39 Catching Blue and the House of Lords, Part 2
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- It concerns Hogwarts and its education," Peverell replied, shocking everyone again.
- Go on," Crouch spoke up for the first time, looking at Alex with an interested look, but interest appeared in everyone's eyes, including Riddle, who had just sat down in his seat.
- I'll start by saying that Hogwarts is considered one of the best schools of magic of our time, but in my personal opinion, it's exactly the opposite. It is rubbish, not a school, and the knowledge taught is even worse. Before my admission, the guardian of my clan taught me everything a lord and head of two clans should know. There was everything from etiquette to the basics of blood magic. According to Darius, at the time of his last awakening, the school was still in operation, and what they teach now and what they taught before is heaven and earth," he finished.
- Do you have any proof of your words? - Carlus Potter, who was silent, looked at his "distant" relative with a strange look. Instead of answering, Alex looked at the silent Darius and nodded his head. The latter also nodded in response and pulled out the Hogwarts Charter from his spatial pocket.
- What is this book? - The question came from Riddle, who even seemed to rise from his seat.
- The Hogwarts Charter," Alex shrugged, causing the silence to die down.
- What?" came Potter's voice.
- The Hogwarts Charter is a book that records everything about the school. It was written by the Founders, and it's backed by their spells, so I'm completely sure of its authenticity," explained Peverell, taking the book in his hands.
- Does such a book exist, I checked the whole forbidden section and the library when I was at school, and I remember that there was no such book," came from Riddle.
- When you were at school, was Dumbledore a professor or headmaster there? - Looking at Gaunt, the third year asked.
- 'Yes,' the latter replied.
- Then it's not surprising, because the book was in Dumbledore's office, although according to the rule written in it, the charter should be in the library and all first-year students should study it," Alex shocked the audience again, sitting down in his seat and handing the book to Darius.
- Did you take the book right out of Dumbledore's office? - Greengrass asked the question that had everyone worried.
- Sort of," Peverell shrugged, not wanting to reveal the truth.
- What does it say? - Charles asked with genuine interest, forging ahead.
- First, the rules are to be observed by students, professors, and the headmaster himself. Then the subjects to be taught in the program. Punishments for the delinquent. Incentives and rewards for those who excel, and so on," the boy replied with a wave of his hand.
- What kind of subjects are they supposed to have? - Crouch spoke up again.
- In addition to the existing ones: Fundamentals of Blood Magic, Artefacting, and Ritualistics. Duelling, Etiquette, Dark Magic, Physical Training, Combat Magic, and Close Combat with and without Weapons, - listed Alex, looking at the shocked lords. Then taking a breath, he continued. - Also Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, and Numerology are compulsory from the first year, Divination on the contrary is compulsory only for those who have a predisposition to it. In-depth study of Blood Magic, Artefacting, and Ritualistics is also for those who have a predisposition for it," Peverell finished with a sigh.
- It is true that it is impossible to compare what is taught now with what was taught before," Lord Pruett's voice cut through the silence.
- So what do we do? - The question came from Lestrange, who had not uttered a word before.
- For starters, remove Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster of Hogwarts," Voldemort hissed.
- I agree," Crouch, Lestrange, and to Alex's surprise, Potter and Pruett, supported him.
- If you think so, why don't the Trustees settle this matter here and now? - Peverell asked in a casual tone, though inside he was bursting with tension.
- Why not," Orion seconded him.
- In that case, let's take a vote here and now, who agrees to remove Albus Dumbledore from his position as Headmaster of Hogwarts? - The question came from Abraxas Malfoy, who like Lucius is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
- Agreed," came the voices from Lords Black, Greengrass, Pruett, Goyle, Crouch, Potter, Nott, Brown, Flint, Lestrange, and Gump.
- Also agreed," Malfoy finished.
- Tomorrow we'll draw up the paperwork, get twelve signatures, and send it to Hogwarts with one of the Trustees to notify Dumbledore," Potter summed up, which the other Trustees, and the other Lords as well, supported by nodding their heads. - Now the other question is, who will be the new Headmaster? - The question came from the same Carlus.
- Maybe one of the deans? - Crouch asked thoughtfully, who had cast off his coldness and aloofness over the past half hour.
