Everyone stayed awake until the next day, waiting for the Aurors to arrive, but they never came, which surprised everyone, given that it was an obvious place to hide after an escape given the political complications they would have when searching the Black Manor.
"That's strange, they should have arrived long ago," Narcissa spoke, stroking Asterion's hair, his head resting on her lap. Her fingers gently traced the silky dark strands that easily slipped between her fingers.
"Maybe they focused on the other prisoners?" Asterion replied, enjoying the strokes on his head, his voice slightly sleepy. He hadn't slept much last night, so he was almost drifting off to sleep with her touch.
Everyone fell silent.
"Why release all the prisoners, to create more chaos?" Narcissa asked Bellatrix in a slightly lower voice, apparently afraid of disturbing Asterion, who was almost asleep.
"I didn't release anyone besides the little puppy, it was Rodolphus who did it. He seemed particularly keen on killing me, although I don't understand why." Reclining on the sofa in a carefree manner, Bella spoke, staring at the ceiling as she counted how many imaginary stabs she had delivered to the sheep. Her eyes narrowed with a malicious and sadistic look, as if recalling something interesting.
Sirius rolled his eyes at Bella's comment; she obviously knew the reason but pretended to be unjustly treated.
Arcturus frowned; he looked at Bellatrix with a deep gaze, showing clear dissatisfaction. Both his great-nieces' marriages were troubled, and he wondered if he had made a mistake in choosing their spouses.
"By the way, I'm surprised that my master is the son of Regulus; my first thought upon learning of his divine existence was to think he was Sirius's son," Bella spoke at that moment, subtly changing the subject. She felt she would be reprimanded by Arcturus if she continued to mention her ex-husband.
Everyone deliberately ignored Bellatrix calling Asterion "master" and revering him as a god.
"Me too," Narcissa agreed with her sister's words.
"Hmm," Arcturus merely nodded in agreement as he took a sip of his tea.
"Why?" Asterion looked confusedly at everyone.
Bella laughed loudly and spoke with a malicious smile on her lips. "Sirius is a sexual libertine; as long as there's a pussy, I dare say he wouldn't hesitate to stick his dick in without a second thought."
Sirius, who had been silently quiet, didn't expect to be insulted at this moment; he felt like a dagger had struck his heart, causing unknown emotional damage.
"I lost count of how many times I had to go to Hogwarts to deal with his sexual scandals," Arcturus looked at Sirius with disappointment and shook his head.
*Ouch!*
Another imaginary arrow pierced Sirius's heart.
"Remember, Asty, don't learn anything from him; this man is scum who only thinks with his lower head. This kind of man doesn't live for long," Narcissa warned Asterion sternly, who nodded in agreement with her words.
*Ouch!*
"Someone who can't control their own desires is no different from an animal that only follows instinct," Asterion spoke, delivering another emotional blow to Sirius.
Sirius was now lying on the sofa, defeated and powerless, with a bitter and painful smile on his face.
"I was young and didn't know what I was doing," Sirius spoke in his defense, but everyone, except Asterion, turned their gazes to him, a look of disdain and contempt.
"You were chased out half-naked by Lord Shafiq when he found you in bed with his wife," Narcissa replied coldly, her gaze not hiding the antipathy she felt at the moment.
'What else could he say?'
Sirius simply lay on the sofa, wishing to find a hole to bury himself in with the shame he felt at the moment. What did his nephew think of him now?
Bellatrix just laughed at her cousin's misery, not hiding the pleasure she felt in seeing him suffer.
-
Fifteen days later, with less than two weeks until the Masquerade Ball, Asterion entered the living room to find Arcturus, Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Sirius gazing at painted portraits of five girls around the same age, between 9 and 10 years old.
"What's going on?" Asterion asked, confused.
"Your potential future wives," Narcissa replied, not taking her eyes off the papers containing all the information about the girls.
Asterion looked surprised at the five portraits, two redheads, one blonde, and two brunettes.
"This is so outdated; let the boy choose who he'll share his life with on his own," Sirius said, taking a large gulp of wine from the glass he held. He seemed pleased with the taste of the wine.
