When winter break came, and we were heading back home, Quincy was surprisingly nervous as we sat on the train. I long learned to just… remain quiet and let her mood improve by itself, or else it would devolve into a pointless argument between us. Oh well, she will get over it after we arrive. At least… I really hope so.

“Where does your family live?” She asked me as we were already halfway through our journey, breaking the silence between us.

“In the countryside,” I answered, lowering the parchment I was reading and looking at her. “It is an old villa built around the 17th century. I think. I’m not a hundred percent sure.”

“I never really left London before.” She commented, looking out the window, wiping it with her sleeve, and watching the snowy scenery.

“Then it will be an experience!” I chuckled, putting everything away. “Father is busy at the moment, but our driver will be waiting to pick us up and bring us back to the estate.”

“A driver? With a carriage?” She looked at me, surprised.

“Yeah… Something like that. Well, you will see!” I nodded, trying to hold back my laugh… I just remembered that her family, although hailed as one of the most ancient and part of the few distinguished ones in the Sacred Twenty-Eight…, was believed to become the next one to die out, just like the Gaunts.

“I driver…. You are pretty well off...” She murmured, returning to the window after briefly glancing at me.

“Where do you live? Where is the Black’s estate?”

“In London.” She replied plainly. “It is a big house and all… but empty. It is only my Grandmother, Me… and Kreacher. The house elf.”

“Hmm… That sounds…”

“Creepy.” She finished for me, “Many of the rooms are locked, unused… filthy. I heard grandmother complain that some of those rooms are infested with… things. Boggarts and the like. I hate those, so I never really explored any of them! I either lived in my own room, the study, or the kitchen.”

“That sounds like being a prisoner to me.”

“Maybe.” She shrugged, leaning against the side of the cabin, her eyes watching the scenery, yet not really.

“Not maybe, if you ask me! Okay, now I know what to do!”

“You… do?”

“Of course! First, we are going to take a trip around the house tomorrow! There are many interesting things to see, and we can go sledding too! I know the perfect place for that!” I started explaining, and her gaze very quickly turned from the scenery to me, and I could see how excited she got in her eyes. “Of course, there are tons of fun things to do in the house, too… plus, we can visit the nearby town later on!”

“What kind of town is it?” She asked, her voice curious and uplifted.

“Well… Half of it is wizards. Half-bloods, in service of my family. They are under my Father’s control.”

“And the other half?” She asked, sounding a bit confused why I said it like that.

I looked into her eyes, deciding if I should share it. In the end, I stood up and opened our compartment’s door, taking a look that the corridor was empty before closing and rolling down its shutters.

“What?” She asked, flabbergasted.

“Mudbloods and squibs,” I whispered, and seeing her jump and look around, I knew I could trust her before she even opened her mouth.

“Sssh! Write it down, don’t say it out! You don’t know who may listen!”

“I trust you.” I smiled, making her blush which looked funny, making me grin even more.

“T-thanks… Conrad.”

“Father said we ought to have people who can blend in and bring us news from the muggle’s side. We may be separated by the veil of magic, but we do live in the same world. No matter how HE thinks about them or ignores them, simply going by the numbers, they are the ones who rule the world. Not us.”

“Saying things like that is punishable by death, I believe.” She whispered half-jokingly, but I knew she was right.

“I know. But they, time and time again, proved useful when my Father received an assignment. Plus…” I looked around, “My Father leads the Muggle-born Registration. Many good wizards found their home in there!”

“Aren’t they… made to forget and then let back into the muggle world?” Quincy asked, shocked.

“Some. Who are not that good.” I grinned, “But Father likes recruiting talented people. You know… Even though we couldn’t stand up to HIM, we wouldn’t go down without a proper fight.”

“Rebellion? Are you-” She gasped, but I just laughed.

“No, no way! But you know how things are! All the purebloods want to cement their position! Be the number one favorite! Well… against them, we need protection, right?”

“I see…”

“I don’t know everything.” I finished, leaning back in my seat. “But I will as I grow up. I am designated as the next head of our house! So I have been let to know some things in advance~! And I trust that you won’t blabber it out to anyone else! Just as you kept my plans a secret!”

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“Of course!” She said, nodding with deep resolution, looking into my eyes. “We are friends!”

“We are.” I grinned at her, not breaking eye contact. We are friends. From now on, I was sure of that. Her eyes were not lying, and all the things we had done so far? Yeah… Quincy is someone who I can call my friend… and… I think I wouldn’t want any other friends if they were like the rest of my classmates.

…

….

……

It was good to come home. The ride from King’s Cross was quick and pleasant, especially as my mother was not present to welcome us. Not even when we arrived and stepped out of the muggle car.

“This was fun! How does this even work?” Quincy asked, her voice lively and curious, looking at the vehicle. She pressed every button she could find inside, rolling the windows up and down, opening the middle armrest, surprised to find cold drinks hidden there. “Is this… powered by magic?” She asked me as I was waiting for her, watching the car roll into the garage. She was trying to figure out how it moved in the first place.

“No. This is, as my Father always told me, muggle engineering. There is nothing magical in that car. It was made by them, without the use of a wand!”

“Really? No way!” She turned to me, glaring at me, wanting to catch me teasing her.

“Yep. Look, my family has to interact with muggles the most! I know that is why we are a bit odd amongst the rest of the purebloods… but even HE has to acknowledge that, without knowing anything about them, we can’t win!”

“Win what? Not like they could stand up to us…” She said as I started walking, heading towards our estate on the snow-free gravel, kept clean by enchanted shovels.

