Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or any thing else you might recognize
Krios POV
October 20, 1970
There were only thirteen people present to preside over the trial by combat that I would be fighting against Lucius Malfoy in one of the smaller courtrooms in the Ministry of Magic. The Malfoy's lawyer had managed to convince the Wizengamot to delay the duel for almost an entire month to allow the family "the proper time to mourn Lord Abraxas Malfoy." While the whole thing was a load of shit in my book, I definitely used the month stuck in Black Manor to continue to train with my private tutors and go through some of my family's old tomes. I was ready.
Those present were all either members of the oldest and most powerful noble houses or held important positions in the government. Albus Dumbledore, Minister Jenkins, Lord Harold Minchum of the DMLE, Lord Charlus Potter, representing the Aurors, Lord Fleamont Potter, Lord Thaddeus Nott, Lord Arcturus Black, Lord Tiberius Ogden, who was the Chief Mugwump of the Wizengamot, Madam Griselda Marchbanks, Lord Harfang Longbottom, Lord Brenton Greengrass, Lord Hector Fawley, who is also a former Minister of Magic, and Lord Everton Bones. Both of the Lady Malfoys were present, as was my father. Sirius and Regulus were at Black Manor with Aunt Dorea.
If Lucius won, he would be declared innocent by Magic itself and free to go. If I won, I will get to decide Lucius's fate, with no limitations. Everyone present, even Albus Dumbledore, had undoubtedly resigned themselves to the fact that one of us would be dead by the end of the day. In the history of honor duels, not a single loser had been left alive. Some of their deaths were so terrible that they had managed to make their way into Muggle horror stories over the centuries.
Granted, the stories were completely different, but Edgar Allan Poe had gotten some inspiration for his stories from a drunken Squib from the Parkinson family retelling family history. And H.P Lovecraft was a Squib descendant of one of the losers of in the sixteenth century, one Malum Lovegood. Malum's death had been said to have been so horrific and bloody that Lucius Malfoy the First had allegedly used his death to fuel a ritual that would cause his descendants to have a loose grip on reality and their sanity. I wouldn't be suprised if this was true, having read Lovecraft in my past life and heard some of the things Xenophilius Lovegood, the strange Ravenclaw a year ahead of me, had come up with.
I wasn't even slightly worried about fighting Lucius. He owed me a life debt, and I knew I could beat him. I was extremely prepared. Also, I had watched him duel when I had snuck into the Dueling Club at Hogwarts last year, and he had several weaknesses in his dueling style that I could exploit. The Dueling Club was off limits to first years, but they didn't have any rules against me watching and learning. I had no doubt that would benefit me when I joined. I was looking forward to taking Lucius down and destroying the name of Malfoy.
However, I was rather caught off guard by the announcement by the Minister after she had made her opening statements. "Due to the life debt owed to the Heir Black, Lucius Malfoy has elected to nominate a champion. His sister, Lucretia Malfoy, has volunteered to fight in her brother's stead, and is fully aware that she will share her brother's fate if she loses. Does Heir Black accept these terms?" Minister Eugenia Jenkins asked, looking at me in askance.
I knew I could technically refuse, but it had the downside of making me look like a coward in front of most of the most powerful and important members in Wizarding Britain, which wasn't ideal. Granted, the Malfoy fortune and assets made that route worth it, but I had future plans that required the goodwill of some of the Lord and Ladies in the audience today. And while I was slightly suprised that it was Lucretia I would be fighting, I had planned for the possibility of the Malfoys pulling a stunt like this.
"I accept," I said firmly. I saw the look of suprise and approval in the eyes of the Minister at my confidence.
"Very well, then. If both of you would come and sign the binding contract that states the terms, and then proceed to take your positions on the dueling podium to our left," the Minister said, banging her gavel on the podium. Lucretia and I both did as we were bid, and after carefully reading and signing the contract, walked over to the podium. Neither of us made eye contact or said anything as we made our way over and took our positions. I had a feeling that she was only doing this because of familial loyalty and duty. She may not want to kill me, but I had no doubt that she would. A long, drawn out duel would not be a good idea. She had far more magical knowledge than I did. It was time to execute my plan.
