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Assistant: Title: Toujours Noir
        Author: OneMoreChapter_2000 OneMoreChapter_2000 
        Chapter: 13/26 
        Summary: This is a story about the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, or at least what is left of it. In August of 1987, Cassiopeia Black receives a letter about a metamorphmagus child in Russia who may or may not be a Black. Aware of the Black reputation and the challenges of claiming the child, she returns to Britain to unite her family and save them from certain annihilation.This is a slow-burn fic with a lot of politics and POVs from all Blacks (including the usually forgotten ones). This is the perfect fit for those who love the Blacks, extensive world-building, and captivating mystery.Next chapter by May 2nd
        Contents: Chapter 13: Lessons in Black
    

    


      
        
          
          (See the end of the chapter for  notes.)
          
      
  

  
  
    
    
  August 14th 1987, Britain
Alphard opened the fridge and examined its contents, hoping to find something to make a sandwich with. Raw chicken, leftover pasta, half-eater yoghurt, ah, there was the cheese. No, he just needed some … he found the ham and even some butter. As he closed the fridge, the toaster dinged, and he took out the two slices. Whistling to the radio, he watched as the butter melted into the bread and then added some ham and cheese. Happy with his creation, he took his plate to the living room and sat in front of the telly. He considered changing the channel, but by the time he found the remote, the dramatic medical show had captured his attention. So he relaxed in the armchair and enjoyed his food in peace. The episode was almost over when his perimeter spells detected movement, so with a regretful sigh, he turned the telly off. He didn’t move from his seat, instead deciding to wait in the shadows of twilight. He didn’t have to wait long; less than a minute later, he heard the front door open.The person turned a few lights on and walked into the kitchen, not realising there was someone in the apartment. He was disappointed with her; what if it had been someone with bad intentions? She would have to be more careful in the future. She didn’t notice him as she put her purse on the counter, washed her hands, and opened a drawer to get a glass.Alphard observed her from his seat and angled his head, noting her features. She had changed since the last time he had seen her, almost ten years ago, her hair now stopped at her shoulders, and she had definitely lost weight. But then again, it wasn’t like he had remained the same. She poured water into the glass and turned around just as he said, “Hello, Audrey.” She dropped the glass and spun around, wand in hand. But instead of attacking him, she just gaped at him, disbelieving her eyes. “Oh, come on, you can’t think I am a ghost too.” He stood up and offered her a smirk, and she was finally able to process his presence. “Alphie,” she squealed in delight, put her wand away, and, ignoring the broken glass, ran into the living room to hug him. “What are you doing here? I thought you were somewhere in South America? Is everything okay?” she rushed to ask, and he laughed. “It’s good to see some things never change. Take a breath. I’m alright.” She still looked confused at his visit. And he didn’t blame her. Audrey had been aware Voldemort had set his sights on Alphard, and he had to choose between joining the madman or becoming one of the light’s soldiers. Instead, Alphard’s supervisor had given him a third option: to leave it all behind and conduct secret research abroad. “Does Prime know?” she asked quietly, still slightly weary. “Of course,” he spoke the truth. He had informed his supervisor immediately after returning to Britain. He had no choice, Unspeakable Prime was not a person Alphard wanted to anger. Not even a Black was impulsive enough for that. She sighed in relief and gave him a warm smile, her green eyes sparkling with joy. D@mn, she was still as beautiful as ever. “How long are you staying?” she asked, and a part of him wanted to go back to how things had been before. Flirty and fun.“Long enough,” he got closer to her and whispered in her ear, “And we have a lot to catch up on.” He reversed their places and pushed her on the armchair, his hands on her waist. She chuckled and reached for him.“I’ve missed you.” She kissed him, their lips immediately finding their familiar rhythm.He deepened the kiss, and when they stopped to take a breath, she purred, “I’ve missed this.” Her mouth was on his neck, kissing and biting. He reached for her blouse and stopped kissing her to remove it. With that out of the way, he offered her his widest smile; she basically melted in his arms. She didn’t notice when her wand holster fell on the ground or when Alphard wandlessly vanished her wand. And just like that, a trained Unspeakable was disarmed and vulnerable.  He pulled away as though to unbuckle his belt, but instead, he reached for his wand and had her bound to the chair before she could react. “Exploring a new interest?” she asked, her voice a little hoarse, but her eyes quickly glanced at her empty wand holster on the floor. “Something like that,” he replied and kneeled in front of her. “I really did want to f@ck you, unfortunately, I have some questions that can’t wait.”Her forehead scrunched in confusion and hurt. “You could have just asked; there's no need for all these theatrics.” She was trying to sound upbeat, but he could see her body getting ready for a fight. Too bad he had already won. “I will ask, and you will answer,” he continued, ignoring her comment. He put his hand on her cheek and looked her in the eyes. “No one needs to get hurt, okay darling?” She must have known he was lying because she began to protest.“Alphard, what are you doing? You can’t! Stop it!” but her protests were useless, he was already penetrating her mental barriers.As a pureblood, Audrey Clearwater had learned Occlumency from a young age, and to become an Unspeakable, she had mastered the ability. Too bad none of that mattered right now, not against someone like him. He could see her surface-level thoughts, her joy at seeing him, her desire to be with him, and then her fear of him. Then came her short-term memories, but he quickly and not very gently pushed them away. And so he delved deep into her memories. Distantly, he could hear Audrey screaming in pain, but it didn’t even occur to him to go slower and be more considerate of her discomfort. He had come for something very specific, and he was not leaving without some answers.He needed to know about Sirius. After what could have been seconds, minutes, or hours, he found the memory he was looking for. Audrey writing the letter to Alphard, the one convincing him Sirius was beyond his help. He could see her carefully choosing her words and biting her lip the whole time, perhaps wondering if she was doing the right thing. But he still didn’t understand why she had done all of it. So he kept looking. And there it was, a meeting two days before. 
   “Are you sure?” Audrey asked him, and he put his scarred hand on her shoulder. 

