Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or co. they are owned by JK Rowling, Warner Bros and her publishing co. They own the characters, I own this particular plot. I'm not making any money off of this, no malice intended, no infringement intended and so on etc. Also, if this is similar to any other fanfics, it was not intentional. As per usual, any original characters, theories about magic and anything not already known to JKR's HP world or general fandom is mine. Please ask before borrowing.
Warnings: Dark possibly Evil!Harry, Graphic Sex, Torture, Gore, Death, Drugs, Language, and SLASH, which for the uninitiated is male on male sex! Very much AU!!
If any of the above squick you, please save me and everyone else a flaming review and hit the back button and find something better suited to your tastes. No one's forcing you to read this, if you don't like it then don't read it!
Spoiler Alert: This story was written to be HBP compatible. Now you can also expect to see several spoilers from DH. If you have not finished the series and do not want to see spoilers from it, I suggest you hit the back button and come back after you've finished it.
Genre: Angst, Drama, Action/Adventure, Definitely AU
Pairing: HP/LV, HP/LM, LV/HP/LM (Yes, you read that correctly, a threesome)
Synopsis: LV/HP, LM/HP, LV/HP/LM. SLASH AU! Betrayed by the Wizarding World after defeating Voldemort, Harry makes a wish and wakes to find himself in an Alternate Universe during Voldemort's first rise to power. Vowing to destroy his enemy by any and all means possible, Harry finds an ally in a Seer who makes him an offer he can't refuse. They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions…too bad no one told Harry that!
A/N: This version has been reposted to fix inconsistencies.
Text Formatting:
'Character thoughts'
Emphasis, Article Heading
Foreign words, spells, letters, media text (newspaper/books)
- Parseltongue -
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Good Intentions
By: SheWolfe7
Prologue:
Adaptations
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Tartarus Pit
Azkaban, The North Sea
Thursday the 31st of December XXXX
11:02 PM
It was a bleak night. The cold wind swept through the stone monolith of Azkaban seemingly sucking out the warmth of those imprisoned and guarding the desolate Wizarding Prison. Little wonder the Dementors had enjoyed their role here as both guard and tormentor.
In a small cell in the bowels of the prison sat the former Savior of the Wizarding World, one Harry James Potter. He was now known more commonly in the Wizarding World as the Diablo and it was in the days after vanquishing Voldemort that he too had become a monster in the eyes of the Wizarding World. He had not been the slightest bit surprised and truly, if he hadn't been so tired he might have been able to cut all ties in the Wizarding World and faded back into the safety and normality of the Muggle World. It was to his surprise that the Ministry had moved so quickly and barely a week after defeating Voldemort, Harry found himself thrown into a cell in Azkaban's infamous Tartarus Pit.
The Tartarus Pit held the most dangerous or demented Wizards and Witches. Dug miles below the small island Azkaban had been built upon, the Pit was dark and numbingly cold. Even the Spartans would have objected to the living conditions of the Tartarus Pit. The cells had been warded to keep in a miniscule of heat, barely a candle flame of lighting, and no sound at all. It was almost like a sensory deprivation chamber and there could be no doubts why those sentenced here rarely lived beyond six months.
Harry had lost all track of time, had given up counting the days and there were days where even he wasn't sure if he was alive and why he was. Each individual cell was warded to keep its prisoner from using their magic outwardly but to Harry's amazement; it did nothing to prevent the magic from working amazing changes to the prisoner. Though he had no mirror, Harry knew intrinsically that he had greatly changed in his months here.
The cold, which seeped in from the very stones of the prison had become less biting. His senses had strengthened, allowing him to somehow keep a grasp on his sanity and somehow his magic had altered his body, allowing him to live for weeks on the meager meals. Trapped in this dark hellhole, he could conceivably live for centuries depending on how long his magic reserves would last and considering how little activity he had, it was perpetually replenished within hours of use.
Decades, possibly centuries had passed and more spent living like this was not the kind of life Harry wanted to live. Even death would be more preferable than this pathetic existence. Wishing for what might have been the millionth time since he'd been imprisoned, Harry wished fervently for freedom from this hellhole and if he could do it all over again, he swore he would do it differently. He would be wiser for one, be as merciless as his enemies and, with his heart twisting with dulled agony, he would do it all alone this time. He would not make a target of his friends or loved ones, nor would he allow anyone to get too close and possibly betray him again.
