An Unfortunate meeting
Hogwarts - Slytherin common room: two days before Pettigrew's attack
It was late at night, and the only thing that illuminated the room was a small Lumus that came from his wand, he was sitting on his bed, dressed in a gray sweater that had a snake embroidered on the front.
Even though autumn was still about to end, it was already quite cold, so he also had dark brown pants and some fairly thick, padded black socks. He shared his room with Draco, and he was a heavy sleeper, so he wasn't worried about waking him up
He was reviewing the letters that arrived that week, there were five, but they were quite long, he liked to read them at night, no one interrupted him, he decided to read the one in the blue envelope first, since he knew who it was from, and he also knew that he could only read it once, because he would have to burn it once he finished reading it
My dear Kazuha:
Things have been going as well as they can go so far, the house you left us in is still a little tattered, but we've been taking care of it and it's getting better little by little
We miss you very much, it has been very difficult for me to sleep without seeing you at least once a day, I hope you are doing well at Hogwarts, congratulations on ending up in Slytherin! I know it was your dream, I hope you come see me soon
Today C.C and I were cleaning the basement, and we found this box, it belongs to your family, so we didn't open it
With love - D.R
Next to the letter, there was a small purple chest, it was closed and had a raven on the back, it was dusty and locked with a padlock. He had never seen it, although it was not as if he had spent much time in the house where his friends were.
In the corner of the letter, marked with a blue lipstick was a small kiss, he knew who it was from, after all, he had bought her the lipstick himself as a birthday gift.
The name Kazuha was actually a code that only they understood
When they fled from the dark island, there wasn't much to do, but the fantasy books kept them together and away from the madness. Fortunately, Asterion had the complete Genshin Impact collection, All Nine Books, in hardback, from Mondstadt to Celestia
He remembered how they were all huddled in front of the bonfire while he or his friend Cletus Crouch read a chapter to the rest of the group, no one, absolutely no one, could know who they were, much less could they know that Regulus had contact with them
So they began to use those names that only they understood, Asterion's code name was Kaedehara Kazuha, everyone took the name of the character they most resembled or with whom they shared a bit of history, he stayed watching the last part of the letter, the boy wished he didn't have to burn them every time he finished reading them
He caressed the part where the kiss was with one of his fingers, smiling stupidly, It's not that he liked her or anything, of course not
That is to say, it was difficult for Regulus not to find a girl cute, but Delphini Riddle seemed simply gorgeous to him, she had silver hair with blue tips and her blue eyes in the moonlight simulated a pair of brilliant Sapphires, she liked to wear black dresses and long eyelashes, her skin was as pale as Asterion's own.
She was taller than him, after all, she was two years older than Regulus, she was thirteen and he was eleven, yes...she was simply stunning, But that doesn't mean anything! There are many people who seem beautiful
Darius Jade is also very beautiful, Asterion had rarely seen him in person, but he usually sent him photos with his letters, he was a year younger than him, but he had a very beautiful face, his yellow hair so pale that it could almost pass for silver, His hair was a little shorter than Severus's, and he was shorter than Regulus
But what he loved most about Jade were her eyes, those incredible honey-colored eyes, which were always full of good intentions
Hmmm....What does Regulus Asterion think about polyamorous relationships?....
The Black heir shook his head, embarrassed by his own thoughts, He didn't like anyone! He didn't have time to get distracted by those things, so he turned his attention back to the box, Delphini didn't send the key, so he assumed it wasn't with the box
He took his wand and, very careful not to wake Draco, whispered — Alohomora — he tried to open the box again, but it didn't open, — Alohomora — he repeated, but nothing happened, so he decided to try something more Muggle, since he knew that most wizards did not put protection against Muggles in their chests
They were so narcissistic as to think that if a wizard couldn't open it, a muggle had no chance, Asterion took out a small lockpick from his drawer, he had never been very good with that, but he had nothing to lose by trying
He spent an hour trying to open the damn lock, without success, how does Mulciber do it so quickly? He collapsed on his bed and sighed, frustrated, holding the chest in his abdomen, hugged with both arms
— Eileen — he heard a whisper, Asterion was startled and sat up, still with the chest, but now on his legs, — Eileen — he listened again, turned his head, but only saw Draco still asleep, — Eileen —
He was unable to react before feeling a great chill, his body fell unconscious to the bed, but his hands remained glued to his chest.
