Sighs of surprise echoed through the crowd of guests; they certainly hadn't expected to see the legendary Gellert Grindelwald appearing at the Black Heir's birthday party.
It wasn't just them who were surprised; Asterion was too, but he looked calmly at the man who ruled Europe with an iron fist.
Grindelwald dared to preach his ideals openly, and all the magical ministries of European countries dared not to act. No one wanted a walking atomic bomb full of rage in their country. So, they turned a blind eye to the man's deeds, counting on him not to dare do anything too serious; the European countries didn't care about what he did.
Placing his hand over his chest, Asterion leaned forward and gestured gracefully. "Welcome, Lord Grindelwald. I hope the party suits your liking."
"What a polite young man, unfortunately I had no grandchildren or children," Gellert commented with a regretful tone at the end.
Asterion almost rolled his eyes at the man's words, but the idea of Dumbledore being a man and still able to be pregnant was certainly a funny sight.
"Although your former lover might think otherwise," Asterion remarked, looking at the man with an indifferent gaze.
As he said this, he felt Grindelwald's gaze turn slightly cold, but the feeling lasted only for a brief moment; if he weren't as sensitive as he was, he would have thought it was just an illusion.
Grindelwald let out a low, charismatic laugh. "You seem to know a few things, Young Asterion," he said, his eyes gleaming unusually.
Asterion felt a shiver run through his body in the presence of those phosphorescent blue eyes; he knew what the man was doing – Seeing the future!
For a moment, Asterion wanted to kill the man here and now; if Grindelwald knew his plans, it would be a complete disaster. Unfortunately, he couldn't kill the man, he was too strong.
For a moment, he felt what Dumbledore felt when he fought against Grindelwald – A Seer. The feeling of helplessness, knowing that no matter what he did, the opponent would know and retaliate in an unpredictable manner, was truly unsettling.
"Hahahaha!"
Suddenly, Grindelwald laughed, releasing a loud burst of laughter that echoed in the particularly silent hall at that moment.
A few moments later, he stopped and smiled gently at Asterion, his eyes reflecting the boy's appearance as if he saw something extraordinary.
"Young Asterion, you will certainly achieve great things. I eagerly await the day you reach that step," Grindelwald spoke, relaxed and cheerful at that moment, his joyful voice spreading throughout the hall, causing everyone to widen their eyes.
Gellert Grindelwald had just praised the Black Heir!
Some could imagine the repercussions of this act if it were leaked, fortunately, everyone present was somehow connected to the House of Black and did not leak the information.
Looking at the ladybug on his coat, Asterion pursed his lips, almost laughing, but finally restrained himself and managed not to smile. He would let the woman leave unnoticed, as the revelation of the news was of interest to him. Chaos had always been a ladder that few would climb, but he dared, regardless of how dangerous and risky things would become.
"I will accompany you, Lord Grindelwald," Asterion spoke with an indifferent gaze, gesturing elegantly.
"That would be kind of you, Young Asterion," Grindelwald laughed and walked over to Arcturus first, after all, he was the host of the party.
-
Observing the boy greet one of the most dangerous men in the world, if not the most dangerous, Daphne felt her heart beat faster with nervousness. Thanks to the Greengrass House's Innate Technique - [Heart of Nature] - she could feel the colossal amount of magical energy emanating from Gellert Grindelwald.
The man was like a sun, radiating warmth and making the air thinner with his mere presence.
"What's wrong, sister? Worried about your future husband?" Beside Daphne, a younger girl asked playfully, her fragile and gentle voice bringing the Heir of the Greengrass House back to her calm and indifferent demeanor.
"Humph! Seems like you've gotten bolder while I've been away, Astoria." Daphne looked at her younger sister and pinched her cheeks mercilessly.
"I was just kidding, no need to be so serious," Astoria, who had escaped her sister's clutches, complained to herself, while at the same time giving Daphne a teasing glance. "And what about your future husband? I've seen his pictures, hehehe, he looks very handsome."
"Perhaps too handsome, that could be a problem at Hogwarts." Daphne couldn't help but feel helpless as she remembered her future husband's appearance. She felt like her life would be difficult, especially at Hogwarts, where he would be surrounded by hormone-filled girls determined to win over her lovely husband.
