom, Dobby carried him to the middle of the pond. The boy was very lucky to be rescued. His master even wanted to kill stupid Dobby, but for the sake of the other house elves, he didn't do it. Instead, he just gave him some clothes and sent him away from the estate.
"But Dobby is not to blame, Headmaster, he just misunderstood the young master's orders," the house elf waved his ears, "Dobby is a good elf, if a little strange.
"All right, Eldri," Dumbledore reassured the agitated elder, "I'll talk to this Dobby myself. If this house elf is dangerous to the students, it's not right to keep him at Hogwarts.
"Send him to me.
Eldri bowed respectfully and disappeared with a soft pop, and a minute later another house elf appeared in the same place, with ears like a bat. He swallowed nervously and stared devotedly at Dumbledore with green eyes the size of tennis balls.
"Did the headmaster call for Dobby?" asked the house-elf, nervously tugging at his cloak.
"Yes, Dobby," Dumbledore replied kindly, "tell me how you came to Hogwarts. Who were your former owners and why did they kick you out?"
The house-elf immediately burst into tears and began to tell Albus his story, which he had already heard from the elder Eldri.
"Tell me, Dobby, you used to clean your former owners' estate, didn't you?" Dumbledore asked, picking up on a detail.
"Yes, Headmaster, sir, some places were really scary. For example, in Lucius's study.
"And what frightened you there?" the light wizard asked with interest.
"There was always a bad smell coming from one of the panels in the wall, and I heard a voice demanding that I take the diary," squeaked the house-elf.
"A diary?" Dumbledore suddenly tensed.
"Yes, headmaster, I saw the old master, Abraxas, bring this evil thing to the estate once. The masters didn't feel anything, but we house-elves can see such things. It's terrible magic, sir. It's bad for all of us.
"And you never touched it, Dobby?"
"Only once, headmaster, sir. The masters made me clean the study, and I am a good elf, I try to clean everywhere. I knew there was a diary behind the wall panel, and I took it to clean it," the house-elf became nervous again.
"And what was written on the cover?" Dumbledore urged the elf.
"It said, 'Tom Marvolo Riddle,'" Dobby looked up at the headmaster. "And he called me, made me write in it, and then I felt sick, so I hid the diary back behind the wall and ran out of the room. My employers then scolded me for not cleaning up, but I was afraid to go back in there.
Dumbledore looked at the house-elf in surprise and thought, 'So that's the story. So the first Horcrux is hidden at Lucius's house. Old Malfoy must have brought Voldemort's diary to the house but didn't tell the family. We must get it back.'
"All right, Dobby, you can continue to live at Hogwarts, but I will need your help.
"Anything, Headmaster," the house-elf waved his ears happily, "just give the order...
The headmaster sat in his chair for a moment, then grunted and sent a Patronus to the necessary recipients. By evening, Alastor Moody and Arthur Weasley arrived at Hogwarts almost simultaneously. Weasley was a balding, thin man in his forties, with the typical appearance of a Ministry clerk. After greeting Dumbledore, they both sat down in chairs near the headmaster's desk.
"My friends," Albus smiled, "I have a task for you. I need you to search the estates of the former Death Eaters.
"I'd be delighted," grinned Moody, "it's high time we put the Devourers in their place.
"No, my friend," Dumbledore shook his head, "you shouldn't go there. You must organise these raids through the Auror Corps. Arrange it with some Aurors you know, prepare the paperwork, and Arthur will go with them as their senior officer.
Weasley looked at the headmaster in surprise.
"Me, senior, sir?"
"Yes, my boy," nodded Dumbledore. "And pay special attention to the Malfoy estate. I have a feeling these dark wizards have something forbidden there.
Arthur's ugly face immediately lit up:
"Sir, exposing this dark family is my dearest wish. They have been harming the Weasleys for as long as I can remember. Their footprints can be seen in every misfortune that has befallen our family.
"I understand you, my boy," Dumbledore said with a sly glance through his glasses, "if you're there, those dark wizards won't be able to bribe the Aurors, no matter how hard they try.
Weasley nodded and frowned:
"I'm ready, Headmaster, just give me the signal.
