Lord Black

Draco POV:

The minute I stepped out of the fireplace, my soul sense had already enveloped the room. One of the directions my training has taken lately has been to make my soul sense work passively. Like a domain around me.

The problem with that is the constant influx of information streaming into my mind, but i've been getting better bit by bit. Soon enough I won't even have to concentrate to sense a small area around me. Of course, detailed scans will always need focus.

Immediately, my soul sense captured the room I arrived in. It isn't Grimmauld Place. Not surprising really. The Black family is very wealthy, it wouldn't make sense for a small townhouse to be their only property.

I was standing in the entrance hall of a large manor and despite the name of Black, the feeling of the place wasn't oppressive, dreary or anything like that. The room was all warm cream colours, open windows, light breezes and felt uplifting.

A small elf welcomed me immediately as I stepped out of the fireplace.

"Welcome to Black manor. Lord Black is expecting you. Please follow me." Said the little elf, dressed in a clean toga with the Black family crest pinned to her chest.

I nodded and followed her, impressed. Not many people have educated and well speaking elves. Dobby is only like that from the mind arts, but I can feel that this elf has no training of that nature. She looked well taken care of and felt content.

I followed along as we went through the richly decorated hallways and up the stairs. This place reminds me of Malfoy manor, except that the decorations were tasteful without being over the top. Malfoy manor has changed over the years, but it's still a bit ostentatious wheras this place is understated and subtle.

Eventually we reached a door where the elf knocked.

"Come in." Said a smooth, baritone voice.

The elf opened the door and I followed her inside.

"Your guest is here master." She said.

"Thank you Mipsy, you may continue your duties." Said the same voice.

"Yes master Black." Said the now named Mipsy, popping away.

I got my first look at the vaunted Lord Arcturus Black. He stood up from behind a large and heavy wooden desk, walking around to stand in front of me.

He was tall, broad shouldered and clearly handsome with sharp aristocratic features and piercing grey eyes. His hair was silver from age but he had very few wrinkles on his face.

Dressed in black duelling robes that despite being clearly old with the colour faded, were fastidiously maintained. He had a presence to him that made people pay attention, a sharp presence like a battle hardened warrior.

All in all, he was a very imposing man and I can see why people were wary of him. That didn't bother me much however. His presense was nothing compared to the Guardian I met in the Void. I stood firm and looked into his eyes.

"Lord Black, It's an honour to meet you. Draco Malfoy." I said, bowing to him a little as our differing stations require.

He didn't say anything as I recovered, looking him dead in the eyes. His eyes quickly took in everything about me before focusing back on my own.

"Well. At least you have a spine. Lucius that peacock always faltered before my gaze. You seem better than him at least." He opened with.

I said nothing and let him examine me, although i was laughing in my head. I could certainly imagine that. Lucius is quite a cowardly person after all.

"I wanted to see the brat Lucius thought he could use to one day usurp the Black family." He said, snorting in distain.

He shook his head derisively and focused back on me. 

"Instead of a snot nosed brat taking after that peacock, instead I get you... I didn't expect it. Looking at you now, you are worth far more than your father ever was. He could never look me in the eye and yet you can at seven years old." He said, seemingly talking to himself at this point.

He snorted and shook his head.

"Never mind all that. I'm Arcturus Black brat. Call me whatever you wish, I care not." He said.

I nodded, momentarily nonplussed with his blasé attitude but quickly pushed passed it. He probably doesn't care all that much for etiquette at his age and with his experience.

"Yes Lord Black." I said, sticking to the previous title.

This is a man who fought for over a decade all over Europe against the greatest dark lord in centuries. I have a lot of respect for him after reading about modern history.

"Take a seat then." He said, gesturing to the seat in front of his desk whilst he sat behind it again.

I sat down and got comfortable, waiting for him to start as he was ruminating for the moment. Taking this opportunity, I used my soul sense for an intensive scan of this manor. Immediately, a few things stood out to me.

Firstly, the ward scheme of this manor is extremely sophisticated and complex. Even more so than Malfoy manor. I suppose it isn't surprising, but I made sure to scan it in it's entirety after noticing how amazing it was.

Secondly, there was a trunk in the basement next to the wardstone that stood out to me. It has an inside dimension as large as this manor and the entire thing is completely full of books.

I did an intensive scan of the manor's library and this trunk to copy it all into my mental library later. I was quickly startled yet again as the trunk contained over two million books and hundreds of thousands of scrolls. I wonder where all these came from?

And finally, Arcturus himself. After a scan with my soul sense, I quickly realised that he is cursed. And badly at that. His magical core is being corroded. The curse is being slowed by his own magic and some potions, but he's losing ground to it. I can also feel that the curse is old.