"To be like you, single at thirty-one," Narcissa retorted sarcastically.
Ouch!
Sirius placed his hand on his chest and said with a sad tone. "That was cruel, Cissy." Then, he took another sip of wine at eight in the morning.
She just scoffed and looked at Asterion with a gentle gaze and asked.
"Any preference, Asty?"
He pondered for a moment and said. "Maybe someone like Cissy. Elegant, cold and strong, I don't want a pretty vase for decoration." Sitting on the sofa, he crossed his legs one over the other and continued speaking. "Instead of illusory love, I prefer companionship."
Almost everyone looked strangely at the almost ten-year-old boy. They couldn't believe they heard such words from someone so young. Wasn't it normal for someone his age to think about love that way?
Narcissa felt mixed feelings about his words. She was glad that he wanted someone like her, but at the same time, sad for his pragmatic view of life.
But the entire silent atmosphere was shattered by Bellatrix's words.
Stroking her chin, Bellatrix wore a pensive look and thought aloud. "I think I meet all the requirements, should I marry my master?"
"You're thirty-nine, Bella," Narcissa spoke, looking coldly at her sister with a slightly hostile gaze.
"Age is just a number, the prison just an exotic room." Offended, Bella retorted, rising from the sofa.
"That doesn't change the fact that you're old," mocked Narcissa.
"You meant to say I'm a mature woman," said Bellatrix, her tone dangerously sharp; she hated when people mentioned her age.
"Enough of this childish argument! You're not children," Arcturus intervened at this point, his voice strong and grave, calming the two.
Narcissa and Bellatrix exchanged cold glances and sat back down.
Bellatrix muttered loud enough for everyone to hear her murmur. "Cissy, the possessive, is back." Remembering how Narcissa used to be as a child, the girl wouldn't let anyone play with her dolls.
Especially her, not that Narcissa was wrong, all of Bellatrix's dolls met a tragic end, all of them being decapitated, dismembered, and buried...
Narcissa glared at her sister with a deadly cold look but remained silent due to Arcturus' presence.
"According to your preferences, you have two options, Daphne Greengrass, a young witch of Semi-Grade 2, or Susan Bones, a Grade 3 witch, both powerful for their age and likely to reach Grade 1, especially Miss Greengrass, who has the potential for Semi-Special Grade. In addition to them, Pansy Parkinson is also suitable, although her talent is slightly lower than the other two."
"Politically, Susan Bones is the niece of Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. On the other hand, Daphne Greengrass is the heir to the prestigious Greengrass family, controlling a good portion of Britain's magical resources."
"According to the report I received about their personalities, Susan is more timid and reserved, while Daphne, on the other hand, bears a resemblance to Narcissa."
Arcturus finished speaking and looked at Asterion, waiting for him to respond.
Asterion couldn't help but think about Susan. She wasn't his type; her red hair might attract him, but that was about it. As for political power by marrying her, it wasn't much to begin with. The Bones family was only strong because of Amelia Bones; once she left her position, the Bones family wouldn't be as important as it was now. Besides, with Amelia's personality, it would be difficult to gain any privilege; she was known to be impartial and cold. There was no way she could help with anything if he married her niece.
On the other hand, Daphne was the heiress to the Greengrass family, both politically and economically. She was indeed the better choice. Combine that with what Arcturus described, and he had a future wife.
But Asterion looked at Arcturus and asked, "Which of the five girls would be most beneficial for House Black to marry?"
This question brought a smile to the old patriarch's face. There was nothing that made him happier than seeing Asterion prioritize the family over his own interests. That was how the family would continue to stay strong, with family interests always coming first.
"Parkinson and Greengrass. Both control strategic materials, House Parkinson with alchemical items and House Greengrass with potion ingredients."
Everyone in the room looked at Asterion, awaiting his response. To Sirius, his nephew might be experiencing life before marriage, but seeing how he conducted himself, he knew the boy was a true pure-blood, unlike himself.
Asterion pondered, weighing the pros and cons, but with a touch of selfishness on his part, he finally spoke up: "Daphne Greengrass should be more suitable."