Dumbledore smiled contentedly and looked at the dark wizard:
"Alastor, when your fighters are ready to go, please let me know." Moody nodded curtly.
After discussing all the details, the wizards took their leave of the old headmaster. As soon as they had left the office, Dumbledore summoned Dobby.
"Yes, Headmaster," said the house-elf, bowing and sweeping the floor with his ears.
"Dobby, I have an important task for you. When I tell you, you must go to Malfoy Manor and retrieve the diary from Lord Malfoy's office. There will be Aurors there that day, and they will distract the owners' attention, so I think you will be able to do it without any problems. They haven't locked the entrance to the estate, have they?"
"No, sir, they decided I was dead and didn't bother to put any extra security on me.
"Good," Dumbledore said, glancing through his glasses with satisfaction. "I'll call you when it's time to do it.
***
A week later, searches began at the Death Eaters' manors. Naturally, they found nothing but headaches for their owners. When Arthur Weasley appeared at Malfoy Manor with a beaming smile, accompanied by Aurors, Lucius was stunned with amazement. However, the documents were signed by the head of the Auror Corps, and Malfoy was forced to let them onto the estate.
"According to our information," Weasley began contemptuously, "there may be dark magical artefacts in your office. You will take us there now, or we will use force.
Malfoy narrowed his eyes:
"Force? Aren't you taking on too much, Arthur?"
"Hold on, gentlemen," the senior member of the support team said.
"Sir, we have orders," the Auror pulled a search warrant signed by Scrimgeour from his pocket.
"All right, I'll take care of this," Malfoy gritted his teeth. "Go ahead."
Five Aurors, along with a very happy Weasley, entered the office. Lucius sat down in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Look, gentlemen, but I'll be watching you. I wouldn't want anything to go missing from this room, you know.
Taking out their dark magic detection devices, the Aurors began to systematically search the room, while Weasley opened bookcases and looked through the spines and contents of the books. Lucius watched with growing anger.
"Well, gentlemen," Malfoy couldn't hold back after a while, watching the Aurors go around for the second time, "haven't you found anything?"
"Everything's clean," the commander of the five grumbled irritably, glancing at Weasley. He looked extremely annoyed.
"Malfoy must have been warned by his friends at the Ministry," Arthur spat out angrily. Lucius shook his head contemptuously and pointed disdainfully towards the exit.
"I wouldn't dare keep you, gentlemen," he said in an icy tone. "Perhaps you should search Weasley's shed. As head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Apparatus, he's bound to have a whole bunch of forbidden items at home.
The Aurors grumbled as they followed him out, Arthur walking behind them with his head held high, but in the corridor he caught sight of Cassius, who was descending the stairs to the hall, preparing to leave for Black Manor.
"Another devouring spawn," Weasley muttered through clenched teeth as he passed by. Cassius's eyes darkened for a split second, and no one noticed the dark snake darting into Arthur's back. Cassius looked at his father in surprise, but his father signalled with his eyes that he would explain later. After seeing the Aurors off and watching them leave the estate, Lucius asked the house-elves to check that nothing forbidden had been planted in the house. With a heavy sigh, Lord Malfoy returned to the living room, where Cassius was waiting for him, looking agitated."What happened, Father? Why were those people so insolent?"
Lucius took a glass of firewhisky and began to tell the whole story. How his father had communicated with Lord Voldemort, how he had promised to rid their family of the curse, but instead had deceived them and simply turned them into his slaves, branding them with a black mark. By a lucky chance, Lucius met Cassius's teacher, Chibuzo Inu, who opened their eyes to what was happening. He told them about the conflict with Dumbledore and the reasons for Weasley's hatred. By the end of the conversation, Lucius had finished his second glass and his face was gradually losing its deathly pallor.
"That's how it is, son," Malfoy said bitterly. "I have to balance between everyone because as soon as I slip up, these hyenas will try to tear the family apart. Too many people envy our wealth and position. The Malfoy family, like any ancient family, has many enemies and envious people. Dumbledore supports Muggle-borns and half-bloods because they are much easier to control. Voldemort has bound the representatives of pure-blood families to himself under the slogan of restoring ancient traditions.
