"For the last time, Dora." Ezekiel said, entering his house. "You are not coming with me to Egypt."

"The fuck I ain't!" Dora shouted behind him. "I know Bill, if he's in danger then I'll help! Besides, you can't use magic." She pointed at his stump. "You need all the help you can get."

"Look if this were anybody else in any other part of the world, I'd love to have you in my corner. I'd beg you to help me." Ezekiel said, hanging his coat. "But this is possibly the worst place for you to be. So, no, you aren't coming. Period."

"Fuck off, I'm going!"

"Dora." Ezekiel took a deep breath. "Hamunaptra is the city of the dead. From what I've heard in Gringotts the place has been marinating in Dark Magic for well over a millennium or two. I have to lower the wards every time you come to this house so you don't get sick. "

"You-" Dora tried to argue but failed to come up with something.

"Dora, it's the worst place for you to be." Ezekiel said. "You're more sensitive to magic than other wizards."

"Fuck." Dora said, hanging her head. "Fine. But you got to promise me you'll get Bill back."

"Who's Bill?" Andromeda's voice sounded.

"Some dead bloke." Ezekiel replied.

"You don't know that." Dora replied angry.

"City of vampires, group hasn't contacted in days." Ezekiel counted with his fingers. "They're dead. Sucked dry, and not in the fun way."

"Alright, enough." Andromeda calmed them down. She had endured enough of their arguments to know when one was about to explode. "Why don't you two sit down and tell me what's going on?"

"Where's Harry?" Ezekiel asked while they walked to the drawing room.

"Sleeping." Andromeda replied.

"Proper sleeping or I'm going to catch him trying to eavesdrop in five minutes?" Ezekiel asked.

"Harry, come here!" Dora called him. "I know you're there, I can see your hair."

A small lie but she knew he'd be there. A few moments later Harry walked into the room and sat on the couch. Ezekiel explained the situation, not leaving a single detail out.

"Dora is right." Andromeda said once he had finished. "You're going to need help."

"It's dark magic, all I have to do is be a bigger bastard than the one who enchanted the place." Ezekiel replied. "Besides, I can have Kreacher pop me out if things get too complicated."

"And what do you plan to do if things get complicated?" Andromeda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm feeling a bit nostalgic, to be honest." Ezekiel said, rubbing the side of his nose. "I'm thinking of gasoline and a match."

"You can't. Paragraph 12 of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans, remember?" Dora reminded him.

"Right." Ezekiel replied. "Counterpoint: I don't care. Harry, you okay?"

"V-Vampires are real?" Harry asked, scared.

"Yes." Ezekiel replied. "You already know a werewolf, why wouldn't vampires exist?"

"Don't worry, Harry. Vampires don't come to this country." Andromeda assured him.

"Really?"

"They live in Scotland and Ireland but they aren't allowed in England." Ezekiel explained.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked unsure.

"The House of Black made a deal with them centuries ago." Ezekiel replied. "They stay out of England or we eradicate their nests."

"Nest!?"

"The point is you have nothing to fear." Ezekiel said. "If anything, the blood sucker I'm going to meet might help our wood problem - shut up, Dora - he might know something we don't."

"But, didn't you tell me wands didn't exist until a few centuries ago?" Harry asked.

"The ancient Egyptians might not use wands, Harry." Andromeda said. "But they obsessed over the afterlife and created several protective charms and curses. I think Ezekiel hopes the vampire is old enough to know something we don't."

"Exactly." Ezekiel nodded.

"Yeah, look, that's all fine and dandy." Dora said. "But I still want to look for Bill."

"Oh, for the love of..." Ezekiel muttered. "Bill is dead, Dora. And if he isn't, he's probably a ghoul slave to the vampire. In which case, I have more than enough right to kill the bloody thing."

"You can't know that." Dora replied. "The only information you have is his group went missing. For all we know they could be injured and unable to move or contact the outside world."

Ezekiel took a deep breath, then he exhaled slowly as if he had changed his mind. "You know what, you're right. We just can't know how they are until I find them."

"Thank you." Dora sighted exhausted.

"Tell you what, I'll go looking for them." Ezekiel said. "And if there's even the slightest possibility they survived, I'll heal them and bring them back, okay?"

"You are gonna heal them?" Dora asked, suspicious. "How? You haven't used magic ever since you came back."

"Good question." Andromeda said, looking at him intrigued.

"You people of little faith" Ezekiel grunted as he got up and walked towards the fireplace. He grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and tossed it in while calling Gringotts. "Who needs magic when you have money?"

"My Lord, to what do I owe this pleasure?" The head of a goblin asked. This goblin had been the Account Manager of the House Of Black's account, appointed by the King himself.

"Good evening, Account Manager Urkas." Ezekiel greeted the goblin. He knew better than to apologize for the sudden call, especially when the goblin would just claim it as overtime. "I'm calling to acquire an item."