- I recommend Filius Flitwick," Alex suggested, surprising those present.
- Why not Minerva McGonagall, she's the vice-principal and has experience in running a school. - Pruett suggested.
- Professor McGonagall is a fanatic, an ardent supporter of her faculty and Dumbledore, if she becomes Headmaster, nothing much will change, Dumbledore will still control the whole school, only this time from the shadows," Malfoy rejected his idea.
- I agree to Flitwick's candidacy," Orion said in a tired voice, it was obvious that Black was tired.
- Agreed on Flitwick's candidacy," they followed him.
- We will notify him tomorrow, and I would also like to add, lords, that we all have a lot of work to do in the Wizengamot, to introduce the necessary subjects in the school, we need to remove the ban from them, and this can only be done through the Wizengamot," Malfoy finished the discussion and looked at Greengrass, who was silent. He understood everything and stood up from his seat and took the floor.
- If we are done here, I hereby declare this meeting of the House of Lords to be over," he said, and everyone rose from their seats and headed for the door.
- I think we can go home now," said Darius, who was silent.
- No, I want to walk a bit and look around, - Alex said, surprising the man.
- As you wish," Peverell senior bowed his head in response.
- If you want, you can walk through my department, - sounded somewhere to the left, looking towards the voice, the Peverells saw Bartemius Crouch Sr. approaching them.
- We wouldn't mind," the boy replied, coping with his surprise.
- Then please follow me, - with these words, Crouch strode forward, and Darius and Alex went after him.
- Before entering the department, we need to check your wands, - having said that, Barty took his wand out of his holster and handed it to one of the Ministry employees, who was sitting at some obscure scales, behind a high counter.
- Birch and dragon's heart vein, eight and a quarter inches, used for about thirty-nine years - the wand was then returned to its owner.
- I don't use a wand, but this," followed by a nod toward the cane. It glowed faintly and, to everyone's surprise, lengthened, becoming the same height as Darius. The cane had changed, the previously mahogany wood of which the cane had been made was now completely blackened. Where Darius' hand used to be, there was now a white-colored gargoyle with its mouth open. The statue was entirely white, except for the blood-red small eyes, from which a faint red glow was now emanating, and in the gargoyle's hands was a voluminous black orb from which a faint black mist was now emanating.
"A true necromancer," was the only thought that could come to the lad's mind.
- And yours? - Looking in Alex's direction, the worker asked. Though his voice was calm, Peverell could easily detect fear in it, as he realized what kind of mage was in front of him. Deciding to banter a bit, Lord Peverell removed the illusion from his wand and handed it to the clerk. The latter took the oddly shaped wand he held out and placed it in front of him.
- Elderberry and festival hair, fifteen inches, used for nearly a thousand and a half years," at this last news the already pale worker took on an alabaster complexion, and then with a noticeable tremor in his hands he held out the wand again, returned to his seat, and passed out into a saving faint.
- So this is the wand from the legends, then? - Crouch asked after a minute of walking.
- Yes, - Alex didn't deny it.
- And I used to think that everything written in the fairy tales of that madman Bard Biddle was nonsense," Bartemius muttered, glancing at the Peverells.
- There's truth in every tale," Darius said in an admonishing voice, his index finger pointing upwards to complete the picture.
- So the Deathly Hallows were given to the Peverells by Death? - suggested the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
- In fact, all three Deathly Hallows are clan artifacts of the Peverell family and can only be used by them, but how they ended up in the hands of the Peverell family over the centuries is beyond me," Darius shook his head.
- I see," Crouch nodded in response.
Crouch went through the different sections of his department, showing and telling them everything. Alex was a little ashamed to admit it, but he was disappointed with the Aurorate, there was nothing special here, the same crowds of people in uniforms and piles of papers.
Suddenly the boy's thoughts were interrupted by a noise from the corridor ahead. Peverell could barely contain a satisfied smile on his face as the famous "Harry Potter luck" still seemed to be with him, for just ahead was none other than the captured Fenrir the Blue, in front of whom stood a vaguely familiar man.
- "Why, it's Fenrir the Strong," Darius could hear the contentment in his voice even a deaf man would have heard.
