Chapter 3. Before Hogwarts

Life at the shelter was back on track. I was unconsciously feared and therefore tried not to hurt once again.

I decided not to dabble in magic before Hogwarts. No wandless telekinesis, no mind-reading, no suggestion – nothing at all. I was afraid to provoke obscura and decided on the principle: do not wake up famously while sleeping quietly. My child core itself may be an irritant to this dark magic formation. Now we have established diplomatic parity: I don't bother with it, it doesn't bother me. When the core stabilizes, I can count on the obscurus not to kill me by accident. Intuitively, he felt that it was better not to bother him at all until he was eleven.

The time will come, and I will transfer my inner monster from the category of parasitic formations to symbiotic ones. Creedens, as I recall, was pretty good at managing his obscurus, so I'll be able to do it.

From practicing magic, I only worked out movements with a wand, for which I used a simple wooden pointer.

After diving into Ursula Flint's memory, I was able to use both hands equally well. It even seemed to me that I was becoming possessed by the spirits of my ancestors: these " mind trips "(jumps, breaks) changed me quite a lot. But, fortunately, no, there were no changes in the psyche.

My favorite dive was the memory of Orion Black. He had an outstanding talent in the field of protective charms – it was he who built the protection on the house that is on Grimmo 12.

I decided not to go there. Born out of wedlock, not connected to the magic of the Black line-there was no initiation, I would be a stranger to this house. Perhaps the defense would have identified me as the aggressor. I wouldn't have been able to find the house. All I could do was whine around, "Kreacher, let the fuck go."

Would you let me?

I doubt it very much. For him, Sirius is not a big authority, and Sirius's bastard is no one at all. Bribing Kreacher to promise to destroy the horcrux is theoretically possible, but I can't fulfill the promise, not now. After breaking his promise, Kreacher would probably kick me out on the street, taking the horcrux along the way, and he'd be right.

I can stand up for myself, if I have to, I will turn to my inner darkness, I will take a chance. But the house-elves are usually very clever in dealing with magic. He snaps his fingers and I'm out on the street.

I didn't give up on Grimmauld 12 at all, hoping that I would be able to get there in time. Sirius will guide me or I will find another way, because I consider myself a more legitimate heir than Potter.

Oh, if the defense was completely tied to blood, and would have passed quietly. But purebloods are not fools, they understand that any bastard is a weak link in such a defense. Previously, it often happened that such children, not introduced into the genus, were killed for this reason, later they simply expanded the protection, introduced additional conditions, different degrees of admission. Few people liked to clean up their illegitimate relatives.

I'm not on the Black tapestry, no one knows about me. The tapestry is able to show bastards, but only if it has not been locally corrupted. Walburga burned Sirius out when he was sixteen, and I was born much later.

I may have some other unaccounted-for relatives, who knows? Sirius was a walker.

Immersion in the memory of ancestors did not happen every day, not every dream gave new knowledge, more often I saw ordinary dreams. But, apart from dreams, the memory was awakened by the collision with analogies, if you met something that was familiar to someone from the ancestors. Then there was mixed with my memory of popdance. For example, once I heard a couple of words in Russian, I noticed that I understand it.

But the Russian language and two-right-handedness (ambidextrous) - abilities are not particularly useful in everyday life, they do not give any special advantages. Well, I can read some literature in Russian, or if I go to the aurors or mercenaries, then a well-working left hand will give me a plus sign in professional activity. Usually aurors work out from three to five spells for the left hand and are limited to this, enough. But these are all small things.

Especially useful for me was the knowledge in general education disciplines. I did not need to delve into the essence of the topics for a long time, it was enough to listen to the teacher, as I immediately remembered everything. I read mathematics and physics for the entire school course, and when I realized that there was nothing difficult in these subjects for me, I switched to a university course. Books of lectures for universities were found in the library of the shelter. It was worse with chemistry: in a previous life, I was not particularly lucky with a school teacher in this subject. So that the bombs are not made at home, probably. But the magnificent memory and knowledge of the ancestors leveled the situation.

