Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black Chapter 56 56

"Well?"

I looked at Jean, who had co to the house in person to explain what these creatures actually were.

"The truth is... we have not been able to establish who sent them or where they ca from. We simply call them the Creatures. They are not particularly powerful. I would even say that an average witch or wizard, caught alone with one, could kill it without much difficulty, provided they kept their nerve."

I gave the faintest snort. Flitwick and my mothers shared the sentint entirely.

"Yes, I understand how that sounds. I only said it to convey their general level of strength. The trouble, unfortunately, is that they never appear alone, and what you witnessed today is only a taste of things. They sotis erge in far greater numbers, and on a couple of occasions we learned of a breach the mont it opened and brought our Unspeakables in."

Jean fell silent, lost in thought.

"...they haven't been able to say much as yet. Only that it reminds them of sothing, but tracing exactly what could take years, given the size of their library. They have, however, managed to study the spatial tears themselves, and they say the tears will most likely grow larger over ti, and what cos through them will not always be creatures like these. Stronger things will follow."

I sighed.

"This is probably a first-year wild notion, but... what if these aren't simply tears in space? What if they're a passage to the negative side of the earth, a place where all our... call them inner demons... collect?"

"No."

Jean shook his head.

"...what you're describing doesn't exist. There is sothing adjacent to it, however, a place where unquiet souls go before they pass through cleansing, and we know of it well enough. Yes, souls can linger there for a very long ti, and yes, they can lose their minds and beco predatory things that feed on other souls, but that is all part of the machinery of the universe, and there has always been a balance between those predators and the purer souls strong enough to defend themselves and destroy them."

I blinked in genuine surprise.

A Soul Society and a local equivalent of Hueco Mundo... I wonder if they would ever let study it.

"I can see your interest. But everything I've told you is classified, and I'm sharing it only because I know you are sensible, and because the situation is going to worsen. Even so, under normal circumstances knowledge of that dinsion belongs to Unspeakables alone."

"I understand, and I'm grateful for your candor."

Jean's lips twisted into a wry smile.

"Very well. But might this be an invasion?"

"An invasion?"

"Well..."

I shrugged.

"…a neighboring world, broadly Earth-like, with its own life, created this sort of living weapon and decided to expand. But since that world is already unified under a single empire, it chose to expand into other worlds rather than continue expanding at ho."

"Into neighboring worlds rather than onto other planets?"

Flitwick asked skeptically, looking at .

"You haven't covered the relevant theory yet, so the question makes sense, but trust : even opening a portal to the Moon and constructing a fully viable settlent there would require less energy than tearing through to a neighboring world. Never mind the Moon. Any planet in the solar system, or even planets in nearby star systems."

I listened carefully.

"…all of those are still closer than punching through to a parallel world. At our current level of developnt, and to the best of my knowledge, a portal to a neighboring world, a demonic one, mind you, which lies practically adjacent to ours and is precisely what demonologists draw from when they summon creatures. Such a portal would require all of Britain to drain itself of magical energy for at least a year. Completely. To nothing. As for what it would take to open a portal to an Earth-like neighboring world, I cannot even begin to imagine what that would require."

"I see. Thank you for the lesson, Master."

"Yes... the Unspeakables reached the sa conclusion."

I sighed.

"So this will keep happening?"

"Yes."

"And it will only get worse?"

"Yes."

I frowned.

"Sweetheart, don't worry..."

"Draco, truly, don't take this on. It's a matter for adults, for now. You're clever and responsible, but do allow yourself at least a little of your childhood."

"I will. Once I'm back at Hogwarts. There I can play teacher and spend ti with people my own age."

"Ha!"

Nymphadora snorted.

"You're more like their father than their peer. So..."

"Nymphadora, I am not in the mood. Jean, is there any possibility of a tear opening at Hogwarts? At Beauxbatons and Durmstrang? At other schools?"

"The right question."

Jean gave an approving nod. Everyone else simply stared at .

