章節 16: Serious Talks
Jacob Greengrass POV:
In the ensuing silence of his affirmation, I pondered deeply about the young man seated in front of me. There's something strange about him, but I can't quite put my finger on it. His mature demeanor as if i'm talking to someone even older than myself is weird in itself, but could be explained away as good education or him just being naturally like that. An old soul so to speak.
His ideas are both cunning and bold. Especially the gamble he took informing us of his intentions for us to create a faction of our own to support him. Taking advantage of the contract forced on us as the reason to begin creating alliances, leading us to create our own faction? That sort of thinking is something that shouldn't appear in a 7 year old. Nonetheless, this could be accredited to him being a genius.
It's his stated achievements with magic that bother me. Claiming to have the answers to age old questions? Absurd. Many great wizards and witches have sought that knowledge, usually the best in their generations. Those are subjects that only the most prestigious, talented and accomplished research.
An example would be Rowena Ravenclaw. Widely recognised as one of the smartest and most accomplished witches of all time, she spent her life studying the higher mysteries. The fabled Diadem Of Ravenclaw, said to enhance the wisdom of the wearer, is said to be her masterpiece after a lifetime of study into the mind and soul. Even still, no one knows how far she got researching the higher mysteries, whilst the Diadem was lost after her daughter ran away with it.
And now this boy claims to have the answers? The obvious answer would be he's lying. But neither I nor my wife have noticed anything. I would have previously said it's impossible for a child to deceive us, but given his claims about reaching the highest level of occlumency, this can no longer be discounted. But then, if he has reached that level with the mind arts, it gives credence that maybe he can answer the questions he brought up.
The implications involved if he has reached that level are mind boggling to think about. All in all, this situation is beyond weird. The only other answer would be he's some ancient powerful figure reborn. That would be even more ludicrous however, so I dismissed that thought as soon as it came.
I shook my head, putting my thoughts aside for the moment. I can ponder outlandish theories later. For now, we still have to entertain him as a guest.
"Let's get back to our original conversation." I said.
Draco nodded. "Yes, let's. We've veered off topic. Now that the business with the contract has been settled for the moment, what else did you wish to speak about?" He asked.
"Hmm? That was the serious business Draco. We can now have a relaxed conversation to get to know you better. Whether you will end up marrying Daphne or not, we still want to get to know you. After all, you will be involved with our family for a long time. Unless you had something else to bring up?" I asked.
Draco sat back for a moment in thought before shrugging.
"Well, one final piece of serious news then. I might as well tell you about it now to let you prepare for the future." He said.
I raised my eyebrow at him and leaned forward, curious. I gestured with my hand to continue and he looked me dead in the eye as he spoke with gravitas.
"Voldemort is still alive." He said.
Sharp inhales were heard from Daphne and Astoria. Meanwhile, Elizabeth flinched from the name and sat rooted to her chair, deathly still. As for me, once he said that I fell back against the backrest of my own chair in shock.
"A-are you sure?" Stuttered out Daphne, speaking first.
He nodded. "Yes, i'm sure. I even have 2 pieces of evidence confirming it." He said.
"Evidence? What evidence?" Said Elizabeth faintly, a disbelieving and fearful expression on her face.
Draco looked around at us and, noticing our distressed and fearful expressions, spoke earnestly in hopes to regain the previous calm.
"There's no need to worry just yet." He said softly.
"He will not return for years yet and even when he does, his main targets will be Dumbledore and Harry Potter. As long as you lay low, nothing should happen." He finished.
His words barely mattered compared to what he was doing however. I don't know what it is, but that presence he showed a couple of times was back. This time however, it wasn't a heavy pressure. Whatever he was doing was projecting Peace and Calm throughout the room, making us almost forcibly calm down from our near panicked states.
It took a minute to settle down again into an uneasy silence, before Draco spoke again.