***
He got up a little sore, opened his eyes to find a completely starry night, wherever he was, it was very beautiful. Around it was a field full of all kinds of colorful flowers and in the center, a large lemon tree stood out, with a swing hanging from its thickest branch
Asterion was scared when he thought he was in someone's yard, but his thoughts were interrupted by two soft laughs, they sounded almost like whispers, as if they didn't want to be heard, — Can you see it? — he heard suddenly, it sounded like the voice of a little girl
After letting himself be guided by the soft voice, he was able to see her, or rather, see them. Lying together on the grass lay two little girls, they seemed to be no more than six or seven years old, both had completely black hair and white skin, but they were distinguished by their eyes
One of them had grayish blue eyes, which combined with purple pupils, which were very clear, the violet was noticeable, she was wearing a black dress to sleep in, clearly of high quality as were her socks.
— it's very beautiful,— replied the other girl, who had very deep black eyes, identical to Severus's, she was wearing dark blue pajamas, also of quite good quality
— Do you think my mom is up there? — asked the girl with dark eyes as they both looked at the sky, — I'm not sure, but wherever he is, I assure you that your mother is taking care of you Eileen — answered the girl with blue eyes.
Asterion frowned, the name sounded familiar, he had seen it written in some places, but he was not sure who it was or what relationship it had with him. — You always know how to make me feel better, Walburga —
Both girls held hands, they clearly felt a deep affection for each other, — I really like your eyes, they remind me of crows — Walburga flattered her friend.
— Your eyes are more beautiful, I wish I had your pupils — Eileen responded
— Walburga, Eileen! Time to sleep — a man shouted from the door of the house, he must have been Eileen's father, they had a great resemblance
Regulus tried to follow both girls when they began to run towards the house, he arrived, but when he tried to cross the door, he only managed to open his eyes suddenly
***
Asterión sat up suddenly, he was still in his bed with his pajamas, he woke up agitated and sweaty, he breathed and sighed deeply
That had been very strange, Regulus wondered if he had just fallen asleep and dreamed something strangely vivid, or if this chest was under some kind of curse that had made him hallucinate
He had used memory spells before, but this had felt totally different, he couldn't explain it, but it had felt too vivid, like he had really been there, like his body had gone completely out of control and in its place someone or something had guided him through the....memory? Had that been a memory?
He got out of bed to go to the bathroom, put his feet on the floor, and despite his socks he felt very cold, although he was sweating. He walked quite slowly, with his gaze lost, still not quite sure what was happening
When he was about to reach the bathroom, he felt a strong burning sensation spreading throughout his neck, starting in his left shoulder where all the pain was strongly concentrated
He fell to his knees in the middle of the Slytherin common room, he thanked Merlin that no one had wanted to hang around, so he could let out a fairly audible groan of pain and ran to the bathroom
Once there he quickly took off his sweater and the soft T-shirt he had underneath, he shivered when he saw his own reflection. The large scar that ran from his shoulder to his hip was painted an intense orange red, — It burns me — he whispered in pain, He looked at his reflection again, noticed the blood pooling on his shoulder
The scar, which looked as if a great thunder had fallen on the boy made him squirm, he questioned whether he should wake his mother, the pains had not been this bad since he entered Hogwarts
The pain was incessant, but his attention was distracted for a few seconds when he saw his reflection in more detail in the recently cleaned mirrors of the common room
His eyes, more specifically his pupils, which had once been as black as the night itself, were now in front of him, painted a deep purple that could almost be mistaken for black, but he was no fool, he knew his own eyes well, and he knew the color had changed
