came back into my life" He said fondly and they again
entered the pensieve.
Harry found himself in a very muddy field on what appeared to be a
fairly clear spring day surrounded by hundreds of men and women
all looking grim and tense.
Around 70 metres in front of him was an equally large group all
wearing grey robes clearly preparing for battle. Insults were traded
between the groups and out of nowhere all hell broke loose.
Harry watched as the hundreds of witches and wizards traded all
manner of curses and jinxes and looked on in horror as people were
felled hard, some killed instantly and others sporting various types of
gruesome wounds, screaming or simply moaning in heaps and piles
of entangled bodies.
The ground was quickly littered with entrails and limbs alike and
there were many small streams of red and black liquid that formed
into one vulgar river of blood and claret that gently disturbed the guts
and extremities that were caught in its flow.
He felt a tap on his shoulder and saw Arcturus nod towards a robed
man, his face covered who was stood stock still in what appeared to
be complete shock.
The robed Arcturus shook himself from his stupor and began firing of
curses into the grey masses quickly disposing of 3 individuals with
some vile looking curses.
One caused the entrails of one man to exit his body through his
mouth.
Another engulfed a man in completely black flames reducing him to
nothing more than a pile of ashes.
The final curse simply caused the man rot instantly into what looked
like a mummy. Harry fought the urge to vomit at seeing the effects of
the curses but still felt very nauseas and uneasy at the sight of so
much gore.
"This is war Potter" Arcturus interrupted his attempts at calming his
stomach. "Beautiful and glorious apparently" He said bitterly. "There"
He said pointing at another man. Harry looked at the man in awe and
a fear he had never felt before.
He was frightening and took his opponents down quickly and without
hesitation. He removed limbs, broke bones and simply opened
wounds so deep that the spell scraping on the bone was audible
above the noise of the rest of the battle.
The man in question was covered in blood and looked positively
feral. His eyes were alight with power and the force of his spells
reflected that power.
It wasn't until Harry really studied the man's face did he realise that it
was Charlus; his Grandfather was this frightening individual.
Harry watched as he came closer leaving more corpses in his wake
without remorse until he was stood next to Arcturus who had
garnered a lot of attention by his anonymous appearance.
They fought side by side, not looking at each other, in a strangely
beautiful harmony each other's spells complimenting the other
perfectly.
They shielded the other when it was needed and then moved to a
back to back position where they continued to fight in their recently
established synchronicity.
Harry watched for several minutes as many fell to their combined
efforts neither being hit by a spell. He didn't know how long he had
been watching when he felt another tap on his shoulder.
Looking up he saw the enraged face of Arcturus who was simply
glaring to their left. Harry looked and saw a tall, blond curled haired
man stalking towards the pair looking deranged.
"Grindelwald" Arcturus ground out through gritted teeth.
Grindelwald continued on his way towards the two men that were
decimating all in front of them. Charlus saw his approach and turned
to face him. Harry suddenly felt a wave of apprehension that seemed
to reverberate around the entire battlefield.
Many stopped to face the inevitable confrontation and stared with
baited breath. Arcturus was still battling two other people and was
not aware of what was happening just behind him.
Grindelwald looked at Charlus with a calculating eye sizing him up
and Charlus returned his gaze with a glare of pure hatred and fury.
He silently fired a very powerful barrage of curses that clearly took
Grindelwald by surprise as they smashed into his hastily erected
shield crackling and emitting gong like noises with every hit sending
him back several feet.
He fired back with curses of his own only to see them simply batted
aside by Charlus who didn't bother raising a shield.
The surprise on his face was clear; it was obvious that this was not a
common occurrence. He frowned and suddenly looked furious at the
young man who dared make him look foolish.
He fired off more curses which Charlus simply dodged gracefully and
batted away again. Harry was simply shocked by the skill and power
of his Grandfather and felt a huge rush of pride and respect for the
man.
Grindelwald looked towards the back of the still battling Arcturus and
smirked. He fired off a chain of spells intended to cause grievous
harm towards Arcturus.
Charlus conjured a massive thick granite wall at his comrade's back
that crumbled more and more as each spell hit.
He fired back and the two began trading spells dodging and batting
away the strays they couldn't avoid.
The frustration Grindelwald was feeling could be seen in his eyes
and he quickly changed tact. He fired off a string of spells at Charlus
and immediately fired an unfamiliar sickly purple and yellow curse at
the exposed back of Arcturus that connected with a sickening crunch
followed by a spray of blood.
Arcturus simply screamed and fell to the floor clutching his wound.
Charlus was furious. He hurtled a powerful cutting curse towards
Grindelwald who shielded the spell, but not well enough. Some of
the spell passed through and opened a deep gash on his left cheek.
The blonde man roared in surprise and agony and with a final look of
hatred he disapparated.
Charlus quickly turned his attention to his fallen companion and tried
to remove his robes so he could attempt to heal his wound but found
he could not take it off.
"I need to remove your robes to get to the wound" He said calmly.
Arcturus hesitated but finally removed his hood and looked up at
Charlus, each as surprised as the other.
"Black?" Charlus asked incredulously.
"Potter?" Arcturus returned the question equally surprised.
After a moment Charlus shook himself from his surprise.
"I need to get to the wound" He said simply.
Arcturus nodded and obliged his request by removing the garment
revealing several deep wounds exposing the bone of his shoulder
blade in various places.
The flesh at the edges of the wounds was black and the blackness
was spreading slowly consuming the healthy flesh around it giving
the skin the appearance that it was dead and dying.
"How bad is it?" Arcturus asked grimacing in pain.
"It's bad" Charlus replied with worry in his voice. "The flesh on your
back is turning black its spreading from the wound" He finished
grimly.
"Was the spell purple surrounded by yellow?" Arcturus asked
sounding hopeful.
"Yes it was" Charlus retorted "Do you know what it is" He asked in a
curious tone.
"Bastard" Acturus muttered under his breath. "Yes, it's a Black family
curse, he must have learnt it from my brother. You need to get me to
Dorea, she's the only one that can counter it she will be at home it's
the Easter holidays" he finished gritting his teeth through the pain.
Charlus hesitated for a second before grabbing Arcturus' left arm.
"Where am I apparating to" he asked.
"Shit" Arcturus replied. "You're not keyed in to our wards and they're
quite unpleasant. Can you take me to your place and then you can
floo Dorea?" He asked.
"Sure" Charlus answered simply. "Read this" he instructed handing
Arcturus a piece of parchment he took from his pocket.
Arcturus took the paper and read: Potter Manor can be found 10
miles west of the most southern point of Mount Snowdon, wales.
"Fidelius?" he asked, clearly impressed.
Charlus just nodded and with that they disapparated.
The memory faded briefly but soon came back into focus. Harry now
found himself stood in a black and white marble entrance hall
decorated with thick, opulent oak and leather furniture. The room
was lightly painted in neutral colours and ahead of him was a very
grand oak staircase with gold bannisters snaking the length on both
sides of the stairs.
Charlus was stood in the middle of the hall supporting a very sickly
looking Arcturus who was leaning heavily on the other man.
"Maisie" Charlus called in a loud commanding voice. A house-elf
appeared immediately in front of the duo.
"Yes Lord Potter" the elf replied unfazed by her masters injured
companion.