Narcissa wore a displeased expression on her face, although it didn't show, she followed the pure-blood ideology. The Greengrass family, on the other hand, was quite liberal with their marriages, regardless of whether they were half-blood or Muggle-born.
However, as it was Asterion's choice, she remained silent.
"I still think I'm more suitable..." Bellatrix muttered in the background, but everyone ignored her.
----------------------------
Author's Thoughts: I admit that I like Daphne, maybe because I read so much fanfic. I'll explain why the Aurors didn't come to search Black Manor later. The ball will start in the next chapter and after the ball, a time jump of three years and Hogwarts.
I hope you liked the chapter, a little longer than normal, I'll try to bring longer chapters
Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
The Patreon will be updated daily, except on Saturdays and Sundays, when I do not write.
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Next Chapter: Chapter 33 - Black House Masquerade Ball (2), Chapter 34 - Black House Masquerade Ball (3), Chapter 35 - Three Years (1), Chapter 36 - Three Years (2), Chapter 37 - Hogwarts Express (1), Chapter 38 - Hogwarts Express (2), Chapter 39 - Hogwarts Express (3) Chapter 40 - Hogwarts Express (4) Chapter 41 - Hogwarts Express (5), Chapter 42 - Hogwarts (1), Chapter 43 - Hogwarts (2), Chapter 44 - Hogwarts (3).
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On the night of the Masquerade Ball, Asterion stood before the full-length mirror, clad in an elegant dark green suit adorned with delicate silver lines resembling the thorns of a rose, scattered across the chest area and sleeves of the jacket. A white scarf wrapped around his neck served as a tie, fastened by a dazzling ruby-studded golden brooch.
The mask covering his face was dark in color, evoking the image of a demonic being with ten red eyes, while black feathers on either side resembled the wings of a fallen angel.
"What do you think, Bella?" Asterion asked the stunning woman, who was seated in a manner unfit for a lady.
"Diabolically beautiful, Master, so much so that I want to lock you up in my basement," replied Bellatrix to Asterion, looking him up and down as if he were a succulent piece of meat. Her tongue seductively slid over lips stained with crimson lipstick.
Asterion remained indifferent to the advances of his beautiful cousin. He had grown accustomed to the perversions of his crazy cousin, who didn't even care about his age. Honestly, it wasn't all that bad; these seduction attempts helped him prepare for the future, especially when he expected to deal with women trying to seduce him, increasing his resistance to such charms. He knew that beautiful women were one of the most dangerous things in the world.
Sitting elegantly in his chair, he lightly tapped his legs, drawing the woman's attention.
Bellatrix's eyes lit up, and she rose from the couch, kneeling beside the chair with her head on his lap. Asterion merely smiled and gently stroked her hair with tenderness.
"You're truly someone starved for attention," Asterion said gently as he admired Bellatrix's beautiful face. Even nearing forty years old, due to magical energy, her aging had been slowed down, making her appear like a young woman of twenty-five.
Bellatrix pouted her lips upon hearing her master and spoke comfortingly, feeling his caresses in her hair. "It's not my fault, Master. Rarely did anyone love me."
"I see your husband didn't please you," sighed Asterion. Political marriages were like that; he himself didn't expect love, but he didn't expect both Narcissa and Bellatrix's marriages to be so troubled.
"Well, he dared to have a bastard outside of marriage," said Bella, her eyes half-closed, lazily rubbing her face against his thighs.
"And what did you do when you found out?" Asterion asked, curious.
"I killed both, the woman and the child in front of him. But he's too petty, hates me only for killing his pleasure sack and his immoral seed," Bellatrix replied with a sadistic and terrifying smile on her lips, although her face maintained an innocent expression.
Asterion remained stoic in the face of the shocking revelation. Not that he was indifferent to the death of a child, but it was like hearing news of someone's death on the other side of the continent: irrelevant to his life.
He shook his head and said calmly, "And you still claim he has no reason to want to kill you."
"It doesn't matter. He will die by my hands in the end. After all, he's weak and incompetent," Bella replied indifferently. Killing the woman and the child was trivial to her. As for Rodolphus's hatred, she didn't care; in fact, she wanted him to hate her even more. Seeing the desperation in his eyes when he was about to die would be a delicious scene to witness.
