Antonio had been sleeping soundly in his room, surrounded by his magical protective shield, when a sudden loud noise jolted him awake. It was the sound of a palm banging against his wooden door.
"Olario?" ca the shrill voice of a witch. "Olario! Are you in there? Open the damn door, otherwise I will blast it open!"
Antonio did not need even a mont to recognize the voice. It was Bellatrix Black. And he could easily guess why she was here.
"Coming!" he shouted, as he hurried to open the door. He had no doubt that if he delayed, she really would blast it open.
Outside, Bellatrix was just contemplating whether she should break in forcefully when Antonio unbolted the door.
Both of them stood face to face and Bellatrix swept into the house like a blur. Antonio felt for a second as if she might collide with him, perhaps even give him a bear hug, but she stopped just short of it.
Even so, she was standing very close, their faces only inches apart.
"Are you alright?" she asked. "I heard this morning that a shop had been attacked on this street, and an inn was destroyed."
"I was worried," she mumbled further. "And I dashed here as fast as I could."
"I am fine," Antonio replied politely.
"But I did not know that Miss Bellatrix would be worried for ," he added, a teasing smirk on his lips.
At that, Bellatrix's face flushed slightly, embarrassnt creeping across her cheeks as she rembered how hasty her actions had been.
"Hmph!" she harrumphed. "Who said I was worried about you? I just ca to check on you."
Antonio only chuckled softly. He did not point out that she herself had just admitted to being worried. But best not to provoke her further.
"What exactly happened here?" Bellatrix asked. "Your inn has been reduced to ruins."
"You do not know the full story?" Antonio asked, raising an eyebrow.
By his estimation, such big news should already have spread far and wide, and been published in every newspaper.
"I was busy with sothing," Bellatrix clarified, as she realised what he had been thinking. "I only heard about the attack on the street and ca here as fast as I could."
"Hm." Antonio nodded. "Co inside. You would not want to have this conversation at the entrance door."
Bellatrix nodded as she stepped inside the house. It was modest, especially compared to the likes of the Black family manor where Bellatrix was accustod to living. The house had no more than five rooms and a small living area. The furnishings and decorations were simple, making it look all the more like an ordinary ho.
Thankfully, despite being connected to the inn, the house had suffered little damage, only a few barely noticeable cracks on the walls, likely caused by the shockwaves from the spells that had devastated the inn.
Antonio and Bellatrix took their seats, settling side by side on the sofa in the living room.
Antonio then began to narrate the entire story to her. He started from the very first spell that had landed on the roof of the inn to all the proceedings in the ministry.
By the ti he finished, Bellatrix was staring at him with eyes practically glittering like stars. Strength was sothing she loved, she desired and she respected and although she had not witnessed it herself, she was sure from the narration that Antonio had showed an exceptional level of combat prowess.
"You are really, really strong, Olario," she said, patting his shoulder in mock elderly praise. But Antonio could easily see the fascination on Bellatrix's face. Without a doubt, she was soone deeply impressed by strength.
"Yes," Antonio replied with a small smile. "But it has landed in enough trouble, I suppose."
"So, what will you do now?" she asked, shifting the topic to the trouble he had just ntioned. "About the hearing?"
"Oh!" Antonio said. "Alia Bones has offered her support and promised to help . Tomorrow evening, I will be eting her father, Lord Bones, to discuss things more specifically and see if he will lend his support as well."
"She also ntioned she would try to speak to so other influential lords on my behalf," he added.
Bellatrix's face fell slightly upon hearing this. She had expected him to be more helpless, at which point she could have stepped in to offer her help. But soone had already seized the opportunity.
Was she jealous? She was not sure, but she definitely felt uncomfortable.
Caught in this swirl of conflicting emotions, she shifted, moving so close to Antonio that their legs were nearly touching.
Antonio noticed, but did not move away. Bellatrix was no ordinary beauty, she was a strikingly beautiful witch and Antonio would not deny that he felt drawn to her.
Additionally, he had purposefully thrown out the bait for her. Bellatrix coming here, despite what had happened at the gathering implied only two possibilities.
Either her family did not object to her association with him, or at least the person who truly mattered, Arcturus Black, did not object. Or she was going against her family's wishes. A revolt, if he may call it.
In either scenario, and given her behaviour toward him, he believed he had a fair chance of gaining her support. Maybe, through her, he could secure the backing of one or two influential lords. As the eldest of the Black, she must have a trick or two in her sleeves.
"I can help too," she mumbled.
"You?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not exactly ," she clarified.
"But I can talk to my grandfather. I can convince him to help you," she added.
Antonio was slightly surprised. Help directly from Arcturus Black. Black family.
Even if he did not gain their help, he was sure Arcturus had no objection with Bellatrix keeping contact within him. Otherwise, Bellatrix would have not even proposed to talk with her grandfather.
"Are you certain?" He questioned.
"About the support?" She replied. "No. About asking him? Yes."
"This work I guess," he replied and Bellatrix smiled happily.
Thereafter, the topic was shifted and the two delved into a long hour of chatter.
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