Cassius sat in the garden of Malfoy Manor on the shore of the lake, watching the water and throwing pieces of bread to the golden carp. The fat fish jumped up comically, trying to grab the treat. Far away, on the other side of the lake, mermaids giggled foolishly in the bushes near the gnarled willows, and the chilly autumn wind cooled their heated skin. Last night, he and his father performed the first ritual to remove the curse from the Malfoy family. Lucius personally sacrificed Charlie Weasley on the altar, staining the stone with blood.
The rest of the dragonologists were simply stripped of their memories and returned to the reserve. The wizards were only guilty of wanting to make some easy money. After digging into their memories, it became clear that Charlie Weasley had used the wizards for his own ends. The red-haired family could not find out where one of their relatives had disappeared to. According to local residents, he had gone to Lyutny for some reason and vanished. The Aurors conducted a leisurely investigation but found nothing, as the case was being handled by Kingsley Brestver. Wizards sometimes disappeared in Lyutny, so respectable residents of the magical world did not go there unless absolutely necessary. Those wizards who did visit the place knew in advance where they were going.
Dumbledore did not wait for any results from his intrigue and simply shrugged his shoulders, unable to understand where Charlie had disappeared to. Nazemnicus Fletcher was found drunk in his den and did not remember any agreements with Weasley, which he reported to Dumbledore through Aberforth. The headmaster's brother, the owner of the Hog's Head, gathered rumours from the drunks who preferred to drink in his pub, but he couldn't add anything to what was already known.
Narcissa, seeing Cassius, approached him with a smile and sat down next to him.
"Why are you so sad, son?" she asked, stroking his head lovingly.
"I'm fine, Mum," Cassius looked at her tenderly, "just having a hard time. You know, with this tournament, there are always some hidden obstacles.
Then Cassius smiled at his mother and burst out laughing:
"By the way, yes, there really will be pitfalls in the second round."Draco sent me a letter," the woman smiled warmly. "It's almost time for the Yule Ball at Hogwarts, and he doesn't know who to ask.
"Well, yes," Cassius laughed. "More accurately, he can't decide which of all the girls who want to go to the ball with him to choose.
Narcissa looked slyly at her son:
"When are you going to bring a girl home, Cass? Don't forget, you have to raise a family. You'll take several wives to save the Blacks from extinction. It used to be allowed," she giggled.
"Come on, Mum!" Cassius blushed, "I don't have time to think about girls.
Suddenly, the boy's face darkened with heavy thoughts.
"Once we've sorted everything out, then I'll start looking for a bride," his son said thoughtfully.
During the ritual, Cassius realised that the curse placed on Weasley was much more dangerous than the Malfoys had previously thought. Yes, with the help of the ring of the Atlanteans, Lucius had managed to overcome its effect, but the artefact could only be bound to a new bearer after the death of the previous one. Moreover, children with Malfoy blood still carried the curse in their aura, and Cassius, as the direct heir, now also had only one child, just like Draco. And even if Lucius dies, the ring will still not be a panacea for the family. Therefore, all that remains for them is to cut out the Weasleys to the last. But Dumbledore and the entire light faction will immediately come to the defence of the redheads as soon as they learn the reasons for the Malfoys' hatred.
Suddenly, Cassius received an unexpected flick on the nose. Startled, he snapped out of his heavy thoughts and stared in bewilderment at his laughing mother.
"Oh, you looked so funny when you were thinking, son," said Narcissa through her laughter, "I just couldn't help myself.
Cassius couldn't help but smile either. Despite all the difficulties, he was very happy that his mother was truly happy.
"Hurry up!" Narcissa continued to tease him. "Or I'll find your bride myself."
"Oh, Mum, not again," Cassius rolled his eyes. "Enough. You advised Draco to pay attention to Parkinson. Now he doesn't know how to escape her because of your scheming.
