31 The Spy (II)

Minerva was already hating herself for what she was about to do… Makusa wanted to hear her story. Minerva understood what was happening, the older Witch wanted to know why Minerva was trying to join their cause. In other words, Makusa wanted to know why Minerva hated the Muggles, especially when her own father was a Muggle. Minerva knew that she needed to make a promising story or Makusa wasn't going to believe her.

Minerva took a deep breath as she prepared the story inside her mind. "As you already know, my mother is from a Pureblood Family, her name is Isobel McGonagall nee Ross. After marrying my father, she locked away her Wand in a box and she decided to give up on Magic as she didn't have any plans of telling my father about Mag…" Minerva stopped when Makusa gasped in horror.

"Oh my… I feel really bad for your mother…" Makusa shook her head with a heartbroken look on her face. "Forgive me, please carry on…" Makusa gestured Minerva to continue. Minerva resumed her story after giving Makusa a hesitant nod…

"My mother wasn't planning to tell my father about Magic, ever. My father, Robert McGonagall is a religious man, he believes in God and the Bible, so you could already understand why my mother decided not to tell him" Minerva stopped and looked at Makusa, after getting an understanding nod from Makusa, Minerva decided to continue with her story… "My mother decided to give up Magic for her love, but all of that changed after I was born" Minerva revealed with a shake of her head.

Minerva genuinely felt bad for her mother, the woman decided to give up a part of herself for love, but in the end, the woman failed to protect her family from the truth… "I started to show signs of Accidental Magic and soon my mother realized that she could no longer hide the truth. So she revealed the truth to my father. Even though my father didn't try to attack us with a pitchfork or call us demon worshippers…" Minerva's breath hitched, this was much harder than she was expecting.

Minerva came prepared knowing that she had to probably lie about her family and she was kind of ready too, but it hurt much more than expected. True, the dynamics in her family had soured after the big revelation, but her father's reaction was not that extreme, in fact, it was pretty tame considering the revelation. Minerva took another deep breath to prepare herself to continue the story.

"Even though nothing extreme happened after the big revelation, the relationship between my father and mother was never the same. He also kind of avoided me after the revelation. Since he was a religious man, he couldn't wrap his head around Magic… Even though he stayed with us, he felt disconnected from the rest of us…" Minerva sniffed, now she was wondering if she should tell the woman the rest of her story or not…

After thinking for a few moments, Minerva decided to stop right here. She did not want to reveal the story of Dougal McGregor to this woman, it was simply way too personal for her and she didn't want to lie about the only man she ever loved…

Minerva noticed that Makusa was still staring at her intently and Minerva knew that she still to tell the Witch why she wanted to join their cause. "As I grew up, I slowly realized that no matter how much anyone tries, the Muggles are never going to understand us or our gifts. I am a Professor at Hogwarts, I have been visiting Muggle homes to inform the parents about Magic for nearly a decade, and sometimes I hate that part of my job" Minerva shook her head in sadness.

Right now, she wasn't acting. In fact, she genuinely hated and loved this part of her job. Sometimes she witnessed the joy in the faces of the children and their parents, but sometimes, she had to witness the denial, the fear in the faces of the parents when she told them that their child was a Witch or a Wizard. She also hated to see the abused children in the orphanages, those children were simply abused by the other children because they possessed some special gifts, but she couldn't condemn all the Muggles just because of that.

She had met a lot of nicer Muggles too, who were ecstatic to find that their children were special. Even though her own father withdrew himself after the big revelation, he stayed with them to support the family. If he wanted, he could have left them and there was nothing her mother could have done… So, Minerva didn't hate all the Muggles, she understood that some of them were simply bad apples. Most of them acted cruelly towards their children because they could not understand Magic, only a few handfuls of them were genuinely bad.

"I want to join your cause because I genuinely believe in your cause… If we no longer need to hide then the Muggles would no longer have any reason to abuse Magical children and no family would be ruined like mine…" Minerva added in a determined tone, but in reality, she cringed internally as soon as the words left her mouth. She hated herself for saying all that, but she knew that it had to be said. 'Albus, you are going to owe me big time when I am finally done…' Minerva vowed internally…

Makusa inclined her head with a soft smile on her face… "Minerva McGonagall, welcome to our cause" Makusa declared with a wide smile on her face. Then she slowly stood up and walked towards her desk. Minerva beamed after hearing Makusa's words, but at the same time, she followed Makusa with her eyes. Makusa picked up a parchment from the desk and after that, she started to return to the couch.

