"When do you return to Hogwarts? This place is so boring without you," Asterion heard Daphne's voice through a mirror on his dresser. In the mirror's reflection, Daphne's image was perfectly clear, her blue eyes fixed on his abdomen, unable to look away for a long time.
Putting on his white long-sleeved shirt, Asterion calmly responded to his fiancée, "In two weeks, I have to deal with some things at the Clock Tower."
He buttoned his shirt without minding Daphne's gaze; sometimes it was amusing to see the noble and elegant Daphne Greengrass act so pervertedly.
"Did something important happen?" Hearing Asterion mention the Clock Tower, Daphne reluctantly tore her gaze from her fiancé's abdomen and asked worriedly, looking at him.
"You should read the newspapers more often; they are important sources of information, Daphne. But to answer your question, the Triwizard Tournament will be held this year along with numerous countries. I was chosen to greet all the representatives from the countries arriving in England," Asterion responded, rolling his eyes at his fiancée. He knew Daphne didn't like reading newspapers much, but he hadn't expected her to be unaware of such an important event.
"Newspapers are boring, and I have a lot to study; I don't have as much free time as before. The second year is very demanding; I can barely eat without being in a hurry to get to class," Daphne defended herself vehemently, clearly displeased with his words.
Asterion didn't respond back, knowing that in a battle of words, he was no match for his fiancée, especially since he was always wrong in her eyes...
*Woof! Woof! Woof!*
Hearing the barks, Daphne's gaze fell on the small puppy that emerged from Asterion's shadow. The puppy had hundreds of eyes, all looking at her with great dissatisfaction, as if it didn't like her words at all.
"That furry little thing is so protective of you, Asty," Daphne laughed, looking at the adorable dog with amusement. Baskerville's size didn't seem intimidating to her.
Asterion also laughed. He had used Baskerville's blood to recreate his faithful companion and had succeeded after using an insane amount of negative magical energy.
This time, Baskerville had been recreated using both of Asterion's innate techniques, which made the dog extremely strong with even more insane protective abilities. Although the Demon Dog was slightly different than before.
Don't get it wrong, Baskerville was still as sadistic and cruel as before, but after dying and being recreated, he seemed much smarter than before.
Asterion assumed he had infused more negative magical energy than necessary, causing Baskerville to attain the intelligence of a Cursed Spirit that had departed from its original place.
Of course, Baskerville's cute appearance was purely his own choice; for some reason, his cursed spirit found it more intelligent to make his master's enemies lower their guard when they saw how adorable he looked.
"I have to go, Daphne." Placing the watch on his wrist, Asterion turned to the mirror on the dresser, where Daphne's image was being projected.
"Remember to call me the night before you go to sleep." Daphne nodded and spoke before ending the magical connection between her mirror and Asterion's.
Baskerville emerged from his master's shadow, but his hundreds of eyes still appeared in his shadow.
Leaving the room, Asterion found Narcissa waiting for him; she was wearing a long skirt that reached her ankles and a white lace blouse with long sleeves. Her pale blonde hair was styled in an elegant bun. She held an agenda against her belly. The former Lady Malfoy looked like a secretary.
Which is exactly what she was at the moment.
The Secretary of the Lord of the Clock Tower in the Ninth Department of Curses – Asterion Black.
Narcissa, feeling bored from spending all day at the mansion, had offered to work at the Clock Tower, an offer Asterion had gladly accepted. The amount of paperwork he had to sign couldn't be described in words.
With Narcissa's addition, Asterion practically only needed to sign a few more important documents while the easier ones were handled by Narcissa.
At first, he was concerned about the heavy workload, but seeing how diligent and satisfied Narcissa was after starting work, he put those concerns aside.
As for Bellatrix, Asterion only knew that she was conducting some experiments in the basement; he didn't ask what experiments they were or why there were screams late at night.
As long as it wasn't involving innocents, Asterion was indifferent to Bellatrix's actions.
Arcturus was still Arcturus; the man was still alive, although deteriorating every day. Asterion wanted to delay as long as possible before taking the man to the secret room.
"Who will be the first to arrive?" Walking through the mansion's corridors, Asterion asked Narcissa beside him.
"The current Minister of Magic from France, Louis Delacour, and his family." Narcissa opened her agenda and answered, her high heels skillfully stepping on the floor.
"Current?" Asterion asked, confused. He hadn't paid much attention to France recently, so he was surprised by the new Minister of Magic from France.
"A month ago, elections were held in France, and the new Minister of Magic was chosen." Narcissa continued, "Louis Delacour is a pure-blood wizard very popular in France. He is married to a Veela, which has made him highly regarded in the eyes of other races and many French wizards and witches."
Asterion was genuinely surprised; he hadn't expected Fleur Delacour's father to be elected as the French Minister of Magic at this delicate moment, which also explained one of the reasons for France's recent desire for reconciliation.
"Asty, do you want me to fetch an alchemical item that prevents Veela Charm affecting your mind?" Narcissa asked, furrowing her brow, mindful of the Veelas' extraordinary charm.
Asterion shook his head and replied indifferently, "No need, I can control myself just fine."
With Baskerville looming behind him, he felt no fear of any influence, even though Veela charm was renowned for being nearly invincible.
"By the way, is your cursed spirit going to remain exposed like this?" Narcissa asked, pointing at the hundreds of eyes in his cousin's shadow. Honestly, it was a bit unsettling to be stared at by hundreds of wide red eyes.
"I let him do as he pleases," Asterion shrugged and moved on.
Narcissa said nothing more and continued introducing the numerous representatives who had come or would come to England in the near future. As they conversed, both exited the mansion, got into a car, and headed towards the Clock Tower.
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Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 106 - Arrival of Country Representatives (2), Chapter 107 - Arrival of Country Representatives (3), Chapter 108 – Party (1), Chapter 109 – Party (2), Chapter 110 - Back To Hogwarts (1), Chapter 111 - Back To Hogwarts (2), Chapter 112 – New Students (1), Chapter 113 – New Students (2), Chapter 114 – Ophelia (1), Chapter 115 – Ophelia (2), Chapter 116 – Doubts (1), Chapter 117 – Humbug (1), Chapter 118 - Ophelia's Mother (1), Chapter 119 - I Decided to Seduce Daphne (1), Chapter 120 - Arrival of the Twelve Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry (1), Chapter 121 - Arrival of the Twelve Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry (2), Chapter 122 - Arrival of the Twelve Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry (3), Chapter 123 - Arrival of the Twelve Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry (4), Chapter 124 - Conspiracy In Progress (1), Chapter 125 - Conspiracy In Progress (2).