We bowed to each other as dueling etiquette required us to, and then took our positions and drew our wands. Minister Jenkins then gave the signal for the duel to began. I was immediately forced to dodge a curse that undoubtedly would have separated my head from my shoulders.
"Glacius!" I shouted, pointing my wand at the floor by Lucretia's feet, causing the floor to become icy. It caught Lucretia by suprise, causing her to lose her footing and shoot her second curse at the warded ceiling, where it dissipated. I immediately took advantage of her loss of balance.
"Expelliarmus! Incarcerous!" I said firmly. Lucretia failed to shield herself in time, and her wand was ripped out of her hand. Within seconds of the beginning of the duel, Lucretia Malfoy was lying bound and wandless on the floor. "Yield!" I told her firmly.
Lucretia glared at me with hatred. I could understand why. I had just made her look inept in a duel, something that I was aware she was rather good at. She was likely feeling rather humiliated. My response to Lucius's actions had destroyed her family and was about to take everything away from them. Granted, it really was Lucius and Abraxas's faults, but it was probably easier to blame me instead of her father and brother. But she had no choice now. And her face took on a look of absolute defeat as she realized it. "Yield," she said, tears starting to form in her eyes.
Minister Jenkins banged her gavel again to gain everyone's attention. It was a rather annoying habit that was starting to get on my nerves. "Krios Black is the winner. Lucius has been declared guilty by Magic itself. As Lucius was the last eligible heir of the Ancient House of Malfoy, Krios Black is now Lord Malfoy. All Malfoy assets and titles legally belong to him, as does the fates of the remaining members of the House of Malfoy," the Minister said, looking rather nervous as she spoke.
"Have you decided what you will do with the rest of the Malfoys, Lord Malfoy?" Tiberius Ogden asked respectfully. His respect in using my title was both noted and appreciated. I made a mental note to try and work with him in the future, as he seemed to be a both a good man and competent leader, something that was not very common in the Ministry.
Before I could respond, I noticed the three Malfoys huddled together around the Auror guarding Lucius. And then I noticed the Auror reaching into his pocket and pulling out a box of cigarettes. Judging by the shocked look on the faces of Uncle Charlus and Director Minchum, they had come to the same conclusion. The Auror was activating a Portkey to help the Malfoys escape! And before anyone could respond, they vanished in a flash.
"Apparently, Abraxas gave his wife access to far more funds in his family vaults than we had thought, as I was under the impression that she didn't have access to the funds necessary to bribe an Auror," my grandfather said, a furious but calm expression etched on his face as he glared at the Minister and Director Minchum.
"Auror Gresham wasn't even supposed to be on duty today! Why was he even in the courtroom?" an irate Charlus Potter demanded, glaring at the three Aurors there. A red-haired wizard with a long scar on his left cheek, whom I recognized as Professor McGonagall's youngest brother Robert, stepped forward.
He was obviously the Senior Auror of the three, as I recognized the other two as recent Auror Academy graduates. Junior Aurors Bertie Higgs and Rufus Scrimgeour were both honest men, and I knew that they were both competent and incorruptible. As it had been the well-respected Senior Auror Arabor Moody who had told my Uncle Charlus this, I figured that it was true. Moody was already well-known in the Ministry for his paranoia. His son Alastor was also an Auror, having graduated from the Auror Academy five years ago.
"Auror Gresham was covering for Auror Robards, sir. He was injured on the mission in Cornwall last night. Smuggler caught him in the back with a rather nasty hex. He's in St. Mungo's, but is expected to make a full recovery. Senior Auror Moody wanted me to tell you that the report is waiting for you on your desk when you get back," Auror Robert McGonagall informed him.
