In the end, Altair got his wish and he met Fleur and Gabrielle in France. The two girls were delighted to see him, but also sad that he now lived in Britain.
As much as he wanted to show them his wand, Altair did not bring up the subject. They spent the next week roaming and causing mischief as always, and to his delight, the two came to England with him to spend a few weeks at the Grimmauld Hall.
They did not like his new home. Not at all. It was too dark, too haunting, and they were even scared of venturing alone into some of the long dark corridors.
Then again, it was not called Grimmauld Hall for nothing. It was indeed a place that could unnerve even the bravest of hearts.
They did feel more comfortable after a few days, still not enough to walk alone in the corridors, but enough to go out at night to the kitchen.
Aurelia and Draco came over to see him when they returned from their trip to Corsica, and the older Malfoy was, for some reason, not happy to meet Fleur.
Altair was confused.
He was aware that girls were usually jealous of other girls if they were just as beautiful or were prettier than them, but Aurelia was exquisite. She really had no reason to be jealous of the girl who was a year and a half older than her.
To his confusion, the ever calm and composed Fleur was not accepting of his cousin's presence either.
The two would actively fall into verbal arguments over the most minor of things, and in the end, Altair just started ignoring them as they were giving him headaches.
He spent most of his time with Gabrielle and Draco, and also met some of the other kids from the Pureblood Families of Britain.
His mother was very busy once the new year started.
She was working on building the Black Family's prestige again, and she wanted to build an influence in the Wizengamot as well.
After the last war, especially with Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius Black caged in Azkaban, their family was viewed by the Mudbloods and the Half-Bloods as a danger. The numbers of such people were sharply rising, and their influence was also growing steadily.
Needless to say, the Purebloods felt threatened, but with both the Blacks and the Malfoys now actively leading them, they felt more assured.
It only took her a few weeks to create an even division in Wizengamot without needing to actively bribe people from the other side, and this meant that the Purebloods were again back in power.
Altair hated the lessons when his mother sat him down and taught him the intricacies of politics. He did not care about them. All he wanted was to learn magic, grow powerful, create his own spells, and test the known boundaries of magic.
When February 13th came, his eighth birthday was celebrated at the Grimmauld Hall, and a lot of families were invited.
Bones had come, so did the Malfoy, Greengrass, Rosier, Carrow, Macmillan, Flint, Crouch, Avery, Diggory, Lovegood, Delacour, Morozov, Dragomir, Chang, Li, Neferet, and Shafiq and their cadet family, Patil, who had returned to Britain a couple of decades ago from India.
There were also some more influential people from around Europe and even Asia, but none from North America, where the lesser blood controlled everything now.
His birthdays before this had always been celebrated with his mother, father, the Delacour abd the Flamel Families, so he was a little overwhelmed with so many people in the Grimmauld Hall.
He also prayed that it was the last time he had to attend such a large gathering.
Altair, however, endured the ordeal, forced a cheerful smile as he was greeted by people, thanked them for the gifts, and also offered some compliments.
His mood improved a lot when he got to meet some people who were closer to his age, but when he realised how silly they were, he began to grow irritated.
Most of them cared about unimportant things like toys, Quidditch news, sweets, and shopping. He hardly met anyone who shared his love for Magic and Duelling.
If there were any, especially the Heiress of the Greengrass Family and Su Li, then they were way too reserved.
When the party finally ended, he had never been happier and more relieved in his life.
The Malfoys and the Delacour stayed, and so did Amelia Bones and her niece, Susan, who was Draco's age.
"Mother, please don't organise such an event for me again. I don't like it." He requested of her when they walked towards the lounge, and Altaira could not help but laugh at his words.
"My apologies, My Dear. You will have to get used to it."
"Please..."
"No."
He begrudgingly pouted at her and was irritated when Aurelia laughed at him.
Prompted by her sister's boldness, Draco too laughed, and then Susan and Gabrielle started laughing too.
Only Fleur was considerate enough to spare him mockery.
"Go, sit there." Narcissa suddenly told all of the kids to go and sit on the other side of the lounge, and Altair led them away.
There was a sudden tension in the room, and he could not help but look towards his mother.
"Do you have an answer now, Amelia?" Altaira asked as soon as she sat down, but both Lucius and Narcissa stayed standing.
"My niece is the Heiress of the Bones Family, Altaira. I cannot agree to what you have proposed." The Head of the Magical Department of Law Enforcement of Britain calmly answered, looking right into her eyes.
The Lady of the Black Family stayed silent for a while, tapping her finger on the armrest of her chair, and then glanced at where Susan was standing next to Draco.
"A marriage then, between Draco and Susan."
Her words made Amelia visibly tense.
The Bones who had sided with Dumbledore in the last war had all been killed, and now, only she and her niece remained. The Dark Families hated them for her brother's involvement in all that mess.
