What would happen if there was a slight change in the family tapestry of The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black?
Specifically, four years before the birth of a certain Sirius Orion Black III, a little baby girl was welcomed into the world.
She wa...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
--------------------> THERE WAS A TERM FOR THIS. This huddling of powerful people creating strategies under heavy anti-eavesdropping wards and enchantments that wouldn't allow outsiders to read lip movements. This uneasiness, the sharpness of their eyes and the calculation in their words. Had they not been surrounded by the bright white walls of the hospital, had they not had the stench of chemicals and anaesthetic potions staining the normally odourless air, they could have termed it war-council.
However, their location reminded them of their purpose. Of Cassandra's uneven breathing in the Intensive Care Unit. Of Gideon's broken bones in a private ward a few floors below. Of Fabian painfully re-growing each layer of his skin like a snake two corridors over.
"I don't know if this helps, but he kept saying that he's immortal," revealed Theodore after Lyra asked him and Dennis to share whatever they knew about the Dark Lord. "Like, constantly. You could ask him how much sugar he liked in his tea and he'd still find a way to brag about his immortality."
Lyra tilted her head. "Nothing is immortal. Even stars combust. But what did he do that made him think he is?"
"Rituals for prolonged life are common in Asia," chimed Lucius, rubbing his chin almost theatrically. "I'll make a list for you, if you'd like, to help narrow things down. It was, in fact, one of the reasons I wanted to come to Malaysia so badly. It's rumoured that the majority of the elders are more than five hundred years old. Hence, the reason why Malaysia's magical history is so accurate—these people have literally lived through it."
"Like the Flamels?"
"Not quite. Unlike the Flamels where the philosopher's stone anchors their mortality, in Malaysia, it's along the lines of an immensely slow ageing ritual."
"He looked monstrous when I last saw him at the ball," said Lyra, recalling the slits he had for his nose and the corpse-white colour of his skin. "I think his method is more like the Flamels. His immortality must be tied to an object."
"Or objects," piqued Theodore.
"Or objects," agreed Lyra. "So we'll need to find them and find out how he defiled them to fuel his apparent immortality."
"Do you think the Dark Lord will tell us if we ask him?" Dennis mused aloud.
Lucius clapped his hands together, visage over-exaggeratedly cheerful. "Yes, let's do that. Greetings, my Lord, we'd like to know how you're immortal so we could reverse it and kill you."
"He might if we ask politely."
"I volunteer you to ask him that," said Lucius, raising his hand.
Lyra nodded in agreement. "Regulus is your godbrother, after all, and your father cherishes him dearly. I'm confident your father would much rather make him Lord Yaxley than give it to one of your cousins if you die by sprouting some draconian law."
