Ouroboros || harry potter

Chapter Twenty-Seven

(Arcturus)

"I abhorred you," Arcturus announced towards his grandfather's portrait as he slammed through his office door and stomped over to the long-dead headmaster of Hogwarts.

"An illuminating meeting then, wasn't it?" his grandfather's portrait almost purred out, looking very much like the kneazle that had gotten the dust-fairy. "I hope you've begun setting the stones in place for a truly intriguing alliance."

Arcturus could feel his eye twitch. He closed his eyes and took a moment to just breathe. Grandfather couldn't have actually told him anything useful. The founders had restricted the information.

"Yes grandfather, I believe there is potential." He turned from the wall of portraits, ignored the explosion of questions from all the various dead kin, and settled into his desk chair before unrolling House Black's copy of the magically binding contract with House Slytherin. Arcturus took a moment to trace the signature of his Hogwarts house's founder in no little amount of wonder.

At least he had gotten to see the mirror of his shocked revelation on his notary's face. The poor sod would never be able to tell anyone about it either while he could. Not that telling all would do anything positive for the budding relationship.

"Elmore!"

The elderly House elf pop-clicked into the room and swept into a bow. "Master Arcturus calls?"

"Inform Cassiopeia that I would speak with her at once, prepare the owls for letter delivery, bring me a stack of my embossed parchment, my medicated tea, and the genealogy book," he ordered in rapid-fire.

The elf pop-clicked from the room only to reappear a moment later with a pot of his medicated tea and other requested items floating about him. All of it floated over and settled safely onto his desk. Elmore snapped his fingers and lit the fireplace before he announced, "Mistress Cassiopeia is on her way," and then pop-clicked away.

"Well, what did our resident Slytherin want," demanded Grandfather.

Arcturus rested a hand on the genealogy book as he retraced all the information he had learned and settled again and again on one horrible fact. "Squibs may not be squibs."

"What?"

He turned and stared over at the portraits. The general bewilderment was clear. He explained properly, "The contract binds all of you from speaking of this through other portraits...Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor have returned somehow. Perhaps they will explain how to me someday." He shook his head. "Pater Slytherin is certain the majority of squibs are not squibs. They just have inaccessible cores due to the lack of...of maintenance, I suppose." Arcturus picked up the contract and added, "He will help House Black gain an heir and take care of our cores in return for a meeting with Sirius—his godfather—monetary assets, and a reasonable boon."

He frowned as he stared down at the agreement and muttered to himself in realization, "I should have asked to be taught how to do these purification rituals. I'll have to find out what that will cost...We don't have a druid grove though...How does Slytherin have a druid's grove?"

"I'd add, how does one use a druid grove without being a druid," his Great Aunt Elladora called out, revealing that he wasn't muttering all that quietly.

Her words broke the stunned silence from the other portraits and questions flew. Arcturus flicked his wand out and silenced the lot. He had no interest in discussing this with any of them now. He needed to process it all still. He needed to push forward with it too.

Arcturus could not help but turn to the book instead of all the letters he needed to send.

The fire crackled in the hearth as he turned a page of his House tree. He traced a finger over each name with a missing death date. So many Blacks lost from ignorance. Too many to hunt down and bring back into the family.