He ran out of the bathroom, leaving his shirt and sweater behind in the bathroom, — ASTERION! — He heard someone's voice shouting at him, but he couldn't see anyone around him, He was interrupted by another wave of pain that made him fall to his knees. This time he was unable to contain a scream in the middle of the room
His Mother, so perceptive and always protecting all the Slytherins, came out of his room in his pajamas as soon as he heard the shout, — Reggie! — Severus called, taking his son in his arms, Regulus leaned on his mother and let his guide him to his room
He had been to his mother's room many times, but he always fell into his mother's smell as soon as he entered. His mother sat him down on the bed and immediately began searching through his potions, — Where is your necklace? — the boy asked his mother, in an attempt to alleviate the atmosphere of worry that had quickly formed
Snape always carried a necklace that he hid under his clothes, but at this moment he was dressed in pajamas that showed a little more of his neck than normal, so Asterion noticed that he was not wearing it
The necklace was quite expensive, which always made him wonder where it had come from. The Snape's didn't have expensive things, they were quite decent and always clean, but at the end of the day they were a lower middle class family, but the necklace was made gold and precious stones
It was a golden circle that simulated a constellation with several stars that were made of sapphire or something similar, but in the constellation the star of Sirius stood out, which unlike the others was made of a small diamond, the thin chain also It was made of gold, his mother never let anyone see it, but she never took it off — I was cleaning him when I heard your scream,— Severus answered as he rubbed a potion on his son's boiling wound
— Where is he yours? — Severus asked back. Asterion himself had a necklace just like his mother's, only his showed the constellation where Regulus's star belonged, — In my pocket — he answered, — Where did it come from? If I may ask —
Severus made him drink a few portions and take a couple of pills, avoiding the question, which his son immediately noticed. Asterion observed his mother curiously, noting how similar he was to that girl "Eileen" and the man from the memory he had witnessed just a few minutes ago
— Have you ever met someone named Eileen? — he asked curiously, Snape could barely contain the scream that was going to come out of his mouth. He had never told him anything at all about his mother. Although Eileen worried about him sometimes, she definitely had not been a good mother.
And not to mention Tobias, the very thought of his father still made him shudder in absolute terror, no matter that he was technically one of the strongest men in this world, his own father's trauma would never go away, it would accompany him forever, just like all his countless scars, both physical and mental
Regulus noticed his mother's sudden discomfort, perhaps he had asked something he shouldn't have asked, the little Black surrounded his mother with his arms — Mère — the boy whispered, Mother, in French, it was a kind of pet name, he didn't know about where exactly he had gotten it, but he really liked it Severus melted into his son's embrace, sat on the bed and sank into the embrace
— Was she my aunt? — he questioned, — What? — Severus responded confused, — You told me you had a sister — Asterion reminded him
— No, my sister had red hair and another name — he responded melancholy, — Eileen is your grandmother —
There was no point in hiding this from his son, no matter how much it hurt, — Where did you hear that name? —
— It doesn't matter mom, now that I know she's my grandmother, I'm not interested —
— Why? —
— I know she wasn't good to you — Snape kissed him on the head and broke the hug — You have classes tomorrow, go to sleep — The man appreciated that his son didn't ask any more questions, he knew how curious he could be, often when he looked at his boy, he would find a quite familiar look, the curiosity that he had seen so many times in Sirius's eyes
He deeply loved those eyes that Asterion had inherited from his Father, at first it had been difficult to see them, the constant reminder that despite everything they had been through together, Sirius had not chosen him
Of course he hadn't chosen him, who in their right mind would choose him?
