章 173: CHAPTER {215-217}
****CHRISTMAS-BLUES (I)****
~~Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire~~
Harry wiped off the steam from the mirror with his hand and stared at his reflection in the mirror before releasing a sigh. As usual, his hair was a mess, but he decided to leave it as that as he liked it more that way… |You look good as usual| His mom confirmed from inside his mind and her words made him smile.
|So, what is on the agenda today?| Lily asked after a small pause when Harry finally started to leave the bathroom.
|I have finally decided to take a break, Mom| Harry answered calmly, making Lily freeze. |It's Christmas tomorrow and I want to take it easy for the next couple of days| Harry added as he started to take out clothes from his wardrobe.
|...Well, I am glad that you have finally decided to take a break| Lily hummed happily. It has been quite long since he had taken a day off. He had been running himself ragged since he gained his new powers. His new powers were both a blessing and a curse to him. |But what about Dumbledore and the students you took?| Lily asked, just to make sure.
|I wanted to deal with them today, but to be honest, I am not sure how to deal with them. A part of me wants to kill them for killing the members of Lost Garden, but I don't blame them, at least, not completely… If I was in their place then I would have tried to fight back too| Harry admitted with a frown.
|Though I am not planning to let them get away scot-free after what they have done… Every action has consequences, but I am waiting to see what the Bulgarians are going to do| Harry finished with a nod of his head. |And as for Dumbledore, I have decided to let him stew for a couple of days before I finally pay him a visit. He is probably awake by now and he must be freaking out of his mind| Harry couldn't help but chuckle.
Even Lily started to chuckle at his words… |Alright. So, what are you going to do?| Lily asked after she finally calmed down.
|Hmmm… I am not sure| Harry answered with an unsure look on his face before he finally finished getting dressed. "Dobby" Harry called out and the fanatical house elf arrived beside him with a loud crack.
"What can Dobby bes doing for the Great Master Harry Potter?" Dobby asked, looking extremely excited.
"Dobby, I am going out, so if anyone asks for me, tell them I am out and keep an eye on all the prisoners, especially Dumbledore. He might be disarmed, but he is still no slouch and shouldn't be underestimated" Harry explained firmly and Dobby frantically nodded his head in understanding.
"Dobby won't disappoint the Great Master Harry Potter sir" Dobby declared proudly, but Harry didn't miss the fanatical glint in his eyes.
"Then off you go" Harry said and Dobby disappeared with a crack to carry out his duties with extreme diligence. As soon as the zealous creature was gone, Harry sighed in relief. Dealing with Dobby was always stressful as he wasn't sure how many new titles Dobby was going to come up with. In that regard, Norton and Alef were way better, but for some tasks, Dobby was more suitable.
|Looks like he will keep adding new titles to your name as time passes| Lily said in an amused tone.
|You might be on to something there| Harry agreed with a grimace before he also disappeared with a soft crack. Moments later, he arrived at the bank of the Thames, away from the crowd as he didn't want to be seen by anyone and started to walk along the shore… It was late December, so it was really cold and nobody could be seen in sight, but Harry was a wizard, so he could easily take care of the temperature.
|I remember the last time I came here, you know… It was with my parents and Petunia. We were both ten at that time, so none of them knew I was a Witch. Petunia and I were quite close at that time| Lily explained in a weird tone. To be honest, she didn't know how to talk about the past when it was her who convinced Harry to kill Petunia and her bloated spawn.
It was not that she was regretting her decision or anything, but this place was bringing back a lot of old memories. |Did you miss her?| Harry asked her cautiously.
|Yes, I do… I don't miss the bitch she turned into after learning that I am Witch, but I miss the kind and sweet girl she used to be before that| Lily admitted with a shrug. |By the way, you shouldn't feel bad for what you did. The woman you killed was not my sister, there was nothing of my sister left in that horrid woman| Lily added just in case her Hadrian would start feeling guilty.
|I see…| Harry mumbled and decided to leave it at that. |I wish I could hold your hand right now| Harry said after a few minutes of silence.
|Ohhh… Hadrian| Lily cooed at his cute request. Yes, she would love that too… Yes, they could hold hands and even kiss inside Harry's Mindscape, but to be honest, it didn't feel real. They could feel the warmth of each other, but once again it didn't feel real. |A few months more and if Hela keeps her promise then it wouldn't be long until I have a new body| Lily tried to comfort him and Harry simply hummed.