"What's the big deal?" Narcissa cheered up again. "I just hinted to some respectable ladies that Draco is crazy about Pansy. The main thing is that the girl is from our circle," she said seriously. "Otherwise, Merlin forbid he marries some dirty-blooded girl!"
"What, we can't even go out?" Cassius feigned astonishment.
"That's fine," Narcissa smiled cynically. "Just don't bring home any bastards.
The eldest son covered his face with his hands:
"Come on, Mum! Stop embarrassing me!
"Yes, yes. When it comes to fighting werewolves, you're all grown up," Narcisa grumbled. "But when it comes to bringing a girl home, mum, I'm embarrassed.
Cassius, unable to bear his mother's lectures, decided to make a hasty retreat, suddenly remembering a multitude of unfinished tasks.
Draco really didn't know what to do. Pansy would be a good companion at the ball, but he only thought of her as a friend and didn't want to give her any reason to hope for more. They had known each other since childhood, sat next to each other on the potty, and he simply couldn't imagine her as his girlfriend. Pansy was more like a sister to him, not a very close one, but a sister nonetheless.
Draco sent his vassals to the living room with his school bag and went to the hospital wing to see Madam Pomfrey. He had arranged private lessons in healing with the school witch. One couldn't waste a talent given at birth; magic didn't forgive such things.
"Merlin, who does she look like?" Draco suddenly saw Granger crying in the empty classroom.
Looking around, Malfoy locked the door behind him with "Kolo-Portus" and approached the girl.
"Why are you crying?" Draco touched Hermione's shoulder. She flinched and looked at him in fear. Seeing Malfoy in front of her, she immediately tried to wipe her eyes with her fists.
Draco looked at her demandingly, and she couldn't take it anymore. In a voice broken by sobs, she told him that she had always been an outcast in her house. Her friends had always been Potter and Weasley, but after the purge, she realised that it had all been a lie and that she had no friends. The only girl who talks to her is Ginny, but she feels that it's insincere. On top of that, she's been feeling sick ever since she arrived at Hogwarts this year. Hermione shouted out the last words.
"I don't know what to do, Draco," she cried again. "Madam Pomfrey shrugged. She checked me for potions, but she didn't find anything!"
Draco furrowed his brow thoughtfully. There was something in his memory about such a condition, but the thought eluded him. Hermione began to sob again, and Malfoy, just to calm her down, sat down next to her. He pulled her close and began to stroke her head, muttering something comforting. Suddenly, as soon as he stopped searching for the memory, it came back to him.
"Listen, Hermione," Draco let go of her shoulders and turned to the girl. "Did the healer tell you about the side effects of the cleansing operations? Or maybe he explained the nuances of the possible consequences?"
Granger had an excellent memory, and she immediately began to sift through her memories and finally stared at Malfoy in horror.
"Draco!" she continued in a panic. "The healer said that I now have at least a year of protection against any mental potions, and the side effects of taking them will manifest themselves in nausea, vomiting and other unpleasant things." Here she faltered and blushed.
"So, someone's been slipping you some kind of potion," Draco shrugged, "that's why you feel so bad. Learn some spells to detect additives in food, and for Christmas, my mother promised to give you a protective amulet that all girls from noble families wear.
Hermione sat with her hand over her mouth, unable to believe that those she associated with were capable of cold-bloodedly drugging her. Lavender, Parvati, Ginny. Could one of them really be poisoning her, ignoring the fact that she was ill?"
Draco looked at Granger with a condescending smile, then sighed again:
"Tell Hermione, in Muggle families, parents explain things to small children in simple terms. You can't do this, don't eat that, don't touch that, or you'll get hurt?"
Hermione nodded uncertainly:
"Um, yes. Don't stick your fingers in the socket, don't touch anything hot, don't get under the car.
"Exactly," nodded Draco. "In our world, we say, 'Don't drink or eat anything without checking it with spells first. Don't play with magical creatures, don't take your father's broomstick, and so on...' That's why Muggle-borns seem like savages to us, don't be offended," he patted her on the shoulder.