Charlus Potter sighed. I knew he hated the paperwork that came with his job. And Gresham's actions were going to cause a lot of it. "Thank you, Auror McGonagall. I suppose I better head to the office and read that report then," he said with a slight grimace.
"Director Minchum and I should do the same. The Prophet is going to have a field day with this," Minister Jenkins said, looking very unnerved by that prospect.
"Minister, I believe there is one more matter to attend to. As you know, there was a magical contract attached to this duel. One that was signed by all three Malfoys. And it has been broken. As such, I hereby invoke the terms of the contract, and claim them unworthy of their magic. They have forfeited their right to wield magic and will be Squibs forever more. I hereby cast them out of the Malfoy family as outcasts. So mote be it!" I said firmly. As I said the words, the contract glowed, and I could feel the magic of the contract being fulfilled, as I had signed it as well.
As I finished, I noticed that the majority of the Lords looked as if they had expected this to happen. It was the rules after all. My grandfather, Director Minchum, Uncle Charlus, my father, Lord Greengrass, Lord Longbottom, Lady Marchbanks, Lord Potter, Lord Ogden, and Lord Bones looked pleased, as they saw this as justice being done. Lord Nott looked like he had swallowed a lemon, as he was undoubtedly displeased at losing the Malfoy prestige and backing in the Wizengamot, as they were allies. He probably wasn't looking forward to telling the Dark Lord about it either. Lord Fawley looked the same, although that was probably because of the fact that it was his daughter and grandchildren that were losing their magic, something that could kill them if they weren't strong enough to survive the shock to their system.
And the Minister and Dumbledore just looked disappointed, as if they had expected me to be better than that. "Honestly, I'm a Black, what did they expect? That I would just let them go? I honestly wonder what kind of drugs Dumbledore has in those lemon drops of his. And I wonder if he has been sharing with the Minister?" I thought to myself.
"Also, I wish to name Lord Arcturus Black as the proxy for the Malfoy holdings and the hereditary seat on the Wizengamot. And I wish to name my brother Sirius as my Heir, and my brother Regulus as my Heir Secondary," I said confidently.
"Very well. Any further matters that need to be addressed?" Lord Ogden asked. There wasn't, and so Lord Ogden dismissed the courtroom after congratulating me on my victory. Fortunately, everyone there had business to attend to, and only offered me a courtesy congratulations. Although the majority of them added that they were looking forward to seeing me in the Wizengamot when I came of age. And after that, my grandfather took me to Gringotts to settle the financial dealings of House Malfoy.
I found myself slightly irritated as I left Gringotts with my grandfather. Not with the Goblins themselves, as they had a begrudging respect for my grandfather's financial prowess, and it was a mutual one. Xenophobic racist my grandfather may be, but he had a policy to not piss off the beings that control your money and are excellent investors when motivated. And that policy had increased the Black fortune exponentially since Arcturus became Lord Black, and was one of the main reasons that the House of Black was now the wealthiest in Wizarding Britain, if not all of Europe.
No, I was irritated by the fact that Penelope Malfoy had managed to get ahold of more than a half a million Galleons from her personal vault that Abraxas gave her before she fled. Granted, this was only a little less than a tenth of the Galleons in the Malfoy vaults, and between it and my trust account I had enough money to last me and my family for six or seven generations even if we spent unwisely, and that wasn't even factoring in what I would inherit when I became Lord Black when my grandfather dies. But I was annoyed that they were going to be living lavishly, especially in a city that had enough problems already.
She had already converted the Galleons to Muggle money, making her a multi-billionaire. She had already set up accounts in the non-magical world, and had fabricated a background that would hold up under nearly any investigation. She had fake names, passports, and documents all doctored by the goblins for her and her children. She had even bought a 45% stake in a multi-million dollar makeup company in America called Janus Cosmetics, mostly through methods that were rather illegal. Whoever owned the majority share of Janus Cosmetics was definitely going to be confused and concerned as to how someone managed to convince every single one of his minority shareholders to sell in less than a month and a half. I was actually rather impressed with her, as I did not expect her to have enough knowledge to survive in the non-magical world.