Makusa handed the parchment over to Minerva. As soon as Minerva started to read the parchment, her eyes grew wide in shock. She looked up from the parchment and stared at Makusa. "You can't be serious?" Minerva gasped in shock, this time, she wasn't acting, she was genuinely shocked. Makusa softly smiled and pulled out her Wand from her sleeve.

"It is what it is, we are kind of strict about the secrecy" Makusa softly smiled, it was pretty clear that the smile was fake, after all, the woman had her Wand pointed at Minerva. Minerva wasn't a greenhorn when it came to fighting, she was pretty confident that she would be able to fight her way out of here, but it would be a waste to leave just like that.

The Oath written on the parchment was your run-of-the-mill Secrecy Oath, but the Oath was pretty well thought out. Minerva could not think of a loophole, but no Secrecy Oaths were absolute. It was simply impossible to make it airtight, after all, intent played a big part in any type of Oaths, so Minerva decided to scrutinize the Oath with Albus. There were no clauses stopping her from revealing the Oath to a third party.

It might take some time, but she was sure that they will be able to find a loophole, and breaking a Secrecy Oath does not mean that she would lose Magic. According to the parchment, the punishment for breaking her Oath was quite simple. The Acolytes... No, this group of Acolytes called themselves Crimson Knights for whatever reason. 'Maybe someone else took over the Acolytes and changed their name?' Minerva guessed, but it was no use as she would not receive an answer.

So, according to the parchment, if she broke her Oath to the Crimson Knights, then she will be immediately expelled from their ranks. Though she could be reinstated after a hearing… Minerva read the clauses two more times, but she didn't find any hidden clauses. So, Minerva finally pulled out her Wand, she noticed Makusa tense up as soon as she pulled out her Wand. Minerva raised her Wand in the air, and then she swore the Oath without wasting any time.

Makusa smiled brightly and stowed away her Wand as soon as Minerva's Wand tip flashed with white light, signifying that her Oath was valid. The parchment in Minerva's hand turned into dust. "Welcome to the ranks of Crimson Knights, let me show you around" Makusa stood up and extended her hand towards Minerva. Minerva wanted to question about the parchment, after all, something like that never happened, but after she saw the eager look on Makusa's face, she accepted the woman's offered limb.

Moments later, the two of them Disapparated from the room with a loud crack. Minerva was quite familiar with the feeling of side-along so she wasn't feeling sick. After a few more moments, the two of them finally landed on an open field. Minerva looked around and she immediately realized that the field wasn't open as she had thought. Thousands of Wizards and Witches could be seen going around with their lives, and nearly a thousand Wizards and Witches could be seen training in different groups.

At some distance, she could also see that something big and massive was being constructed. 'Albus was wrong… he was so wrong. This is not a small group, I shudder to even think that this is a small group' Minerva couldn't help but worry inside her mind. On the other side, Minerva could clearly see the seashore.

"Where are we?" Minerva asked curiously, she could make some guesses, but she wanted to see if Makusa would tell her or not.

"Right now, we are in the temporary base of the Crimson Knights. Well, technically it is permanent, but it will only be permanent after our base is finished" Makusa pointed towards the construction site. "And as for the location, we are in Cornwall" Makusa added with a grin.

Yes, Cornwall was one of her guesses, though Minerva still could not wrap her head around the numbers of the Witches and Wizards this mysterious Leader had under their command. At the same time, it wasn't like these people were cannon fodder, this unit was like a well-trained army unit which was not a good thing considering everything. Once again, Minerva remembered about the parchment, so unable to hold back her curiosity, she decided to question Makusa.

"Makusa, what happened to the parchment? It looked like it turned into dust?" Minerva tilted her head in confusion. She really wanted to know what happened to the parchment…

"Oh… the parchment has a secondary function. I don't know the exact Spells, but as soon as you swear the Oath, the parchment activates its second function. It keys into the Wards of our base as it turns into dust. Now, you can freely Apparate in and out of this location, but let me warn you… don't try to bring anyone in. If the Wards are triggered then it would fry any intruders…" Makusa warned and Minerva almost gaped. She had never heard of a Spell that would allow someone to key another person to the Wards using a parchment.

