[Note: Read up to Chapter - 153 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"Brother, if I were stronger, maybe this wouldn't be so bad, right?" Luna asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Aris and Luna had just arrived in Diagon Alley after breakfast. Xenophilius had already returned to the black tower, insisting on going back to clean up the mess his house had caused.
Aris knew full well that Xenophilius was planning to finish the manuscript and publish the entire story in The Quibbler. He understood the pressure Xenophilius was under to document everything that had happened. Aris appreciated the gesture of help, but the weight of the situation still hung heavily on his mind.
"In fact, even if you had the power of an adult wizard, you might not have done any better in this situation," Aris said with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Luna. I'll be fine!"
"Even so, I'm going to buy more books from Flourish and Blotts this time. The only way to truly stand by your side in the future is to keep improving myself and become as powerful as you," Luna said, her determination clear. "If you want to take control of your own destiny, getting stronger is the only way to go, right?"
"Exactly!" Aris nodded in agreement. He was pleasantly surprised by how much Luna had grasped after everything she'd experienced. It seemed that she hadn't left this encounter empty-handed after all.
He wholeheartedly supported her desire to grow stronger. Aris knew there would be even more challenges ahead. If elemental magic was to truly take root and thrive in this world, there would be countless obstacles to overcome. This path could easily lead to making enemies with the entire world.
"Perhaps it's not much different from what Grindelwald did," Aris thought, his mind wandering for a moment. "One day, we might find ourselves facing enemies all over the world."
He hoped that everyone around him—whether it was Hermione, Cho, or even Harry—would eventually have the strength to protect themselves. It was something Aris had always strived for, helping them improve their abilities so they could stand strong in the future.
"Then let's go, but you've got to give me a discount..." Luna said with a cute wrinkle of her nose, her voice laced with a playful pout. "My dad only gave me two hundred galleons. I'm practically emptying his wallet!"
"Of course, I'll give you a 10% discount!" Aris laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "After all, it's family rates!"
Luna paused for a moment, then grinned, "Isn't that a bit too low? Brother, if you keep doing business like that, you'll end up losing money!"
"It's alright, the last thing I need is more Galleons!" Aris grinned.
Not having seen Luna for a term, it was clear she'd grown a bit taller and more charming. Aris couldn't help but feel a fondness as he thought to himself, 'After all, she's one of my future wives... No, I mean… adopted sister, but still, what's a little support from me?'
Aris, in truth, probably couldn't even begin to spend all the wealth his family had amassed, even if he spent ten lifetimes trying. And, with the family business continuing to rake in profits, money was hardly something he'd run out of.
It wasn't that he couldn't spend it... it was more that he'd never want to.
…
As they approached Flourish & Blotts, the familiar sounds of voices reached his ears.
"You really don't know where Aris is? Do you at least know where his home is?"
"How about we ask Uncle Henry? Where's he gone off to?"
"Uncle Henry hasn't shown up either? Not a word from him in days?"
"How could this happen? Why didn't Aris write us a letter to tell us what's been going on?"
"It's over, isn't it? Aris isn't being hunted by the Ministry of Magic now, is he?"
Aris immediately recognised the voices of Harry, Ronald, Hermione, and Cho. He glanced at Luna, took her hand, and walked into the bookstore.
"Have you been looking for me?" Aris's voice rang out across the room.
The four little wizards, who were still pestering the clerk, spun around at the sound of his voice.
"Aris!!!"
"What are you doing here?"
"Aren't you supposed to be carted off to Azkaban by the Ministry of Magic? I thought they'd at least put some restrictions on you..."
"Well, it seems the situation isn't as bad as we thought. I can finally breathe easy!"
Without another word, Hermione and Cho rushed towards Aris, both throwing their arms around him in relief.
Harry and Ronald let out a collective sigh of relief, their faces breaking into smiles.
"Brother, are these your classmates? I should know them..." Luna's soft, ethereal voice interrupted the moment.
She turned to Hermione with a smile, her eyes twinkling. "We've met before, right? In this very bookstore last time, remember?"
"Of course, Luna Lovegood, how could I forget!" Hermione responded warmly, her eyes bright with recognition.
