[Chapter Size: 1800 Words.]
Third Person POV
London.
...
...
Astraea was alarmed by what she saw in front of her, for she had no idea how she had ended up there or what was happening, leaving her with a certain panic, as she had no control over anything at this moment.
All she could see ahead was what should have been London, transformed into a battlefield of ruins and destruction, as a battle she could never have imagined was unfolding—a clash between thousands of creatures fighting each other, while the sky was completely dark, with the sun casting only a faint light through the black clouds.
Explosions echoed continuously across the battlefield, a firebolt passing more than 500 meters from her. She quickly tried to shield herself from the massive attack, which shattered all the debris around her. She drew her wand and cast a shield to protect herself from the oncoming blasts.
After everything settled, and she managed to avoid being crushed by stones dozens of times her size, she sighed, a bit shaken, wondering how this could be happening and what those creatures were. She saw beings made of shadows fighting dragons, insects, beasts, ice creatures, giants, and other monsters in the distance. On the opposite side of the battlefield, similar creatures, though with different appearances as if cloaked in an even deeper darkness, were fighting against their own kin.
Astraea couldn't count the number of creatures; they covered the entire horizon, numbering in the millions. She looked around and saw bodies—Muggles and even wizards—fallen beside her, lying as if they were nothing compared to the raging battle around them.
'What is happening? How am I supposed to get out of here? Is this a mental attack? What kind of illusion is this?' She began to struggle internally as the battle abruptly paused before her, with all the creatures becoming motionless.
She watched them for a moment before those made of shadows began to turn toward her, while the others remained still. Then, Astraea saw everything. The shadow-like creatures began to stare at her, and all the fallen creatures began to rise, transforming into shadowy forms. She took a step back unconsciously, terrified, as more than a hundred thousand dark creatures stared at her.
The immense power emanating from them made Astraea tremble. She began to reconsider her own existence's importance; here, she felt like nothing more than an ant wanting to be as far away as possible from this place.
Suddenly, all the creatures began to move. A new shadow emerged, seemingly the leader, coming from the midst of them. It was smaller than the larger creatures but infinitely more powerful, and she felt the pressure just by being in its presence. Simply looking at it, the feeling of fear and despair gripped Astraea's heart as she recognized those purple eyes that had once stared at her from within that abyss.
Astraea had never felt so weak. She was paralyzed with fear, desperately wanting to escape, but her body no longer obeyed her.
"You truly dare to challenge me, mere human?" the creature's voice left Astraea with no ground to stand on.
"Please…" was all she managed to murmur, in despair.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere was tense in the Black mansion's sitting room. Bellatrix observed the interaction between her grandmother and Snape. Clearly, Bellatrix was furious with Snape as well, due to his audacity in making such a request. However, for some reason, Bellatrix also seemed worried about him and wanted to prevent what was about to unfold.
But it was already too late. Seeing the exchanged glances between the two, Bellatrix knew her grandmother was initiating a mental torture against Snape, something that Bellatrix herself feared, considering her grandmother's incredible magical abilities. It was no wonder Astraea held her position in the Black family after all these years and continued to defend the family within the magical community.
However, as Bellatrix watched carefully, and the portraits around the room displayed satisfaction at seeing the half-blood tortured, expecting to hear his screams, something completely unexpected happened.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!" Suddenly, a scream of terror escaped—not from Snape, but from his own grandmother, who shrieked in horror, pushing her chair back as she fell to the floor.
Even Bellatrix looked shocked, standing up and watching her grandmother on the ground with a terrified expression as she stared at Snape without breaking eye contact.
"Grandmother, what's happening?" Bellatrix exclaimed immediately, seeing her grandmother trembling with a look she never thought she'd see on that woman.
Even the portraits opened their eyes, but none spoke, waiting for some explanation, while Astraea lay frozen on the floor, staring at Snape in fear.
Snape remained calm; he knew the system would handle any threat. However, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at seeing the Black family matriarch on the ground, looking at him as though he were some kind of demon. He certainly didn't know what had happened when she entered his mind—the system had always taken care of everything, as it did when Dumbledore attempted to read his mind. So he didn't know the details but watched with interest, wondering for a moment what might have happened.
Despite still not understanding what had caused such a reaction in such an imposing, hardened woman, he remained silent, staring at her with a bored expression, while she seemed to tremble even more.
"W-what... what are you?" The words came out in stammers, pure fear tainting the voice of the elder woman.
Even Bellatrix's eyes widened before she returned her gaze to Snape, who was simply standing there, looking at her grandmother as usual, making her frown in confusion at what was happening here.
"What does she mean by that? Isn't he just a half-blood?" one of the portraits murmured.
"I don't think so..." another replied, looking on cautiously.
"Hey, half-blood, what did you do to her?" one of the portraits shouted quickly.
"Shut up!" Astraea herself exclaimed suddenly, imploring the portrait not to say more than necessary, feeling ready to burn it right then and there. After all, she had just witnessed something that had shaken her like nothing ever had in her life, something she could never have imagined would reduce her to such a state.
She didn't want to offend whatever entity lay within this boy's body. It was as though she had glimpsed death itself, as if the entire world had transformed into darkness before those eyes, and all stood beneath his feet. In other words, it was as though she had seen the god of death.
