New Year Gathering Ⅵ

With genuine curiosity and interest, Pollux glanced at his siblings, who shook their heads at him. Seeing his sibling's unspoken response, he turned towards his cousin, Arcturus Ⅲ. "Did uncle, your father, Arcturus ever speak on the subject of Phineas?"

"Father (Arcturus Ⅱ) rather disliked Phineas and often ranted about his younger brother calling him a fool, who wore his heart on his sleeve. Apparently," Phineas Slytherin with a Gryffindor heart," Arcturus Ⅲ drily remarked. "Still I suppose that speaks volumes about his character if father considered Phineas far too noble than was prudent. But beyond that Father only cursed Phineas for his apparent foolish weakness when drunk," which admittedly was often.

"In retrospect, it is rather strange and even more pedicular that there are no family whispers and rumors about our great-great-uncle Phineas," Orion pensively commented touching his chin. Raising his solemn gray eyes, he respectfully bows his head towards the weathered sailor, his newly returned cousin. "Please do continue, Cousin Eaton. You have quite piqued all our combined interests."

"As I said, Cousin Phineas was deathly ill and not long after he arrived, he became bed stricken before passing away only a few weeks after," Eaton quietly said as heads all around the table bowed in solemn respect of the dead. "Dad said that it had been 1899 that year. And Cousin Phineas was rather young by the standards of wizards. A mere lad of twenty-one years of age, when he departed from this world for the next."

Eaton's voice trailed for a moment as his weathered fingers carefully trace the insignia of the Black family crest on the old wooden box before him. "But Cousin Phineas was brave in his own manner," he rasped, "for upon his dying bed, Phineas entrusted with my grandfather with this box. We swore to never open it and return it intact to family, but unfortunately, we've never had a chance to until now."

"If I may," Eaton said rising to his feet as he carefully carried the old entrusted wooden box over to Pollux, the head of the Black family.

Pollux's wrinkled, spotted pale hand carefully accepts the box that had been entrusted so long to another. The entire Black family intently watches and does not even blink as Pollux opens the box to reveal a glistening dark egg with a strange white spot on it. Everyone stares in perplexion at the egg until Cassiopeia gasps, "A genuine Basilisk egg."

"A Basilisk egg?" Arthur blurted out in confusion. "I thought a Basilisk can only be made by hatching a chicken egg under a toadstool frog?"

"That is how they are initially are made," Cassiopeia replied without removing her gaze from the round, dark egg. "However, the rarest of Basilisk's is an egg produced between a male and female Basilisk. You see it is almost impossible for a male and female of the species to meet without attempting to kill each other for they are instinctively territorial beasts. Very few Basilisks have ever mated and only a handful of eggs have ever been produced. I wonder from just where Phineas acquired this egg from?"

"Whoever he did," Eaton drily interjected. "he surely must have died for it."

The Black family members make a noise of agreement before Pollux carefully closes the box. "None of the family have ever carried the parseltongue ability," Pollux carefully said, before glancing at his sister Dorea. "However, the Prince family are the descendants of Salazar Slytherin and they have borne parselmouth's in the past. It is a suitable gift for the godmother of the Prince twins to bestow upon her godchildren."

Lucius nods his head in approval as do the others except for Thurman and Harmon, who were just plain confused. Even Eaton and Marius Jr. and Marcel understood as they had in some form another encountered how the struggle for power works. Still, it was a brilliant move that would only serve to place the Black family in higher favor and esteem of the Prince household, who would be certain to return the favor in the future with added interest.

Dorea carefully accepts the box with the basilisk egg, before wisely putting it away. She would take care of the gift and present it to the Prince household when the time was right. Perchance for Rowan and Severus's next birthday, if not for their 17th Birthday.

Pleased by their cousin's actions, Pollux generously says, "We are grateful for your actions this day, Eaton Black and as such, we return the Gringotts vaults in their entirety pertaining to Eduardus Limette Black to your sister and your descendants." He reaches into his pocket to remove a golden key from his pocket and hands it to Eaton.

Eaton stares blankly at the golden key, but Annis excitedly mouths at her brother to take it. "Gringotts?" Eaton murmured to himself as he accepted the key. What the heck was a Gringotts vault? At least, Annis would know what that meant.

"Thank you," Annis gratefully said and motioned for her nephews to do the same. They were about to become very wealthy! And just maybe, she could finally afford to pay a very expensive potions guild fee and fulfill her dream to become a true potioneer! She would finally be able to open her own potion brewer's shop and sell her potions to the public. It was simply a dream come true!

Pleased Pollux says, "Now then, we shall discuss further aspects such as moving the children to Quattor's Academy."

"Qua-what Academy?" Thurman asked.

"An academy for all children whether magical or non-magical such as squibs," Pollux calmly explained causing Marius's eyes to brighten up. He knew that his grandson, Marcellus would love to attend. He was still too young only being 5-year-old, but he'd be six years old soon enough!

"The education begins with primary from 6 years old until they are adults if they are not attending Hogwarts. The education will ensure that children are properly taught all wizarding traditions but understand the muggle world enough to properly invest via Gringotts."

"Magical traditions?" Harmon whispered to himself and his brother in disbelief. They were definitely going to have to explain a lot to their wives and children. But then again, their children would probably be thrilled with the idea of magic and attending a magical school.

"Er, and how would they even get there?" Thurman curiously asked.

"There is a bus that can apperate nearby and to and from the school at specific locations," Arthur happily explained. "As the Head of the office of Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, I can explain much more in detail." And so, Arthur launched into a passionate explanation of the Ministry of Magic and various other office duties.

Needless to say, they were there for a while. Luckily for Thurman and Harmon, they did not have the discussion of magic with their wives along as their father and aunt aided in the endeavor. Mostly Aunt Annis since she could fly on her broom to the delight of their children and could perform small magics and showed them how to brew a small, but child-friendly potion. And which in turn made them become friends with other magical children and folks in the village, but that is a tale for another time.