"Can you fetch the potion kit and take it to the first guest bedroom
and then take Mr Black there please?" He asked the elf softly.
"Yes Master Charlus" The elf replied looking fondly at her master
before popping away again.
"I need your floo address" He said turning to Arcturus who was
beginning to sweat profusely under the effects of the curse.
"Ravens corner" He answered breathily. "The password is purity".
With that he placed Arcturus in the chair in front of the fireplace and
took a handful of floo powder from the pot on the mantelpiece. He
hesitated momentarily before throwing the powder in and calling out
the address followed by the pass phrase.
He stuck his head into the now green flames and looked into a
beautifully decorated dining room.
There was a large black polished table with several chairs around it
that rested on a thick grey carpet. A beautiful tapestry depicting the
Black family tree took up the entirety of the opposite wall. The rest of
the walls were a deep, dark green completed with various portraits
and silver candle holders.
"Miss Black?" He called loudly into the open room.
After a moment's pause Dorea entered the room looking even more
attractive and regal than he remembered.
Her face had matured into something that he had only seen in the
most beautiful and sought after works of art. Her features were
delicate, aristocratic and her cheeks had a gentle blush that drew
attention to her light silver eyes that were simply enchanting. Her
figure was as lithe as it had always been but she had filled out in all
the areas that completed the picture of a perfect woman.
Charlus's breath hitched in his very lungs at the sight of her. He had
fought his attraction to her while at school and even after the amount
of time that had passed he found the internal conflict just as difficult,
for him it was as though no time had gone by at all.
"Mr Potter?" She asked clearly very surprised at the appearance of
the man in her fireplace. "How did you get this address" She
questioned attempting to smooth down her form-fitting robes
discreetly.
"Your brother is here, he's been hit by one of your family curses and
says that you know the counter to it" He said composing himself.
"Can you come through?" he asked. "The address is Potter Manor
and the pass phrase is pride. I'll send through the parchment so you
can bypass the Fidelius charm" He finished exiting the floo and
throwing the parchment into the flames.
He turned to see that Arcturus had been taken to the guest room so
waited for Dorea to appear. He was very aware of his state of dress
and the fact that he was caked in blood. He removed his wand and
waved it over himself in attempt to clean as much off as possible. He
then cleaned his hands and face and attempted to tame his messy
hair.
Dorea appeared shortly afterwards looking concerned and he
immediately began to lead her to the room her brother was currently
occupying.
"What curse was it he was hit with" She asked in a business-like
tone Charlus was unfamiliar with.
"Erm… It was purple and yellow" he answered caught off guard by
her unusual demeanour.
She quickened her pace and started to race up the staircase
forgetting she had no idea where she was going.
Charlus quickly caught up to her and took her by the arm surprising
her at his gentle yet firm grip.
"It's this room here" he said guiding her inside.
The sight they were met with would have been comical if it wasn't for
the seriousness of the situation.
Maisie was stood on the bed tugging at the duvet that Arcturus had
clearly retreated under to escape the onslaught from the clearly
determined elf.
"Young Mr Black must be taking the potion" the elf shouted at the
quivering form. "It will helps with the pain" she finished.
"Damn elf" was the muffled reply. "If I take that potion it will kill me, I
can't take it until the curse has been countered".
"Maisie its ok, Mr Blacks' sister is here now, you can give him the
potion after she removes the curse" Charlus said trying to calm the
determined elf.
The elf reluctantly stepped away from the covered man and stood
patiently at the side of the bed waiting for her turn to heal the patient.
A very dishevelled looking Arcturus emerged from the duvet quite red
in the face. Dorea immediately stepped forward and began scolding
her older brother shocking both of the men in the room.
"You damned fool Arcturus" She shouted. "I knew this would happen,
I told you you would only get hurt running off and fighting like that"
She finished breathing heavily.
It was clear to see that Arcturus was suitably reprimanded. The two
men shared a look of agreement; that upsetting Dorea Black was not
a good idea. She may still be quiet and reserved but she was no
longer the nervous 14 year old girl from 3 years ago.
"Show me" she demanded of her brother who obliged her request by
turning to show her his wounds.
She sucked in a deep breath and turned to Charlus. "Mr Potter, can
you keep him talking?" She asked softly. "This is going to hurt but he
needs to be awake while I remove it"
"Of course Miss Black" he answered before making his way to the
chair next to the bed. Dorea made her way on the bed and sat
behind her brother, drawing her wand and waving it in an intricate
pattern over the wounds whispering in what Charlus recognised as a
Nordic language.
"So Black" he started, "What the hell were you doing there?" he
asked, genuinely curious.
Arcturus stared at Charlus thinking on his answer but the pain he
was feeling compelled him to talk and distract him and so he
answered honestly.
"Grindelwald ruined my life" he stated simply. "My brother died in his
service and then he murdered my father because he refused to
continue fund his efforts. Now I'm head of the family, something I
never wanted. I was in America when I got the news, I was training
to join the duelling circuit" he finished wincing in pain.
Charlus looked at him in what appeared to be sympathy and
understanding. He nodded in acknowledgement at the answer.
"It's getting more dangerous" he continued. "The war is now on our
doorstep and you know as well as I do what will happen if he
succeeds, you know what will become of our families and what they
will do to the people here. You've seen more of it than me and you've
heard the rumours of what happens to the women" he said looking at
Charlus who understood what was being said without hearing the
words. He looked towards the unaware Dorea and then back to
Arcturus who nodded at his observation. "What about you, why were
you there?" he asked. "The last I heard you were running the family
businesses while your father was fighting" he said with a questioning
tone.
For a brief moment Charlus looked devastated. He closed his eyes
for a few seconds and when he opened them the sadness had
passed and in its place was a fierce look of hurt and anger.
"Grindelwald killed my father" he said simply. "He cursed him in the
back, the coward didn't even fight him like a man" he finished
shaking in rage. "They managed to bring him back home but he had
already succumbed to the curse and there was nothing that could be
done, he died painfully and slowly" he said after pausing for a few
seconds to gather himself.
Arcturus nodded in sympathy. The death of his father had hit him
quite hard but he and his father had not shared the same closeness
Charlus and his father had. He could see the pain in the mans' eyes
and he truly felt for him.
"What about your mother?" he asked in an attempt to draw Charlus
away from his clearly dark thoughts and to distract himself from the
pain he was feeling.
"She broke down badly after my father died and when she found out
I was going to fight she said that she couldn't face losing me too.
She went to stay in one of our family homes somewhere in the
tropics" he answered. "I can't just sit here and do nothing" he added.
"My father fought because he knew it was the right thing to do but I
fight for nothing but my revenge for what he has done to me and my
mother" he finished his eyes ablaze once again.
Arcturus remained silent waiting for him to continue knowing he
needed to vent.
"I will get that bastard" he continued breaking the momentary
silence. "If it's the last thing I do I will get him" he spat
uncharacteristically.
"I'm finished" Dorea suddenly said breaking the tense atmosphere.
"It will take a while to completely heal but the curse is gone" she said
placing her wand back up her sleeve.
"Thank you" Arcturus replied gratefully looking exhausted.
"Now take your potion and get some sleep" she advised standing
away from the bed. "And don't think for one second that I'm finished
with you yet Arcturus, when you're feeling better we will be having a
conversation" she added sternly.
