Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

The Black Heir	By : gpsassi Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Voldemort Views: 42493 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created and owned by JK
Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books,
Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being
made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

AN: I already made up my mind, this will most definitely be an
Orion/LV(TMR) main pairing, I have the whole plot established for the seven
years already. The real interesting stuff will happen starting on third year,
so be patient please, but I promise it will be worth the wait. It will have a
lot of twists and turns.

About what the spirits told Orion in the Chamber of Whispers, it doesn�t
mean that this is a crossover with the Matrix, that would be too weird. This
story doesn�t have crossovers. But what the voices said is relevant to the
plot. Orion will be slowly discovering what it means.

Thank you Branwen77, I enjoyed your review a lot and I liked your ideas.
You have already guessed correctly about some of Orion�s lovers! It won�t come
to such a surprise to you when it happens, pity. : )

Thanks Perfect Marionette for pointing out the misspelling in �thumb�.
Spanish is my native language, so let me know if it happens again. : )

WARNING:
DH SPOILERS!

Chapter 10 � Deathly Hallows

The following week Orion received a letter from Sirius and Draco. Sirius
didn�t have any great news, just that Phineas Nigellus� portrait was spying for
them in Dumbledore�s office and he reported that the old man still hadn�t given
up searching for Harry Potter, though some of the teachers had expressed their
belief that the boy might be dead already.

Draco�s letter had been very interesting and hilarious. Poor Draco, to
be cooped up in a light wizarding school. Draco had whined about how the
teachers were prejudiced against students that came from dark families and how
the other houses despised Slytherin. He complained endlessly about a muggleborn
girl, Granger something or other, that had little power but was extremely
bookish. Draco said that the girl was extremely annoying and always flaunted
her knowledge and that he was sure that the girl would be useless in a real
duel environment, where true power came to play. According to Draco, all the
teachers were delighted with her, since she was a symbol of muggleborn worth,
and ignored Draco when he did just as well in their classes.

Draco was also angry because their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher
was completely useless. He said that Quirrell was a wizard that wore a
ridiculous turban and that was afraid of his own shadow and that they weren�t
learning anything useful. He continued explaining that the only teacher that
seemed to favor them was Severus Snape, his godfather. Draco didn�t know much
about his godfather, only that he had been a Death Eater during the first war
and had been declared innocent in his trial with the support of Dumbledore.
That�s the part that had interested Orion the most. He hadn�t seen Snape in any
of the pureblood gatherings and he was pretty sure that it wasn�t a pureblood
family name. Was Snape a pureblood or halfblood? Did he feel indebted to
Dumbledore and had turned sides or was he still loyal to the dark side?
According to Draco the wizard was a brilliant Potions Master, so it would be
convenient to have him on their side. He remembered Sirius talking derogatively
about Snivellus Snape and how the Marauders had endlessly pranked him. He had
felt sorry for the wizard at the time, he was aware that James Potter and
Sirius had been extremely cruel to him. He also remembered that Sirius said
something about how Lily had been his friend at first but after Snape called
her a mudblood when she defended him, she had turned her back at him, much to
Sirius� delight. He wrote to Draco asking him more about Snape and his true allegiance
and also told him a little bit about his core classes and the other students.

Draco also seemed to have a vendetta against a Weasley, which he found
extremely funny. The Weasleys were a poor but well-regarded light family that
were clearly prejudiced against the Dark Arts and quite narrow-minded. It was
Draco�s bad luck that he should have one of them in his year. Draco had also
expressed his disappointment that Harry Potter hadn�t showed up. He said that
most of the children had been waiting in anticipation to meet the boy but there
were no signs of him. Dumbledore didn�t seem preoccupied but Draco thought it
was all very weird. Orion smiled when he read that. If Draco ever discovered
the truth about Orion�s identity he would have a huge temper tantrum.

The next few months had passed quickly and Orion had become a favorite
amongst the teachers, with the exception of Potions, where Kragen had taken
Calypso as his prot�g�. Orion�s favorite classes were Dark Arts, Spell
Creation, Blood Rituals and Transfiguration. Tom helped him with Ancient Runes
and Arithmancy and he was currently the best in Dark Spell Creation. Tom had
been fascinated by it when Orion told him about the class. Orion learned that
Tom had gone to Hogwarts and that they had taught him almost nothing about the
Dark Arts, so Tom had learned by himself. Orion quickly discovered that the
young wizard was brilliant. When he studied at nights, he always kept the
locket opened and Tom would expand on subjects not mentioned in the books. He
would have made an excellent teacher. Tom challenged Orion�s mind and he loved
his discussions with him. They still argued about muggleborns, muggles and how
to be a good leader, but they finally conceded that both had valid points.
Thankfully, Tom didn�t mock Orion anymore about his aspirations of becoming a
powerful dark wizard equal to the Dark Lord.