   “Trus’ me, the lad’s guilty. Tried warning Albus years ago, but he never listened!” she looked up to see his face or what was left of it. One of his eyes was missing, and there were countless scars. Her poor uncle, he had sacrificed so much for this war. “Sirius Black’s a bl@@dy Death Eater, deserves to rot in Azkaban. Just like the rest of his damned family!”  

   Audrey knew Uncle Moody hated all dark wizards, and a tiny voice reminded her that not all Blacks were monsters. Then again, Alphard had loved both his nephews so much and looked where they ended up. Perhaps he had been too blind to see their faults. But it was one thing to occasionally help against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Names by leaking some documents to the Order of the Phoenix. What her Uncle was asking of her… it went beyond that.  

   “Dree, know I’m asking for much, but it’s important. Righ’ now the case agains’ Black is flimsy, the Black lawyers will get it dismissed as easy as that,” he snapped his fingers to illustrate. “Who knows who he’ll go after nex’? The Meadows and Prewitts are almos’ gone, one by one they’re killing us!” he pleaded with her. 

  Tears threatened to spill upon hearing Fabian’s name. He had been her friend; he had been a good, brave, and loyal person. He didn't deserve to be slaughtered. Of course, no one did. She thought of the Potters and their little boy. How could Sirius betray his best friend like that? 

   “And you are certain he betrayed them?” she asked again, needing to be sure.  

   “Look a’ me, tha’ lad’s guilty. No doubt abou’ it!” he looked at her expectantly, and all she could do was nod. He smiled, it looked unsettling, “I knew you’d do da righ’ thin’!” 

   She hoped that was true. After all, she would be the one to provide the evidence to put him away for good. Her Uncle was right; the Blacks were too powerful and would stop at nothing to get their Heir out. 

  If Sirius Black was a monster, she would break some rules and find a way to tie him to some of the Death Eater attacks. During his trial, that should be enough to convict him of his real crimes. She hadn’t hesitated because it would be difficult to do. On the contrary, working in the Department of Mysteries, she had the necessary resources to create a dossier. No, the hard part would be then sending that evidence to Alphie. 