The curse is at least 3 decades old at this point and must be causing him considerable pain. Just looking at his cursed state made me immediately consider defenses to my magical core as the next thing to research and train. But why stop at that? I'll research defenses to my body as well. Then my mind, body, soul and magical core will all have defenses.

I do NOT want whatever is happening to him to happen to me, so that's next on my agenda immediately after leaving here. It was a good lesson he inadvertantly taught me. He snapped out of his rumination and addressed me finally.

"So tell me brat, why should I give the Black family heirship to you?" He asked.

Honestly I couldn't think of a reason myself, but I was hardly going to say that was I?

"Well sir, I have no doubt that even with the devestation to the Black family from the last two wars, especially the recent one, there are still members of the family from distant branches. However, the main line of the Black family will cease to exist if you don't." I said.

Which is true. Most pureblood families are like this with distant branch members all over the world, but the main line of many families were severely cut down or destroyed entirely during the last two wars.

"That is true, yes." He nodded, before he continued.

"I'm not too fussed about that however. I used to be a big believer in the pureblood doctrine, especially during my youth. The wars of recent history however showed me the folly of that." He said.

"Now, after everything i've experienced and everything my family has been through, I more or less don't care about keeping the bloodline intact. What I care about deeply however, is legacy." He said.

"The Black family is one of the oldest names in Europe with a legacy spanning thousands of years. Very few families can compare. The Potters for example, are comparable. They may have changed their name over the millennia, but my friend Charlus' family has a legacy equal to my own family." He continued.

"I cannot have the Black family's legacy fade into nothing under my rule. I will not allow it!" He finished firmly, projecting a resolute disire to see things through.

I nodded in understanding. He's been present for the recent two generations of the family and must have seen everything.

"I understand sir." I said.

He raised an eyebrow. "So? Why should I leave the legacy of the Black family to you brat?" He repeated his question.

I wasn't sure what to say at this point so I decided to go with honesty. He'll probably appreciate it more than falsehoods. If something goes wrong, i've gotten everything I needed from here anyway from scanning the library and the trunk in the basement.

"Well sir, I can't really say much about that, it's all in your hands. In truth, I don't know much about the Black family. My mother has taught me some of it's history, but as she was never part of the line of succession, i'm sure there are many things she doesn't know." I said, before continuing.

"Lucius never actually discussed with me his plans to take over the Black family. The reason I know is the same reason everyone else knows as well. It's a transparent ploy by him that can be seen through at a glance, not hard to figure out." I said.

"There are a couple of reasons I never went against his plans. The first would be the tremendous resources that I would have access to as Heir to the Black family. And the second reason would be to discard the Malfoy name, taking Black as my last name." I finished.

His eyebrows were raised, clearly not expecting that, before they firmed up and he glared slightly.

"Discard the Malfoy name? You would discard the name of your father's house? Your birth house!?" His volume rose.

"Yes." I said calmly into the charged air of the room.

"Why?" He practically growled.

"Malfoy is not a name I can take pride in." I said firmly.

"I'm sure with the Black family's resources and connections, you know a lot about where the Malfoy family came from and their actions. I've read my family's storied history from beginning to end. From our earliest ancestors in France to modern day." I continued.

"After reading through the diaries and histories concerning my family, I came to a single conclusion. The Malfoy family is not something glorious or prideful or anything inbetween. The actions they took to get where I am now, I cannot take pride in. Better to let it fade as nothing but a bad memory." I finished.

Acturus was quiet for a while. His face was inscrutable and projected nothing; I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He finally spoke after a long silence.

"I do not approve." He said.

I opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off.

"I do not approve of your thoughts, but I cannot blame you either. You are right about the Black family knowing much about yours. Your thought process is radical so I cannot approve, but I can't deny that it's a valid path." He said.

"What would you do if I don't give you the Heirship?" He asked sharply.

I shrugged. "I would wait until I was older and in a good position before doing what I said and discard the name. I don't care if I'm branded as a no-name. By that point I would have everything I need to work towards my goals and it would no longer matter. I simply do not want to be associated with the Malfoy name." I said.

He took a moment to process this before speaking.

"And how, exactly, would it not matter brat? No-names in our society aren't treated well, to say the least. Worse than the muggleborns even. The stigma would follow you and any descendants you had for a long, long time." He asked.

I smiled. "Like I said, I would be in a better position and be older by that point. The name doesn't matter. At that point I would have funds, connections and recources to call my own. There is no magically significant meaning behind a name, it's all social. I would have set myself up by that point to where it wouldn't matter." I said.