"I put the sa question to the Unspeakables. I can't speak for every school, but I was assured that institutions of that kind are generally protected by spatial stabilization barriers as well. No, they can't cover the entire planet, and they refused to tell what exactly these barriers are, calling it an Unspeakable secret. But they assured the schools are safe. The magical signature coming off the tears indicates they won't open on school grounds."

I closed my eyes.

"Draco, there's no need to dwell on this so heavily..."

"Mum."

I appeared to lose all interest in Jean, or so it seed.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

Narcissa and Bellatrix answered at the sa ti.

"Put Black House on a war footing. Our ancestors were not fools. The house must have so kind of barrier, or sothing close to a barrier. Everything from the other houses..."

I shook my head.

"...the libraries, the furniture, all of it, move everything to Black Hall."

"Sweetheart, I hate to say this, but the house at the mont..."

"There is more."

I looked at Bellatrix, and whatever she saw in my expression made her go quiet.

"Buy five buildings adjacent to ours. Ten if possible. How exactly you acquire them is for you to determine. The one condition is this..."

I took a sip of tea from the side table.

"...extending Black Hall's protections across them must be straightforward."

"Sweetheart, don't..."

"Mum. There's still more."

I cut Narcissa off.

"...I am perfectly aware that none of this can be done before the end of sumr. I also know we don't have the right specialists. Fortunately..."

I glanced at Jean, then at Fleur.

"...we have access to the Veela community. There will certainly be skilled witches willing to do everything required, for a substantial fee, provided they sign non-disclosure agreents that include mory modification clauses covering any House secrets they encounter."

My mothers looked thoughtful.

"I also understand we won't have sufficient energy reserves for all of this, which ans it's ti to rember what our family na actually signifies."

"Sweetheart..."

Both mothers' voices held sothing close to reverence.

"I expect the Veela specialists we hire would also be willing to conduct the ritual sacrifices. The sacrifices themselves could be Muggle convicts purchased from the Crown. I imagine Her Majesty would be glad to relieve her prisons of the burden. The key is having a few cauldrons of Veritaserum on hand beforehand to verify every single candidate and make absolutely certain they are guilty of rape, pedophilia, mass murder, or cris of that nature. I expect Britain has no shortage of that sort of filth, and we could use them to create sothing that hasn't been practiced in our world for a very long ti."

"You an..."

"I've only read about it, but it stayed with . An artificial source. Yes, it ans getting our hands a little dirty and preparing a soul-trap, but we wouldn't be destroying the souls. We would simply be holding them and putting them to work generating energy."

"I really don't think I should be hearing any of this."

Jean shook his head.

"And I really think you should be doing sothing similar."

Jean flinched under my steady gaze.

"How many lives depend on your decisions? And I'm not talking about the Aurors. There, you would simply need to push through a mandatory training bill and remove..."

"That's already in progress, boy, but what you've just described..."

"It's a direct consequence of the information I've just been given."

I looked at Jean seriously.

"And I would advise you to do sothing along the sa lines. If these tears keep appearing, the Statute of Secrecy will beco untenable before long. Wizards will be forced into the open, as will the Inquisition and every other organization."

I shook my head.

"But wizards can offer sothing that most others cannot. A safe house, a place where you can actually lie down and sleep without fear. There is an enormous amount of power to be built from that... and a reputation that borders on sainthood. And no one will particularly care that a handful of unreford recidivists, who were never going to change and had committed the most vile cris imaginable, were quietly disposed of to make that safe place possible."

"We understand."

Narcissa nodded.

"...the Blacks are more than a family. Once every ten years we may request an audience with the Queen, and the Unspeakables are answerable to her. They will have reported what happened. So if I tell her we are establishing a place of safety and need to acquire an entire city block for the purpose... she is unlikely to refuse. Nor is she likely to refuse the purchase of convicts for ritual use, provided we genuinely verify them with Veritaserum first and kill only the guilty."

"Good."

