The funeral took place a day later. Asterion stood in a spacious hall, with purple flowers decorating the entire room, and in the center was a black coffin bearing the crest of House Black.
The coffin was open, and Arcturus's body lay coldly inside. He was beautifully dressed in his wedding suit and the jewelry he liked to wear daily.
Asterion stood before the coffin, gazing at his great-grandfather's pale and expressionless face. He seemed almost alive, with a look of relief and serenity on his face.
Beside him, Daphne stood next to her fiancé, wearing a black mourning dress. She glanced at his finger and noticed a ring with the crest of House Black.
She knew what that ring meant in the British wizarding community. From this moment on, Asterion Black was the patriarch of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black and would assume another seat as one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, bringing his total to two seats. However, the circumstances of inheriting the mantle of the patriarch were rarely a happy event, and it was no different for Asterion.
Daphne took her fiancé's hand and intertwined her fingers with his, leaning on him for silent support.
Asterion looked at Daphne with calm eyes and gently kissed her forehead, but remained silent, turning his gaze back to Arcturus's body. Daphne, too, chose to remain silent.
"Asterion, the first of the guests have arrived," Narcissa entered the hall, speaking in a slightly tense tone.
Asterion looked at her and saw the tension in her body. He wasn't surprised by the anxiety she was feeling at that moment; it was hard not to be when the greatest Dark Lord would be visiting their home.
Yes, Grindelwald had just arrived, and he was the first guest to do so.
"I will greet Lord Grindelwald personally, Narcissa," Asterion said calmly, his eyes shining a little, revealing that he was not as composed as he appeared.
Asterion felt Daphne squeeze his arm tighter at the mention of the Dark Lord. Still, she did not seem to retreat and wanted to greet Grindelwald personally as the future Lady Black. This made him smile gently at her.
"Let's not keep Grindelwald waiting," Asterion said as he walked away, leaving the coffin alone in the middle of the great hall.
Narcissa watched the couple with a complicated expression, especially Daphne. Her actions made the former Lady Malfoy look at the girl with a more approving gaze. She wondered if she herself had ever had such courage at Daphne's age.
Shaking her head, Narcissa silently followed them. She didn't know why the Dark Lord had come to the funeral; she hadn't invited him in the first place. She just hoped that everything would go smoothly and that no fight would break out.
Asterion reached the front of the mansion and opened the door. He saw Grindelwald in a simple black suit, followed by Aurelius Dumbledore.
"Welcome, Lord Grindelwald, Sir Dumbledore," Asterion greeted both with a calm expression, his eyes looking directly at the faces of the two men who were wanted in many countries.
"I apologize for the delay; I had some unforeseen issues."
Grindelwald looked at the young man before him and did not hide his appreciation. He was more than pleased to see the calm demeanor of his successor. Asterion might have been devastated at that moment, but on the outside, he was completely composed. This was a good trait for someone destined for greatness.
Any decent leader must remain calm even in the most stressful or dangerous situations. If you are not confident, how can you give your subordinates a sense of security?
Aurelius merely nodded, looking at Asterion with a complicated expression. He already knew his adoptive father's plans: if something went wrong, this young man would be their new leader. This brought up some complex feelings in him.
He had hoped to inherit the Acolytes, but Grindelwald did not allow him to be his heir. Yet, he understood why his father hadn't allowed it. He did not have the strength required to guarantee the basic security of the organization in the face of European countries.
Grindelwald's eyes fell on the young girl holding his future successor's arm, and he did not hesitate to compliment her. "This must be your fiancée, a beautiful young lady indeed, with much talent."
He was not lying; in his eyes, Daphne truly was talented. A witch of Grade 1 at fourteen had a greater chance of reaching Special Grade than Ana Rodriguez, who was already nineteen.
"Thank you for the compliment, Lord Grindelwald. Your presence honors us," Daphne responded with a polite and elegant smile, her expression remaining unchanged despite the praise from the extremely dangerous man before her.