The flash of light that surrounded him barely a heartbeat after his wish should have startled him but Harry was beyond surprise, he welcomed the light into his very being. Life…Death…it did not matter what this light brought, so long as he could be free of this pitiful existence.
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Seconds or eons could have passed between his last moment of consciousness to this next, but when Harry woke he found himself sprawled on his stomach on the banks of a small creek. The scent of fresh grass clippings mingled with birdsong and the gentle gurgling of the creek sent a shot of euphoria through his chest. He was free! Opening his eyes carefully, he was nearly blinded by the ambient light of the outdoors. It took several moments before he became adjusted to it and a few more before he could work up to standing.
Moving sluggishly, Harry took a few steps down to the creek and peered at his reflection with shock. His raven black hair had lightened to a pale ash blond, his emerald green eyes had lightened to an eerie silver, and his skin had become paler than he remembered. The few steps he had taken had alerted him to the fact that even his body moved differently and upon closer examination, it definitely looked different too. He had never been tall and the kindest description of his body was lithe and whipcord. Very little had changed except two very shocking alterations, firstly his facial structure was rather effeminate and…he looked to be about twelve or thirteen!
It was both a wonderful and terrible situation he now found himself in. On one hand he was free, wiser and stronger, and more than ready to make something of this new life and, on the other, he had no idea where or when he was and what the current state of the world was. Still the good easily outweighed the bad so he really had no reason to complain.
Harry tossed his head back and laughed himself hoarse; ah…it was good to hope again!
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Torres Villa
Luarca, Asturias
Thursday the 27th of June 1974
2:14 PM
Evaristo Narciso Torres was an influential Wizard and the third son of Estavan Cleto Torres, who was the Sovereign Prince of Wizarding Asturias. The Torres Family had ruled the Regnum Astorum (Kingdom of Asturias) for centuries before and after the fall of Muggle Spain. Asturias had been the Wizarding bastion during the dangerous years when the Muggles hunted Witchcraft and it had been the port of departure when resettlement was at last viable.
Though Asturias and the Spanish Ministry of Magic operated fully independently of each other, rumor had it that the Spanish Ministry of Magic often sought the opinion of the ruling Sovereign Prince when it came down to weighty decisions, though it was by no means necessary. No Sovereign Prince of Asturias had bent their knee to the other rulers of the magical princedoms or kingdoms that had risen and fallen with the spread of Muggles and the ravages of time. Asturias and its rulers had withstood the tumultuous political changes around their country and the Torres Family as a whole was numbered among the foremost Pureblooded Families in all of Europe, and was the oldest unbroken Pureblooded Family in all of Spain.
Unlike some Pureblooded Families, the Torres' often married foreign Wizards and Witches, keeping their bloodlines pure and diverse. Evaristo was half-Spanish and half-Russian, along with his two elder brothers Apolinar and Pascual. Their twin half-sisters Elvira and Eloisa, born of their father's second marriage, were half-Spanish and half-Italian. Apolinar, his oldest brother, had married a Spanish Witch from Barcelona while Pascual had married a dark haired Frenchman, who was cousin to the current Queen of France and currently third in line to the French Throne.
Much to his father's dismay and his brothers' amusement, Evaristo was single and not seeking a potential spouse. Even their twin sisters Eloisa and Elvira were engaged to be married in the following spring, a fact which both pleased their father and vexed him. Evaristo was in no great rush to find a spouse and though his father had tolerated his bachelorhood in silence for several years, he was quite determined to see his third son happily married.
The tolerance, Evaristo knew, was due to the fact that he was a powerful Seer. As was often the case with Seers, they were very selective about whom they chose as spouses or even if they took a spouse. Often times it all came down to choosing whether it was wise to pass on such a fickle Gift. Before his birth, it had been some three hundred years since a Torres blossomed with the Seer's Gift and depending on if he married, it could either increase or decrease the odds of his own offspring receiving and developing the ability to become a Seer.
In Evaristo's case, his bachelorhood was due to a lack of interest in taking a spouse. Not that he was a virgin by any means, he had had plenty of liaisons over the years but none of them had spawned a long-standing relationship as he had intended. He would have an Heir most certainly but it would not be one born of his flesh and seed. No, his son and Heir had most likely just arrived. While Evaristo retrieved his chosen Heir, his most trusted servants would begin setting in motion the arrangements he had long ago planned for this day. Had this been a normal situation, he would have spoken to his father and Apolinar before invoking a Blood Adoption but time was of the essence and he could explain why he had chosen his Heir to them later just as well as if he had spoken to them before he left.
