CH: 41 Pedro's Chaotic Family

"Don't worry, my foolish teacher has plenty of experience in time travel, so he won't cause any trouble," Fiennes reassured Anton, observing the faint twitching of his lips.

KABOOM!

Suddenly, a wall of the safe house exploded, In the midst of the thunderous explosion, a battered Pedro the goblin was flung outward, his body spiraling through the air until he landed in a crumpled heap beside Anton.

"Curses!, how could I have been so powerful 58 years ago!" Pedro gritted his teeth, struggling to rise despite the blood seeping from his chest and abdomen. "I must have sealed away some memories again. Damn it, that goblin's secret trick... I still can't remember!" The frustration in his voice mingled with the intensity of his pain.

Clatter, clatter, clatter...

A translucent Aladdin oil lamp swiftly rolled to a stop, halting near Pedro. Smoke billowed from its spout, and from within emerged a robed figure, resembling Pedro in stature.

Furrowing his brow, the newly arrived Pedro peered down at the wounded form of his counterpart. "Damn it, were you a version of me from the past or the future?"

"It hardly matters in the end," The other Pedro muttered dismissively, an air of indifference permeating his words.

"You're all so tiresome." He retorted, a tinge of exasperation lacing his words. "One of you materialized a mere day ago, another emerged two days prior, and even two distinct renditions of yourself appeared simultaneously five days ago. I cannot even ascertain if I can retain memories spanning over 30 years. I have spent the entire day expanding the boundaries of my mind, only to find myself compelled to purge my memories once more!" The frustration in his voice was unmistakable.

At that moment, Andre, Nagini, and the students hurriedly rushed over.

Pedro muttered and cursed under his breath, his robe fluttering as a large transparent cloth flew out and enveloped both Pedro and Anton.

The cloth possessed such powerful magic that even the Fiennes couldn't see through it, and he found himself trapped underneath.

Unaware of Anton and the others, the people gathered together as if they couldn't see them.

Feeling a surge of irritability, Past Pedro cast a sharp glance at his apprentices and snapped, "What are you staring at? Get out of here!"

After sharply reprimanding them, he shifted his cold gaze towards Andre and Nagini, muttering through clenched teeth, "Damn it all!"

"Even if I am the creator of the Blood Curse, does that imply that every individual afflicted by its curse and transformed into a Blood Cursed Being must seek me out?" The weight of responsibility colored his words with a hint of exasperation.

Underneath the cloth, Anton cast a strange glance at the Past Pedro in the voluminous robe, then at Pedro in the three-piece suit beside him. He had heard this sentence repeated twice now.

The peculiar thing was, during the previous encounter, Snape had brought Nagini to find him.

It all revolved around Nagini.

Anton couldn't help but entertain a strange and absurd thought. Could every version of Pedro's mouth actually be Nagini from different time periods?

"Cleaning up your memory?" Fiennes questioned, perplexed as he gazed at Pedro. "Do you still clear your memory?"

Pedro sneered, glancing at him. "Of course. If you don't want to forget the crucial early memories of the goblin tribe, you have to eliminate the irrelevant memories from time to time. For instance, you, my foolish apprentice, Fiennes - all I remember is my disdain for you and some necessary information to deal with you."

He nodded his large head. "Now that you have become a ghost, I can safely erase all memories of you."

"Only remember information about dealing with me?" Fiennes grew angry, glaring fiercely at Pedro. "So, the torture you inflicted upon me in the past is the only thing you remember, and you can continue without any psychological burden. Living heartlessly?"

As the two quarreled, a commotion erupted outside the cloth.

"You don't even remember me!" Nagini exclaimed in disbelief, her delicate face contorted with boundless anger.

Andre's brow furrowed deeply as he positioned himself protectively in front of his wife, fixating a cold stare upon the goblin.

"Master Pedro, my wife, Nagini, her last name is Pestlethorn!" Andre proclaimed, his voice laced with authority.

The goblin appeared taken aback, a momentary pause hanging in the air. "The same as mine?" he uttered, disbelief etched across his face.

A wicked cackle escaped the goblin's lips as he burst into laughter, finding some twisted amusement in the revelation. "Pestlethorn is a name of distinction among our kind, a mark of nobility among goblins."

A sneer twisted upon Past Pedro's lips as he directed his contemptuous gaze at Nagini, his mocking expression leaving no doubt of his disdain. "Tell me, which idiot in my race would choose to mate with our race's enemy, a human wizard, and give birth to such a bastard?"