"I'll be honoured to be of service, Lord Black." Urkas said. The group swore at the same time they could see him salivate. And why wouldn't he? On top of the extra hours he'd get a brokers fee. "What item do you wish to procure?"

"I need a vial of phoenix's tears."

The effect was immediate. As soon as the words left Ezekiel's lips - and during - the family saw Urkas' eyes widened as much as his mouth. The goblin opened and closed his mouth several times before he was able to articulate a word.

"A.. A... A vial!?" Urkas finally managed to say, flabbergasted. "My Lord, whatever your problem might be I assure you, Gringotts has the Healers to handle it."

"It's not for me." Ezekiel replied, smiling. "Have it sent to me in the morning."

"My Lord, please, wait!" Urkas screamed, startling everyone.

"Yes, Account Manager Urkas?" Ezekiel asked innocently.

"My Lord, phoenix tears are extremely rare." Urkas said. "The price of a single tear is always increasing, I'd have to look it up in the Index..."

"I understand this might be out of character, Account Manager Urkas, for me to ask for such an expensive item." Ezekiel replied. "But I wouldn't be asking if this wasn't necessary. Would I need to get a loan for this?"

"A loan?" Urkas scoffed. "My Lord, I assure you, whatever the cost might be it'll be well within your range."

"Then it's settled." Ezekiel said, moving to put out the fire.

"Lord Black, wait!" Urkas begged him.

"Yes, Account Manager?"

"Even if the vial is well within your buying range, the cost would..." Urkas let the words linger as if he was afraid or ashamed to finish the sentence. Or both.

"Yes?"

"My Lord, the cost could very well be equal or more than the profit you've earned this year so far." Urkas said, shaken. His voice turned into a whisper. "This could lead the Black account to have... losses for the first time in centuries."

"Hmh." Ezekiel bit his lower lip. "Have the rest of my transactions been completed?"

"Why, yes-"

"My portfolio expanded as discussed?"

"Yes, bu-"

"The properties repaired?"

"Yes, right on schedule, sir-"

"Then I see no problem." Ezekiel said.

"But Sir!" Urkas screamed. "This account, the Black account has always been... black. Red ink has never grazed the Black ledger."

"I understand your reluctance, Account Manager Urkas." Ezekiel said understandingly. "However I still require the item. Besdes, if the price is always increasing I'm sure you'll be able to sell it back?"

"Of course, sir." Urkas replied, the prospect of a massive profit eased his nerves. "But only if the vial hasn't been open. The tears are stored with a stasis spell to preserve them, opening them means you only have a few moments before they lose their potency."

"Understood." Ezekiel nodded, turning to the rest of the family who had remained silent during their conversation. His eyes lingered on Dora before speaking again. "Oh, and Account Manager Urkas?"

"Yes, Lord Black?" Urkas asked, bracing for whatever horror Ezekiel was about to bring upon him.

"I'm done paying taxes, forever."

"Oh, I'm very glad to hear it, Lord Black." Urkas sighted relieved. "Now if you could just cut back the health insurance and other benefits..."

"That will be all, Account Manager Urkas." Ezekiel cut him off, ending the call. He turned back to the family and said. "Everyone happy?"

"...how do you plan to kill the vampire?" Andromeda asked as the silence was getting awkward.

"Got a little something." Ezekiel replied. "Made it a few months before this all went down. It should still work."

"You want to use something you don't even know if it'll work to kill a vampire?"

"I doused the whole thing in a preserving potion. It's not as good as a stasis spell but it should hold up."

"Oh, Merlin, you brewed potions?" Dora groaned.

"It was just a fluke. A mistake. One." Ezekiel replied exasperated. "I got better, how do you think I managed to pass the Auror exam? Just let it go."

"Kids, behave. Both of you." Andromeda said. "Now, Dora, Ezekiel just made the arrangements he needed. Will you let him do this?"

"Why are you siding with him?" Dora asked. "Look, all I want is to make sure Bill Weasley gets back to his family. I knew Bill, he was-is a good man."

"And if he's alive, I'll bring him back." Ezekiel said.

"Please." Dora said, hugging Ezekiel before saying goodbye.

"You know, I think I remember him." Andromeda said once they hear the sound of the entrance closing.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I spoke to him once or twice. I think." Andromeda said getting up. "Sweet lad."

"Can you save him?" Harry asked.

"I don't know." Ezekiel replied. "Chances are he's already dead. Two weeks in the desert, even if they do manage to find shelter..."

"So why did you lie to Dora?" Harry asked.

"I didn't lie." Ezekiel replied. "Dora was right, we don't have all the information. And they are wizards. For all we know they could be trapped."

"But you don't believe that..." Harry said.

"My belief or lack of it doesn't matter, Harry." Ezekiel replied. "We know what we know, all that's left is the part we don't know. That's when things get tricky."