Realising she may have been a bit too hasty, Hermione quickly released Aris and wrapped Luna in a gentle hug.
"And you must be… um… Cho Chang?" Luna's gaze shifted to Cho, and she called her name with surprising precision.
"My brother writes to me often, and he always speaks so highly of you. He says you're a very clever little witch, the only female Quidditch Seeker at Hogwarts, and that you've helped him a great deal in the lab. He says you're a true and trustworthy friend!"
"And you, Harry Potter! We've met you too!" Luna said, her eyes bright. "Remember? In the Leaky Cauldron?"
"Of course, it's good to see you again!" Harry greeted Luna, a little stiff but clearly pleased.
"And you must be… well… with that red hair… definitely…. Ronald Weasley!" Luna continued, finally turning to the red-haired boy. "My brother mentioned you. He said that although you can be a bit silly at times, you're very loyal and a trustworthy friend. He also said you're excellent at wizard's chess!"
"Um... hello, Luna!" Ronald replied, a bit flustered. While he didn't quite agree with Aris's description of him as 'a little silly,' he still shook Luna's hand warmly.
Once all the introductions were finished, Aris cleared his throat and said, "I didn't expect you'd come all the way here. This situation looks serious, but don't worry, it's all under control. Everything will be fine."
"Really? Ron was horrified when he heard that you might be imprisoned in Azkaban." Harry spoke up, concern in his voice.
Ronald scratched his head awkwardly. "Cho and Hermione were more anxious. She's been trying to track you down! Even Cho... she wrote to her mum to ask about you, but the information she got wasn't very clear..."
Hermione and Cho blushed, their gaze dropping to the floor.
"By the way, Cho's mum works at the Ministry of Magic, you know that, right?"
"Yeah, I know!" Aris nodded in acknowledgment.
In the original book, there isn't much said about Cho's mother, but from a few details, it's clear she works at the Ministry of Magic. For example, when Cho joined Dumbledore's Army, her mum seemed to strongly oppose it. If they were from an ordinary wizard family, even if they didn't support it, they probably wouldn't have had a full-on row over it.
There's only one possibility: Cho's mum works at the Ministry of Magic, so she's all hush-hush about this whole situation. You know, the Ministry and Dumbledore weren't exactly on the best of terms at the time. As a Ministry employee, Cho's mum probably didn't want her daughter siding with Dumbledore, as that would've caused a heap of trouble for her job.
"Thank you!" Aris smiled and nodded at the little wizards.
Even though their actions didn't exactly help him take on the pure-blood families, it was still nice to know that they cared and were worried about him.
It's always good to have friends who look out for you, right?
"To show my appreciation for your concern, I'd like to invite you all to visit Shafiq Castle. What do you think?" Aris paused, then made the offer to Hermione and the others.
During the two-week break, Aris felt a bit too lonely in the castle.
Though Luna was there, it still felt like it would be livelier with more people around. Plus, Aris wanted to take advantage of the time to help improve the strength of his friends, especially Hermione and Cho. They'd studied elemental magic with him for a whole semester, and their understanding and affinity for it had greatly improved. Now was the perfect time to teach them some real elemental magic.
Ronald's eyes immediately lit up with excitement. "That would be brilliant!"
"Well, we don't have anywhere else to go for Christmas," Harry added with a grin. "To be honest, we snuck out without telling Professor McGonagall. We're probably going to get punished when we return, but it's totally worth it to see that you're alright!"
He hadn't really seen a proper wizarding castle yet! He was curious whether it would be as grand as Hogwarts.
"I might need to let my parents know. They're expecting me home," Hermione hesitated, unsure.
"Of course, no problem. You can head back first, and I'll have Henry pick you up!" Aris responded with a smile.
"Well, that's no issue for me!" Hermione said, her excitement clear.
"Cho, what about you?" Aris turned to the last of the little witches.
"I think I'll be fine," Cho replied after a moment's thought. "I can write a letter to my mum. She's always busy and doesn't have much time to spend with me, so a few more days with you all sounds perfect!"
"Great! It's settled then!" Aris clapped his hands, pleased.
