Leaving Merlin's Barrier, Asterion saw Morgan wave his hand and the second barrier erected by Dumbledore closed again, blocking the first barrier.
"Thank you for your hard work." Stroking her head, Asterion spoke in a gentle tone as he rubbed her black hair. Morgan looked like a kitten loving the caresses on her head and practically embraced Asterion in a tight hug and buried her head in his chest.
"As for you, my fiancée will love to meet you." Asterion looked at Peter's bruised face covered in blood and tears with an indifferent gaze. He looked back at Morgan and spoke. "Morgan, I want you to write two letters to two different people."
Morgan nodded and didn't even bother to look at Peter on the floor. She disappeared under Peter's shocked eyes. They weren't in Diagon Alley, but at Hogwarts, a place known for its incredible defenses against Apparate. So to see the monster that had devoured his limbs Apparate right into Hogwarts gave Peter a profound shock.
Grabbing Peter by the collar of his shirt, Asterion dragged the Animagus away with a calm look on his face.
-
In the Hogwarts Dungeon.
"So, what's going on?" Rose asked, she was dressed in the Hogwarts universe with the color of her house, red and gold, the girl's white hair was still messy, showing that she had just woken up and hadn't even had time to comb her hair.
Rose's eyes fell curiously on the huge black dog, who for some reason was looking at her with an extremely emotional look, as if she had owned him at some point in her life.
Suddenly, she raised an eyebrow, noticing something unusual about the black dog, more precisely the humanity in its gaze. "Animagus?" She asked with a tone of uncertainty.
The reason for her uncertainty was that the Animagus had a very interesting characteristic, it could hide any fluctuations in magical energy from the wizard. Since the target of the spell were animals without magical energy, the spell practically turned the wizard or witch into a real animal in every sense of the word.
"That's Sirius Black." Asterion commented with a calm look, earning a shocked glance from the white-haired girl. "Your godfather and according to the laws of our society, he should be your guardian should your parents pass away. However, as you can see, you grew up with your muggle family."
Under Rose's surprised eyes, the dog disappeared and a very handsome black-haired man with worn-out robes and appearance appeared in front of her. Remembering Asterion's words about how her parents were murdered and how it all happened, she looked at the man with a complex gaze.
Although it really wasn't so bad living with her aunt, who treated her with relative affection, she would still have preferred to live with someone from the magical world, which would have spared her a lot of questions, feelings of guilt and anger, as well as a more pleasant childhood for a child.
"You look like your mother, you have the same look she had, an indomitable and confident look. Which in your case, I'd say arrogant, but James passed it on to you." Sirius picked up a silver canteen and drank the whisky it contained while looking at Rose with a gentle gaze tinged with a look of pain and guilt.
Rose looked at Sirius with a calmer look than Asterion had expected, it seemed that although she had been surprised by Sirius, she hadn't acted impulsively.
Perhaps noticing this, Sirius flashed a slightly bitter smile and commented. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me, Rose. I really, really wanted to raise you and educate you the way your parents wanted in case something happened to them, but James and Lily's death consumed my mind, I was blinded by revenge and hatred."
"I just wanted to get revenge on James and Lily, but as my father once said, if men can't control their feelings, they're no different than animals. " Sirius continued speaking, lost in ancient memories.
Then a cold, chilling look appeared in his eyes, "I had to get revenge, but I couldn't, the mouse blew up an entire street, and I was blamed for the deaths and thrown into Azkaban."
At the mention of the Mouse, Rose wasn't indifferent either, a cold look appeared on her face, if it wasn't for the traitor, she would still have parents and a happy family. If there wasn't anger, hatred and resentment in her heart, she would be lying.
At the same time, she admitted, although she resented Sirius' decisions a little, she could understand the man's flare for revenge. If anything happened to Asterion, Daphne and Hermione, she certainly wouldn't stop until she had destroyed everyone who dared to hurt them.
Letting out a long sigh, Rose looked at Sirius with a gentler gaze, although it was still distant, which Sirius understood perfectly. He knew he had lost fourteen years, too late. He had to take the first step and start entering his goddaughter's life.
Asterion couldn't help but be speechless at Sirius' emotional face, the man had never shown such emotion towards him, his eldest brother's son! "Now I understand Arcturus' feelings, Sirius has problems with paternal love. I take it my grandfather, Orion Black, wasn't exactly the best of fathers."