Daphne was especially worried about the girls from Slytherin. She could easily imagine how many orders these girls had received from their parents to seduce the Black Heir. Everyone wanted a piece of the pie, and that pie was Asterion Black, Heir of the Black House and the Slytherin House.
"Please don't be so sad." Hearing her sister's helpless words, eight-year-old Astoria rolled her eyes at her hypocrisy. Although Daphne appeared very distressed, Astoria knew her sister was secretly enchanted and very pleased with her future husband.
After all, she knew her sister had always dreamed of marrying a handsome, cold, and arrogant prince from Slytherin, but she didn't expect that dream to come true so perfectly as she wished. Not only a Black, but also a direct descendant of magical royalty — the Slytherin House.
"Looks like you're envious, sister," Daphne teased without hesitation.
"Yes, I am envious. You're marrying a prince, and I'm marrying a golden cat trying to pass itself off as a powerful lion," Astoria replied, muttering and showing herself very dissatisfied with her future spouse. At their first meeting, she had almost punched that arrogant face that seemed so punchable.
She just hoped Draco would improve as he grew up and became more mature; otherwise, she would prefer to marry someone else.
Not that she didn't like an arrogant man. But arrogance based on one's father's prestige, as Draco proudly displayed, certainly wasn't attractive to her.
Seeing the two daughters whispering together, the Greengrass couple simply shook their heads and turned their attention back to the party hosts and the most illustrious guest of the party.
-
"You have an incredible grandson, Arcturus," Grindelwald spoke, looking up at the man who was about twenty centimeters taller than him. They had met before, about twenty years ago, when Arcturus was on a joint mission with other countries in Europe.
"I can say the same about your adopted son," replied Arcturus, turning his gaze to the young man with medium-length black hair who always faithfully followed Grindelwald. The other acolytes were forming a formation about ten meters away from the Dark Lord.
Grindelwald nodded and spoke slowly, "Don't praise him too much, he might get arrogant."
"Adopted son?" Asterion looked at the young man with curiosity. He appeared to be around twenty-five years old, but a wizard's appearance often deceived, so Asterion assumed he was much older than he appeared.
Noticing the confusion on Asterion's face, Grindelwald introduced him, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Aurelius Dumbledore, my adopted son."
If Grindelwald's arrival shocked the audience, then Aurelius's identity left everyone speechless, not understanding what was happening at the moment.
Asterion looked at the young man, surprised. After all, that was the surname of the Most Powerful Wizard in the World, Albus Dumbledore. He couldn't recall if he had read about this character in the books or seen him in the movies, but he thought it might be from the new films he hadn't watched due to lack of time.
"Hello, Aurelius." Approaching him, Asterion greeted him as he should as one of the hosts.
"Black Heir." After a brief silence, he replied, looking at Asterion with his black eyes.
A short and cold response, without any sign of wanting to initiate a conversation, something Asterion could probably understand.
Conversing with people was tiresome.
But, observing Aurelius, Asterion couldn't help but be surprised. There was something strange about Aurelius Dumbledore; in his senses, it was as if his magical energy moved on its own, as if it were alive.
However, that was impossible. Magical energy was just that, energy without consciousness. It was like a program with complex and infinite orders, created by the natural order of things, but without intelligence.
But in Aurelius's case, it was as if it were alive and had become a separate entity from the host, two souls in one body; that was the most accurate answer to his confusion. Another thing that intrigued him was that his magical energy was actually negative magical energy!
This puzzled him; was Aurelius human or a cursed spirit, perhaps a hybrid? If that were the case, could cursed spirits reproduce sexually, or was it another process? There was also the option that Grindelwald had created him artificially, but he had no idea how.
In Asterion's mind, the idea of capturing Aurelius and dissecting him while still alive on the surgical table appeared, but it was suppressed the moment it emerged. Aurelius was a semi-special grade wizard, and he always stayed by Grindelwald's side, making it impossible to kidnap him without anyone knowing.
Aurelius, who was looking at Asterion, couldn't help but take a few steps back, for some reason, the eyes of the boy in front of him were particularly frightening; he looked at him as if he saw a rare and extinct specimen.
Seeing this, Asterion, realizing he had exhibited inappropriate behavior, cleared his throat, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and offered a polite smile. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask, I would be here to help with anything."