  But it might be necessary. Because there was no doubt in her mind that he would run straight back to Britain to help his precious nephew. And he would once again be sucked into the Black drama and madness. Her Uncle’s plan might actually be for the best. She would put a vicious criminal away, and Alphard wouldn’t throw away his life for those ungrateful Black harpies.  
Alphard had seen enough. He exited her mind, finding Audrey passed out with blood running down her nose. For a second, he examined her and found that everything about her now repulsed him. She had caved in so easily, and all for what? Trying to keep Alphard away from his family?Her report had been so detailed and methodical that she must have spent days coming up with crimes to pin on Sirius. All in vain because, in the end, his nephew had not even received a trial, so the file had never been used. No, the only damage it had done was to bring Alphard unimaginable pain. So much so that he had relapsed and wasted half a year lost to drugs and … well, he didn’t really remember much of late 1981 and early 1982. All because of that stupid file.Looking at his old friend, he felt no pity for the state she was in. He considered leaving her like that, knowing that once he left and lifted his spells, their office would detect a disturbance in her apartment. She would be discovered and sent to the Janus long-term Ward at St. Mungos. She might recover some function, but it was doubtful she would ever walk out of there. He had gone too deep and too far and had shattered the protections that Unspeakables had placed on her mind… most likely, she would never recover from this. He was about to leave when he saw a picture on top of one of her drawers. It was a photo of the Thames and three murky silhouettes in the water. He could feel a smile forming on his face just at the memory of that night. D@mn it.He sighed, knowing he couldn’t just leave now. Not after this reminder of their past, or the fact that Audrey had been the one to save his life, showing him there was more to life than partying and drugs. Yes, he had always been a natural legilimens, but drunk out of his mind, he would have wasted his gift. She had been one of the reasons he had gone into recovery and had made something out of himself. His Mastery and his job as an Unspeakable had all been because of her. Well, she and the third person in the picture.Despite how much he hated her at this very second, he didn’t want her to waste away in a hospital. That was too ironic for his taste. He knew what he had to do; the only problem was that he had a meeting with his father in twenty minutes, and he was definitely going to be late for it. His father was going to be so p@ss@d, and Alphard was not going to hear the end of it.Resigned to the inevitable pestering, he went to the kitchen and grabbed a sharp knife. Then he walked back and started chopping.   Pollux examined the books for the sixth time, knowing very well none of them were worth his attention. But it was still better than just standing outside Gringotts for his wayward son and looking like a fool. He should have known the brat was going to be late, when had Alphard ever made things easy for him!With a resigned sigh, he left the bookstore located at the entry of Knockturn Alley and slowly made his way to the bank alone. He really did hate it when he let himself be disappointed by others. After the 1934 fiasco with Dominik, he had begun expecting the worst out of people. But sometime between Alphard’s return and working together in Russia, Pollux had foolishly begun to trust his son. Obviously, he had been wrong to do so. This was supposed to be a simple plan; he had scheduled a meeting with his account manager under the pretence of showing Alphard the family books. As his oldest son, he was going to inherit everything, and there was a lot he had to learn about Pollux’s investments, properties, and valuables.Their real reason for being at Gringotts was to pass along Adriana’s blood test results in order to set up a meeting with the McKinnons’ account manager. It turns out the goblin in charge refused to meet with someone without proof they were related to the family. Since Arcturus wanted to keep this as secret as possible, Pollux had been reduced to an owl, personally delivering the documents. He had been so close to telling Arcturus off but had remembered exactly what he was getting out of this.The McKinnon seat would be his. He tried to suppress his smile at the thought. It was not even that Pollux desperately wanted to go to Wizengamot meetings; on the contrary, he expected to be absolutely bored there. No, what kept him going was the image on everyone’s faces when he, the dark, villainous Black wizard, became the proxy for the McKinnon seat. The one currently occupied by no other than Albus bl@@dy Dumbledore. The conniving b@st@rd had claimed that as the McKinnons had made him proxy during the war, he could continue to hold their seat even though they were all gone. Pollux tried to go back to imagining Dumbledore’s face when he claimed one of his seats and returned the McKinnon votes to where they belonged to - the dark faction. The McKinnons were one of the original five Ancient and Most Nobel dark Houses, together with Black, Gaunt, Lestrange and Malfoy. For centuries, the five had worked together, and only about eighty years ago had things begun to change.In the 1880s, Lord McKinnon married an American grey witch who raised their children not to value blood purity. Naturally, this