His eyes.....so alike....his eyes, what happened to his eyes? Severus took his son's face and connected his eyes with his son's, — Your eyes, what happened to them? — he asked, — What do you mean? — he answered genuinely confused, he doubted that his mother would notice the slight change in color in his pupils, — Your pupils, why are they purple? —
Regulus panicked, he didn't know what to respond, he didn't want to talk about the box because that meant talking about Delphini and the rest, — What are you talking about? — he asked, trying to sound confused, Snape gave him a mirror, and Asterion noticed that his pupils had turned even more purple, now a noticeable change for anyone who knew him well
Severus sighed heavily and worriedly, — Go to sleep — he said, — We can deal with this tomorrow —
— Sure, good night Mummy —
— Good Night Reg —
The boy returned to his room, it must have been around four in the morning, he was too curious about the box and everything that was there, but at that precise moment he was too exhausted to investigate anything else, he had to burn the letter, but first he cut the part of the paper that contained the kiss and put it away, he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillows
For his part, Severus stayed sitting on his bed, took the necklace he was cleaning and looked at it lovingly, after his little black-haired boy, that necklace was the only thing he still had from Sirius, he didn't put it back around his neck. and he also went to sleep. He turned his head to see the moonlight reflecting on the lake water
— I wonder, if you still think about me, even if it's just the smallest thought —
Not so far from him, a man with curly black hair looked at the horizon from the cave where he was hiding from the storm, tears ran down his face, wiping away some of the dirt that had accumulated on his face,
— My Prince, I know that right now you hate me, but if you only knew....that I am always thinking about you —
He stayed watching the rain for a while longer, he always liked storms, because it meant he had a good excuse to stay home with Severus, or so Verus wouldn't have to leave at dawn
He looked at the castle in the distance, he knew that both Severus and Harry, as well as Pettigrew were in that castle, the idea that the two people he loved the most were there with that son of a bitch made his stomach turn, the castle had always seemed huge when he studied there, but now, it seemed so small....
He decided to stop thinking and lay down on the rocky ground, for now, he couldn't do anything, so he didn't want to think anymore, he closed his eyes not long after
He opened his eyes again not long after, he felt different, he was clean and wearing clothes that were not the rags of Azkaban, he immediately knew he was dreaming, his pain would never be relieved
He also recognized the dream, he had had it more times than he could count, he couldn't see what was around him, but it was okay, because he didn't care, he was only interested in what was in the center of the bedroom, it was Severus, peacefully asleep, Sirius couldn't see his face, but always knew it was him
He knew it wouldn't last long, so he didn't waste any time and went up to the bed where Verus was, lifting the covers and getting under them, looking for some kind of comfort, even if it was imaginary.
However, this time, when he put his arm around that pale body that had given him hope for twelve years, he only found a cold memory, he tried to move his arms to find that familiar warmth that he longed for every night. Silent tears fell on the green sheets
— I can't feel you anymore —
***
He woke up a couple of hours later without much desire to attend classes, it's not that he didn't like them, he had just fallen asleep very late and woke up very early
— Wake up brother of mine! — he shouted at Draco before throwing a pillow to wake him up, — I don't want to — the blonde complained
— Come on, we'll be late — he scolded while he got dressed, he adjusted his tie with difficulty and took his books, he had History with the Ravenclaws for the first two hours of his day so he wanted to start with a good breakfast
Draco told him to go ahead, so Asterion took his things and headed to the great hall, he walked through the halls ignoring the whispers, he knew everything they said about him, but he didn't care, as long as no one approached him physically, he couldn't care less about what other people thought of him
Out of nowhere he heard a rat squeal, looked at his feet and saw what must have been someone's pet rat rush past him, — Scabbers! — someone shouted
Snape watched Ronald Weasley pass by him chasing the rat, the red-haired boy stumbled next to him, Asterion wanted to help him, but Ron watched as an orange cat tried to reach his pet, so he ran off without paying more attention
Regulus noticed that the Weasley's cauldron had been left on the floor next to all his books, — Hey! — Asterion called — Your things! —