After casting "tempeus," Draco gathered his things.
"Madam Pomfrey is probably waiting for me, sorry." Taking out a piece of paper, he quickly jotted down a short list of books in flying handwriting:
"Here, Hermione, read all of this and learn how to apply this knowledge every day. There are lots of useful spells for little ones, and they can be used without a wand." Leaning down, Draco kissed her on the cheek and headed for the door.
Granger, shocked, held her red cheeks with her hands and sat in the empty classroom for a few minutes, then grabbed her bag and rushed to the library.
***
Lucius bit his lip as he looked out of his study window. During his conversation with his son, an important detail had come to light. After his adventures in Azkaban, Cassius would be able to repeat one of his teacher's miracles: removing the black mark. Back in the eighties, after throwing off the yoke of Voldemort's power, he realised how much the frightening mark with a skull and a snake limited him as a wizard. If his son had the opportunity to remove these marks, he had to take advantage of it immediately for the glory of his family.
Malfoy had no doubt that the lord would return. If he had died for good, the marks would have disappeared from his followers' hands in an instant. If Voldemort was not deprived of his human reserve, the magical families that Lucius had helped all these years would be forced to take up arms under the banner of their lord, risen from the dead. But Malfoy himself and his loved ones would suffer. He did not want to return to that yoke, which meant there would be a clash. Voldemort had never tolerated disobedience before, and there was no reason to believe that he had changed his preference for solving all problems by force over the years.
A new war would be bad for business. Over ten years of peaceful existence, freely using the administrative resources of the ministry, Lucius had grown accustomed to a steady stream of galleons flowing into the family coffers. At this point, he could rightly consider himself the richest wizard in magical England, and he had no desire to lose his position. But that was inevitable if Voldemort came to power.
But unite with Albus to fight Lord Voldemort? No. The old man had already proven in the past how much he liked to hide behind others. Most likely, when the war began, Dumbledore would again recruit children and send them to fight for his interests. Under the guise of the greater good, of course. Lucius angrily broke the pencil he had been twirling in his hands.
"That old Mordred, how cleverly he pulled everything off. That means we won't wait around for the weather to change, it's time to act," Malfoy decided.
After sending messages to his former comrades, Lucius ordered the table to be set in the small drawing room. Narcissa had gone out to visit, and no one would interfere with their discussion of matters concerning the former Death Eaters. When the small number of wizards who remained at liberty had gathered around the table, Lucius raised a glass of firewhisky, saluted those present, and said:
"Gentlemen, the lord is returning, but I do not wish to fall under his control again.
There was an uproar, many began to speak, and some even accused Malfoy of treason. Lucius waited for the noise to die down and continued:
"When the Lord was with us, how much good did he do for your families? What did you get from him, except permission to slaughter Muggle-borns?
"The Master simply didn't have time to seize power," MacNair jumped in. "Otherwise, we could be cutting anyone's throats right now.
Nott shook his head and smiled:
"Sit down, Walden, curb your bloodlust. We're not the young fools we used to be. Most of us have families, businesses. You don't want to lose everything, do you? The second time around, the tales of the Imperius Curse might not work. "McNair grumbled but obeyed, angrily grabbing his glass.
"What do you suggest, boss?" Crabbe muttered. "You know as well as I do that there's nothing we can do about the mark. If the lord wants us dead, he'll just kill us."
Goyle grunted grimly, glancing at his friend:
"We're both as good as dead, my friend.
"What are you talking about?" Crabbe asked in surprise.
"When Voldemort sends us against the Malfoys, our vassal oath will kill us. If Lucius orders us to disobey the Lord, the mark will destroy us," Goyle said with a malicious grin.
"Therefore, gentlemen, I have a proposal for you!" Malfoy spoke again.
"You can remove the mark?" asked Nott in surprise.