caused strife, especially when Cantankerus Nott and his friends started to compile the Sacred 28 List. Pollux remembered the day the McKinnons moved to the grey faction. He had been playing in the garden with his cousin Regulus when their grandfather had returned from a meeting and, in his rage, destroyed an entire wing of Gwrych Castle.He could not have been more than ten, but that day was edged into his memory. It had been the first time he had seen the destructive side of the Black magic, and he had been intrigued. At first, the dark faction had been furious at the McKinnons for their shift in alliances, and many had started calling them blood traitors. But that had soon gone away when the McKinnons continued to support the dark agenda on all issues except Mudblood policies. The McKinnons had began to be considered the darkest grey House, and most - other than the likes of the Notts - had accepted their choice.They had quickly established themself as a powerful House, owning a third of magical Ireland, and now backed by influential American relatives. Pollux even attended the then Heir, Ramsey McKinnon’s wedding to Elspeth Avery, as he was a close friend of her father’s. The union between two Ancient and Most Noble Houses had been the talk of every conversation for an entire year. It had cemented the McKinnons’ position in the grey faction, and perhaps if it had not been for the war, things would have remained the same.People often commented on the irony that during the war, the House of Avery had joined the dark faction, whereas the once-dark McKinnons had supported the light. But Pollux did not find that ironic or fascinating, and he did not think Ramsey McKinnon would either. It had been his son, Angus, who had moved their seat to the light faction after his parents’ deaths in 1976. And from what Pollux knew of Ramsey, he would have been horrified to see what had become of his once proud House. One day, he was going to tell Adriana about the McKinnons, and he was going to make sure he underlined that Ramsey might have had a grey core, but the wizard honoured pureblood traditions as much as any Black or Lestrange. He wanted to make sure she was proud of every part of her heritage, not just the Black side. And regardless of Cassiopeia’s lectures on avoiding traumatising topics, he was not going to skip over how Adriana came to be the last McKinnon. Despite what the paper said, he was still not sure what had happened to Ramsey and Elspeth. Pollux clearly remembered Bellatrix telling him the Dark Lord wanted the McKinnons to return back to the dark side. And then, months later, Lord and Lady McKinnon had been murdered. Perhaps the Dark Lord had lost his patience and had hoped the young Heir and his sister would be scared into submission. But something about that did not add up: Angus and Marlene had been the ones more likely to resist him, and in fact, they had joined the Order of the Phoenix. Why kill the more traditional parents? Especially when Elspeth had been very close with her brother and father, both of whom were marked Deatheaters. It did not make sense. Unless...Unless Dumbledore was far more conniving than Pollux had given him credit for. After all, Angus and Marlene had been some of the light’s best soldiers. How had Rabastan described them? Ah, yes, he had said the McKinnon siblings’ knowledge of spells far surpassed the others’; they fought like true purebloods and were a real challenge. Dumbledore might have considered all that and eliminated the conservative parents to turn their children against the dark. It was just a theory, but it was definitely something to consider.So when Pollux told Adriana the truth, he was going to tell her everything, all his theories and suspicions. Not so he could turn her against the light, but rather so she could prepare herself for the questions and accusations of besmirching the heroic and light McKinnon legacy. He felt responsible for educating her about that part of her family now that he was being made her proxy and vowed to prepare her to take over as soon as she turned fifteen. Which was the earliest someone could claim a seat, and only if they were the last of their House; otherwise, they had to wait another two years. But until then, Pollux was going to enjoy taking a historically dark House away from that two-faced wretch. And what was worse, the b@st@rd had somehow got his grabby hands on three other proxy seats: the Potter, Ross, and Weasley seats.With the first two being Most Nobel House and having two votes each, Dumblefuck had six votes at his disposal. He understood that there was no one from the McKinnons and Potters to take their seats, but the Ross and Weasley seats? How could Minerva let that half-blood manipulator take her family’s seat? And he was not going to think about Septimus and that cow Cedrella. No, instead, he would dream of the light’s faces when they realised that the balance of power in the Wizengamot was shifting. Currently, the light faction had the most votes, then came the grey one, and lastly, with only seventeen votes came the dark faction. But with Arcturus once more using the two Black votes and Pollux bringing back the two McKinnon votes, their faction would have twenty-one votes, the grey twenty, and the light’s twenty-two. Still not equal, but much better.  