He tried to chase after Ron, but as he turned into the hallway he collided with a smaller figure, causing him to drop both his and Ronald's things, — Shit! — he shouted in frustration
— I'm sorry! I didn't notice! — A voice apologized, in front of him there was a boy in a Gryffindor uniform, Asterion let out a small moan of frustration — It's okay, it wasn't intentional —
— My camera! — the boy shouted, his camera had fallen with the blow, the Black heir picked up his things, ready to leave but he noticed the boy was quite sad about his camera, — Maybe a reparo could work — Asterion suggested
— TRUE! What a good idea! —
— Let me do it — Asterion asked, the boy held the camera while Regulus took out his wand, — Reparo! — he pronounced carefully, — Great! — the boy shouted — Thank you very much —
Regulus thought it was quite cute, the boy was shorter than him and had a very tender smile, it reminded him a lot of Darius, — What do you think if we try it? — Asterion suggested, taking the camera from the smaller boy's hands
— Oh, it's okay — answered the Gryffindor, who approached a window and posed for the photograph, the camera's flash illuminated the hallway that was still somewhat dark due to the early hour of the morning, — It works perfectly — the black-haired boy assured
— Wow, that's a good photo —
— I have some experience,— Asterion said with a smile, — I'm Colin, Colin Creevery,— the boy said, extending his hand for Asterion to shake, — Asterion Snape,— he introduced himself while accepting the hand shake
— Oh! Of course! I should have guessed, everyone is talking about you since you came in —
— Really? And what do they say? — He asked with a more serious tone. Colin's smile faded, he realized what a stupidity he had said and thought that the blue-eyed boy was probably going to hit him
Asterion had a curious reputation, there were only two things said in the hallways, the first was that he was surely crazy, that his mother was an amateur of the dark arts and that he knew more curses than anyone in seventh year
And the other was that, just as Malfoy was a daddy's boy, Asterion was a mommy's boy, it didn't matter that until now he was aiming to be head boy, "Nepotism" was whispered around
Even so, in the 1970s, those who despised Severus Snape had three aspects in their favor. The first: Severus was small, he was shorter than the rest, he was malnourished and therefore very skinny, and the second: They knew that at a certain point, Severus' parents didn't care if something happened to their son, they knew that by messing with him, there would never be any consequences.
And Third: Snape had few friends, or rather almost none, so there was no one on Severus' side, he was unattractive, and therefore unpopular
However, now in the 1990s those who despised Asterion Snape did not have those points, Asterion was tall and well fed, no one besides the teachers knew he was sick
Although his father was not present, his mother was always checking on him and would know immediately if her son was being bullied beyond words. The Snapes' financial situation was not known, most believed they were pure blood, and if that was not enough, Asterion is the Malfoys' protégé, like Draco's best friend at school and Lucius' godson
Furthermore, being very similar to his Father physically gave him an advantage in terms of his physical appearance, and everyone knows that a pretty face made most people forgive any crime
Colin froze when he felt the Snape Boy's hand on his shoulder, the boy laughed loudly, — Do you think I'm going to hit you? —Regulus mocked. — Yeah? — the Gryffindor asked nervously, — Nah, I know exactly what they say about me —
The Slytherin stroked Colin's head, got close to his ear and whispered, — And it's true — The boy looked at him with terror, —Hey!, but you haven't done anything to me, you don't have to be afraid—
And it was true, Asterion knew that Colin had not said anything about him, and that he was only influenced by the thoughts of the rest, he noticed that some Gryffindor boys were staring at them on the other side of the hallway, their eyes were half closed and they seemed to be judging both of them, that irritated Regulus and made Colin nervous, they both knew that gossip traveled fast
— If they ever go against you for being good to me, then leave it to me, I'll deal with them —
— Why would you help me? — the photographer genuinely asked him, — I have a soft spot in my heart for cripples, bastards and small things —
—Who do you call small? I have a wand! —
The black-haired boy smiled sarcastically and walked away, everything they said about him was true, but people didn't seem to notice that that didn't make him a bad person
Well, everything except the Nepotism part, the boy had earned the respect of everyone, every teacher on his own, if he were to win the prize of the year, it would be his own pure merit
He knew he couldn't do anything to stop the rumors, so he would use them to his advantage, if they wanted to fear him, then so be it.