"Well, I don't have it now," Lucius revealed his completely clean hand. "I removed it, as you can see, and now we are no longer dependent on any puppet master.
There was a commotion and questions. McNair folded his arms across his chest and grimaced. Torfin Rowley also shook his head in disagreement.
"So, gentlemen, make your decision," Malfoy said, placing his glass on the table. "Those who want to remove the mark, tell me, and I will help you do it. I will be forced to sever all financial ties with those who remain with the lord. As you understand," Lucius smiled. "Voldemort will not forgive me for my betrayal, and we may find ourselves on opposite sides of the barricades, and it is not in my interest to increase the income of my enemies.
"Malfoy is all about money," Nott tried to lighten the mood, but he didn't do a very good job.
The former Death Eaters dispersed, deep in thought. No one wanted to lose business with Malfoy. The slippery Slytherin had managed to get his greedy hands into many areas of business, and the cessation of supplies of ingredients or, conversely, the wholesale purchase of goods produced by the Death Eaters' companies could seriously undermine the financial stability of the aristocrats.
Kreacher brought Cassius a note from Lucius with a request. Black knew what his father was asking for and calmly got ready to go. Stepping out of the fireplace in the living room of Malfoy Manor, Cassius went to the study. There, besides Lucius, were three other people. His father, Lord Nott, and his vassals, Crabbe and Goyle.
"Hello, son," Lucius rose from the table, "sit down.
After greeting the men, Cassius sat down in the chair offered to him and looked questioningly at his father.
"I called you here, son, to help my friends get rid of Voldemort's mark," Lucius said simply.
At the name of their former master, all the Death Eaters shuddered involuntarily and looked reproachfully at Malfoy.
"Who will go first?" Cassius asked, leaning forward.
"Let me," Crabbe muttered, extending his muscular forearm.
Black slowly took his wand out of the case on his forearm. He had stopped counting them, as he used the indispensable attribute of an English wizard simply as a good tool for delicate work. Therefore, the next wand from the family vault obeyed the young Black no worse than the others.
Holding the concentrator over Crabbe's hand, he uttered a spell in Parseltongue, then moved it towards himself. Following the movement of the wand, the mark began to emerge from the hand as a black blot, in the depths of which green lightning occasionally flashed. This was only an external impression; on the aural level, the mark was more like an octopus, its tentacles piercing the magician's entire body. Now, as Cassius pulled this filth out of the wizard's shell, he saw the suction cups detach from the magical source and channels in Crabbe's body, and the previously grey and thin lines began to fill with their fiery component, as the wizard's aura, hitherto oppressed, filled with energy. Everyone covered their eyes after the sudden flash, and Crabbe breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
"Festra for my wife," croaked his father's assistant. "It's as if every nerve in my body has been pulled out. I thought I wouldn't survive.
"But now you're clean," Lucius shrugged. "Look at your hand."
Crabbe immediately assessed the changes on his forearm. The mark, already blackened, had simply disappeared. There was no scar, no stain, no trace of anything. The magical brand that had kept the wizard in bondage was gone. The vassal spread his thick lips in a joyful smile.
"I am free, gentlemen!" Crabbe slapped Cassius on the shoulder. "Thank you, lad..."
Seeing this example, the rest of his father's guests decided to remove their marks as well. Lucius sat contentedly, looking proudly at his son and watching the now definitely "former" Devourers rejoice. It was clear that a heavy burden had been lifted from them, and even the eternally cold Nott was rejoicing like a little boy. Cassius, having finished his work, asked permission to leave the company of the illustrious lords so as not to witness a moment of weakness when serious people behaved like little children, and was graciously dismissed by his father.