Pollux already had a list of policies and legislations the McKinnon votes might prove vital to and could not wait to take back some of the power the light faction had amassed after the war. There was one law in particular - “Black,” Pollux heard a voice as he was about to enter Gringotts. He looked up to see familiar brown eyes, matching wavy hair, and high cheekbones. “I am surprised to see you out this late.” mocked Lord Lestrange, no doubt referring to Pollux’s strong desire to be home after dark.“You know what they say, Lestrange, only the unprepared can ever truly be surprised. Perhaps you should work on that.” Pollux responded with a straight face. The two wizards stood at the top steps of the bank, and for a second, no one said anything. Outsiders might view their stances as hostile and the silence as aggressive. But then Corvus’s lips tilted a slight bit, and the tension disappeared. “It is wonderful to see you outside of one of our manors, old friend.”Pollux knew his friends were worried about his less than social habits, and he let them believe he was bored with the general public, preferring instead the company of a select few. The truth was, he was afraid to leave Cygnus alone for too long and so rarely left their estate. He decided to change the subject and asked, “How was your trip to Italy?” The two wizards moved slightly so as to not abstract the entrance. “Italy was fine, though it is becoming too touristy and losing some of its class. I suggested vacationing somewhere else next year, but you know how Cece is. She would not hear of it!” Corvus could not help but smile when thinking of his wife, and neither could Pollux.Constanza Lestrange was one of the reasons he still had hope for wizardkind; she was warm and kind but, at the same time, incredibly strong and even vicious when she needed to be. He supposed being mute had often forced her to defend herself and prove her capable. “Yes, I imagine you will be going to Italy until the day you die,” Corvus sighed at that, knowing Constanza would never stop loving her home country, and he could never deny her anything. He loved her more than anything, well, maybe equally to their sons. But Pollux was trying very hard not to think about the Lestrange brothers right now. “I suppose. You should come next time, keep me company when Cece abandons me for some new exhibition.” Corvus tried to sound wounded, but he adored Cece’s passion for the arts. After all, it had been how the two had met. And the invitation was also more of a social nicety than an actual suggestion. Corvus would never let her out of his sight for more than an hour, and Pollux did not blame him.Whilst on vacation, Corvus’s first wife and daughter had been slaughtered by vampires. The guilt had nearly destroyed him, and Pollux had been afraid for his friend’s life. It had taken him ten years and meeting Constanza for some light to return to his eyes. If he had suffered similar pain, Pollux would probably be just as obsessed with his family’s safety. Or at least those family members Corvus had any way of protecting. “Perhaps next time,” he replied, as it was the polite thing to do. “I should get inside. You know how the goblins get.” The truth was he still had a few minutes before his meeting, but he wanted to get away from his friend. Corvus blinked twice at the abrupt change in conversation and nodded. “I will see you at Pucey’s on Tuesday?” “I will be there,” Pollux confirmed, and for the first time in decades, he felt actual guilt. He had forgotten how much he hated the gut-churning sensation. Not only was he going to their friendly card game with a political agenda - when they had tried to keep official business out of these gatherings. But he was also keeping so many secrets from Corvus.He was not some whimpering Hufflepuff needing to share every little thing in his life with his friends, nothing as plebeian as that. But he knew the reason Corvus and Constanza spent two months in Italy was not the food or the arts. His friend had been sick for a while, and he did not have much time left. Perhaps a few more years if he was lucky. And he knew Corvus well enough to guess that every month, he felt the sorrow of failing his House more and more acutely. He had no living relatives, and with his sons in Azkaban for life, the line would soon end. The thought must be slowly killing Corvus, worsening his condition.And here Pollux stood with proof in his hand that there was another Lestrange. Perhaps Corvus’s own granddaughter. As close as the two wizards might be, Pollux was under no illusion. He realised that keeping Adriana a secret would destroy their friendship. Even if she ended up being Corvus’s distant niece, he would never forgive Pollux for deceiving him. A part of him wanted to disregard Arcturus’s order and tell Corvus the truth. He realised that if her father was a Lestrange, they would have a greater claim on her. But Pollux knew she would be well cared for with the Lestranges, and the Blacks would still get to see her. Arcturus and Cassiopeia disagreed, and Pollux had been directly forbidden from telling his friend, and he hated it. As Corvus started walking away, he allowed himself a small compromise. “Lestrange, you and your wife should come over when you have some free time. There is someone I want to introduce you to,” Corvus turned around, his brow twitching the tiniest bit, clearly unsure what to say. “I think reacquainted is perhaps a better word, father.” came Alphard’s amused voice. Corvus’s eyes went comically wide as he looked from Alphard to Pollux and back again, clearly shocked. “You are late,” was Pollux’s only response. