Black Family (II)
Even though Orion had thought that muggles were cruel - he could never have imagined that he would see a woman looking like his wife's doppelganger being tortured and manhandled while some sorts of terrorists were discussing matters in another language. Still, she had been able to bear the threats and the maiming, he could do the same and put in pride in his pocket and watch how the other part of their population tended to live their lives. He had spent his whole life hating her - never truly understanding the importance of their bloodline and the need to keep it pure. At the beginning, he had thought it was mainly due to the muggleborns and blood-traitors, but he finally understood that many inherent traits of their Family Magick had been lost throughout times because they had not given enough attention to their magic.
Still, their marriage had been one of convenience - they didn't have much choice and unlike others, Walburga had been groomed from her birth to become the Lady Black - even though the prospect of marrying cousins had never pleased any of them. Walburga had been a diligent wife at the beginning, but as soon as she gave birth to Regulus, she had turned bitter. She gave him his heir and his spare and told him her duty ended right then and there. Their union was nothing more than a sham and he was alright with such proceedings ; it was their duty. When she had started hating their eldest, he didn't have the courage to say anything and just let the abuse go on.
Now...everything already felt different, especially since those damn stones decided to get involved in their lives and make them feel for the new version of his despicable wife. At least, Sirius seemed the least manipulated by their efforts : he had a deep hatred for the woman who gave birth to him and then did her best to ruin his childhood.
๐๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ง๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐. "๐๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฌ. ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฌ?", ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ค๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ค ๐๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ค๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ. ""๐๐๐ฅ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐, ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ค, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ซ "๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐," ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ - ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ฒ.
Ruthlessness was a human flaw, and who better than wizards than to know that? They have the ability to torture someone by uttering one single word fuelled by hatred that can bring the strongest man to his knees. Still, they were not used to corporal punishments or torture of the sorts and the children were dismayed by seeing Morgana being treated this way. Even the Black heir couldn't help but let out a whimper when he heard her soft cries begging for help. It felt wrong to pity his mother...but she wasn't his mother, was she? His mother was gone...somewhere and she had been replaced by this woman they knew nothing about but who had grown up as a Muggle - a progressive Muggle at that, oh how Walburga Black would loathe her. That was enough to soothe his heart for many years to come.
"๐'๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ'๐ซ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ค. ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ. ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค, ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐ฐ, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ค. ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐'๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค, ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ซ๐ฌ. ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐จ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ? ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ค? ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ?," ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ, ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง. ๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ, ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ค ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ - ๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐จ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ. "๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง, ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ค ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐ข๐ฌ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ? ๐๐ฆ?." ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ค'๐ฌ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐จ๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ, ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐๐. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐ง ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ - ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐๐ฒ. "๐๐ก๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐.๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ฌ. ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐.๐, ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐?"
The Blacks barely understood what was going on, and the use of scientific Muggle terms had them lost as soon as they were uttered in the memories. Luckily for them, Peter had always been fascinated by Toni Stark, even before meeting her - he might never be able to make a complete suit of armor, but he had seen the schematics and had learnt "Starknium" had not powered the first famous suits that Iron Maiden had used. "Palladium is a shiny, silvery metal used in many types of manufacturing processes, particularly for electronics and industrial products. I think...," the teenager looked contemplative. "I think she's going to make her armor...", he excitedly said.
It was weird for him to be in the same place as fictional characters he had read about and watched movies about in his life - but it was still less weird than being attacked by a purple giant alien and being trapped in a stone for five years without aging or even noticing what was happening to you. The wizards did not even doubt his words - in their minds, Muggles were still not advanced enough in the arts of war : that was the reason they did not fear them. Even though the previous "Jericho" had scared them, a suit of armor couldn't be that dangerous, could it?
๐๐จ๐ง๐ข ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ'๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐. "๐๐จ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ ?," ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐ฌ, ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ. "๐๐๐ฌ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐. ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ค?," ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ฌ, ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐๐. "๐๐จ," ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฌ, ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฆ. "๐๐จ? ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ'๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ," ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ง, ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ซ๐๐.
"It's sad," said Peter. As a child, he had been a fan of her, but had never noticed her lack of entourage. Even now, he could see that she had been mistreated her whole life and had accepted some dangerous behavior from the Avengers just for the sake of belonging with a group. He might still be Spiderman in this world, but he didn't think they would need a super-hero ; well, there was a Dark Lord at large, so maybe he could horn his skills? But if the Black Family was going to do anything to her that might make her feel unwelcome, he would not hesitate to convince her to pack up their things and go.
She was the closest thing he had to a mother, and it seemed like...she was his actual mother - he would not lose another parent because of some demented people who wanted the thrill of war and fighting. They already knew how this story would end - and they might mess with the timeline if anything went wrong. But just the thought of seeing little Regulus dying at eighteen and mischievous Sirius being locked up for twelve years for a crime he didn't commit...well, that sounded terrifying to just leave them to their problems.