Christmas break was just a few days ahead and there were several things
that Orion still hadn�t resolved. He had researched about all types of rituals
that Voldemort could have done to himself to cause his body to turn to ashes
when the Avada Kedavra curse hit him, but he hadn�t found anything conclusive.
He still didn�t know what kind of magical object the locket was and he had no
idea how to look for the two spirits of the Chamber of Whispers. He had thought
of using necromancy textbooks to see if he could find a summoning ritual that
could help him but he discovered that those books were fiercely guarded by
Vulcan Vagnarov and the wizard had refused to lend him one, saying that if he
had the power he would learn it in his sixth year. But Orion wasn�t deterred;
he decided to search the castle for any sign.

Orion was just heading out of the common room for one of his late
evening strolls around the castle in search for clues when Lezander took his
arm, �And where exactly are you going? You have been disappearing for several
evenings each week,� he said and cocked his head to a side, �Are you having
little rendezvous in the moonlight with Calypso?� he asked smirking.

Orion laughed, �No, no such luck,� he said with a wink, �I just like to
walk around the castle.�

Lezander smiled at him, �Come, come, Ori. You must be looking for
something.�

�Perhaps," said Orion with a smirk.

Lezander grinned, �Very well, don�t tell. Would you mind some company?�

Orion considered this, �You�re welcome to come along, maybe you can
detect something that I can�t.�

And with that they took off. �What exactly are we looking for?� asked
Lezander with curiosity, �I don�t mean to pry, I just ask to help you find it.�

Orion sighed and ran a hand through his hair, �Well, I don�t exactly
know, just a clue of some kind. A hidden chamber perhaps? Or an unknown
passage?�

Lezander nodded and they kept walking through the castle. It was almost
eight thirty in the evening and the castle was practically empty since most
students stayed in their common rooms. They took a turn and went to a part of
the castle that was little used.

Orion observed Lezander, they had become really close and he could
easily say that both he and Calypso were his two best friends. He liked the
others very much as well, but he didn�t feel the connection that he felt with
Calypso and Lezander. Lezander had quickly discovered that Orion was a
parselmouth and he always sat on Orion�s bed to listen to him speaking with
Sylvana. When Orion had asked why he liked to listen, Lezander had simply said
that it was beautiful, like a song being whispered in his ear. Orion had shaken
his head but he indulged the other boy. They used to lounge on his bed while he
petted Sylvana and talked about their lives and what they wanted to do in the
future. Orion discovered that Lezander was the son of the Master Vampire of the
Zraven Clan and he was being groomed for the position in the future. In turn, he
had told Lezander his aspiration of becoming a powerful dark wizard to help end
the repression against the Dark Arts and the dark pureblood families.

Orion turned to him, �Do you remember what I told you last night? About
how I thought that the Dark Lord would be coming back soon and how I wanted to
help him.� Lezander nodded his head, �Well, you didn�t answer me when I asked
if your clan would support him. Do you not like him?� asked Orion.

Lezander looked into Orion�s eyes, �We usually remain neutral in wizarding
affairs. If we ever intervened in a war it would draw attention to us again,
and we want to avoid that for our own safety.�

�Yes, well, but how are you going to claim back your freedom if you do
nothing about it? I understand the need to keep apart during times of peace but
shouldn�t you fight for your rights as well? To be able to live with the
wizards in the open and without fear.� asked Orion.

Lezander frowned in thought and then replied, �The problem is that
neither the light or dark wizards have offered us a good deal. The light
wizards are generally prejudiced against us and consider us mindless
blood-sucking monsters, and the dark side has only tried to use us as killing
machines without offering much in return.�

�But during the first rise of Voldemort, didn�t he attempt an alliance
with you? I know that he had the Giants� support and he was attempting to get
the werewolves� support as well, so I had imagined that he had also approached
your Clan with an offer,� said Orion.

Lezander nodded, �He did. He offered us equal rights with the wizards
once he had taken over the wizarding world but he asked too much in return.�

Orion pierced him with his eyes, �What did he ask for?�

�Well, the usual, that we fought alongside his Death Eaters and such. Vampires
have very quick reflexes, as you may have noticed,� said Lezander with a smirk.
Orion just huffed, he had proof enough of that. Whenever Lezander taunted him
and Orion made a move to physically retaliate, the vampire would always dodge
his friendly slaps and easily immobilized Orion�s arms. �And we are also immune
to some curses and aren�t easily injured, so we make excellent fighters. But
that request wasn�t the problem. He asked for something that we would never
give; something that we value too much.�

�Well, go on, what did he ask for?� asked Orion excitedly.

Lezander silently regarded him for a moment, �He asked for the Master�s
blood.�

Orion cocked his head to a side, �For your father�s blood? Whatever
for?�

�Do you remember about one of the lessons of Blood Rituals, when Master
Helgard explained the rituals done to acquire the abilities of magical
creatures?� Orion nodded his head and Lezander continued, �Well, if you ever
did that ritual with vampire blood, especially with a Master vampire�s blood,
you would extend your natural life for centuries and would age very slowly.
Your body would also be immune to diseases, heal injuries quickly and your
powers would increase.�

Orion was in awe, �And he asked your father�s blood to do the ritual?�

Lezander laughed, �Not only that, mind you, we wouldn�t have given him
the blood even if it was just for the ritual. But he wanted my father to give
him the blood in the natural way.�

�What do you mean the natural way?� asked Orion frowning.