"As I said, I have two pieces of evidence confirming it. The first is the dark mark. I've had the opportunity to observe Lucius' mark before and learned a few things from it. Not everything mind you, it's a true masterpiece of magic, but enough to confirm my thoughts." He said.
"The mark links the magical core of the recipient to the owner of the mark through soul magic. Currently, the mark is faded. The connection is still there however, showing that he's still alive in some form. I speculate that Voldemort can siphon the magic from anyone branded with the mark to boost his own power, but that's besides the point." He finished.
I blinked and took a moment to digest that. I ingored what that said about his magical prowess for the moment and focued on the information provided. A thought occured to me then.
"If you can tell that the connection is still active, would that not mean anyone with the mark can as well? Could they not use it to find you-know-who and bring him back?" I asked.
He nodded. "They could, yes. But seeing as it's been years and he hasn't returned, either he's blocking them from doing so, which I find unlikely. Or, no one wants him back and have been acting oblivious. After all, those who would have helped him return as soon as possible are all in Azkaban or dead." He said.
I nodded in understanding. There were rumors of you-know-who going insane and many of his followers were getting cold feet. Not many of his followers followed him freely towards the end.
"And the second piece of evidence?" Asked Elizabeth.
"Yes, what is the other but of evidence you have Draco?" I asked, hoping it was something that could disprove his previous words.
Draco paused momentarily and looked at the two girls beside him.
"It might be better if Daphne and Astoria didn't hear this. It concerns some seriously dark magic. The only reason i'm willing to tell you at all is to extend trust in hopes to strengthen our ties together. Shared secrets can bring people together after all. That, and I highly doubt you would use the information." He said
His words made me uneasy and I shared a look with Elizabeth, seeing that she was feeling the same. I was about to ask the girls to leave the room before Astoria butted in.
"No. I will stay." She said, unusually serious.
Daphne nodded along with her.
"I agree with Astoria. I will stay as well." She concurred.
I sighed, noticing the stubborn look in the girls' eyes.
"Very well then. You may stay and hear this with us. If only because I know you would hound me about it later." I said, muttering the last bit to myself.
Draco nodded slowly.
"If you're sure. Well then, the second piece of evidence I came across quite by accident." He lied.
"Lucius is not a good man as you all understand. It stands to reason that he has a place to store all the things that would get him in trouble with the law." He said.
I nodded in agreement along with Elizabeth.
"Well, I found where he hides everything. And when looking through the place, I found a diary stashed with everything else. I didn't know what it was at the time, but it radiated darkness like nothing i've ever seen. The air was thick with it. It took a while to examine and determine what it was, but I figured it out in the end." He said, spinning his tale.
"So? What was it?" Daphne asked, leaning forward.
Elizabeth and I were more composed, but curious all the same. Astoria was on the edge of her seat, enthralled. She's always been adventurous despite her condition and Draco's story called to that desire.
Draco continued. "I don't know the name of it." He lied.
"None of the books in the Malfoy library have anything about it. Even the books i'm not allowed to read yet contained nothing. I did however figure out the nature of the diary after a thorough examination. It's a piece of Voldemort's very soul, bound into a book." He said.
"Horcrux." I whispered in incredulity at the sheer madness I was hearing.
"Hmm? Is that what it's called?" Draco asked, looking at me with curiosity.
Elizabeth, Daphne and Astoria were all looking at me as well now. I was feeling put on the spot and decided to elaborate. It's already gone this far after all.
"*Ahem*. I only found this out while researching the blood curse. This information has been purposely buried. A horcrux is an object that someone uses to store a piece of their soul. It could be any object but it must have some kind of connection to the person in order to work. I will not tell you of the unspeakable ritual one must perform to create one. It's truly some of the darkest and most vile magic i've ever heard of." I said.
"The final part of the process is a murder that acts as a catalyst. If everything is done correctly, the user will be able to tear off a piece of their own soul and store it in the pre-prepared object. Unless the horcrux is destroyed, the maker can never die." I finished.