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible and get away from Corvus. Alphard shrugged and started climbing the stairs. The two went inside, leaving Corvus outside alone and bewildered. Perhaps Pollux could not say anything about Adriana and getting Sirius a trial but he might let a few hints slide. After all, in his old age, who could blame him if his mind sometimes wondered.Wait. Pollux stopped walking. Was he … was he behaving like a sappy Hufflepuff? Alphard’s laugh brought him out of his existential crisis, and they walked together to the bank teller.  “Mother, please!” begged Dragon, his little hands clasped in front of him. “I promise to behave!” His big blue eyes were beseeching, and she almost caved at his adorable pout. But then she reminded herself her son needed to learn the meaning of the word ‘no’, and she had to stand her ground.“Love, I told you already, your cousin needs time to adapt to her new home. She doesn’t speak English and doesn’t understand our world yet.” She could see his mouth opening; no doubt, he was going to offer to teach her. So she added, “I promise you will meet her soon.”“But it has been forever already!” he argued, his forehead scrunching in distress. “It’s been four days since we returned,” she corrected him, but he did not seem to care for that distinction. “Love, you need to give her time.”“I just want to meet her,” he said, his voice more gentle now. Almost vulnerable. She swallowed thickly, overcome by the need to comfort him. “I want someone to play with.”Narcissa knew she could brush off his demand and tell Dragon that Malfoys do not need others to be entertained. She could also placate him by offering to invite Crabbe’s son or Parkinson’s daughter. But she did not want to dismiss his feelings because she knew what lay at the root of the issue. She felt guilty for his loneliness and wished more than anything that she could have given him a sibling. Growing up with two sisters and two close cousins, Narcissa knew how precious those connections were. But no matter how hard they tried, Lady Magic denied them a second child. She caressed his cheek and promised, “You will love. And she will love you, and you will be able to play.” Narcissa hoped the two got along, or her son might be crushed. “All the time?” he asked, his eyes full of joy. She smiled at his excitement but did not want to make any unrealistic promises. Dragon happened to have a very good memory and demanded things promised to him. That is how they ended up with an observation deck, an archery field, and a pegasus.“How about this? I will talk to Lucretia and Arcturus, and maybe once Lia’s English improves, you two can get tutored together?” He squealed with delight, and he hugged her tightly. More accurately, he tried to squish all the air out of her.His words were muffled, but she heard a distinct “Thank you, thank you,” she kissed the top of his head, glad she had defused the situation. Oh, she knew Lucius was not going to be happy with her decision, and they could probably argue about it. But in the end, she had no doubt he would see reason, like always. And then they would … make up, making her victory all the sweeter.  He let go of her and ran outside. Narcissa’s smile slipped slightly because she was certain Dragon and mini Bella would meet soon, but she was slightly worried about how it would go. After what she had learned about mini Bella’s past, she was not sure how Dragon would react to his cousin. His friends, though all different, were still loud children who liked to run around and have fun.Mini Bella … well, she was not by any means, it was more that she acted like an adult. But perhaps she was overthinking this and mini Bella just needed time to come. After the healer’s assessment, no one could blame the child if she did not feel entirely relax around them. Narcissa was afraid that Dragon might have a difficult time connecting to someone who had had a drastically different life and had gone through so much at such a young age. Mini Bella’s behaviour reminded her slightly of Theodore Nott, who was the most mature child Narcissa had ever met. Perhaps the two might get along wonderfully if they could arrange a playdate. But that would definitely have to be after she met Dragon, or he was going to cause a riot. Narcissa flooed to Holkham Hall and reminded herself to remain calm and composed. This was not a good time to go back to Russia and burn down that horrid orphanage. She knew that even at her sanest, Bella would have hunted and killed every single person who ever laid a finger on the girl. And though Narcissa was not troubled by the Black Madness, she could not deny she had the urge to hurt some muggles. She had one of the house elves lead her to Lucretia and mini Bella and tried to stop thinking about the child’s scars. She found herself on the grand terrace overseeing the lake in the distance. It was incredibly scenic out here with the August sun. She squinted against the sun and saw three figures at one of the tables. “Merry meet,” she decided to announce her presence and not startle them. Three pairs of eyes, two grey and one blue, looked up. “Merry meet,” responded Lucretia, while Uncle Alphard disregarded all decorum and waved at her with a “Hi there.” Usually, she would not mind such behaviour among family, but they had agreed to show mini Bella proper greetings. Not that her uncle had ever cared for basic etiquette. “Merry meet,” mini Bella said softly, with a strong Russian accent so it sounded more like “MeRRy mit.” But it was still progress; mini Bella had refused to speak any English for the first two days.Aunt Cass had been very clear that they should not pressure her but instead try to integrate as much English into her life as possible. Apparently, among her hundreds of projects, the witch had also studied techniques for adolescent language acquisition. Narcissa reached their table and saw they were all drawing, or at least attempting. Lucretia was colouring some winged creature in one of her notebooks, and Alphard was … experimenting with shades of red?