�For a perfect transfer of vampire blood from a vampire to a wizard, the
vampire has to drink from the wizard and then feed the wizard his blood. This
doesn�t turn the wizard to a vampire, just gives him our lifespan and the other
things I mentioned. To turn someone into a vampire, which we haven�t done in
millennia, the vampire has to drain the person until the brink of death and
then feed him his blood. What the Dark Lord wanted was the first option, where
he is only drained a little bit and then given the vampire blood. But we never
do this to non-vampires, since the process creates a bond between the vampire
and the other person. It�s like our mating bond. We usually do it when we have
chosen another vampire as our lifemate. And of course my father had already
done it with my mother. But even so, he could do it with someone else if he
truly desired to. But our Clan has the rule to never undertake the mating bond
with a non-vampire. And my father would never consider giving the Dark Lord
such powers,� explained Lezander.

�Wow, that�s fascinating. I never knew you could do that. I makes sense
that the Dark Lord requested that, he would be practically immortal and
indestructible,� said Orion.

�Yes, exactly. And we didn�t want to create someone so powerful. He was
extremely powerful already imagine if he had undergone the transfer! Nothing
assured us that he wouldn�t turn against us later. So we couldn�t accept the
deal and the Dark Lord was adamant that that was his main request. So he was
turned down,� said Lezander.

�Didn�t he get persistent?� asked Orion.

Lezander smirked wickedly, �Oh, yes. Father told me that the Dark Lord
started offering all kind of things when he saw that Father wouldn�t acquiesce.
He kept sending emissaries with better deals, until Father made it clear that
it was a non-negotiable point. But the Dark Lord didn�t dare attack us.�

They kept on walking silently. �Hmm, I think we�re lost,� said Orion
turning to look at his sides. He didn�t recognize this part of the castle. He
looked at Lezander and saw that he had his eyes fixed on one of the walls of
the corridor they were in.

Lezander raised his arm and pointed his finger forwards, �Is that the
sign that you were looking for?�

Orion followed his finger and saw that he was pointing at a corner
shrouded in shadows. He couldn�t see anything. He moved towards the wall and
casted Lumos raising his wand. He felt Lezander stand by his side. There
it was. Well, he didn�t know if that�s what he had been looking for but it was
certainly something. There on the wall was a small symbol engraved in the
stone. It was a circle inscribed in a triangle with a vertical line crossing
through the middle. �I�ve never seen this symbol before,� whispered Orion.

�Me neither,� replied Lezander, �What do you think it is?�

�Well, I don�t know, but it seems to have been made by someone, perhaps
one of the students?� said Orion.

Lezander traced his finger over the mark, �It�s old. Look at the way
it�s engraved. The corners are black, as if it has been engraved many decades
ago.�

Orion nodded, �Yes, you�re right. Lez, cast Lumos. I�m going to cast
spells that can tell us more about it.�

Lezander nodded and casted Lumos with his wand while Orion
pointed his wand at the wall and said Revelatio. Nothing happened. Orion
kept casting more spells but none gave any information about the age of the
mark, the author, nor did they reveal any secret chambers behind it. Orion
sighed in frustration. �Well, it doesn�t open secret doors either. I�ll have to
look for it in the library, to see if some of the books mention it.�

They returned to their rooms and Orion closed his bed curtains casting
silencing charms. He opened the locket.

�Well, hello Orion� said Tom amicably, �How did it go with your
Arithmancy essay?�

�Fine, fine, I got an outstanding,� said Orion dismissively, �I have to
ask you something.� He took out a piece of parchment and drew the symbol he had
seen.

Tom was eyeing him with curiosity. Orion took the piece of parchment and
showed it to Tom, �Do you recognize this symbol?� he asked.

Tom looked at it and then turned his dark blue eyes to Orion, �Where
have you seen it?�

�In one of the school�s walls,� said Orion excitedly, �You recognize it.
What is it?�

Tom replied calmly, �It was Grindelwald�s mark.�

Orion frowned, �Well, he was a student here so he might have engraved it
himself. But what does it represent?�

Tom turned thoughtful, �I don�t think it represents anything, it�s just
a symbol that Grindelwald chose for his cause.�

Orion frowned. It didn�t make any sense. Why would Grindelwald carve a
symbol that didn�t represent something especial to him? People usually chose
symbols that represented their desires, their ambitions, not just a shape that
struck their fancy. But Tom had seemed honest when he said he didn�t know.

Today they were leaving the school for their Christmas break. Orion was
going to spend his holidays with Sirius at Black Manor and then would spend a
day at Malfoy Mannor in England to see Draco, after much insistence on Draco�s
part.

After the sea journey, Orion and his group of friends arrived to Saint
Petersburg. He could see Sirius waiting patiently for him. He bid his friends
good-bye and went to him.

