"It seems that you have been up to a lot at Hogwarts, Altair," Altaira smiled at her son, who climbed off the bed where Astoria and Daphne were fast asleep.
She saw the Basilisk slither into his sleeve, disappearing, and sighed in her heart at the sight of her child happily grinning.
When he had revealed it, she nearly had a scare, but perhaps it was so small that they all found it deceptively disarming. Had he not told them that it was a Basilisk, none of them would have believed it to be the serpent of death.
"It worked," Altair brightly said, and both his grandparents, who were also present in the room, smiled.
Viviane slowly stepped forward and approached the bed, encasing both girls inside magical domes by tapping their foreheads with her wand.
She drew several magical runes on the domes, and minutes passed as she kept a keen eye on the changes taking place in the bodies of the two girls.
In her heart, she was deeply impressed that they had held on for hours under such excruciating pain, not just from the potion, but from the Basilisk Venom too, which Iblis had directly injected into their bodies in high quantity.
Seeing her furrowing her brows, Altair curiously watched. His instincts never lied to him, and he knew that the girls were safe, but his grandmother's expression was making him a little anxious right now.
He watched her wave her wand and heard her recite an incantation after a long time.
"Manifesto Animagi!"
Her wand pierced the magical dome and landed on Daphne's head, and an instant later, the girl began turning into a massive black king cobra, adorned with green and silver bands.
She was enormous. The entire bed was not enough for her, and they were all stunned at how beautiful and large she was.
Easily over thirty-three feet in length and about thirteen inches in girth at the widest.
Viviane pulled her wand away after she regained her composure, and Daphne quickly returned to her human form, still fast asleep.
Altair watched his grandparents share a glance of shock, and even Altaira was unable to control her racing heart.
Soon, however, the old witch smiled and then leaned in to plant a kiss on Daphne's forehead.
"You are a blessed child. More than you will ever understand," she said as she straightened her back and then walked over to her grandson. "Her Maledictus form has become her Animagus form. She is probably the only witch in known history to have achieved this, and her Animagus form is not simple. It is magical. So, you must keep it a secret, Altair. The world is better off not knowing the truth about it." Her words were solemn, and he knew why.
"I understand, Grandmother," he nodded and then reached into his pocket to take out three vials. "For you."
Viviane and Orion looked at him in surprise, and then his grandmother sighed.
"It will be wasted on us, Altair."
"No. Perhaps you will not receive all the benefits, but there may be some, and I would rather you have it than live the rest of my long life in regret that I did not even try. You may not be physically in your prime, but your magic has not declined."
His words caused his grandparents to smile.
"Well, thank you, Altair," Orion happily took them, and the boy rolled his eyes.
"No experiments, Grandfather. Please, do not ruin them. Just consume them."
The ladies in the room giggled when the old man made an aggrieved expression.
"No prying on my Slytherin secrets," Altair resolutely said, and his grandfather finally relented.
"Fine."
"Orion…" Viviane failed to stop her younger brother, who drank the contents of one of the vials in a single gulp. She quickly snatched the other two from his hand. "Serves you right," she grinned when her husband started to groan in pain.
She called out to their house-elf, Gibble, who teleported them to the room where Altair's grandaunt was.
Altaira, when she was alone with her child, tapped on his shoulder, and when he turned to look at her, she demanded a vial too.
"Where's mine?"
"Here." He happily reached into his pocket and gave her the vial, and seeing that her child had not forgotten her, she leaned in and planted a kiss on his forehead.
"Thank you."
She accepted the vial and pulled him with her to her room, and after she changed, she entered the bed and drank the contents of the vial in one go.
As soon as the pain started, she hugged her child and held him, and thankfully, with the Moonfox present with them, it was easier to cope with the excruciating pain.
Altair was still deeply impressed when he heard her not let out even a single groan. Her willpower was overwhelmingly strong, and soon, with her scent and in the embrace of his mother's warmth, he closed his eyes and fell asleep. In her arms, he felt safest, and in her arms, he had the best sleep of his life.
When Altair woke up the next afternoon, he felt refreshed, and only Illya was sleeping by his side.
His mother was in the room, sitting at her study, writing something in her journal, and sensing him get up, she smiled at him.
