Chapter 34 — Meeting Lord Black 1
Two days after my visit to the Tonks house, I received an owl from Madam Tonks. The owl came early in the morning and scratched the window with its claw until I opened it. I took the note from its leg. The handwriting was neat and sharp. Madam Tonks had written that she had arranged a meeting with Lord Arcturus Black for the next day at eleven in the morning. She instructed me to dress properly and reach her house before eleven, so she could take me to the meeting place.
I wrote a short reply at once. I told her that I would be ready, and I thanked her. I then treated the owl with a small biscuit and stroked its head before tying my note to its leg. It flew away at once.
The next day, I reached the Tonks house at ten forty-five. As I entered through the gate, I saw that Senior Tonks was inside the hall in casual clothes. She looked relaxed and had no intention of attending. Ted Tonks was also dressed like it was any normal day. Only Madam Tonks was in full wizarding robes. Her outfit was dark blue with silver edges. It looked formal and proper. It matched what the books described as suitable for meeting a pure-blood lord.
She looked at me from head to toe twice. Then she nodded and said, "You look handsome in that dress."
I thanked her. I was wearing the standard formal wizarding robes that I bought from Madam Malkin's. They were simple, dark, and neat. The robe had a proper fastening at the chest, and the inner shirt had clean white cuffs. The shoes were black and polished. The books said it was respectful to dress modestly when meeting a Lord of an Ancient House. So I chose something plain.
Madam Tonks told me that we would travel by Apparition. She warned me to hold still. She placed one hand on my shoulder. I took a deep breath. She twisted on the spot, and the world squeezed around me like a tight tube. It felt as if something pulled my stomach inside itself. The sound was like air cracking. My feet hit the ground again, and I opened my eyes.
After we arrived, I held my balance and stood steady on the ground. Madam Andromeda looked at me with mild surprise.
Andromeda : I expected that you will feel dizzy or disoriented on your first long-distance Apparition. But you have been steady.
Arthur: I work out every day, so maybe that helped me stay steady.
She gave a short nod and said, "Very well." Then we looked at the house before us.
We stood in front of a large manor. It was dark and old. It looked like it had once been grand, but the walls were worn and the windows were dusty. The door was heavy and had a serpent-shaped knocker. I had seen drawings of 12 Grimmauld Place in books, and this looked just like the description. A house that belonged to the Blacks and magic but had lost its shine and life with time.
Andromeda stepped forward and knocked. The door opened a moment later. An old house-elf stood there. His back was bent, and his ears drooped. He looked weak and tired, as if the house had drained the life out of him. The spark that a house-elf usually had was missing.
He bowed and said, "Mistress Andromeda."
She replied, "Kreacher, take me to Grandfather. He is waiting."
He nodded at once and led us inside. He spoke little. He did not look insane like the stories said he would later become. He looked sad instead. Maybe it was because Lord Arcturus was still alive, and the house had not fallen into complete madness.
We walked through narrow hallways lined with dark curtains and dusty frames. Everything smelled old and still. I stayed close behind Andromeda.
Kreacher stopped before a door and knocked. "Master, Mistress Andromeda is here with a boy to meet you."
A voice from inside said, "Let them in."
Kreacher opened the door and stepped aside. He did not enter. He only made a small gesture for us to go in. Andromeda entered first. I followed.
The study was large and filled with bookshelves. The furniture was old and carved. The air felt heavy. An old man sat at the main desk. His shoulders were narrow, and his face had deep wrinkles. But even in his old age, his posture was straight. His eyes looked dull, as if he had lost all reason to live, but his voice, when he spoke, was steady.
He stared at me from the moment I entered.
Andromeda bowed her head slightly. "Grandfather, this is Arthur Dursley. He is Harry Potter's cousin. He says he has important information for you."
I bowed properly, the way the etiquette book instructed. "Good morning, Lord Black. Thank you for granting me this meeting."
He nodded once. "Welcome, Mr. Dursley. I am impressed. You have followed the etiquette of our world well, even though you were born to Muggles and are new to this. Many who are born in old households do not follow them properly. Now, tell me what matter brings you to the House of Black."
I cleared my throat. "It is about the legitimate heir of the House of Black, my Lord."
He raised one eyebrow. "As far as the family registry shows, there is no legitimate male heir left. That registry is tied to ancient blood spells. They do not make mistakes. So choose your next words carefully."
I nodded. "I understand, my Lord. But there is a living male heir who is rotting in Azkaban right now. Sirius Black."
The moment I said the name Sirius Black, Lord Arcturus's expression changed at once. His eyes hardened and his voice rose with sudden anger. "Do not take that filthy name here," he said. "That idiot did not believe in pure-blood values, did not respect bloodline magic, and chose another path. Even that would have been acceptable. I would have only struck his name from the family." His voice grew sharper. "But no. He could not stay true even to that. He is a coward who could not even hold on to his belief. He backstabbed his friends. He betrayed James Potter who was like his brother but in name. He backstabbed the Potters and left a magical child to be killed by the Dark Lord. We do not have betrayers in the House of Black. Do not speak that name again."
I was shocked by Lord Arcturus's rage. What surprised me even more was that he was less angry about Sirius rejecting pure-blood beliefs, and more angry about him being a traitor to the Potters and to the Light. It made me realise something. In the wizarding world, people might accept different beliefs or ideas to a limit, but backstabbers and betrayers had no place anywhere.
End of Chapter 34 — Meeting Lord Black 1