The students poured out of the train and began to cheer. Hagrid called the first-years in a loud voice, while the rest moved on in a hostile crowd towards the parking lot. Cassius was surprised to see the Festrals harnessed to carriages. The vicious monsters must have been under some kind of spell, because none of these predatory creatures even attempted to attack the children. Black, inwardly ready for battle, nevertheless approached one of the carriages with some trepidation. Sitting down by the window, he began to curiously examine the teenagers who were quickly settling into the empty carriages.
Three people climbed in with him and immediately began chatting about their holidays. They paid no attention to Cassius, and he was in no hurry to join their conversation. When they reached the castle, the carriages stopped, and the crowd of students immediately headed inside. Cassius followed everyone, seeing a stern, thin witch standing at the doorway. She had a regular oval face with high cheekbones and a straight nose, on the tip of which sat a pair of glasses. From under her sharply defined eyebrows, she watched the students passing by intently with piercing green eyes. She had fair skin and thin lips that curved into a fleeting, friendly smile.
"Hello, ma'am," the boy said to her. "I'm Cassius Black, I'm entering my sixth year this year. Who should I see to register?
"Minerva McGonagall, young man," replied a prim lady. "I am the deputy headmistress, and we are already aware of your enrolment. The sorting ceremony for first-year students is about to begin. After that, you will also need to try on a hat for your faculty assignment, but you can do that after the festive banquet in the headmistress's office. For now, go into the great hall and sit at any table except the teachers' table. Tilly!" she called to the house elf, "Show the young man into the great hall.
Slowly following the scurrying house spirit into the Great Hall, Cassius looked up in awe at the starry ceiling and all the antique furnishings: "Wow, it's huge!"
Numerous magical candles hovered above four long tables, causing the golden tableware and goblets to sparkle and shimmer in the candlelight.
"There must have been many more people here in the past," thought Black.
Sitting down at the first table he came across, just to the left of the door, Cassius waited.
Gradually, the hall filled with children, and everyone sat down at tables according to the colour of their ties. Most of the students were dressed in identical black robes decorated with their faculty colours around the collar, but some wore simple V-neck jumpers. Others wore faculty scarves around their necks, and many wore Muggle clothes under their robes. Surprised by such colourfulness and diversity, Cassius even shook his head in amazement. Everything here was very different from Uagadu, and not necessarily for the better, in Black's opinion.
Finally, a three-legged stool was brought out onto the platform in front of the teacher's desk and an old wizard's hat was placed on it. Cassius immediately fixed his eyes on this magical artefact, because he found it strange that the magical object had almost no aura. Nevertheless, for a few brief moments, the hat's long-unrenewed protection flickered, and Black saw with his magical vision a beautiful knight's helmet. Then it disappeared, and in its place was the old wizard's hat again.
Minerva McGonagall led a small group of first-year students through a side door, and they gathered on the platform between the teachers' desks and the faculty tables. Among them was the red-haired girl who had almost caused a fight between Draco and Potter. The deputy headmistress approached the stool, took a small scroll in her hand and solemnly unfolded it. The first to approach the stool with the hat was a small boy with mouse-coloured hair. Minerva took the old hat in her hand and sat the boy on the stool. Then she placed the ancient artefact on the child's head, and after a few moments, the hat moved, a mouth opened, and it said loudly, "Hufflepuff!" Cassius rubbed his eyes in amazement — he had certainly never seen such a sorting before.
Then everything went the same way, the redhead ended up in Gryffindor, where, as it turned out, Black was sitting. Another girl with a strange, otherworldly expression on her face was assigned to Ravenclaw. Most of the students ended up in Hufflepuff, and the smallest one in Slytherin. The only ones Cassius didn't notice were Potter and Weasley, who were supposed to be sitting at this table too.
After the festive dinner and the headmaster's speech, McGonagall found Cassius with her eyes and waved him over.
"Come, Mr Black, the headmistress is waiting for you," she said, her voice betraying her trepidation at the mention of Cassius's surname. She and the deputy headmistress left the Great Hall and climbed the marble staircase. Finally reaching the headmaster's tower and walking down a corridor lined with gargoyles, they stopped in front of one and McGonagall quietly uttered a password. The gargoyle suddenly moved aside, revealing a narrow spiral staircase, which Cassius climbed after Minerva.
Climbing into the office, Cassius looked around curiously. It was a large, round room with high pointed ceilings, in which something was rustling softly. On tables with thin legs stood many strange artefacts and magical devices that buzzed and emitted transparent clouds of smoke. On the walls, in a chaotic arrangement, were "living" portraits of wizards, most likely former headmasters and headmistresses. Most of them simply dozed in their frames, but some stared curiously at the newcomers.
