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Hydrus Black chapter 27
🕑 Added 2023-12-02 13:10:57 +0000 UTCChapter 27 -
"So then his hair probably ended up growing right to his feet," Draco laughed loudly as he retold the story of his duel for what felt like the hundredth time as the first-year Slytherins walked to the great hall for breakfast. Pansy laughed as if it was the most hilarious thing she had ever heard whilst Crabbe and Goyle obediently laughed along. Hydrus suspected that Draco could have laughed about dry paint and the two would laugh alongside him. Blaise and Nott were walking in the back, the two exchanged looks and rolled their eyes at Draco and his 'fans' as they called them. Meanwhile, Hydrus walked at the front of the group, arm in arm with Daphne who was unsure if she should be more amused or bored with Draco.
"Wow, Draco, you must be the best duellist in the entire school," Pansy commented, staring dreamily at Draco who puffed up for all of a second before he noticed Hydrus staring at him with an odd gleam in his eye.
"N...no, I don't think so," Draco said quickly. "That's Hydrus, after all," He added with an awkward smile that silently said 'I'm really sorry, please don't hurt me!'.
"Draco, don't be modest," Pansy said. "I'm sure that..."
"Pansy, please shut up,"
"But Draco, I..."
"Shut the fuck up!" Draco hissed at her before staring forward. Hydrus nodded satisfactorily just before they entered the great hall and made their way to their seats at the Slytherin table.
As they sat down, Hydrus looked across the table and saw that Gryffindor's first years were all sitting at their table. Ron had his hair cut back to normal, though he was missing a patch of hair on the right side of his head. Hermione looked tired, her hair was somehow more bushy than usual. Neville was glaring at them all, while Liv was staring them at with a thoughtful look. A small smile appeared on Hydrus's face as he gave Liv a small wave, she stared at him a moment before glaring at him along with Neville.
"These Gryffindors are funny," Hydrus told Daphne.
"They are a bit," She agreed.
(.)
"And for this particular lesson, I will have you all mixed into pairs." Professor Quirrell said as he observed the class full of Slytherins and Gryffindors, he looked around the room with a calculating look in his eyes. "Now, the headmaster has insisted that I try and promote inter-house relationships, therefore we shall be splitting so we have one person from each house." He added, causing several people to groan and complain which he allowed for a couple of seconds before cutting it off. "Yes, yes, a hardship for you all, I'm sure. Alas, you'll just have to cope." He told them before he started splitting them into pairs.
Pansy ended up with Seamus, both of whom looked at the other like they were diseased. Dean ended up with Nott, neither of them looked particularly happy about it but at least didn't seem like they were going to make an issue out of it. Draco ended up with Weasley somehow, Daphne got Hermione, the latter of which looked quite happy to be learning while the former appeared indifferent. Neville had tensed up in anticipation, clearly expecting to be paired with Hydrus, only to find himself an odd mixture of disappointment and relief when Hydrus was paired with Liv instead.
"So, you will all take turns sending and defending against the spells that I have taught you this lesson...actually...scratch that, any jinx is allowed," Professor Quirrell continued once everyone was paired up. "The Gryffindors will use a minor jinx shield and the Slytherins will send a minor jinx at them, then we will swap and then we will swap again and so forth. I should make it clear that if I see anyone send anything other than a minor jinx then there will be consequences. Now, begin."
"Are you ready?" Liv asked Hydrus as she stood a couple of meters away from him.
"Are you?" Hydrus smirked before pulling out his wand. "You want to defend or attack?" He asked.
"I'll attack first," She decided, pulling out her own wand.
"Start whenever you want," Hydrus told her. She stared at him for a second before sending a bee-sting jinx at him, he blocked it perfectly and gave her a small nod. "Ready?"
"Ready?" She confirmed, putting her shield up to block his knockback jinx.
"You need to hold your wand a little bit more firmly when you shield," Hydrus told her.
"Why?" Liv asked with a small frown.
"Well, put up your shield again and I'll show you," He told her, holding up his wand. She stared at him for a moment before doing as he said, as soon as her shield was up she felt his knockback jinx hit her shield with more force than before, causing her shield to buckle and her wand to shake. "A firmer grip will reduce the chance of it falling out of your hand, firm when you shield, light when you cast spells," He explained just before they heard what sounded like a loud crash. The two turned to see that the vast majority of their class had descended into chaos.