Sirius smiled widely when he saw him, �Hello, young pup. You�ve grown�,
he said hugging Orion.

�Really?� came Orion�s muffled reply, �Am I taller?�

Sirius laughed, �Yes, a little bit,� he said ruffling his hair, �Don�t
worry. I remember that at your age I was also a bit short, but I grew taller
quickly afterwards.�

Sirius apparated them directly to the Grand Hall of Black Manor and
Orion went to his room to unpack. A while later, Sirius came in.

�Orion, what would you like to do during your break?� asked Sirius.

Orion sat on his bed and thought about it, �I don�t know. Whatever you
want. I have no plans besides spending a day at Malfoy Manor. What do you want
to do?�

Sirius fidgeted a little bit, �Well, you see, I was thinking that
perhaps we could go to Godric�s Hollows.�

Orion sat up straight at looked at him intensely, �You want to see mum�s
grave?� he asked quietly. He didn�t know how he felt about that. Seeing her
grave will make it more real. He didn�t know if he wanted that.

Sirius sighed and sat by his side, �We won�t go if you don�t want to.
It�s just that I never went back. I haven�t seen the house since that night and
I never saw her grave. I wanted to go by myself but I thought it would be nice
if you came with me as well. It was your first home and you should have a place
to remember her by.�

Orion nodded in understanding. His father seemed to need the closure and
while he wasn�t too excited about the prospect of seeing her grave and the pain
that would ensue, he should lend his support to his father. He turned to smile
at Sirius, �Very well, let�s go,� then he frowned, �But won�t it be dangerous
for you? They are still looking for you after all.�

Sirius grinned back at him, �But they aren�t looking for a great black
dog.�

�I had forgotten about that!� said Orion happily, �Oh, and I have almost
managed to complete my transformation!�

Sirius looked at him in surprise, �You have! That�s astounding!�

Orion nodded his head proudly, �Yes, I already have the body, wings and
claws. I only need to transform the head. It�s the most painful part still, but
I can sprout feathers from my head and chin already!�

�That�s great, little prodigy,� said Sirius smiling, �When you are able
to transform completely we can ran wild in the forest. Well, you�ll fly and
I�ll run. We�ll see who�s faster,� he said with a grin.

Orion looked up at him smirking, �What do I win if I beat you?�

Sirius let out a short bark of laughter, �Why, the honor of outrunning
the great Padfoot! I must tell you that not even Prongs could beat me in my
days.�

Orion spent the rest of his day telling Sirius all about school and his
friends. He couldn�t tell him about the classes that were exclusive for the
Hydras but he did tell him about the Dark Arts class and the rest. He detected
a concerned expression on Sirius� face when he excitedly told him that Romulus
Rosier had privately told him that he had never seen such a natural ability for
the Dark Arts in one so young, but he didn�t give it too much importance. He
knew that Sirius still held some reserves about the Dark Arts, but he would
become used to it soon enough.

The following day Orion and Padfoot flooed to a caf� in Paris and from
there to the only pub in Godric�s Hollow. They had decided in doing it in two
stages just in case the English Aurors were tracking the incoming floo traffic
to England. Orion followed Padfoot out of the pub and saw that the Godric�s
Hollow was a pretty little village covered in snow. Orion started crossing the
village square when he heard Padfoot�s whine. Orion turned around to see what
he was looking at and stopped in his tracks. The War Memorial that had been in
the middle of the square had transformed into a statue of three people. He
recognized them immediately. It was James Potter and his mother with a baby
representation of himself in her arms. He heard Padfoot whining and saw how he
rested his front paws on the lap of Lily�s statue. He wasn�t so sure himself
about what he felt. It could be described as a longing mixed with melancholy.
But he snapped out of it and approached Padfoot. He gently stroked his fur and
whispered to the dog�s ear �Father, I know it must be painful, but if anyone
sees us here staring at her statue, they�ll become suspicious.� But Padfoot
didn�t seem to respond, so he gently nudged him to move forwards. Padfoot
whined but kept moving. Orion followed him to the church and opened the gates
of the Cemetery for him.

He could see Padfoot wading ahead of him through the snow and he started
looking at some of the tombstones as he walked by them. His eyes caught sight
of a worn headstone and he halted in surprise.�It can�t be,� he whispered to
himself. He approached the stone and cleared the snow on it. There it was, his
eyes hadn�t tricked him. Grindelwald�s mark engraved in a headstone that seemed
older than time. He traced it with his fingers and looked at the name inscribed
bellow: Ignotus Peverell. He frowned. He hadn�t heard of the Peverells before,
and this didn�t make any sense. Why would Grindelwald chose as his personal
mark the crest of some wizard that seemed to have lived centuries ago? Was he a
descendant? If so, why were the Peverells so important as to make Grindelwald
proudly choose their mark?

He was taken out of his musings when Padfoot took his hand gently in his
jaws and pulled him forward. He numbly followed his father until they reached
two white marble headstones. He moved forward to read the engravings: James
Potter, Born 27 March 1960, Died 31 October 1981; Lily Potter, Born 30 January
1960, Died 31 October 1981; and bellow: The last enemy that shall be destroyed
is death.