***
Fortunately he arrived on time for his History class, he liked sharing classes with the Ravenclaws, they were very funny, but without being annoying and always contributed things to the class
The teacher was also good, the classes were always interesting to say the least, Today's topic was the time of the 1700s - 1980s the so called "Pureblood era"
Professor Eleanor spoke about the details of the time, the (almost) revolution of the house elves, the fall of the old ministry and the destruction of the old school of Uagadou, and consequently, about the great houses of the time
Black, Rosier, Crouch, Malfoy, Prince
— Excuse me Professor, haven't you forgotten the Scamanders? — a girl interrupted, – What did you say? — asked the teacher, — Yes, you talk about the great houses, don't you forget the Scamander house? —
— No, in fact, it was not until the 1860s that the Scamanders became noticed, thanks to the Patriarch of that House, Lord Adam Scamander. Until then, the Scamanders were an ordinary family —
— Most of those families are extinct now, right? — Asterion questioned, Pathetic, Regulus thought, at the end of it all, what use had all that money and purity that they had tried so hard to maintain? Most of them had already become extinct or would do so soon
— Yes, most of them no longer exist, or only a few of those bloodlines remain, even families as large and branched as the Blacks have been reduced to a single member —
— Yeah! The infamous Sirius Black! — one of the Slytherins mocked, — Silence — the teacher indicated, — They say he is on his way to Hogwarts to kill us all! — they continued mocking
— Nah, he'll leave us alone if we hand over Harry Potter —
— Enough! Those things are not nice to say, and I remind you that we are all perfectly safe here at Hogwarts,— the teacher scolded them, understanding that they were first-year children who probably did not understand the seriousness of these matters
—Why is it wrong? —A Ravenclaw boy asked, —What? — the teacher questioned, somewhat incredulous, — Why would it be wrong to hand over just one person to save us all? —
— It wouldn't be at all wrong to hand him over to save us all — Asterion interrupted, — What's wrong is not even trying to do something to help him —
— And what do you know Snape! — the boy shouted at him, — I'm answering your question, Enoch — Regulus answered, with the sharp tongue he had inherited from his mother, — You think you're very wise, don't you? — Enoch asked him sarcastically
— Of course I am, that's why I'm the best of the whole year — Asterion answered, without even looking at the other child, — Yes, of course, you're the best because you're mommy's boy —
— Enoch! — the teacher scolded, — I don't accept criticism from someone whose family tree goes in circles — Regulus responded. — What? — asked the boy, — That Your parents are cousins! — Regulus shouted, irritated, the rest of the class laughed loudly
— Snape! I will not tolerate that type of comments in my class! —
— Snape did not tell lies, Professor Eleanor, Enoch's family is pureblood, All pureblood families have a disgusting history of Incest — answered a Slytherin girl
— Ewww, is that true, teacher? — asked another boy in the class, — Well, it is true that at that time it was believed that blood should be kept pure, and that is why some families married relatives to each other —
—Why? Why did they believe that blood should be kept pure? — Another Ravenclaw asked curiously, — Because that makes us superior to the rest — another Slytherin answered
— Not only that, there is an old belief that says a very powerful and ancient type of magic runs only through the veins of the descendants of the first magicians, that is why they only "interacted" with each other, they waited for one of their descendants to manifest signs to be able to manipulate this magic at will —
— Many swore that their children manifested this magic only to obtain marriage arrangements with other families —
— But those are just rumors, which are not true, and enough of that. Let's continue with the class —
— Teacher! And what can it tell us about the extinction of the house Prince? Is it true that they hunted and executed until there were none left? — That question made Asterion look up from his notebook in which he was writing, — I said enough, we will not continue with these questions, we will continue with the class —
— Please professor, just this question, and then we will continue — Asterion asked, genuinely intrigued. The professor snorted heavily
— The Prince house was one of the strongest for centuries, it is said that its last true heir possessed the long-awaited and valuable ancient blood. But under mysterious circumstances, he disappeared, and little by little the house destroyed itself, until In a fit of madness, they made too many enemies, and that's how their story ended —
Regulus raised his hand, — Yes, Regulus?—
— What do you mean by "the Last True Heir"? —