***
***
Ron made up with Harry after the first stage and now walked alongside the national hero with an important look on his face. No sincere repentance was even necessary; the lonely and frightened Potter gladly accepted the indistinct mumbling as an apology. Hermione also congratulated the bespectacled boy on passing the first stage, although it was clear that she was doing so only out of formality. Gryffindor loves champions, so Harry's classmates, who had recently boycotted him, congratulated him on his victory with joyful shouts. When Potter proudly revealed the golden egg he had obtained in battle with the dragon in the faculty common room, there was almost an embarrassment, as the artefact screeched in an ultrasonic range and the stunned students waited with difficulty for it to be closed. Nevertheless, this misunderstanding did not spoil the holiday for the brave Gryffindors, and after a couple of minutes of stunned silence, the fun flared up with renewed vigour. Recently, McGonagall had stunned her students with the news that there would be a Yule Ball and that they would need to find partners and learn to waltz. Most of the Gryffindors couldn't dance, and they looked at the girls with a certain apprehension, so Minerva had to organise a ball preparation club, where the embarrassed teenagers tried to move to the rhythm of the waltz with wooden steps.
Malfoy and his vassals peeked into the club several times to laugh at the clumsy movements of the Gryffindors, but the strict dean quickly kicked them out.
Hermione took Malfoy's advice, learned the necessary spells, and now checked everything carefully before every meal. As soon as those around her noticed her initially clumsy attempts to use the identifying potion spells, the health problems stopped. The perpetrator probably decided that adding something to the food and drink of the mudbloods had become dangerous. One evening, the brothers and sister had a conversation about this. Fred and George, the faculty's chief pranksters, caught their younger brother Ronald in the hallway and, ignoring his protests, took him to an abandoned classroom. Serious Ginny was already waiting for them in the classroom, sitting at a desk and practising "leviosa" on a piece of parchment. Seeing her brothers, she threw "Kolo-portus" at the door and looked worriedly at Ron.
"Hi, Gin, why are you so serious, are you sick?" the twins started joking right away, but the youngest Weasley didn't join in. She asked them how things were going with Potter's love spell and complained that Granger had become very difficult and that Ron needed to pay a little more attention to her. "Like, invite her to the Yule Ball!"
Fred explained in detail that Potter was constantly drinking love potion and in a couple of years would definitely belong only to his sister. Just like their own crushes, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet. But the younger brother had a big problem.
"To hell with that mudblood, her potion is better than Lavender Brown's," Ron said indignantly, "she's much prettier than Granger and she's pure-blooded.
The twins laughed, and Ginny frowned.
"Ronald Billius Weasley, be serious," she scolded her brother. "We're talking about the one who's going to support your lazy ass for the rest of your life!
Reassured, Ginny went about her business, while her brothers teased Ron all the way to the living room, suggesting that he marry either Green-Eyes or Bulstrode.
***
Cassius stood with two wizards in the large hall, which was now completely empty, and discussed in hushed tones the layout of the stage, tables and other details for the Christmas ball. The headmaster asked him to cast a spell on the magical garden and put grottos and gazebos in it so that the students would have a place to walk away from the noise and music. After passing on the wishes of the Hogwarts administration to his specialists, Cassius stopped at the window, but hearing footsteps, he turned around and suddenly saw Fleur Delacour surrounded by her friends. The Frenchwoman, looking angry, was speaking sharply to one of the girls walking next to her. When the group came closer, Cassius heard that the half-Veela couldn't find a partner for the Yule Ball. All the young men who had been persistently asking her to dance had fallen victim to her charms within a minute, even though she had tried her best to tone it down. What would happen to the hapless womaniser if she stopped holding back? He would pounce on her right in the middle of the dance.
"Marie, I'm telling you, there's not a single real man here. These Englishmen are simply incapable of controlling their temper. Maybe that's why our community isn't on their territory. Look," she said with a smile, glancing at Cassius standing by the window. "In a minute, that blond guy will start asking me to dance, and the next minute he'll be drooling all over my shoes!"