Orion knelt by Padfoot�s side and tightly hugged him. He could feel his
father shaking beneath him and could hear his low whines. Orion couldn�t
repress his tears any longer and let them run freely. He silently wept and
tightened his grip on Padfoot�s fur. Now he understood that he had needed to
see this and to grieve openly for her. The witch that had given him so much:
the opportunity to live in exchange of her own life. Even before birth she had
wanted to protect him against the Death Eaters by concealing his true
parentage. What would she think of me if she knew that I was studying the Dark
Arts? That I have embraced my dark blood heritage? Would she understand? Am I
causing her sacrifice to be in vain if I join them? If I support her murderer?
He felt as if his heart was being torn apart in opposite directions. He had been
so sure before, that he was taking the right path. That what only mattered was
to preserve the dark families and the dark magic. But at what cost? Should he
betray his mother�s ideals? Render her death and sacrifice meaningless?

He felt Padfoot licking his tears and turned to look at him. There was
such an infinite pain and sadness in those hunted gray eyes. Will he ever
forgive himself? Will he forgive me if I truly support Voldemort? He didn�t
know what to do. What was clear before was now muddled in emotional turmoil.

He rose exhaustedly from his kneeling position and turned to look away
from the gravestones. He felt so uncertain now. He waded between the rows and
unfocusedly read the names as he advanced. He recognized many light family
names. He halted and turned back to look at a dark headstone covered in
licken-spots: Kendra Dumbledore and Her Daughter Ariana. He stilled and quickly
glanced at the dates. They must be Dumbledore�s relatives! Aunt and cousin? Or
mother and sister? The girl had died very young. How strange. Wizarding
children usually didn�t die young. Almost all diseases had potions to cure
them.

Padfoot licked his hand and Orion looked at him. He felt so drained.
Orion said in a low pleading voice, �I want to go, Father. I don�t want to see
the house. Please don�t make me.�

Padfoot nodded and licked his hand once more before turning ahead
towards the gates of the Cemetery.

That night Orion dropped heavily on his bed. His mind was a jumbled
confusion of names and marks and statues and headstones. He needed to speak to
someone and he didn�t want to tell Sirius about his doubts, he wouldn�t
understand. He opened his locket and placed it as usual on his chest to have
Tom staring directly at his eyes.

�You look dreadful,� said Tom with a smirk, �Too much Christmas
partying?�

Orion sighed and replied tiredly, �Not exactly.�

Tom frowned at his tone of voice.

�I went to visit my mother�s grave,� said Orion softly.

Tom looked angry, �Your father took you to her grave on Christmas
holidays? What was he attempting, to rip all the holiday�s merry feelings from
of you?�

Orion gave him a small sad smile, �I don�t think that was his intention
but I dare say he unwittingly succeeded. He had never gone there himself and I
understand his need to see her grave but I hadn�t expected to be so affected by
it.�

Tom urged him silently to continue.

�Did I ever mention that she died in a Death Eater raid?� said Orion
looking into Tom�s eyes.

�Ah, I see,� replied Tom curtly, �You�re feeling guilty because you had
planned on becoming a follower but now you experienced a harsh crash with the
past that made you remember that they killed your mother. So you blame them for
her death and want nothing to do with them now?� he said coldly.

Orion narrowed his eyes at him, �Well, it�s a natural feeling, is it
not? Do you expect me to rejoice in the knowledge that I�ll be going against
her wishes? That I�ll be joining her murderers when she died for me?�

�She was a dark pureblooded witch, was she not? Why would you be going against
her wishes if you followed the Dark Lord?� asked Tom calmly.

Orion paused, �Because she was neutral. She came from a dark family but
didn�t directly support the Dark Lord. She didn�t want that life for me.�

�What she wanted for you doesn't matter. What matters is what you want.
Or were all those plans you were telling me about supporting the Dark Lord and
ending the repression of the dark families just the fantasies of a little boy,�
said Tom harshly.

�They were not. I meant every word I said,� said Orion gritting his
teeth, �But I can�t ignore the fact that they killed her!�

Tom sneered at him, �Yes, they did. And it happened to many others on
both sides of the war. What do you think a war is, boy? A field trip where both
sides chase each other around? People die in a war, it�s only natural.�

Orion felt a tear slip through his cheek and whispered, �How can you be
so unfeeling? Do you really think I can regard her death so coldly? Just one
more casualty of war; one more to add to the thousands, with no name, no face,
no worth?�

�Emotions make you weak,� spat Tom angrily, �If you truly want to be a
powerful dark wizard worthy of a position in the Dark Lord�s ranks, you�ll need
to shed this na�vet� of yours. You won�t last a day if you get emotional over
every little death.�

Orion roared in anger, �WE�RE NOT TALKING ABOUT ANY LITTLE DEATH! WE�RE
TALKING ABOUT THE DEATH OF MY MOTHER!!!