"Bastard?" Nagini stumbled backward, her hand instinctively grasping at her chest. Her complexion drained of color, and the world around her seemed to waver and reel in response to the crushing weight of Pedro's words.

Andre moved forward to support her, but she broke free from his grasp.

Nagini stepped forward, closing the distance between herself and the goblin, her presence loomed large. She clenched her teeth tightly, each word driven by icy venom as she vehemently retorted, "Pestlethorn is not my surname. It never was, it isn't now, and it will never be!"

Having made her resolute declaration, Nagini spun on her heel and departed, with Andre swiftly trailing behind her. The carriage soared skyward, disappearing into the expanse above.

Andre remained behind.

He drew his wand, unleashing a surge of formidable power. "Pedro, she is your daughter!" he exclaimed with a mix of anger and disbelief.

"Hahahaha..." Past Pedro's laughter carried a distinct undertone of bitterness, as if he sensed the weight of mockery bearing down upon him. "Humans, so eager to intermingle. Veela mingling with humans, giants mingling with humans, centaurs, werewolves, and the list goes on."

His smile swiftly dissolved, replaced by a steely and severe countenance. "But we goblins can't!"

"You humans have annihilated our entire populace, decimating goblins across the globe. Save for the pitiful band of subservient slaves you confine within Gringotts and other factories, scarcely a trace of my kin remains," Past Pedro uttered with seething resentment.

"This is a blood feud!" He declared, his voice seething with deep-seated animosity.

A massive goblin with purple skin emerged behind him, boasting five heads and four arms. He wielded a longbow, and arrows infused with magical power were aimed at Andre.

A faint smile tugged at Andre's lips, his countenance radiating a sense of incredulity. "She is undeniably your daughter, Pedro. It defies all logic, yet it's undeniably true."

Past Pedro stood frozen in shock, his mind grappling to comprehend the unfathomable revelation. "It's unthinkable," he whispered, his voice laden with disbelief.

The Pedro concealed beneath the cloth shared the same stunned expression, his features mirroring the incredulity that engulfed them all. "Inconceivable," he murmured, his voice mingling with a mix of astonishment and perplexity.

Anton was also stunned. If someone were to tell him later that Voldemort was actually the child born through magic by Dumbledore and Grindelwald, he might just believe it.

This revelation was simply too shocking!

The mingling of different intelligent races in the wizarding world was something he had never fathomed.

"Your damn family is a complete mess!" Anton burst out, his exclamation betraying his deep bewilderment.

In that moment, his mind resembled an impenetrable thicket of entwined vines, a labyrinth of confusion.

Anna stood there, equally dumbfounded, her gaze fixed upon Pedro with a mix of disbelief and indignation. "You're my grandfather? How could you treat my mother this way!"

Pedro recoiled, a sense of shame washing over him as he lowered his head. "I don't know. I frequently clear my memory, so I don't remember. I can't even recall how I became friends with Andre."

A never-ending black mist surged behind Andre.

The darkness swirled, as if harboring terrifying creatures within, accompanied by faintly distorted screams.

Andre's wand gleamed as he aimed it directly at Past Pedro, his voice filled with a resolute intensity. "Listen here. I didn't want to come to you, but your blood curse killed your wife, and now your daughter, your granddaughter, is suffering because of you. The Blood Curse you invented is torturing them!"

"Today, you either tell me how to lift this curse, or you can find your final resting place at the bottom of the lake in Knockturn Alley." The gravity of his words hung heavily in the air, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Blood curse?" Past Pedro shook his head, his expression clouded with confusion. "I don't remember."

His eyes fixated on Andre, a fusion of astonishment and exasperation painting his face. "I only remember the name of the spell, but I can't recall anything else! It's unbelievable, how could I forget such a powerful incantation!"

"It's as if my memory has been erased!" He exclaimed, his voice tinged with frustration and a tinge of desperation.

"Hahahaha!" An undertone of anger resonated in Andre's bitter laughter, his frustration palpable as he brandished his wand once more.

Shhhhhh!

The black mist surged from behind him, crashing into Past Pedro.

The Past Pedro was sent flying, upside down, and the purple golem behind him was crushed and shattered by the forceful magic.

He plowed a deep trench in the ground before finally coming to a stop by the lake.

With an icy demeanor, Andre closed in, his foot pressing down on Past Pedro's chest as he leveled his wand at him once again. "I'll count to one. If you don't tell me how to remove the blood curse, you'll die."