Asterion just rolled his eyes and then lifted her face with his index finger. He brought her face dangerously close to hers, causing her bodies to come closer and her breasts to press against his chest.
"What a naughty girl you are, Bellatrix," he whispered in her ear. His whisper was like that of a demon trying to seduce one into sin.
Bellatrix's pale cheeks acquired a rosy hue of shyness.
Asterion found amusement in her reaction; the killing and torturing machine in front of him seemed like a timid girl. For some reason, this brought him a sense of satisfaction.
His finger slid over the soft skin of her cheek, down to her chin, and stopped at her lips, where he traced his thumb over her plump, red lips. The lipstick smeared and spread to the sides.
Bellatrix's green eyes were clouded with raw desire as she sucked his finger as if savoring the most delicious delicacy in the world. But when she was ready to strip off all her clothes and surrender to pleasure in a carnal night of passion and wild sex, her master pulled back with a teasing laugh.
Asterion finally felt satisfied with his revenge; he had spent weeks being seduced in various ways by this woman, but this time, he made her feel her own poison.
"I just remembered I have an appointment, perhaps later, Bella," said Asterion, rising and ignoring Bellatrix's hurt gaze.
"Don't be so cruel, Master. My body is burning," Bellatrix said, writhing seductively, her cheeks flushing deeper.
"Furthermore, as your master, I forbid you to touch yourself," Asterion said, showing a smile behind his equally sadistic mask, causing Bellatrix to widen her eyes in shock.
Without waiting for a response, he left the room with light and agile steps.
"The master is so cruel~ I want him to tie me up and beat me. Should I call him daddy?" Breathing heavily, she murmured to herself with a sensual look.
-
Leaving the room, Asterion noticed the house elves tidying up the last details for the ball, moving swiftly and completing all tasks efficiently.
"Good work," praised Asterion, and the house elves seemed to receive the praise as if it were the most beautiful of praises. They instantly bowed and redoubled their efforts, performing tasks even more quickly, as if they were even more motivated.
Watching the scene, Asterion merely shook his head, understanding why house elves had a low status in society. They fed off the magic of their masters, essentially becoming magical parasites and, as such, were undervalued, even more so than Goblins.
Continuing down the hallway, he found his great-grandfather standing in front of a huge painting, staring at it without blinking. As he approached, Asterion saw the painting of a tall man standing with his hand on the shoulder of a woman seated in a chair.
Through the facial features, he recognized the man as Arcturus, and the woman, obviously, was his great-grandmother - Melania Macmillan.
"Did you love her?" Asterion asked, observing the elegant woman with black hair and blue eyes, sitting with her hands on her thighs and a slight smile on her lips.
"Yes, more than anything. She was my beacon, illuminating my dirty and tarnished soul," his great-grandfather replied with a slightly hoarse voice, after a brief silence. He then turned to Asterion and continued:
"I hope you find someone like that, Asterion. This is a lonely and cold world, especially for someone who will be at the top of the world like you, and the top is lonely." Each word seemed to be etched into Asterion's heart.
The boy who turned ten today merely remained silent, gazing at the painting of his great-grandmother.
Taking a silver watch out of his pocket, Arcturus glanced at the time marked on the watch and said, "It's almost time, let's greet our guests."
Arcturus then donned the mask on his face and walked towards the mansion's ballroom. His mask was plain black with gold details, a rather discreet yet elegant mask.
"Bellatrix and Sirius?" Walking alongside him, Asterion asked.
"Don't worry about that, as long as they're both wearing masks, no one will recognize them, and even if they do, no one would say anything. Everyone in that room is our ally and needs the Black family to survive in the face of the most powerful wizard in the world, Albus Dumbledore," Arcturus said, stopping in front of huge doors.
"Or they just need to betray our house and turn to Dumbledore's side," Asterion said, looking at Arcturus with a cold stare. He would never trust a stranger; although it might seem somewhat paranoid, it was something he truly believed in. Always expect the worst from those you don't know. Perhaps that's why betrayal from someone dear is more painful.