Aurelius nodded and returned to stand behind Grindelwald while cautiously eyeing the boy who emitted dangerous emotions.
Asterion didn't insist on speaking with Aurelius and walked among the guests, greeting everyone and asking if they were enjoying the party when suddenly, he overheard the conversation of three men in the background.
"Have you heard the rumors? Five squads of Aurors have disappeared in pursuit of Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius Black. They've been missing for over three weeks and still haven't been found."
"The families are still searching for the missing ones, but nothing so far, as if they've vanished from the world."
"Word has it that Rufus was furious about the incident and personally went to find his missing men."
Asterion, who was listening to everything, pondered deeply. According to Bellatrix, she had evaded the Aurors by using a cursed spirit capable of simulating aura and someone's appearance, but was that really the case?
-
"You weren't invited, Lucius," Narcissa said, her voice especially cold, as she looked at her husband through a golden mask.
"Still upset, Narcissa?" Lucius, the patriarch of the Malfoy family, took a sip of champagne and spoke with disinterest.
"Upset? Don't make me laugh. If I were upset about something, you'd be dead, and I'd make sure it was very painful." Narcissa's eyes couldn't help but grow even colder; his carefree attitude made her particularly irritated.
"I don't understand your anger, they're just a few mistresses; I'm not stopping you from having your toys if you want." Lucius looked at his wife, and noticing her cold and deadly gaze, he wasn't afraid and finished his champagne glass.
Lucius's words were the last straw for her; she laughed coldly and spoke with such a deadly look that it sent a shiver down everyone's spine.
"Fine, first you call me petty for not allowing you to cheat on me, now you call me a slut. Do you really think I'm someone who takes everything silently?"
With her words, she took off the wedding ring on her ring finger and threw it into Lucius's champagne glass as she turned away, but before leaving, she left her words behind.
"You're lucky this is Asterion's birthday; otherwise, I would announce to everyone here that I'm divorcing the trash that is you."
Looking at the wedding ring in his glass, Lucius smirked and muttered to himself, "Narcissa, you think you're so amazing and noble, but you're nothing but an emotionless doll. You're doing me a favor by divorcing me; at least the blame will fall on you, of that I'm sure."
-
As the party came to an end, Asterion and Arcturus stood side by side, each holding a champagne glass, observing the hundreds of guests awaiting their next words.
"Firstly, I'd like to thank all of you for sharing this moment with me. It's a special memory that I will cherish. At the same time, I want to express my gratitude to Narcissa, my dear cousin, who organized this entire ceremony with nothing less than perfection," began Asterion, addressing the crowd who listened to him in silence.
He continued with his speech: "Lastly, I toast to all of us, to happiness, to health, and to success. May we face the challenges that the future holds for us with courage and determination. Thank you again to everyone, and may tonight continue to be an unforgettable celebration, as it is for me."
Watching Asterion speak softly in front of hundreds of people, Arcturus nodded satisfactorily. In comparison to when the ball began, the boy had made great progress.
When Asterion finished speaking, a barrage of applause echoed in the hall, everyone clapping as they looked at the small figure raising the champagne glass.
Grindelwald clapped slowly as his smile grew, almost reaching the edges of his face. A terrifying and exhilarated smile.
"I hope you grow up quickly, Asterion. I'm really looking forward to when you take the true stage," murmured the Dark Lord, his gaze focused on the boy who would either bring about the world's destruction or save it, depending on how cruel fate would be.
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Author's Thoughts: This chapter had 2300 words, a record! Hope you like it. The next two chapters will be a time jump of three years and the next chapter will be Hogwarts. Finally I'll be able to talk about spells and so on.
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Next Chapter: Chapter 35 - Three Years (1), Chapter 36 - Three Years (2), Chapter 37 - Hogwarts Express (1), Chapter 38 - Hogwarts Express (2), Chapter 39 - Hogwarts Express (3) Chapter 40 - Hogwarts Express (4) Chapter 41 - Hogwarts Express (5), Chapter 42 - Hogwarts (1), Chapter 43 - Hogwarts (2), Chapter 44 - Hogwarts (3), Chapter 45 - Classroom (1), Chapter 46 - Classroom (2), Chapter 4 - Classroom (3).
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