Arcturus gulped and nodded knowing that it was not a good idea to
argue with his obviously angry sister. He drank his potion and settled
deeper into the pillows and sighed in relief.
"Is it ok for him to stay here Mr Potter?" She asked Charlus
nervously. "It's not safe for him to travel for a few days until the
wounds seal" she explained.
"Its fine Miss Black" he replied. "Your brother is in very capable
hands" he said nodding towards the already busy elf.
"Thank you Mr Potter" she said shyly. "I will make sure he doesn't
cause you any trouble" she said glaring at her injured brother. "I
have to go" she suddenly remarked. "I return to school in a few days
and I have a lot to do" she finished looking a little disappointed.
"It's ok" Charlus replied. "I'll escort you back to the fireplace" he said
offering his arm which she took with a slightly trembling hand.
They exited the room leaving an already sleeping Arcturus to start
his recovery. They made their way slowly back to the drawing room
not saying a word, both seemingly content at the small amount of
contact they were sharing. All too soon they reached their destination
both hesitating to release the touch of the other. When there was no
longer an excuse to hold on to his arm Dorea released her grip
slowly and clearly with reluctance.
"Thank you again Mr Potter" she said in her usual soft voice. "If you
hadn't of gotten him back so fast he wouldn't have survived the
night" she explained grimacing at the thought. "Can I come and
check on him tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.
"You're welcome Miss Black" he replied simply. "You can check on
him anytime, the floo is open to you" he finished with a gentle smile.
"Thank you" she said simply returning his smile shyly. "Goodnight Mr
Potter" she said throwing a handful of floo powder into the fire.
"Goodnight" he said. "And Miss Black?" he asked gaining her
attention.
"Yes, Mr Potter" she asked curiously.
"I told you 3 years ago that it's Charlus to you, it always will be" he
finished, his eyes twinkling as he smiled a little more.
Dorea blushed and simply nodded before disappearing into the
emerald flames.
Harry was suddenly pulled from the memory and found himself once
again in the room he was staying in alongside Arcturus who was
looking quite melancholy.
"What happened next?" Harry asked timidly.
Arcturus looked at the boy in front of him internally pleased with his
curiosity about his grandparents and how they became to be.
"It took me 3 weeks to recover from that curse" he said casually.
"Dorea came back every day for the next 3 days before she went
back to school and before she left she lectured me and your
grandfather" he said shaking his head in amused exasperation. "She
knew regardless of what she said that I would go back. I was
stubborn and pig-headed, there was nothing that would stop me
going back to protect her and get my revenge which I had more
reason to get now after he used one of our own curses on me. She
took Charlus aside a few times to talk to him but I don't know
everything she said but I do know that she begged him not to lose
himself because of revenge. He told me many years later that she
told him he was a good man and it would be such a shame if he took
his revenge and couldn't live with what he had done to get it after the
war was over" he concluded looking thoughtful once again. "I'm sure
she scolded him the way she did with me on a couple of occasions
too" he added amused. "He came back after a conversation with her
a few times looking like a child who had been reprimanded. I've
never known Charlus to look like that since those times and I'm sure
Dorea was the only one who could talk to him that way and get away
with it. People respected and feared Charlus too much to even try
that tact with him but Dorea didn't care; she knew Charlus would
never do anything to hurt her. You can see from that memory that he
had quite the soft spot for her even though I'm sure she was
unaware of it at the time. She felt something for him too but I think
for her she thought that there would never be a chance for them.
There was no guarantee that Charlus would come back from the war
and even if he did she didn't think that a Potter would be interested
in a Black, it was just not a possibility in her eyes. The backlash that
Charlus would get from the lighter and neutral families would be
astronomical. I know she thought of him though. She would often ask
after him in her letters and I would often see him lost in thought
during a lull in the battles with the same eyes he had when he was
talking to Dorea. He never admitted it, but that look was reserved
only for Dorea" he finished.
He paused and went back to thinking for a few minutes before
continuing.
"During the 3 weeks it took for me to recover Charlus and I formed a
tentative friendship. We found we had a lot in common and we were
fighting for similar things. It was the second week that he truly
surprised me though" he said extracting another memory and
placing it into the pensieve.
"This is a short memory Mr Potter, but one that will give you a little
more of an idea of the kind of man your Grandfather was" he said
entering the pensieve.
Harry followed suit and found himself back in the bedroom they had
left only minutes ago.
The younger Arcturus was in the same bed but looking considerably
healthier than he had in the last memory. He was sat reading from a
book on duelling when Charlus entered the room.
"Black" he greeted in his usual tone. "If you're going to be coming
back with me to fight then these spells will be useful for you to know"
he said handing Arcturus a small but fairly thick leather bound book.
Arcturus looked at the book and his eyebrows almost disappeared
into his hairline at reading the title.
"These are your family spells" he said unable to hide the surprise in
his voice.
"They are" Charlus replied. "I just need your vow that you will not
share this knowledge with anyone or use these spells against any
member of the Potter family" he requested.
Arcturus hesitated for only a second before drawing his wand. He
knew the Potter spells were designed for battle and it would give him
much more of an advantage in open battle.
"I Lord Arcturus Black swear on my life and magic that I will not
share the Knowledge of the Potter family magic with anyone nor will I
use the spells against any and all members of the Potter family, so
mote it be" he vowed being surrounded by a bright golden glow
sealing his oath.
Charlus simply nodded and turned to leave when he was cut off by
Arcturus.
"Wait Potter" he said. "Elgar" he called and a much younger looking
Elgar appeared beside the bed.
"What can Elgar be doing for Lord Black" the elf asked.
"Can you bring me the Black family spell book" he questioned the elf.
The elf looked at Arcturus and then Charlus with confusion but
obediently popped away returning a minute later carrying a similar
looking book to the one that Charlus had given Arcturus.
"Thank you Elgar that will be all" he said dismissing the elf.
"Here Potter" he said handing the book to Charlus, who was
confused but had a look of new found respect for the young man.
"Share and share alike" Arcturus said simply. "This has to stay
between us though, I'm sure us sharing our family spells would not
be well received" he said seriously. "But this is a dangerous war,
what we share could save our lives and I fully intend on coming
home when it is all said and done" he finished looking determined.
"Of course" Charlus replied and gave the same oath Arcturus had
moments ago. With that they settled down and began to read.
Harry was again pulled from the memory and looked at Arcturus
questioningly. "Why would sharing spells be frowned upon?" he
asked the older man.
"Family spells are created by the family and are supposed to remain
a secret. They can offer you a distinct advantage in certain
situations" he explained. "The Potter family magic is largely battle
magic used in fights, not for duelling. The spells are designed to
maim and kill. The Potters' are famous for having warriors in its
lineage and their prowess on the battle field is quite legendary, you
saw for yourself what Charlus was capable of and a lot of that was
the Potter magic" he explained further.
Harry was surprised to learn that his family had their own magic but
was more surprised at the nature of it.