For a moment, Altair was stunned. Absolutely stunned. She was already considered one of the most beautiful witches in existence, but now, her fair skin was even more lustrous. She did not appear any younger, after all, she only looked like she was in her mid-twenties even before she consumed the potion, but Altair knew that her lifespan had dramatically risen.
"Good morning, Mother," he respectfully said as he got up and then went over to receive a kiss on his forehead.
"Good morning, my love." She nudged her nose against his, which made him chuckle. "And thank you for giving your mother the chance to stay by your side for a long, long time."
Altair rolled his eyes at her mischievous words and then planted a kiss on her forehead, which made her smile sweetly.
"I do not wish to see a day when you are not by my side, Mother," he sincerely said, and Altaira nudged her nose against his again.
"I know."
A very comforting silence fell between them, and then she took a deep breath and met his eyes.
"What's the name of this potion?"
"The Serpent's Draught of the Undying Soul."
Altaira stared at him and then rolled her eyes at the overbearing name, which made him laugh.
"And how many vials were there?" she gently asked, and felt warmth in her heart when her child did not hide the detail from her.
He trusted her with everything, and it truly made her happy.
"Forty-four."
"And now?"
"Thirty-three." When she raised her brow at him, he smiled. "I consumed one, gave them to Aurelia and Cho. Then Eléonore and Fleur, Daphne and Astoria. I have three for Grandfather, Grandmother, and Granna. And you."
Altaira smiled and hesitated for a moment, but then made a request.
"May I have one more?"
Altair curiously looked at her.
"Mother, a person only needs to consume one. The other will be useless."
"Not for me." She smiled, and he nodded to her.
"All right."
"You are not going to ask who it is for?" she gently inquired, and smiled when he shook his head. "It's for Amelia."
He looked at her in surprise, and then furrowed his brows.
"Why?" He was genuinely curious now.
"I intend to bind the Bones to the Blacks. The Greengrass are now bound to us too thanks to you. We already have Slytherin through you. Ravenclaw and Potter through Luna, and Malfoy through Aurelia and Draco. That would make seven of the Sacred and Noble Thirty-Three of Britain." She spoke meaningfully. "We need to hold, at least, one third with our direct blood, Altair. This will keep us in power for centuries to come."
He furrowed his brow and nodded.
"We cannot trust all the Pureblood Houses, my child. They are with us right now, but some are far too lost and cannot be saved. When Voldemort returns, and he will return, they will turn on us. They will try to control the Ministry and put pressure on me, Amelia, and others. If we do not have enough numbers, we will be vulnerable when that time comes. Lucius too bears the Death Mark. He regrets it, but he cannot get rid of it without putting Narcissa and their children at risk."
Altaira's words made him tense, and he lowered his head, deep in thought.
"Dumbledore is an enemy too. And he has some of the Thirty-Three Houses on his side as well. They are Abbott, Longbottom, MacDougal, Macmillan, Prewett, and Weasley. Bones were on his side too, but Amelia sees his truth. There are other Pureblood Houses, not of the Thirty-Three, mostly Gryffindor Houses who support him as well. He has lots of friends, and he is a master of manipulation," she said grimly. "When the time comes, he will try to throw them all into the war. All of us too. So, we need a faction that leans on neither side. We need numbers, and the political pull that the Sacred Thirty-Three hold is immense. We need a faction that can act as a voice of sanity and quietly control the Ministry, letting the other two sides fight their own battles. When they suffer losses, they will see the truth, and they will need a faction that can protect them."
Altair nodded in understanding and took a deep breath.
"Which Houses are on Voldemort's side?" he asked.
"Avery, Bulstrode, Crabbe, Flint, Goyle, Nott, Parkinson, and Yaxley. Lestrange and Malfoy too, but only nominally."
"Lestrange?" he frowned.
"Yes. Old Corvinus Lestrange never supported Voldemort, but he stayed quiet because his children had fallen to the whispers of the Dark Lord. Now, he is the only one left, the others are either dead or in Azkaban. However, he cannot openly switch sides or even declare neutrality. Not right now. When the time comes, people will see the truth, and he will make his move and declare his granddaughter, Roxana Rosier, née Lestrange, as the regent. Her daughter, Laetitia, will be named the Lestrange Heir."