Although Asterion's whisper was low, they were in a dungeon which, by the way, was a great place for echoes. As a result, Asterion's every word was heard very clearly by Rose and Sirius.
Sirius' face turned grim in an instant, hearing his own nephew say that he had father issues wasn't exactly the most pleasant thing to hear.
"Why are we in the dungeon, Asty?" Rose asked, her eyes looking around with a curious expression. "A present for you and Sirius." Asterion replied, he stopped in front of a door and looked at them both with a calm gaze, but whether it was Rose or Sirius, they noticed the cold murderous intent hidden in his gaze.
"Present?" Rose looked genuinely confused.
Suddenly, under the surprised eyes of Asterion and Rose, Sirius burst into the dungeon cell with an almost crazed expression.
"I forgot that dogs have very good senses of smell." Asterion shrugged, not caring about Sirius' actions.
Rose was even more confused by her fiancé's words, but she also got into the saddle and what she saw made her stop and widen her eyes in shock. Her best man was going completely mad as he stared at a figure hoisted up by chains attached to the walls.
"PETER PETTIGREW, YOU FILTHY MOUSE!!!" Sirius screamed, his voice coming out of his mouth like a snarl, his dark brown eyes wide and completely consumed with rage and hatred.
It was at that moment that Rose realized that Sirius really did love her parents as family, and this strangely made her feel closer to the man she had never met in her life before that moment.
However, the name of the figure hoisted by chains in the cell made Rose's face transform from a calm look to a cold stare that could freeze the flames of hell. It was the first time in her life that she had felt such a strong murderous intent towards another person.
He was to blame for the murder of her parents, even if only indirectly; without him, Voldemort would never have found his parents' house.
"That mouse tried to get into a rather delicate place for Hogwarts and was captured." Asterion spoke, leaning on the door, with no intention of entering. His eyes fell on the figure hoisted by chains with an indifferent look. What was about to happen was not his problem.
"You two can do whatever you want with him, he's dead according to the country's laws, so even if he dies now, no crime will be attributed to you two." Asterion said, his lips curving into a rather cruel smile. Seeing the sheer horror on Peter's face told me more than I wanted it to.
Rose frowned, but Sirius only smiled as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, pulled out his new wand and with a quick flick of his wrist, red light bloomed from the tip of his wand.
The Crucio Curse tore through the air like lightning falling on Peter Pettigrew's small body!
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" A scream more like a pig came out of the Animagus' mouth, he struggled violently as he was ravaged by the strongest pain he had ever known in his life.
Rose frowned even more, she really thought he should die for what he had done, but she didn't want to torture him, what would be different between her and Peter if she did something like that. So, after a minute, she approached Sirius and took his arm, looking him straight in the eye.
"Just stop, Sirius." She spoke, her voice determined, not flinching at the completely enraged look on the man in front of her. In her eyes, Sirius looked more like a wounded animal than hate.
Sirius didn't want to stop, he had been dreaming of this moment for over fourteen years! More than a decade of being tortured day and night, only revenge able to sustain his body weak from malnutrition and his mind on the brink of madness.
"Godfather." Rose spoke once more, her hand lightly squeezing his arm, her eyes looking straight at him.
Sirius felt a deep sense of shame at those blue eyes staring back at him, and he let out a growl and swung his wand towards the other side of the room, canceling the Crucio.
Turning to look at Peter, Sirius asked in a cold, threatening voice. "Why? Why ally yourself with a Dark Lord? What would you gain apart from innocent lives?"
Peter, who was still shaking from the side effects of the Crucius, raised his head with difficulty and whispered. "If I refused, he would have killed me, you know that, Sirius."
Although it was a whisper, it was like an explosion in Sirius' mind, rekindling the flame of fury in his chest.
"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED INSTEAD OF BETRAYING YOUR FRIENDS, LIKE WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!" He shouted in a voice full of fury and resentment.
The words made Peter lower his head and not dare to look at Sirius, regret, anger, hatred, guilt and fury made his expression a mixture of emotions.
Asterion couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when he heard Sirius' roar, the man was more emotional at that moment than the death of his own grandfather, which made him look at Sirius with a slightly accusatory look.
However, remembering how Sirius had been treated by his family, he didn't blame the man for finding another family who loved him for who he really was.
Rose felt her mind shaken by Sirius' words. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Peter. "I hate you, I want to torture you just like my godfather wants me to."
Holding up her finger, Rose muttered to herself. "Innate Spell Manipulation - Limitless - Red."