"The Black magic is based mostly on curses it's effective in battle too
but focuses more on one to one fighting" Arcturus continued. "We
shared our spells knowing that it would give us a whole new
advantage. Your grandfather gained a great arsenal of curses and
counter curses that would make any wizard envious. I gained the
knowledge and spells of the best battle magic available and let me
tell you that book gave me spells that saved my life on numerous
occasions" he said gravely. "We studied those books intently for the
last 2 weeks and practiced each other's spells until we perfected
them. For some reason the different magic came easily to us,
something we didn't understand at the time. We came to believe
much later that we took to the different magic because we had
formed a bond on the battlefield when we fought together for the first
time. We both saved each other a few times that day. You saw how
we fought together and how we shielded each other during the fight.
It seems that from then are magic connected in some way and made
learning each other's family magic quite easy" He shrugged.
Harry nodded to show that he was still listening and again waited for
the older man to finish his thoughts.
"We returned to Normandy when I had fully recovered and
immediately Charlus was put in command of a foreign battle group of
around 100 wizards and witches" Arcturus continued after a short
moment. "He placed me as his second in command for reasons
unknown to me and we fought side by side for the next 2 years. In
those 2 years we fought together, ate together and slept in cots next
to each other often saving each other's lives and bonding in ways
that can only be achieved in war. We garnered quite the reputation
on the battlefield for being ruthless and even Grindelwald was wary
of us. Since the day Charlus got him with that cutting curse he
avoided him. He knew that Charlus was not an easy fight and he
couldn't afford another blow to his reputation. The war was finally
going our way and we were pushing them further and further back
and Grindelwald knew eventually he would have to confront our
group personally. He did just that in his typically cowardly way" he
spat, his voice laced with bitterness and venom.
He took a minute to compose himself and released a deep breath.
"We had finished fighting for another day and we returned back to
camp victorious. As we entered the camp Charlus was handed a
letter that he read and simply fell to his knees. I tried to ask him what
was wrong but I could get nothing from him. Eventually he handed
me the letter and the reason for his state was obvious, his mother
had died of dragon pox the week before. He was distraught and I
didn't know what to do for him. He said nothing and went to bed" he
explained sadly.
"I woke up the next day expecting Charlus to have left to handle his
Mothers' funeral but he was still there and on the surface he looked
as he always did; calm and composed and ready for the day" he
continued. "The truth was something had snapped within him. I could
see it in his eyes that he wasn't really there his mind was elsewhere
and he was acting purely on instinct. We went into battle that day as
we usually did and Charlus was even more merciless than I had ever
seen him. I'd seen him use the Black spells often but he tended to
avoid the darker ones that were designed to give a slow and painful
death, but not on this day. He was so focused on punishing as many
people as he could curse that his usual battle technique was
abandoned. We would always fight side by side but on this day, try
as I might I simply could not keep up with him and that's when it
happened" he said angrier than Harry had yet to see him.
He took another deep breath and swallowed.
"Grindelwald appeared out of nowhere behind Charlus" he said
grimly. "I tried to get to him but I wasn't quick enough" he continued
shaking his head with apparent guilt. "Before I could get to him
Grindelwald had already fired the curse at Charlus' back and he
dropped, I was sure he was dead. The bastard just laughed. I fired
curses at him and he vanished like the cowardly shit he was" he
continued shaking with fury. "I managed to get to Charlus and was
shocked to find him alive. I knew he only had minutes to live so I did
all I could and apparated him to St Mungo's where Dorea had started
her training to be a healer. We arrived there and I passed out from
exhaustion, I wasn't as powerful as Charlus and was already
exhausted from the battle, apparating that distance is very draining. I
woke up 4 days later to the news that Dumbledore had defeated
Grindelwad in the time I had been unconscious. Charlus was still out
of it and would be for a few days more. I knew he wouldn't take the
news well and stayed with him knowing he would need someone to
be there for him. He had just lost his mother and now his chance to
avenge his father had been taken away" he explained looking quite
upset.
"Dorea was with him the whole time" he continued. "I think if anyone
tried to move her away she would have hexed them something
rotten" he mused with a bark of laughter. "She was frantic with worry;
he shouldn't have survived that curse but somehow he did. He was
the toughest bastard I've ever known" He said more to himself. "I
was too naïve at the time to see the way she looked at him, but she
loved him which I found out days later" he finished. He drew another
memory and placed it in the pensieve.
"If you learn anything from this memory let it be to never punish
yourself for things you cannot control Potter" he said sternly. "This is
your Grandfather at the worst I have seen him" he finished again the
sadness flashing across his eyes. He entered the pensieve followed
by an apprehensive Harry.
They landed in a hospital ward clearly in the dead of night. Only two
of the beds were occupied; one just behind the pair with the curtains
drawn and one in front that was occupied by Charlus with Dorea sat
in the chair next to the bed.
"You've been awake for 3 days Charlus and not said a word, please
talk to me" Dorea pleaded. "Tell me what's on your mind" she
begged him.
"It's over" he said simply. "He took everything from me, even my
chance to pay him back for what he did to my father, he cursed me
from behind the same way and fled like a coward" he spat bitterly.
"Does that really matter?" she asked. "Isn't it enough to know that
he's dead now and can't do to anyone else what he did to you?" she
questioned him still with a hint of pleading in her voice.
"No it's not enough" He snapped. "I wanted to get the bastard myself
for what he did to me and now there's nothing left, what can I do?
How can I live with myself knowing I failed at the most important
thing I'd ever have to do in my life?" he asked begging her to give
him something.
"You find something else that can be that important to you" she said
as if it was obvious. "Do you think your mother and father would
want you to punish yourself for something you couldn't control?"
"Grindelwald feared you Charlus, why do you think he avoided you?
You already beat him long ago so you need to let. It. go" she said
emphasising every word with a sharp prod in the chest.
"And what if I can't" he asked harshly.
"Then you will always be a bitter man who never got over himself"
she answered. "Do you remember what I said to you when you
brought Arcturus back to your house after he was injured?" she
questioned.
"You said a lot Miss Black" he pointed out.
"Don't be so petulant" She scolded. "I told you not to lose yourself in
the pursuit of vengeance, do you remember? I told you you were too
good a man to let that happen" she said repeating the words of
years gone by.
"I'm not a good man" he whispered. "I'm a failure, how can you even
look at me when I can't even face myself without feeling ashamed?"
he asked her bitterly.
"Because I love you you idiot" She blurted grabbing hold of his
hospital gown tightly. She took a deep breath and continued. "I've
loved you since I was fourteen years old, since that day you saved
me. I didn't fall in love with you because of that" she added. "I fell in
love with you because I saw something special in you that I knew I
would never see again. I saw a boy who defended me from his own,
a boy who walked right into the enemy's common room and faced all
of them down just to make sure that I was ok. I saw a boy who would
do the right thing no matter what he had to do to get it done. I saw a
boy who didn't care about my name or my family defend me when he
could have just walked away and not get involved. I saw a boy that in
that moment only cared about me and how I was and didn't care
about the consequences. I saw a boy lose all of the privileges he had
worked hard for and who served detention for the rest of the year
selflessly and never once wanted anything in return. In that boy I
saw the man that you would become and I fell in love with you even
more" She finished breathing heavily. "I tried not to love you" she
continued. "I tried to block it out and wished so hard that those
feelings would disappear because I knew I could never have you"
she said tears streaming down her face. "The only thing I wished for
more was a way that I could have you and that you would return
those feelings so we could be together" she finished emotionally
exhausted.
They stayed silent for some time Charlus trying to take in what he
had heard and Dorea trying to compose herself. She eventually
turned to look at him again tears still in her eyes.