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Harry had not gotten far before he happened to come upon Evaristo, who had been patiently awaiting his arrival in the shade of a tree. Taking in the tall, olive skinned man with oddly out of place blond hair and piercing storm gray eyes, Harry almost passed him by before Evaristo spoke.
"Your skin will burn if you stay out in the sun much longer, though I understand perfectly why you enjoy the pounding of the sun's rays after so long underground."
Harry froze eyes widening and he blurted out as thoughtlessly as a child would, "How did you know that?!"
Evaristo smiled, "I know many things about you but none of that is important. This is not the same place you were from and most definitely, this is not the same time you left. Only you will know how similar these two worlds are but one thing that is similar is that you will end up in an orphanage if you are found wandering aimlessly with no identification or parents."
"And what exactly are you offering?" Harry asked suspiciously.
Evaristo chuckled at his suspicion. "I only offer what is fated to be. You see, I am a Seer and I've known of your arrival for nearly a decade. What you wish to do, you will need aid and I am from a Family that has the power to allow you to learn anything you so desire and make all the connections you should need."
"And you are?"
"Forgive me, I seem to have forgotten my manners in my joy at your arrival. I am Evaristo Narciso Torres, third son of Estavan Cleto Torres who is better known as the Sovereign Prince of Asturias." Evaristo explained with a small smile.
Harry's eyes narrowed calculatingly, the Torres Family had more than enough connections and enough of a reputation that it was almost a guarantee that Voldemort would be intrigued by anyone who claimed relation to the Family. Pausing to examine the older man, Harry eyed him thoughtfully as small, barely noticeable wisps of his own magic cautiously unfurled and touched the other man. Deeming Evaristo to be speaking honestly, Harry nodded slowly to himself. This was a good start yes, with an ally like this standing at his back he was certain he could do whatever was necessary here in this world and this time. (1)
"Excellent," Evaristo breathed as Harry came closer. "It is fortunate that Hogwarts has just let out for the summer, you will need the time to acquaint yourself with this world. I have the papers and the Potion waiting at my home; will you become my son and Heir?"
"Yes,"
Evaristo grinned, "Good, let us go to my home then and we may begin."
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Torres Villa
Luarca, Asturias
Wednesday the 3rd of July 1974
9:29 AM
As he had expected, his father Estavan and his brother Apolinar stormed onto the small veranda he ate most his meals at when the weather was agreeable. His son was still asleep as most teenagers would rather be and Evaristo preferred to have most of this conversation finished before his son arrived, sleepy-eyed to have his breakfast.
"Evaristo Narciso Andrei Torres!" bellowed his father, in quite the rage. "Is this true?"
A copy of The Spanish Navigator landed on his fortunately empty plate. There on the front page of the Spanish newspaper was an announcement that he had not only Adopted a child from a small orphanage near Zafra, but had named his newly adopted son Heir to his portion of the Torres fortune, which was not a modest sum. It was surely shocking but no doubt what horrified his father and brother was the fact that it had been a Muggle orphanage.
"It's true," Evaristo commented, motioning for his father and brother to sit as he poured them some morning tea. "I will, of course, correct them eventually about the current facts known about my son, but at the moment it is of no importance what they think, only that they know I have a son and heir."
Apolinar sighed with relief. "He's not a Mudblood then?"
"His blood has little importance regarding my decision, though you may rest assured that he possessed already distinguished Pureblood ties before he received my own formidable addition. I will assure you both, I know what I'm doing. He's a charming child, I'm sure you both will enjoy spending time with him; he's quite intelligent and very powerful for his age. I must admit father, I am a bachelor because I have no interest in having a child of my own. You see, I have been waiting over a decade for his arrival and now that he is here, I am proud to say I'm overjoyed that I waited." Evaristo explained, smiling happily.
Estavan frowned, "What is it about this child Evaristo?"
"Everything," Evaristo replied before launching into a more detailed explanation of his reasons, who and what Harry had been in his world and time and how Harry's plans now would further advance their Family, no matter the outcome. "…but besides all of that, he is more than what I could have hoped for in a child born of my own flesh."
"I begin to understand your reasoning but I think I will reserve judgment until I meet my nephew." Apolinar replied slowly.
Evaristo nodded agreeably. "Understandable, he will be arriving in a few minutes."
