"Cousin?" Rose, who until a moment ago had been showing boredom, looked at the handsome young man in front of her with surprise. Raised only among the Dursleys, the sudden news caught her off guard.
"What's so surprising? You probably have cousins in almost every Noble House. That is, before your great-grandfather Henry Potter became pro-Muggle. After that, you were probably erased from every family tree." Asterion answered her doubts, while curiously eyeing the Legendary Six Eyes.
The revelation left Rose stunned. Hearing his words, she realized she probably had dozens of cousins she had never known...
"Are we close cousins or distant ones?" Rose asked, looking at him with her bright blue eyes.
Asterion tried to remember the chaotic Black family tree before responding. "Our closest relationship is through your great-uncle Charlus Potter, who married Dorea Black."
Rose nodded, silently absorbing all the information that had been dumped on her and its consequences.
Hermione noticed the silent atmosphere and observed Asterion and Rose, trying to find some resemblance, but they were completely different from each other. One had white hair, the other black hair; one had beautiful blue eyes, the other dark red eyes. No matter how much she looked, they didn't look anything alike.
Rose's thoughts were interrupted when the cabin door opened and a boy with red hair entered, wearing clothes slightly too big for him and sporting a shy expression.
"Sorry, all the other cabins are full," he said, looking at everyone, his gaze paused for a moment on Rose, and he couldn't help but open his mouth, his cheeks gaining a shade similar to his hair.
Clearly drawn by Rose's appearance, which was not surprising given that the girl was truly a goddess in the making.
"Ron Weasley," he introduced himself, looking away, lacking the courage to stare at Rose for too long.
"Rose Potter," Rose introduced herself indifferently. As for the boy's shy appearance, she wasn't surprised; she was very used to such situations. What was strange was the black-haired boy in front of her who didn't react to her appearance.
"Hermione Granger," the girl introduced herself, not liking the abrupt entrance into the cabin, especially if there was a girl changing at the moment.
Asterion remained silent and didn't introduce himself, which was considered rude, but he knew they couldn't be friends, so he didn't need to waste saliva. Not that he harbored any hatred or dislike for the boy, he simply knew they wouldn't get along from the start.
Upon hearing Rose's name, Ron's eyes widened, and he looked eagerly at her, moving closer and sitting next to her, squeezing Hermione away regardless of the brown-haired girl's protest. He asked excitedly:
"Do you have the scar?"
Rose frowned and looked coldly at the boy. She didn't like his approach at all, nor did she like having pushed Hermione away from her.
Despite this, she lifted her bangs and revealed the lightning-shaped scar on her forehead.
Upon seeing the scar, Ron gasped and blurted out his question almost instinctively, unaware of the weight of his words.
"Do you remember that night?"
If Rose's initial impression of Ron was merely one of indifference, it had now transformed into a slight disgust. She couldn't comprehend how someone could broach such a delicate subject in such a manner.
The almost cheerful tone with which he spoke about her parents' death only intensified the feeling of repulsion she was experiencing at the moment.
"Mr. Weasley, it's not very polite to ask such a delicate question," Asterion intervened, closing the book firmly and interrupting the tense atmosphere that had settled in the cabin.
Ron, finally waking up to the gravity of his question, tried to quickly apologize, but he was cut off by Rose.
"No need to apologize. I'm not that fragile," her voice sounded indifferent and cold as her eyes stared at Ron with an icy gaze.
Ron swallowed hard under Rose's piercing gaze, as if a mountain rested on his shoulders, making even the act of moving seem like a daunting task.
"Fascinating," Asterion murmured to himself, sensing the magical energy in the air and realizing the impressive control that Rose exerted over it. It was on a completely different level from his own.
If he were to engage in a battle of attrition, he knew he would likely be defeated; he would expend more magical energy than Rose, who flawlessly controlled her magical energy at a subatomic level.
An achievement considered insane.
The tense atmosphere hung in the air, preventing anyone from initiating a conversation. Not that Asterion wanted one, but Rose didn't plan to let him remain silent.
"So, Asterion, do I have any more relatives in your family?" she asked, ignoring the awkward atmosphere in the cabin.
"Narcissa Black, seemingly without crimes, Bellatrix Lestrange, wanted for numerous murders of Muggles, half-bloods, and pure-bloods, my uncle, Sirius Black, also a wanted criminal for blowing up an entire street of people, and my great-grandfather, Arcturus Black III," Asterion replied without hiding anything. He opened the book again and continued reading, unconcerned about what others might think of his family.
Rose couldn't help but purse her lips upon hearing his indifferent voice, indifferent to the deeds of his relatives.
She realized that the family of this cousin she had just met wasn't exactly one of the best... most of them were wanted criminals...
"Asterion Black!" Ron, who had overheard everything, jumped from his seat and pointed at Asterion in shock. It was only now that he had recognized the most notable genius in the current British magical world.
"Ron Weasley," Asterion rolled his eyes and replied in a nonchalant manner.
Turning his attention back to the book, he continued, "I'd like to say it's a pleasure to meet you, but we both know that's not true."
This made Ron's face turn red, not with shyness, but with anger. What teenagers most value at this age is self-esteem, something Ron didn't have much of in the first place, living in a crowded house with few financial resources.
"It's a miracle from Merlin that your whole family isn't already in Azkaban," Ron retaliated as best as he could think of at the moment.
Asterion merely raised an eyebrow slightly at the redhead's words.
"Was that supposed to be an insult?" asked the Black heir.
"And isn't it?" Ron replied through gritted teeth.
"If the whole family is included, your father is probably going to Azkaban, my dear cousin. Don't forget that Arthur Weasley is the grandson of Arcturus Black II," Asterion revealed information that left Ron staggering as he couldn't manage to utter a single word.
(Note: Don't confuse Arcturus Black II and Arcturus Black III. Arcturus II is the uncle of Arcturus III, who is the great-grandfather of our protagonist. By the way, it's canon. I was also quite surprised by the revelation.)
"You, you, you, you liar!" He pointed at Asterion with a trembling finger, unable to finish the sentence properly.
It wasn't just Ron who was shocked; Rose, who was listening to everything, opened her mouth and looked at the redhead. If Ron was Asterion's cousin, Ron was also her cousin...
Looking at the trembling finger pointed at him, Asterion's red eyes gradually grew colder.
"You better stop pointing at me, or else I'll rip your hand off." At the end of the sentence, Asterion released his malice without any scruples, unconcerned about the consequences of his actions.
The entire train seemed to fall into an ice cavern, all the students regardless of age feeling chills running down their spine as a deep fear settled in the heart of each person on that train.
--------------------------------
Author's thoughts: I have nothing against Ron, I just don't like his existence... >.>
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Next Chapter: 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 47 - Classroom (3), Chapter 48 - First Class of Defense Against Cursed Spirits (1), Chapter 49 - First Class of Defense Against Cursed Spirits (2), Chapter 50 - Request (1), Chapter 51 - Request (2), Chapter 52 - A Treacherous Game of Chess (1), Chapter 53 - A Treacherous Game of Chess (2), Chapter 54 - A Treacherous Game of Chess (3), Chapter 55 - A Treacherous Game of Chess (4), Chapter 56 - Magical Self-Defense Tactical Training Class (1), Chapter 57 - Magical Self-Defense Tactical Training Class (2), Chapter 58 - Magical Self-Defense Tactical Training Class (3).
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