Egypt was hot. There was just no other word for it. Not even the type of heat Ezekiel was accustomed to. The country was lovely, people were nice but fucking hell, it was hot. Ezekiel made up his mind then and there to take the family along one day.

The family. Ezekiel would be lying if he didn't admit it hurt when they sighted in relief after he gave the Oath. Or the fact he knew they were right in more than he wanted to admit.

Harry had been his priority, this had always been true. Ezekiel knew his upbringing had a large hand into how well he handled the stress of being under the Queen's service. Whether Dumbledore or the Queen, Harry wouldn't be able to handle the pressure. It'd be a miracle if he didn't end up as a nervous wreck later in life. Removing him from her influence was the right thing to do. That and therapy with Mind-Healers. But it wasn't the only reason he had done it.

He hated the Crown. Despite wanting to redeem the family name and the relative good that came from working for them, he hated them. All because he couldn't bear the thought of bending the knee to anybody.

Ego. Hubris. The Lord of the darkest House in England falling prey to one of the most common faults of man. It was infuriating.

Still, he used Harry's very real situation to justify his actions. He had all but confessed it to Lupin. Just one more on the endless list of evidence that Harry should be better off with Dora than him. Well, at least he already liked her more than him. A few pushes here and there and Nymphadora Tonks would become Harry Potter's new role model. Maybe with a bit of the mutt on the side, as long as Dora made sure Lupin was under control. The cur had 'enabler' written all over his scarred face.

But it wasn't just his ego that made him dangerous. Ezekiel had power, power he hadn't earned and he used regularly. He had learned to do so responsibly over the years but now he had even greater one, which he himself hated. The only logical choice was to get rid of it, even if he didn't want to admit it. And he really didn't.

Still, how bad had he been to make Ted write the Vow just a year after meeting him?

Focus. Ezekiel chastised himself.

He travelled through the Floo all the way to Egypt where a jeep had taken him away from civilization. It was just a few hours on a magic carpet before landing in the middle of nowhere.

"Lord Black?" A woman's voice sounded, making Ezekiel turn to locate it's source. A woman wearing a loose white dress with a veil covering her head and chest greeted him.

"Yes."

""As-salamu alaikum." The woman said, placing a hand on her chest.

"wa-Alaikumussalam wa-Rahmatulla" Ezekiel replied, hoping his bad pronunciation wouldn't offend his new acquaintance.

"My name is Salima Rashid, I've been instructed by Gringotts to show you the way to Hamunaptra." The woman said, jumping on the carpet. "Just wait until the twilight, look at where the sun sets and it shall appear before you."

"You won't wait with me?" Ezekiel asked.

"No, and if I were you I'd leave this cursed land." Rashid replied as the carpet began floating. "I was part of a team of twenty when we first came, now there's only me. Leave this godforsaken land, Englishman. There's only death in this sand."

"Wait, I came here looking for someone." Ezekiel said, stopping her from leaving. "Bill Weasley, did you know him?"

"I knew Bill Weasley. A good man, I'll mourn his death." Rashid said, nodding sadly before the carpet took off.

Ezekiel watched as she left, sighting in disbelief. Even if he could apparate, the trip would take ages and he hadn't brought his wand with him. Not that he could use it anyway, his core was in a delicate estate even if it didn't have to worry about healing his body.

Still, he had a few hours to pass the time. He realized pretty quickly how a three piece suit wasn't the best clothes to wear in a desert. The sunglasses were a good idea, though.

He carried two enchanted vials with him. One was the phoenix tears, which he had to tear from his Account Manager's hands before leaving. The other one was filled with water, enchanted to hold more than its size allowed. Both were indestructible, as per Ezekiel's request. The other item was in Ezekiel's pants, sitting on his left pocket.

All that was left was to wait, and so Ezekiel did. There wasn't much to do and he deeply regretted not bringing over at least a magazine but Ezekiel was nothing but patient. Even when his skin began cracking under the heat and he poured water over himself.

Eventually the sun began to set and as it drew closer to the horizon, the vague silhouette of a building could be seen. Hamunaptra, or what was left of it, appeared to be a large city. As he approached it Ezekiel saw two statues popping out but they were too damaged to tell who they were. Wall stones could be seen, showing where houses used to be, now broken and empty. The only building who had resisted the pass of time appeared to be a large temple, engulfed in darkness.

Ezekiel stood outside of it, his hand reaching for his left pocket. He took a small round object almost as big as a swallow's egg. He placed it on his mouth and swallowed it as he entered the building.

There was a clear path leading inside, left by the curse-brokers no doubt. Ezekiel had no problem following it even as the light began dimming but the deeper he went, a feeling of being observed began growing.

"Come out, come out wherever you are." Ezekiel said in sing-song.