"If you really have no other reason to live for but your petty
vengeance then you really aren't the man I fell in love with" she said
sadly. "The man I fell in love with wouldn't let one setback ruin his
life, he would keep fighting for the people who can't fight for
themselves as he always did before. If you can't do that then you're
clearly not the man I thought you were" she concluded sounding
broken hearted. With that she left the room and Harry felt himself
pulled from the memory much to his dismay.
Harry sat on the edge of the bed again lost in his own thoughts. He
was angry at his Grandfather for his pettiness. Throughout that
memory he himself had wanted to shake Charlus by the shoulders
and scream for him to snap out of it and to stop being a prat. His
thoughts were interrupted by Arcturus.
"I woke up the next morning and Charlus had disappeared" he said.
"I was so mad at him, I knew he needed his space to deal with his
issues but he broke my sisters' heart, I wanted to tear him limb from
limb but try as I might, I couldn't find him" he said sounding very
annoyed.
"Dorea was distraught but she hid it well from everyone, but she
couldn't hide it from me. I could see it in her eyes how much it hurt
her for him to leave like that and it made me even angrier at him. We
carried on with our lives, there was little more we could do. Charlus
had vanished and no one heard anything from him for a long time.
Dorea carried on with her healing training and I went back to duelling
as I had always intended. It was six months later that I got a surprise
by owl post. I had been made a Baron for my efforts during the war"
he said proudly. Seeing the confused look on Harry' face he
explained further.
"Being a Baron means a lot more than being a Lord" he began. "Any
idiot can be a lord as you can see by most of the morons they have
sat on the wizengamot" he said with a sneer. "A lordship is an
inherited title passed down to the head of the old families. It gives
you a seat on the wizengamot and a single to vote on new laws and
so on" he explained. "Being a Baron means that you are a protector
of the land and of its people. You are given a seat on the
wizengamot and 3 votes. You can only earn the title of Baron with
exemplary battle skills and be a proven warrior, it is the greatest
honour that can be bestowed on someone in the wizarding world, it's
held in higher esteem than an order of Merlin. Charlus and I were to
be the first two to receive the title in more than 400 years, it is a very
rare honour and to have 2 people in one life time is almost unheard
of" he finished the pride evident in his voice.
"I attended the award ceremony expecting to see Charlus but he
never showed. The minister at the time was furious and ordered me
to track him down. I was still mad at him but Baron or not the
minister would have made my life difficult had I disobeyed. It took me
2 months of looking to track him down. I found him in Germany, a
complete drunken mess" he said clearly disappointed. He put his
wand to his temple and withdrew another memory and Harry knew
he was about to be treated to a vision of his grandfather he was
unlikely to be proud of.
They entered the pensieve and appeared on a street outside a very
rundown looking bar that would appear to be abandoned if not for
the dim light that shone through the murky windows. They entered
the bar and Harry was not surprised to see that the inside was in no
better condition that the outside. He spotted his Grandfather sat at a
rickety table in the corner clearly inebriated close to the point of
losing consciousness.
"More whisky" he shouted spilling the contents of his already full
glass.
"I'm not serving you anything else you drunken swine" the barman
replied.
Charlus was furious and drew his wand, pointing it at the barman he
spoke in a deadly quiet voice. "You'll give me what I ask for you
bastard or I will end you where you stand".
The barman stepped back and the fear in his eyes was obvious. He
gulped loudly but he wasn't going to back down. Before he could
reply a younger Arcturus appeared and placed a bag of coins in the
barman's hand.
"For a room" he said "and to clear his tab" he added jerking a thumb
towards the drunken mess that was his friend.
The barman nodded and handed him a key. "Upstairs, second door
on the left" he said before walking away quickly.
Arcturus grabbed a heavily protesting Charlus and dragged him to
the aforementioned room and threw him on the bed. He drew his
wand and aimed a heavy jet of water at his face. When the spell
stopped he could see the shocked look on Charlus' face which
quickly turned to anger.
"What the fuck are you doing here Black?" he asked, his sopping
hair and untamed beard dripping large amounts of water on the bed.
"I was sent to get you" he answered simply. "Oh, and to give you
this" he added, punching Charlus with all his might on the jaw.
Charlus grunted in pain and looked up in shock. "You hit me" he said
dumbly.
"I did" Arcturus replied "And I think I'm going to do it again" he added
looking furious once more.
"Wait" Charlus said holding up his hands. "Why are you hitting me?"
he asked confused.
Arcturus looked at him incredulously. "You're asking why I'm hitting
you?" he asked rhetorically. "You broke my sisters' heart" he said
dangerously. "She loves you you bastard and you walked away from
her like she was nothing" he spat.
"She told you?" Charlus asked.
"She hasn't said a word but I was awake the night she opened her
heart to you and you just left" he answered shaking his head. "I see
it in her eyes every day, she tries to hide it but I know her too well"
he finished looking upset.
"She deserves better than me" Charlus mumbled quietly to himself.
"And who the fuck are you to decide what she deserves? It should
be her choice who she wants to be with and hers only" he roared.
Charlus laughed bitterly. "And you would approve of me and your
sister?" he asked sarcastically.
"You and my sister? Never" he answered. "But my sister and the
man I fought side by side for all that time? The man who watched my
back as if it was his own? The man my sister spoke of that night in
the hospital? That man would have my approval in a heartbeat,
without hesitation" he said truthfully. "You're a fucking mess Charlus,
pull yourself together and be the man you really are instead of the
drunken slob sat in front of me and then you will deserve her". "But
right now you don't deserve her, you're weak and a fucking coward"
he finished looking at his friend in shame.
Charlus simply looked down at the floor and when he didn't reply
Arcturus shook his head and left the room.
Once again Harry was pulled from the memory feeling angry and
disappointed in his grandfather.
"What the hell was wrong with him?" he growled "He was pathetic".
"He was" Arcturus replied. "War affects people in different ways but
what you saw wasn't war related. That is ultimately what happens to
you if you blame yourself for things you have no control over. The
guilt consumes you and you become that" he said pointing at the
pensieve.
"So what happened next?" he asked. Obviously he came out of it but
it can't have been that easy".
"No it wasn't and it was a very close call" Arcturus responded. "I left
Germany and went home to inform the minister that I had found him
and that he was dealing with some personal issues. He wasn't happy
but there was nothing more that could be done".
"I carried on with my life running the family and duelling when time
would allow me. It was almost a year after I had last seen Charlus
that I received an unexpected owl from Gringotts" he frowned at the
memory. "My father had apparently signed a marriage contract with
the Selwyn family for any daughter of the Black family they thought
suitable and it just so happens that they chose Dorea for their son
Marius" he said with disgust.
Harry looked horrified at that but kept quiet waiting for Arcturus to
continue.
"There were two ways out of the contract. Firstly, I could forfeit the
Black lordship and the contents of the family vaults to them. This
was something I was unwilling to do I would not be the one to
dishonour the family name that way. The family would become a
disgrace and I refused to allow that to happen. I was proud to be a
Black and was raised to hold those values until death" he said
defiantly. "Secondly I could duel to void the contract but it would be
against a champion of their choice. The Selwyn's' themselves were
excellent duellists and I knew if it wasn't a Selwyn then their
champion would be extraordinary. This was the more viable option
but there was a problem. I had only 3 days to do one or the other to
void the contract or the wedding would go ahead. The real problem
was that I had been injured the day before in a duel and my wand
arm was literally in pieces, skele-gro wasn't what it is now and would
take a week to heal. But I decided I would fight with my off arm, my
pride would not allow me to back down, so I sent off the owl with my
request" he finished.