While Penelope had suprised me with her knowledge of non-magical customs and finances, I could only chuckle at her choice of business ventures. The irony of a Malfoy running a cosmetic company wasn't lost on me. I knew there was a reason that Lucius and Draco looked like they spent far too much time on their hair. And only someone who had never been to Gotham City, New Jersey, would think it was a good idea to invest in a business and move there, even though they had bought an extremely secure mansion in the hills of Gotham, and likely had some magical protections on it. (Otis Gresham was undoubtedly still with them, and as a former Senior Auror more than likely had the contacts in America that could provide them with competent security and wards if he was unable to do so himself.) They definitely were in for a rude awakening, regardless. Even if they survived, I doubted that I would see them again.
I had hired the financial geniuses of Rowland and Sons to manage the various businesses of the House of Malfoy. They had been vassals of the House of Black for over six centuries, and had always done an excellent job helping the Lord Blacks invest and manage their wealth and financial holdings. Only the Potters, Longbottoms, Bones, and Greengrasses had been shrewd enough to pay the Blacks to use the services of the House of Rowland. They would be members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight if not for the fact that they were not an official pureblood House as our vassals. One of my ancestors had saved the minor pureblood House of Rowland from extinction, and they had sworn an oath of fealty to the House of Black. Thanks to their contributions over the years, they were treated well and were considered family by several members of the House of Black, including myself.
That meeting was extremely enlightening. Confirming that the House of Black was now the majority owner of the Daily Prophet was one of the highlights of my year. A lot of people believed everything they read in the Daily Prophet, and controlling it would make the House of Black the most powerful and influential family in Wizarding Britain. And with the Malfoy seat in the Wizengamot under our control, as well as a few that owed debts to the House of Malfoy, my grandfather and his allies controlled forty percent of the votes in the Wizengamot. And since it was extremely the light and dark factions would work together, my grandfather could basically control the law itself if he pleased.
However, I sensed that my grandfather was tired of dealing with the Ministry and Wizengamot. He had never been one to rock the boat, and doubted he had the energy or desire to change the laws that had made him so wealthy and powerful in the first place. He was stuck in his sense of superiority over those not of pure blood, and enjoyed the power he wielded over them. I got the feeling that he would use all his power to stick to the status quo, and nothing more. I was having a hard time blaming him for that, as having this political and financial power was intoxicating. But I knew things in the Wizarding World needed to change, and I couldn't wait until I became Lord Black so I could start changing it.
My return home that evening turned into a family dinner celebration, which was a suprise to be sure. I was actually under the impression that the majority of my family didn't know what celebrating or having fun was. But apparently becoming the richest family in Wizarding Britain by vanquishing a family in a honor duel caused the Black family to let down their hair a bit. My cousins Eric, Narcissa, and Andromeda had been allowed to come home from Hogwarts for the weekend, escorted by our uncle, Professor Alphard Black. Uncle Charlus and Aunt Dorea were there, as was Aunt Lucretia and Uncle Ignatius Prewett, much to my suprise.
My father's sister hadn't been to a Black family dinner since before I was born, thanks to crazy Aunt Cassieopia hexing her husband. But apparently my grandfather disowning her and Pollux had been what had allowed Arcturus to mend fences with his only daughter. Although he probably had to do some groveling, if the stories about her were true. I decided that I should ask her before the end of the night
"Where's the food, Arcturus, I'm starving!" Lucretia said loudly from her seat at the table. Yeah, the stories of Lucretia Prewett née Black were definitely accurate. Loud, a sense of humor, opinionated, and stubborn to a fault. I hoped she stuck around, things would definitely be more interesting with her and her prankster of a husband around. Although I wondered if Arcturus had noticed that Sirius was seated next to Ignatius, as that seemed like an extremely bad idea to put those two next to each other. He probably had been more focused on putting him as far away from Orion as possible. Those two hated each other for some reason that no one will speak of. Sirius and Ignatius were already whispering and laughing about something, which was concerning to me. Especially since I was sitting on the other side of Sirius.