'Well… you get to learn something new every day' Minerva mused. "Isn't the security too extreme?" Minerva asked in a worried tone. The Wards were obviously dark, not that it mattered. In fact, Minerva shouldn't have expected anything less from an army of Supremacists.

"Nothing is too extreme in case of security, Minerva" Makusa snickered and even though Minerva didn't agree with what these people were doing, she had to agree with Makusa's statement. You could never be lax in case of security.

"I agree… So, do I need to join them?" Minerva asked as she pointed towards the Witches and Wizards who were training in Magical combat.

"Not necessarily. You said you teach Transfiguration at Hogwarts, right?" Makusa asked and after getting an affirmative nod from Minerva, Makusa decided to continue. "So, you could do what you have been doing, you could teach Transfiguration. What do you think about it? I just need to talk with my boss…" Makusa suggested and Minerva didn't even need to think much regarding the offer. She immediately agreed with Makusa's suggestion.

"Sure, I would love that" Minerva answered excitedly. Makusa simply chuckled in amusement. It was clear that Minerva held quite a bit of passion for Transfiguration.

"Good… Good. If you get bored, then you could always try something else. There are a lot of things you could do to support the Knights" Makusa pointed out and then all of a sudden she stopped. Makusa's face turned completely serious and she pointed in a certain direction. Minerva followed Makusa's finger with her gaze and she found a big clearing where nearly a hundred children were playing. "You are a new recruit, so let me warn you. If you want to play with the kids then it's fine, but be careful because if you try something with them, then you will be begging for death" Makusa warned with a serious look on her face as she shivered in fright.

Minerva would never try harming children, but she still decided to store the information in her head. She wanted to ask questions about the children, but for now, she decided against it. She was a new recruit and if she showed too much interest in the children, then there was a chance that Makusa and her superiors might become suspicious of her. That would make her task insanely difficult. So, Minerva simply gave Makusa an understanding nod. Once again, Makusa's smile returned as she started to lead Minerva toward her boss' office.

Makusa and Minerva finally arrived in front of a big tent. Makusa raised the flap and the two of them entered the tent without wasting any time. The inside of the tent was simply massive and it looked like an army barrack on the inside. Minerva was in complete awe as this was the first time she was witnessing something like this. The tent was not only an army barrack, on the left side, but there was also a massive canteen. "That is where everyone comes to eat. Even you will need to come here for the meals. This place might look like the barracks, but this is a training area. You will understand when you see the others training" Makusa explained when she noticed the curious look on Minerva's face.

The duo finally arrived in front of a small shack-like building, but it looked nothing like a shack. Makusa raised her hand and knocked on the door. "Enter" a Wizard answered from the inside. Makusa opened the door with a click and Minerva simply entered the room or whatever it was after Makusa. Minerva found a Wizard who was probably in his thirties sitting behind a desk.

"Sir, this is Minerva McGonagall, she is a new recruit, but she might turn out to be an important member of the Knights" Makusa introduced Minerva with a thin smile on her face. She was no longer sporting her usual big and happy smile.

"I will be the judge of that" The man behind the desk said in a clipped tone as he stood from his seat. Then his gaze focused on Minerva and for the first time, Minerva felt fear after arriving here. The man was strong… Not Albus Dumbledore level strong, but he was definitely stronger than her, and not to mention dangerous. Minerva had worked in DMLE for two years, she had learned to see the signs.

"Mrs McGonagall, Mrs Saira here thinks that you might turn out to be an important member of our group. I don't know enough about you to make any judgment, so tell me about yourself" the man said as he walked to the front of the desk and then he decided to lean on his desk as he intently stared at Minerva.

"It is Miss…" Minerva corrected, and the man slightly inclined his head as an apology.

"My apologies" The man apologized.

Minerva took a deep breath as she prepared the words inside her mind. "As you already know, my name is Minerva McGonagall, and currently, I teach Transfiguration at Hogwarts. I have been teaching at Hogwarts since 1909. Makusa asked me if I would like to continue teaching and I simply accepted her offer. I have never taught any NEWT classes, but I am confident about my ability to teach NEWT students" Minerva looked like she was giving a job interview, technically it was a job interview.

"There are no NEWT students here… Tell me if you can teach Transfiguration to Wizards and Witches older than NEWT students" The man scoffed, it didn't matter if Minerva could teach NEWT students. After all, there weren't trying to open a school, he needed to know if Minerva could teach older students or not.

