Charlotte hesitated for a moment.
"What's the matter?" Erwin asked, brow furrowed in confusion.
She took a deep breath. "The Demos family... they're extraordinarily powerful. The Alva family keeps to themselves, and your Selwyn family has endured a terrible tragedy. That leaves us—the Theresa family—and the Demos as the most prominent forces in the wizarding world right now. At our height, the Theresa family held sway over numerous pure-blood houses. Our strongest champion might not have outmatched Dumbledore, but he could have given him a real fight. Even the Dark Lord, terrorizing Britain back then—if we'd stepped in, he'd have been finished early. And the Demos? They're even more formidable. I don't know their full secrets, but their current heir spent his youth in America, picking up all sorts of unconventional spells."
"America?" Erwin echoed doubtfully. "What do you know about the wizarding world over there?"
Charlotte leaned in, her voice dropping. "It's likely the mightiest magical society on earth. But decades ago, during America's darkest hour, something catastrophic happened—no one knows the details. It tied up their top wizards, leaving the community in chaos and ripe for exploitation. In the aftermath, everything was upended; ancient spells vanished, and power shifted dramatically. Even weakened, it's still the strongest force around. The Demos heir went to great lengths there and only grasped a handful of techniques. Scant as they were, they made him unstoppable. When our families clashed, my father summoned a dragon to ride into battle—and still, he couldn't touch him."
Erwin's pulse quickened. That powerful?
Bare-handed against a wizard like Snape and a full-grown dragon? He didn't need details on her father's strength; leading a family like the Theresas meant he was formidable, at minimum on par with Snape. Yet this heir, with just fragments of American magic, had crushed him?
Erwin knew he couldn't pull that off. Not yet.
I'd better track down some aerial beasts of my own, he thought grimly. Feeling exposed isn't an option.
He steered the talk back. "Alright, enough about that. You mentioned knowing how to awaken my bloodline?"
Charlotte nodded eagerly. "Right—the Dragon Whisperer heritage is usually dormant. Every direct heir from one of the four great families inherits it. "There's a ritual to gauge the blood's potency, and the purest among the young ones becomes the successor. That's me for the Theresas; my concentration's the highest in my generation, which is why Solent's got his sights set on me." But the Selwyns do it differently. They follow a strict single-line inheritance—one child per generation, ensuring the blood runs truest. It keeps things... uncomplicated."
Erwin inclined his head. "So, how do you trigger it?"
"A specific incantation unlocks it," she explained. "Once cast, the bloodline stirs on its own. Full powers emerge at thirteen. The spell embodies the heritage itself. I can show you the gestures now."
With a flick of her wand, Charlotte traced a shimmering six-pointed star in the air. "There—the casting motion and the incantation: Revelio Sanguinis. Try it on yourself, my lord."
Erwin committed it to memory and gave a curt nod. Charlotte had spilled everything she knew; pressing her further felt pointless. He escorted her out politely, then retreated to sort through the revelations.
The first piece of his puzzle clicked into place, and it stunned him. Merlin's shadow loomed over it all, complicating matters. Worst of all, the true threat crystallized: these Upper Four families weren't bluster. The Selwyns, the Demos, the elusive Alvas—they could crush him as he stood.
He lacked the means to counter them yet. Strength was his only path forward.
Resolved, Erwin drew his wand and tested the spell. "Revelio Sanguinis!"
Magical energy surged from the tip, weaving into a glowing hexagram that sank into his chest.
One second. Two.
Half a minute dragged by in silence.
Nothing.
Erwin scowled. Why isn't it working?
Charlotte wouldn't deceive him—not with the Dark Mark binding her loyalty, nor with her thirst for vengeance tying her fate to his. She needed him empowered; no one else could topple the Selwyns.
So what was blocking it?
A soft shimmer caught his eye. From the diadem concealed atop his head, Rowena Ravenclaw's spectral form coalesced, her wise eyes twinkling.
She glanced at his wand and smiled faintly. "Trying to awaken your Dragon Speaker blood, are we?"
Erwin nodded. "Yes, but it's fizzling out. Any idea why?"
"I suspected as much," she replied calmly. "I can assist you here."
His hopes sparked. "Please, Lady Ravenclaw—show me."
She studied him intently. "There's a seal woven into your very blood. If I guess right, your parents placed it there. It's shielding your heritage."
Erwin's frown deepened. "A seal? For what?"
Ravenclaw nodded sagely. "Precisely. I've overheard the girl—your tale with the Upper and Lower Four families is no secret to me now. Given your lineage, this was your parents' safeguard. That's likely why no one's come for you outright. Your godfather and his allies must have reinforced it, or you'd be gone already. The seal's purpose is straightforward: it locks away your bloodline's essence. No extraction, no theft. Without interference, it endures a lifetime. Dormant and untappable, your power stays safe from the other families' grasp."