"We are still waiting on some guests, Lucretia. It would be extremely impolite to start dinner without our niece Bellatrix and her husband, not to mention rather dangerous. One should never upset the wife of the Grand Vizier of Wizarding Russia," Arcturus said with a small smirk. Just as he said that, Bellatrix's head appeared in the fireplace.
"Lord Black, the Royal Family wishes to join us for dinner, if that is acceptable?" Bellatrix asked diplomatically. This caught me off guard, as I had not expected Bellatrix to be joining us tonight, let alone the Grand Vizier and the Royal Family!
"Of course, we would be honored by the presence of the Royal Family, Lady Dolohov. Tippy, please set three more spaces at the table," Arcturus said smoothly, snapping his fingers to signal the elf to do so quickly.
"Oh, it will be good to see Peter again!" Lucretia said with delight. It's always been strange to me how me family could talk about the royalty and the famous of the Wizarding World as they were old friends, especially as it was true. Then, I froze and swore under my breath as I suddenly realized that I had failed to write Boris and Natalia since I had been injured in the Quidditch tryouts. Which was understandable considering the circumstances, but was still terrible form. I really needed to make it up to them somehow. Slighting royalty was not a good idea, even if you had just recently saved their lives.
Eric, who was sitting on my left, heard me swear, and looked at me with a questioning look. Before I could explain, Bellatrix came through the Floo, followed by her husband. They greeted Arcturus first, as custom demanded. "Thank you for the dinner invite, Lord Black. The Royal family will be here in a few minutes, they are trying to convince their security guards that they aren't needed. Oh, and I have been absolutely craving one of Tippy's apple pies. The elves at Dolohov Manor are never able to make it right," Bellatrix said with a smile. I knew that comment had just made Tippy's year, and had assured that there was going to be a lot of apple pie tonight. It was also somewhat reassuring to know that Bella hadn't changed a bit since I last saw her while I was recovering from my injuries from her wedding day.
"Yes, she reduced our house elf to tears with her comparisons. It took me hours to calm her down," Vladimir Dolohov said with a roll of his eyes.
"Well I am eating for two now, dear, and our princess simply must have the best," Bellatrix said in a tone that said there would be no argument on the subject. It was then that we were treated to one of the most unholiest sounds in exsistence: the three Black sisters shrieking in excitement. Poor Regulus was caught in the crossfire, as he was seated beside Narcissa, who was sitting beside Andromeda. The noise and the ensuing stampede to congratulate their sister resulted in him being knocked out of his chair.
Fortunately for him, I was the only one who noticed. Everyone else was wincing in pain from the noise. Or judging by the look of sheer terror on Sirius's face, either sincerely hoping that the child didn't take after her mother, or that Bellatrix had forgotten that he had put itching powder in her school robes before she left for Hogwarts last year. She had never gotten the chance to get him back for the embarrassment she had endured before myself and the rest of the first years were Sorted. Professor Flitwick had shown mercy on her and fixed it before the Sorting began, according to Andromeda. She had only seen him at the wedding since then, and he had made sure to keep his distance as much as possible. And he had made sure to disappear when she had come to visit me the week after her wedding.
"Congratulations, Bella. You look great. The portraits of Dolohov Manor must feel inadequate having such a glamorous Lady Dolohov in their midst," I said with a smile as Bellatrix finished greeting Eric and reached me. Pureblood chivalry was taught from a young age, and I have always believed that flattery gets you everywhere in life.
"Oh, you are becoming such the little charmer, Krios. You're going to need all of it to get back in the good graces of the Prince and Princess," Bellatrix said, giving me a hug and giving me a disappointed look, causing me to wince. Yeah, I had really screwed up on that one. Not writing my friends for two months before going to fight a honor duel was a bad move, no matter who they were.