Draco and Ronald had each other in a headlock, Pansy had punched Seamus in the face before he headbutted her in the nose, Theo had a small bruise on his face while Dean was groaning on the floor, meanwhile, Crabbe and Goyle were pounding Neville. Hermione was trying desperately to get everyone to stop while Daphne simply watched on in amusement.
"Who the hell thought it would be a good idea to pair Gryffindors and Slytherins in this class?" Liv groaned, palming her face with both hands.
"In defence of my house, I'm sure one of your lions started it," Hydrus said amusedly as Daphne walked over.
"They did," Daphne confirmed, looping an arm around his. "Weasley's spell ended up hitting Nott instead of Malfoy and things just seemed to escalate from there," She added, causing another groan to erupt from Liv.
"Enough!" Professor Quirrell waved his wand and everyone separated. "I think that'll be twenty points from each house and all of you involved in this barbaric display can come back later today for detention."
"But Weasley started it!" Draco protested.
"Did not!" Ron shouted.
"I'm ending it," Professor Quirrell interrupted firmly before he sent the majority of the class to the hospital wing whilst also giving them a fair warning about what would happen if he found out they started fighting again. "Now, for those of you remaining, five points each for not fighting, all of you take your books out and continue from where we left off. Mr Black, come here please," He ordered as he sat down at his desk. Hydrus frowned before standing up and walking over while the rest of the students began reading.
"Yes, Professor?" Hydrus asked quietly just before the Professor waved a wand, casting a privacy spell.
"I noticed you helping Miss Cooper," Professor Quirrell said, an odd look on his face.
"Sir?" Hydrus asked. "Is there a problem?"
"I just assumed that you disliked muggle-borns," He admitted honestly, sending him a questioning look.
"Is that all?" Hydrus asked, raising an eyebrow, not answering his unasked question.
"No, I have something for you, something that I think you'll like," He said, levelling a serious look at Hydrus. "You, Mr Black, are an untapped vat of potential, potential that I want to nurture. I would like to offer you extra duelling lessons if you're interested,"
"What?" Hydrus asked in a surprised voice.
"If you are interested," Professor Quirrell repeated. "Are you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course, Professor," Hydrus said quickly, a small grin on his face. "That sounds excellent,"
"Good, we can begin tomorrow then," Professor Quirrell decided.
"Oh, actually, I can't do tomorrow," Hydrus said suddenly. "I have an appointment I need to keep."
"Appointment? What appointment?"
"Duelling tournament," Hydrus answered.
(.)
"I'm here," Bellatrix said unnecessarily as she flooed into the headmaster's office. Dressed all in black, naturally, and looking quite good as far as she was concerned. She wore expensive-looking high heels and an ankle-length dress along with a leather corset. Her curly hair had been done up into an elegant bun, She had a light splattering of make-up on her face including some red lipstick. Her violet eyes turned towards Dumbledore. "You're welcome," She said before ignoring him and turning to Hydrus who smiled up at her. "My son!" She smiled brightly.
"Mum!" Hydrus smiled equally as brightly as the two pulled each other into a tight hug.
"You're growing nicely," Bellatrix decided, pulling back enough to look into his eyes. She couldn't help but a feel sense of warmth every time she looked at his beautiful emerald eyes, looking close enough to spot the little bit of violet from her own eyes. "Are you ready?" She asked.
"Always!" Hydrus grinned.
"And a pleasure to see you again, Miss Black," Dumbledore cut in as he stood up from his desk and walked around to the two. "Though if I may, I'd like to ask what time young Hydrus would be back?"
"Tomorrow morning," Bellatrix answered bluntly.
"And where exactly will young Hydrus be competing?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"In 'The National Under 12's Duelling tournament'," Bellatrix answered, unable to disguise the pride in her voice as she squeezed Hydrus's shoulders. "He's already won the British Under 12's,"
"It'll look good when the Black family has both titles," Hydrus smirked.