But the truth was that she felt her heart beating extremely fast. She was very sensitive to magical energy due to her Innate Technique — Heart of Nature — and in Grindelwald, she could sense the immense magical energy in his seemingly old and frail body. He was like a blazing sun before her.
Fortunately, Daphne felt Asterion blocking Grindelwald's influence, or she would have been pale with fear and shamed all of House Black — something she would never allow herself to do under any circumstances.
"Let's go inside," Asterion gestured for both men to enter the mansion.
"Hmm?"
As soon as he entered, Grindelwald quickly noticed the absence of the ancestral statue at the entrance of the mansion. Earlier, he had sensed that the statue acted as a seal, binding an extremely powerful cursed spirit, but now the statue was gone.
Grindelwald looked at Asterion and concluded that he had exorcized and enslaved the cursed spirit that had caused Corvinus Black's death.
No longer concerned, Grindelwald followed Asterion into the great hall, where his eyes soon fell on the coffin in the center of the room.
He approached and looked at the body of the beautifully dressed man. Grindelwald had no strong feelings for the man in the coffin, but he respected him. Not just anyone could politically stand against Albus Dumbledore, but Arcturus Black had done so for fifty long years. That deserved his respect.
"Arcturus, I must thank you for teaching dignity and respect to your great-grandson. He will be my successor, taking this world to a level no other wizard has ever reached," Grindelwald murmured in a voice only he could hear, placing a hand on his chest and bowing slightly.
His actions caused everyone present to look at him in surprise. No one would have expected the Dark Lord to greet Arcturus in such a way.
Just as Asterion was about to speak, he turned and looked toward the mansion's entrance. There were two other magical energies that had reached Special Grade. He could recognize both familiar auras.
Dumbledore and Rose.
Apparating to the mansion's entrance, ignoring the surprised eyes of others, Asterion appeared at the door and saw Dumbledore and Rose, both dressed in black.
"I am sorry for your loss, Asterion," Rose said, hugging Asterion while whispering with a look of sympathy. Asterion looked at Rose in surprise but hugged her back, giving her a few gentle pats on the back.
Dumbledore watched the whole scene with a happy expression on his face. He was pleased to see Asterion and Rose getting along so well, almost treating each other like family.
"Thank you for visiting on this sad day, Lord Dumbledore," Asterion said as he separated from Rose and looked at the Lord of Light.
"Arcturus was my rival for over fifty years; it is the least I could do," Dumbledore replied, his voice gentle and warm.
Asterion nodded and led both of them into the great hall.
Rose was not surprised to see Grindelwald there; she had already sensed the man's magical aura before entering the mansion. He wasn't hiding at all, releasing incredible amounts of magical energy into the air.
But Rose's gaze did not linger on Grindelwald for long. She approached the coffin and saw her distant relative lying calmly within.
"So, this was the man who raised Asterion… I must say, they are quite similar in terms of demeanor and aura," Rose murmured to herself as she looked at the elegantly dressed man. She could see that he had died in peace and relief, showing calmness in facing death head-on.
"Thank you for bringing Asterion into our lives. He may be a bit annoying, sarcastic, and somewhat sadistic, but I don't regret living by his side. For that, you have my gratitude, great-uncle," she whispered, continuing to gaze at the man with a gentle expression. Although she did not know the exact degree of kinship between them, Rose still called him "great-uncle" out of respect for the man who raised Asterion.
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Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 166 - Vellory of Arcuturus Black (2), Chapter 167 - Vellory of Arcuturus Black (3), Chapter 168 - Vellory of Arcuturus Black (4), Chapter 169 - Torture and Secrets (1), Chapter 170 - Torture and Secrets (2), Chapter 171 - Conspiracies and Secrets (1), 172 - Conspiracies and Secrets (2), 173 - Conspiracies and Secrets (3), 174 - Conspiracies and Secrets (4), 175 - Conspiracies and Secrets (5), 176 - Conspiracies and Secrets (6), 177 - Conspiracies and Secrets (7), Chapter 178 - Decision and two wives (1), Chapter 179 - Decision and two wives (2), Chapter 180 - The Old King of Camelot (1).