Literature was the most interesting thing, the teacher was crazy about my essays. I twisted the plot and replaced the characters so much that every time he read my opuses with enthusiasm, guessing who was hiding under this or that name, who I had assigned to what role.

Unfortunately, the history teacher did not appreciate my creative potential. For any liberty in the interpretation of events or characters, he immediately punished with a reduction in the rating. I did not like him for his dry and meticulous attitude to the subject, the requirement to memorize everything by heart with special emphasis on the dates of life and death, ascension to the throne, when Louis XIV farted and belched, and so on.

And where, I ask you, are the intrigues? Where are the secret negotiations? Where's Buckingham, the Queen, the pendants? Boredom…

My mother was right when she said we had the blood of kings in us. Margaret of Norway, the daughter of Margaret of Scotland and King Eric II of Norway, reached Scotland in this story, perhaps because she was accompanied not by the Earl of Mar, but by the knight William Wallace, and this happened a little earlier in time. The princess still died later, but she managed to give birth to an illegitimate daughter, who was hidden by the Wallaces. Although the McAlpin dynasty was thought to have ended, in fact the line of descendants continued, and a generation later my ancestor named Blair appeared. If we draw genealogical connections, then I had in my ancestors kings of Scotland and Norway, knights and earls, lords of varying degrees of importance. Only I myself am a half-breed of half-blood, a bastard of bastards.

With such ancestors and the ability to look into their memories, I could argue a lot with a history teacher, knowing a lot of things "in the first person" , but why is it necessary? I listened with half an ear and ostentatiously yawned, because of which I was often pulled down and asked about the topic. In response, the teacher received exactly the same quotes from the textbook, as he gave the material in his lessons. The teacher was angry, gritted his teeth, but, to give credit, did not cross the boundaries and did not underestimate the score.

By the time the professor from Hogwarts came to see me, I had calmed down enough to think that no one would be able to see the obscurus in me.

I had magic.

About a couple of weeks before my eleventh birthday, I had a small magical outburst, but with no witnesses and no damage.

I wasn't worried about the Hogwarts program either. I tried all the movements with a wand, it turned out easy and familiar. I knew that everything would work correctly. I was sure that I could pass all the exams for all seven Hogwarts courses after the first year of study. Time was needed only to touch on those topics that he might have missed, and the memory of which had not yet woken up.

The other thing was that I was a half-squib in strength, like Neville Longbottom in his freshman year. So after the separation of the core, with any more thorough check, I will show the level of a typical mudblood-malosilka.

"Arrakis, you have a visitor —" the math teacher said. — They're waiting for you in the headmistress's office.

No one is looking for me and no one in this world needs me, so when the teacher said about the visitor, I immediately realized that it was from Hogwarts.

After politely knocking and opening the door to the headmistress's office, he asked for permission to enter. The lady of the study let me in, then excused herself and went out, leaving me alone with the Hogwarts professor.

Magic, I thought.

The only way to get our headmistress to be polite and so delicate is with the help of high magic.

When she came out, McGonagall, and it was she, looked at me, starting to speak:

— I'm a professor... " And stopped, her eyes bulging.

"What was that sudden urge to the toilet?" I thought, grinning and raising an eyebrow.

McGonagall groaned and strained, swallowing the lump in his throat, he continued to talk:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Blair, you just reminded me of someone.

"Oh, I see, I look like Sirius," I guessed.

"If there are other Sirius bastards who are Black in appearance and have magic abilities, then they will be easy to find. Easier than I first thought, I decided.

"Allow me to introduce myself, "the professor said formally," I am Professor Minerva McGonagall of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am glad to inform you that you are a wizard and have been invited to our school for the first year.

"Um, am I a wizard?" He feigned surprise.

"Yes, Mr. Blair," Minerva said matter — of-factly, as if it were a perfectly ordinary matter. "And now I'm going to prove to you that magic exists," McGonagall said, taking out her wand.

She turned the table into a pig, and then back, made objects fly around the office, and finally turned herself into a cat and regained her former form.

— Do you now believe that magic exists?" Minerva asked with a superior look.