"Well, you both are certainly confident," Dumbledore noted before turning to Bellatrix with a frown on his face. "Might I ask how often you will be taking Harry out of school?" He asked with a note of disapproval in his voice.
"Hydrus!" Bellatrix snapped angrily at him. "His name is Hydrus Black as you very well know! You old dingbat!"
"Forgive me, failings of an old mind, I'm afraid," Dumbledore said, sounding at least partially apologetic as he sent a smile towards Hydrus as if inviting him to share his humour, only to receive a cold glare that let him know very quickly that his humour was not appreciated at all by the young Slytherin. "Either way," Dumbledore coughed. "I would like an answer to my question, how often will you be taking your son out of school?"
"And what is my son's name?" Bellatrix asked coldly.
"Why, Miss Black?" Dumbledore asked. "Do you not recall your son's name?" He asked with mock concern.
"No," Bellatrix suddenly smiled sweetly at him and that bothered Dumbledore far more than her scowls and glares. "But it is concerning if the headmaster of the most prestigious school in the wizarding world cannot remember the name of his students, especially one as important and as well known as my beloved son. So tell me, Dumbledore, can you remember my son's name or should I instead share my concerns with the school board? After all, Hogwarts just simply cannot have a headmaster with a failing memory, perhaps you should consider retirement."
"I assure you my memory is as strong as ever," Dumbledore said evenly. "Now, please bring him back as early as possible, I'd hate for his education to suffer simply so he can compete in some tournaments."
"Who?" Bellatrix asked innocently.
"Your son,"
"And what would his name be?" Bellatrix asked, smirking at him.
"Hydrus Black, of course," Dumbledore said stiffly.
"Of course," Bellatrix smiled, a satisfied look on her face. "A beautiful name, fit for the little prince that he is, wouldn't you agree?" She asked, waiting a moment for Dumbledore to open his mouth before she turned to Hydrus and continued. "Now, I think it's time for us to be on our way, don't you think?"
"Happily," Hydrus agreed.
"Miss Black, you did not answer my earlier question," Dumbledore interrupted. "How often will you be taking your son out of school? A young boy needs a good routine, and constant interruptions could affect his schooling."
"My Hydrus is not your average student," Bellatrix smirked. "He'll leave school as many times as I see fit, no more and no less. I assure you, Dumbledore, that his grades will not suffer severely." She said before guiding Hydrus towards the floo, leaving behind a bothered headmaster.
"I must say, you seem to have an unhealthy interest in the boy," A voice filled with disapproval and annoyance. Dumbledore turned to look at the portrait of Professor Phineas Nigellus Black who was staring down at him, looking less than impressed.
"You know full well why I have taken an interest in the boy, Nigellus," Dumbledore said evenly.
"And I do not agree with it!" Nigellus growled. "To put the fate of the wizarding world in the hands of a boy is an act of sheer folly,"
"He is the chosen one," Dumbledore said apologetically. "The prophecy is clear on that, he needs to be the one to stop Tom."
"Of course, the fate of everyone in the hands of one boy is obviously far better than you dealing with the whelp yourself," Nigellus sneered.
"Alas, I fear that I am no longer able to do the job," Dumbledore sighed. "Truthfully, I am no happier about the situation than you are, but I see no other option. Harry Potter must be the one to defeat Voldemort, he is needed to bring peace to the wizarding world."
"You would sentence my descendants to his destruction because of a Merlin-be-dammed prophecy?!" Nigellus growled. "Blasted dragon feet, Dumbledore! Even in my time, we knew not to trust those!"
"It is Tom who had put his faith in it," Dumbledore frowned, stroking his beard. "He will stop at nothing to destroy Harry, I must not let that happen. More depends on the boy than he can possibly know."
Comments
BN7234
I don't know why people keeps defending Dumbledore, he specifically states that he knew Harry was going to spend 10 years of hell at his relatives. That's not the action of a "good" guy.
Christian Jeffress
Thanks for another, entertaining chapter, and excited to see what happens next over the course of the story. And for all Dumbledore’s hope in the chosen one to stop Voldemort, there were certainly quite a lot of death eaters he could have killed to help thin the ranks that had nothing to do with the prophecy at all. Of course that would then require. He actually do something effective outside of his moral grandstanding lol.