�And it�s something you must overcome!� replied Tom angrily, �Yes, she
was killed by your own side. Yes, she didn�t want you to become a Death Eater.
Yes, you�ll be going against her wishes and ideals. But you can�t both fulfill
your aspirations and live according to what she wanted for you! You have to
make a choice! Either you become a worthless wizard trying to follow her plans
for you or you become a great powerful dark wizard and fulfill your ambitions!
You can�t live your life trying to please everyone! It only matters what you
want!�

Orion paused. Yes, that was the crux of the matter. Either he followed
his carefully laid plans and became the powerful wizard he knew he could be and
changed the wizarding world for the better. Or he lived up to his mother�s and
Sirius� expectations and became a light or neutral wizard while allowing the
status quo to remain. But he couldn�t do that. It would go against his blood
and magic. He wanted to fight for the preservation of dark magic. He could
never sit idly and watch the light wizards take over.

At seeing Orion�s pensive expression, Tom continued softly, �If you
decide to continue with your plans, you have to let go of her death. You can�t
blame yourself for choosing your own path, even if it goes against everything
she believed in. I�m sure she would have wanted you to make your own decisions
and be the best you could be.�

Orion nodded, �Yes. You�re right,� he looked up at Tom, �I can�t think
that I�m betraying her. I can�t go against my blood and ideals, even if they
differ from hers. She gave me life and I�ll use it to create a better world for
my kind.�

Tom nodded and inwardly smiled. Yes, the boy was coming along perfectly.
He was still too compassionate but when he thought matters over he could think
with a clear head. Tom had decided to help the boy with his ambitions, since he
could be a great asset for the dark side. And one of his priorities was to open
the boy�s eyes to the realities of life. Orion had to be tough and needed
perfect control over his emotions. The weak didn�t last long amongst the Death
Eaters and he wanted the boy to succeed. He saw himself in him sometimes:
brilliant, powerful, driven and ambitious. Orion only lacked toughness. But he was getting
there.

Orion spent the following days in the Black Library, calmly ignoring
Sirius complains that he shouldn�t be opening a book during his holidays. What
he found there puzzled him even more. According to The Most Ancient
Bloodlines and their Most Mysterious Descendants, Ignotus Peverell had had
two older brothers: Antioch and Cadmus. Ignotus had been the only one to have a
son and he was the ancestor of the Potters, with no relation to the Grindelwald
bloodline. Then, why would Grindelwald use the mark of the ancestor of one of
the most prominent light wizarding families? It made no sense whatsoever: a
Dark Lord using the mark of a light family? But what puzzled him most was that
Antioch Peverell was briefly mentioned as being the first known owner of the
Deathstick. What was a Deathstick? It sounded like a wand, but why that name?
And he couldn�t find any more references on the brothers or the Deathstick in
any other book. He decided to ask Master Helheim about it when he returned to
Durmstrang.

Orion was currently happily defeating Draco at chess. They had just come
back from dinner with Draco�s parents and he was glad that the elder Malfoys
had liked his presents. He had given Lucius emerald cufflinks set in silver and
a delicate enchanted Black heirloom mirror to Narcissa. Sirius had said that it
had belonged to his mother and he was glad to get rid of it. He had given Draco
the latest model of the practice snitch and a very complete Dark Arts book,
with almost all the spells that Orion had learned that semester, which Draco
had quickly taken to glance through it. Lucius had given him an
expensive-looking book dedicated exclusively to the Unforgivables and Narcissa
had given him a beautiful dark green dress robes with delicate small silver
dragons embroided on the lapels. He had received beautiful miniaturized peacock
self-correcting quills and the chess set they were playing on from Draco.

Orion�s dragon had just eaten Draco�s troll when Draco asked with a
frown, �Who is this Lezander you kept writing about?�

Orion smiled, �Oh, he�s great. He�s my best friend,� when he saw the
hurt flashing in Draco�s eyes, he quickly mended, �at school. I already told
you he�s a vampire and he�s very interesting. I didn�t know anything about
vampires, and their society and customs are fascinating.�

�I don�t see what�s so amazing about them," scoffed Draco,
"They do feed on us, you know? We are their snacks.�

Orion laughed, �We�re not. They feed on muggles and they don�t even kill
them, just drain them a little bit. There�s nothing wrong in that.�

�You seem to spend a lot of time with him,� said Draco scowling.

Orion looked up at him in curiosity, �Well, yes. He�s my roommate and we
talk for a while during the nights. The same must happen to you with Blaise and
Theo.�

�It�s not the same," huffed Draco, "They�re always doing other
stuff. The only ones that stick around are Vince and Greg.�

�Are you keeping them as your bodyguards against the big bad Weasley?�
asked Orion grinning.

Draco scoffed, �As if I couldn�t manage that idiot on my own. Really,
you should listen to the things he says. He�s barely literate. And you should
see his clothes,� he said with a disgusted look.