Seven minutes later, the glass door opened and a young teen stepped onto the veranda. He still had pale ash blond hair, his skin had darkened a bit to a pale sun-kissed gold, and as he drew nearer they noticed he had Evaristo's storm gray eyes.
"I would like to present my son and heir, Anastas Evaristo Rafael Torres." Evaristo introduced, his voice tinged with a mixture of pride and happiness.
Anastas paused for a moment, eyeing the two new additions. The older man had graying black hair and cobalt blue eyes while the other, who obviously was Evaristo's brother, had black hair like their father combined with the gray eyes both brother's had received from their Russian mother. Both were just as tall as Evaristo, he guessed, though the brother's shoulders were a bit broader and the father had a slight paunch.
Evaristo quickly made introductions, "Anastas this is your Grandfather Estavan and your Uncle Apolinar."
"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Anastas replied, deciding to be as formal as possible.
Estavan looked at him thoughtfully. "The pleasure is mine Anastas, welcome to the family."
"Yes," Apolinar seconded, relaxing. "Welcome to the family, Nephew."
"Thank you," Anastas replied, mentally cheering at having been accepted into the family by the Patriarch and the eventual Patriarch. If he could gain the acknowledgement of the remaining members of the Family, he would be well on his way especially as his father had considerable influence on the others. Which made sense, who didn't heed the warnings of a Seer?
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The weeks leading up to the start of the school year went by smoothly. Though shocked, the rest of the family welcomed him after noticing the approval of both Estavan and Apolinar. His father was a great help, answering any questions he had and purchasing a veritable mountain of books on varying subjects for him to study, as well as hiring tutors.
Several things were vastly different in this world. For one, he would never exist as there was no Lily Evans to speak of and second of all, he had traveled into the past and would be schooling with the Marauders and Snape. He'd noticed that most major events in both worlds had occurred, what was different were the key people involved.
Slytherin had still left, but not until after he and Helga Hufflepuff had argued about the wisdom in allowing Mudbloods to attend the school. Nicholas Flamel had still created his Philosopher Stone but had died during the war with Grindelwald. Dumbledore had still defeated Grindelwald but had only acted after his brother Aberforth had nearly died after an attack occurred in Paris.
The last War had also destroyed most of the Dark Creatures, significantly lowering the numbers of Werewolves and Vampires, while completely eradicating the Giants and Dementors. Remus Lupin, as far as he was able to tell, was completely human and there was no Shrieking Shack or Whomping Willow.
Then there was the sudden increase or decrease in the children of Families he had personally known. Lucius Malfoy, no longer an only child, now had an older brother named Cassius and was currently the same age as Snape and the Marauders. Andromeda Black had not married a Muggle and instead was married to Cassius Malfoy. If a Draco Malfoy was born, it would be to these two as Narcissa Black had not been born and thus, would never be married to Lucius. James Potter had two younger siblings, a sister named Hyacinth who was to start her Third Year and a brother named Richard who would start his First Year in the fall. Snape too had a younger sibling, his brother Manuel was a year younger and in Ravenclaw. Anastas had also discovered that their Muggle father Tobias had died barely six months after Manuel's birth. Eileen remarried Adrian Macmillan two years after her first husband's death and had another three children with him, all girls.
If that hadn't been bizarre or confusing enough, Anastas had become even more confused when he learned about the differences in the adults he had known. Dumbledore was happily married to Rhys Prewitt, a former Healer at St. Mungo's though he had long ago taken up residence as the terror of the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. Anastas had known of his former Headmaster's preference and although there was no stigma in such pairings in the world he had left behind, that it was so prevalent in this world was certainly eye opening. It spurred him to do more research about the current populace of the Wizarding World, along with the current customs. Through a combination of genetic and societal factors, most Wizarding populations were 75:25 in favor of males, which had necessitated a variety of Potions, complicated magical rituals, or specialized Transfiguration techniques that allowed male couples to have children together.
After he had recovered from that shock, he returned to his research on Dumbledore and discovered that he had three children. Myrddin, Azalea, and Flavius Dumbledore had all been exceptionally powerful and had gone on to have several children of their own. Hagrid did not exist in this world and Madam Pomfrey was still working at St. Mungo's. The DADA position was still cursed as no teacher ever stayed on longer than a year. Professor Vector now taught Ancient Runes while Professor Babbling taught Arithmancy, and Filch was now Groundskeeper while Arabella Figg was caretaker.
