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HP: The Unchosen One-Malfoy SI Ch.41
🕑 Added 2025-05-10 20:02:14 +0000 UTCChapter 41
DAPHNE GREENGRASS
The Wizarding World of Britain was a lot different today than it had been a few days ago. The decadence and the status quo that had managed to survive two wars were finally breathing their last as anger and frustration with the established order grew beyond reason.
Fear of the likes of which people had not experienced since the death of the Dark Lord more than a decade ago, was prevalent once more as families, Muggle-born and half-blood, fled the country by doves.
Yet in these times of despair, there was some hope. Cornelius Fudge, the symbol of this decadence and rot, was out of the office, replaced by a relatively younger and more steadfast Amelia Bones, and though the world around her may now yet know the catalyst for this change sat in front of her.
“The Prophet’s fawning over you quite a bit,” she said, passing on the paper to Cassius, who was busy eating his breakfast, and the circles around his eyes spoke of another sleepless night for him. Something which was becoming quite a norm for him.
“Cassius Black,” she whispered his new name, one that had completely unravelled the British pure-blood society, for the Blacks were one of the oldest pure-blooded families, one thought by many to have gone extinct or become irrelevant because of being passed on to someone like Sirius Black.
“You have just become Britain’s most eligible bachelor, right alongside Potter,” and speaking of the bespectacled boy, he had done the impossible once more. Repeating the feat which had won him his fame in the first place.
“Don’t speak of that. The sheer number of letters that I have received since yesterday could fill up this entire room,” and she was sure that he was not exaggerating. After Amelia’s election, the pure blood families were in a bind and looking to strengthen themselves, and what better way to do that than allying themselves with a person who was the head of the oldest family.
“Well, that was to be expected,” she added, smiling as she remembered the upheaval from her own home, how her own father had found himself taken aback by his elevated status.
His tone with her and Astoria had shifted greatly, where once he had discouraged any associations with him, now he promoted them, even going so far as to hint his openness to a possible match for the future.
“Now you finally know what your twin has to deal with,” and at the mention of Draco, his mood soured in an instant, and she regretted her words instantly, as they sat in the Black family dining room.
Despite the few renovations, the place still screamed ancient and gaudy, with all those silver decorations and ostentatious paintings, the Hall screamed old money.
“I am sorry,” she whispered after a few seconds as Cassius resumed eating his breakfast.
“It’s ok,” he whispered, taking the last few bites of the toast.
“I should have told Draco about my position, but I did not, and now he is angry,” and that was not the only reason he was angry for. With his vote, Cassius had essentially removed any chance that his father had of getting out of Azkaban.
If Fudge had managed to win, or at least stall the vote, there was a chance that the status quo from a decade ago would survive, and all of the Death Eaters caught would be able to get out one way or another, something that was a near impossibility.
But with the Black seat turning against Fudge and the status quo, Lucius Malfoy’s fate was sealed, and Draco’s affection for his father was known to all, especially Cassius.
“When is the trial?” she asked, remembering that a date had been set already.
“Next Saturday,” and that was a day before they were set to leave for Hogwarts.
“Do you plan to attend?” for he could abstain or even send someone else in his stead, though she was learning that Cassius was not the type to skirt around such things.
“I have to,” he said, looking into his eyes, and there was a bit of rage in those eyes.
And of course he had to. Afterall, Lucius Malfoy’s spell may have hit Harry Potter, but it was not really aimed at the Boy-Who-Lived.
No, it was aimed at another. A girl whose name had deserved not even a small mention in the Prophet or any other paper, but one who was quite dear to both her and Tracey and was even dearer to the boy sitting in front of her.
“Have you met her?” and Granger and her family had to be taken to St. Mungo’s for their injuries, much like the rest of them. Cassius himself had sustained quite a few burns, though none that would leave a scar, thankfully, but before he could get discharged from the Hospital, Hermione would vanish into the air along with her family.
Daphne, Tracey, and Cassius, all three of them, had sent her letters, seeking a response, but no answer had come. None until now.
“No, but I got a letter from her yesterday night,” and that caught her by surprise.