Orion roared in laughter, �You�re such a snob, Draco.�

Draco smirked at him, �What if I am? There�s nothing wrong in that.�

�Of course not, angel of piety,� replied Orion with a grin. �Ah, you
didn�t finish telling me about the Troll incident.�

�Well, we were in the middle of the Halloween Feast when the stuttering
idiot, Quirrell, came running in saying there was a Troll in the dungeons and
then passed out right there, in the middle of the Hall� said Draco rolling his
eyes, �Then Dumbledore told us to return to our common rooms!� he said in
indignation, �I mean, he has just been informed that there�s a Troll in the
dungeons and he sends the Slytherins there?�

�Clearly a conspiracy,� said Orion grinning.

Draco huffed, �Well, yes. Obviously Professor Snape came to us and told
us to go with the Ravenclaws and then he left with the rest of the teachers. I
didn�t see it happening,� he said with a conspiratorial voice, �but they say
that the mudblood Granger was in one of the bathrooms crying when the Troll
found her.�

�Why was she crying?� asked Orion.

�The Weasel had said something to her. They don�t get along very well.
Anyway, McGonagall and Professor Snape heard the noises coming from the
bathroom and they got just in time when the mudblood was dodging a blow. Pity,
if you ask me,� said Draco with a malicious smirk, �Then the teachers stunned
the Troll, took her out and waited for Dumbledork to arrive.�

Orion rolled his eyes at him, �Come, Draco. Poor girl. She must have
been terrified. Was she alright?�

Draco snorted, �Who cares?� at Orion�s look he continued, �Yes, she was
fine. Just a few scratches.�

�Did they ever find out how the Troll managed to get in?� asked Orion
with curiosity.

�No, no one has a clue. They checked the school but couldn�t find
anything out of order.�

�It�s a little bit strange, isn�t it? Hogwarts� wards wouldn�t allow a
Troll to come in. Someone must have let it inside and the only ones that can
modify wards are the professors,� said Orion frowning in thought.

Draco turned serious, �But why would they do that? It makes no sense.�

�I don�t know. There�s not much point to it. The teachers were obviously
going to stop it from causing harm,� Orion hummed in thought, �Maybe to create
a diversion?�

�But for what?" said Draco raising his eyebrows, "Nothing else
happened.�

�Nothing else that you heard of. Didn�t you ask your godfather about
it?� asked Orion.

�Of course I did," huffed Draco, "But he wouldn�t tell me
anything! He just told me to keep out of trouble,� a thoughtful expression came
over his features, �But now that I think about it, he had a barely noticeable
limp after the incident.�

Orion raised an eyebrow, �A limp? Do you think he got injured when the
teachers stunned the Troll?�

Draco frowned, �Maybe. I don�t know. But none of the teachers were
injured and he�s a very powerful wizard so it doesn�t make sense that the
others remained unscathed and he didn�t.�

�Hmm, you might be onto something there,� said Orion.

Draco turned to him in alarm, �You think Professor Snape let the Troll
in?�

Orion shook his head, �No, not him. I believe he wouldn�t risk your
safety. And the other teachers are in Dumbledore�s pocket. Is Quirrell the only
new professor?�

Draco nodded and then laughed, �You can�t possibly believe that that
fool had anything to do with it!�

�Why not? Do you know where he was when the teachers left the Great
Hall? Did someone remain with him?� replied calmly Orion.

Draco became quiet, �I think they just left him there on the floor. We
were the last to leave and I don�t remember seeing any other teachers. But
Quirrell couldn�t have done it! He�s afraid of his own shadow!�

Orion didn�t comment. It seemed to him that Quirrell was the obvious
suspect but it didn�t matter much to him anyway.

He left Malfoy Manor wishing Draco a good semester and went back to
Black Manor for his last day of holidays.

Orion stood up when their first class of History of the Dark Arts of the
semester ended and told his friends that he had to ask something to the teacher
and that he would see them at dinner. He approached Master Helheim when he saw
that they were alone.

�Excuse me, Master Helheim, I was wondering if you could help me with
something,� he said.

�Of course, Mr. Black,� said the short wizard, �Go ahead.�

�I came across a reference about the Deathstick and I was wondering if
you could tell me what it is,� Orion said.

Helheim rose his eyebrows, �The Deathstick? Well, that�s not something
you can find in any book,� he said giving Orion a piercing look, �The
Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny and the Elder Wand are wands that crop up under
different names throughout the centuries. It could be believe that they are one
and the same and what made them so special is that they were presumed to be
unbeatable. There�s even a legend about the wand.� Helheim paused, �Have you
heard of the Tale of The Three Brothers?� he asked. Orion shook his head and
Helheim continued, �It�s a children�s tale that tells the story of three
brothers that use their wands to create a bridge over a river and thus, evade
death. So Death appears before them and grants each of them a prize. The eldest
brother asks for a wand that wins duels for its owner, so Death fashions a wand
from a branch of an elder tree and gives it to him. The second brother asks for
the power to recall others from death. So Death picks a stone from the
riverbank and gives it to the second brother saying that the stone has the
power to bring back the dead. Finally the youngest brother asks for something
that will enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by
Death. And Death hands him over his own Cloak of Invisibility. Afterwards, the
brothers continue their journey and split. The eldest brother boasts about his
Elder Wand and soon another wizard kills him in his sleep and steals it from
him. So Death already takes the first brother. Meanwhile, the second brother
uses the Resurrection Stone to bring back to life a girl that he had loved. But
she doesn�t truly belong to the mortal world and suffers. So the second brother
kills himself to join her. The only brother that Death couldn�t find was the
youngest, who only took off the Cloak of Invisibility when he was on his
deathbed to give it to his son and then calmly waits for Death to take him.�

Orion was enraptured by the story. He had already his suspicions and
couldn�t believe it could be possible.