On a raised platform stood a huge desk with clawed legs, and on the shelves to the left and right of it were many magical books and manuscripts, among which now lay the very magical hat that had so intrigued Cassius in the Great Hall. Behind the desk, on the second floor, which was accessed by two staircases, stood a huge antique telescope, which the headmaster probably used to calculate the position of the heavenly bodies for his rituals. Somewhere here were doors leading to the headmaster's private quarters, but they were not closed by magic to prevent curious glances.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore himself sat at the table, watching the visitors enter with interest through his half-glasses.
"Come in, Minerva, come closer, young man," he said, gesturing invitingly to two chairs near the table. "Sit down. Now, tell me, young man," the wizard continued when the guests had settled down. "Where are you from? Where did you study?"
"My name is Cassius Black," Malfoy began with a smile. "I was educated abroad. When I was told that my aunt had died, I came to England and took the title of Lord. Since I had not finished my education, I applied to the Ministry in the spring and passed the O.W.L.s to enrol at Hogwarts.
"And who are your parents, Mr Black?" "Dumbledore and McGonagall," Cassius replied, staring curiously at Dumbledore and McGonagall.
"I can't answer that, I don't know," Cassius said with a sweet smile, "but apart from the Blacks, my relatives definitely include the Malfoys, the Burkes, the Crouches and the Flintys. I even asked Lord Malfoy to help with the bureaucratic stuff so I could get into Hogwarts sooner, but in the end, I still had to take the Ministry exams.
"We are very strict," Dumbledore smiled into his beard. "The chair of the education committee, Madam Marchbanks, even took my exams. Griselda is very zealous in her duties," Albus chuckled cheerfully.
All this time, Cassius felt the headmaster's cautious attempts to get inside his head. Bringing the simplest emotions to the surface in accordance with the situation, the young wizard masterfully fed Dumbledore the appropriate emotional responses to his questions. When asked about his parents, he brought a slight sadness to the surface of his mind, and when Malfoy's name was mentioned, he showed slight irritation. Now his work against the headmaster's cautious Legilimency was like a pianist playing a piece of music. Each passage from Albus was met with a new sound, accompanied by physical reactions. A slight blush on his cheeks, lively facial expressions and hand movements.
The experienced Legilimens detected not a hint of falsehood in Cassius's answers. Finally, satisfied with the answers to his questions, Dumbledore suggested that Cassius undergo the sorting. Minerva took out the Sorting Hat and, with some hesitation, placed the artefact on Black's head.
Something immediately bumped lightly against the mental shields, and a discontented voice, stuck on the surface of the defence, grumbled:
"How do you know so much about Occlumency, young man? I cannot see your thoughts, desires, or aspirations. How can I help you choose the right house?"
"It must be a natural defence, esteemed Hat, I don't know what occlusion is," Cassius continued to play his role with inspiration, mentally crossing his fingers behind his back. "I don't really care which faculty I'm assigned to, I'm not afraid of anything. I think my honour and nobility will allow me to find my place anywhere.
Hearing his words, the old hat paused for a moment, then pronounced grandly, "Gryffindor!"
McGonagall smiled, took the artefact from Cassius and placed it on the headmaster's desk.
"Well, Mr Black, you are now a student of my faculty," Cassius's tie, which had remained a neutral dark colour until now, immediately took on a red and gold hue. "Come, I will show you the way to the common room and give you the current password. All our students live in groups of four, but all the rooms have long been allocated. This year, all your future classmates have decided to continue their studies, so unfortunately you will have to live alone. But don't worry, you will always be able to meet everyone in the living room, where my lion cubs spend most of their free time," McGonagall continued enthusiastically. "Two staircases lead from the common room upstairs to the bedrooms. One wing is for girls, the other for boys. Your room will be at the very top of the tower, as that is where the single and double rooms are located.
"It's okay, Dean, I understand," Cassius looked at McGonagall with feigned sadness. "I'll be sure to get to know all my classmates, although I don't know how to play Quidditch, even though I can stay on a broomstick. But I promise I'll cheer for my house team.
Reaching the end of the corridor with a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress, McGonagall looked at the Fat Lady and said sternly, "Swamp bird," and the portrait immediately moved aside.