“What did it say?” a year ago, she never could have imagined that she would be friends with that bookworm, but there was more in common between Daphne and her than the rest of those haughty pure-blood idiots, like Pansy.
She was smart, quirky, and strong-willed. It was why she had been quite disappointed when she had refused to reply to any of her letters.
“She is leaving Hogwarts,” Cassius answered, leaving her surprised.
“What!” she asked, baffled by his words, as he nodded.
“Her parents are very angry with her. They refuse to let her be a part of the society like ours,” and that was expected, given that the Death Eaters had deliberately targeted Muggles during the attack, giving the Ministry quite a headache.
“So, what is she going to do? Is she giving up magic?” she asked, and Cassius shook his head, sighing, and she knew that the news must have been exceptionally painful for him.
“She did not say. She just said that her parents want her to cut all contact with us.” and how he said those words was a bit strange.
“Us?” she asked.
“Pure-bloods,” and it was ironic in a way to see that the prejudice could run both ways, but she did not blame them. How could she, when their daughter had nearly been killed in front of their eyes?
“She asked me not to write to her again,” he finished.
“I thought that you had received a letter as well,” but she shook her head.
“I did not check the mail before coming here,” and he should have.
“I might have received one,” she would have to check later.
“I am sorry,” she whispered to him as she held his hand.
“It’s for the better, really,” he said, giving her a small, reassuring smile.
“I have a rather ominous feeling about the future of our society. It will be best for her if she can move out of here before things go bad...” and she hoped for once he was wrong in his premonitions, but if the incident at the World Cup had proven anything, Cassius had an eerie ability to sniff out trouble before it appeared.
“I do hope you are wrong,” she whispered and he nodded.
“So, do I,” and he held her hand tightly as he said those words.
“Speaking of that, Astoria wanted to come and thank you for saving her, but she has been bedridden...” he shook his head, quickly understanding what she was about to say.
“There is no need for that,” and she smiled. However, the memories of that night still haunted both Astoria and Tracey, who had nearly lost their lives to Greyback and his ilk, and despite what others were saying, she was thankful that Casasius had decided to put down that rabid monster once and for all.
Her own father had put up considerable pressure on the Ministry to dismiss the whole thing, and there was little public support, so Bones had made quick work of the investigation, even offering Cassius an Order of Merlin for his actions, to garner some positive publicity.
“The Ministry is actually rather serious about giving you an Order of Merlin,” and he seemed surprised.
“I thought it was just a rumor,” and she shook her head.
“Nope. Fenrir was wanted in more than ten countries and had a hefty bounty on his head. Killing him has made you quite a hero, especially for the people who support Bones, she is going to give you that medal, and you might not be the only one....”
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ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
Albus had not been so busy in years, but with the world going through so many rapid changes, and he was an old man trying to keep up. Holding multiple titles as he was, it was quite difficult for him to devote appropriate time to each one, but with a steadier hand at the helm of the Ministry, it was his hope that he would not need to intervene as frequently as he was forced to in Cornelius’s time.
Even with a thousand thoughts buzzing through his head, Albus sat in the alley of the Ministry in front of a hundred reporters as cameras flashed and quills scrapped, as the ceremony for awarding the Order of Merlin to its youngest recipients was being held.
He sat beside their new Minister as the two young recipients sat on the opposite side with Kingsley, giving a brief introduction and highlighting their respective achievements.
“Is it really wise to award this medal to wizards so young?” he questioned Amelia who sat besides him in prim proper robes.
“I don’t see any harm in it,” she whispered as his eyes scanned through the crowd, spotting Sirius, cheering loudly while obviously trying to curry favor with a reporter. The Weasley’s and Ted sat beside him, here to support Harry and Cassius respectively.
“What they did was courageous, standing up to protect their friends. It’s something most of the adult wizards and witches failed to do during the last time,” and there was merit to her words.
None could deny the courage of the two boys set to receive the award. Cassius Ma—Black, and though he was not fond of the fact that a boy of fifteen had used lethal force to kill a criminal, even for someone like him, Greyback was far too evil and irredeemable.
He did not condone killing or murder, but in the case of Greyback, he had seen the harm he had done firsthand, and while troubled, he could not condemn his killing as well. No matter in which circumstances it was done.