Anastas had decided wisely to quit before his migraine grew any worse and stopped checking to compare the people he had known, personally or heard of, with those in this universe. It was getting to be far too confusing. Moving on with his studies, he had begun to learn more about Wizarding History, which had confused and flummoxed him plenty of times, followed by studying school texts. The huge leap in Potions had astounded him; apparently Dumbledore had been a very, very busy man after the war with Grindelwald. A few new Transfiguration techniques had him occupied for several nights as he caught up on the subject.
By the time he received his acceptance letter to Hogwarts, he was well caught up on the differences in this alternate universe and prepared to face them.
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Diagon Alley, London, UK
Thursday the 25th of August 1974
10:00 AM
Anastas just barely managed to stay on his feet as they arrived in Diagon Alley via Portkey. Evaristo grabbed his elbow, steadying him as he tucked the Portkey back into his pocket. Stepping away from the designated Portkey Arrival Zone, the two looked around with interest. Though Diagon Alley looked different, Anastas was pleased enough to be outside of the Villa for the first time since he had arrived in this world. That wasn't to say that he had only had his father for company. Many close and distant members of the Torres Family had paid them a social call and his grandfather had even arranged for the much lauded Calogero Carrara to create a wardrobe for his new grandson.
All of Spain was abuzz with anticipation to see the new Torres Heir but Evaristo had been quite protective of his son and had easily kept him out of the prying eyes of the media. Today would mark his first foray into the public and it was bound to be a memorable one.
Once they had orientated themselves, Evaristo found himself being hailed by an old acquaintance of his, one that surprised Anastas a great deal. Orion Black was an older but equally handsome version of his eldest son, Sirius Black.
"…my son Anastas." Evaristo introduced, turning to glance at his son.
Anastas quickly jolted out of his thoughts and graced the equally powerful man with a quick nod. "Mr. Black, I am honored to meet you."
Calculating gray eyes studied him, weighing his value. "The honor is mine, Anastas."
Evaristo gently interceded before things could become too…complicated. "Where are your sons Orion?"
"My eldest is no doubt cavorting with his Gryffindor friends and Regulus is somewhere afoot. He's taken a liking to Prince's second son, Manuel. Better a Ravenclaw than a Mudblood loving Gryffindor any day!" Orion grumbled irritably.
"So true," Evaristo replied nodding agreeably. "It is a shame your son is not present, I would have liked to introduce Anastas to Regulus. My son is more intelligent and ambitious than a child sired of my flesh could hope to be."
Orion looked interested. "Is that so?"
"The tutors could barely keep up with him this summer," Evaristo exclaimed with pride. "He's already half-way through Sixth Year Curriculum."
"Impressive," commented Orion, looking more intrigued. "You should join us for dinner on Saturday; we're having a small gathering. I'm sure Walburga would be pleased to see you again and Anastas could meet some of the other children his age."
Evaristo smiled with pleasure, "You may be certain to expect us then, seven o'clock as usual?"
"Come at six, we will dine at seven but I'm sure you would like to re-acquaint yourself with the others." Orion replied before taking his leave.
Anastas frowned thoughtfully. "He's a cautious man."
"He's waiting much like the rest of the Wizarding World," replied Evaristo as he led the way through the streets.
"Waiting for what?"
His father tossed him a sly smile over his shoulder. "They're waiting to see who you are and why I've adopted you, of course. Orion has a hint now, I've told him with a great deal of fatherly pride that you are very intelligent and powerful. We'll see what comes of it."
Anastas chuckled and asked, "How soon until a nosy reporter discovers the papers at the orphanage?"
"A few hours from now, everyone will know by dinner tonight."
Shaking his head slightly, Anastas dutifully followed his father to Gringotts. The Goblins were due for quite the surprise indeed! It wasn't often after all when a Wizard of his father's status asked for a Heritage Evaluation for his newly adopted son. Anastas knew it was his own strange luck that led to the discovery that his magic had not turned him into a stranger as he had originally thought. As his father had said, perhaps his magic had only worn away the façade he had been born with and revealed his true self. He was no longer a Potter but what he was no doubt would surprise quite a few people.
Jacob Lund had been one of the wealthiest Purebloods in living memory and his only child Phoebe had been coveted and courted by some of the most powerful and influential Pureblooded men in the Wizarding World. Phoebe had lacked for nothing and perhaps that was what had made finding her a spouse as difficult as it had ended up being. After a few months she have left of her own accord, declaring in a bold letter that she was going to find someone worthy of her on her own and for her father not to worry. Shocked at the boldness of his only child, Jacob had glumly waited but the years passed and he never saw his daughter again. Occasionally he heard rumors of a woman matching his daughter's description passing through towns in France but she was always gone by the time he investigated the rumors. The final rumor he had heard before his death was that she had been spotted wandering in Italy with a very young toddler who also shared her pale hair.