"Yes, I am confident that I can teach them too… I have done Masters in Transfiguration and I can teach them up to that point, I suppose that would be enough?" Minerva questioned in a confident tone and the man finally cracked a smile.

"I like your confidence, and for the record that would be more than enough, but I don't think you need to train anyone for Masters" The man grinned and he got up from the table. He approached Minerva and then he extended his hand, Minerva thought that the man was probably asking for a handshake so she simply extended her hand, but she stopped when she saw the man shaking his head. "Your other hand, my lady" The man smiled and Minerva finally understood what the man was trying to do. So, with a faint blush on her cheeks, Minerva extended her other hand.

The man grabbed the offered limb and then he placed a soft kiss on the back of Minerva's palm, the blush on Minerva's cheeks intensified. Minerva had seen a lot of Purebloods doing this during functions, but this was the first time someone was doing this to her. The man finally let go of her hand as he slowly straightened himself. "Forgive my manners, my name is Donovan Creed, and allow me to welcome you to the ranks of the Crimson Knights. You didn't quit your job at Hogwarts, right?" Donovan asked and Minerva shook her head in denial.

"Good, you can continue your job. I am not going to ask you to quit your job, after all, you must have worked really hard to get that job. From your last name, I know that you are not a Pureblood Witch, so you must have to work way harder than the others… Then let's decide on a schedule for you, I assume you don't have any problems with that?" Donovan suggested with a soft smile and once again Minerva shook her head.

"I am fine with a schedule, that will be the best for me" Minerva returned the smile. Yes, getting a schedule would be the best as she could train the Crimson Knights without quitting her job. Minerva thought that she would need to quit her job, she knew that Albus would return the job to her after they were done, but that didn't mean that she wasn't worried. Now that she knew that she did not need to quit her job, she was feeling quite relieved.

"Good. Then let's get started" Donovan smiled as he gestured Minerva to take a seat and then he turned toward Makusa. "You may leave" Makusa simply gave him a nod before she started to leave. Minerva smiled as she accepted the offer and sat down, Donovan moved to the other side as he needed to take his own seat…

When Minerva finally returned to Hogwarts, it was almost evening. Donovan had offered her quarters at their base, but Minerva had to politely refuse the offer as she already had a quarter at Hogwarts. Without wasting any time, Minerva made her way toward the Head of the Transfiguration office. Minerva was quite sure that Albus would still be in his office. Minerva knocked on the door as she arrived in front of the office. "Enter" Minerva heard Albus' from the inside. Minerva entered the office only to find that Albus was grading some papers just like she expected him to.

Albus' face lightened up as soon as he saw Minerva. "Minerva, have a seat. Do you want some tea?" Albus offered with a smile on his face, but he was unable to hide the worry in his voice. His voice slightly quivered at the end. Minerva didn't miss it and on the inside, Minerva was glad that Albus was worried for her.

"Tea would be most welcome" Minerva accepted Albus' offer with a smile as she sat down. Albus summoned a house-elf and asked it to bring some tea and snack for the two of them. After only a few seconds, out of thin air, two teacups and two plates of scones appeared on the table.

"Minerva, are you alright? What happened?" Albus asked with a hint of concern in his voice. This time, he didn't bother to hide his concern for her.

"I joined them just like you wanted me to, but Albus it is way worse than you had thought. I can't go into details as they made me swear a Secrecy Oath. Give me a parchment, I will write down the Oath for you" Minerva said and Albus immediately extended a parchment along with a quill and inkpot toward Minerva.

"Did you really need to swear an Oath?" Albus questioned in a worried tone and Minerva simply scoffed.

"There was no other way, Albus. I needed to swear the Oath or they would have attacked me… I had to fight my way out of that building since it is under Anti-Apparition and Anti-Portkey Wards" Minerva explained as she shook her head. Minerva grabbed the quill and then she quickly wrote down the Oath. Albus grabbed the parchment and after some inspection, Albus found a loophole.

"I have already found a loophole" Albus declared with a smile on his face. Minerva perked up as soon as Albus' words registered in her mind.

"Really? That was way too fast" Minerva questioned Albus in a bewildered tone and Albus couldn't help but chuckle after hearing her words.