— Let's say I believe magic exists, but what makes you think I'm a wizard?" - continued to resist, pretending to be ignorant.

"You can be sure of that, Mr. Blair," the professor said sternly, drawing out the vowel sound in my last name. — We know this for sure, there is no mistake.

There was so much meaning in that "We" —

"Here is your letter of invitation to school, a list of necessary items, and a train ticket," as if by magic, McGonagall pulled the letter out of her sleeve.

Under the professor's gaze, I opened the letter and examined the contents of the papers.

— But where can I buy it?" And I have absolutely no money, " I said to Professor McGonagall.

"Don't worry, Mr. Blair," Minerva said, smiling dryly. — You'll buy everything you need at Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley is the magic quarter of London, I'll take you there. The money for the necessary purchases you will receive from the school, " the woman continued to say. — The Hogwarts Board of Trustees and the Ministry of Magic allocate large sums of money to the school's foundation for the education of low-income Muggle-born wizards.

"Okay, I get it," I decided not to play dumb anymore.

"Then if you're ready, we'll leave immediately," the professor informed me.

After leaving the shelter, we walked another hundred meters, until... until McGonagall led us into a blind alley and held out her hand to me.

"Hold my hand, Mr. Blair, and don't let go," the professor warned me.

I thought I was ready for what was going to happen. The sensations were unpleasant. I would compare it to a glass of vodka: everything is spinning and flashing, and in the end you can not understand what is happening. No, like two glasses. Or three?

"And he drank two glasses of vodka instead of tea," I remembered.

"It's called 'apparation' or 'transgression, '" the professor informed me, "so wizards move around the country. Everyone feels bad the first time, but you'll get used to it in time, Mr. Blair.

I just nodded at the professor's words, and when I came to my senses, we went on shopping.

As she led me through the Leaky Cauldron Bar, McGonagall tapped a combination on the bricks of the wall with her wand, not telling me the details of the combination lock.

I didn't see anyone I knew.

Dumbledore, Snape, the elder Malfoy – all of them are busy people and just so on Diagon Alley will not wander. All sorts of Potter, Hermione and Draco do not come this year.

Of the whole shopping trip, the notable ones were: the Leaky Cauldron Bar – a hole full, it actually turned out to be an unpleasant place, and getting my first magic wand. Even though I wasn't particularly surprised by Ollivander himself, most of his phrases were like details from a single stamp, but at the end of the selection of the wand, he was generous for me for a couple of exclusive phrases.

"I once knew a wizard named Blair," Garik said, " could it be that you are related to him?"

I don't know, sir, — replied with sadness in his voice and didn't lie. How was I supposed to know who he was talking about? — I orphanage. My mother disappeared when I was very young, and I never saw my father.

"Hmm," said Ollivander, " you actually remind me of another wizard with a different last name… Only that other wizard was a bully who couldn't help himself, "the master said after a moment's thought," and you're too serious a young man." That makes you very different from him.

"And if so?" I said, and gave him a hooligan grin.

"It looks like it," the master announced with a kind of childish joy.

"Thank you, Garrick, we have to go, I have a lot of other things to do today."

"Of course, of course," Ollivander said, walking us out of his shop.

It would be nice to keep the secret of your origin, but, unfortunately, it is absolutely impossible. Almost all the teachers at Hogwarts will identify my father by my face, and then who needs and does not need information will reach.

The wand that chose me is the willow and the dragon's heartstring.

Willow? Seriously? Am I insecure?

"Why not a cypress tree like Lupin's? "the thought kept running through my head,"I also have an inner beast, the dark side of the soul."

True, I do not really want to fight with my dark side, it seems that I am ready to conclude a separate peace with my darkness on acceptable terms, betraying the ideas of light and the common good.

The dragon is power and power.

It's not that I don't want to be strong, but now I'm seriously down in this indicator. It's not clear why I was chosen by a wand with such a core. I can't say anything about the desire for power, I've never tried it, but I don't seem to be able to command and be the leader everywhere. Or am I lying to myself?

In general, my wand is strange.