章節 121: Chapter 120 - Dinner at Black Manor 03.

[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]

Third Person POV

London.

...

The Black family was acting somewhat strange that night. The matriarch had announced that a special guest, who had just closed a major deal involving the most important shop they had for sale, would be joining them.

With the entire family gathered, the tension was palpable after this announcement; after all, there was much at stake.

Bernart and Astraea had three sons, all boys: Black III, Orion, and Alphard. Two of them were still alive, while the youngest had passed away over ten years ago along with his wife, Druella of the Rosier family. Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa were still young when their parents died.

The parents of Sirius and Regulus, the oldest and heirs of the family, were also present: Orion Black and Walburga Black, née Black, sat beside their youngest son, the pride of the family. Sirius, however, was no longer part of the family circle; he had been cast out and found refuge with the Potters.

Alphard Black, Astraea's middle son, and his wife, Cassiopeia Black (OC), née Burke, were there with their only son, Paris, seated beside him at the table.

The Black family had always been quite strict, speaking only when necessary and using few words. But that night, the atmosphere was different. The news of the shop's sale had stirred interest among many; while some were curious about who had bought it, others seemed dissatisfied with how events had unfolded.

"Mother, how could you do such a thing? We had an agreement with the Nott family! What's going to happen to our situation now?" the eldest son, Orion, exclaimed, displeased with the situation. "You simply accepted a buyer after already negotiating with them?"

"It's business, my son. Business. After all, this buyer offered more money than the Nott family had negotiated with us. So, there's nothing we can do," Astraea replied firmly. "Besides, we finalized everything this afternoon; we no longer own that shop..." she stated the obvious.

Apart from Astraea, only Paris, Bellatrix, and a suspicious Regulus had any idea who was behind the purchase. The rest of the family remained surprised, as they had only arrived that evening, while their grandmother's guest stayed in his room, reading Salazar's book.

Just as Alphard was about to ask who the buyer was, the door opened, and Severus Snape entered calmly in ordinary clothes. While everyone began to react upon seeing him, Astraea tried to maintain a respectful demeanor.

Snape grew more intriguing to her with each passing moment. Besides the respect his presence commanded, he now seemed to exude a status far greater than they could have imagined. Astraea, known for her pride in her status and the purity of her lineage, saw before her a young man who, despite not yet finishing Hogwarts, had already faced dark wizards, was the mysterious alchemist, and had the favor of the Gringotts bank managers and their healers—a nearly unthinkable feat. He was too dangerous and seemed destined to occupy high positions in the magical world. Even so, she recalled the threatening look that thing had cast inside the boy's mind, a reminder that he was even more than her eyes perceived, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Who is that?" Cassiopeia, mother of Paris, asked, looking at Astraea with a frown.

"Severus?" Andromeda was the first to stand up, astonished, not expecting to see him there, while Narcissa seemed equally stunned.

"Wait... Severus? Severus Snape?" Regulus's father asked, turning to Alphard. "Is he the one who struck your son?" He raised his voice, creating a tense atmosphere at the table.

"Mother, why is this half-blood inside our home, eating at our table?" Alphard stood up, full of anger, pointing at Snape, well aware of how he had troubled his son.

"You'd better sit down now because I'm only going to say this once: if there's any further disrespect toward my guest, I will remove you from the table. I'm serious, Alphard." Astraea's somber voice brought immediate weight to the atmosphere. Paris's father looked at her, surprised, wondering what had led his mother to act this way, defending the half-blood against him.

"Besides, we're closing the deal."

"He may be a half-blood, but he just deposited 200,000 Galleons into our vault," Bellatrix replied calmly without lifting her gaze.

"What? 200,000 Galleons? Does this guy really have that much?" Orion looked shocked. After all, where had this boy gotten so much money?

Everyone there despised any half-blood, though not as much as Muggle-borns, yet they still didn't see Snape as someone of their own kind.

"Only if he returned to the family… the Prince family..." Cassiopeia remarked. "But I'm surprised; after all, his mother married a Muggle… a fool, clueless, no wonder she ended up dying alone..." Cassiopeia knew Eileen Snape; she had even studied with her, the brightest witch of their class, which stirred a certain jealousy in her. She found it amusing when she heard of Eileen's tragic end, living with a Muggle and dying at his hands.

"Mother..." Paris interrupted her, as she was about to laugh, finding it amusing despite Astraea's distaste for such behavior. Eileen might have been the brightest witch, but Cassiopeia had married into a great family, while Eileen had married a drunk Muggle who didn't even care for her.

But as soon as her son called her attention, she focused on the family around her, expecting agreement. Yet, suddenly, everyone was wide-eyed, staring in Snape's direction.

When Cassiopeia noticed what they were looking at, she was also startled. Snape stood in the same spot, but a dark aura began to emanate from his body, as though shadows were starting to cover him. His eyes glowed a piercing blue, causing everyone to widen their eyes in shock, wondering what was happening.