|By the way, you know she is trying to seduce me right?| Harry asked, just to make sure. He may not be experienced when it came to women, but he wasn't as dense as a rock. He could see that Hela was trying to hit on him.
|I know…| Lily admitted bitterly. |What do you think of her?| Lily asked curiously. To be honest, she wanted him all to herself, but she knew it wasn't possible… Her Hadrian was strong and as time passes, he would keep getting stronger. Women always gravitated toward strong men and her Hadrian wasn't going to be an exception.
|...I don't know| Harry admitted, sounding frustrated. |She is not only beautiful, but she has everything I like in a woman, but she is not you| Harry answered and Lily couldn't help but swoon at his words like a love-sick schoolgirl, but she managed to hold herself back from saying anything stupid and embarrassing.
|Hmmm…| Instead of saying anything else, she simply decided to humm. She might need to come up with something to let him know that even though she was reluctant, she had decided that she wouldn't mind sharing him with other women… Hela was a Goddess and she was an extremely strong Goddess at that, it would benefit Hadrian to have her as his wife no matter how painful it was for her to accept that.
There was nothing she wouldn't do for her Hadrian and if it was up to her, then he would have the world… No, the whole Universe… Whatever it takes…
<Line Break>
|I used to have one of these back at my parents when I was still at Hogwarts| Lily said longingly as she saw a picture of a gramophone outside a shop. After walking by the shore of the Thames for a couple of hours, Harry decided to head back toward the city as he was planning to have some breakfast.
|What happened to it?| Harry asked as he stopped to look at the poster.
|I don't know, but Petunia probably threw it in the trash along with the records or something| Lily grumbled and an idea popped inside Harry's head. He decided to buy a gramophone so that his mom could listen to his favorite music. He wasn't sure if could get the same model or not, but he was most certainly going to get one along with all the records she loved to listen to.
It would be a nice gift for her… So, after having a quick breakfast from one of the stalls, and asking for some directions from the shopkeeper, he started to head toward the shop. Not many shops were open, but the streets were still filled with joyous people. Even the cops could be seen taking it easy.
|Hadrian, you don't need to buy a gramophone| Lily tried to dissuade him for the fifth time from buying a gramophone so that she could listen to her favorite music. To be honest, she loved the gesture, but the records weren't supposed to be cheap… It was a niche hobby or something as walkmans were more popular among the population right now.
| It's alright, Mom… You have done so much for me, let me do something for you too| Harry said as he finally arrived in front of the store. Thankfully, the store was still open and for the first time since he gained his freedom from the Dursleys, he didn't think about the money he was going to spend, instead, he simply imagined the joy it would bring to his mother…
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****CHRISTMAS-BLUES (II)****
~~Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire~~
"Uhh… Mum, can I have a chat with you?" Tonks asked as she arrived in the kitchen where Andi was helping Narcissa with lunch. Since Narcissa had her son back from the vile clutches of the Ministry employees, she decided to do the cooking herself to celebrate the return of her son and Andi simply decided to help her sister with that.
"Yes, of course" Andi said as she looked up from the pot she was stirring. "What's on your mind, sweetheart?" Andi asked before she started to look down at the pot again.
Tonks quickly slipped into the seat before her eyes went over the spot where her Aunt Narcissa was working on the chicken. At first, she wanted to have a private chat with her mother, but her Aunt was a Black too, so there was a chance that her Aunt might be able to give her some tips on the Black madness.
"Mum, what can you tell me about the Black madness?" Tonks asked in a careful tone, but both Andi and Narcissa stopped at her question before they gave each other a knowing look.
"Alef" Narcissa called out and the said house elf appeared inside the kitchen with a soft pop. "Can you keep an eye on the pot while we are gone?" Narcissa asked and Alef immediately accepted the duties with an eager look on his face. He also wanted to help with the cooking even though Draco was never kind to him.
"Nymphadora, are you having some weird urges, feelings, or inclinations?" Andi asked carefully as she approached her daughter and sat down on the opposite side of the kitchenette. Narcissa also approached the duo and sat down beside her sister, so that she could also participate in the conversation.
Tonks was so distraught by Andi's question that she didn't even complain about the use of her hated name… "Uhh… I don't know" Tonks mumbled with an unsure look on her face before she sagged in her seat. "Maybe…" After a few moments of silence, she finally admitted with great reluctance.