Elizabeth, Daphne and Astoria's eyes were all open wide. Elizabeth and Daphne even looked a little ill at the thought of it. The soul is sacred in wizarding culture. So to hear about it being desecrated so goes against everything they've been brought up to believe. Astoria was still a little young to understand. I'll make sure to pull her over and explain the seriousness of it to her when Draco leaves.
Draco nodded in agreement.
"That is what I found as well. The piece of soul acts as an anchor that binds the main soul to the living world. Basically, it is a way to achieve immortality." He said, shaking his head in disapproval.
"I imagine there must be ruinous side effects. The soul is fundamental after all. It is what makes you, you. To tear away a piece of it is to tear away a piece of yourself." He finished.
I nodded in agreement, but focused on the main point.
"So you-know-who made a horcrux." I stated flatly, ignoring my horror at the idea.
Draco nodded. "Indeed. That's not the worst of it however. From examining the diary, there is a faint connection to 6 different points. Considering just what it was I was examining, I concluded that he made 6 horcruxes plus the main soul." He said solemnly.
"6." I whispered faintly, horrified at the thought.
The girls were no better, all of us were horrified.
"No wonder there were rumors of him going insane." Said Elizabeth.
I agreed. "I remember. I guess we know what caused it." I said faintly.
In the ensuing silence, all that could be heard was Draco sipping tea from his cup with calmness rivalling a monk. He put it down and then clapped his hands, cutting through the horrified silence.
"Anyway. Enough about that for now. Why don't we move on to lighter topics?" He said.
Draphne however looked at him like he was insane and grabbed his arm, shaking him
"How can you be so calm?! We need to do something!" She exclaimed, bordering on hysteria.
The presence from before came back, suffusing the area with forced calm, bowling over our panic. Draco put his hands on Daphne's shoulders, stopping her shaking.
"Daphne." He said strongly.
"It's fine. There's nothing to worry about." He said.
"Nothing to worry about?!" She exlaimed with the last of her riled emotions.
He nodded. "Yes. There's nothing to worry about." He repeated.
"I have a piece of his soul in my possession. There's no telling what kinds of magic I can place on him through it." He said.
I shook my head, basking in the forced calm, and interrupted
"That won't work Draco. A horcrux is isolated from the main soul and is nearly indestructable to guarantee it and the maker's safety. It's part of the creation process. It's already incredible that you can examine points of connection at all." I said.
Draco nodded in understanding before a sneer of distain plastered his face.
"No matter. I will overcome that with time. If that proves impossible as you say though, I can still track the others with the one I have." He said before laughing boistrously.
"Hahahaha! If all else fails, I will just have to have the power to face him myself! Like I said earlier, I have already found my path to power. Voldemort is just a small obstacle. I will surpass him soon enough!" He declared, full of confidence.
Silence returned at his declaration. I shook my head, astounded by his confidence and admiring his disposition. I won't claim to be fully confident in him, but trust has been established with telling us this secret as he said it would and will continue to grow into the future if we work for it. Looking at his confidence, I believe that at least he believes in his words. It would be foolish to push him away now.
Everyone was calm again now from whatever it was that Draco was doing. Draphne was all embarrassed about her behaviour, red faced and looking down.
"Apologies for the unseemly conduct." She said quietly.
Draco just smiled. "It's fine Daphne. Anyway, I at least wanted to inform you of this if you're to be my allies. In that way, I hope we can work together from now on." He said.
Banishing any heavy thoughts, I nodded.
"I hope so as well Draco. You've given us a lot to think about. Daphne, why don't you give Draco a tour of the grounds. Your mother and I need to discuss some things." I said.
"Of course father. You'll love the grounds Draco. I'll show you some of my favourite spots." Said Daphne, standing up.
"Apologies that we can't accompany you Draco. My husband and I need to discuss what you've told us and think on your proposals." Said Elizabeth.
"It's not a problem Elizabeth. I've dumped a lot on you and Jacob in this meeting so don't mind it. I'm sure Daphne and I can entertain ourselves." He said politely, getting up as well and following Daphne.