As for Harry, he had always been a symbol of courage and bravery, so him putting himself in between the Killing Curse and his friend was entirely natural, though the outcome of it still surprised him.
His eyes glanced towards the boy in question, and he found himself frowning as he tried to search for the timid boy who was a symbol of Gryffindor courage and bravery. But the boy who sat there was not that timid boy.
The attack had robbed him of parts of his memory, and though the healers were sure that he would make a full recovery, yet even then the few times that he mad met the boy all put him on edge.
His glasses were gone, and his unruly hair had been tamed somehow, and unlike the Harry of before he sat there in front of a hundred reporters without any jitters or anxiety.
‘Was he simply overthinking, or was there more to it? Was it just the effect of having someone like Sirius as a guardian?’ and his thoughts kept going towards the scene he had witnessed in the Department of Mysteries.
The Broken Prophecy. What did it mean?
His eyes moved to the boy who sat beside him, and much like Harry, he had little to no anxiety or any hints of nervousness, but Cassius Black had always been fairly independent. Was it his influence that had transformed Harry?
Or was there something more to it?
“And now to present the award, I would like to call our own Supreme Mugwump, the Chief Warlock and the Headmaster of Hogwarts,” and at Kingsley’s beckoning, he stood up and walked towards the stage as he was handed the medal.
“Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore,” and it was strange hearing that full name, and as the first recipient stepped forward, Dumbledore smiled, shook hand and put the medal around the neck of the Black haired Black Family head, and even now he found himself surprised that Arcturus had left the family in a boy’s hands.
Though as he looked into those dull grey eyes, he could see what Arcturus must have seen. That iron will, though a bit shaken, still made him a fiercely independent thinker, a trait much lacking in wizards of the new generations.
“Congratulations, my boy,” he said, smiling, and the boy nodded.
“Thank you,” and the cheer tore through the alley, as the other boy stepped forward and Harry waved to the reporters as he walked up to him, and as they shook hands he was surprised as he looked straight into his eyes, and he frowned as he felt those eyes probing into his mind for a brief second.
“Congratulations, Harry,” he said, thinking it all a trick or a mistake, as the boy smiled innocently.
“Yes, indeed, Professor,” and that tone was different as well, more slick and sure, leaving him troubled as the boy sat back down, giving the reporters a small cheer as Kingsley invited him to say a few words.
.
.
.
And as the ceremony wrapped up, Albus made to leave as the reporters rushed the stage, trying to get a word out of the two young recipients. Ted and Sirius, though, were quick to move, moving towards their respective charges, and Ted was quick to shoo away the reporters as he saw him lead the young Black Family Head towards one of the floo networks.
Harry, though, seemed to have stopped Sirius and stood amidst the throng of reporters with a hundred lights flashing all around him as they all voiced out questions.
“WHAT DO YOU WISH TO SAY ABOUT YOUR ATTACKER LUCIUS MAFOY, WHO GOES ON TRIAL TOMORROW?”
“WILL YOU ATTEND THE TRIAL?”
“WHERE WERE YOU DURING THE FIRST THIRTEEN YEARS OF YOUR LIFE?”
“IS IT TRUE THAT YOU WERE ABUSED BY MUGGLES?”
And Harry, rather than walking away, stood there seemingly stupefied, yet Albus found his curiosity piqued as he stood at the corner observing it all, and a chill ran through his spine as he saw Harry smile, which made him gasp.
“No, impossible...” he whispered as Harry began as eloquently as Albus had ever heard him speak.
“First of all, I would like to say a few words about the person who attacked me....”
“...Could it truly be?”
0000
Comments
MyAfroAteMyDog
Good chapter.I think this is a fusion of both Harry and Voldemort. I’m kinda bummed hermoine is gone
Radiant Tiefling
Thank you for the chapter.
FallenMetalGod
Thank you, and it looks like things are about to get very interesting if what I think happened. Great job as always, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
Bobby Hill
I've got a bad feeling about Harry... he isn't... Harry is he?
Hamza Ikram
Let me cook!
Zimo Alexis
Please tell me harry is not about to get the same end as your other HP si story 😕
