THE ANCIENT LINEAGE

After getting all the information out of them, Ryan had Bellatrix kill them, then he transformed all the dead bodies into undead and stored them inside his space ring. Right now, he has forty undead under his command. They left the place soon after. Considering the damage and destruction, the Aurors would arrive at the place anytime soon. Ryan and Bellatrix apparated away from the place.

Since they needed a place to plot their next move, Bellatrix suggested a place where they should be able to get some breather for the time being. A small house in Cragcroft which she bought a long time ago. No one knows about it. Even she only went there once or twice. So, they headed toward the southern coast, to the tiny town of Cragcroft.

Ryan apparated along with Bellatrix to the edge of the village, far from the town's center. It was already noon, yet the village seemed to be quiet and peaceful. There were barely any people on the streets. The houses and shops all looked old and worn out.

"This is Cragcroft?" Ryan looked around and asked Bellatrix. "Looks kinda empty, don't you think so?" There were only a handful of houses and shops. At first glance, Ryan couldn't even see more than ten houses.

Bellatrix nodded, "Cragcroft is a fishing village. Most of the villagers are fishermen. They mostly live near the shore and spend most of their time on boats."

"I see... Makes sense!" Ryan nodded in understanding.

Bellatrix led Ryan to a small path that ran between two houses and reached a small cliff. At the end of the cliff, there was a small house. She took out her wand and swished it in the air, cleaning the dust and vines that covered the house. Then she opened the wooden door and cleaned the inside as well before leading Ryan inside.

"Sorry for the wait, it was dirty inside," She apologized as Ryan entered the house.

"Hmm!" Ryan nodded as he looked around the house. It looked small from the outside, but it was spacious inside. The living room was big, the kitchen was fully equipped with all the necessary tools, and utensils. Old paintings and carpets decorated the walls and floors. There was also a fireplace. There was also the regular furniture you would see in any wizarding household. Ryan checked the bedroom and bathroom and found everything in place.

Bellatrix stood by the doorway as Ryan checked the house. She watched Ryan walking around the house while smiling to herself. 'I hope he likes it. Please say you like it!' She prayed inside.

Ryan walked to Bellatrix after checking the house and grabbed her shoulders, "This place is really nice. Better than the place I was living before. I like it." He smiled seeing Bellatrix's happy expression.

"Really?!" She was overjoyed hearing his praise. "I... I'm glad to be of help to you. But there aren't any ingredients to cook food. I... I'll just go out and buy something, yeah?"

"How about we go together?" He leaned forward and looked into her eyes with a smile. "Let's go to the market and buy some food together, shall we? I mean, this is your home, right? You should know more about this place than I do. I need some new clothes as well, you know. Maybe you can show me around?" Ryan suggested with a smile.

Bellatrix widened her eyes hearing Ryan. Her heart was pounding fast as she nodded her head, "S... Sure! I'll show you around, master!"

"..." He gave her that look.

"I'm sorry. I mean, Ryan," She corrected herself.

"That's better!" He nodded with a smile. "But... Before going out, we should take a bath. I'm sweaty. How about you?"

Bellatrix blushed, "Me... Me too!"

Ryan patted her head with a smile, "Then let's take a bath first, shall we?"

Bellatrix nodded timidly, 'Are we going to bathe together? His naked body! Ohhhh! What should I do? Should I strip and jump into the bathtub?! Should I help him wash his back? Is he perhaps going to use me to vent his tension? Mummm~ How is he going to take me? Will he ravage me and make me his woman? Ahhh!!' She was having all sorts of lewd thoughts as she followed Ryan toward the bathroom.

------

In the meantime, in the Ministry of Magic, there was a group of people gathered in the conference hall. After the death of the Ministry of Magic's head and the revelation of her ties with Voldemort and the betrayal of some Aurors and internal staff members, Minister Scrimgeour declared a state of emergency. Under the current circumstances, a small voting session was held and Bartemius Crouch Senior was appointed as the interim head of the Ministry. Even though the Aurors found his son's connection with the dark side, when they investigated his body and belongings after Ryan killed him, Barty publicly announced Crouch Jr as a traitor and earned some trust back.