"I see…"
Seeing him furrow his brows and think seriously, Altaira felt relieved.
"How do you plan to bind Bones to us?" he asked, and she smiled.
"Through you and Draco, my love," she said. "Your cousin is betrothed to Susan, remember?"
Altair nodded his head, but his question remained.
"Your potion can fix the issue Amelia has, and she will no longer be barren. In the summer after, when you return at the end of your third year, she will secretly take you as her consort, and you will sire the next Bones heir in her womb."
He blushed hard at her words, and she giggled.
"Is she not pretty?" she asked, and he blushed harder.
"That is not it…"
"I know." She gently said and leaned close to his face, looking into his eyes. "Sometimes, you have to make certain choices not because you want to, but because they are important for the future of your family, especially when there is no harm. I will never force you to do it. If you will not do it, I will ask Draco, but Amelia is unlikely to agree to him."
"And if neither of us agrees?"
"Then it is just a missed opportunity. No need to give me that vial. We'd better not help Amelia if you do not plan on giving her children." She shrugged, and he weirdly looked at her.
"Does she even want children?"
"That is her one wish in life. She was devastated when she found out that she could not have them. And she would do anything for the chance of becoming a mother."
"Oh…"
He fell into deep thought again before meeting his mother's eyes.
"I will do it, and I also intend to pull Gemma on our side. She is the Dumbledore Heiress, and on New Year's Eve, she will become the Lady of the Dumbledore Family."
Altaira furrowed her brows at his words.
"Can she be trusted?"
"Yes."
"Is she special enough?"
"Very." He smiled. "Why do you think I chose her as my duelling partner and not Damien, Cordelia, and others? Her potential is extraordinary. She is a very talented and capable witch. Ambitious too."
"Ambitious?"
"She plans on becoming the Minister of the British Magical Realm one day."
Altaira smiled, regarded him for a few moments, and then her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"I see. Tell her that if she gets Outstanding in all her subjects in NEWTs, wins this year's Ancient Runes Decipher Dash and the Tri-Spell Relay, wins the British Duelling Circuit in 1992, and European Duelling Circuit the year after, takes you as her consort, applies at the Auror Office, and performs exceptionally, she will become the Minister one day by my blessings. Possibly the youngest Minister in history."
Altair stared at his mother in silence, and seeing the mischief in her eyes, he smiled.
"I shall hold you true to your words, Mother."
His words caused her to look at him in surprise and then she fell silent.
"You have so much confidence in her?"
"Yes." He nodded unhesitatingly, and she was surprised again.
"I see. Well, now that I have said it, if she manages to achieve it all, she will become the youngest Minister in history."
"Promise?"
"Promise." She nodded and watched him smile as he called Fruska and teleported away with her.
Altair returned a while later and handed her a potion vial, which was meant for Amelia Bones.
"And I shall hold you true to your promise, Altair. No backing down now."
"I will not…"
His words had not even finished when Gibble appeared by his side and teleported him away to his grandparents' room.
For a moment, he was stunned when he saw them and his Granna, who had turned younger, now looking like they were in their early forties or late thirties.
"Where's your Basilisk?" Orion grabbed his shoulders and excitedly asked. "I want it to bite me."
His brows furrowed but he nodded and asked Iblis to come out of his sleeve. He ordered his serpent in Parseltongue, and his grandfather merely flinched as he was injected with the deadly venom.
All of his fair skin turned red as he sweated profusely, bearing the burning pain, but he visibly relaxed after a while.
"Intriguing…"
He then pulled Altair next to the life-sized mirror and asked him to order his Basilisk to open its eyes and look into the mirror.
When he did not end up petrified, he became even more elated and made him partake in several more experiments.
In the end, he said something that dismayed Altair.
"I feel like I can give you an uncle, Altair, or perhaps a beautiful aunt whom you can marry in the future…"
"Orion!" Viviane pulled him by his ear, and the young Morvaine laughed his heart out at seeing his grandmother and Granna blushing furiously.
Unbeknownst to him, Orion's thoughtless words were going to come true one day, and only a year later a pair of his little aunts would be born…