"Huh? Wait for me! I'm coming too!" Shouted Astoria, running after them.
Daphne and Draco were already deep in conversation by the time Astoria caught up to them in the main hall. The echo of the front door closing told us we were alone now, accompanied by a ping in the wards telling me of their exit.
"It seems we have a lot to think on." Said Elizabeth.
I nodded in agreement. "Yes. Sigh, he really gave us too many surprises for one meeting." I said.
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Draco POV:
Daphne and I headed out of the dining room as I followed her lead, walking beside her.
"Geez. You really know how to stir things up Draco. Spilling such dangerous secrets and proposing such outrageous ideas. Can't you do anything normally?" She said, huffing to herself.
"Normal? Who wants to be normal? Certainly not me. Anyway, we can talk about serious topics another time. It's only been a couple of days since i've seen you, but how are you doing since the ball?" I asked.
She smiled. "Fine, we can leave the serious stuff for another time. I've been well, thanks for asking. Father asked Tippy, our elf, to get some books from the muggle world to confirm what you were raving about to me the night of the ball. I'm waiting for him to finish those so I can read them." She said.
"Oh? Interested?" I asked.
She was about to reply, but Astoria chose that moment to interrupt us.
"Wait for me! I'm coming too!" Yelled Astoria, running up to us from behind.
She pouted when she reached us.
"No fair Daphne. You can't just leave like that, leaving me all by myself." She said petulantly.
Daphne turned on her sister at this point.
"Astoria! For once in your life, can you please just let me have some peace? I wanted to talk to Draco alone for a bit." She sighed.
Astoria did a cute little *Humph!* as she jabbered on.
"No way Daphne. Even if you like him, you can't just hog him all to yourself." She said to Daphne, before turning to me.
"Forget her! I have so many questions for you! How do you know all that about the muggles? What did you mean about parallel universes? Do you think there are other worlds with magic? What about..." She was Asking a million questions rapid fire style so I had to cut her off.
"Astoria. Breathe." I said, amused.
She did as I asked and took a deep breath, but was obviously about to keep asking questions and I wanted to spend some time with Daphne today, so I cut her off before she could.
"How about this. The next time I come over, I promise to answer all of your questions then." I said.
Astoria pouted and I have to admit, it was a devestating pout, but I wouldn't be swayed so easily!
"You promise?" She said.
"I promise." I nodded.
"Will you play with me too? Daphne never plays with me anymore." She asked, now upgrading her pout to puppy dog eyes.
It was super effective. I felt myself crumble bit by bit and sighed.
"Fine. I will play with you as well." I conceded.
"Yay!" Astoria exclaimed, her face brightening instantly, and ran ahead of us on the lawns.
We were now out of the house and walking through the carefully tended gardens and large lawns. It really was beautiful here. I don't know where we are geographically, having come here through floo, but it's very picturesque with rolling hills surrounding the estate on all sides.
Daphne stood at my side as we walked, looking at me with an amused expression on her face.
"She's going to have you wrapped around her finger soon enough if you keep giving in to her." She said, her eyes twinkling.
I huffed but conceded her point.
"Probably. I'm sure i'll build up some resistance eventually if I keep coming over." I said.
Daphne laughed. "It's funny. You were all confindent and domineering earlier and now you crumble before a little girl." She said.
"Think it's funny do you?" I said, giving her the side eye.
She nodded. "Yes, I do." She said.
My face pulled into a grin.
"Oh? Then what about what she said? Did you think I would miss it? Do you like me Daphne?" I teased her, turning the tables.
Daphne's cheeks went pink and she turned her head away, not answering me.
"Stupid Astoria." She muttered to herself but I still heard it.
I pressed harder. "So? Do you liiiike me?" I continued to tease her.
Daphne huffed and turned back to me, obviously using her remarkable occlumency to school her expression.
"No." She said.