"Minerva, do you know what a Pensieve is?" Albus asked with a smile on his face. Minerva shook her head in denial, Albus leaned back in his chair with a smile on his face, and with a flick of his hand, Albus summoned a book from the shelves. Albus grabbed the book and then he extended it toward Minerva.

The Witch accepted the book with a questioning look on her face. She read the title of the book out loud. "Memoria?" Minerva gave Albus a questioning look and Albus simply gestured toward the book. She hated this habit of Albus, she could not understand why Albus never gave straight answers. Minerva threw a glare in Albus' direction before she opened the book. The book was all about some artefacts related to Memory. One of those said artefacts was the artefact called Pensieve. After reading the book, Minerva finally understood what a Pensieve was, but she still could not understand how it was a loophole.

"But I still can't understand how you are planning to get around the Oath using a Pensieve…" Minerva declared as she placed the book on the table. Albus chuckled in amusement and Minerva threw him a dirty look before she huffed in annoyance.

"Let's say that you are using a Pensieve to revisit your own memories, but for whatever reason, you forgot to remove the memories from the Pensieve before leaving your room and someone ended up stumbling into your room and they decided to have a look at your memories before leaving?" Albus suggested with a grin and slowly, gears started to turn inside Minerva's head. Finally, the idea clicked inside Minerva's mind.

Minerva beamed at Albus with a bright smile on her face. "I finally understand what you are trying to say!" Minerva declared with a look of pure glee on her face. "So, where can we get this Pensieve?" Minerva asked curiously, and Albus started to scratch his cheek with a nervous smile on his face.

"Um… I need to contact a few of my friends. Pensieves are very hard to come by, and they are extremely difficult to create. My friend, Nicolas has one, but I don't want to borrow his Pensieve" Albus answered back with a sheepish tone and Minerva simply huffed.

"How long will it take for you to get one?" Minerva asked after she picked her teacup.

"At least a month or two" Albus answered in a defeated tone, Minerva also released a sigh after hearing his answer. There was not much she could do.

"Fine! How much is a Pensieve going to cost?" Minerva asked with a hint of concern. Since Pensieves were so hard to come by, it must be quite expensive.

"You don't need to worry about it… I will take care of it. There is still quite a bit of Dumbledore fortune left in our Family vault and it might not look like it, but I earn quite a bit too, all of which goes straight into my account since I live here" Albus answered with a smile. Minerva wanted to protest as she wanted to pay half of the price, but Albus already knew what was going to say, so he raised his hand to stop her from speaking. "I always wanted to own a Pensieve, Minerva. This simply hastens my plans and I don't want to hear your arguments, whatever they are" Albus added in an amused tone and once again, Minerva couldn't help but huff.

"Fine! It is your money!" Minerva huffed and Albus started to chuckle in amusement. Minerva simply gave the man a disapproving look as she continued to sip her tea…

~~Black Townhouse, Cornwall~~

"So, how do I look? Ladies are going to love this aren't they?" Destiny grinned as she looked at herself in the mirror. Destiny already knew that she was going to ruffle quite a lot of feathers with her dressing choice, but she didn't care. She knew that they were simply jealous. She had always been looked upon since she was a child due to her beautiful hair and eyes. Yes, Destiny was quite narcissistic. 'Yeah, my beauty will dazzle everyone' Destiny mused internally as she fixed her collar.

"Narcissistic much?" Ambika questioned dryly and Destiny decided to ignore the white-haired Witch's question. "Now, you are even ignoring me?" Ambika raised her brows and Destiny finally turned toward Ambika with a sly grin on her face.

"Bite me!" Destiny licked her lips as she took in Ambika's figure with her gaze. Ambika simply rolled her eyes, but with how sexy Destiny was looking, Ambika would be too stupid to refuse the offer.

"Maybe later" Ambika muttered as she looked away. Destiny grinned lecherously as she swooned upon Ambika. Destiny draped her arm around Ambika's shoulder and then she pulled the white-haired Witch closer to her.

"My… My… Ambika, what a naughty girl you are?" Destiny breathed into Ambika's ear and the white-haired Witch shivered. "How about we excuse ourselves so that we explore each other, you look irresistible in that dress, my love…" Destiny licked Ambika's ear and once again the older Witch couldn't help but shiver.

"Destiny, don't you have any shame?!!" Cassiopeia exclaimed looking scandalized and Destiny simply shrugged.

