"My father is a terrible miser!" Buffy stated. "But more than anything, he was afraid I'd run away. I'm afraid that if it hadn't been for Mum, whom he loved and listened to at least somewhat, Dad would have put me under the Imperius Curse."
"Grandad sounds like a paragon of virtue!" Grosvenor's voice dripped with sarcasm. "He ought to publish a book called How to Make Your Family Obey You, or the Imperius Curse in Everyday Life!"
"Son, I was desperate back then, at the end of my tether. It felt as though that was it, my life was over. But my younger brother helped me. Barty was an exceptionally talented wizard. He was in his seventh year at the time and preparing to sit N.E.W.T.s in all twelve subjects taught at Hogwarts."
"Not bad." Richard was pleasantly surprised. Hermione's Time-Turner came to mind, so the boy decided to clarify: "But how did he manage all of that?"
"Richie, there's a unique gift that runs in our family—a perfect memory," Buffy explained. "For example, my father knows ten foreign languages. And by his seventh year, my little brother could cast spells at the level of the Hogwarts professors."
His mother's words made Richard realise where his own excellent memory came from. Genetic inheritance.
Meanwhile, Buffy continued:
"My little brother Barty enchanted a bag for me with an Undetectable Extension Charm. He also borrowed a hundred Galleons from his friend Regulus Black and gave them to me. While Father was away from home, Mum packed my things. Barty helped me escape and gave me his broomstick."
"Madam Crouch, please don't tell me you flew to another country on a broomstick..."
"Richie," Buffy sighed sadly, "call me Mum, or at least use my name... And yes, that's exactly what I did. Unfortunately, I hadn't applied myself to my studies nearly as much as my brother had, so I didn't know the Disillusionment Charm."
Grosvenor felt a powerful urge to slap a palm against his face. He barely managed to restrain himself, but he couldn't resist commenting:
"My God! You flew on a broomstick without any Concealment Charms at all?"
Buffy lowered her chin ever so slightly, looking miserable.
"You didn't even use the most basic Muggle-Repelling Charms?!" Richard demanded again.
Buffy admitted sadly:
"I didn't know those either..."
"Brilliant!"
To himself, Richie thought sarcastically:
My mother is a dumb blonde! Just brilliant! And this woman inherited the family gift too? A good memory doesn't necessarily mean someone is intelligent.
Noticing that Buffy had fallen silent, Richie prompted her:
"And what happened next?"
"Next..." Buffy replied quietly. "Even though I was flying at night, some Muggles saw me. Apparently, they called the police, and somehow the police notified the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. In the end, I was detained by Aurors and taken to the DMLE. They were going to report me to Father, but I begged them not to. I became hysterical. I burst into tears, fell to my knees and begged them not to tell Father."
"A predictable outcome," Richard commented dryly.
"Luckily, one of the employees from the Department of Mysteries happened to be at the DMLE at the time," Buffy continued. "He took pity on me and brought me to his office. After giving me some tea and calming me down, Mr Smith asked me what had happened. I told him everything. And then..."
"Let me guess." Richard narrowed his eyes. "Mr Smith made you an offer you couldn't easily refuse?"
"Yes!" His mother stared at her son in astonishment. "But Richie, how did you know?"
"All intelligence services operate like that," Grosvenor said with a smirk. "It's one of the standard methods of recruiting agents. I'm curious to hear what exactly he offered you. Though I think I can guess..."
"Mr Smith said he would help me disappear, but in return I would have to do something..."
"And what was that?" Richard arched his right eyebrow questioningly.
"He..." Buffy hesitated. "He proposed that I marry a wealthy Muggle and bear him an heir, but without the Muggle ever knowing that the marriage was one of convenience."
"And that Muggle was my father?" Richard guessed.
"Yes, son, but it isn't that simple. Darling, I love you. I've loved you with all my heart from the very moment you were born! But back then I was desperate, and I wanted to live. I was ready to grasp at any lifeline I could find. So I agreed. Becoming a Muggle's wife for a while seemed a far better option than spending the rest of my short life as the wife of a murderous wizard."
"Wonderful!" Richard hissed sarcastically. "Simply magnificent! So Her Majesty knows about this..."
Buffy's eyes widened in shock.
"Richie, how do you know? Mr Smith took me into his home that night, and the next day he escorted me to the Muggle ruler. At the time, I knew very little about the Muggle world and had no idea what an honour I had been granted—a personal audience with the Queen herself!"
"So the Queen knows," Grosvenor stated. "I had no doubt of that once you mentioned the Department of Mysteries. And what did Her Majesty say to you?"
(End of Chapter)
P@treon: /SadRaven
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