I smiled. "Don't worry Daphne. It's only natural for you to like me. After all, i'm awesome!" I said smugly.
She was speechless for a second before huffing a response.
"*Huff* You're full of yourself aren't you." She stated.
I laughed and went back to our previous conversation.
"Hahahaha, i'm only joking Daphne." I said.
"So back to before, are you interested in what I was 'raving about' the night of the ball?" I asked, quoting her.
Daphne took a deep breath to calm down before answering, pushing past the embarrassment of having her crush tease her like that.
"Who wouldn't be? The sheer amount of possibilities are mind blowing." She said with some awe, thinking back to that night.
I nodded in agreement.
"I couldn't agree more. That's why I intend to find out." I said.
Daphne fell quiet and I let her be. We walked through the gardens of neatly trimmed flower beds in companionable silence until she spoke up again, seeming coming to a decision.
"Will you let me join you? For your dream I mean." She asked.
"What about your goal of curing Astoria?" I asked back.
She shook her head. "I won't give up on that. But it would be good to have something else. Even if it's your dream, there's no reason why I can't make it my own as well." She said.
It was my turn to fall into thought this time. We weren't in a hurry, so I didn't speed up my perception of time with either my soul nor mind. Nevertheless, it didn't take long to answer.
"That, Daphne, depends on a few things." I said.
She gestured for me to continue, so I did.
"Firstly, you should know that I won't share my dream with just anyone. I can tell anyone about it no problem, but as for actually letting someone join me? That person would have to be extremely close to me before I would even consider it." I said.
"In this scenario, I wouldn't want a follower. Do you understand what i'm saying?" I asked.
She nodded. "I understand. They would need to be your equal." She said and I nodded, confirming her thoughts.
"For someone to be my equal however, I would need to pass on to them my secrets. Only then could someone keep up with me. That would require both a lot of time, and immense trust." I said.
"That's very arrogant of you Draco." She said, looking at me strangely.
I nodded. "Arrogant maybe, but true nonetheless. Without my secrets, they would eventually fall behind no matter how talented they were." I said.
She nodded to herself in thought.
"What else?" She asked.
I thought for a moment but shook my head.
"That's basically it really. Don't think however, that those requirements are simple. No matter how close I am with someone, I wouldn't pass my secrets to them if they didn't have willpower and determination I deem sufficient." I said.
"Not talent?" She asked.
I shook my head. "No, not talent. Unless they suffer from a truly indescribable lack of talent, it doesn't particularly matter. The same with intelligence. You already know the way to increase that even. The mind arts can allow a moron to become a genius with enough effort." I said.
What I said was true. If I passed on my soul cultivation technique, talent would no longer really matter. A stronger soul is capable of mastering things more quickly and capable of comprehending things at higher and deeper levels. It's still a theory at this stage, but I suspect that talent is closely related to the strength of the soul. Grandfather has the strongest soul of anyone i've met so far, and he is more powerful than anyone else i've met so far as well. Harry also has a very strong soul. Food for thought.
"So what kind of willpower would someone need then?" She asked.
I decided to throw her a bone here. What can I say, I like her. She's fun to tease.
"The kind of willpower and determination that's required to reach the 7th stage of occlumency before Hogwarts." I said, smiling at her implicatively.
Daphne stopped for a moment before smiling beautifully, her blue eyes shining.
"That's just another reason to pass your test then." She said.
I shook my head. "Don't underestimate the difficulty in this task Daphne. Connecting your magical core to your mindscape will test your willpower like never before. Reaching the seventh stage, on the other hand, will likely frustrate you immensely and will test your overall determination." I said.
Daphne nodded, finally understanding the difficulty involved, despite her parents earlier warnings. Nevertheless, her eyes were resolute, like hard diamonds.
"It doesn't matter. I'll do it." She said.
Before another silence could descend, I spoke up.
"What subjects have you been studying recently? I asked, changing the conversation to lighter things.
Daphne was pulled from her thoughts and smiled at me.