A Heritage Revealing Potion, created with a blood sample taken before his Adoption by Evaristo, had unmasked his ancestry but he could only guess at what events had lead to his family moving to Britain. Phoebe Lund had clearly had a child with Columbe Focalor, the youngest son of an infamous Wizarding family which regularly married into Veela and Harpy conclaves. There was little doubt why she had never returned to her father for fear of becoming disinherited by the traditional Wizard.
Phoebe and Columbe's son Corvus Focalor, had somehow become Corbin Evans, who had then married and had children with one Eglantine Teague. As no records of a magical education existed, Anastas guessed that Corbin had been a Squib, a theory his father Evaristo had seconded. His grandfather Florian had been the only surviving child of Corbin and Eglantine (yet another Squib) and had married Gillian Trent who had given birth to his aunt and mother.
Much to his amusement, Anastas learned that he was not a Half-Blood as many people had thought. Evaristo had explained that while most Squibs were either disowned or largely ignored by their birth families, they often married another Squib or married a Squib descendant due to a Magical curse that all but the oldest Pureblood Families had forgotten existed. Thus somewhere around half the 'Mudbloods' accepted into Magical Schools did not carry any Muggle blood at all, merely Wizarding blood that had long gone dormant for some unforeseen reason. It was very likely that due to the War, no one had thought to research his mother's family and thus the Lund legacy had been unclaimed and his mother labeled as a brilliant Muggleborn. How was that for irony?
In this world, everything had fallen out nearly the same except his Grandfather Florian had been an up and coming lawyer who had spent years in a coma after a car accident. He had died a few hours after Anastas' arrival, something which his father seemed to expect. Put together, these strange events led to Anastas being the only Lund Heir in existence in this universe. (2) While his Adoption had magically and physically erased all signs of his biological father, replacing them with his Adopted father's genes, his mother's genes remained and clearly identified him as a Lund descendant.
The Goblins ran the Heritage Evaluation grumbling at the pointlessness of it, until his blood and magic matched him positively as a Lund. Following that, the Goblins had wisely become more polite as they began to rush about finding records of the Lund Vaults worldwide and Jacob Lund's Will.
Three hours later Evaristo and Anastas left Gringotts, the former now officially the Executor of the Lund fortune until Anastas reached his majority at age seventeen. Anastas was pleased he had a fortune all of his own at his disposal which would be more than useful in the following years. The only minor inconvenience would be the paperwork necessary to adhere to his ancestor's only request: that he bear the Lund name. By Monday he would be Anastas Evaristo Rafael Lund-Torres and what a mouthful that would be!
With most of their business taken care of, father and son finished their shopping and returned home well before the evening papers arrived, bearing yet another startling discovery for the eager Wizarding public.
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12 Grimmauld Place, London, UK
Saturday the 27th of August 1974
5:50 PM
Evaristo hummed softly as he knocked on the door of the Black residence. Beside him, Anastas marveled at the house, which looked nothing like the decrepit shadow he had seen in his time. Before he could wonder at what the interior would look like, the door was opened by a sulking Kreacher.
"Masters be most welcome in the House of Black," Kreacher greeted bowing as he held the door open.
They entered and shed their cloaks giving them absently to one of the other House Elves. Kreacher directed them to the Drawing room, where every one else would be waiting for them. Their host rose at their arrival and quickly made introductions to the rest of the guests.
As he had expected, most of the Blacks or former Blacks and their spouses were present. Orion's older sister Lucretia and her family were present, along with both his parents, and his in-laws. Alphard Black was alone, as he was a bachelor while both of Cygnus' daughters were present with their respective husbands, Bellatrix with her husband Rodolphus Lestrange and Andromeda with Cassius Malfoy. Abraxas Malfoy, Cassius and Lucius's father, was present as was the youngest Malfoy. Adrian Macmillian and Eileen Prince were also present with their children. Rupert Crabbe and Irving Goyle along with their spouses and children were in attendance along with Sigourney McPherson, who may eventually become Sigourney Zabini depending on how this universe differed. Daniel Rosier and Edward Avery with their families rounded out the group Families present at this particular gathering. The fact that many of them would later become Voldemort's followers was quite the interesting clue. (3)
Once the introductions finished, Orion shot his old friend a lingering look. "You seem to have made an exemplary choice in heir, my friend."
