At Night in the Black Manor.
Sitting in the dining hall, Arcturus, Asterion, and Narcissa dined in silence, a rather traditional dinner lavishly laid out on the oak dining table.
Arcturus, as always, dressed in his elegant suit, Asterion wore an outfit similar to Ciel Phantomhive's, but in black and green tones, while Narcissa wore a delicate black dress covering her body, revealing her bare back.
"Will I go to Hogwarts when I turn eleven?"
Cutting a piece of steak with his knife, Asterion stabbed the fork into the succulent meat, but before swallowing, he asked curiously. He was quite curious about Hogwarts, after all, it was Hogwarts, and he also wanted to know the differences of Hogwarts in this reality.
Arcturus paused his utensils and looked at his great-grandson with confusion. He placed the utensils on the table and asked, "When did I say you would go to Hogwarts when you turned eleven?"
This time it was Asterion's turn to be confused. "Isn't it at eleven years old that a wizard starts their studies?"
"No, the age to start at Hogwarts is from thirteen onwards," Arcturus replied, surprising Asterion.
Seeing his great-grandson's confusion, Arcturus began to explain, "I don't know why you think you would go to Hogwarts at eleven, but it's not like that. Wizards are essentially soldiers; it's completely illogical to send children to Hogwarts at that age."
Seeing the confusion growing stronger on his Asterion face, Arcturus realized that his great-grandson didn't understand the nature of Hogwarts.
"Hogwarts isn't just a school; it also serves as a headquarters for training young wizards in the fight against cursed spirits and dark wizards. Hogwarts is divided into two classes: the main class and the auxiliary class. The main class mostly consists of fighters, while the auxiliary class, as the name suggests, consists of auxiliary wizards who help in any way they can with their powers, whether it's healing, tracking, reconnaissance, or cleanup."
Taking a breath to regain his composure, he continued, "From the first to the third year, students only need to establish a solid knowledge base for their future. Starting from the fourth year, or when they turn sixteen, Hogwarts begins to send students on Grade 4 missions so they can gain experience. Thus, from the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh years, students put everything they've learned in class into practice. When they graduate from the seventh year, at twenty years old, you'll have an experienced soldier with a formed mindset."
The words silenced Asterion. He understood his great-grandfather's words; unlike the magical school in another reality, this Hogwarts wasn't an amusement park but a place where you grew stronger to survive in the future.
The wizards in both realities were fundamentally different. This world needed constant soldiers to fight cursed spirits and dark wizards; otherwise, society wouldn't be what it was today. At the same time, this world had a much better fate than the world of JJK; the number of wizards in this world was much higher, resulting in fewer deaths than depicted in the anime and manga.
Arcturus continued speaking after taking a sip of water from his glass. "If we were to send children to Hogwarts at eleven, the Muggle government would definitely fight us to the death. For this reason, it was decided that the basic age to enroll in Hogwarts would be thirteen, and missions would only begin at sixteen. To ensure the primary safety of the children, various strict regulations were created, and both sides retreated, with the Muggle government assisting in missions by sending responsible agents along with their technology."
"To increase the survival rate of the students, a team of three people is formed at the beginning of the school year, and the ministry also sends an experienced Auror to assist in the missions," Arcturus concluded.
Asterion couldn't help but feel amazed. The mutual assistance between both worlds was something he certainly didn't expect, but upon reflection, it was quite reasonable for it to happen.
After all, war wasn't an intelligent option. Not only would it reveal the existence of the supernatural, but it would also drag the entire country into conflict. Add Special Class Wizards to the mix, and you have pandemonium on Earth.
Both worlds needed each other to survive. Normal people couldn't see cursed spirits and therefore couldn't kill them, while wizards needed fresh blood constantly being sent to Hogwarts to supply the scarce workforce. In the end, both worlds reached a consensus where everyone would benefit.
But upon hearing about the team and the experienced Auror, Asterion felt like he had seen this somewhere before. Then, he remembered the anime Naruto that he watched in his past life, where there was a similar system.
"I just hope there won't be a Sakura on his team. If there is, I hope it's the post-time skip Sakura," he thought.
"The team chosen at the beginning of the school year, do we get to choose who we go on missions with?" Asterion asked, cautious about the response he would receive.