"Recently, i've been looking into enchanting. It's fascinating how runes merge with so many other disciplines. I've only scratched the surface so far, but it's fascinating!" She said, her eyes bright with enthusiasm.
"I know right! Runes can be used for a lot of things. It takes a lot of time to master though. They take magic from the user when they're being written while using the meanings you ascribe to them at that moment. You can, however, make them more powerful by manually feeding more magic when writing them. You'll be able to do that when you connect your core to your mindscape." I said.
"Speaking of enchanting. I've actually been thinking about enchanting some protective items for myself. Protection from physical projectiles, potion detection, mental protection and any more I can think of. I want them done before Hogwarts." I finished.
"That sounds amazing! Yet another reason to master occlumency. Runes are already one of my favourite subjects but to be able to use them better? Sign me up." She said brightly.
She then stopped and and looked at me strangely.
"Why mental protection though? I can understand the others, but weren't you just telling us you've reached the highest stage of occlumency?" She asked.
I chuckled and nodded. "Indeed I have, but I don't want others knowing that do I? The longer I can keep hidden, the better." I said.
She nodded in understanding. With a smile, she said.
"In that case, I approve. Can you make me a set when you do? It sounds like a good idea." She asked me.
I nodded. "Will do." I said.
Truthfully, I only really need the projectile protection. As unlikely as it is, a sniper is the most deadly weapon to me at this moment. Although I doubt i'd be unable to handle it. The moment one is shot, my strong soul would warn me of the danger and automatically slow down my perception of time the closer I am to death. Then all I would need to do is deploy a shield. Magic isn't constrained by time so I can perform it as fast as my perception allows.
Nevertheless, it's never a bad idea to have extra protection. I can detect foreign magic in food and drinks myself for example, but why not make a ring capable of it as an extra precaution? Plus, it's a fun project for me to do.
Maybe i'll need to protect any friends I make or I could sell them for some extra income. It's not good to deplete my trust fund and never replenish it. Lucius can also track how much money I take from it. If I ever needed to buy something expensive and needed to keep it private, selling enchanted items is an option.
Daphne's words snapped me out of my thoughts.
"I came across this interesting enchantment in one of the books I was reading..." She said.
We kept chatting about enchanting for a while before moving to another subject. Daphne truly loves magic which I find surprising for someone who grew up around it. Nevertheless, I like that about her and we continued our conversation well into the afternoon, only pausing for lunch or to indulge Astoria's childish whims.
Despite Daphne not being as learned in the magical arts as I am, our conversations were never boring. I even almost forgot to do a detailed scan of the library while I was here, only remembering when we noticed the sun getting low! Time had just flown by for us. I left their mansion with a smile, satisfied with how things had gone.
In the privacy of my own room, I had to contemplate a serious issue I was having right now. It can't be put off for later, I need to make a decision. My relationship with Daphne needs to be addressed.
I am well aware she has a crush on me. It's easy to tell even without soul sense. I was only teasing her this afternoon because I found her reactions funny. I won't tease her again about it, despite how adorable and amusing her reactions were. She's a CHILD. I may be one technically, but i'm really, really not. Any thoughts in that direction make me feel nauseous and sick to my stomach. I decided to play ignorant in the future, pretending I have no idea. She'll grow out of it eventually.
On the one hand, I enjoy spending time with her. Our conversations are interesting and I enjoy them. The passion she has when discussing magic rivals my own. On the other, I would much prefer it if she didn't have this silly crush. She is an intelligent girl with a maturity that belies her age. It's different from Harry though. Harry's is a forced maturity due to circumstances, wheras Daphne's is a purposefullly cultivated maturity.
Thoughts in order now, I decided on a path. I will continue to be her friend but play ignorant to anything that could have the FBI busting my door down. I will focus purely on magic and friendship with her. She's a brilliant little girl who will grow into a formidable witch. If she manages to pass my test, I will take her under my wing and help her reach great heights. I nodded to myself, satisfied with my decision.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票