12 Chapter 11 - Asterion And Narcissa

"Asterion, you must remember that when you transfigure something enchanted, you must not alter the runes written on the inner part of the object. These runes are the gears that keep everything in order. Once even one of the runes is altered, the entire enchantment will be broken."

As she sorted through the clothes, piece by piece, getting ready to start transfiguring, Narcissa didn't forget to instruct Asterion, who listened attentively to every word.

Looking at the medieval clothes, Narcissa huffed and drew her own wand, black and sleek, about 24 cm long. With a flick of her wrist and hands, the tip of the wand glowed red. She pointed it at the piece of clothing in question, and the complicated transfiguration process began.

A strong will twisted and altered the very fabric of the cloth. The material changed according to Narcissa's will, shaping into what she desired and wanted.

Moments later, a completely new piece of clothing appeared in front of Asterion: simple black pants. Soon, there were white long-sleeved shirts, belts, shoes—Narcissa transfigured hundreds of clothes in less than ten minutes.

"It's been a while since I've used so much transfiguration. Professor McGonagall would be quite proud if she saw," Narcissa murmured to herself, looking at the hundreds of pieces of clothing flying back into the closet with a flick of her wand.

"What do you think, Asterion?" Narcissa asked, looking at the nine, almost ten-year-old boy.

"A magnificent display," Asterion spoke sincerely. It was truly magical to see matter obeying Narcissa's commands. He understood perfectly why wizards considered all other races inferior. This power, the power to shape reality with a simple wave of the hand, was truly extraordinary. In a literal sense, wizards were slightly less powerful gods.

"You will be even more extraordinary in this discipline given your Inborn Technique. Perhaps in the future, you could transfigure an entire city if you wish. It would certainly be a scene recorded in the annals of history," Narcissa said to Asterion as the image of her own words appeared in her mind—a scene she truly wished to witness.

Asterion understood why Narcissa said that. His Inborn Technique was very similar to Transfiguration Magic in certain senses; perhaps it would be the easiest discipline for him at Hogwarts. He also remembered the pinnacle of Transfiguration—Animagus!

A wizard who physically transformed into a specific animal. There were so few in England that you could count them on your fingers, but obviously, the count couldn't be that low. Asterion supposed that many Animagi never registered with the Ministry of Magic.

The reason was quite obvious—trump cards shouldn't be revealed until a life or death moment. Only fools would disclose all their abilities to someone.

If he remembered correctly, Harry's father, James Potter, and all his friends were unregistered Animagus. James was even more extraordinary, becoming an Animagus while still attending Hogwarts.

In the original reality, unfortunately, Harry didn't inherit his father's strong Transfiguration talent or his mother's extraordinary potion-making skills, only James's most useless talent for flying on brooms.

Asterion wondered what animal he would transform into when the time came. He would like to be a panther or a flying creature if possible.

Sitting on the bed, Narcissa looked at Asterion with a cold gaze and said, "Now that we're done with your clothes, we'll start preparing you."

"Preparing me for what?" Asterion furrowed his brow, slightly confused.

"Well, we have about six months to turn you from a rude commoner into a true prince charming," Narcissa replied with a rather sadistic smile, in the eyes of young Asterion.

"I don't understand the rush," Asterion looked confusedly at the elegantly seated woman on his bed. 

Arcturus had advised to go slow with the boy, but Narcissa thought otherwise. She not only had to teach etiquette, which was time-consuming, but also politics and fencing lessons, all within a short six-month period.

Regarding the six-month deadline, young heirs are typically introduced to wizarding society at the age of ten, celebrated with a grand masquerade ball.

"You will turn ten in six months, and ten is usually the age when heirs of noble houses are formally presented to other powerful houses. Particularly for the House of Black, which will gather almost all the noble houses of England and possible nobles from other countries to celebrate your birthday," Narcissa explained patiently, leaving nothing out.

"I understand. Let's not waste any time, Narcissa." Knowing that he would formally debut in wizarding society, Asterion became serious. He didn't want to embarrass himself or Arcturus, who had taken care of him with such devotion during their time together. In his eyes, Arcturus was already his grandfather.

Narcissa nodded very pleased. Training was pointless if you didn't strive to improve, and the boy at least had that mindset. That made her satisfied, especially compared to when she tried to teach her own children. They were like rats running back and forth without caring about the lessons she imparted.

"Let's begin by learning how to sit properly in the chair for various occasions," she said, getting up from the bed and placing a chair in the center of the room.

Asterion listened attentively and asked questions when necessary.

-

At night, on the same day.

"How was your first lesson, Asterion?" Sitting at the dining table, Arcturus asked as he wiped the corner of his mouth with a white handkerchief. "Did you enjoy her teaching?"

"Yes, she's a good tutor," Asterion replied. His gaze briefly fixed on the chocolate pudding, but then he returned his attention to the old patriarch Black. "I can easily see myself liking her. She's sarcastic, intelligent, and a woman with strong willpower."

Arcturus showed a relieved expression upon hearing this. "It's good to see that you're getting along well. It eases my mind to know that you won't be alone when death claims me," he said, showing a warm smile as he looked at his great-grandson.

With his words, the atmosphere in the dining hall turned somber and heavy.

Realizing the atmosphere, Arcturus let out a low, deep laugh. He looked at the nine-year-old boy and said, "Asterion, death to me is a relief. I will reunite with my wife, my children, grandchildren, and all those I loved in life. I have lived a long and exhausting life, fought most of it. For now, I just want to rest."

Seeing the boy's somber face, Arcturus added, "Of course, I will only depart from this world seeing you become a worthy and powerful man."

Asterion's face brightened with his words. He looked directly into Arcturus's black eyes and responded with a determined gaze, "I won't disappoint you, Grandfather."

"That's good, Asterion. You need to want to improve to become better," Arcturus was very pleased with his great-grandson's actions.

Translate By IA.

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Author's thoughts: The next chapter will have a time jump of five months. 

By the way, forgive me for not posting yesterday; it was a busy and difficult day for me.