"There is nobody else except for my lovers, why should I feel embarrassed?" Destiny asked as she pecked Ambika on her lips before she finally let the older Witch go, whose face was red like a tomato. Meanwhile, Cassiopeia was left completely speechless by Destiny's argument. She was right, but at the same time, she wasn't right.

"Come on, Cassi, you shouldn't be such a prude" Destiny huffed as she made her way toward Cassiopeia. Destiny plopped down beside Cassiopeia on the couch. "By the way, you are looking absolutely gorgeous in that dress" Destiny pecked Cassiopeia on her cheek and Cassiopeia simply released a tired sigh. She had heard from Ambika that sometimes, Destiny acted like a child, right now, Destiny was doing just that. "So, Cassi, why don't you tell me about the younger generation of Wizards and Witches I am going to meet?" Destiny suggested, trying to change the topic.

Destiny wanted to continue flirting, but she decided to stop. Both Ambika and Cassiopeia were looking extremely beautiful and she wanted to eat the two of them right here, right now, but this wasn't the right time, so she decided to divert her attention by talking about something serious. Cassiopeia took the bait just like Destiny expected her to. Cassiopeia perked up as soon as Destiny's words registered inside her mind. Even though Cassiopeia wasn't trained for politics by her family, she was quite good at it. She wasn't anywhere near Arcturus III's level, but she could take care of herself if needed.

"You need to be careful about Randolph Lestrange, he is a bastard, just like his father. He isn't strong or anything, he is dumb and that is the problem. He doesn't know what to say and what he shouldn't. Next are Odile Perrot, Huguette Perrot, and Laurelle Perrot. They are kind of nice, so don't lower your guard. They are related to Lestranges so they would think twice about sticking a knife through your ribs. Then there are the Gage twins, Louis and Mathis; they are also related to the Lestranges, but they are the good ones. The House of Gage is kind of Grey, leaning towards the Light" Cassiopeia explained with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Then you have Rufus and Caster Avery. They are brothers and Rufus is the older one, by three years and they don't get along. Then you have George Bulstrode, he is one of the nicer guys. Then there are the Burke siblings, Margaret, Stephan, and Kara. Those three are complete scum just like their parents, Liam and Ismet. Then there is Armand Carrow, he is quite nice. Then we have the Crouch siblings, Julius and Hestia. You can mingle with them, but don't get too close, they will sell you out if it is good for their Family. They are a Grey Family leaning towards the Dark" Cassiopeia continued to explain.

"After that, we have Nika Fawley, she is a right bitch, but she is quite good too. If you can get into her good books, then she is the best older sister you can have. Then we have Marcus Rosier, he is a spoiled brat and he acts like that too, it would be better if you kept your distance from him" Destiny immediately thought about Vinda Rosier, she had met the woman once, but the woman seemed to be quite nice and she was a bit of a fanatic too. Destiny was brought out of her internal musings as Cassiopeia continued to speak. "Runsfor Flint is a bit touched in his head, but besides that, he is also a good guy" Cassiopeia said with a bit of fond smile on her face.

Destiny was as sure that there was a story, but Destiny decided that she would ask later. Destiny wasn't jealous or anything as she knew that Cassiopeia played for the other team. "Then there is Zavin Greengrass. The Greengrass Family is painfully neutral and they would stay like that… There is a chance that they will sympathize with your cause, but they will never join you" Cassiopeia shook her head with a glint of disappointment in her eyes.

"Then you Gremond Yaxley and Carina Yaxley, they are twins and they are kind of into each other even after the Gaunts set up an example for all of us" Cassiopeia looked kind of green. "...They are the shame of the Yaxley Family, but it won't matter as long as the two of them don't start producing heirs between them. As long as their intimacy remains childless, most of the people would look past their familial bond" Cassiopeia explained with a complicated look on her face, and Destiny couldn't help but chuckle.

"We don't have any Malfoys, Rowles, Notts, Parkinsons, or Selwyns in my generation" Cassiopeia said with a small smile. "The ones I mentioned are just from the Sacred Twenty-Eight who are going to be in the Ball. I skipped some of the Families, you don't need to worry about them as they are not going to be invited to the Ball" Cassiopeia added with a sigh.

"What about the normal Purebloods?" Destiny asked curiously. Surely there are going to be normal Pureblood Families invited to the Ball.