"And us?" Cassius muttered gloomily.
"We, son, also support pure-blood traditions. What's more, I am currently helping all the families of former comrades with finances and my connections in the Ministry. And those who are free and those sitting in Azkaban. If it weren't for my support, they would have been pushed aside long ago. There are always plenty of people who want to take advantage of lucrative trade niches, and sometimes my strength is not enough.
"What should I do?" Cassius leaned forward, clenching his fists.
"Grow up and gather your strength, son. I'll need your help in the future," Lucius smiled warmly, patting the boy on the shoulder.
"All that matters to me is our family: you, Mum, Draco. I'll give my life for you if I have to," Malfoy downed the last glass in one gulp.
"You know, Dad," Cassius grinned maliciously, "I cursed that redhead a little. He won't die, of course, but he'll definitely suffer.
"Did anyone see that?" Lucius asked, alarmed.
"No, Dad, they didn't notice what I did, especially since I cast the spell without a wand.
"Good, then," Lucius smiled, "let's see how he deals with that.
***
Albus stood by the tower window, staring thoughtlessly at the forbidden forest. "The school year is coming soon, and I need to prepare for the second stage of little Harry's development. This time, he has already met Tom and was able to stand up to him. I feel sorry for Quirrell, of course, but that is his fate. Soon, the diary of that bastard, found just at the right time, will come into play. Right now, Dobby is making life difficult for the boy. It has entered his thick head that by not letting Harry go to Hogwarts, he will save him from danger. And just before September, the house-elf will plant the Horcrux on someone at Flourish and Blotts. I won't know who it is, and this will save me from being fired. Every headmaster takes an oath not to harm the students when they take office. Hogwarts is neutral territory and must remain so. The founders' vows are backed by magic and severely punish the guilty. So I'll have to resort to a little trickery. And when I find out which of the children has been affected by the Horcrux, I'll make sure Harry meets Tom again. His mother's protection will save the boy in any case, and he needs to get used to the idea that he is capable of defeating Voldemort, which will come in handy in the future. I don't know what the Horcrux will do, but it will be interesting to find out. One thought kept Dumbledore awake at night: the name Black appeared on the list of incoming students. Albus knew all the Blacks well and couldn't understand where another one had come from. The young man was applying for sixth year, having passed all his exams at the Ministry of Magic. The presence of another Black threatened some of the headmaster's plans, but he decided to take a closer look at the boy first, perhaps he could be useful in the events to come.
"Let's add a little intrigue to this story," the old man thought cheerfully. The wind gently ruffled the great light wizard's beard, filling the office with the pleasant smell of the forest, and a satisfied Dumbledore went to his bedroom.
***
Today, Flourish and Blotts was busier than ever. Parents, children, older Hogwarts students, a crowd of excited women, a photojournalist from the Daily Prophet standing near the advertising stand. There was a constant hum in the shop, books rustling, women talking quietly in anticipation. Cassius would have bought his textbooks much earlier, but he and his parents had to visit the shop anyway because today was the presentation of the new DADA textbooks.
A blond man came out of a side door of the shop, smiled, walked over to the advertising stand and sat down at the table. Suddenly, the lights came on and portraits of the wizard appeared around him. They all smiled at the women surrounding the table and waved cheerfully. The satisfied magician in a blue robe and a jaunty hat sat signing books for his fans. Above him, magical fire burned and shimmered in different colours, spelling out the words: "Gilderoy Lockhart is signing his autobiography, 'I Am a Wizard', today from 12 to 5."
Cassius, standing near the stair railing on the second floor, smiled and shook his head. This wizard certainly knows his worth. He had never encountered such self-admiration in any other country. Lockhart looked up and saw Harry Potter standing in the crowd surrounding him.
Smiling, he stood up and immediately pulled the boy closer for a photo together.
"It can't be! Is that really Harry Potter?
Lockhart placed his hand patronisingly on the boy's shoulder and said, almost without opening his lips:
"Smile, Harry!
Then the blond wizard stretched his lips into a wide smile and proudly declared:
"We're famous!"