His request was quickly answered as he found himself being hurled across the room. At least this confirmed the creature was a vampire, a mummy would never be able to sneak up on anybody. A powerful hand grabbed him by the throat and lifted him in the air. Ezekiel struggled to set himself free but his attacker was too strong and fell unconscious shortly.

Ezekiel awoke, not sure how long he was out. Something was off, a feeling he couldn't describe ran through him. He suspected he had forgotten something, something very important but he couldn't put his finger on it. on the bright side, his sunglasses were still on. He swallowed, noticing his throat wasn't hurting as it should. What he did notice was the taste of vomit and blood in his mouth. So at least part of his plan was still working.

The sound of steps against the stone floor startled him and before he could play dead the same strong hand grabbed him and dragged him across the floor. Despite knowing how futile it was to resist, he did so anyway. After all, he had to play the role of helpless victim. Despite the darkness, there seemed to be a faint light in the room. A quick look revealed it was thanks to multiple mirrors across the room although they appeared broken or filthy.

His captor, Ezekiel realized he was a man from his voice, dragged him in front of a statue. This was made out of ivory, of exquisite craftsmanship, showing what seemed to be a woman sitting in a chair, her face covered by a cat mask made out of gold. The man began whispering, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Bill Weasley?" Ezekiel asked. The man stopped his mumbling and turned towards Ezekiel. The term of man applied loosely in this case.

This was an emaciated, roughly humanoid creature with an almost-hairless mottled, decaying hide stretched tight over its bones. A pair of sunken eyes that burned as if they were hot coals stared at him. Ezekiel squinted his eyes trying to identify him. His skin had a purple tone, no doubt from decomposing, which prevented him to see any freckles. It was common knowledge the signature of the House of Weasley was their appearance. Red hair, freckles and given their monetary status, old ragged clothes. The creature was almost naked, his clothes torn and bloodied. That only left one thing to look was his hair but there wasn't much to see, less with the dimming light.

"Are you Bill Weasley?" Ezekiel repeated, grabbing his stomach in pain. This wasn't the pain he should be feeling, he realized. He had forgotten something and now he was paying the price.

The creature circled around him, watching and whispering.

"You, you're different." The creature hissed.

"So you can talk." Ezekiel said, looking at it as it walked. "Amazing, I thought you were too rotten to keep any higher function."

"High-higher founckthion?" The creature hissed.

"No, you aren't you..." Ezekiel said, focusing on the 'statue' in front of him. Vampires were always a pain in the ass to deal with. The older they are, the bigger the bother. "What's your name?"

"My name is not for you to pronounce." The creature replied.

"I must call you something." Ezekiel said. "At least while your little puppet still works."

The creature shook, spasms running through it.

"It seems we don't have much time, would you mind answering a question?" Ezekiel asked the statue. "Bill Weasley, red headed, freckles, is he alive?"

Neither the creature nor the statue gave a response. A shadow besides him began moving and Ezekiel found himself staring at a nearly decapitated corpse as it walked towards him. The body was in a far more advanced state of decomposure than the other one, unable to stand properly. It seemed as if all it took was a gentle breeze to make it fall. While his face was unrecognizable, his red hair stood out.

"Pity, Dora had hopes for you." Ezekiel muttered. " Oh, well. I take it this isn't the only body around? How old do you have to be to drain all of these people and still need more blood? Second question, how are you pulling this off? You can't m-ack!" Ezekiel was assaulted by a sharp pain, making him grab his head. He felt the hands of the creature grab him by the back of his neck and pulled him only to drop him onto the floor as his pain disappeared. "Finally." Ezekiel said.

Opening his eyes he found himself staring at what should've been his distraction and while it certainly was distracting, it wasn't it should. The plan was simple, eat his small concoction, which would make him puke a small group of creatures. The creatures would grow to maturity and multiply in a few minutes and cause havoc while he killed the vampire. They would be no bigger than five inches and would dissolve in an hour while causing as much damage as possible.

Problem was the creatures should be small. They would have large rotund bodies, covered in a haze of black fur. They'd have small limbs, with tiny claws on both hands and feet. Large mouths filled with multiple rows of sharp teeth, which they'd use to attack prey. Their nose would be wide and flat, and they bear red cat-like eyes. Had a Muggle see any, they'd think of them as rats, possums, Tasmanian devils, badgers or porcupines. Or at least that was what they should look like.

Morgana, if Dora knew of this she'd never let him hear the end of it.

The pack which surrounded them were about one meter tall and had scaly reptile-like skin, large bat-like ears, three sharp claws on their feet and hands and equally sharp teeth. They had a small tail, and were of different colours; various shades of green, brown, and black. They also The final touch was their drooling while they smiled with a sadistic grin.