Entering a spacious living room with walls draped in red and gold, Cassius and Minerva felt as if they had stepped into a London train station. Everywhere there was a cheerful din of voices, punctuated here and there by bursts of laughter and joyful cries. Paper aeroplanes, snowflakes, feathers and handkerchiefs flew through the air. Chaos filled the room with lively merriment.
However, upon seeing the dean with an unfamiliar boy, everyone immediately fell silent and stared curiously at the new arrivals.
"Hello," said the dean sternly. "I would like to introduce you all to a new student at our faculty, Cassius Black. He has enrolled at Hogwarts for his sixth year and will be studying with us.
"Percy, here is the key to the door above your rooms," she said to a thin, slender boy who had been appointed head boy this year and who immediately looked at the dean with devotion. "Since no one left after the fifth year this year, there are no vacancies in the rooms. Therefore, Mr Black, you will have to live alone," she said sternly to Cassius Minerva, then turned back to the students. "But if any of you are expelled for violating the Hogwarts rules, Mr Black will be able to take your place. Is that clear to all of you, young people?" The dean looked sternly at the chairs by the fireplace where the senior students were sitting. Handing the key to the red-haired student, she quickly left the living room.
The atmosphere of merriment immediately returned, and the boy introduced himself:
"Now we'll be studying together. My name is Percival Ignatius Weasley, and I'm the prefect of Gryffindor House. Come on, I'll show you to your room. I'm sure the house-elves have cleaned it up already," and he handed Cassius the key-amulet.
Barely wincing at the name Weasley, Black just nodded and followed Percy. He quickly climbed the stairs and stopped on the landing at the end of the corridor.
"You have to put the key here," he said, pointing to a wall with a portrait of some knight.
Cassius put the key to the frame, and it slowly slid aside. Behind the door hidden by the portrait was a very standard Hogwarts room, only for one person. There was a four-poster bed, a desk and a bathroom. The difference was a large round window through which the Forbidden Forest, the lake and other towers could be seen.
"Not bad here," said Weasley, peering inside enviously.
"It's nothing," Cassius shook his head sadly. "I'm used to living alone and will be spending a lot of time in the library. Will you show me where everything is tomorrow? I've already memorised the layout of the rooms and everything else at Hogwarts, but it's always good to have someone show you in person, isn't it?
Percy agreed and hurried downstairs.
The door closed immediately, and Cassius collapsed onto his bed and stared at the ceiling: "So, the first stage of the plan went well. Of course, I had to work hard to fight off the headmaster's curiosity, and I'm probably in for an evening full of headaches, but I think it was worth it. Now the headmaster is convinced that I am the son of one of the Blacks he knows, perhaps from a side branch, but with a claim to the family fortune. That means that unless he plans to pull Uncle Sirius out of Azkaban like a joker from a deck of cards, he will quietly involve me in his games. We didn't discuss the relationship between purebloods and mudbloods, but the fact that I enrolled in the lion faculty put him in a positive mood. After all, the unofficial motto of Gryffindor, coined by its envious detractors, "Foolhardiness and courage," fits many of my classmates very well. And Dumbledore probably sees me as the same kind of knight."
***
Draco was also lying on his bed. His neighbours, Nott and Crabbe, had long since fallen asleep, while the young Malfoy was torn by conflicting emotions. Before school, his father made him swear not to tell anyone that Cassius was his brother. His father feared that if Cassius was recognised as a dark wizard and they tried to capture him for something forbidden, it would cast a shadow over the entire Malfoy family. Therefore, it was better to present his brother as a Black, because even if his abilities, which were currently forbidden by the Ministry, were recognised, it would not change anything, unless Cassus began to perform dark rituals right in Hogwarts. Of course, this would not help avoid Dumbledore's intrigues. In his time, the great light had already played his tricks on the Blacks when the heir to the dark family fell out with his family and was burned from the family tapestry. Why wouldn't he try to do it again? Especially since Cassius doesn't even have anyone who could protect him from Dumbledore's influence.
The headmaster would certainly be unpleasantly surprised by his brother's emancipation, officially confirmed by the Ministry and the goblins, but it would not change his plans to win him over to his side. And young Malfoy had wanted so much to boast about his brother, who now inspired only sincere love and respect in Draco. Cassius's transition to the Black family opened the way for Draco to become a lord, for which he was immensely grateful to his brother.
Malfoy couldn't stand being second best, and now he was officially becoming the heir to the family. His friends and even his godfather always thought that Draco was the only heir in the family, but he knew that he was only the second son and had recently begun to think about it, even secretly from himself, envying his brother. Turning on his side, Draco tucked his arm under his head and fell asleep.