Cassiuses wanted to laugh in the most indecent way possible, but he tried to control himself. Lockhart rewarded Potter with a whole set of his books, but the embarrassed boy immediately gave them to some red-haired girl.
Then Draco, who was also in the crowd below, said something hurtful to Potter, and the two boys almost came to blows right there, while the redhead blushed deeply. Potter's friends immediately rushed to his aid: another redhead and a girl with a mane of chestnut hair, followed by two older red-haired teenagers.
Cassius immediately rushed down to help the little boy, but then he saw his father coming towards him. Lucius, noticing that his younger son was in trouble, also moved in that direction. Downstairs, Cassius suddenly noticed Arthur Weasley, who had recently been at their manor. They bumped into Lucius and began to exchange sarcastic remarks.
Suddenly, the older Weasley kicked a cauldron full of textbooks standing on the floor and rushed at Malfoy, grabbed him by the collar and pushed him onto a bookshelf. Then, without giving him time to recover, he punched him in the eye. Lucius did not lose his composure and immediately responded with a blow to Weasley's jaw, which sent the redhead flying into the crowd.
Suddenly, Cassius noticed a house-elf under the invisibility cloak. The big-eared creature, carefully dodging the crowd of onlookers, made his way to the cauldron with the textbooks and slipped a book with a brown cover into it. Cassius did not have time to get a closer look, but at the bottom there was some kind of inscription in gold. In a moment, the house-elf disappeared, and his father and Weasley were already being pulled apart by a half-giant.
Enraged, Lucius pushed Hagrid's hand away and left the shop with dignity, followed by a dejected Draco, while Cassius looked back at Weasley. The curse cast earlier was gradually taking effect, and sweat was visible on Arthur's forehead, while his battered face eloquently confirmed that he was getting worse. Cassius smiled maliciously and also began to descend the stairs. The crowd returned to Lockhart, and Cassius managed to get outside without incident. Draco and his father were already climbing the stairs to Fortescue's café, and Cassius summoned Kreacher with a snap of his fingers.
"Kreacher, kindly fetch the pickled tentacle tincture from the first-aid kit. I think it will help my father get rid of his bruise quickly.
The house-elf instantly brought the requested bottle, and Cassius cheerfully followed his family. Upon entering the café, he immediately noticed the family sitting at a table in the corner. Narcissa looked happily at the black eye under Lucius's eye and kept suppressing a smile. Malfoy himself was also in a good mood, and only Draco, sulking, was poking at his ice cream with a spoon. Taking a bowl of sweet cold balls, Cassius moved towards the table.
"This is for you, Father," he said cheerfully, placing the bottle and cotton wool in front of Malfoy. "It's a tincture of St. John's wort.
Lucius immediately poured the contents onto the cotton wool and applied it to his face. The pain began to subside immediately, and the bruise grew lighter until it disappeared completely.
"That's great," said Malfoy happily, "my son has become a real potion maker. I'll tease Snape when I get the chance that we don't really need his services anymore.
After finishing their ice cream and discussing the epic battle between the two noble gentlemen once more, the Malfoy family gathered to go home. During the conversation, even Draco thawed and began to talk passionately about how he couldn't stand Potter, Granger, the entire Weasley family, and what had caused the scandal.
"No, can you imagine, Cass," he said heatedly, "Potter is a hero, he gets away with everything at Hogwarts, any violations. Our dean just grits his teeth, and McGonagall covers for them all the time. And they made him Seeker in violation of the rules, and with that dragon. True, on the same day, the dragon bit Weasley, and he couldn't help Potter send it off, so he and the mudblood dragged it away together. Then it turned out that the Norwegian humpback wasn't in the box, and Ron received a "thunderbox" from his older brother, accusing him of stupidity and bad jokes. Those who needed to understand what he meant did, and Weasley even accused Potter of it, and they didn't speak to each other for a week.
