In the astrology tower of Hogwarts, Asterion and Rose stared at each other in silence.
"Before we begin, I need to address something that may affect our collaboration," said Asterion, his black hair gently swaying in the wind. His red eyes met those of the white-haired teenager with indifference.
Rose furrowed her brow and waited silently for his words.
"My father, Regulus Black, worked for the person who killed your parents..." Asterion began, but before he could finish, a colossal magical energy engulfed him relentlessly, as if someone were trying to crush him like a cockroach.
Asterion showed no weakness and released an equal amount of magical energy, colliding with Rose's pressure.
With the collision of auras, the air became thin and heavy, gravity seemed especially intense around them, and the clouds in the sky dispersed instantly.
Faced with Rose's angry expression, Asterion asked coldly, "Are you going to listen to me, or are we going to fight here and now?"
Honestly, Rose's reaction was within Asterion's expectations; he even anticipated her attacking him. It was also a possibility for Hogwarts to be destroyed because of Rose's momentary anger, but it seems he underestimated Rose's emotional control.
Rose clenched her fists furiously, but still gave Asterion a chance to explain. At this moment, she felt betrayed by this information; it caught her off guard.
Seeing Rose calming down or at least holding back from punching him in the face, Asterion continued speaking. "Before you jump down my throat, just know that my father regretted his actions and betrayed Voldemort. Before leaving the Death Eaters, he revealed the true origin of the man to the entire Pure-Blood faction. After that, Voldemort found and killed him."
Asterion's words alleviated the anger Rose was feeling at that moment, but she still looked at him with a particularly cold, almost distant, gaze. Even though it wasn't Asterion's fault, she still felt offended by his father's betrayal against her family.
That's quite understandable, considering that if it weren't for Voldemort, Rose would have had a happy childhood, perhaps with brothers and sisters.
"Origin?" Rose looked confusedly at him. "What do you mean by Voldemort's origin?"
"Exactly what I meant," Asterion replied. "My father found out that Voldemort's name was Tom Marvolo Riddle, the son of Tom Riddle, a Muggle, and Merope Gaunt, a pure-blood from the Gaunt family, which descended from the Noble House of Slytherin."
Regardless of Rose's surprised expression, Asterion continued speaking. "Isn't it ironic, a man who always claimed to be pure-blood is actually a half-blood? Believe me when I say that the Pure-Blood faction didn't take kindly to the news. Unfortunately, interests come above personal feelings. Even though they didn't like the idea of a half-blood controlling them, the Noble Houses prioritized their interests over personal sentiments."
Rose nodded and asked what else was confusing her at this moment. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Voldemort's back," Asterion simply dropped a piece of news that made Rose's eyes nearly explode with blinding light.
"Where and how did you learn this information?" Rose asked, her tone cold and chilling, causing Asterion to look at her with a slightly surprised expression. He truly hadn't expected Rose to display such a look.
"I've just been attacked by him in the classroom; the proud Lord Voldemort was parasitizing Professor Quirrell," Asterion replied with a cold, sarcastic smile when he mentioned Voldemort's condition.
Rose smiled, and a cold, murderous intent emanated from her.
Seeing Rose ready to leave, Asterion said something that made her stop. "Before you hunt him down, I have to tell you something."
Rose looked confused at Asterion, as if asking, 'is there more?'
"Don't you see, Rose? We're mere puppets in Dumbledore and Voldemort's games," Asterion said, his voice cold, carrying a hidden thirst for blood, disguised by his indifference.
"These old bastards manipulate us to achieve their own objectives," he continued, his black hair floating in the wind as his eyes fixed on the sun in the blue sky.
Rose stopped and fell silent. She had already suspected this; she could subtly feel that Dumbledore was guiding her along a predetermined path, all so that, in the end, she could take her place.
"And what do you suggest?" she asked after a brief silence, her blue eyes calmly and coldly locking onto Asterion.
"Let's end this damn chess game and turn Voldemort's and Dumbledore's plans into rubbish," Asterion replied, leaning against a pillar as he watched her. Asterion lowered himself even more and ended up sitting on the ground.
Rose sat beside him and looked at him with a gaze of apology and guilt.
She hugged her own legs and spoke in a low tone. "Sorry for almost fighting you because of your father's mistakes."
Asterion, who was about to continue discussing the plan to end Dumbledore and Voldemort, looked at Rose with surprise. He shook his head and replied with an indifferent tone. "When I decided to talk about my father's past, I already expected your reaction. It's normal to feel angry and to take out that anger on those close to the guilty party. Humanity always likes to blame the wrong people."
"That doesn't make me feel any better, starlight. It makes me feel like garbage inside because I'm doing something I never thought I would." Rose spoke with a sad tone.
"You're strange, snowflake. Instead of worrying about yourself, you're concerned about how I feel," Asterion replied, looking at her with indifference.
"That's because you're my cousin; I care about you," Rose elbowed Asterion's arm and spoke with a small smile on her lips, the sadness she was feeling dissipating a bit at that moment.
Asterion looked deeply at Rose, opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it the next moment before finally mustering the courage to speak. "I reluctantly accept you as my cousin."
Rose almost laughed at the funny expression he made when he said those words.
To avoid angering Asterion, she suppressed her laughter and stood up.
"Call me when you're ready to start," she said as she turned and left the astronomy tower, leaving Asterion alone.
Descending the stairs, Rose bit her lower lip hard and continued spiraling down the stairs while pondering the news she had just received. Especially the news about Asterion's father; she had almost unconsciously placed the blame for his father's mistakes on Asterion. That was foolish; she realized how silly she had been once the anger subsided.
"I hope I didn't hurt his feelings," Rose murmured to herself.
But the other news made her eyes gleam with a cold look. "When I find you, you'll wish you had stayed dead, Tom Riddle," she murmured as she descended the spiral staircase.
Still in the tower, Asterion looked to where Rose had been sitting and muttered to himself. "Things were simpler than I thought. I hope you enjoyed my gift, Dumbledore."
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Next Chapter: 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), Chapter 59 - Magical Self-Defense Tactical Training Class (4), Chapter 60 - School Council, Chapter 61 - Mission (1), Chapter 62 - Mission (2), Chapter 63 - Mission (3), Chapter 64 - Mission (4), Chapter 65 - Mission (5), Chapter 66 - Consequences of the Attack (1), Chapter 67 - Consequences of the Attack (2), Chapter 68 - Invasion of Hogwarts (1), Chapter 69 - Invasion of Hogwarts (2), Chapter 70 - Invasion of Hogwarts (3), Chapter 71 - Invasion of Hogwarts (4), Chapter 72 - Invasion of Hogwarts (5), Chapter 73 - Invasion of Hogwarts (6), Chapter 74 - Invasion of Hogwarts (7), Chapter 75 - Invasion of Hogwarts (8), Chapter 76 - Invasion of Hogwarts (9), Chapter 77 - Invasion of Hogwarts (10), Chapter 78 - Invasion of Hogwarts (11), Chapter 79 - Post-War (1).