Chapter 7
Chapter Six
January 13, 1985
Gabriel doesn't remember much from his time with his mother. But he does remember one thing. His mother's soft words whispered against his ear as she rocked him left and right in the room, familiar green eyes against his own green ones as she smiled at him widely, as if she thought him to be the sweetest little thing she had seen.
Gabriel had adored his mother. He could remember that much, at least. And when she had died, gone because of a boy more troublesome than anything else, Gabriel had known little else to do with his life than to bleed on the hard, wooden floor as he stared emptily to the wall of his father's childhood home because his grandmother didn't consider him to be worthy enough to be one of her own.
On the plus side, the place was filled with the memories of the father he never knew, and would never get the chance to meet.
And when grandmother Walburga had gone to the sleep, immune to the rest of the world, Gabriel would sometimes sneak into his father's room on the second floor and just lay there on the bed, feeling much the same way his father must have felt so many times throughout the years. After all, his father must have had to live with the knowledge that the old woman who wouldn't hesitate to spill the blood of her own on the fancy wooden floor of her home for a painfully long time. At the very least, he could proudly say his mother had loved him. He didn't think the old woman could love anyone.
Gabriel sighed heavily under his breath as he stalked off the small room on the corner of the second room he currently lived on, walking down the stairs before the old woman decided she had enough of him to last the lifetime and tried to murder him for once and all, ridding the world of the so-called mistake she thought her precious son had made in the moment of a pure weakness.
Now that he really thought about it, the old woman must have loved her children in her own twisted way. Maybe she wasn't completely heartless as he thought before. After all, she could have very easily dumped him on the street to die. Nobody was going to judge her for leaving him behind; the secret half-blood son of her beloved son. But she had not. As much as he loathed the old woman for treating him as one wouldn't one's servant, she had given him a place to live. And for that, he would be forever grateful.
Scratch that.
He wasn't a bloody Hufflepuff. What should he be thankful for, anyway? For treating him like he was some bastard son of lowly noble? For treating him worse than she would a house-elf? Yeah, right.
Gabriel waked into the living room slowly, in no hurry to make it to his grandmother than he was yesterday morning.
"Grandmother,"
No answer.
Gabriel frowned, walking toward the soft, silken couch of the living room she was clearly sitting at, only to realize the worst possible thing a six-year-old could come to realize at that age. His grandmother was no more, and in her stead laid a lifeless body of someone who could never quite love him as hard as he had tried to impress her, to make her see him as more than the living reminder of her son's betrayal.
Gabriel blinked his eyes softly, and turned on his heel and walked away, opening the door wide before he could get himself all sick, and even worse, guilty.
He could no longer be anywhere near the house.
January 17, 1985
The man that had come to get him after his grandmother's rather unfortunate death was a slightly tall, brown-haired man with the most brown eyes he had seen on anyone alive. He was Xander Scamander; he had told him with the most annoyingly bright smile, and he was his godfather. It made Gabriel feel like leaving the bloody room immediately.
For the love of Merlin, did he ever stop smiling? It honestly could not be healthy to smile that much. How did he even become best friends with his father?
"How are you feeling, Gabriel?" Scamander sat down next to him in the living room of the Tonks house (who, unfortunately, couldn't take him in because she already had two kids to take care for) with a soft, reassuring smile on his face.
"Am I going to have to live with you?"
"If you like," Scamander nodded at him softly, "I could always send you to live with...I don't know, with Greengrass? He would adore you. He had always wished for a boy, you know? Sadly for him, it wasn't meant to be."
"Why would he take me in?"
"He used to play card games with us every Friday night back when we were in Hogwarts." He explained somewhat sheepishly.
"Would you like me to go there?"
"No, of course not." Scamander admitted. "I would like you to stay with me."
"You live alone?"
"Not exactly." Scamander told him, "I live with the magical beasts in my suitcase." He then asked, smiling. "Would you like to see them someday soon?"
"I think I would like to. I've always wished to see a dragon." Gabriel turned to him, curious. "There is a dragon in there, right?" After all, what kind of suitcase would that be if there wasn't a dragon?
"Believe me, Gabriel." Scamander told him, "You won't wish to see the dragons."
Gabriel lifted his nose upward quite dubiously. "We'll see."
September 15, 1990
On the eve of his eleventh birthday, Gabriel discovered he had a twin sister that had unfortunately perished in the fire when they were barely old enough to walk.
It made Gabriel feel angered at the world, at Scamander for not telling him earlier. It made Gabriel miss his unfortunately dead parents, especially his red-haired mother.
On the eve of his eleventh birthday, Gabriel received his Hogwarts letter. Scamander told him he wasn't going there regardless of what Gabriel may think because he wasn't willing to leave his only godson in the care of Albus Dumbledore.
"He would leave you to die." Scamander explained to him shortly, a deep anger burning between his words. "When the time comes, he would use you for a pawn, and then leave you to die. Just like he did your father."
On the eve of his eleventh birthday, Gabriel Regulus Black decided he loathed Albus Dumbledore.
"Where am I going then if not Hogwarts? Please don't tell me I am going to Beauxbatons."
Truthfully, there wasn't anything wrong with going there. After all, it was in a France and Gabriel would love to study in France. But from what little he knew of that school, they were all so goddamn cheerful. He didn't think he could take that much of a sunshine and rainbows for very long. He may even go mad before he would turn twelve. He already had enough of that with Scamander here.
"Of course not. I know how much you would hate it there. Even if I've heard there's quite a few species I would like to do a study research on." Scamander ignored his glare and went on, "Anyway, you are going to the Ilvermony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Gabriel stared. "We are moving to New York?"
"We are moving to New York." He agreed with a small smile. "But for now, young wizard, we must celebrate your birthday party."
"Must we?"
Scamander grinned. "Absolutely."
September 22, 1996
"Professor Goldstein!"
Queenie Goldstein turned to him sharply, a sunshine-like smile on her face. "Yes, Mr. Black?" If he thought Scamander was a ray of sunshine and rainbows, then Queenie Goldstein was another level of sunshine and rainbows. "How can I help you?"
"I was wondering if you have seen Headmaster. I have something of importance to talk with him."
"I think I saw him with Professor Goodwill earlier today near the garden."
"Thank you, Professor." And then he was stalking off to the garden through the school hallways in the hurry, his heart throbbing happily in his chest.
"Don't you forget to do your essay before the next Monday morning again, Mr. Black!"
Scamander should really stop dropping drama-worthy news on him so early in the morning. And he should tell him in the person, not by a letter. He thought he was going to have a heart attack when he had received the bloody letter early this morning.
The next time he saw Scamander, he swore on his inheritance he was going to murder him.
Gabriel,
I have visited Andromeda today. Apparently, your twin sister is alive.
P.S. I hope I didn't cause you a heart attack.
Your godfather, Xander