�So you see, the ancient story refers to three objects, or Hallows,
which, if united, will make the possessor master of Death. And they are known
as the Deathly Hallows,� explained Helheim.

�And it�s true?� asked Orion.

Helheim laughed, �No, it�s just a children�s story that must have been
invented around the legend of the Elder Wand. There is a historical trail of
powerful wands and some believe that it could be the real Elder Wand. But as I
said, it�s merely a legend. There are no facts that prove that the wand exists.
And even less in the case of the Cloak of Invisibility and the Resurrection
Stone.�

Orion nodded and thanked the professor. He skipped dinner and went to
his bed, taking out the book that mentioned the Peverell brothers. He reread
the passage about them. It couldn�t be possible. The story fitted the Peverell
brothers perfectly. Ignotus, the youngest, had been the only one to live until
old age and had had a son. Antioch and Cadmus had died young and the book
already mentioned that Antioch was the suspected owner of the Deathstick. So
that meant that Ignotus was the one who had had the Cloak of Invisibility�Orion
gasped. The Potters were his descendants and James Potter had had an
invisibility cloak! But it couldn�t be. It must be a coincidence. No
invisibility cloak could last that long. But on the other hand, why had
Dumbledore asked to see it? Invisibility cloaks were rare and expensive but
Dumbledore couldn�t be interested in one just because of that. The old man must
truly believe in the Deathly Hallows! Had he requested the cloak to check if it
was the Hallow of the legend? It seemed absurd but a wizard like Dumbledore
wouldn�t fall for a children�s tale. And Grindelwald had used Ignotus� mark! The
mark!�a triangle�a circle!! The circle represents the Resurrection Stone!� and
the vertical line is the Elder Wand! So that leaves the triangle� of course!
the Cloak of Invisibility! Both Grindelwald and Dumbledore believed in the
Deathly Hallows!! And Grindelwald especially cared for them if he went carving
their symbol on walls. Did he look for them? Did he find any? What does it
mean, anyway, to be the Master of Death? Is that why Grindelwald wanted them?
To join the three objects and become the Master of Death? What did he want to
do with them? Use them to conquer the muggle and wizarding world? Most likely.
But it was insane! But it must be true if two such powerful wizards believed in
them. Had Voldemort also looked for them? Tom didn�t know about them but maybe
Voldemort had. But if it�s true that means that the Peverells were simply very
talented wizards that had created three very powerful magical objects. So
James� cloak is definitely one of the Hallows and is currently in the
possession of Dumbledore. What had happened with the wand and the stone? Did
Grindelwald acquire them?

Orion mussed over the matter. He hadn�t heard of any
unbeatable�Unbeatable!! Grindelwald was said to have been unbeatable in a duel!
Surely it couldn�t be so simple� but it must! The man seemed to have been
obsessed with the Hallows and with his power and resourcefulness he must have
discovered the Elder Wand! But he was beaten�Dumbledore! Could Dumbledore have
the Elder Wand now? He did beat Grindelwald. So had Dumbledore stolen the wand
from him after the duel? That would be so ironic. The Leader of the Light
stealing another wizard�s wand just to be the owner of one of the Hallows!
Everyone depicted Dumbledore like a grandfatherly old wizard with no ambitions
for himself. But then he goes and steals one of the Hallows for himself! And
not just one! He also stole the cloak! Well, he didn�t steal it but he didn�t
exactly return it to the Potter vaults either. That�s stealing in a way.
Amazing! The old coot was just as ambitious as his famed archenemy Grindelwald!
Oh, the ironies of life. That just shows that there�s no distinction between
the Light�s methods and the Dark�s. If their leaders can act so similarly how
can the Light possibly say that they�re the good ones and we the evil ones?
Such hypocrisy.

But should he attempt to get the Hallows? Did he need them for anything?
Not really. There�re spells to turn oneself invisible and he wouldn�t use the
Resurrection Stone to bring anyone back� though if he studied necromancy maybe
there could be other uses for the stone? It seemed to be the perfect tool for a
necromancer. Had Cadmus Peverell been a necromancer? He must have if he was
able to create the Stone. Fascinating! And the Elder Wand, well, that was
useful. Yes, perhaps he should try to collect the Hallows if he had the chance.
And the Cloak was legally his after all.

He fell asleep with thoughts of wands, stones and cloaks and ways to
obtain them swirling in his head.
- 9
- 10
- 11
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Black Heir