Audi and Narcissa shared another meaningful and worried look before Andi finally decided to start speaking. "What are you feeling, sweetheart?" Andi asked softly.
Tonks blushed slightly before she quickly used her powers to school her features. "I have been having some weird urges, feelings, and inclinations as of late" Tonks admitted, sounding embarrassed, but she refused to reveal her actual thoughts to her mother or her Aunt.
"Oh dear" Narcissa mumbled as she gave Andi another meaningful look. Now, she was certain that Tonks was starting to experience the first signs of the Black Madness.
Andi took a deep breath before she finally decided to start speaking. "You see, there is a trait in the Black Family when the members become particularly obsessed with something, and that obsession is what we refer to as the Black Madness" Andi explained slowly.
"I already know that, Mum. I have already heard this so many times" Tonks groaned irritably. She had already heard this explanation so many times, but she wanted to know if there was a way to suppress or stop the Black Madness in the first place or not. "I simply want to know if there is a way to stop it or suppress it?" Tonks asked in a hopeful tone. There was no way she wanted to give in to her obsession if she could help it.
Once again, both Narcissa and Andi shared a worried look, but this time it was Narcissa who decided to speak up. "I am sorry, Nymphadora, but there is none…" Narcissa revealed apologetically and instead of snapping or anything, Tonks simply looked down in defeat. She was already expecting something like this, but she at least had to try.
Just like Andi, Narcissa also grabbed Tonks' hands comfortingly before she started to speak again. "I can understand what you are going through… I was also scared when I started to notice the signs of Black Madness in me… I was in 4th year when I started to get obsessed with comfort" Narcissa slowly explained and Tonks finally looked up.
Even Andi was paying rapt attention to her sister's story as she didn't know anything about that. After she ran away from her home and got married to Ted, she lost all contact with Narcissa and even though they were starting to bond again, their bond wasn't as strong as it used to be before she eloped with Ted.
"Slowly, I started to discover that I wanted comfort more than anything in my life… Before that, I had so many dreams in my life. I wanted to do so much, achieve so much, but slowly all of them started to become meaningless to me and that scared me… I tried so hard, not wanting to give up that part of me, but slowly I lost" Narcissa explained sadly.
"And then I stopped caring… That was when I knew that the Black Madness had won" Narcissa admitted with a nod of her head. She no longer felt bad for giving up on that part of her as she was living in comfort and there was nothing she lacked.
"It happened much later with Bella… She was never a paragon of sanity even when she was young, but she completely lost her…" Narcissa trailed off with a faraway look on her face as she couldn't find the right word to use.
"Marbles?" Andi suggested helpfully.
"We can go with that" Narcissa agreed with a nod of her head. "...but she completely lost her marbles when she started to become obsessed with power. It happened just after she left Hogwarts and that was also when whispers of the Dark and his unmatched power started to float around" Narcissa explained.
"With how we grew up, thinking that the Mudbloods and Muggle filth are the blight of the society, it wasn't a surprise that she became smitten with the Dark Lord and everything is history after that" Narcissa finished unhappily. Yes, she might believe herself to be superior than Muggles and Mudbloods, but that didn't mean that she supported genocide.
If all the Mudbloods and Half-Bloods were to be killed, their society would collapse… After all, there was no way a Pureblood was going to work as a janitor. Narcissa knew that she was thinking along a very dangerous line, and there was a chance that Harry might take offense at that, but it was the unfortunate truth… Nothing else…
"For me, I got obsessed with mediocrity… I didn't want to be anyone special. I simply wanted to have a normal family and a normal life and that is also why I managed to walk away from my Family and marry your dad" Andi explained and Tonks frowned at her whole obsession, but considering her own budding obsession, she didn't have a leg to stand up on.
"Oh…" Tonks mumbled as she looked down at her hands.
"The thing is… There is nothing you can do to fight your obsession. You can most definitely stall it, but it is going to win, eventually… I know how it sounds and I am sorry if this is not something you wanted to hear, but it is what it is" Andi said with a somber look on her face. She didn't want to lose a part of herself due to the Black Madness, but she didn't want to give her daughter any false hope.
"What about, Sirius?" Tonks asked. It was quite an interesting topic and she wanted to know what he was obsessed with just to distract herself.
"He is obsessed with rebellion" Andi answered with a smile. "He is probably the youngest Black I know who contracted the Black Madness" Andi added.
"Yes" Narcissa also nodded her head in agreement.