She said the last part quietly, as she didn't want to embarrass me in front of the entire family. Unfortunately, Sirius started snickering for some reason. Whether that was from Bellatrix's comment or from something Ignatius had said, I had no idea. But it was definitely was a mistake on his part, as this particular laugh caused Bellatrix to glare at him. And if looks could kill, Sirius would have been six feet under right about now. And he knew it, judging by the fact that he went as pale as a ghost.
Fortunately, Sirius escaped what was likely an extremely painful hexing by the arrival of the Royal Family, with the King the first one to Floo in. They had apparently managed to convince their rather paranoid Security Chief that an entire squad of guards was unnecessary in the heavily warded Black Manor, as he was the only one with them and was looking extremely disgruntled about it. In his defense, having an entire squad of guards killed in an assassination attempt planned by one of the King's most trusted advisors would definitely make one wary. While he definitely trusted me and Arcturus thanks to our actions that night, the Blacks had a reputation even in Russia.
Cassiopeia, Cygnus Black II( my uncle's namesake), Regulus Black I, Lycoris Black, and Pollux had all been active in the the Soviet Union when they were Grindelwald's enforcers. Lycoris in particular had done a lot of damage, having killed several people and destroying a lot of property, mainly by setting it on fire. She and Regulus had eventually been caught after the war and been sentenced to Azkaban, where they had died. I had found out last week that Professor Travis Kipling had been the one to catch them fifteen years ago, as they had been the lieutenants trying to continue Grindelwald's crusade. Lycoris had been the one to give my current professor the majority of his scars, as she had always loved setting things on fire, especially when they were people. It explained why he seemed to hate me.
Cygnus had been killed in a duel with Aurors in Wessex in 1943. It had taken the combined efforts of the famous war hero and Head Auror Theseus Scamander and Arabor Moody to take him down in the end. It had cost Arabor a leg, though. The five Blacks had been some of Grindelwald's most feared followers for a reason. The only reason Cassieopia and Pollux had escaped being sentenced to life in Azkaban was the lack of evidence against them, as their victims were too dead to testify against them. Combined with the fact that they were probably able to bribe the judge, they were found not guilty on all charges.
My actions that night had done wonders for the reputation of the House of Black in Russia, something even the donations of Arcturus Black or his friendship with the King had failed to accomplish. The fact that I had saved the Heirs of the Royal Family and the extremely popular King Peter had earned back a lot of goodwill towards our family, as did the marriage of Bellatrix Black to the new Grand Vizier Vladimir Dolohov. She was doing a very good job at helping her husband manage the affairs of House Dolohov.
Arcturus introduced the members of the Black family that had not met the Royal family or Grand Vizier Dolohov, before they sat down to eat the feast that Tippy and the other House Elves had prepared. Fortunately, I was able to get away from my family to get a moment alone with the Prince and Princess at the end of our rather subdued and formal dinner. It was one where it went unspoken that the children needed to be seen, not heard. In fact, the only time I spoke with the King was to ask his permission to speak to his children privately for a moment, which he gave. I knew that both he and Arcturus approved of our friendship, and they likely were having some nostalgic memories of their childhood days together.
I led the two royal heirs to an alcove not far from the dining hall. "I wanted to apologize. I have been terribly lax in keeping in touch with you both over the last couple of months. I let my circumstances get in the way of being a good friend. I hope you can forgive me for that," I said remorsefully.
The two royals looked at each other before turning to me. "You're forgiven, Krios. Just promise us that you'll write us before you fight someone to the death next time," Boris said with a small smile.
"Although it would be preferable if you could stay out of trouble entirely. It seems like every time we see you, it either precedes or follows a near-death experience," Natalia added, exasperation in her voice.
"That is true, isn't it? I promise you that finding trouble it is not intentional on my part. But I promise you I will write next time. And it is good to see you both. How have things been?" I asked them. We talked for over an hour that night before they went home to Russia. And the bonds of friendship had emerged stronger than ever, despite the scolding I ended up getting from Natalia over the duel. Merlin, that girl has a sharp tongue. I was glad that she appeared to be over her crush on me though. It was great to see her relaxed and comfortable around me.