Besides, Lucius was one of the most ardent believers and followers of Voldemort, and if anything, she wanted her niece to stay away from the darkness of the Pureblood Politics.
"If you won't agree, it will not be long before you lose your position." Altaira boldly warned her. "I will be forced to use magic to settle our debts."
"Altaira..."
"I am giving you a way out because we are friends. I was not this kind to the others." She straightforwardly said, and the woman lowered her head and painfully closed her eyes.
"What will become of the Bones Family?" She asked. "I am barren..."
"Your Family will live. Your niece will grow up into a very fertile Witch, and she will give birth to multiple kids. The youngest boy, or in his absence, a suitable daughter will carry on the name of the Bones Family. Also, we will help the Bones become part of the new list of Sacred Families now that a few Pureblood families have gone extinct." She gently said, much to Amelia's surprise.
The woman instinctively glanced at Lucius and Narcissa, and the latter nodded her head, confirming Altaira's words.
However, she could not help but sense that the offer was too good to be true.
Sensing her hesitation, Altaira sighed and leaned back in the chair to stare into her eyes.
"Why do you disappoint me, Amelia? Do you wish to refuse my goodwill?"
"No, but I want to know why you are so generous to me. Our friendship aside, you are not the person who would give such favours for free."
"Who said it was all for free?" She smiled.
"What's the price?"
"Your loyalty to me. An Unbreakable Vow."
Her eyes widened at those words, and Altaira gracefully stood up and walked over to her.
She drew her hand forward, and Amelia hesitated.
Altaira was asking for too much. She was asking for unconditional trust.
However, Amelia also realised that if she refused now, unimaginable pain and suffering would await her and her niece.
She prayed in her heart and closed her eyes as she clasped her old friend's forearm.
Narcissa quickly stepped forward and took out her wand, evoking the spell of the Unbreakable Vow, and Amelia voiced her conviction.
"I, Amelia Bones, pledge my allegiance to you, Altaira Cruella Black, from this day until my last breath."
"I, Altaira Cruella Black, accept your pledge of allegiance."
Amelia's face contorted in slight discomfort, and then the spell that had covered their arms in a net of light sank into their bodies.
"Did you make others take the same Vow?" She asked when their arms separated, and Altaira shook her head.
"They are not worthy."
"What did you do with the Changs and the debt they owe you?"
"Their daughter, Cho, is my son's doll now, and it's the same for the Patil and Carrow Twins, Padma, Parvati, Hestia, and Flora."
"Dolls?" She frowned.
"Contractual Handwives."
"Legal?"
"Yes."
"Who are they Handmaidens to?"
"Aurelia."
Amelia surprisedly looked in the young Malfoy's direction, who was attentively listening to their conversation.
"I suppose some new laws will be passed in the Wizengamot soon..."
"Yes." Altaira did not hide her intentions, and soon Kreacher and Gibble served them all drinks.
For the youngsters, it was juice, and for adults, it was wine.
All Draco and Susan knew was that they were betrothed and would one day marry, and the boy secretly kept stealing innocent glances at her for the rest of the evening.
However, none of the children spoke as the adults discussed some important matters.
Amelia was shocked when she learned that Altaira wanted to bring some significant changes to Hogwarts' curriculum.
As it turned out, she had managed to secure a seat amongst the Board of Directors, and it was easy given that she had attended Hogwarts herself and belonged to one of the most powerful and Ancient Families.
Lucius was on the Board of Directors as well, and now with Amelia's vote secured, they had complete control to change certain policies at the school.
The first thing Altaira wanted to add to the Curriculum was a class of Wizarding Law and Economics, where students would be taught about the laws of the world. It was especially important for the Muggleborn who were new to their society. This class would be replaced by Magical Laws and Contracts from Year Four onwards.
Another class she wanted to introduce to the Curriculum was the Class of Magical Ethics, Honour, and Sociology.
And if that was not enough, she wanted to add a class of Basic Health and Recovery for the students of Years 1, 2, and 3.
"That Ghost has to go. Magical History is important, and we need to find a new and suitable teacher for it..." Altaira shared her plans for several minutes, and Amelia fell into a deep thought.
"Students might get overwhelmed with so much to study."
"Oh, they won't be. School will be a lot more fun for them as well." Altaira smiled. "We will be making changes to the Quidditch Cup, and the Duelling Cup is making a return. For the rest, Art Electives where they will be taught how to paint, dance, sing, and how to behave in a Magical Society as a Wizard and a Witch."
"The costs?"
"Partially borne by students, their parents, but the Board of Directors will be allocating funds for the additional staff at Hogwarts."
"Dumbledore will not like these changes." Narcissa frowned.
"He will not be able to stop these changes," Altaira assured them. "If we are going to send our children there, it better be a place worth going to."
Altair was thrilled as he listened to all the changes his mother planned on bringing to Hogwarts. He was already looking forward to attending it, but now, he was burning in anticipation.