He then picked out a thick stack of books for Luna, all of which he felt would be perfect for her to study at the moment.
The group left the bookstore, and soon found themselves at Shafiq Castle.
Aris led everyone through the Floo Network, and as they stepped out of the fireplace, Harry and the others couldn't help but start exploring, their eyes darting around the grand living room.
At that moment, Henry hurried over to Aris.
"Henry, you're just in time," Aris said. "Please take Hermione home. She needs to tell her family about her time here. If her parents are okay with it, bring them over for a visit. But be polite, yeah? Got it?"
"Of course, young master," Henry replied, glancing at the little group that had appeared in the living room. He seemed to understand instantly.
"Hold on, what's going on with you? You seem in a bit of a rush," Aris observed, clearly noticing Henry's slightly off-kilter expression.
Henry's tone shifted as he grew more serious. "Yes, that's exactly what I needed to tell you..."
"There's an important visitor coming soon... someone you should know!" Henry said, his tone serious.
"And, the Ministry of Magic will be sending someone to speak with you about last night's events. When they arrive, you just need to..."
Before Henry could finish, Aris interrupted, "I know exactly what to do, don't worry!"
"If they fail to understand the nature of the situation, I'll make sure they do!" he added with a slight smirk.
Aris then turned to Henry with a more relaxed expression. "Thanks for your hard work this evening. We'll discuss the details later!"
"You can take Hermione home first. If there's nothing urgent, I'll handle the Ministry of Magic folks."
"Yes, Master!" Henry nodded, but then paused, as if thinking something over. "Actually, there's one more thing—it's about the Malfoy family. Lucius Malfoy and his son, Draco, mentioned they wanted to see you."
"Huh?!" Aris paused for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Alright, we'll wait for the Ministry of Magic folks to leave first, and then we'll invite them over."
"Understood, Master!" Henry bowed respectfully, then made his way toward the others.
As he walked, he recalled what Aris had pointed out earlier. This girl—she must hold some special meaning to the young master, or he wouldn't be giving her so much attention.
"Well, the young master is truly impressive," Henry thought, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Not only did he win over Miss Luna, but he's also brought back two beautiful, charming little witches from Hogwarts. The Shafiq family certainly seems to have a bright future ahead!"
With that, Henry sighed contentedly.
After observing the three girls in the living room, he wiped the fatherly warmth from his face, composed himself, and made his way over to Hermione.
…
Over on the other side, Aris gave Harry and the others a quick tour of the castle before handing them over to the house-elf, Snoopy, for a more thorough exploration.
Meanwhile, Shirley, dressed in a maid outfit, was brought along by Aris.
Someone from the Ministry of Magic would be arriving soon, and he couldn't very well go alone to discuss matters—it would lack the necessary presence! Bringing along a cute little maid would add both charm and gravitas to the situation.
And, of course, we can't forget Dobby! Having an extra helper would definitely make things easier. Although Aris suspected it might not come to that.
Just then, Shirley burst into the room, looking flustered. "Master, there's an old wizard outside the castle... and he seems to have just walked in on his own!"
Aris, who had just changed into new clothes, gave her a quick glance. Shirley was panting, likely from running too fast, her chest rising and falling with each breath.
"An old wizard? He walked in by himself?" Aris frowned slightly, confused.
The defenses at Shafiq Castle were no joke. They were far stronger than Malfoy Manor's, and that's why he had asked Shirley to meet the Ministry of Magic's visitors at the gate. Without someone to guide them, they'd struggle to find their way to the living room.
Aris had personally checked the castle's defenses and found everything in order. He had even set up an elemental magic circle on the perimeter, serving as both a warning and a deterrent. With such formidable protections, how could anyone have entered the castle undetected?
"Aris, it's me!" A familiar voice echoed from outside the hall.
"Professor Dumbledore!" Aris's eyes brightened, and all his doubts vanished in an instant.
Of course, if it was Dumbledore, everything made sense. He was likely the only person in the world capable of entering Shafiq Castle so effortlessly. After all, Dumbledore was not only a master wizard but also one of the few who had started studying elemental magic. No one else could bypass the elemental defenses so easily.
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 153 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]