"This is what happened the day of the duel" he said after a moment
drawing another memory with his wand and placing it in the
pensieve.
They entered the memory and Harry found himself in what appeared
to be a small qudditch stadium filled to capacity with around 3000
witches and wizards in attendance to watch the duel.
"This was the venue the Selwyns' chose" Arcturus said from his right.
"Duels like this were done publically often" he explained. "Especially
duels of this magnitude, it was very rare that anyone was willing to
duel a Black" he said knowingly. "I knew they were up to something.
They wouldn't have accepted a duel with me if they didn't have a
plan they truly believed would work" he finished.
Harry took in his surroundings. In front of him was a large area
marked out where the duel would take place. To his right he could
see the younger Arcturus with a heavily bandaged arm placed in a
sling looking nervous.
Next to Arcturus was Dorea who looked nothing short of terrified
surrounded by what appeared to be the entirety of the Black family.
The Selwyns were stood on the other side of the marked area
looking very smug. Harry immediately disliked them all simply by
how much they reminded him of the Malfoys. Harry could see Dorea
and the younger Arcturus whispering furiously so he moved closer so
he could listen.
"Please don't do this Arcturus" Dorea begged. "I'll marry their son
you don't have to fight" she said in tears.
"Yes I do" was his simple reply. "If I don't then everyone will think
they can treat us like this and I won't stand for it" he whispered back
furiously. "Just let me handle it Dorea it will be ok" he finished turning
away from her to face the Selwyns.
Seeing that Arcturus was ready the head of the Selwyn family
stepped forward and raised his wand to his throat.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, today you will bear witness to the
embarrassment and humiliation of the Black family" he began
gleefully. "A contract between our families was signed and that
contract stated that we would be given any choice of any unmarried
Black female of our choice. We made our choice and that
dishonourable family" he said pointing at the Blacks "have gone back
on the word of their former head of house" he finished eliciting a
mass of jeering from the crowd. "He had a choice and could have
simply forfeited the family title and wealth to me and my family but he
chose to take the approach that would force my family to use
violence, something we did not want" he said shaking his head in
mock disgust. "However, it will not be a member of my family fighting
this man today; I would not risk my blood against their dark magic,
so I have found a willing champion who will fight for my family
honour and the right to the stated marriage in the contract" He said
bowing to the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you,
representing the Selwyn family, the undefeated warrior, Hans
Gaulitier" he finished with a flourish.
The crowd was in what appeared to be stunned silence and Harry
looked at Arcturus questioningly.
"Gaulitier was Grindelwalds right hand man during the war and
escaped justice through bribery and corruption" he said bitterly. "He
was a disgusting pig, famous for his brutality and sickening perverse
tendencies. Rape, murder and torture were his forte and that was
before he aligned himself with Grindelwald. He was feared across
the continent and the Selwyns' would have had to pay him a fortune
for him to fight for them. Brutality, no matter how disgusting, at that
level does not come cheap" He said with a grimace. "Using him
became the Selwyns' down fall, they had exposed themselves as a
dark family and have not recovered since" he stated.
A giant of a man entered the stadium into pure silence but he
seemed not to notice the crowd any way. He looked as though he
was taking a leisurely stroll not going into battle. He was as almost
as big as Hagrid but with less hair and very ugly to boot.
He wore nothing on his top half but wore brown trousers with
charcoal boots on his feet. He was very well built with wellconditioned,
defined muscles.
He had various scars on his torso and face and his head was
completely hairless and shaped like an egg. He looked like a simple
brute but his eyes had intelligence to them that Harry did not expect
to see, even he knew in his very limited experience that he would be
a formidable opponent.
By now Dorea was beside herself and inconsolable. The rest of the
Blacks looked a mixture of horrified and nervous. Arcturus stepped
forward looking apprehensive but also determined, he knew there
was no backing down now. Upon seeing his arm in a sling the brute
of a man laughed and turned to the Selwyns'.
"What's this" he questioned them clearly annoyed. "You promised
me a real fight and yet you hand me a cripple" he stated.
"You're quite right" the head of the Selwyn family said amused and
laughed a pompous chuckle. "It would not be fair for you to fight a
cripple" he mused.
"Black" he called in an amplified voice. "My champion is unwilling to
fight a cripple can you offer an alternative" he laughed again.
He offered the Blacks the chance to have someone fight for them
knowing they were very unpopular in the wizarding community
despite Arcturus being a Baron, a title that many thought he had
bought or obtained through dubious dealings with high up people. He
laughed again knowing no one would willingly fight his champion for
all the money in Gringotts. He turned and addressed the crowd in a
confident and cocky manner.
"Is there anyone who will fight for the cripple and his dishonourable
family?" he asked the crowd mockingly. Silence followed his
question. "Surely there's someone with a death wish out there, you
may even earn a favour from the Black family" he finished jokingly.
Many in the crowd laughed at his quip and then began to talk
amongst themselves. Arcturus growled at Selwyn and his antics
furious that the man was treating the situation so light-heartedly.
"I'll fight for them" an amplified voice suddenly broke through the
murmurings of the crowd.
Selwyn looked momentarily shocked before smirking and addressing
the crowd again.
"Ahh we have a corpse, I mean volunteer" he mock corrected. "Well
then step forward my brave fellow and make yourself known" he
finished with a flourish.
A section of the crowd parted to reveal a very intense looking
Charlus Potter.
Harry gasped at the difference in the man. He had packed on
several pounds of muscle and the fire in his eyes was ferocious even
more so than he had seen it before. His hair was still messy but had
been cut short and he was clean-shaven, no longer looking like a
drunken mess.
The crowd was shocked in to silence both by someone being foolish
enough to volunteer and by the fact that it was a Potter stepping in to
defend a Black.
Arcturus was simply stunned. He had not seen Charlus in a year and
clearly he had been very busy. He watched as Charlus approached
looking every part the man he knew he should be.
Dorea looked torn. She was a mixture, of happiness, her eyes alight
with the love she still felt for him but her face was a mask of anger.
She sat completely still not being able to decide between pummelling
him and jumping in his arms.
The rest of the Black family looked shocked and confused. They
were unaware that a friendship existed between Arcturus and
Charlus and simply could not understand why a Potter would fight for
their family when they had always somewhat been at odds.
"Baron Black" Charlus acknowledged his old friend.
"Baron Potter" Acturus returned the formal greeting. "What are you
doing Charlus?" He asked quietly.
"I'm fighting for those that can't fight for themselves as I always
have" he said nodding towards his injured arm. "And I'm watching
your back as if it was my own" he added replaying Arcturus' own
words back to him.
Arcturus shook his head. "You don't have to do this" he said "this is a
family duel and you're committing social and political suicide by
siding with us" he finished.
"Of course I have to do it" Charlus remarked "we always went into
battle together why should we break tradition now?" he asked with a
mischievous grin.
Arcturus shook his head again still in disbelief at the presence of
Charlus.
