Friday, 13th June, 1986
Château de Morvaine, Loire Valley, France
The sound of spells echoed against the stone walls. Smoke curled in the cold air where the dark spell had just hit the ground, leaving black marks across the flagstones.
"Again," said Altaira, her voice calm but firm.
Seven-year-old Altair stood across from her; her child, bearing the same features as her. Raven hair, flawless fair skin, and grey eyes that gleamed with magic if you stared long enough in them. Though, his shade was more sterling grey than grey, a subtle difference. However, right now, his lower lip was bleeding, and dirt smudged his left cheek.
The little boy was holding the wand in his right hand, the other hung at his side, but it was not hurt. He looked tired, very tired.
"Mother..."
"Again," she repeated. "You hesitated."
Altaira moved slowly around him, circling him like a predator as her dark robes barely avoided brushing the ground. Her wand stayed pointed at his chest. Despite being his mother, there was no kindness in her eyes right now, only sharp focus.
It was strange for a witch of her calibre to be on guard against a child.
Altair swallowed hard in nervousness. He was certain that he was in for some serious pain today. Still, he raised his wand and prepared himself. "Expulso."
The spell flew from his wand, but his mother was faster.
"Inanis Umbra," she grinned after she expertly deflected the explosion spell and recited an incantation.
The ground beneath Altair suddenly shifted. Shadows sprouted out of nothing, trying to trip him, bind him. He stumbled and nearly fell, but he caught himself just in time to dodge them. And he made sure to keep an eye on his mother as well.
Altaira gave him the smallest nod of appreciation.
"You recovered quickly. That's good."
Altair said nothing, but he was quite upset. He never liked these training sessions that started earlier this year on his seventh birthday.
Suddenly, he watched her flick her wand again.
"Cruciatur Manus."
Instantly, red sparks wrapped around his fingers. He cried out and dropped to one knee, clutching his hand, and then the wand fell from his grip.
Only an instant later, his instincts kicked in and he reached out with his other hand to grab the wand before it hit the ground.
His rage flared, and madness flashed in his eyes.
"Crucio!"
Altaira's grin widened when she saw what he had done, but she elegantly, yet quickly, flicked her wand and deflected it.
"Crucio!" He threw it again at her as he stood up, face now pale, but grew even more upset when she deflected it again. "Umbrae Vincula!"
Altaira was nearly caught off guard when her son cast a new spell, and she barely managed to dodge her own shadow as it lunged at her to bind her.
"Umbra Exsolaris!!"
Her heart skipped a beat when she heard her child's angry voice, and she was stunned when the whole world around her started turning dark.
However, she quickly recovered her wits and smiled again, just in time to save herself from a cage of nightmares.
Any other wizard or witch in her place would have likely succumbed to the shadows.
"Luxmurex!"
A terrifyingly blinding light escaped her wand's tip, countering the shadows that were coming over to devour her.
The two spells clashed, and she was beyond excited when she sensed Altair showing resistance and a fight.
But then the shadows were instantly obliterated.
Her brows furrowed when she saw that the wand in her son's hand had been shattered.
"Cruciatur Manus."
Altair groaned in pain as his left hand was now wrapped in red sparks, and tears streamed out of his eyes.
"You used it again!" he complained.
He was no longer angry, but just sad.
"I just said I wouldn't kill you. There were no other promises," she replied. "That curse will not harm you if you learn to resist it."
She stepped closer, lowered her wand, and knelt so they were face to face.
Altaira gently slid his raven hair away from his eyes, staring into them as she cupped his cheeks.
"I cast these spells on you so that if the day ever comes and an enemy casts them on you, you know how to fight through pain, not beg for mercy."
Altair stared at her with his misty eyes and obediently nodded his head. His fair cheeks were flushed in pain, and she sighed and pulled him into her arms.
"I want a new wand."
She rolled her eyes when she heard his request, but given how much he had made her proud today, she did not refuse him.
"How about we get you a custom-made wand?"
"Yes!" Altair forgot everything about the pain and excitedly answered near her ear, almost hurting it.
"Okay. We will go..."
Her words had not finished when suddenly a House Elf popped behind her child.