“What have you got there?” She gestured to mini Bella’s paper. The child looked at her and scrunched her little mouth as though searching for the words. Narcissa knew that it would take her time to speak fluently, but they were already seeing some progress. Perhaps her Aunt was indeed a miracle worker. “Flower,” mini Bella pointed to her paper, and Lucretia gave her a big smile. “... hall?” the girls said, uncertainly. Narcissa examined her drawing and saw a small house surrounded by flowers. It was definitely not magical, perhaps something mini Bella had seen in Russia.The drawing was actually much better than she had expected from a seven-year-old. She had to admit it was definitely better than anything Dragon had ever drawn for her. Alphard laughed and pointed to the massive building behind them, “This is a Hall. It’s big and old. That,” he touched the child’s painting, “It’s a house. It’s small.” He used his hands to illustrate ‘big’ and ‘small’. Mini Bella tried again, “Flowers and houze,” and Narcissa found herself smiling. “Sky, cloud, and … mashina?” she pointed to something in the corner, and looked to Lucretia for translation. “A car,” the witch explained, and mini Bella repeated the word, committing it to memory. Narcissa tried to remember what a car looked like and then compared it to the drawing, finding it was pretty accurate. It was odd seeing a magical child drawing a muggle invention, but hopefully, she would soon feel more at home here. “It’s very pretty,” complemented Narcissa, meaning every word and mini Bella rewarded her with a small smile. She tried not to see her sister in the child’s smile but failed spectacularly.Every day, her need to speak to Bella grew, and she really did not like how sometimes she had started to refer to mini Bella as her actual niece. She had already contacted the ministry to demand a closer visit to Azkaban, but they had denied her. So she was now trying to see Dolph. Usually, they only let one visit immediate family, but it was worth the try. The girl’s unexpected question spanned her out of her spiral of doubt. “How doing your son?” mini Bella asked. Lucretia and she shared a surprised look because this was the first time the child had asked after one of their family members. Usually, she listened or asked for words from the new world around her. “Draco is well. He really wants to meet you. He wants to teach you how to fly.” she answered. And did he! He had come into her room this morning with four brooms, barely able to hold them all. Explaining that these were his training ones, and he did not know which one his cousin would like the most. “Fly … in sky?” mini Bella questioned, her eyes getting large. Then Lucretia explained to her what flying and brooms were using mostly English and then repeating some words in Russian. Mini Bella nodded her head and, in the end, said. “Yes, yes. I want fly broom!” They all laughed, and something in Narcissa’s heart loosened at the sound of mini Bella’s laugh. Despite everything she had been through, she was already talking and smiling more, behaving like a typical seven-year-old. Perhaps meeting Dragon would not go poorly, after all.  After teaching Uncle Alphard how to draw flowers, Narcissa was in mini Bella’s room helping her get ready for supper. They had all decided the child should spend some time away from Lucretia to avoid making her codependent. They had tried to come up with activities that did not require much English or talking in general.Hence, why her grandfather had suggested teaching her to play chess, Narcissa would help her learn about fashion and beauty, and Uncle Alphard had surprised everyone by offering to teach her the piano. So far, mini Bella was doing great, and Narcissa wondered when Lucretia would want to add more activities to fill her day.  For now, Narcissa was happy to teach mini Bella how to do her hair, just like her mother had taught her sister and her. Well, with mini Bella’s wild curls, Narcissa was using Bella’s personal tricks, but it was all the same and highly enjoyable.The child’s first clothes had been delivered the day before, and she was now wearing a beautiful pastel blue dress with white bows. She seemed to like the dress, or at least she was not complaining. However, as far as Narcissa knew, mini Bella had not complained about anything. “Do you prefer it like this?” Narcissa asked, holding half of her hair up, “Or like this,” she gathered all of her hair and waited for an answer. “One, please.” came mini Bella’s response, and Narcissa started to twist her hair into a simple yet proper hairstyle.She was careful not to pull on her hair too much, remembering hating it as a child. Mini Bella stood still, looking in the mirror, and Narcissa tried to focus on her hair and not the girl’s scar. The healer had said that some of mini Bella’s scars could be removed with an ointment, but some, like the one on her right arm, were too old and deep.Mini Bella caught her watching and said, “Not hurt now,” as though that was supposed to make