***
Today, as always, she was cleaning the kitchen. Arthur was still undergoing treatment at St. Mungo's Clinic, and the children had gone to Hogwarts. The house was unusually empty, and only the occasional howl of the house ghoul could be heard from the attic, while the pesky gnomes were once again scurrying around the garden. Frying pans, pots and plates flew around Molly in their usual rhythm. The dishes washed themselves, dried themselves and put themselves away, but the witch's mind was preoccupied with something else entirely. All Dumbledore could do was give them an extension on the payment of Ron and Ginny's tuition for this year.
She had managed to pay for Fred and George up to their fifth year, and the younger ones could only count on Arthur's salary. She contacted Charlie and Bill, but the older brothers didn't have that kind of money either. Sighing heavily, Molly went up to her room. Taking out a letter and an inkwell, she began to compose a short note in German. Then she got dressed and went through the fireplace to the diagon ally, where she ordered an international delivery for her last Sickles. She had done everything she could, all that remained was to wait.
After stopping by Mungo's and spending several hours at her husband's bedside, the woman returned to Burrow. Anger was boiling inside her. Arthur had let her down again, and she would have to solve all the problems. When the older children were getting ready for school, she told them that she had received a small inheritance from the Pruetts. The same explanation worked the second time, but now there was no imaginary inheritance left, and the money had to be paid by Christmas at the latest. Otherwise, both Ronnie and her favourite, Ginevra, would simply be expelled.
Suddenly, an owl tapped on the window, and Molly opened the window with a wave of her wand. The bird solemnly stretched out its paw, and the woman immediately untied a small tube. Pulling out the contents, she was delighted to see a golden pencil from the international portal and a letter. After reading the note, the former Pruett quickly began to get ready. Away went the gypsy skirts and baggy sweaters she had held so dear.
Now the woman stood before the mirror looking completely different. She was strong, though a little overweight, dressed in a military uniform similar to those worn by American soldiers in Vietnam. She wore high-laced army boots with thick soles and protective gloves without fingers. She fastened pouches with elixirs to her belt and tucked a completely different stick into her holster. Throwing on a cloak, she waited for the portal to activate.
Jumping out of the air onto the sand, she quickly and carefully looked around. Not far from the exit point was a magical field camp, with attentive guards standing at its borders. Seeing the portal activate, the wizards immediately pointed their wands in her direction, but as soon as she showed her identification mark, the golden pencil, the wands immediately lowered, and a tall, grey-haired soldier moved towards her.
"Hello, Fox," said the man in perfect German.
"Hello, Hans," Molly replied calmly. "Long time no see."
"About six years," the man grinned. "Well, let's go, I'll brief you on tomorrow's operation. The task, as always, will be bloody and dirty. Here in Mexico, where we are now, a group of magizoologists has disappeared. I don't know what kind of brainiacs they were looking for here, but it's perfectly clear why the scientists got into trouble.
The mercenary said that there have always been many drug cartels in Mexico, some connected to wizards and some not. That's how the unlucky magizoologists fell into the hands of these guys. Their families were sent a ransom note, and their relatives and the Guild chipped in to pay the mercenaries, because no one believed that the scientists would be released after the ransom was paid.
"So you're just in time, Fox," the man grinned. "You'll earn galleons and get a share of the spoils. We really need powerful wizards like you. Remember the El Dorado Canyon in Libya? Only your wall of fire allowed us to escape from Muammar's mad dogs.
***
At four in the morning, the magicians appeared as invisible shadows at the edge of the drug dealers' camp. The guards were lazily dozing on the towers surrounding the camp's protective perimeter. Two nimble Irishmen from Hans's squad quickly made a hole in the protective barrier, and the fighters silently slipped into the territory.
Molly, like a cat, climbed the ladder to the nearest tower and plunged a knife into the guard's back with an iron hand, simultaneously covering his mouth with a glove. The bandit's body twitched slightly, then went limp, and the woman gently lowered him to the floor. Tapping the alarm amulet in her ear, Molly prepared to monitor the squad's movements.
At that moment, Hans and his partner had already neutralised the guards near the building where the prisoners were being held and were now quietly leading the magizoologists out, immediately handing them wands and portals to the camp. After pulling out all the prisoners, Hans signalled to the attackers to come to him.
"Dylan, Abaz, Andre — you're going to the base with the hostages, and you'll answer with your heads if anyone goes missing. Fox, the rest of you and I will start clearing the camp. Only bandits are left here now, so show no mercy. As soon as you leave with the hostages, I'll activate the anti-detection dome.