"Then, kill the traitors and set an example of the expected fate for traitors," Arcturus looked directly into Asterion's eyes and spoke each word with a coldness capable of freezing a desert.
Asterion nodded, showing a pensive look. If dialogue didn't resolve the issue, old ways always could.
"Ready?" Arcturus asked.
"Yes," Asterion simply nodded.
Without hesitation, Arcturus opened the huge doors, revealing a magnificent ballroom made of black marble. Chandeliers illuminated the space with their soft light while hundreds of men and women conversed in low voices. In the air, without any visible musical instruments, classical music played, creating a comfortable and cozy atmosphere.
The guests, upon hearing the doors opening, suddenly fell silent, looking at the two figures who had just entered, one tall and the other short.
The hosts of the party had just arrived!
------------------------------------------------
Author's Thoughts: 1500 Words in this chapter. I found it more fluid than normal, I think this is the most evident effect of longer chapters. I will continue like this in the next chapters, but when I'm busy, don't expect long chapters. Thank you for your understanding in advance. The ball will be interesting, believe me. >.>
Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
The Patreon will be updated daily, except on Saturdays and Sundays, when I do not write.
P-atreon.com/HPSCB
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
Next Chapter: Chapter 33 - Black House Masquerade Ball (2), Chapter 34 - Black House Masquerade Ball (3), Chapter 35 - Three Years (1), Chapter 36 - Three Years (2), Chapter 37 - Hogwarts Express (1), Chapter 38 - Hogwarts Express (2), Chapter 39 - Hogwarts Express (3) Chapter 40 - Hogwarts Express (4) Chapter 41 - Hogwarts Express (5), Chapter 42 - Hogwarts (1), Chapter 43 - Hogwarts (2), Chapter 44 - Hogwarts (3).
Patron's: Chris, Justrice Harrison, AlucardoBlood, Renne Bruffett, Straydog, IDaGoat Mypark, Hamza Ahmed, Dishitian, James, Zhenya, Enriv125, Michael, NinjaTiger, Mursel Kenan, Andrea Barbarino, Benjamin Kingunza, NaYati, Austin Pierce, Leopardu Junglei, Anthony Casas Cano, Xerxes33311, Ray Tery, Joseph, Max Brown, Hrisav Dewanjee, Szwagier, Maxime Anne Louise, Ree Iphone, OdiimBR, Alistair Lawrence, JustAGuy, Kheinz, T S, Zephyre, Tobias Sinkewicius, Phokingchin, Kieran p o'connor, Artem Marviv, Hunayn Abbas, Wolf, HeavenlyCrimsonKarma, Best Manga, Chase Matlon, Ibrahim Amani, Sighduck, Syed, Cody Dennis, Daniel Johnson, Nicholas, Zach Obenhoff, Joao Goncalves, Heretic Smurf, Antwaun way, Paul Panda, Reid Baisden, Marco Bertin, Bloodstained, Unknown, Clayton Channell, Kylan Trinh, BirdRant, BlueFern XO, Erik Vorlicky, DJ Tucker, Mitsogon, Axel Bour, TG Savior, Matatank, Killian Helms, Ethan Trays, Alessandro Palma, Kotek, Жахангир, Lumn, Chamar Ellis, Brandon, Geoffrey Abbott, Shinxu Linxu, Benjamin Villacura, Luke, KorBen Hunter, Joaaabee, Prince Acheampong, Nickolas Taylor, Gintoki Sakata, Dean Redmond, Blacklionpride24, Glowbot, HinoSchwien, SIMOM Pierre, Empzvi, Sebastian, Менделеев Вячеслав Алексеевич, Mohamed Ghaly, Archie Yates, Desolate, Dinero1121, Rgbhoy18, Enger, Alec Mather, Kenji Neyra, 50ShadesofGaben, Maddog, DarkSlayer AI, Gabriel Quijada, Harry Ludrecius, Jon Moorshead, Kenji Neyra, Sheep, Tyler Betzwieser, Ownin, David Krause, Surge1301.
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