The Past Pedro fought against the weight on his chest, his voice strained with desperation. "I truly don't remember!"

"Three!" The threat of impending doom loomed in Andre's voice, intensifying the gravity of the situation.

Dread consumed Past Pedro's gaze as he pleaded, his voice trembling with desperation. "I can't die. I am the sole remaining bearer of the complete history of the goblin race in this world. I cannot die! If I perish, the history of goblins will be forgotten."

"Two!" Andre's voice reverberated with a chilling warning, the gravity of the situation intensifying with each passing second.

A blaze flickered to life within Past Pedro's fingertips, an eruption of magic coursing through his veins.

In a deafening blast, his arm erupted into a burst of crimson, a cascade of blood gushing forth.

"One!" Andre's voice reverberated, his countdown nearing its climax.

In a state of panic and desperation, Past Pedro's voice quivered, his words bursting forth in an anguished cry. "I truly don't remember!"

Andre's brow furrowed, his expression a mix of disbelief and suspicion as he questioned, "You really don't remember?"

Past Pedro's throat tightened as he swallowed hard, his voice laced with genuine despair. "I genuinely don't remember. My memory is lost."

With an iron grip, his remaining hand clung to Andre's ankle, pleading for understanding. "Give me some time. I will journey back into the past to uncover the answer, and I will definitely tell you."

The swirling darkness swelled, consuming a significant portion of Past Pedro's form, leaving him gasping for breath.

"Don't kill me, I can't die!" Past Pedro's pleas rang out, his voice resonating with desperation. "I truly don't remember. You gave me a chance, didn't you? You wanted to save the lady's child. If you kill me, there will be no chance!"

For an eternity, Andre's gaze pierced through him, eyes cold as ice, before finally relenting. With a slow and deliberate motion, he withdrew his foot. "Pedro, you need to understand the power of a pure-blood. I can easily track you down. You won't have a chance to escape."

Andre's voice resonated with an air of finality as he delivered his ultimatum. "Three days. After three days, I will return here, and you will provide me with the answer,"

Past Pedro exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding, his features relaxing with a glimmer of hope. "I will tell you."

With a soft crack, Andre vanished.

The Past Pedro fought against the exhaustion seeping into his bones, exerting every ounce of strength to reach Anton and the others. With trembling hands, he lifted the large cloth, his eyes widening in astonishment as he stared at the ghost before him. Turning towards the suited Pedro, he questioned with a mix of anticipation and trepidation, "Did my foolish apprentice die? Now that you've come from the future, tell me, where did the memory of my blood curse go?"

The Future Pedro appeared equally perplexed, his brow furrowing in confusion. "I don't know either!" He confessed, his voice tinged with frustration at his own lack of understanding.

"???" The two Pedros shared bewildered glances, a silent exchange of confusion and uncertainty passing between them.

With a heavy heart, Past Pedro draped the large robe over his shoulders, its fabric cloaking him like a protective barrier, before he turned to retreat. "Hide yourselves, don't let others discover you. Damn it, it must be my reckless time travel that has jumbled up my memories."

Even Future Pedro, his face filled with uncertainty, admitted defeat in the face of their shared predicament. "Even I don't know the future. It's a miserable situation, and I can't fight it. I must find a way to escape."

Fiennes cast a venomous sneer in Pedro's direction, his face twisted with disdain. "I remember this moment, you despicable bastard. While Aurora went insane, killing everyone and staging their deaths, you left me to Andre. I was nearly killed by him."

The Past Pedro, concealed beneath the ample folds of the robe, suddenly jerked his head in astonishment, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Aurora, my female apprentice has finally succumbed to madness? Staged deaths? What a stroke of genius! A truly awe-inspiring concept!" he exclaimed, his voice laced with a twisted sense of admiration.

With a sense of urgency, Past Pedro hastened his steps towards the safe house, the passage of time blurring as he neared his destination. Soon enough, the safe house dissolved into thin air, disappearing from view before the awestruck witnesses.

Fiennes stood in stunned silence, his disbelief palpable. "Did I really suggest that idea to him?" His voice carried a mixture of astonishment and incredulity.

"Hahaha," A chuckle escaped the lips of the suited Pedro, his laughter imbued with a tinge of mirth as he pointed towards the ghost. "My foolish apprentice," He jested, his tone a blend of amusement and fondness.