"No. The Hogwarts school council selects team members based on each individual's weaknesses. This forms a cohesive team that complements each other, as nobody is perfect." Looking at his grandson's worried face, Arcturus knew what he was concerned about and reassured him, addressing his doubts.
Just as Arcturus was about to continue explaining other things, the house-elf, Kreacher, apparated next to the patriarch's chair and bowed while extending his hands, showing a letter bearing the emblem of the British Ministry of Magic.
"Noble Lord Black, Kreacher intercepted a letter attempting to enter the mansion's domain," said the old house-elf as he prostrated himself on the ground. Arcturus recognized the emblem and the letter, which was used to summon someone.
Taking the letter in his hand, he let it float in the air. Magically, the letter seemed to come to life and began to speak with a deep, serious voice resonating throughout the dining hall.
[London – Grimmauld Place, No. 12.
This is an emergency order sent to the recipient, The Lord Patriarch of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black – Arcturus Black III.
Arcturus Black III, you are hereby summoned to present yourself as soon as possible before the Supreme Parliament, the Wizengamot.
Refusal to comply with this summons will bring serious consequences to the Recipient – Arcturus Black III.]
When the letter finished speaking, it turned into ashes, disappearing completely. Everyone in the dining hall fell silent, still stunned by what had just happened.
Arcturus furrowed his brows deeply. He didn't appreciate the tone used in the letter; it was written as if he were a criminal being forced to appear before the Wizengamot. Obviously, this wasn't written by the Pure-Blood Faction.
The old patriarch coldly snorted. He wanted to see what tricks Dumbledore wanted to use against him. However, even though he had been summoned, he calmly resumed eating and sipped his wine, seeming unconcerned about being urgently called.
Only when he finished his dinner did he leave the dining hall, holding his cane with a cold expression. Asterion observed Arcturus leaving the dining hall after receiving an urgent letter from the Ministry of Magic, specifically being summoned before the entire Wizengamot.
Narcissa and Asterion exchanged confused glances. Going to the Ministry and being summoned were two completely different things. Something truly serious had happened.
--------------------------
Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
The Patreon will be updated daily, except on Saturdays and Sundays, when I do not write.
P-atreon.com/HPSCB
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
Next Chapter: (Chapter 26 - Wizengamot (2), (Chapter 27 – Wizengamot (3), (Chapter 28 - Unexpected Arrival (1), (Chapter 29 - Unexpected Arrival (2), (Chapter 30 - Black Family Reunion (1), (Chapter 31 - Black Family Reunion (2), (Chapter 32 - Black House Masquerade Ball (1), Chapter 33 - Black House Masquerade Ball (2), Chapter 34 - Black House Masquerade Ball (3).
Patron's: Chris, Justrice Harrison, AlucardoBlood, Renne Bruffett, Straydog, IDaGoat Mypark, Hamza Ahmed, Dishitian, James, Zhenya, Enriv125, Michael, NinjaTiger, Mursel Kenan, Andrea Barbarino, Benjamin Kingunza, NaYati, Austin Pierce, Leopardu Junglei, Anthony Casas Cano, Xerxes33311, Ray Tery, Joseph, Max Brown, Hrisav Dewanjee, Szwagier, Maxime Anne Louise, Ree Iphone, OdiimBR, Alistair Lawrence, JustAGuy, Kheinz, T S, Zephyre, Tobias Sinkewicius, Phokingchin, Kieran p o'connor, Artem Marviv, Hunayn Abbas, Wolf, HeavenlyCrimsonKarma, Best Manga, Chase Matlon, Ibrahim Amani, Sighduck, Syed, Cody Dennis, Daniel Johnson, Nicholas, Zach Obenhoff, Joao Goncalves, Heretic Smurf, Antwaun way, Paul Panda, Surge1301, Reid Baisden, Marco Bertin, Bloodstained, Unknown, Clayton Channell, Kylan Trinh, BirdRant, BlueFern XO, Erik Vorlicky, DJ Tucker, Mitsogon, Axel Bour, TG Savior, Matatank, Killian Helms, Ethan Trays, Alessandro Palma, Kotek, Жахангир, Lumn, Chamar Ellis, Brandon, Geoffrey Abbott.