Meanwhile, Orion, Sirius and Regulus were just spooked to see some sort of sadness in the same face they had known their whole life. Walburga would never have been so openly emotional, nor would she have given the time to someone that was less socially ranked than her. She was vain and manipulative - and it was clear Toni shared some of those traits, but she was...softer, nicer, and well, harder to hate.
๐๐จ๐ง๐ข ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ข๐ญ. ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฐ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ง. ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ก๐๐ซ. "๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐ก๐๐๐. ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ซ, ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ, ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ, ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ," ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง, ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐. ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐, ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ . ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ง ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ - ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ - ๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ. "๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ง ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ค," ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ, ๐ฐ๐๐ญ๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐. "๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐. ๐'๐ฆ ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ, ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ค. ๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐จ๐ค๐๐ฒ. ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ. ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ. ๐๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐," ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ. "๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง," ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ. ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐.
The young Stark had often seen this name associated with the famous CEO, but had never known why so many charities and grants had been named after him. So many people had speculated about it and knowing her promiscuous nature, most people had assumed it was a former scorned lover or something of the sort. Since she was not very forthcoming about what happened during her kidnapping, no one could have truly known it was related to it. Peter felt his heart soar at the fact that she had done the same when he was gone for five years, wanting to honor him and his demise on Titan. Still, he had no reason to go back to his own dimension ? Why would he? May was dead - and no one had any idea who Peter Parker was. Just the thought that Morgan had lost her own brother...and would never remember it was heartbreaking.
Regulus was not as guarded as the rest of his family ; they had often told him they would not be surprised if the Hat suggested Hufflepuff for him. He had never seen what was wrong with it - he was loyal, which meant he would be just as loyal to his family and never let them down. His cousin Bella often mocked him and told him he was just a little ickle Reggie but Sirius had defended him...well, used to defend him before he had proved them wrong and joined the House of Serpents. Instead of staying close to his brother and father, he decided to get to learn this Peter who had travelled more than them and knew the real Toni Stark, or well, Morgana LeFay.
๐๐จ๐ง๐ข ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐, ๐ฐ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐-๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ง๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ. "๐ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ ๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐. ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ ๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ. ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐'๐ฌ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ. ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐. ๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐, ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฌ. ๐๐ซ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฌ. ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ. ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ณ๐๐ซ๐จ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ."
Peter jumped - surprising the rest of his "family".
"This...conference shook the world," he said, before finally remembering they didn't understand the importance of having Stark Industries make American weapons. "She was the best weapons contractor for the country. Imagine...Ollivander decides not to sell wands anymore and closes down his shop because he thinks he's creating weapons and putting them in the hands of children. What would happen? Well, you don't have the same quality of wands you used to have, not the same services or you have to find someone in another country - but still, it's also the loss of a legacy that was intertwined with your government ever since the Ollivanders made wands. Now, other countries look down on you and they are not afraid to scare you into submission, because after all, you need their permission to come to their magical communities and buy the wands you need. You understand?,"
He knew the examples he gave were not enough - after all, they didn't have the same equivalents to weapons of mass-destruction, even though he thought it was reckless and dangerous to let children have access to their wands so young. He had read enough Harry Potter books to know how dire things could go - and how bullying was exacerbated with that ideology. He threw a quick look at Sirius, remembering his horrifying behavior towards Snape, which prompted a deep hatred that went down from father to son - and left him without any pureblood connections to help him leave Azkaban.
๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐. "๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐. ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฒ, ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฒ. ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐, ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ? ๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ง'๐ญ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ญ. ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ญ-๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ. ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข. ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ญ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ญ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐, ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐." ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ค'๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ญ. "๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐. ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ง ๐ข๐๐๐, ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ? ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ, ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐. ๐๐จ๐ฐ, ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ? ๐๐ก, ๐ข๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ. ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข, ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ง๐ฒ. ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐๐. ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ. ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ. ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ. ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐, ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ง ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ฌ. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ฌ. ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐'๐ฏ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฉ๐. ๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฌ... ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ, ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ. ๐๐จ๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ. ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐." ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ซ'๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ : ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐-๐ซ๐๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ค ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ.
๐๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ - ๐ฐ๐๐ญ๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง. ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ญ๐จ๐ง.
Peter gulped down - he had heard some stories about the fight that had happened that day, but like others had said, it had been a military exercise. He had been fooled by the media, but who wouldn't be? It was now that he understood how different his own perspective of things was flawed because he believed too much in the good of human nature.
๐๐ก๐'๐ฌ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ. ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ, ๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐๐ค๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ข๐ซ๐ค. "๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ง."