A sphere of red energy formed above Rose's finger, illuminating the surroundings with a pale red glow.
She paused and continued. "But I don't want to live by hate all my life, so I'll kill you quickly, although you'll still feel a lot of pain, Peter Pettigrew."
Despite the pain and the difficulty of moving his body, even now, Peter didn't stop struggling, trying to escape, he didn't want to die! He had betrayed all the people who were important to him in order to survive, he wanted to live!!!
However, no matter how hard he tried to struggle, the red glow blurred his vision. He felt like his body was being pressed down by a mountain. His flesh sank, all his bones broke in an instant, his eyes exploded directly. Blood dripped from his ears, nose and eyes.
Then Peter Pettigrew's entire body exploded, staining the wall a sickly shade of red.
Asterion's face contorted and twitched slightly at the familiar image, his death in his past life no different from Peter's, but instead of extremely high pressure from gravity, it was from a damn truck.
Sirius looked at the red stain on the wall with a silent stare, he let out a bitter laugh, he wanted so much more, but looking at Rose's indifferent face, he let out a heavy sigh and ruffled the girl's white hair.
He had to act like an adult right now. "Well done, Rose. Although your father wouldn't have approved of you killing him, your mother would have applauded you."
Rose felt a wave of emotions hearing this and nodded with an indifferent look, she looked at Asterion and approached him and hugged him tightly, burying her head in his chest.
"Thank you." She spoke, her voice muffled by her position.
Asterion didn't say anything and didn't need to, he just stroked her hair and comforted her.
---------------
Author's thoughts: I've rewritten this chapter three times and I still don't feel that I've written it well. Three chapters until the end of Volume Two.
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In a tunnel that led to the center of the Quidditch Stadium, Asterion and Narcissa looked at each other with serious gazes. The crowd could be heard in the background, everyone seemed happy. But that joy was likely to fade on this day, which would be remembered for a long time.
"What do you mean, Asterion?" Narcisa listened to Asterion with a serious expression.
"Go back to the mansion and don't come out, take Daphne, Astoria, Andromeda and her family and don't come out until everything calms down again." Asterion repeated what he had said a few moments before, his eyes more serious than ever. Three days had passed, today would be the day that the last test of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry would begin.
Everything seemed completely normal, even the most paranoid person couldn't have imagined that festivities on this scale could be the harbinger of war. But whether it was Asterion, Dumbledore, Rose or anyone else who knew about the conspiracy, they knew that it was all a cover for what was about to happen.
Asterion also discovered that Gabriele and Apolline Delacour were missing, with only Fleur and Luis Delacour still present at the time. He could imagine that Fleur had asked her mother and sister to disappear to be safe somewhere far away, something he himself was doing at the moment.
Narcissa looked at Asterion with a deep frown, there were countless questions in his mind, but seeing his eyes, unmatchably serious, she remained silent and nodded.
"Take care, Asterion. I love you, my little star." It was the only thing Narcissa could say before she left, leaving a gentle kiss on Asterion's forehead.
Asterion looked at her back and suppressed the feeling of unease running through his mind; there was no doubt, today would be the day that the Third Magical World War would begin.
It was a very good time for anyone who wanted to truly wreak havoc on the world. Asterion and Dumbledore were sure that Louis and Joseph wouldn't miss such a good opportunity right then!
Walking towards the light at the end of the tunnel, Asterion kept his face expressionless as he watched the light getting closer and closer and the voices of the crowd in the stands. For some reason, Asterion felt his heart calm down, unlike he thought it would when the time came.
Perhaps because he had already faced a lot of really big events, he wasn't so nervous or fearful, there was just a calmness in his mind.
Stepping through the blinding light of the tunnel entrance, Asterion saw the Quidditch stadium completely packed. Rose, Luna and Cedric waiting for him.
While Cedric seemed calm and well, the same couldn't be said for Rose and Luna. Both girls showed tense expressions, Luna in particular had a pale face and dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't had enough sleep.
"Someone was nervous about the third test." Cedric spoke in an amused tone, trying to make Luna feel better, but it obviously didn't work.
Rolling his eyes at the Hufflepuff Golden Boy's comments, Asterion stroked Luna's hair and spoke in a low tone, impossible for anyone else to hear. "Don't be nervous, Luna. Even if the sky falls, there will be people to hold it up. Me, Dumbledore and Rose."
"I'm not nervous, I just wanted to see far enough into the future to help you." Luna felt incredibly comfortable with the caresses in her hair, however, she spoke with a dissatisfied tone with the assumption that she was scared or afraid.