"Let's give them hell, Fox?" the German said, happily nudging Molly on the shoulder.
As soon as the two mercenaries and the hostages slipped out of the protective perimeter and began to quickly move into the camp through the portal, the rest took up positions near the entrance to the central building.
"Fox goes first, I'll cover you with my shields," hissed the German. "Make sure no one jumps out of the windows, and finish them off if necessary.
Molly shook her head from side to side and, getting ready, bent her knees slightly.
"Bombarda maxima!" she said quietly, and the door, with a large chunk of brick, immediately flew in, killing and maiming the guards who were in the guardhouse behind the wall. Acting like a well-oiled machine, the woman walked slowly down the corridor, breaking down doors and killing everyone in the rooms.
Rare attempts at resistance, spells and a hail of Muggle bullets were deflected by the shield held by Hans, who was following close behind, and a single feeble attempt to use "Avada Kedavra," which seemed to come from nowhere, was immediately interrupted by a spell that struck the elderly Mexican in the chest. Using the Prütt family technique, Molly simply ripped out his heart.
In the central hall, they encountered organised resistance. The drug dealers huddled together, hiding behind tables and showering the space in front of them with spells and shots. All of the bandits' arsenal of disarming, cutting, and explosive spells was directed at the wizards who had invaded the hall. Hans even grunted, strengthening his shield, while Molly simply raised her wand and said, "Inferno Flamare!"
"Mordred's underwear!" Hans shouted, strengthening his shining shield even more, although it seemed impossible to make it any stronger. "Fox, you hold him back!"
A wall of flame, in which the heads of dragons and some truly terrifying creatures appeared every now and then, rushed towards the drug dealers, leaving no one alive. Two of them tried to jump out of the windows, but were immediately knocked down by the mercenaries standing below. Within seconds, there was no one left alive in the Great Hall, only the roar of the flames gathering strength, in the depths of which even Hans could imagine monsters and the screams of tortured victims. He watched Molly's back tensely as she took a deep breath and tensed, and the terrible wall of flame began to reluctantly return to the sorceress's wand. After a minute of intense struggle, the woman completely extinguished the fire. When she turned to Hans, only her dilated pupils reflected the hell that had raged here just a minute ago.
"Well, you're doing great, Fox," the magician croaked, "it won't be long before you're completely ruined.
"Stop suffering for nothing, Hans," Molly grinned. "Let's go count my money. Your guys are signalling that the warehouses have been broken into and all that's left for us is looting," she flashed a white-toothed smile.
"Let's go," Hans grinned back.
After quickly ransacking the drug dealers' base, the mercenary squad headed back to their temporary camp. The bulging bags with extra space hinted that Molly had managed to solve the problem with the younger children's education and was now calm and collected. After sending two guys to the US border to deal with the sale of the loot, Hans looked closely at Molly:
"Du bist meine Liebe, Molly, so why didn't you want to marry me?" the man smiled crookedly.
"Because you're a warrior, Hans, and you've always been a warrior, a wild goose, as our colleagues say. And I've always wanted a family, lots of children and a quiet life. With you, we would have been wandering around the hot spots of our world," she smiled sadly, stroking his hand.
"In any case, know this," the German looked at her seriously, "if you ever need my help, you can always turn to me. I'll drop everything and come to you, wherever I am.
She squeezed his hand tightly:
"I know, Hans, thank you for everything..."
The man looked at Molly again and sighed heavily:
"Here," he said, holding out the gold pencil again. "The money will be waiting for you at Gringotts when you return, and once we've sold the loot, I'll send your share to England too. And if you need anything else, send an owl, you know where to find me..."
With a crooked smile, the grey-haired mercenary stood up and left to give orders to break camp. Molly watched him for a few more seconds, then clenched her pencil tightly...
A few random turns and she was thrown out of the portal into the same room in front of the mirror. Opening a secret cupboard, Mrs. Weasley began to return to her usual appearance of an elderly housewife. She put on her favourite skirts and a colourful, oversized cardigan, ruffled her hair, which had been tied back in a ponytail. Despite her turbulent past, she still loved her dim-witted husband and her wonderful children. And for their sake, she was ready for anything, even to remember that she was once as strong as her brothers. In the mercenary world where Molly had spent several years, she had earned the nickname "Fire Fox" for her mastery of various fire spells and her ruthlessness towards her enemies. Descending the steps, she immediately headed to Mungo to see how Arthur was feeling. Perhaps he needed something...
***
patreon.com/posts/dark-lord-malfoy-137771654