"Rebellion fits him" Tonks also nodded her head before she broke into giggles. "Thanks for the chat, Mum" Tonks thanked her Mum before she stood up and Andi simply smiled at her daughter. "Thanks Aunty" Then she thanked Narcissa. Her Aunt told her something really personal, in an attempt to help her, so she obviously felt grateful to the woman.
"You are welcome anytime, sweetheart" Andi waved at Tonks who started to leave the kitchen.
"You are welcome to talk anytime, Nymphadora" Narcissa added her own piece as Tonks walked out of the room, but as soon as Tonks was gone, both Narcissa and Andi lost their smiles.
"She is going to have a really hard time, isn't she?" Andi asked worriedly as she bit her lips. She always knew that her daughter was going to become obsessed with something eventually, after all, she was a Metamorphmagus. The Black blood in her veins was probably the thickest, but she was a mother, so there was no way that she wasn't going to worry for her own daughter.
"Yes, I believe she will, but she will get through it… We all do" Narcissa assured Andi that Tonks will be alright, but Andi couldn't stop herself from worrying. "By the way, any guesses what she is obsessed with?" Narcissa asked, trying to change the topic. When they were young, they used to guess what their other Family members were obsessed with. It was a fun little game they used to play.
Andi smiled as she remembered the game they used to play… "Hmm… I just hope it's not a boy" Andi said with an amused snort.
Narcissa also snorted in amusement… "Yes, those always end in disasters… At least, she will have people to hide the bodies" Narcissa said before she started to chuckle and Andi also joined in. Andi might have given up on her Family, but she was still a Black through and through… The cruelty and ruthlessness was part of her very being…
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****CHRISTMAS-BLUES (III)****
|I believe this should work…| Harry mused as he stared at the newly bought record player with a hint of pride. Charming any Muggle Technology to work around Magic wasn't that hard, but the record player needed electricity to work and there was no electricity in the Malfoy Manor and it would be a pain in the ass to get electricity at the manor since the damn place wasn't close to any Muggle civilizations.
So, he had to Charm the record player to work with ambient magic, and after working for hours on the record player, he finally accomplished the task, but before he could play anything on it, he needed to put it back. It didn't even take him a minute to put back the record player and when he was done, he placed the record player on top of one of the shelves before carefully placing a record on the platter.
He turned on the record player and the record started to rotate, nodding his head at the sight, he lowered the tonearm on the record and the music started to play…
|So, what do you think?| Harry asked with a smile. To be honest, the song wasn't much to his liking and he was doubtful that any of the other songs were going to be up to his tastes, but he didn't mind putting up with it for hours every day if his Mom liked it.
|This is amazing, Hadrian!| Lily exclaimed happily. |It has been so long since I heard this song| Lily added in a longing tone before sighing in contentment. |Maybe, you should also get a telly| Lily suggested excitedly.
|Sorry Mom, but I don't think I have the time to watch telly| Harry pointed out before he decided to sit down and start working on his Martial Arts. If nothing else, the song was quite calming, so it wasn't going to be too distracting.
|You are right| Lily conceded glumly. |By the way, thank you, Hadrian. It is a really thoughtful gift| Lily said in a genuinely grateful tone before she finally decided to stop speaking and enjoy the music while Hadrian was working on his Martial Arts… Lily knew that she probably wouldn't get any Mother of the Year awards, but just like any other mother was supposed to, she will do whatever is best for her son.
Even if it meant sharing him with other women…
~~Timeskip~~ (An hour later)
All of a sudden, Harry was broken out of his meditative state when Norton popped inside the room. The green mist surrounding Harry disappeared into thin air as he opened his eyes. "What happened, Norton?" Harry asked as he glanced toward the clock from the corner of his eyes. He was so engrossed in his training that he didn't know how much time had passed, and he was glad to see that not much time had passed.
"Mistress Jacklyn is awake, Master Hadrian" Norton revealed and Harry gave the house elf a grateful look before he stood up. He had asked Norton to keep an eye on Jacklyn and the rest of the members who were injured during yesterday's attack.
"What did the Healers say?" Harry asked.
"They be saying she is okay, but they be keeping her under observation for the day" Norton answered and Harry nodded his head in understanding.