"Yes, I was going to tell you about them, but you decided to interrupt me" Cassiopeia threw a mild glare at Destiny before she released a huff. "There is Jugson Blishwick from the House of Blishwick, he is one year older than me and he also wants to become an Enchanter. The last I heard of him, he was doing a Masters in Runes. Then there are heirs of the Crabbe and Goyle Family, I never got along with them, but you should remember that they are the dogs of Malfoys. They are kind of servant Houses for the House of Malfoy" Cassiopeia sneered at the end.

"The Houses of Gamp, Max, Trembley, Gibbon, Higgs, Lowe, Montague, Pyrites, and Wilkes do not have anyone in our generation" Cassiopeia explained. "There is Deagon Prince, he is one year younger than me and he is quite a prodigy when it comes to Spell Crafting. Then there is Melania Mcmillan, cousin Arcturus is smitten with the girl. He thinks that everybody is oblivious, but he is extremely wrong" Cassiopeia added with a grin.

"So, there is a chance that Arcturus might get betrothed to this girl named Melania?" Destiny questioned curiously and Cassiopeia nodded her head with a slight hum.

"Lord Black wouldn't mind such an agreement since she is from the House of Mcmillan, they are not a part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but they are still a respected Family. I think the only reason Lord Black is yet to draw the Contract is because, Arcturus is a damn coward!" Cassiopeia sniffed with a haughty look on her face. "Maybe he will learn his mistake when Lord Mcmillan draws a Contract for Melania with someone else!!" Cassiopeia huffed in indignation.

"I suppose you like this Melania girl?" Destiny asked and Cassiopeia's eyes grew wide in surprise. Cassiopeia immediately decided to clear the misunderstanding.

"No no no! It is not like that. I like her, but I don't like her like that! She is quite a nice girl, but she is not my type, to be honest" Cassiopeia said hurriedly while shaking her head.

"Someone is acting way too defensive" Ambika wondered aloud in a mocking tone while staring outside the window. Cassiopeia couldn't help but scowl after hearing Ambika's words.

"As I said, I don't like her like that. I simply don't want to create any type of misunderstanding between myself and Destiny" Cassiopeia retorted with a scowl and Destiny giggled after she saw their interaction.

"Mah~ Mah~... you don't need to worry to Cassiopeia. I don't care if you had flings when you were at school, as long as you are faithful to me I don't care" Destiny cooed in an amused tone.

Cassiopeia glared at Destiny. "It is not like that!!" Cassiopeia screamed, looking completely embarrassed. After witnessing Cassiopeia's reaction, both Destiny and Ambika burst out laughing and Cassiopeia's face started to burn in shame. After a few seconds, Cassiopeia huffed with a grumpy look on her face and turned away. "I am not talking to the two of you!" Cassiopeia added grumpily before she released another huff.

Both Ambika and Destiny ignored Cassiopeia and continued to laugh, while Cassiopeia started to fume. After a couple of minutes, the two of them finally calmed down. "Are the two of you done?" Cassiopeia questioned with a scowl on her face and Destiny decided to shamelessly nod her head.

Cassiopeia was about to go bonkers, but Destiny finally decided that it was enough and she needed to stop and Cassiopeia might end up trying to Curse her, the keyword being 'try' in this regard since there was no way that Cassiopeia could actually Curse Destiny. Destiny raised her hands in the air. "Sorry… Sorry… I was just joking" Destiny said and Cassiopeia huffed like a haughty princess.

After a few seconds of silence, Cassiopeia finally released a sigh and a small smile appeared on her face. Cassiopeia might be a Pureblood Witch, who was taught how to be prim and proper since she was a small child, but that did not mean that she could not have some fun. True, Destiny and Ambika were teasing her and she could have done without their teasing, but on the inside, she was glad. She rarely got any chance to act like a normal girl. When she was with her friends from Hogwarts, she always had to be careful.

"Fine… I forgive you" Cassiopeia said with a sigh and she looked like she was doing Destiny a favour by forgiving her. Destiny simply raised her delicate brows with an amused glint in her eyes.

"I see… that's good. So, why don't you tell me about the rest of the young generation?" Destiny suggested and Cassiopeia couldn't help but give Destiny an exasperated look. She was already planning to tell Destiny about the rest of her generation, Destiny didn't need to urge her.