— Legends say that for many years, the main branch of the Prince was guaranteed a carrier of ancient blood every certain number of generations, as long as they mixed with another person of also very pure blood, Agustus Prince was the last of the main branch, But one day it just disappeared. And he was never heard from again, after that the princes appointed another main branch, but you will understand that it was no longer the same —
Classes ended shortly after, and Asterion decided to skip lunch and head straight to his bedroom, pulling the chest out from under his bed, ready to examine it further in the afternoon light
He sat on his bed and shook the box, he heard the sound coming from inside and assumed it was paper or something similar
He tried again with Alohomora, but again it was useless, he was about to give up, until he noticed a small crow figure at the bottom of the chest, it seemed to stick out, so Asterion applied pressure on the supposed "emblem"
A small "click" sound echoed through the room, Asterion couldn't contain a small sound of excitement when he noticed that the box had been opened, — It's about damn time — He spent several minutes going through everything he could, there were hundreds and hundreds of letters, most signed by two people
Walburga Black & Eileen Prince
His grandmother and an unknown woman, Walburga, there were too many letters to know where to start, so he began to sort the dates from oldest to newest
The cards weren't the only thing that came in that box. At the bottom of the box, buried among all the letters, was a very large, heavy yellow envelope, with a small description
For you, Fifty years after me - O.B — R.A.S(B)
Regulus frowned at the description of the envelope, he opened it very carefully not to break it, it was completely powdered and made him sneeze, there were three things inside the envelope
The first of them was a diary, it seemed even older than the envelope itself, — This book is the private property of the Princess of Slytherin, Walburga Black — Regulus read out loud, he felt a little uncomfortable having something so personal in his hands
The second thing was a dagger, it was made of stainless steel, because although the chest looked quite old, the dagger looked quite new, the handle was made of elfin silver covered with purple painted leather, — Cool,— Asterion whispered before to hang the Dagger on his belt
And the third was a series of black and white photos, the first photo that he found was of his grandmother Eileen along with another man, — Eileen Prince and Tom Riddle — he read the description of the photograph
In addition to that photograph of his grandmother and the stranger, almost all the photos were of two men together, it was clear that they were quite happy, all the photos of the two men were from between the years of 1926 and 1940, he hadn't the slightest idea of who the two men were, fortunately, in one of the photos there was a small description behind the photograph
Agustus Prince & Aurelius Dumbledore - 1937
Suddenly, the realization hit him like a bucket of cold water, it was clear that someone had been investigating all of these people, and that for some reason that investigation had ended up in a chest in his mother's old house in Spinner's End
Almost all the dots connected themselves, the only thing that didn't add up was what Tom Riddle and Walburga Black had to do with all of this. However, the rest of the clues only led to a logical conclusion.
— I am the last Great-Grandson of Agustus Prince —
***
— My what? — the man asked, incredulous at what he had just heard.
— Your great-great-grandson,— the boy said again as if it were the most normal thing in the world, Aberforth Dumbledore seriously considered closing the door, but despite the nonsense he was saying, he was still a little boy outside in the night
He grabbed him by the green sweater and took him into his house, he watched as the little boy yawned and took a seat in his rickety armchair, — Look kid, I don't know what kind of Muggle drug you took, but it's impossible for you to be my great-grandson —
— Great-great-grandson —
— That, or whatever! I only had one granddaughter and she died before having children, so stop playing and tell me where your parents are —
Regulus slumped a little more in the armchair where he was sitting and shrugged his shoulders, — I don't know, the investigation told me it was you — the little boy answered, searching in the small backpack he had prepared before leaving the castle
— What research? — Aberforth questioned, exasperated by the mere presence of the child, — I did a lot of research on my mother's family, and according to the results, I am the Great-Grandson of Aurelius Dumbledore —
Aberforth shrugged upon hearing his son's name, — And there are only two Dumbledores' so it was either you or Professor Albus, and the headmaster has no children —
—No Children with the last name Dumbledore — Aberforth corrected
— Excuse me? — Asterion asked, bewildered. — Nothing,— Aberforth deflected, thinking of both Grindelwald brothers, whom he had not seen in more than a decade, perhaps more