"As for decendants? Well, I haven't thought about that just yet. Maybe I will have none. If I do however, I can start a new family and be a new house. Be the progenitor of a new house instead of continuing an old one. That's not a bad choice either." I continued.

He nodded slowly.

"I see..." He said.

"You're a strange boy brat. Most people wouldn't have the balls to even think like this, but I can see no hesitation in your eyes. You really will do it." He said, looking at me strangely.

I nodded. "I will." I said firmly.

"Well, this is not the direction I expected this meeting to go." He snorted.

"In truth, your thoughts have jolted me more than I care to admit. Maybe I should just let the Black name die with me." He said wistfully.

I said nothing and waited for him. He was looking thoughtfully into the distance through a window before he snorted and shook his head.

"Hahaha. Look at me, getting all worked up. I can't and won't let the Black name die with me, so i've decided." He said, getting up from behind the desk.

"But first, what are your thoughts on your father?" He asked.

I was a little surprised by the question but it makes sense in hindsight. He definitely doesn't want Lucius getting his hands on anything to do with the Black family.

"Well sir, I don't think much of him in all honesty. He's not a good man, nor a pleasant one. It's ironic. He genuinly loves me, but I can't say the same." I said.

He looked a little shocked at that.

"Truly?" He asked in disbelief.

I nodded and decided to bend the truth a bit.

"Truly. When I was younger, well, younger than I am now, I felt constricted in the knowledge I was allowed to access to. To remedy this, I bound one of our elves to me as they were only connected to the wardstone. Lucius doesn't treat them very well so it was easy." I said.

"From that point on I had unrestricted access to any information I wanted. That's how I learned about my family's history and how I know so much about Lucius. I've read a lot of the missives and letters he sends and recieves, along with the proposals he's drafted despite not officially being part of the wizengamot." I continued.

"After a while I began to piece together what kind of man he was along with some history of his actions during the war. Let's just say that I wouldn't lose any sleep if he disappeared tomorrow." I finished.

Arcturus looked at me a snorted, snorted again before bursting into laughter.

"Hahahaha! You... Hahaha!" He wheezed, finally calming down.

"You brat. That's quite something. You must know a lot more than you let on." He said, looking at me shrewdly.

I smirked. "I will neither confirm nor deny." I said.

He snorted in amusement.

"Well, that makes this decision even easier. I've decided to hand over the Hiership to you." He said.

I looked at him a little in shock. In truth, I didn't expect him to. What i've said so far goes against so many customs and beliefs in the wizarding world that if I said this to anyone else, i'd probably be run out of town. Therefore, I expected him to send me on my way with nothing, even if he likes me.

I've only said what I've said because he's dying and only has a year or two to live at best. Which is a shame really. He's a powerful wizard and I like him so far. Easily stronger than any adult i've ever met.

"Don't look so surprised. What you said may be heresy for most, but i've experienced the worst of humanity after two wars. Especially the Grindelwald war. Some of the stuff i've seen... anyway. Your thoughts are radical but I also agree that it's time to change." He said.

"In truth, i'm more concerned about the muggles." He said with a frown of worry on his face.

"I witnessed the destructive aftermath of their atomic bombs at the end of their second world war. Not to mention their technological progress during that time. It was one of the main rallying points that Grindelwald used." He said.

"Despite fighting against him, he had a point. Most who participated in that war were well aware of the enormous progress the muggles were making. Ever since, i've kept up with their development and what i've seen is both incredible and concerning." He said with a frown.

"I understand Lord Black." I said.

He raised an eyebrow. "You do?" He asked.

I nodded. "I do. I was initially interested in muggles simply because I knew nothing about them,..." I lied.

"...but I had my elf go into the muggle world and buy a few history books for me and became interested. The progress they've made is absolutely incredible. Especially their computers and communication technologies. They exceed the magical world by far in these areas. And those aren't the only areas where they exceed us." I said.

He nodded grimmly. "Indeed. Magic may be incredible and capable of many things, but the muggles are progressing too fast for us to keep up with. We simply don't have enough people. I don't like to think about it, but i'm worried about our world being exposed one day." He said.

I nodded. "Indeed. Especially with their satellite technology. I don't expect it for many years yet, but we will probably be exposed in my lifetime." I said.

He looked tired at my prediction before shaking himself out of it.

"Well, that's something you will have to deal with. I won't be around at that point." He said with melancholy.

I acted surprised.

"Lord Black?" I asked.

He smiled slightly.

"Brat, I don't have too much longer to live." He said.

I continued my act.

"Really? From what I know, you're a powerful wizard and not that old by magical standards. You should be able to live for a couple hundred more years at least." I said.

He seemed unconcerned about his impending death as he elaborated.