Narcissa feel better and not like she wanted to kill everyone who ever hurt her. Narcissa put the child's hair down and kneeled next to her chair, “And no one will hurt you ever again. I promise,” And she meant it. It was not only that mini Bella looked like her sister. She wanted to believe she would have reacted like this to any Black being hurt. Mini Bella tilted her head as though trying to translate her words. Then she scrunched her mouth in confusion and asked, “Wizards not hurt?” Narcissa opened her mouth to reassure her that wizards were nothing like those savages. But images of the war stopped her. After so many funerals, she had begun hating the colour white and everything it symbolised.Could she really lie to the child so blatantly? What if mini Bella grew up believing all wizards were good and then got hurt because of it? “Some wizards hurt others, but they are bad wizards. We won’t let bad wizards hurt you!” she was not sure if mini Bella could even understand her. Looking into her grey eyes, she found uncertainty, so she tried again, “We are Blacks. No one hurts the Blacks,” mini Bella nodded in understanding, and Narcissa wished she was speaking the truth.After gently detangling some of her unruly curls, Narcissa said, “You are ready,” and smiled at the little girl. “Perfect.” She knew it was almost time for her to go home, but she loved spending time with mini Bella. But the girl did not react to her words, and Narcissa tried to determine what the matter was. The child seemed to be considering something carefully, and Aunt Cass had been very clear that they should let her form her own questions and find her words. “Blacks not hurt?” mini Bella asked softly, and Narcissa was surprised by the question. She knew that she could wait for Lucretia to join them and ask her to translate, but she wanted to find a way to communicate with her niece - the child - on her own. “Blacks are strong. We don’t let others hurt us,” she tried to explain but could see mini Bella was confused. Narcissa did know some Russian, so she tried translating, “Myi silny,” Mini Bella looked down at her shoes. Narcissa did not think the girl had ever avoided anyone’s gaze before, not like this. “What’s wrong?” She put her hand on the child’s shoulder and tried to get her to look up.“Blacks … hurt,” Mini Bella whispered after a long silence, and Narcissa felt shivers run down her back.She was not sure if mini Bella was trying to say that their family had hurt someone or that they were being hurt. But somehow, this moment felt important, as though whatever the girls said next could change something. A lot of things. She decided to find out more about this cryptic statement, “Who,” she asked and then repeated in Russian, “Kto?”Mini Bella finally looked up, her eyes full of unshed tears. Her lips were shaking with the effort of trying not to cry, but then she opened her mouth, and the first tear fell, “You father,” she claimed, “Man with big hair. Woman with … with big laugh.” Now she was fully crying, her voice beginning to break, “Three black birds. Boy … boy with green eyes.” she began sobbing, as though she was the one in pain, and Narcissa wanted to hug her and hold her tight but she continued, “Boy… with ye.. yellow hair… Man with no… no words,” she cried more and more after each name and her shoulder began to shake. When she seemed to be finished, mini Bella collapsed into Narcissa’s arms, trembling and sobbing. She wanted to assure the child that all the Blacks were alright and she did not have to worry about them. But her father? Her father most definitely was not alright. And she did not have to be a genius like Aunt Cass to guess that the woman with with big laugh could be referring to her sister.A part of her yelled at her that there was no way, mini Bella knew all of that, but she also remembered how her magic had felt in the hearing Room. For all Narcissa knew, the child’s dark powers extended beyond her comprehension. For now, it did not matter if mini Bella was correct or not. All she wanted to do was soothe the crying girl. She stroked her hair and back and told her, “I will help them, alright. You don't have to worry about them.”Mini Bella took a step back and asked, hope shining in her eyes, “Help all?”Against her better judgement, Narcissa replied, “Yes, I promise”. And immediately knew she was going to come to regret her decision. 
  
  

    
      
        
        
          Thoughts? This chapter was a rollercoaster for me! I am in a bit of a slump, not wanting to write anything, and considered delaying posting. But I pushed myself to focus on Alphard’s section and I love how it turned out!!! We get to see more of him and learn about his past and why he became an Unspeakable and left Britain. Did you expect he was going to kill Audrey?Also, hope the info dump in Pollux’s POV was not too much, but I wanted to introduce the McKinnons and Lord Lestrange. As you might guess Corvus and his wife will have a part to play in this story. Soon we will get to meet the Lestrange brothers! I am so excited for that.Any comments on Narcissa? She is trying to figure out what exactly is happening and who Adriana/ Lia is. I wanted her POV to skip a few days so we can see Adriana/ Lia settling in. Yes, we will learn more about her abuse in the orphanage and about how exactly she knew her family members were in danger. Any guesses who she is referring to?'
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
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