"Eeeh..." Ezekiel said and it was all it took for the creatures to attack everyone. Including him. It was a free-for-all, too chaotic to tell which was which. Even as he punched and kicked, Ezekiel couldn't help to wonder where he had gone wrong. The recipe he had used was from his Family Grimoire, the ritual had been made during a new moon. Sure, he wasn't supposed to swallow it but he needed a way to carry it with him and all the egg needed to activate was some water and... He'd curse if he weren't so busy fighting. Blood, the final part of the ritual was blood. The creatures would take upon the properties of whichever blood the egg would touch. Ezekiel didn't know what would come from this under normal circumstances but this wasn't. Because his blood was tainted. A new wave of pain ran through his body and all of the sudden, he remembered that something which had been bothering him. He hadn't checked if there was going to be a full moon tonight. The fight stopped as his shriek echoed through the room, the creatures staring surprised. The change was awful. Bones broken and reformed, organs moved around and changed for others. All while keeping him conscious during the process. Neither the creatures nor the mutants stood still, all launched themselves at him and bited and teared his still changing flesh.

Free... FREE!

This new body, so inelegant, so unrefined. IT preferred the Master's body, it's perfect imperfections. Still, this would do for now. It had been too long since IT had taken control. These days the Master clinged to life more often, even when he should just give up and let IT destroy his enemies. But it didn't matter, for IT loved the Master. IT existed solely for Him. But now wasn't the time for reflection.

The creatures surrounding IT were surprised. That wouldn't do. And that thing in the chair kept trying to sneak inside the Master's mind. Sneaky, unworthy. But the Master needed it. So the thing would live. For now.

The new body was different, IT didn't like it. Forced to crawl in all fours like a beast. The smells were too strong. The hearing, too delicate. But it had claws, and the enemies had blood. It would work. IT tested the new throat, growling came much easier. IT could feel the fangs with the new tongue. Yes, this would work.

Ezekiel had more rude awakenings and ever since he took Harry in, he had even weirder. Waking up naked, covered in filth and in front of a vampire so old it had almost crystallized, even by his standards, was weird.

The pain returned, now just an annoying headache instead of a scorching knife through his brain.

The vampire seemed to be trying it's best but Ezekiel knew that their powers tended to diminish while the sun was up. And if he was human now then the sun had to be up.

"I was hoping we could talk." Ezekiel said looking around, surrounded by corpses. "But it appears you no longer have a mouth to answer my questions. And I do need you to answer..."

Ezekiel rubbed the back of his neck when he realized he was doing it the hand he used to lack. He held it in front of his face, the room more illuminated by the mirrors. It certainly was a hand, nothing unusual about it. It felt like a regular hand. Except he wasn't supposed to have it back yet. The place, this City of the Dead, was too dark, too twisted to be allowed to exist. But he needed answers first.

"Let me take a look at you." Ezekiel said as he lifted the golden mask from the vampire's face.

There wasn't much of a face, so to speak. Her features seemed to be fading, but what remained was almost too pretty to be truly beautiful. No wonder she had tried so hard to awake.

"I realize you weren't around for a while and while this is most unusual, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ezekiel Black, Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black." He bowed respectfully. "I come from England and I'm hoping you can help me. You've tried to breach my mind, people tend to die for much less. I think it's only fair you allow me to do the same given we can't communicate as civilized people. Don't you think?"

He didn't wait for an answer, looking at the vampire's eyes. How long he spent like that, he'd never know. Could be seconds, minutes or hours and he wouldn't notice. The only change were his sore muscles, the sweat covering his body and dried eyes.

"I guess it was too much to ask." Ezekiel said when it finally ended. He rubbed his eyes, frustrated by the lack of progress. "Useless spoiled brat, you know nothing, you know?"

The vampire was old, a spoiled princess turned so she could provide fresh victims to her Vampire Master. Except the vampire who turned her didn't know she shouldn't turn young people and ended up creating a tyrant whose people ended up burying.

The princess in front of him couldn't even remember her own name. It hadn't even been her fault she had awakened. A member of the exploration group had tried to steal her mask and ended up bleeding over her when he cut himself on the edges. She had woken, the memories in the blood clashing violently with what she remembered, leading to a psychic lash out which destroyed the minds of everyone in the building. She had no problem controlling the mindless drones and had them tear each other apart, absorbing their blood through her skin. Yet it wasn't powerful enough to wake up completely. Even now, she couldn't tell reality from a dream. And if she ever did, Ezekiel knew in his heart he'd be the one who'd be called to deal with her.

"Well, princess, I know this might seem cruel to you but I find myself in a position where I need to eliminate my problems as soon as possible." Ezekiel said, biting the flesh between his index and thumb and rubbing the blood over her face. "In all honesty, I know you would've done the same. I mean, I just took a peek inside your mind. I know that's what you were planning to do. Anyway, whatever your name was, I had a wonderful night. It wasn't this one, though. Hope you end up in whatever version of the afterlife I don't."

The blood on the vampire began hissing like acid, and began eating downwards through the vampire's head. There was a small tweak on her index finger but the blood ate through her too quickly and in a few seconds, the vampire was no more.