At that moment, she let go of her charm completely, and it hit Cassius like a tidal wave. Black, surprised by the sudden attack from the enraged half-veiled woman, turned away from the window and looked questioningly at Fleur.
"Mademoiselle is honing her seduction skills?" the magician shook his head mockingly. "Should I take this as an attempt at assault, or are you just in a bad mood?"
Delacour and her friends stared at Black in amazement, seeing no sign of the "charm" taking effect.
"Um, I'm sorry, I guess I got a little carried away," the half-veil blushed. "Today, I was once again the victim of an attempted rape, after being invited to a ball! Her eyes flashed fiercely again, and her "charm" flared up with renewed vigour. However, Cassius only snorted and shook his head:
"So that's the reason. It's a good thing I'm no longer involved in these school problems.
Fleur, I just noticed that the cut of your robe is different from the one worn by students at Hogwarts.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she curtsied, "I thought you were a student.
"I graduated last year," Cassius smiled. "I'm here on business. We're preparing the Great Hall for the Yule Ball. My guys are setting up the stage," he nodded towards the sounds of spells coming from behind the doors.
"Will you be attending the ball?" Fleur asked, lost in thought.
Cassius just shrugged:
"Maybe, I haven't decided yet, although Professor Flitwick says it's great fun to watch the dancers, especially if it's their first time.
Fleur giggled knowingly:
"It's fun, until you get a partner like that.
She made a pleading face and folded her hands in front of her chest:
"Would you go to the Yule Ball with me? You'd save me!" And she fluttered her eyelashes, which were admittedly very pretty.
Cassius thought that such a move would surely infuriate Dumbledore and McGonagall, and besides, it would be useful to establish relations with a representative of a famous French family.
"Very well, Mademoiselle Delacour. I invite you to the Yule Ball," Cassius bowed. "Send me the colour and style of your dress so that the tailors can make me a suit worthy of such beauty.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Veela and her friends moved on, and Cassius returned to the Great Hall.
***
He came to in complete darkness. Trying to get his bearings, the man began to feel his way around and gradually crawled to the wall. Frequent visits to Mungo and the cocktail of potions in his blood meant that, over time, painkillers and spells that rendered him unconscious had little effect on Alastor. As a result, he had undergone several operations under Muggle anaesthesia, as magic and potions had no effect.
When he tried to stand up, he realized that his prosthetic leg was gone, and when he felt his face, his hand found only an empty eye socket.
"I had to get caught like that, I relaxed like a cadet," the man spat in rage. Gradually circling the entire room, Moody realized that this was his chest, because he had personally checked every inch of the expanded space of his purchase.
"So, I'm in the prison I ordered for holding prisoners. The surface is smooth, the floor is self-cleaning, and I'm wearing only my underwear. Once a day, a tray with gruel will slide out of the wall, which, ironically, I myself chose for my future victims. Most likely, the one who knocked me unconscious is here and locked me in. They didn't kill me at first, so they must want something from me. Let's put aside the information, everything is under oath, they surely understand that. So, it's for torture or conversion. It's impossible to become another magician with the hair of a corpse. That's probably why I'm still alive."
The cripple sitting in the windowless room, having decided on his next steps, began to tear the hair from his head. If he managed to weave a long rope from it, the basics of fingerless magic that he knew would allow him to throw a noose over the emergency lever above, which could open the chest from the inside. And there, if he was lucky, he would escape from this trap and deal with his attackers.
Hissing and cursing, Alastor Moody set to work, running through in his head how he would kill them: "When I get out of here, you'll find out why the Devourers feared me so much. Oh, I'll cut you into pieces, slowly, gently, enjoying every agonising scream. I will enjoy watching the hope drain from your eyes along with your life, WATCHING THE PAIN TEAR YOUR HEARTS APART!!!"
His hands worked frantically, fuelling the rage raging inside Alastor. "I will not give up, Morgana will not be your wife, sooner or later I will get out of here and then only death awaits you..."
***
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