"Well good luck Charlus" he said extending his hand which his friend
took. "If that bastard doesn't kill you my sister looks like she wants to
give it a try" he added in amusement, nodding over Charlus shoulder
towards his now shaking sister.
Charlus gulped and pulled Arcturus closer. "Is it strange that I'm
more frightened of her than that big pile of shit back there?" he
asked only half joking.
Arcturus let out a bark of laughter. "No" he replied shaking his head
"That means you've got your priorities about right" he said chuckling.
Charlus smirked at his friend before turning to face his foe, the
amusement in his face being replaced by a determined look and his
eyes now alight with power.
The joviality of the Selwyn family had well and truly finished when
Charlus appeared, they all now looked concerned an angry. Selwyn
Sr in particular was beside himself.
"What the fuck concern is this of yours Potter?" he spat venomously.
Charlus sent him a death glare that had the other man recoiling.
"Well Selwyn I have reasons which I will not share with you. Other
than those, when you bring a murdering rapist and vile creature like
that" he said pointing at Gaulitier "into our country then it's my duty
as a Baron to deal with it is it not?" he asked glowering at the
colossal man.
Gaulitier was furious. No one dared mock him the way Potter was.
He had heard of Potter and knew he was in for a real fight if his skill
was on par with only half of what his reputation was. He was silently
fuming now, waiting for what could be the fight of his life. He was
both nervous and excited, the feeling before a worthy battle, a
feeling he was no longer familiar with.
Charlus turned back to a nervous looking Selwyn. "Rules?" he asked
casually.
Before Selwyn could reply Gaulitier screamed. "There are no rules
here Potter".
He charged forward attempting to tackle Charlus to the ground. He
simply side stepped the behemoth and as he landed on his front in
the dirt he threw a cutting curse and a stinging hex that connect on
his rear end. The man roared in pain and fury and was on his feet
again in the blink of an eye.
The younger Arcturus on the side-lines face-palmed, shaking his
head in his hand an action mimicked by the older one stood next to
Harry who was shocked.
"Why would he use a stinging hex?" he asked confused.
"An angry opponent makes mistakes" was Arcturus' simple reply.
Harry turned back towards the action and was simply amazed at
what he was seeing. The giant man had drawn his wand and was
firing completely devastating curses and jinxes towards Charlus who
was simply dodging and twirling with the grace of a ballerina to avoid
them. Try as he might the man just could not hit Charlus and it only
infuriated him more.
Charlus began to fire back while still maintaining his dodging and
footwork. It was spectacular to see. The speed and the power of his
spells was magnificent and Harry was completely amazed by his
Grandfather.
He landed two bone breaker curses on the giants off arm that
resounded with loud enough cracks to be heard throughout the
entirety of the stadium.
The man screamed in pain as the broken bones punctured the skin
for all to see. His own rhythm was only interrupted for a brief second
at this set back before he was back at his own powerful spell casting,
still failing to hit his faster and magically more powerful opponent.
He suddenly stopped his casting and focused his power before
whipping his arm upwards in a vertical. Stone spikes began to erupt
from the ground in an attempt to impale Charlus, who simply looked
amused.
He levitated himself wandlessly above the battleground to the
surprise of the crowd. He swept his wand across the field and the
spikes crumbled to a fine dust which he gathered up with a gust of
wind from his wand.
He twirled it in a semi-circle repeatedly and the debris of the
conjured spikes formed a tornado that Charlus sent towards his foe
while lowering himself to the ground.
Upon landing he switched control of the tornado to his wandless
hand and fired a thick jet black fog into the twister from his wand.
The tornado wrapped itself around the huge man who began to look
concerned.
Charlus then conjured an equally black stream of fire that he sent
into the swirling vortex also followed by a wave of green fire. The two
flames snaked into the wind remaining separate but flowing in
tandem with one another.
The effect was as beautiful as it was dangerous. With a flick of his
wand the twister imploded and cascaded to the ground as though it
was water.
What was left behind was quite the gruesome sight. Gaulitier was
covered in blackened seared flesh that was smoking and giving off a
sweet sickly smell that filled the stadium.
The crowd had expected to see a duel but what they were
witnessing was a real fight. Amongst the shocked faces the sound of
vomiting could be heard and many covered their ears from the
screaming that was coming from the still smoking man.
The Blacks were looking at Arcturus questioningly knowing that the
black flame and the fog were family spells. Arcturus simply shrugged
his shoulders at their looks and turned once more to face the battle.
Charlus stood just glaring at the man looking as dangerous as Harry
had ever seen him. This was why he was respected and this was
why he was feared with a wand. He was terrifying but at the same
time, knowing he was a good man was equally comforting. He was
not dark or evil but did what was necessary to survive and to protect
those around them.
It was at this moment that he knew who the voice belonged to who
spoke alongside his Mother after he had been hit by Riddles killing
curse; it was Charlus, it was his Grandfather who had told him what
he was and what he should do to ensure he survived. It made sense
to him now, seeing what Charlus had been through and what he had
done. It was justice and to him it was necessary.
Harry knew if he was to survive let alone without too much pain then
he had to be like Charlus, he had to do what was necessary to
survive and protect those he cared for.
Gaulitier suddenly launched a blasting curse towards Charlus that
was too large to dodge as he had been, so he quickly raised a shield
that didn't quite manage to absorb the whole of the spell. He was
blown off his feet from the force of the magic and landed on his back
with a loud thud followed by a crack.
The crowd gasped thinking that he had been bested but as soon as
he landed he rolled and nimbly sprung back to his feet though he
was breathing heavily.
He was clutching his ribs in pain and quickly pointed his wand at his
torso and muttered a spell. A loud crunch was heard as his ribs
returned to their correct place. He conjured a bandage that tightly
wound itself around his torso as he grimaced and gritted his teeth in
pain.
He looked furious and his hair and clothes began to ripple in the
magic that was escaping him.
He stalked towards a now standing Gaulitier batting the spells aside
that the German was firing at him. He conjured a bright ball of light
and with a flick of his wand he sent it towards his opponents face.
Gaulitier shielded, attempting to block the unknown ball of light but to
no avail, the ball simply penetrated the shield as though it wasn't
there.
The bright light stung his eyes but that was it all seemed to do. In his
temporarily blinded state he did not see Charlus conjure two silver
arrows and banish them towards him.
As his eyes began to clear he felt the pain in his knees as the arrows
entered through the front and exited through the back. He suddenly
found himself wandless as a bone exploding hex hit his hand
sending his means to defend himself some feet away, he knew he
was beaten.
After he saw his hex hit the mans' hand and he knew he was no
longer armed, he paused contemplating what he should do next. He
came to a decision and fired off his curse of choice; a castration hex.
The German screamed in pain as the hex connected and he felt the
blood seep from the gaping wound in what was left of masculine
appendage. Before he could mourn for his loss he found himself
bound by his arms and legs by a thick black wire adorned with
spikes that cut deeply into his already burnt flesh. He whimpered in
pain unable to talk. He chanced a look at Potter and saw that he was
walking away. He breathed a sigh of relief that he had been left alive
but soon found himself wondering if he would better off dead.
Harry was again feeling nauseas at the sight of so much gore and
couldn't help but think that his Grandfather had perhaps gone too far.