— And why should I believe you? — Aberforth questioned, not completely wanting to believe what this boy was implying, the Slytherin boy took out an envelope from his backpack and handed it to the old man
Aberforth opened the envelope carefully, the photos inside almost made him cry, it was his Aurelius, he looked very happy, next to him was a man he did not recognize, he was quite tall, had very pale skin and very dark hair
He also had a very well-kept goatee, his left arm was covered in tattoos, he hugged Aurelius very affectionately and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
— And what do you want me to tell you, child? —
— I just want you to talk about my family —
Although Asterion was really curious, that was not the reason he was here, his entire life he had been persecuted, and had suffered countless curses and pains that had nothing to do with his premature birth status
Regulus knew there was something strange about him, he wasn't a normal person, but he wasn't entirely sure what made him "special", he was sure it had something to do with his family, he knew he was a Prince on his mother's side
— You can't be my Great-Great-Grandson, child, my granddaughter died when she was just a child, and my son died giving birth to her —
— Your granddaughter, what was her name? —
—Eileen — Aberforth answered
Regulus opened his backpack to take a photo of his Grandmother with Tom Riddle, he would prove to him that he was his great-grandson and convince him to tell him about Aurelius and Eileen. Out of nowhere, a loud knock was heard at the door of the house, — Did you bring someone with you? —Aberforth asked, Regulus denied with his head.
Dumbledore took his wand, Dufftown, the place where he lived, was not a place for people to wander at night, he peeked through the hole in the door, outside his door there was two men dressed in black with yellow masks Aberforth was barely able to move from his place before the door completely exploded with what must have been a Bombarda, Aberforth hit his head on a piece of furniture next to his door, the flower pot on top of the piece of furniture broke in two, stabbing some sharp parts into his head and causing Dumbledore to lose consciousness
The men looked at the boy, who wasted no time and ran up the stairs, both men followed him at full speed, Regulus opened the only door at the top and jumped out, he didn't care that the window was still closed, he didn't have time to open it
The pain of hitting the hard ground, as well as the pieces of glass that were embedded throughout his body, made him have to take a few seconds before getting up and continuing running, he saw how one of the masked men was preparing to jump off the same window, — Arresto Momentum! — he shouted, slowing down the man
He ran as fast as he could, but it didn't take him long to notice both men following him at full speed. He was breathing heavily and limping, he found a small place behind a giant rock, — Expecto....Patronum,— he managed to pronounce with his weak voice, Every letter that came out of his mouth caused him immense pain, — Hel...... help.....aber..forth — was all he managed to say before his Patronus flew away with the message
Asterion watched as the figure of the Raven that was his Patronus receded into the sky. He thought he could rest behind that large rock, but he had to move when another spell caused the rock to break into pieces, probably thanks to a Reducto
He got pretty lost in the woods, he didn't even know which direction he was going, but it didn't matter, or so he thought, until both men cornered him. They both came out from behind the trees. Regulus raised his wand, just like the men did, it was obvious that they wanted him alive, otherwise they would have already killed him, he tried to think of a strategy, but being two against one, he was at a disadvantage, he needed something to match the odds
As if the gods had heard him, a figure appeared from the trees and knocked down one of the men, Asterion wasted no time and pointed his wand at the other man, — Avada kedavra! —
The green bolt killed the man immediately, and after that he watched as the man who had been knocked down died due to a broken neck, he felt his vision blur, one of the broken glass had buried itself deep in his stomach.
The stranger who had helped him approached him and helped him reach a nearby rock to lie down. — Are you okay?— the stranger asked. It was a man's voice, but his head involuntarily distorted the voice due to his injuries
— Are you okay? — the man asked again, — Aberforth? — he asked, still confused The man seemed to shake his head, and put his hand on the boy's when he noticed how much he was bleeding
He wanted to take the little boy's wand to try a healing spell, but the boy's instincts made Regulus hit the man in the face, — You're scared, but I'm not going to hurt you,— the man told him
The man put his arm around Asterion and carefully led him to what appeared to be a cave. The boy's vision recovered for a second and his face paled, in front of him, in this cave where he had the disadvantage in a fight
He was face to face with Sirius Black