"Are you referring to Anastas' heritage or his bloodlines?" Evaristo asked as he took a seat, motioning for Anastas to sit beside him.
Abraxas Malfoy snorted, "Both."
Evaristo merely smiled and spread his hands out in a harmless gesture. "The Seer's Gift is ever benevolent."
"A wise person waits for an opportunity to present itself and then compromises upon it," Sigourney agreed, her voice melodious.
"I admit my father was getting most impatient but even he approves of my son and Apolinar," Evaristo rolled his eyes, "I think at times that if he had not married Isabella and did not already have two sons of his own, he would have happily declared Anastas his Heir. They get along famously, no doubt because of their keen minds."
Anastas smiled slightly and shot an amused look at his father, "Not everyone is as willing to let Fate carry them where it would father. Uncle and I appreciate a well thought out strategy."
"That is true enough Anastas, though you will forgive me in advance the next time I excuse myself when Apolinar and you decide to play chess. Four, no my pardon, five hours of playing chess is more than I can endure silently. Though I admit that seeing the consternation on my oldest brother's face almost makes up for the tediousness of being a spectator."
Orion nearly gaped but caught himself. "Young Anastas has been able to defeat your brother in chess?!"
Evaristo nodded, grinning. "Oh yes, they play twice a week and Anastas has only lost three of the twenty games they've played so far. My son has a most brilliant mind."
"Orion said he was quite advanced in his studies, what Year is he on?"
Anastas smiled and answered, "I'm in the middle of Sixth Year studies or so father tells me. We are waiting for a new Transfiguration tutor; I have hopelessly outpaced the one I currently have at the moment. Human Transfiguration is quite simple, once one understands the basics."
There was a moment of silence as everyone absorbed the idle boast of an adolescent.
Orion nodded thoughtfully. "There is little doubt why your brother is so envious. Anastas is quite an intelligent child and you did not have to endure the years of raising him from a babe."
Evaristo looked slightly wistful. "It would not have been a horrible ordeal but it was a matter of timing and I knew it would be more convenient this way."
"It was better this way father; imagine what I would have done with the Lund fortune if I had been younger. I imagine I would have bought out Honeydukes and Flourish and Blotts on a regular basis." Anastas teased, lightening the mood.
"I already fear what you're planning on buying with it, I will have to build a new library at the rate you are devouring books."
"I am a firm believer in, De inimico non loquaris sed cogites." Anastas quoted simply. (Don't wish ill for your enemy; plan it)
Evaristo shook his head, bemused. "As long as you remember Sensus, non aetas, invenit sapientem I'll not begrudge you your books." (Good sense, not age, brings wisdom)
Anastas chuckled softly in response.
Adrian Macmillian frowned in confusion. "I would have thought Evaristo would be in charge of the Lund fortune."
"Oh I am but I have enough money and property of my own to manage. I will oversee what he does but largely I will let Anastas do as he wishes with his ancestor's money. It should be amusing to see what he decides to do with it all." Evaristo said dismissively as though the rumored five hundred million Galleon fortune was mere pocket change.
The conversation continued from there, moving onto other interesting bits of gossip or news. Dinner was held in a grand Dining Room and they feasted on salad with a Balsamic vinaigrette, grilled Marlin filets, a light vegetable stew, herb crusted roast lamb chops, and fresh slices of blackberry and elderberry pie served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. While the adults adjourned into separate rooms for their after dinner cocktails, their children were ushered into the gardens at the back of the house. It was there where Anastas became better acquainted with the other children and he found that Lucius and, he loathed to say it, Severus were very interested in him.
"Were you surprised when you found out you were the Heir to the Lund Fortune?" Evan Rosier asked curiously.
Anastas shrugged. "Not particularly, my father is a Seer after all and he did say that we would have an interesting time at Gringotts."
Lucius studied him with a keen eye, "Those robes, who designed them?"
"These? They're Calogero Carrara. Grandfather had Carrara's entire staff Port-Keyed to the Villa to outfit my wardrobe."
Regulus frowned, "Then why were you in Diagon Alley on Thursday? Father said he met you there."
"Father said it would be better if we went to Diagon Alley to get my school supplies rather than going to the Wizarding District in Madrid."
"What Year are you joining?" Severus asked simply.