Arcturus seemed to read his thoughts and cut his thoughts short.
"Charlus lived by his own code of morals. Gaulitier raped, murdered
and tortured hundreds of defenceless wizards, witches and muggles
for fun and what Charlus did was give what he thought was suitable
justice" he said firmly. "Everyone knew what Gaulitier had done and
he somehow escaped justice and Charlus was a just man, he did
what was right in his own mind. He didn't kill him but he took away
his ability to cause the same harm to others that he had before and
let him know what it was like to feel the kind of pain he had inflicted
on others. It taught him a lesson in a brutal way and it worked, after
this day Gaulitier was never heard from again" he finished his eyes
boring into Harrys'.
Harry nodded knowing that the older man was speaking the truth.
Charlus was simply doing what he felt was right, he clearly did not
enjoy it but he did it out of necessity. He turned again to see Charlus
approaching Arcturus again but before he could get there he was cut
off by a shaking and teary-eyed Dorea.
"Charlus Potter" She hissed, staring at him through narrowed.
"Hello Miss Black" he replied, nervously dragging his hand through
his hair.
"Hello Miss Black?" she asked folding her arms across her chest and
raising a single eyebrow. "That's all you have to say after all this
time, after I opened my heart to you, spilled my deepest feelings for
you and you left, that's all you have to say" she screamed at him.
By now the entire crowd was watching the surprising encore.
"I'm Sorry" he said quietly.
"Oh, you're sorry are you?" she asked rhetorically walking forward
and backing Charlus up with repeated sharp pokes to the chest.
"And what exactly are you sorry for?" she enquired further.
"Everything" he replied. "I'm sorry for leaving and I'm sorry for hurting
you. More than anything I'm sorry for losing myself the way I did after
you asked me not to and becoming what I did" he said sincerely
looking her in the eyes. "My biggest regret though is not taking you
in my arms that night in the hospital and telling you that I love you
too with all my heart and that I always have, since that day in your
common room when you looked at me as though you didn't want to
leave my arms" he finished taking her hands in his.
"I didn't want to" she whispered. "It felt so right being there" she
continued more to herself than to anyone else. "What brought you
back?" she asked.
"The love of a beautiful woman and the words of a brother" he
answered, nodding towards Arcturus. "And a good punch to snap me
out of it he added" looking quite embarrassed.
Dorea looked sharply at her brother who looked sheepish under her
glare before she turned back to Charlus.
"What if it's too late?" "What if I can't forgive you?" "And what if it's
not what I want anymore?" she asked, looking at him intently.
Charlus took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before
answering. "Then I will have to accept that, but I will never stop
trying to be the man you deserve, I made that mistake once and I
won't let that happen again" he said. "If my mistake has already cost
me you then so be it" he shrugged. "I have to live with that but it
won't stop me from loving you" he finished his eyes sparkling with
unshed tears.
Dorea was openly crying not able to keep her tears at bay any
longer. "Why did you fight today?" she asked. "Did you fight for me?"
she questioned further.
He swallowed deeply before answering. "No" he answered. "I didn't
fight for you, I was hoping I still had your heart and that giving you
mine would be enough" he said. "I fought for your brother because it
was the right thing to do. I fought for a friend and a brother of mine
seeing that he wasn't able to to the best of his ability" he said
motioning to Arcturus' arm. "I fought in the hope that had our roles
been reversed he would still fight for me the way we always fought
for each other" he added with a hopeful look towards his friend who
simply nodded in reply.
"You really mean that?" Dorea asked neutrally.
Charlus nodded in reply maintaining eye contact with the woman
who held his happiness in her hands. In a blur she had thrown
herself in his arms and began to sob uncontrollably. A shocked
Charlus hesitated only a moment before wrapping his arms around
her, burying his face in her hair and holding on as though he would
never let go.
"That's the man I fell in love with" she mumbled into his chest.
There was no cheering from the crowd. They were shocked into
silence by the sight of a Black in the arms of a Potter. Never had any
in attendance ever even considered they would see such a sight.
The Blacks were equally shocked at the sudden turn of events. They
looked at each other dumbfounded not able to form a coherent
sentence between them. One of them managed to find her voice
finally breaking the silence.
"Would someone care to explain just what is going on?" She
demanded.
"It's ok Cassie" he replied "I'll explain everything later" he told his
older sister firmly, not wanting to discuss it in such a public forum.
"You're ok with this?" She asked him quietly.
Arcturus looked at her calculatingly before replying. "Yes" he
answered shortly. "Can you think of a better man for her" he asked
nodding towards Dorea.
"Dorea?" She called to her sister who extracted herself from Charlus'
chest smiling contentedly. "You love him?" She asked.
Dorea looked up at Charlus, then back to her sister and nodded. "I
do" she said quietly. Cassiopeia looked at the other members of her
family and just shrugged in acceptance.
"I told you all that I won't pick your spouses for you or sign any
contracts" Acturus said. "I meant that, and if Dorea chooses to be
with Charlus then that's her choice and we will all accept that" he
said firmly. "He has my approval. I can think of no other man I would
trust with Dorea. He fought for us today because it was the right
thing to do and he has fought with me hundreds of times before. He
shared his family magic with me willingly so I would be a better
fighter and we have saved each other's live countless times over the
years" he finished.
"You showed him our family magic didn't you?" Cassiopeia asked.
"That's where he learnt those spells" she stated.
"Yes I did" Acturus answered unashamedly. "We shared our magic. It
was war and we took every advantage we could" he said standing
firm under the glare of some of his family members.
"And you trust him?" She hissed the question at her brother.
"With my life" came the reply, "As I have on countless occasions".
"And besides, we both gave magical vows that we would not share
the knowledge with anyone or use family magic against each other
or family" he said casually.
"You gave a vow not to use your family magic against each other or
each other's families?" Cassiopeia asked incredulously.
"We did" Acturus answered.
"Wait a minute" Charlus cut in looking annoyed. "That's why you
punched me isn't it?" he asked. "You couldn't hex me so you hit me
like a common thug" he added, frowning.
"You deserved it" was the simple reply he received.
Charlus just shrugged in reply.
The back and forth between the two was cut short when they were
interrupted by the sound of a cough coming from the gathered Black
family members.
Charlus turned to see a woman standing amongst them who clearly
was not one of them. She had dark brown hair and hazel eyes with
pale skin. She was delicate looking and quite beautiful in her own
right. She was fairly short and petite with a look of intelligence and
she was smiling softly. Arcturus took her hand drawing her closer
before addressing Charlus.
"This" he said motioning to the woman "Is my fiancé, Melania" he
finished introducing her.
"Baron Potter" she greeted him with a slight curtsey. "I've heard a lot
about you" she said looking up at the man.
"Ahh well you shouldn't believe anything he tells you" he said
pointing at Arcturus. "He's reckless and you can't believe a reckless
man" he explained eliciting a huff from the other man.
"I am not reckless" he retorted.
"Yes you are" Dorea cut in.
Arcturus just frowned at his sister.
Melania laughed before addressing Charlus again. "I assure you
Baron Potter I have heard only good things about you from him" she
said smiling gently.
"Then he is the most honest man I know and you should believe
everything he's told you" he replied gaining a laugh from both
women.
"When did this whole thing become about me?" Arcturus asked
petulantly.
Charlus laughed at his friend.