"Thank you, Norton, you no longer need to keep an eye on Jacklyn but keep watching the others. I want to be informed when they wake up" Harry ordered and Norton left with a soft pop after he acknowledged the order with a nod of his head. After Norton was gone, Harry walked up to the record player and turned it off… He wanted his Mom to enjoy the music some more, but he had other places to be.
|Let's see how Jacklyn is holding up| Lily said with a yawn. Even though Harry never told her, she could easily guess what he was planning to do.
|Yeah| Harry hummed in agreement before he opened a portal leading to the infirmary. He stepped through the portal and arrived right outside of the room where Jacklyn was being kept for observation. The portal closed behind him as he walked up to the door and knocked on it to gain Jacklyn's attention, but surprisingly, he didn't get any response even though he was certain that Jacklyn was awake.
So, he knocked again, but once again he didn't get any response, so he decided to peer into the room. As expected he found Jacklyn lying in the bed, but she was trying to look anywhere else rather than the door… Harry could guess why she was acting like this, but there was no way he was going to let her wallow in self-pity. |Yeah, you need to knock some sense into her| Lily agreed with his line of thinking.
So, instead of wasting any more of his time standing at the door, Harry simply entered the room without bothering to get Jacklyn's permission since she was giving him the silent treatment…
Harry arrived beside her bed and used his Magic to levitate a tool so that he could take a seat beside her bed. He sat down and clapped his hands… "So?" Harry asked in an eager tone, trying to break the silence. "Why am I getting the silent treatment?" He asked again when he didn't receive any response from Jacklyn.
Jacklyn finally turned toward him only for him to notice the tears in her eyes… She quickly raised her hands and wiped them off, not wanting to show him any more weakness than she had already done… "I wanted to make you feel proud of me, you know. I wanted to show you that I can lead too, but I fucked up!" Jacklyn wailed before she started to chuckle in self-loathing.
"Yes, you did" Harry agreed with a nod of his head and even though Jacklyn slightly flinched at his words, there was acceptance in her eyes. "...But you aren't the only one who fucked up the last night" Harry spoke up after a small pause, surprising her. "I never expected the Ministry forces to show up so quickly, nor was I expecting you guys to face such strong opposition" Harry admitted while giving her an understanding look.
"That fact is, we all fuck up from time to time… Even I am not perfect as it was proven yesterday, but we must learn from our mistakes so that we don't repeat them" Harry said with a smile as he gave her hands a gentle and comforting squeeze.
Jacklyn didn't know what to say after that, so she simply turned her gaze away from him. "By the way, I have received a letter from your father. He is really angry at me for getting you involved in my mess" Harry revealed with a chuckle before he took out two letters from his robes and handed them over to Jacklyn. Both of them were from her father, but one of them was addressed to him while the other one was addressed to Jacklyn.
"...Thank you and don't worry, I will have my father know that I got involved with your mess on my own accord while you didn't want to get me involved in any of this" Jacklyn assured him after she took a look at the letters.
"That won't be necessary… He is your father and it's obvious that he loves you. If I was in his place then I wouldn't be happy too…" Harry trailed off with a grin. Yes, he didn't like anyone looking down at him, but he could let the man some leeway as he could only guess what the man was really going through. "By the way, Himera survived, you know" Harry revealed, shocking Jacklyn for the second time.
"What?! How?!" Jacklyn asked in an incredulous tone, but there was clearly a lot of relief and joy in her voice.
"I simply placed her head near her body and after waiting for some time, her head started to get reattached to her body" Harry explained with a shrug like it was no big deal. Jacklyn didn't know what to say, so she simply breathed out in relief before she slumped down in her bed. "And for the record, she doesn't blame you for what happened" Harry added before Jacklyn could start blaming herself once again.
"Thank you" Jacklyn straightened up a bit before she decided to thank him with a grateful look on her face.
"It's no big deal… You are practically my family, so there is no way I am going to leave you to wallow in your self-pity" Harry assured her with a cheeky grin on his face before he decided to spend some more time with Jacklyn, but once again, he was interrupted by her.
"For whatever it's worth, I am sorry, Harry" Jacklyn apologized, looking extremely saddened, but Harry quickly flicked her forehead, making her wince as she grabbed her forehead in pain.
"Don't be sorry, be better" Harry stated firmly before she could complain about his act of violence. Jacklyn simply stared at him for the next few moments before she gave him a determined nod.
"Wanna play Snap?" Harry asked as Jacklyn wasn't allowed to leave her bed for anything besides nature's call.
"Yeah sure" Jacklyn happily agreed as playing Snap was much better than getting bored while she was confined to this infernal bed of hers…
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