"Then we have Christopher Tripe, he is not a good guy, but he is Family so we have to put up with him and the vice versa… After all, you can't choose your Family" Cassiopeia explained while shaking her head. "Then there are the Urquart siblings, Sturgis and Syra. Syra is… the exact word will be an opportunist. She would stick with anyone powerful, no matter how annoying they are, but she wouldn't mind leaving them if someone stronger with more influence appeared in front of her eyes. The brother is completely opposite, he is planning to join the Auror Academy, he wants to become an Auror, just like his father" Cassiopeia added.

"Wait! You said Sturgis Urquart is planning to become an Auror just like his father, which means his father is an Auror. Is he invited to the Ball?" Destiny questioned with a serious look on her face.

Cassiopeia smiled apologetically. "The Urquart Family has been traditionally a Dark Family, but in some of the recent years, they are moving towards the Neutral leaning, but since they are still allied with the Dark Faction in the Wizengamot, Lord Black had to invite them. Elphinstone Urquart is a Senior Auror, he is not that strong, but he is really experienced when it comes to field jobs, that is the only reason he was given the promotion" Cassiopeia explained, but Destiny looked still kind of worried. After all, that man was a threat to her secrecy and she took her secrecy very seriously.

Cassiopeia easily noticed the slightly worried look on her face, so she decided to appease Destiny's worries. "Don't worry, he is a follower regardless of his personal feelings. There is a chance that he might not like what you are doing, but there is no way that he would openly oppose you if you have the support of the rest of the Dark Faction and he just can't leave the Dark Faction without facing any severe repercussions" Cassiopeia explained with a soft chuckle. For now, Destiny decided to let the matter rest, but she was going to deal with it when the time was right.

"Moving on" Cassiopeia rolled her eyes. "Then we have the Macnair siblings Corina and Cassius. The of them are quite similar to Randolph Lestrange. They don't know what to say and when to shut up" Cassiopeia looked slightly revolted as she spoke about them. Then we have Lucien Mulciber, he is a brute, but he is one of the nicer guys. Then we have Lucinda Rockwood, the last I heard of her, she had decided to go off on a journey around the world. I don't know if she will be attending the Ball with the rest of her Family or not, but I thought that should know, just in case" Cassiopeia continued her explanation.

"And lastly we have Nathanial Runcorn, he was my senior by two years, so I never mingled with him, but from what I have seen, he gives me creeps" Cassiopeia shuddered in disgust. Finally, Destiny started to review all the information given to her by Cassiopeia. So, she closed her eyes, and then she slowly leaned back on the couch…

A Wizard and Witch appeared outside a pub named The Magical Ale with a loud crack. It was quite a famous pub in the Knockturn Alley and almost all of the Pureblood heirs and ladies came to this pub if they wanted to have some drinks. The Pub was run by the Ogden Family, so it was pretty understandable that the Pureblood would consider this pub fit for their station. Even though the Ogden Family was a part of the Light Faction, the Darker Families didn't mind visiting this pub as this was the best pub in Magical Britain…

"Are you sure that he would be here? After all, only a couple of hours are left before the Ball starts" The Wizard pointed out and Witch simply huffed as she rolled her eyes.

"I am sure he is here" The Witch insisted as she placed her hands on her hips, trying to look intimidating.

"Okay…" The Wizard trailed off with an unsure look on his face. "But I don't even know the guy, how am I supposed to act like him and not get caught by anyone, including his Family?" The Wizard asked curiously with a mocking glint in his eyes.

"You know the Malfoys, right?" The Witch asked in a condescending tone and after getting a nod from the Wizard, the Witch beamed with a bright smile on her face. "Then you just need to act like them" The Witch revealed with a bright smile on her face.

"Fuck!! That was all I needed! Now, I need to act like those peacocks" The Wizard groaned as he rubbed his face in frustration. "Fine! Fine! I will do it!!" The Wizard agreed, but he looked kind of green.

"Don't be a baby… Pull out the cloak and let's wait for him here" The Witch said and the Wizard pulled out two Invisibility cloaks from his robes. The two of them quickly put on the cloaks and decided to wait outside the entrance…

========================

Upto 4 Advance Chapters on my Patrèon

My P A T R E O N link is:-

https://www.p a t r e o n.com/IngloriousMe

========================

7219 words in this chapter.

My Discord Server- https://discord.gg/vQ6rPaqVYs

Next chapter