It was literally a few days until the end of the holidays, and since Harry Potter was supposed to spend them at The Burrow, I had scheduled a meeting for today that the said teenager was supposed to attend. I didn't go into much detail, but I didn't lie either, and I told him that there would be a hearing in a few days for the case...ours, to make a long story short.
I explained that the news of the underage teenager's participation in a deadly tournament had interested the ICW representatives, but I didn't explain that this interest was only as a pleasant addition to the other cases that had a good chance of knocking a gray-bearded Dumbledore out of the organization's chair.
I think if I told you about it, Harry, like his evil father, would stand up for the Headmaster's ideals. So we'll have a gentle chat with him, explain a few things, tell him what the caring Headmaster hasn't told us, and so on. The boy is supposed to be skeptical, and that's the minimum expected result, but I hope he understands everything we're going to tell him and realizes how much he's really lost by spending his childhood with the Dursleys instead of the Muggles.
And here again I will carefully keep silent, but a little later I will describe in all colors how wrong English wizards are in general, and how much they do not know, how much they neglect, ignore, which is not recommended. And a little later... or not, I haven't decided yet... I'll tell the boy about the Horcruxes, and Afiri will help me wipe the "not good" off his forehead. I really haven't decided on the date of Enlightenment yet, as I need to study Harry's reactions to all future news and events, and where his mind will go. Anyway, there would be no 'canonical' events — that was for sure, because I had already changed a lot of things.
But when I had a few hours left before leaving for Greengrass Manor, and Potter was socializing with my household and guests, I was in my finished study. Which I had decided not only to enlarge, but also to "insert" a few more adjoining secret rooms — just in case, so to speak. I was just considering which of the paintings to hang in the most prominent place: "unique" or not, when there was a knock at the door.
I wasn't even surprised to see Bellatrix, as the Blacks were said to be very impatient, and this was a strange situation: she hadn't woken up at home, she didn't remember how she got here, and her last memory was of going to Gringotts to have her and Rudolphus Lestrange's engagement officially signed. I think anyone would have been itching to get things straightened out, especially when there was someone to ask questions.
Anyway, it took two hours to talk to this... I don't even know how to call her. She has the body of a thirty-year-old woman, as well as traces of illness, many marks from her turbulent life (not all scars have been removed, traces of dark magic are rarely and hard to remove), but her mind and memory are those of a sixteen-year-old girl. And she recognizes herself as such, as sixteen years old.
So my predicament should be understandable. I tried not to hide too much from her, but I didn't tell her everything, because we didn't treat her so that her brain would short-circuit and she would go crazy again.
The result was there for me to see: Bellatrix wasn't happy about the burden she had been given, for she was now Lady Black, and until Lord Black came to power, she would have to take full responsibility for a clan that was de facto down to four people. I assured her, of course, that she would not be without support, and that her son (she was pregnant with twins) would be my godson by all rituals, as it should be.
My words did little to reassure the girl (so be it), but there was no other way. And as for my being a magical godfather, I had no choice. Bellatrix, after a hard life, participation in dark and black rituals, as well as after Azkaban, was unable to get pregnant, so I had to perform a separate ritual "Second Chance for the Magical Family".
This ritual is a direct work with the Higher Powers of the world, and just like that, without consequences, there is no such thing, so the one who performs this ritual takes responsibility for the future child.
Not only will I have to raise the heir of the black family correctly, teach him everything he needs (not necessarily personally, but I must participate), but we will have to pass some kind of test together (no one ever knows what it might be), and only when he becomes the head of his family and leaves the heir, will my duties be considered fulfilled.
It seems that why should I do all this, and why should I have any interest in helping the Blacks, well, and the Lestranges? The answer is simple: saving a dying magical family with a gift always comes with a hefty "thank you". I don't expect a full-blown gift, but some sort of minor tribal trait is a must. Small? Well, that depends on how you look at it.
Take the Weasleys, for instance. Despite the fact that they earned the stigma of being "Blood Traitors" by destroying the Altar (or bringing the situation to the point of destroying the Altar, which is also considered a crime), as well as losing the Gifts, the family still has two traits: good health (few illnesses, low susceptibility to dangerous diseases, good reproduction) and "sense of family," meaning their family ties are very strong.
Seems like a small thing, but seven children in one couple is an indicator. And yes, I myself am surprised by this contradiction: Blood traitors with strong family ties, but in their case the betrayal was related to clan magic and the preservation of the ancestral heritage. By the way, this seal can be removed quite easily, but I won't rush and interfere with it, or else...