"Kreacher?" She looked at the old House Elf in surprise. It had been a while since she last saw it.
"Mistress Altaira, Master Altair... Master Cygnus has been found. He is waiting for you at the Grimmauld Hall. Mistress Walburga... she will not live past today." The House Elf sadly said, and his words made the lady's heart drop.
"Oh..."
Altair was a little sad now knowing that they would not be getting his new wand today. But he stayed quiet. He knew that his mother was not too fond of Grandma Walburga, but he could sense that she was very sad right now. She was hurting.
He did not really understand what was happening when Kreacher took them to the Grimmauld Hall, the House of Black Family, and his mother entered Grandma's room, leaving him outside.
Kreacher stayed by his side, obedient as always, and since his mother had threatened him not to mutter anything stupid in her presence, he stayed quiet.
A while later, the door of the room opened, and a tall man, whose body was cursed, breaking down, and who only had a few years left, looked at him with dark grey eyes, which were not too dissimilar to his sterling grey eyes.
"Granduncle Cygnus?" He had never met the man before but he had a guess.
"Yes." It was a raspy voice, yet amiable.
Altair quickly bowed to him and then gave his name as he raised his head.
"Altair Cillius Le Noir Morvaine."
"I know." He chuckled and then gently patted his hair. "And from this day onwards, you are Altair Cillius Le Noir Morvaine-Black."
Altair confusedly looked at him, and then followed his granduncle inside the room to see his grandma one last time.
"Ah, my Altair... Aren't you the loveliest boy in the world?" He smiled at his grandma's weak words and innocently nodded his head. "Come here..."
It seemed like she was on her last breath, and he instinctively walked over and leaned close to her mouth.
"Toujours Pur..." (Always Pure)
He smiled as he pulled back and looked into her eyes.
"Sangre Inviolee." (Blood Unviolated)
Walburga would have heartily laughed if she could at this moment, but then with one last breath, her life left her body.
For a moment, Altair just stared at her face, and soon the realisation hit him that she would never speak again. She would never look at him with those warm eyes again.
Instinctively, he turned to look at his mother, whose face was marred in pain.
His hand reached for her cheek, and she leaned into it before she planted a kiss on his palm.
"Kreacher."
At her call, the House Elf suddenly popped right by her side.
"Mistress."
"Get everything ready. My mother will be buried in Black Crypt later tonight."
"Yes."
"Inform Narcissa and tell her to come with her family to attend the funeral. No one else is invited."
"Yes..."
Altaira gently closed her mother's eyes and then took two more names.
"Fruska, Gibble."
Instantly, two House Elves popped next to her. These were the House Elves of House Morvaine.
"Yes, Mistress?" They bowed to Altair first and then to her.
"Gibble, help Kreacher out with the preparations for my mother's funeral. Afterwards, you will be helping him prepare my and Altair's room in this house. Clean the residence of any cursed items and curses, and get rid of them if it's safe for you. If there is something you cannot deal with, don't risk your lives. Come and tell me about it."
"Yes, Mistress."
"Also, make sure my mother's portrait is connected to this residence..."
She gave a series of orders to the male House Elf, who obediently accepted them all.
"Kreacher, from now on, you will be wearing a uniform similar to Gibble but with the Black Family crest."
"Yes, Mistress." The old House Elf accepted her order.
"You are the Lady of House Black now, Mother?" Altair curiously asked as he sensed Kreacher's magic binding to his mother.
"Yes, and you are my heir now." She gently patted his head. "We need to go make it official right away. Fruska."
At her call, the female House Elf happily stepped forward and grabbed her hand, and then Altair's hand too.
Cygnus, at the last moment, placed his hand on Altaira's shoulder, and all three of them were whisked away to Gringotts Bank, right outside of it.
It was the first time for Altair to come to Diagon Alley, and he was slightly overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle on the street.
Soon, however, he was pulled inside the bank, which was almost the same from inside as the one in France.
Altaira directly led them to the main counter, where a Goblin wearing glasses was reading some papers.
"Name?"
"Altaira Cruella Morvaine née Black."