-"Looks like you won't have to look for that dog for long," Alex agreed, not taking his eyes off the man who was saying something to the werewolf in a raised voice.
- What's going on in there? - With that question, Crouch moved toward the noisy company, and the Peverells followed him. Meanwhile, the noise was increasing. When Peverell and Crouch reached Sivy and the others, they only heard the end of the very man's line.
-Werewolves are soulless and vicious creatures who deserve nothing but death," the people present did not react to this remark, but only Alex noticed the bloodlust, hatred, and anger in Sivoy's eyes.
- Lord Crouch, who is that? - Peverell asked, waving to the side.
- That's Fenrir Strong, a particularly dangerous, wanted criminal," Barty replied.
- No, I mean that one," he said, pointing to the man.
- I'm surprised you don't know him, this is Lyell Lupin, thirty-one years old, a world-renowned expert on the Apparitions of Inhuman Spirits. Married to Hope Lupin, a Muggle, has a son Remus Lupin who is now nine years old," Bartemius replied, looking at Alex with a strange look.
"Lunatic," Alex thought with shock.
- "Should I catch that dog?" - came the keeper's voice in the lad's head.
- "First, make his escape and cover his tracks so the Aurorate won't find him, and then into the casemates of the manor. Oh yes, pump some silver into him, so he doesn't make a fuss. Put a mark on him so he won't take long to find," Peverell said, staring at the werewolf and noting his beastly features.
- "Will do," came the reply. After these words, Alex felt a barely perceptible fluctuation of magical energy, which immediately disappeared.
- Lord Crouch, I think we should go, my girls and my younger brother are left in the manor, and I'm worried about them. Let's meet some other time and talk. Like at the Christmas party at Malfoy Manor in a couple of days," the man replied, agreeing after a moment's thought. - I'm glad you agree, now we'll go. Darius," he understood without words and with a snap of his fingers opened a spatial passage, where the boy stepped in, followed by the man himself.
The Peverells appeared in the main living room of the manor, and then they went their separate ways.
***
Alexandros Peverell-Slytherin and his younger brother Severus Peverell-Prince stood on the second underground level of Peverell Manor, where the casemates were located, both Peverells keeping their eyes on the shabby werewolf that lay on the other side of the cell.
Alex marveled at the imagination of the previous Lords of Peverell, for they were the only ones who could think of such cells. There were no bars here at all, instead, they used Blood Magic and Runes, which kept the prisoners very secure. Each "chamber" was square, three meters long and three meters wide, with Runes on the ground to keep the prisoners in, and spells from the Blood Magic section to slowly drain their strength, leaving them helpless.
Inspecting Blue for damage, Alex hummed. Darius had completed the task very quickly. According to him, infiltrating the Aurorate was too easy. None of the night watch staff had even noticed him, though that was probably because of the invisibility cloak the man had brought with him 'just in case'.
***
Flashback
Twelve hours after visiting the Ministry. Midnight. Darius' room.
Darius stood in front of a large mirror and checked his appearance before going to the Ministry. For such an occasion, the man had dressed entirely in black so that he could hide and not draw attention to himself. Black loose trousers that did not restrict movement, black high boots, a black jumper, and on top of that a black (a lot of black!) robe with a deep hood. After that, Peverell changed the color and length of his hair, so that it was now black, short, and slightly dishevelled. His face had also changed, adding two vertical scars that started at the top of his forehead, traveled over his eyes, and cheeks, and ended at his jaw. The color of his eyes was also changed to the complete opposite, becoming blood red with vertical serpentine pupils.
The first thing he did was to hang his sword behind his back, which usually hung from his belt, then he took the portkey, which he planned to use to take Sivy to the casemates, to one of the cells. This was followed by an invisibility cloak "just in case" should any unforeseen circumstances occur. Next was a ready-made reversal potion to which Sivoy's hair had to be added. And lastly an emergency portkey for the man himself, in case he was caught. Peverell also thought about taking his staff, but after a moment's thought, he resolutely pushed that idea away, but the wand was worth taking.
Darius took a deep breath and with a snap of his fingers opened the spatial rift where he had entered.