One of the advantages of being bound to such dark magic, his own blood was toxic both to magic and regular substances. It basically ate through everything that wasn't him. At least his blood couldn't be used in curses against him. Sometimes it wasn't so bad being him.

To her credit, Dora took the news of Bill Weasley' demise far better than anyone hoped. She wasn't allowed to inform his family, that responsibility fell upon his employers. One could only hope the goblins conducted themselves with some empathy. The whole affair was wrapped rather quickly but given the other problem left, Ezekiel wouldn't have mattered if they took a little longer.

A few days later, Ezekiel and Ted reunited in his house in Grimmauld Place. They sat in his study looking for ways to contact the Ancient and Noble House Of Longbottom.

"So there's no other people to ask?" Ezekiel asked for the millionth time.

"No, there isn't." Ted sighted in resignation.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Ezekiel." Ted replied tired. "I've written to everyone on planet earth. Unless you want to hold a seance - which I hope you won't - the Longbottom are the only people who haven't replied."

"It doesn't mean they know anything."

"I know these are the last people in the world you want to meet, son." Ted said. "But I see no other way."

"No other way for what?" Dora's voice sounded as she entered the room.

"Hey, haven't seen around lately." Ezekiel greeted her as she hugged Ted. "How have you been?"

"Went to speak with the Weasleys." Dora replied while she hugged him.

"How did they take it?" Ted asked.

"Not well." Dora replied sadly. "They are a pretty tight family. It hit them hard."

"Well, they still have each other." Ezekiel said. "They'll be fine, in time."

"Her mother didn't seem to think so." Dora replied. "She kicked me out."

"What for? It wasn't your fault her son kicked the bucket." Ezekiel asked, confused.

"Could you at least pretend to have some empathy for them?" Dora asked annoyed.

"Okay, look. I'm sorry your friend died." Ezekiel replied. "I'm sorry he took one of the most dangerous jobs in the world except for dragon breeding and then - shockingly - died. I'm sorry his mother took it out with you. Surely the next generation of Weasleys will honour him by naming four or five children after him."

"You bastard." Dora said, raising her first.

"Before you start punching me, tell me this." Ezekiel said, raising his hands. "Can you count his brothers with that hand or is the Weasley family doomed?"

"That's enough." Ted interrupted them. "Don't let him get to you, Dora. He's trying to avoid speaking about the Longbottom."

"Why?" Dora asked, her fist still raised in anger.

"Because if they don't help us Harry might never get his wand." Ted replied.

"Actually, I don't give a toss about the Weasley boy." Ezekiel said. "Bet I can toss a rock and hit six of those bugge-ack!" Dora silenced him, hitting him in the throat.

"What's the problem with the Longbottom?" Dora asked, sitting besides Ted.

"Relations with the Ancient and Noble House Of Longbottom aren't good." Ted replied. "They are terrible at best."

"Why, for what happened to Frank and Alice Longbottom?" Dora asked.

There wasn't anybody alive who hadn't heard of their attack. It had been the most horrendous crime committed in the modern wizarding world. Their death had been as felt as the Potter's. "I thought the Zealot was out of the family by then."

"That's the problem, she wasn't." Ted replied, looking at Ezekiel trying to clear his throat. "Not until that night, at least."

"What do you mean?" Dora asked, ignoring Ezekiel's coughing.

"I think you should tell her, son." Ted told Ezekiel.

"Bellatrix -cough, cough- Lestrange didn't exist until the day after the attack." Ezekiel said.

"What?" Dora asked, surprised. "That can't be right, everyone knew she was Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Everyone called her that." Ezekiel replied. "But legally speaking, she didn't become a Lestrange until after it."

"In fact, given the time Gringotts got the notice of their union..." Ted said, passing a piece of paper to Dora.

"Fuck me..." Dora said disbelievingly. "You think they got married then and there?"

"They never said why they did it." Ezekiel said. "And you can't force a spouse to testify against each other."

"But we do know why they did it." Dora replied. "They wanted to know where Voldemort was after the whole Potter's thing."

"Only because Rabastan Lestrange confessed." Ted said. "And he wasn't as high on the hierarchy to be reliable. Crouch never spoke a word that wasn't a threat to what he considered 'blood traitors'."

"So it was Bellatrix Black who attacked the Longbottoms?" Dora asked, shocked. "I can see why you preferred the punch. Dickhead."

"Nymphadora." Ted scolded her.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Dora asked. "It's not like you can write them a letter."

"I've already done that." Ezekiel replied. "Asked for a meeting, told them it was for Harry and couldn't write about it."

"And?" Ted and Dora asked together.

Ezekiel didn't answer, instead he opened a drawer on his desk and took out a letter which he then passed to them.

"You weren't kidding about a bad relationship." Dora said, chuckling as she read.