I smiled with satisfaction.

"Very good. Next, approach the Weasleys."

"The Weasleys?!"

Bellatrix stared at .

"Yes. Whatever I may think of the sixth year, Arthur is another matter entirely. Arthur has his own kind of value. I once overheard the twins discussing what further enchantnts could be placed on a car. So we ought to arrange parking in one of the neighboring buildings, acquire a couple of executive-class vehicles, and pay Arthur to enchant them to within an inch of their lives."

"Ahem."

Jean drew my attention.

"Yes?"

"There are skilled girls among the Veela who would be happy to perform the enchantnts for a reasonable sum. The result would be an extraordinarily complex artifact. You could layer almost anything into it, from spatial expansion to..."

Jean shrugged.

\\"...the only limit would be your imagination.\\"

\\"Excellent. The Veela are even better. No need to involve the Weasleys at all.\\"

Bellatrix gave a satisfied nod.

\\"You're being unfair. So of them are perfectly reasonable. Relatively reasonable.\\"

I sighed.

\\"Perhaps. But I think you take my aning.\\"

I looked at my mother.

\\"...by the end of this calendar year we need to own at least ten buildings, a full city block, ideally. By the end of the academic year, Black Hall's protective barrier must cover the entire area. Every flat will receive an Undetectable Extension Charm, with one room expanded to contain a full three- or four-room apartnt.\\"

\\"It will all be done, Heir. Anything else?\\"

\\"Yes. Though this goes without saying.\\"

I paused.

\\"The Patil family. The Tonks family. The Clearwaters. The Browns. The Grangers.\\"

I glanced briefly at Daphne, who had lowered her head.

\\"The Greengrasses. And...\\"

I looked at Daphne carefully. She was already looking back at with gratitude and sothing close to adoration. She still loved her family.

\\"...the Davises. Though that last one is purely for your sake.\\"

Daphne nodded quickly, making it clear she understood and was deeply grateful.

"...and Harry, and possibly his relatives as well. All of those families should have apartnts in our building by the end of the academic year. Not free of charge, naturally. I leave the negotiations and arrangents to you. Ideally, we want their fealty, and yes, the Greengrasses, for instance, could receive help relocating their manor entirely."

"Draco... I'd rather not raise this, but... Sirius. Whatever else may be said, he is family."

"He's wealthy enough to provide for his own safety. But..."

I looked at my mother, who had pressed her lips together.

"...you're right. We can't simply leave him to it. I think the matter can be raised during the audience with the Queen. She can apply pressure to the Ministry, and he would be able to return to the country. In any case, you all have an enormous amount of work ahead of you. So do I, though my work is of a different kind."

"And what is it you intend to do?"

"Scout for talent."

I smiled.

"I think if I offer a few dozen Muggle-borns the chance to have tutors arranged for them in subjects they care about, they will be willing to sign work contracts in return. And if I dangle the prospect of apprenticeships with established masters, not the most celebrated, but real masters nonetheless..."

"Draco, are you certain all of this is truly necessary?"

Penny asked, joining the conversation with so unease.

"I'm certain. I have no reason to distrust the Unspeakables or Jean, and if Fleur's father says things are only going to get worse..."

I shook my head.

"...then we need to be ready, by the ti the Statute falls, not to be pawns in the gas of more powerful players, but to be powerful ourselves, with the ability to shape other people's fates. There is no other way."

I shook my head once more.

"One last thing. I doubt Galleons will still be in circulation when the Statute falls. It would be wise to keep reserves of precious tals and other tangible materials."

"Understood, Heir."

Bellatrix gave a polite nod.

There was still a great deal left to discuss, but not now. The table had just been set, and it was ti to eat.

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1. Harry Potter: Satan? Nah, Just My Family Crest = CHAPTER 259

2.Marvel: Cosmic Forger of Infinity = CHAPTER 180

3.Harry Potter: Beyond Good and Evil in the Wizarding World = CHAPTER 260

4.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 108

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