Peverell came out in a dark corner that he had spotted while walking with Crouch through his department. After casting a soft step and a disillusionment spell on himself, the man was about to head down the corridor when he realised one truth, he didn't know where Blue was being held.
"Yeah, I was stupid. I'll ask a passerby," Peverell thought as he moved down the corridor, hoping to find someone. "A passerby" was found only after half an hour of wandering the corridors. The irritated Peverell did not have any mercy, so he cast Imperius on the auror on duty and then asked him directly:
- Where is Fenrir the Blue?
- In his cell, and tomorrow he will be transferred to Azkaban," the duty officer replied in an indifferent voice.
- Walk me to his cell," the man ordered. After half an hour of walking through endless corridors, the couple descended the stairs and found themselves in a long corridor, on both sides of which there were a dozen bars.
- Is there no one else besides Sivoy? - Darius asked, looking around.
- 'No one, these are temporary detention cells, usually everyone is transferred to Azkaban,' the Auror replied without pausing.
"Great," Darius was glad, as he didn't want to fix someone else's memory as he didn't like to do it.
At this point, his guide had stopped and was now looking through one of the bars. Looking into the cell, Darius saw a werewolf sleeping on a bunk.
- Open it," the man ordered, looking at the aurora. - "Imperius," Peverell cast the spell, pointing his duty wand at the werewolf. The effects of the spell were immediately noticeable. The werewolf's eyes opened wide, fear flashed in them, then indifference, and his eyes became glassy. - Tear a strand of your hair from your head and add it here," the keeper ordered, holding out a vial of potion. The werewolf did as commanded. - Drink the potion," this order was already directed towards the guardian on duty, who was just standing there. - Go to sleep, and when you wake up in the morning, you won't remember anything," the auror nodded, drank the potion lay down in Sivy's place, and closed his eyes, a minute later he was already sniffling in the guise of Fenrir Sivy.
With a wave of his wand, he closed the door and Darius tossed his wand into the far corner of the chamber. With a weary sigh, the man attached the port key to the werewolf and activated it, but something happened that Peverell hadn't expected. As soon as the clap of movement sounded, an alarm went off throughout the building.
- Damn it," Darius cursed as he cleaned up the apparatus, threw a couple of explosives through the opening in the grate, and activated his portkey.
Darius appeared in the garden of the manor. Sighing tiredly, the man wrapped himself in his cloak and cast warming spells on himself, as it was winter and the weather was blessed with heavy snowfall. After standing knee-deep in snow for about a minute, just looking up at the sky, Peverell set off towards the gates of the manor. Of course, he could have traveled, but right now he had the urge to just walk.
It took him an hour to get to his room, and then he undressed and fell asleep.
End of Flashback
***
The man woke up to his surprise at eleven o'clock in the morning. Humming contentedly, Peverell Sr. went to take a shower, which he got out of an hour later. After his shower, the man headed towards the dining room to have lunch, but he slept through breakfast for the first time in his incredibly long life.
When Darius entered the small dining room, the first thing he heard was laughter, and it was male, and judging by the intonation, it was a man. Looking at the source of the laughter, Peverell was convinced of his guess, for the one laughing was Antoninus, who was holding the Daily Prophet newspaper.
- Good morning," came the voice from Severus, who was the first to notice the man.
- Good morning," he nodded back.
- Good morning," the others joined in, and the man nodded silently in response and sat down in his seat to Alex's left.
- What's the reason for the laughter? - Darius asked, taking a sip of tea.
- Look, - after that the same newspaper that was in Antonin's hands appeared in front of him. Looking at the first page, Peverell senior sniggered.
"Albus Dumbledore has been removed as Headmaster of Hogwarts," the first article read, and next to it was written, "A dangerous criminal, Fenrir the Blue, escaped from the Aurorate prison by evening after being caught."
- Well done Darius, well done," Alex said, looking at the man.
- Thank you, my lord," he nodded in reply.
- Blue is downstairs, right? - Antonin asked a rhetorical question.
- Yes," Peverell Senior nodded.
- In that case, Bella, find out the date of the next full moon, and you, little brother, prepare your potion," Lord Peverell said, turning to Snape and Bellatrix. They nodded silently in response, though Darius noticed the Prince fidgeting impatiently in his chair.