"Keep going." Ezekiel replied, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb.

Father and daughter continued reading. Their eyes widened as they did, roughly at the middle of the letter their mouths were agape in the shape of a small o.

"It keeps going in the back." Ezekiel said.

"No, it's alright." Ted said, giving back the letter. "We got the gist of it."

"Yeah, no, I'm good." Dora added. "They aren't gonna help, Zeke."

"Who?" Harry's voice sounded. They turned and found him standing in the doorway, followed closely by Remus.

"Harry!" Ezekiel greeted him. "How was school?"

"It's alright." Harry replied walking into the room. "I actually wanted to ask you something from school."

"Of course, I'd love to help." Ezekiel replied grinning. "Remus, how you been."

"Waiting for you to fulfill the promise to Harry." Remus replied.

"It's on my to-do list." Ezekiel replied, forcing a smile. "Right below getting Harry his wand."

"Is that what you were talking about?" Harry asked. "The family that got attacked after mine?"

"Who told you that, Harry?" Ted asked curiously.

"Remus." Harry replied, gesturing at the man. "I wanted to ask a few questions and he told me."

"Really?" Dora asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "You two were talking and the subject just popped up?"

"I was at school and... I had a doubt." Harry said nervously. "Remus told me about what he knew."

"A doubt about what?" Ezekiel asked, his interest picked. Harry didn't answer, instead he eyed Ted and Dora as if he was ashamed. "You can talk to us, Harry. We won't judge."

"I had history today..." Harry said.

"And?" Ted asked.

"We started reading about the two Great Wars." Harry continued.

"Not the happiest subject but a necessary one nonetheless." Ezekiel said. "What's your question?"

"Did you... your family, I mean..." Harry tried to ask. "You said they..."

"I think it'd be better if you sit down, Harry." Ezekiel said. "Ted, could you summon a couple of chairs? I'm still not used to my magic yet."

"Sure." Ted replied, concerned.

"Okay, I haven't lied to you so far, Harry. And I see no reason to do it now." Ezekiel said, Harry nodded while the rest stared at him hanging to his every word. "Right, so, Archduke Franz Ferdinand... yeah, one of my ancestors killed him."

"What!?"

"Why!?

"There wasn't a political reason or anything like that." Ezekiel said, raising his hands. "The man was a wizard and insulted some great-great aunt of mine or something and her father had a Muggle under the Imperio kill him. They didn't know how bad things were in Europe at the time."

"It was the greatest war of it's time!" Ted said.

"I assure you, if my ancestors had known about Europe's turmoil they would've found a different way to kill him." Ezekiel replied. "Besides, Europe was a powder keg. It didn't matter if he died or not, the war would have happened anyway."

"And what about the other Great War?" Remus asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

"The other one..." Ezekiel said slowly. "That one is going to take some explaining."

"I'm all ears." Remus said, only to be glared by everyone in the room.

"Back in the day when England was a proper empire, that was us." Ezekiel said. "Armies fought, as they do, but there was always something tipping the scale in England's favour."

"That's a lie." Remus said. "There's no way something like that happened and nobody said anything."

"Nobody said anything because there was no-one alive to tell." Ezekiel replied shrugging. "Hell, the House took it as an opportunity to practice and develop new spells. We even came up with the Unforgivable Curses and the Inferi during this time."

"You're saying the Crown of England had the House of Black slaughter their hundreds of people?" Ted said flabbergasted.

"Thousands, actually. They didn't even know what was happening. They just wanted something, pointed to the Head of the House and said 'fetch'." Ezekiel said. "Not too different from what they did until now."

"What changed?" Dora asked. "We aren't an empire anymore, so something had to happen."

"Well, the way Grandfather put it, the Crown had to send a prince to the battlefields." Ezekiel said, scratching his head. "The pompous ponce took one look at what the family was doing and turned fully christian. And I mean Dear-God-forgive-us-for-what-we've-done christian, By the time he became king the House of Black was forbidden from ever interfering in a war again. Then the whole empire thing came crashing down. It was before the Muggles had those automatic weapons so magic helped a lot in a fight. This days you'd get riddled with bullets before you can even say a word. Trust me, I'd know."

"Wait, you said you can't take part in a war." Ted said. "But then your ancestor killed a man."

"There wasn't a war at the moment." Ezekiel replied. "They just killed him, which started the war. The Muggles took his death as an excuse, the rest is history."

"And the second war?" Harry asked, the anxiousness in his voice told this was the question he feared the most.

"Right, the second one." Ezekiel replied. "The nazis weren't going to win it, ever. They never cared about their people, just those in power. Used propaganda to make others think they were this unstoppable machine when they were barely getting by..."

"Get to the point, Black." Remus interrupted impatiently.

"Down, boy." Ezekiel replied in a dangerously low tone.