"Astraea, I accepted your invitation, but if I hear another word about my mother, I will act, regardless of any business arrangements," Snape spoke, each word deepening the darkness in the room. Everyone felt an intense pressure, wondering what it could be.

Snape had acquired a new ability in his system upon reaching level 45, though he had never used it until now. Yet, it now activated uncontrollably: the skill "Monarch's Aura," which could paralyze weaker opponents under its pressure.

The woman who had mocked Snape's mother felt a chill and froze as soon as she locked eyes with him, paralyzed by fear as Snape directed his entire aura at her.

"What is this?" Orion muttered, his face perplexed as he glanced at his wife beside him. Even the three sisters—Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa—looked stunned, while Regulus and even Paris were wide-eyed.

What was even more surprising was Astraea raising her wand and casting a spell directly at her daughter-in-law, transforming her into a toad that fell onto her chair. The entire room was astonished, uncertain whether to look at Snape or at Paris's mother, who was now a toad.

"Monstro, take her to her room and only turn her back into a human when dinner is over," Astraea spoke with anger and a hint of dissatisfaction, hoping Snape wouldn't be offended by this.

Kreacher appeared quickly and picked up the toad. However, his gaze fell on Snape at that moment, and he widened his eyes in fear for the first time, seeming to see something that no one else could, before disappearing with the transformed Cassiopeia.

Snape then released the "Monarch's Aura," acknowledging Astraea's action.

"Mother, what was that? Why did you transform my wife?" Alphard looked stunned at the empty seat beside him.

"I made it very clear that anyone who disrespects my guest would be removed," she responded sternly. "Are we understood? Now, I don't want any questions. Just treat him as you would someone from another great family." Her words left her two sons confused and fearful of contradicting her, especially one who was still in shock over his wife's transformation.

Andromeda sat, observing Snape beside Narcissa, who also looked at him in astonishment, trying to grasp what was happening, wondering if he had really bought the shop and what her grandmother had done to behave so unusually.

Snape, meanwhile, sat calmly at the table as his plate reappeared before him, with Kreacher doing his work as the Hogwarts elves would.

"I want you to feel at ease, Severus. I apologize for any discomfort; I don't wish to offend you..." Astraea said, serious yet with a welcoming tone.

Snape nodded slightly, beginning to eat calmly. He didn't want to be there, but after closing the deal and seeing Astraea's effort to maintain order and respect, he decided to stay.

The atmosphere was tense, with everyone at the table silent, uncertain how to start a conversation. Astraea looked at each of her children and grandchildren, watching to see if they would respect her guest, while the younger ones cast discreet glances at their grandmother, uncles, parents, and even Snape, with curiosity.

But it was the youngest among them, visibly curious and usually well-behaved at family gatherings, who broke the silence in that strange atmosphere. Seeing that no one spoke, he decided to ask:

"What do you plan to do with the shop?" Regulus asked.

Everyone at the table turned their gaze to Snape, awaiting his response. "I'll make it into a potion shop," Snape replied, direct and straightforward. To him, it was obvious; as the previous owners, they must already know that this would be the transformation of the place.

"So, you're a businessman? Will you have an alchemist hired?" Despite being a staunch pure-blood activist, Orion asked, trying to understand the situation. He spoke calmly and civilly.

"I won't need one. I'll prepare the potions myself," Snape said quietly.

"You? But… you haven't finished your studies; you're only in your seventh year, right?" Orion asked again, visibly puzzled. "Only potions masters could supply a shop's needs..." He also hadn't known that Snape was skilled in potion-making, much less a hidden master.

"I have my methods," Snape responded, looking at the man.

Orion frowned and looked at his mother, who mouthed something like, 'He's a damn mysterious alchemist!' as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, maintaining a stern expression.

Regulus's father was surprised but held back, now understanding the situation better and reevaluating his impressions of the young man who, as he had heard from rumors at Hogwarts, was dominating the school and standing up to any pure-blood who challenged him, surpassing everyone and earning the dislike of many, including himself and Alphard, as Snape had even fought with Paris and subdued Bellatrix.

"I see. In any case, we'll need to cancel our meetings with the Nott family," he said, turning to Astraea.

"Yes. Besides, they're quite busy with the incident that occurred at school. One of the family members, along with youths from other families, was tortured with an Unforgivable Curse in the Slytherin dormitories," commented Alphard, Paris's father, adding to the tense atmosphere.

Tension once again covered everyone present. Many seemed to suspect that Snape was behind the incident at Hogwarts, which was reasonable. Even Astraea, reflecting on the event, began to believe that Snape might have been responsible. He seemed to fear no one, to the point of torturing children of influential and powerful people.

Snape noticed the tension and the suspicions around him but didn't care. To him, it was evident that some here could quickly come to that conclusion, but he knew he didn't need to worry about what the Black family thought of it right now.

---------

Raccoon Here:

The structure of the Black family is a bit confusing; it's not official—I just tried to adapt it as best as possible for the story, using some official names and adjusting details like the death of Bellatrix's parents, who hadn't actually died at this point. I included it here to keep the story from extending too much with the Black family.

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