Barty was never a Voldemort supporter and given his ruthless nature and hatred for the dark side, he was perfect for this role. Ever since he took charge of the ministry, things started to change drastically. He ordered the Aurors to track down any Death Eaters they could find. At the same time, he issued a statement that anyone found guilty of supporting or helping the dark side would be punished severely without any exception.

He also ordered Aurors to interrogate all the suspects and even torture them if required. Right now, many wizards and witches are in the custody of the Ministry for questioning. There were also a couple of survivors who survived Ryan's rampage back then. The Aurors captured them and brought them to the Ministry for interrogation.

However, Barty's steps didn't stop there. When he heard that Bellatrix was following Ryan, the guy who saved the Ministry from a complete takeover, he ordered Aurors to capture Bellatrix and bring her to the Ministry. To that end, he even sent a squad of Aurors after Ryan and Bellatrix. Then he went to Hogwarts to visit Dumbledore after he found out that he knew Ryan.

Right now, they are sitting in Dumbledore's office.

"Didn't he save the Ministry from the Death Eaters?" Dumbledore asked Barty, who was sitting across him with a frown.

"Indeed he did! But what if he is a Death Eater himself? How do we know he isn't going to turn against us as well? Considering how the witnesses said how powerful he is to take down hundreds of wizards together and his control over some long-forgotten magic, I doubt that it is as simple as it looks. There could be a bigger plot involved here," Barty argued.

"From what I've seen of the boy, he doesn't look like someone evil. He is a good man," Dumbledore defended Ryan. "But there was pain, hidden deep inside his heart. I've seen glimpses of hatred that run deep, yet, I sensed no malice. He defended the villagers of Hogsmeade, saved my students, and Order members, even saved the Ministry, and not to mention, exposed the traitors hiding among us. From my point of view, he is not an enemy of the light," he added.

"Hmph! You might think so, Professor, but what if he is playing us all? What if he is waiting for the right moment to attack? You must have heard by now how a Death Eater is following him and from what I've heard, he killed the previous Ministry head. Whatever his reason, maybe, that's a grave crime and not to mention, his use of the forbidden curses without permission..." Barty argued again.

"But from what I know, isn't it the Ministry who first condemned him to Azkaban on a false charge to cover up for a Pure Blood Family and even tried to kill him after years of torture? Even though he escaped from Azkaban, he still saved the Ministry despite all that. He could have just destroyed the entire Ministry, given his power, but he didn't..." Dumbledore argued back.

"What Pure Blood family you are talking about?" Barty narrowed his eyes at Dumbledore.

"You know what I'm talking about. Just because I'm the Headmaster of Hogwarts and don't engage with those filthy politics, doesn't mean I'm unaware of such matters," Dumbledore sighed. "I know who Ryan is. I also know about his parents, the ones he lost. His father was one of the brightest minds in the Ministry back in his time. His mother was a brilliant Witch who fought during the Global War. Ryan grew up with love, but the Ministry took that away from him. Tell me, Bartemius, don't you feel bad about what happened to Ryan and his parents? What if I reveal the truth to him about what you did to his parents?" Dumbledore glared at Barty.

"He belongs to the Lance Family?!" Barty stood up in shock.

"Yes, he does. Ryan Lance, the son of Anthony and Amelia Lance, two of the brightest Wizards of our time," Dumbledore nodded.

"Bloody hell! Then..."

"Yes, Ryan is the last surviving member of that family and he has inherited that ancient magic which we call a myth. If he continues training it, he might become as powerful as the founders of Hogwarts in the future," Dumbledore revealed Ryan's heritage to Barty.

"Shit!" Barty cursed in frustration.

"Call back the people you sent after him, if you don't want them to turn to zombies, Bartemius," Dumbledore warned Barty.

"How do you know about that?!" Barty widened his eyes in surprise.

"I didn't... I've just used a small magic on certain someone and saw it in their memories. That guy didn't even try to hide his power or the vow to stop them from revealing anything. He wants us to know who he is and what he can do and what he'll do if we piss him off. Now, imagine this, what would happen if such a powerful individual came to our side? Instead of pissing him off at every moment, we should be working on how to get him to join our side. And as for Bellatrix, if Ryan can turn her around, then there's another big addition to our forces... So, think wisely, Bartemius!" Dumbledore advised Barty.

"Fine! I'll call back my men. But in the meantime, you need to tell me everything you know about Ryan Lance!" He sat down on the chair with a frustrated face.

****

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