"Grandmother, what is happening?" Bellatrix asked cautiously, unable to bear the tension any longer.
At that moment, the door opened as some of the family guards from downstairs rushed in.
"What's going on?!" one of them exclaimed upon seeing the Black matriarch on the floor as Snape looked at her. They immediately assumed Snape had done something, pulling out their wands as they began to glow.
"Avada Kedavra!!!" The green spell shot from a wand faster than any other, as Astraea herself launched an attack against the guard, killing him beside his stunned companion, who stared at her in shock.
"You had better leave now... and shut that door!!!" Astraea ordered, leaving everyone, even Snape, stunned, as the man exited immediately, though he didn't know what had happened. Astraea turned back to Snape.
Snape merely sighed and looked at the woman. "Do not be afraid, Astraea Black." At that moment, Snape decided to break the tension, and his words resonated, shifting the hierarchy in the room entirely, as if he were now in control of the situation. All the portraits were stupefied by both Astraea's behavior and Snape's words. After all, he was an unknown half-blood; how could he speak with such authority within the Black family's domain?
Nonetheless, Astraea ignored the astonished looks from the portraits and Bellatrix and looked at Snape with some caution.
"Tell me what you want," she murmured.
"Simple. I'm here for what I came to propose, but first, sit down. It's a bit irritating to see you on the floor while we're negotiating," Snape said in a neutral tone.
And, to everyone's surprise, that's exactly what Astraea did. She stood up, adjusted her clothes, but kept watching him cautiously the entire time. She took her chair with her own hands and sat down across from him, observing him intently.
"Grandmother, what is happening?" Bellatrix asked carefully, as her grandmother would never act this way under normal circumstances; something had happened here.
"Silence, Bellatrix!" Astraea commanded, shutting down any questions from her granddaughter and returning her gaze to Snape with the same cautious look, yet with a hint that she wanted him to say what he came to discuss.
"You heard very well what I wanted. I want to buy one of your shops, but you began acting like a fool," he stated bluntly, staring directly at her, causing everyone around to react in various ways once again to his tone. Snape seemed even more disrespectful now, as if he were speaking to someone beneath him.
"I understand. You are correct. I will contact the Nott family. We will sell it to you immediately," Astraea replied, unwilling to contradict whatever this being was. Even if it meant breaking the contract with the Nott family, she would do it right now.
"Do not misunderstand me, Mrs. Black. You didn't even let me speak first. I'm not here to demand anything from you, only to negotiate, as you intend to sell the shop. Is it for 150,000 gold galleons to the Nott family? I am willing to pay 200,000 to cover your deal with that family," Snape said, after all, he was not looking for favors. He had come to negotiate and would do so directly, even if he had just put that woman in her place.
"200,000..." she murmured, considering whether she should take the offer after offending him. Before, she would have found such a declaration from Snape outrageous, but now she felt no doubt at all, while Bellatrix's mouth dropped, shocked at the amount he was offering.
"We will close the deal with you, Mr. Snape," she declared, addressing him with respect for the first time.
"Good, as I have already looked at the shop and don't need to visit it, having already liked it. I'll buy it as it is. I only need you to keep it confidential that I am the owner; it will be a private contract between myself and your family," Snape demanded, and she nodded, though with some reluctance, she replied.
"Fine, but that will be a bit difficult, as the sale must go through the Ministry of Magic," she explained, as a contract would need to be registered there, given the Ministry's oversight on such transactions.
"Don't worry about that," Snape replied in a calm tone. "I have another way to cover my name," he said, though she didn't understand.
"I have Gringotts' support. They will handle the entire contract, and I doubt the Ministry of Magic would interfere with this arrangement; the shop will practically be in the name of the goblins yet not entirely," Snape explained, surprising Astraea with such a statement.
She knew this method was possible but required the goblins' cooperation, something she had thought impossible. But now, coming from Snape, she doubted nothing, which unsettled all the knowledge foundations she had about the magical world.
Bellatrix looked confused, while Astraea nodded, trying to remain calm and at the same time teach her granddaughter, sensing her uncertainty.
"Bellatrix, what Mr. Snape is trying to say here is that he will manage to keep it hidden even from the Ministry of Magic records, as everything will be documented by Gringotts. After all, the goblins can make contracts that require blood to access the bank or even declare heirs. They can also create confidential agreements that not even the Ministry would dare contest. The goblins control nearly all the monetary currency of the magical world, and no one dares to cross them—not even the Dark Lord and his followers," she explained, still looking at Snape with caution, considering his claim that he could secure the goblins' cooperation—something almost no one could achieve.
"Do I assume our business is concluded, then?" Snape asked calmly, while Astraea nodded quickly.
"Yes, our contract is finalized, and the shop is yours," she confirmed.
"Good," Snape smiled, while Bellatrix and the surrounding portraits remained in shock at what had just transpired in that room. Astraea's hostility had dissipated, transformed into submission.
"In any case, I will inform the bank manager. They will be here shortly, so you will have to bear with me a little longer until we finalize all the paperwork. After all, I don't intend to leave here without the shop in my name," Snape said calmly to everyone present.
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