"I took a curse from Grindelwald in the final battle with him and was unable to treat it. It's eating away at my magical core. I've aged prematurely becuase of it. I would have given in to it sooner when my friend Charlus and his wife, my sister, Dorea were killed by Voldemort." He said calmly.

"They were the only people I was still close with and now they're gone. The only reason i've held on for so long is to see the Black family be passed on." He finished.

I sat there with a serious expression on my face in the ensuing silence.

"How long do you have?" I eventually asked, despite knowing already.

He smiled.

"A year, two at best. In truth I can barely use magic anymore, it aggrivates my condition. It's why I've never left the manor in recent years. I'm safe from my enemies behind the wards here." He said.

I nodded in understanding.

"Enough doom and gloom brat. I like you, so i've decided to pass the Black legacy onto you." He said.

I smiled.

"Thank you Lord Black." I said.

He smiled back.

"Don't thank me just yet. If I do this, I want your solemn word that you will allow the Black family to prosper." He said.

I looked into his eyes. He was deadly serious with this. I thought for a while before making up my mind to agree. My ultimate goals will take decades, centuries to come into fruition, so I can do this for him.

I nodded. "I give you my word as Draco to ensure the prosperity of the Black legacy." I said solemnly.

He smiled. "Good. You can do what you will with it, as long as it prospers. The world is changing, and we need to change with it. I'm leaving it up to you as to how to go about it." He said.

I was quite thankful for that. I would want to do things my way anyway. If I needed to stick to tradition, it would be better to refuse and start my own magical house.

"Now that that's decided, we have a few things to discuss." He said seriously.

"You will learn many things from the histories of our ancestors Draco, but there is one recent secret that is only known to me that I need to tell you. But first, I assume your parents have been teaching you the mind arts? What is your progress with that? I can't tell you the secret without being sure you can keep it." He said.

What he said assumed was true. Both mother and Lucius began teaching me the mind arts a couple of years ago, but by that point I was already more accomplished than either of them, having reached the final stage. I'll keep progressing with it as always.

I puffed my chest out, acting proud.

"I have reached the 5th stage Lord Black." I said.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Impressive. I would need to test your defenses to be sure however." He said.

I nodded in assent and he looked me in the eyes. Soon, I could feel a mental probe from him poking and prodding at the forcefields covering my mind. He was looking for weak points or irregularities. He wouldn't find any however. After a while, he left my mind.

He sat there, huffing minutely with his face a little flushed.

"As you can see, even small acts of magic like that take it out of me." He said as he recovered.

I nodded. I could see. The curse in his core was roiling just from this tiny use of legilimency without any force behind it. It might be mental magic, but it's still magic even if it relies more on mental strength. Magic is still needed to perform it.

He finally recovered with some effort, forcing the curse down.

"Well, it seems you have every right to be proud. Those are some good defenses. It seems I can tell you this secret safely." He said.

I leaned forward at this point, curious about his supposed secret. Soon, he launched into a little retelling.

"As you know, I participated in the Grindelwald war for over a decade." He said and I nodded, already knowing that. He continued.

"During this time, I developed a life-and-death bond with Charlus Potter and together, we were constantly together on the frontlines of the war due to our power. We had a rocky start to our relationship, but we learned to trust and respect eachother." He said with a nostalgic smile.

"When we were together, nobody but Grindelwald himself could match us. Neither Charlus nor I could match him alone but together we could. Whenever we fought, it was a stalemate. The reason we were able to push him back was that we had more reinforcement than Grindelwald did." He siad, getting lost in his memories before shaking himself out of it.

He looked at me seriously. "As such, Charlus and I were always the first into his fortifications and bases, the first inside his many research laboratories. Therefore, we were the ones to take everything Grindelwald had stolen." He said.

I found my breath quickening and Arcturus smiled and nodded.

"I see you understand. It's well known that Grindelwald ransacked the majority of Europe's old families for their knowledge. Charlus and I were the ones to take it. We made sure to cover our tracks and anyone who knew died in the war, we made sure of it." He said with a smug smile.

"After the war, Charlus and I with help from Dorea, copied the entire collection so we each had one. We even took it a step further and gave eachother our entire families' librarys." He said with a smile.

I looked at him, completely shocked at that. No family would do that, no matter how close.

"Shocking right? But it was fine. Even with both the Potter and Black families' thousands of years of history, the collection we amassed during the war dwarfed both of our legacies put together many, many times over. The scope of it was mind boggling, to say the least." He said with a smile.

"This is the biggest secret I have. I needed to make sure that you had good mental defenses to tell you otherwise, well, you can just imagine the result if someone finds out." He said.

I was quite shocked. Was that what was in the trunk next to the wardstone? The collection of Gellert Grindelwald?