“You know that HE plans to bring us all back to glory, no? First, uniting the wizarding world, then taking back what was ours. Muggles ought to serve us, and we shouldn’t hide from them! Well… while the Order of the Phoenix is around, that plan is stuck in the gutter.”

“I know that they are hiding amongst the muggles and even have allies in their ranks.” She answered me, and from her tone, I could guess her mood swing was related to her Father and his betrayal.

“Something like that.” I nodded, pondering, remembering Herpo’s words in my head. Since that day, I have been thinking and… starting to see things a bit… differently.

Is pure blood really that special? Are we really… more powerful? What about HIM? What about the Gaunts? And the Blacks? Where is their glory? I knew some muggle-born wizards under our rule… they are not weak at all. This was not adding up the more I thought about it. Magic has no relation to origin… all it depends on is the individual and their talents. I could have been a Squib just as much as the next one. What then? What does that say about my family?

“Conrad?” She nudged me as we reached the stairs leading to the entrance of our villa.

“Sorry. I spaced out a little!”

“Master!” A thin voice said, hurrying down from the top of the stairs, bowing to me and Quincy.

“Squeaky!” I laughed, introducing her to Quincy, “She is my house elf and a good one~! You are going to like her a lot!”

“Master is too kind!” She said, bowing once more.

“Well, she is much more amicable than ours.” Quincy chuckled, “He is a bit…cranky.”

“Squeaky is a good house elf, she was raised well, and Squeaky’s family has served the Noble Anguines for a long time!”

“We can have a history lesson later!” I interrupted, “It is getting cold and dark; the trip took longer than expected!”

“The rooms are ready, Master!” Squeaky squeaked, leading us in, showing no signs of feeling cold yet only wearing a ragged cloth around her thin body. “The Mistress said to prepare all rooms, so Squeaky made the guest room opposite Master’s to be ready for the guest! The fire is on, and the bed is made!”

“Good job!” I patted her head as we entered our home, taking off our coats and shoes. “Is my mother home?” I asked, hoping the answer was a no.

“No, Master. She is on a business… trip.”

“Sure.” I smirked, “But that is for the best. What about Father?”

“He is in the Ministry, Master! He should be back at night only! He said… something happened!”

“What?” Asked both of us, especially because Squeaky glanced at Quincy while saying it.

“...”

“You can speak before her,” I said resolutely, and after a brief hesitation, she started.

“There was a… murder!”

“Nothing new here.” Quincy shrugged.

“But… it was the death of a… Death… Eater!” She said whisperingly, constantly looking around.

Now… that was indeed news. Those with the Death Eater position were the closest to HIM. One of them dying had to be the result of something… big.

“Let’s go into the dining room.” I suggested, before anything, “We can hear this while eating!”

“You can eat while listening to something like this?” Quincy asked, but her voice was not accusatory, following me nonetheless.

“Why not?” I shrugged, “It is not like we knew him. Or her! Isn’t that true, Squeaky?”

“Yes!” She nodded rapidly but then became unsure, watching Quincy. With a snap of her fingers, a lavish dinner appeared on the long, oval table, making my stomach rumble; just now feeling how hungry I was.

“Woah…” Quincy licked her lips, too, as we sat down, and I unceremoniously grabbed at a chicken wing to start with.

“So?” I asked, glancing at Squeaky, “Who died?

“I… I heard Master Angus talk about it. I was in the study then….” She mumbled, playing with her fingers, but I assured her she could speak about it. Father did not mind her presence if he did not chase her out. It was something she was permitted to tell me. “His name was Evan Rosier. There were more there, but he was the only one who died; the rest fled!”

“Fled?” I chortled, “Well… maybe Rosier knew better than to die than flee and get punished by HIM. Do you know who the others were?”

“No… the other voice did not mention them, Master,” Squeaky said, shaking her head and flapping her long ears in the process. “It said they were ambushed by the Order… while transporting… something. Squeaky doesn’t know, Master! But it was said that the… the… Lord was… very angry afterward. Master Angus is in the Ministry every day because of what happened! He leaves early and comes back home very late!”

“Hmmm…” I leaned back while Quincy listened silently, still munching, watching Squeaky and me before chuckling.

“You look older than you are when thinking.” She said in the end, making me jump and turn a bit more redder; I could feel it.

“Thanks…?” I mumbled, fixing my sitting position, “I was just surprised… They had to transport something valuable then… do you know who was there from the Order?”

“The other voice said some names… But Squeaky only recognized three, Master! Dumbledore, Moody, and Black!”

“Did it say which Black?” Quincy asked, almost jumping off her chair, and I could hear her breathing speed up.

“N-no…” Squeaky answered, glancing back and forth between us.

“Do you know who the other voice was?” I asked, watching her and Quincy, knowing full well she was in an agitated state right now.

“It… it was the Headmaster of Hogwarts… Master.”

“Really…?” I raised my eyebrows while murmuring.

Why? I do not remember him ever having a discussion with my Father… not until I saw them meet when going to buy my wand… Or… I just did not discover it before? Was there something going on in the background? I find it weird, as the Headmaster is one of the closest to HIM. Why does he report this to my Father? Was it on HIS orders? Well… it won’t help thinking about it right now.

“Let’s go!” I stood up, holding my hand out to Quincy, “It was a long trip! Let’s rest, and we can think about it with a fresh mind; what do you say?”

“Y-yes… I think you are right.” She forced a smile, but I knew her mind was already thinking about what this would cause to her family and to her. It was either her Father or her uncle who did something… again. This had to have some repercussions later on… the question was… what kind.