After our Royal guests had left for the evening, I led Eric and Sirius through the Manor into one of the most secluded areas of Black Manor, the East Wing Storeroom. The East Wing Storeroom had been completely isolated since the fourteenth century, and only the Head of the Black Family could even get in there. And they usually weren't interested in the paperwork and useless trinkets of their ancestors. They had enough of those already, and figured anything of value would be either in the Lord's office, Gringotts, or the hidden vault that stored a quarter of the Black fortune that only the Lord Black could access. My ancestors have always been rather paranoid.
But I had been allowed access to the storeroom over the summer. It was one of the many privileges I had been given after I had saved the lives of the Prince and Princess. I hadn't spent much time there until the weeks before the duel, when I decided to see if there was anything in there that could help me with my duel. I didn't have any luck there, but I had been completely shocked by what I had uncovered last week while I was studying the notes of one of my ancestors, Oswald Black I who lived in the late fifth century and was one of the three brothers that founded the House of Black. And according to the portrait of Oswald Black IV from the ninth century hanging in the storeroom, I was the only living person that knew of it, as he hadn't known about it either.
Upon first look, all that was in there was historical documents and artifacts collected by the various Lord Blacks over the years. Pretty impressive to look at, but nothing compared to what I found behind the statue of one of the other founders of the Black Family, Sir Willibert Black, the Black Knight of the Round Table and wielder of the Ebony Blade. Yeah, it was pretty cool knowing that the one of the founders of the House of Black and my many times great grandfather was one of King Arthur's knights, one that was still revered in the Wizarding World. He even had a Chocolate Frog Card. He was a true hero that, according to legend, was killed protecting Queen Guinevere from Saxon invaders after the fall of Camelot. But what was more interesting was what he had managed to hide in his Manor for over a thousand years.
It was a hidden staircase, one leading deep underneath Black Manor itself. Sir Willebert's portrait in the Black Library hadn't spoken to anyone since it was painted, and the few other portraits that we still had that were alive at the time wouldn't tell me anything either. The only thing that they would tell me is that I shouldn't go down there, and that I shouldn't tell anyone about it. And that it had been sealed off since the Fall of Camelot. The Fall of Camelot was something that the somewhat helpful portrait of Oswald Black I, my many times great uncle whose direct descendants had died out in the fourteenth century, had refused to discuss when I had asked.
The only reason I had found it in the first place was because my ancestors had failed to realize that there had been notes left behind by Oswald I telling of the exsistence of the hidden stairway, as it clearly had been in use when Black Manor was built in the late fifth century. He must have forgotten to destroy all his notes before he died, and his firstborn son Oswald II was known as Oswald the Slow for a reason. The secret undoubtedly died with him when he was killed in battle a few years after he assumed the Lordship, as his oldest son who had succeeded him as Lord Black hadn't been born when the stairway had been sealed off.
Now, this wasn't the only hidden rooms in Black Manor. There was a long, winding staircase at the end of the long hallway in the West Wing by my grandfather's office. It was hidden behind a false wall, and it would lead you down to the dungeons, where those who crossed the Blacks met their end back in the day. There was another hidden room on the right side of the hallway that would take you into the storeroom that held all of our potions ingredients, which included both legal and illegal substances. And in the hidden room next to that was the potions lab.
I also had a feeling that there were more secrets and history in this place than any magical building in Wizarding Britain besides perhaps Hogwarts and the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. I mean, there was even a hidden door that protected the entire Black Family Library in Arcturus's office. I would be shocked if Arcturus had told me all of his secrets despite his trust in me, considering our family history of killing each over the centuries. I wouldn't be suprised if there were several things even he didn't know about this place. After all, only my grandfather and myself even knew that those rooms even existed, as only the Lord and the Heir of House Black had that privilege. And only with the willing permission of myself or my grandfather could anyone else get into those rooms, and I knew that it didn't happen very often.