Raising an eyebrow, Asterion couldn't help but look at Luna with a reproachful look. Seeing the future was such a burden on the mind and body, many seers went mad in the later stages of life. He didn't want the same thing to happen to this sweet but incredibly strong girl.
Sensing his gaze, Luna stuck out her tongue in total defiance and didn't bother to say anything else to Asterion.
"Dumbledore has finished his preparations to prevent the two insects from escaping, if they move, they will die without any resistance." Rose approached Asterion, hugged him and murmured to him showing an intimacy in front of the audience, but it was only an act to mask her words, preventing anyone from reading her words through her lips.
Asterion nodded and thanked her. "Thank you for your hard work."
They both split up and lined up next to the other teams. Asterion felt a gaze fall on him and followed it, staring into Fleur's blue eyes. He showed no goodwill in her gaze, even a slight hostility.
Although Fleur had nothing to do with her father's actions, Asterion still harbored no goodwill towards this manipulative young woman. Perhaps it's normal for one manipulator to dislike another.
However, Fleur only smiled and winked seductively at him, although there was no sense of amusement in her eyes. The young woman looked more serious than Asterion himself, the difference in strength making her feel something completely different when faced with such a big crisis.
Asterion rolled his eyes and looked around, trying to find something suspicious and he did indeed find it, not difficult in the first place when the son of the German Minister was staring at him with a look of extreme hatred. A hatred so strong that it made Asterion feel genuinely confused.
He didn't really remember when he had offended Hans Weiss so deeply, although losing an arm was a real big deal, but it was Rose who had destroyed his arm, not him, so Patriarch Black was genuinely confused as to where such strong hatred from Hans came from.
"Uh?" Suddenly, Asterion noticed something unusual about Hans, apart from the obvious murderous intent towards him. He couldn't sense any magical energy coming from Hans' body, which completely confused him. Alchemical item?
Asterion quickly shook his head, denying the possibility that Hans had used an alchemical item to hide his magical energy so perfectly. They were at a tournament and Hans had obviously been searched when he entered the Quidditch Stadium.
Besides, hiding the magical energy was like putting Hans under a spotlight in front of everyone. The German team captain's lack of magical energy was extremely obvious.
However, Asterion didn't move and let the young man act as he pleased, he would die anyway, so it didn't matter if he was cheating or not. Yes, Asterion decided to kill all the members of the German team. No one would return to his homeland.
Originally, the French team was supposed to suffer the same fate as the German team, but since Fleur had betrayed her own father, country and talked about the conspiracies on the walls of Hogwarts, Asterion wasn't going to hurt the French team, not at the moment. If they met on the battlefield, he wouldn't mind finishing the job and killing them all at once.
Ignoring Hans Weiss's increasingly venomous and resentful glare at him, Asterion looked towards the VIP seats and his eyes met Dumbledore's. The man looked genuinely happy, acting skills that even he wanted to praise.
As if noticing his gaze, Dumbledore smiled kindly at Asterion and stood up with a gentle expression full of joy. He took the microphone and began to speak. "Good evening, world. I hope you haven't waited too long, because I'm just as excited to decide the champion."
"The Third Race is simple, get to the end of the Labyrinth and collect the Golden Cup. Of course, there may be a few obstacles along the way." Dumbledore's words had the crowd cheering, the first two trials had been brutal, there was no reason why the third shouldn't be!
It may sound strange, but most people had violent feelings welling up inside them, so watching something so brutal made the violence inside them feel satisfied, it was almost as if humans were programmed to get off on brutality.
Asterion couldn't help but cluck his tongue in annoyance, although competing was more interesting than he had imagined, being a monkey in a zoo for everyone to admire wasn't the best of sensations. He really wanted to know how world-class stars dealt with fame. It was suffocating to be in the spotlight all the time.
Suddenly, Asterion felt the gaze full of hatred and resentment again. He didn't even have to look to know that it was Hans Weiss, the man was really furious and full of hatred for him for some reason he genuinely didn't know. However, that didn't mean that Asterion liked being stared at like that.
Turning to look at the captain of the German Team, Asterion signaled with his finger near his own throat, as if to say that he was dead. And his actions practically made Hans spit flames of anger out of his eyes.
"You're going to die, and painfully." Asterion muttered to himself, feeling that Hans' gaze still hadn't left him, which was really pissing him off.
---------------
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