"Fourth Year, since the school doesn't know how advanced I am in my studies. I don't mind though." Anastas answered with a shrug.
Manuel observed him for a few minutes. "What House do you think you'll be Sorted into?"
"Ravenclaw, I'd guess." Evan piped out.
"Slytherin." Severus said with assurance.
Anastas smiled slightly. "Probably Slytherin, Uncle Apolinar says I've a mind that would make Salazar proud."
The others nodded and Regulus suggested a game of Quidditch to liven up the rather boring evening. Anastas was rather disappointed at the speed of the Nimbus 1000 but hid it well. Sometimes it was a shame he had gone back in time opposed to going forward. Oh well…
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Colchester Castle, Wales
Sunday the 28th of August 1974
2:10 AM
Voldemort looked up from the book he had been pursuing when he heard a rap on the door. "Enter."
The door swung open and Cassius Malfoy strode into the room. "My Lord,"
"Cassius, what brings you here so early in the morning?" Voldemort asked, motioning for the other man to sit across from him.
"I was invited by my father-in-law to join them for a small gathering. I was quite surprised to find out that Orion had also invited his old friend Evaristo Torres."
Voldemort's eyebrows rose with interest. "The third son of the Asturia's Sovereign Prince, yes, the Seer, I remember. What did you learn?"
"Have you read the papers about his son?"
"No, I have only just recently returned from a trip to Greece." Voldemort replied slowly. "I did not know Torres was married." (4)
Cassius shook his head, "He's not. No, he Adopted a boy from a Muggle Orphanage in late June. It turns out that his son, Anastas Torres, is actually the last descendant of Jacob Lund and has inherited the fortune. His father legally is the Executor until his son reaches his majority but he just admitted today that he allows Anastas full control over the fortune and may do with it as he wishes."
Voldemort caught on, "I see, young Anastas could prove to be very beneficial to the cause."
"He's highly advanced for his age, My Lord. He's already in the middle of Sixth Year studies and Lucius has informed me that they will be in the same Year. Torres seems to indulge his son's interest, supposedly he's read nearly every book in their Library and he's managed to surpass his tutors even."
"This does not quite fit then," Voldemort replied thoughtfully. "There is no way a child, however intelligent, could have caught up and advanced so quickly. Where did Torres find this child?"
Cassius shook his head. "I don't know but Evaristo regaled us with a story about how his older brother Apolinar envies him for his Heir. The Torres Family is a prestigious family and doubly crafty as any lone Slytherin."
"He bears watching but he is young yet, we will see how he grows first Cassius. You have my thanks for your information and will be suitably rewarded for it."
"It is little trouble, My Lord."
Voldemort just nodded as he dismissed the Malfoy Heir, thoughts turning as he considered the puzzle that Cassius had just presented him with. Evaristo Torres was an acknowledged Seer with high talent for Divination and Prophecy. Anastas Torres was more intelligent than a child his age ought to be and both of them had forged a Bond with the other that was nearly unbreakable.
The question now was why? What did they each have to gain from such an arrangement? Was there even suspicious activity behind this sudden Adoption?
His book forgotten, Voldemort spent the rest of the hours leading up to sunrise thinking and formulating possible plans to use Anastas Torres or Evaristo Torres to his advantage.
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Notes:
(1)- Despite Harry's Azkaban worries about forming attachments, he is not worried about what may happen to the Torres Family. They are enough of a force to be reckoned with that he believes even Voldemort would not challenge them recklessly. Thus, in his mind, they are a good ally because they have enough sway and power to simply withstand anything Voldemort might throw at them.
(2)- In this world, it is generally assumed that Anastas is Florian Evans's son. Anastas is considered to be a Pureblood, as the union that 'supposedly' resulted in him was between two Squibs (Corvus and Eglantine, who then had Florian), there'll be more about his ancestry later.
(3)- The names of the Black (former and current) Family members, is canon (Orion, Walberga, Cygnus etc). I got them from the Harry Potter Lexicon Black Family tree which JK wrote out several months ago.
(4)- Voldemort was completely clueless about the ruckus made over Anastas as he was completely out of reach while in Greece. When he came back, no one had told him yet as he values his privacy and doesn't like having his minions constantly underfoot. Why does Cassius have free reign to come and go in his private rooms? You'll have to wait to find out.
-SheWolfe7
Original Post Date: (Aug 10, 2006)
Revision I: (Dec 11, 2008)
Repost Date: (Dec 31, 2008)