"What is this place?" Eric asked, looking around the dimly lit room, filled with ancient documents and trinkets scattered across the room.
"This is the East Wing Storeroom. It's basically the room where my ancestors threw all the paperwork and personal items that their fathers left behind in the Lord's office when they died. Too valuable or inconvenient to throw away, not important enough to keep in the office, I guess," I said with a shrug.
"If all this stuff isn't that important, then why is this room hidden behind the strongest set of Black family wards," Sirius asked, as he picked up and examined an ear trumpet from one of the boxes in the corner. "I mean, even Gramp's office isn't this heavily protected."
"I'm glad that you have been paying attention in your lessons, little brother. That's exactly what I wondered. And I am the first Black in a millennium to uncover the reason why," I said smugly. I tapped the statue guarding the stairway on the nose with my wand, and the statue moved to reveal the stairway.
"Whoa, cool! Where does it lead?" Sirius exclaimed in slight awe.
"I don't know. See those stones in the corners, there?" I said, pointing to the corner right at the top of the staircase. There sat two stones that were covered with markings that glowed a bright orange.
"Are those ancient ward stones?" Eric asked, as he glanced over the stones with a calculating gaze.
"Yeah, they are. Knowing our ancestors, they probably have something nasty attached to them. I have no intention of messing with them until I know a lot more, and have someone who is an Ancient Runes expert take a look at them. We should keep this a secret until then, as it's this heavily protected for a reason. And I would hope that you two wouldn't mess with this place either," I said, fixing Sirius with a look.
"Relax Krios, I know better than to mess with artifacts around this place. Your secret's safe with me" Sirius said firmly.
"And me as well," Eric chimed in.
"I knew I could count on you guys. Now let's get out of here. I got to finish the last of my homework before I go back to Hogwarts tomorrow," I said with a slight grimace. Homework will never, ever be fun.
AN: Hope you like how I dealt with the Malfoy's. I had a couple of different ideas on how to resolve Krios's feud with the Malfoy's, and this is what I decided on. And Krios is dead wrong. He'll see the Malfoy's again, although it won't be until the planned sequel. And Krios is going to be in for a shock when he does, as Lucius isn't the only arrogant, spoiled rich kid with a fascination with masks in town...
I always figured Sirius didn't know a lot about his family's assets and secrets. Not only did he hate most of them, J.K admitted the Blacks were extremely paranoid. And Arcturus died years after Orion did, and considering both Orion and Walburga's personality, they probably wouldn't have been told a lot either. It wouldn't suprise me if Arcturus had some secret vaults in Gringotts. The idea that the Blacks were one of the wealthiest families in Wizarding Britain is not a farfetched or original idea, and they just added the majority of the Malfoy fortune to it. The Malfoy's were rich enough to be able to flaunt their wealth, so the idea that Krios is now heir to a fortune that would last a multiple generations even with bad spending is plausible.
The Blacks have always had a bit of a reputation, so it makes sense that they had at least a few members fighting for Grindelwald. Hope you were intrigued by the family history I introduced. Arthurian mythology has always fascinated me. In my story, Merlin and Camelot existed before Hogwarts did, so Merlin never attended Hogwarts. I honestly think some wizard made up that he was in Slytherin to boost the reputation of Hogwarts, as the dates make no sense. I know the Black Knight is a Marvel character, but I am still incorporating his exsistence into my fanfic verse. There will be a few characters from Marvel I do that with, mostly in the sequel.
I hoped you enjoyed the interaction with the Romanovs and Dolohovs. Bellatrix still has a few screws loose, but she has more level-headed people around her. She'll only be a threat to her enemies, and Krios will never be one of them. Although I feel sorry for anyone that has to deal with the hormones of a pregnant Bellatrix... Both she and the Romanovs won't make an appearance for a few chapters. And the staircase mystery is going to remain a mystery for longer than that...
Hope you enjoyed! Hope you all are staying healthy and safe during this time.