Her answer stunned the nearby wizards and witches, and even the Goblin put the papers down and looked at her, and then at Cygnus and Altair.
"Purpose?"
"I wish to see my family's accountant and record keeper."
"Do you have the keys?"
"They are with Razgul."
"Very well." The Goblin pressed the bell on his table and asked the attendant who rushed over to lead them to Razgul.
It was not long before they were led inside an elegant and pearl-white office, where an aged Goblin was sitting at the desk.
Seeing them enter, he stood up and walked over to greet them.
"Lady Morvaine!"
"Hello, Razgul. And it's Lady Black now."
"Oh. My condolences..." the Goblin sighed. "Your father named you the heir of the Black Family, but since you are a lady, you cannot directly become the new Head. You need the approval of a male member of your house who can challenge your claim."
"My uncle is here."
At her words, Razgul strangely looked at Cygnus, who had aged far beyond his years.
"Master Cygnus."
"Razgul. I thought you forgot me."
"Pardon me, I failed to recognise you."
"It's alright. I am used to it now. Shall we start with the paperwork?"
"Yes, of course..."
It was not long before Altair got very bored.
Razgul first tested both his mother and his granduncle's blood with a ritual, making sure that they were truly who they claimed they were. All part of the protocol.
And then he wrote an affidavit and made Cygnus sign it, renouncing all claims to the Black Family ring, assets, and properties and supporting Altaira as the Head of the Family.
It was sealed by his blood, and then Altaira had to sign a few more papers.
Razgul then gave her an account of all the assets of the Black Family, and also the account of debts that some other houses owed them.
Altair was not too interested in finances, but he understood that the Black Family was very rich. Not as rich as the Morvaine Family, but still very rich. Besides, there were very few wizarding families in the world who were as rich as the Morvaine.
By Razgul's own words, Blacks were the third richest in Britain behind Malfoys and the Fawleys. And only because a lot of debts had not been repaid to their family yet.
"Make them pay. I will give all the defaulters ninety days, and then I will claim the debts I am owed with magic."
"Yes." Razgul gave a very sinister smile at her words and then quietly forwarded a few sealed envelopes to her.
Altaira silently read each of them.
"Their blood?"
"Sangre Inviolee..." Razgul answered with the motto of the Morvaine Family.
"Good. If they can't repay the debts, their daughters will become my son's dolls."
"I will be sure to let them know what's at stake."
"Good. I also wish to name my son the heir of the Black Family."
"The Black Family?" The Goblin asked, just to make sure she did not mean properties but the Family itself.
"Yes."
Razgul simply nodded his head and stood up to bring another white bowl and ceremonial knife over.
He cast some spells and then smiled at Altair as he handed him the knife.
The young boy's heart started speeding up, realising what he had to do, and when he looked at his mother with misty eyes, she ignored him.
Knowing that there was no way out of this, he steeled his heart and made an incision on his left palm, bearing the pain.
His blood dyed the water in the bowl deep red, swirling with magic, and then Razgul took the knife away, still wearing that sinister smile.
Altair curiously watched his wound heal on its own, and within seconds, not a trace was left. He was tempted to test the limits of the ceremonial knife, but then his eyes were on the lineage parchment that the Goblin dipped in the bowl.
It stayed in there until all the blood and water had been soaked by it, and Razgul carefully picked it up as words and symbols started appearing on the paper.
Altair became very curious when the Goblin's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and the next time he looked at him, there was unmistakable fear in his eyes.
"Show me."
Even as his mother asked for the paper, Razgul was hesitant to hand it to her, but then nervously pushed it forward.
Altaira hid what she read on it from her child's eyes, but Cygnus saw what was on it, and his eyes widened in both shock and awe.
"I can trust you to keep it a secret, right?" she coldly asked their family's accountant, who sweated at her words.
"Of course, Lady Black. This information will not leave Gringotts."
"Good. The keys?"
"Yes..." he quickly rushed into a backroom and then brought over a small chest.
Altaira had to place her hand over it to open it, and inside lay two black keys.
"Help me create an account in my son's name at your bank."
"The name?"
"Altair Cillius le Noir Morvaine-Black."