Cassius smiled contentedly. The stolen dragon was now eating his fill at Chibuzo Inu's estate. Deciding that he had enough ingredients, he simply gave the dragon to his teacher. Chibuzo was very pleased and immediately placed the little dragon in his sanctuary, where he raised various magical animals. The Norwegian humpback would definitely be the jewel of his collection, which he told his student with a satisfied smile. Then he loaded him up with another batch of ancient scrolls on black magic and sent him on his way, promising to keep an eye on his progress.
***
After saying goodbye to their parents at the station, Cassius and Draco climbed the steps to the train carriage. The red locomotive was already whistling invitingly, preparing to depart. Leaving the youngster with his friends and vassals, Cassius moved along the carriage towards the senior students' compartment. Knocking, he saw familiar faces and smiled as he entered.
"Cassius?" exclaimed Jema Farley in surprise. "You've gotten so big!" She stared at Cassius with wide eyes.
The other girls sitting in the compartment also looked at the boy with curiosity.
"Cassius Black," he introduced himself with a smile. "Jema, you've become even more beautiful!"
"Ladies," he bowed to the girls.
They giggled shyly. It turned out that this was the sixth-year Slytherin compartment, where Jema was studying. This year she had been appointed prefect, and she had stopped by to chat with her friends before going to the prefects' meeting in the first carriage. Cassius was immediately bombarded with questions from the curious girls, and it took Jema half an hour to pluck up the courage to listen to his stories. Nevertheless, putting on a stern face and gathering her willpower, she said a formal goodbye and left the compartment.
"Do you know," one of the girls leaned conspiratorially towards the table, "this year DADA will be taught by Gilderoy Lockhart himself. The hero, the conqueror of monsters. I've read all his books, he's such a sweetheart.
Cassius, not listening to the girls' chatter, leaned his head back against the seat and pretended to doze off.
In fact, the boy was worried about his upcoming studies. No, Cassius was confident in his knowledge, but he feared that Draco or even he himself might be drawn into the headmaster's intrigue surrounding Potter.
He just wanted to finish Hogwarts, not untangle the headmaster's intrigues, although somewhere deep down, the upcoming difficulties only made him feel excited. Perhaps it was the Black blood awakening in him, or perhaps a talent for dark magic, but something whispered to him that he should turn everything to his advantage and reduce his enemies to nothing.
***
A red-haired woman suddenly fell out of the fireplace in the reception area of St. Mungo's Hospital and cried out piercingly:
"Quick, he's dying, he's suffocating, hurry!"
A frightened nurse rushed to the red-haired woman.
"Please help," she said, her eyes darting around wildly, "my husband is dying!"
"Who's dying?" Healer Smetwick approached the screaming woman irritably and was surprised to recognise the dishevelled, pale woman as Molly Weasley. Focusing on Smetwick, she grabbed his arm and dragged him to the fireplace:
"Please, Hippocrates, we need your help!"
Sighing, Smetwick grabbed the duty case and rushed into the fireplace after Weasley. Appearing in the living room, he saw Arthur lying on the floor, his face blue and his eyes wide. Arthur was trying to say something, but the foam coming out of his mouth prevented him from speaking, and only an indistinct gurgling sound reached the healer's ears. Suddenly, Arthur began to shake in a fit, and the dishes on the table, which his body was banging against, fell down with a crash. Cursing, Smetwick threw an evanescent spell on the shards and quickly began to cast diagnostic spells on Weasley, periodically clearing his airways.
"Someone has cursed him," he said, waving away Molly, who was pacing anxiously around the dining room, unable to find a place for herself.
"We'll have to take him to our place, the curse just won't come off," Smetwick wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. "Do you have any money, Molly? He needs very expensive treatment.
Weasley nodded, clenching her teeth. They had been saving for the younger children's education, but now they would have to go back to square one. She would have to go and beg Dumbledore. After sending her husband to the hospital, she sat down at the table and covered her eyes with her hands. They had to give Mungo everything they had saved over three years. Now there was only one gold galleon and a handful of Knuts left in the vault.
"It's all your stupid raids," the woman said angrily. "I told you not to go there, you're not an Auror. And now we're broke again." After sending an owl to Dumbledore with an account of Arthur's misfortune, she set about cooking. The bustle in the kitchen always calmed the former Prewett, because right now she wanted to kill someone.
***
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