"Watch it." Dora said starting at Remus. She then turned to Ezekiel. "But do get to the point, would ya'?"

"The point is, Hitler was a tosser and getting more desperate by the day." Ezekiel said, rolling his eyes. "What history books won't tell you is that he was also interested in what the Muggles call 'occult'. Or that he was approached to become a member of a society which turned out to be full of squibs. They believed if they could get their hands on the right kind of blood even they could perform a ritual and get magic of their own."

"What kind of blood?" Harry asked.

"Pure, noble." Ezekiel replied. "It wouldn't work, of course, but they were desperate. To be fair, squibs were sacrificed back in the day."

"And who gave them that ritual?" Remus asked incredulously.

"It doesn't matter. Whoever they are, they're long gone. Grandfather saw to it."

"Why would Orion Black care about what Nazis did?" Remus asked, leaning over Ezekiel's desk. "If anybody would like them, it would be him."

"He cared because the witch they killed to attempt their ritual was his sister." Ezekiel replied harshly, silencing the room. "She lived in Germany, the first-ever witch to lead Durmstrang. Wizards rarely meddle with Muggles so she didn't knew much about what was happening. Grandfather was desolated, he begged his father to speak with the King to let him kill them."

"You mean to tell me the King had the chance to end the war and didn't took it?" Dora asked.

"He couldn't go against the law set by his predecessors." Ezekiel said. "And by that time Grandfather had developed a... let's call it reputation. His father had other priorities, so Grandfather killed him and took over the family."

"Why?" Harry asked shaken.

"Because he failed the family." Ezekiel replied.

"Right, and you know this because...?" Remus scoffed.

"Because he told me." Ezekiel replied. "I have no doubt everyone has their opinion on Orion Black but he did care about his family. It was his only priority. As he put it, we don't owe anything to the world, only to the family. His father failed to do this, a grievous fault, and grievously he answer'd it."

"So... Orion Black killed Hitler?" Dora said surprised.

"Not right away." Ezekiel replied. "He couldn't interfere in the war directly. As I said, the Nazis were never gonna win, Grandfather just speed up the process. Injuries festered quickly, moral fell faster. Nothing major, the ones who fought deserve all the honours. Once the war was lost..."

"What?" Ted asked apprehensive. "What did he do?"

"Well, there was no more war. Grandfather was free to do as he pleased." Ezekiel shrugged. "It was just a matter of getting Hitler's location and take him."

"Orion saved Hitler?" Remus asked shocked.

"No, no." Ezekiel replied laughing. "He just wanted him for himself. Grandfather used him as a guinea pig for years, his screams filled this very house since the sun rose until... well, until Grandfather got tired."

"Wait, he was in this house?" Dora asked.

"Would you have brought him anywhere else?" Ezekiel asked, amused.

"A courtroom." Dora deadpanned. "Literally any courtroom."

"You're thinking like a normal person. Try thinking like Grandfather." Ezekiel replied.

"Pass."

"In any case." Ezekiel continued. "Grandmother understood him for some time but she got tired of not being able to have visits here so she convinced him to finally kill him after a couple of years."

"How noble of her." Ted deadpanned.

"In any case, that's what my family did during the wars: started one by mistake and helped to end the other. Does that answer your question, Harry?" Ezekiel asked, turning to the boy.

Harry was too impressed to answer, simply nodded.

"Good, now please don't take it the wrong way, but get out." Ezekiel said gesturing at the door. "I'm trying to get Harry his wood - Nymphadora, I swear it, I'll kick your ass - and I could do so without the lot of you."

"Actually, there's a way..." Ted said slowly.

"... And I'm hearing this now because..?" Ezekiel asked frustrated and tired.

"I was hoping we found another." Ted confessed, looking inside his briefcase.

"That bad?" Dora asked while Harry and Remus tried to sneak a peek.

"There was an alliance between the Ancient and Noble Houses." Ted said, handing a file to Ezekiel. "In the event of a great danger, they'd unite their resources and manpower to fight the menace."

"Why do I get the feeling that I know where this is going?" Ezekiel muttered, reading the file. "Of course."

"What is it?" Dora asked.

"This thing is called the Great Alliance." Ezekiel replied passing the documents. "Take a look at the members."

"This are all the names of the Secret Twenty-Eight." Dora said reading the list. "No, wait there's one missing."

"It's not missing." Ezekiel replied rubbing his eyes frustrated. "This alliance was made with the express purpose to fight the House of Black."

"What?" Remus asked confused. "That's not possible, James and Sirius were like brothers!"

"Maybe they were making peace, or they didn't knew about this?" Harry said.

"Smart lad." Ezekiel replied smiling at him. "It doesn't matter, this are great news."

"They are?" Everyone asked at the same time.

Ezekiel didn't reply right away, instead a smile crept up his face filling everyone with unease.

I don't own Harry Potter, all characters except OC belong to J. K. Rowling.