HP - Shadow Monarch!

[Chapter Size: 1800 Words.]

Third Person POV

London.

...

...

"Then you seem to know me..." Astraea Black said calmly, studying Snape for a moment.

"Hard not to know you, my lady," Snape replied in an even tone. After all, she was a well-known figure in the wizarding community; not even the Malfoys had the privileges she enjoyed.

"Even so, I'm surprised that you know, after all, you're not someone I usually encounter." She spoke calmly, though Snape could sense a hint of disdain in her voice, clearly placing him in a lower class in her view.

Despite the subtle offense towards Snape and his half-blood status, he didn't really mind it. As long as no harm was intended against him, he never cared about being called such; it had never stopped him from doing what he needed to, despite the heavy prejudice that most of the great families harbored against wizards born in Muggle homes.

"I've met many people from the great families this year, far more than in previous years, so I'm well-informed," Snape responded.

"Ah yes... you can be sure that you've become somewhat famous, even among the wizards of the great families. Tell me, Severus Snape... what is your secret? After all, even my granddaughter seems to recognize you, as she insisted on this meeting," she said calmly, while the portraits seemed to take an interest.

"Grandmother... I don't think..." Bellatrix attempted to argue, not wanting to appear foolish. After all, she had a contract with Snape for him to come here to train her, though she hadn't mentioned this to her grandmother yet.

But before her granddaughter could continue, Astraea raised a hand, signaling her to stop. "You needn't say anything more, my granddaughter. Just let me hear what the boy has to say," she spoke as Bellatrix obediently fell silent.

"It's a long story; I doubt you'd actually be interested in tales from a sixth-year student," Snape said calmly.

"I was curious and might have indulged in a conversation... but I am a very busy woman, constantly taking care of the Black family. So let's get straight to the point, Snape... why did you convince my granddaughter to arrange this meeting?" She asked, looking at him with intense eyes.

"You are right... I believe we can begin. I am here because I want to acquire one of your properties," Snape stated simply, while Astraea and Bellatrix raised their eyebrows.

The moment those words left Snape's mouth, the atmosphere seemed to grow darker. Astraea looked at him, wondering if he was joking; she couldn't believe Snape could afford a Black property. This appeared to offend her; she refused to believe it, feeling as though she were wasting her time by coming here, which was something she despised more than anything else in the world—wasting her time on trivial matters, especially in conversation with a half-blood.

"Do you know what you're saying, boy...? Which property do you wish to acquire?" she asked, looking at him with a serious tone, allowing Snape to speak as she restrained her growing anger. Bellatrix remained silent, observing Snape carefully. She shared her grandmother's thoughts but not Astraea's anger; she had to admit he'd mentioned something like this, though without many details.

"I want the shop that's for sale in Diagon Alley," Snape said simply, as the tension between them grew even thicker, even the portraits sensing how the current Lady Black was beginning to get irritated.

"You want that shop? It's over 400 square meters! Do you know how much a property in Diagon Alley costs, especially one that size? You must be joking with me, aren't you?" She spoke mockingly, her tone even more severe than before, as her gaze fell on her favorite granddaughter, her expression asking how she could have brought this fool before her.

"That's why I didn't speak with your family's magical agent—after all, they would treat me this way. But still, you put the shop up for sale, and I want to buy it. Without being able to go through your agent and get a chance at the contract, I came directly here, hoping I could buy the shop straight from the owner," Snape replied.

She looked at him for a while, as Snape appeared unfazed or perhaps oblivious to the dissatisfaction in her gaze. Then she broke the silence. "I admire your boldness, Snape... but I am still very displeased that you made me waste my time here. After all, the shop is listed for 150,000 Galleons, and we're already negotiating with the Nott family. That amount of gold is something you'll never have in your life," she mocked, while the portraits seemed to relish the humiliating situation for the half-blood. Strangely, Bellatrix didn't have the same mocking look as the others; there was a certain worry in her eyes.

Snape merely raised an eyebrow, showing no fear of the old woman's glare, a look that would send chills down most spines. On the contrary, he merely smirked, finding the situation amusing.

Astraea noticed this, and her gaze grew even more severe. "You know... you're really beginning to irritate me. Give me one reason not to torture you here and now with an Unforgivable for your audacity." The atmosphere grew even tenser, and Snape felt her trying to invade his mind.

A simple conversation had escalated into something far more hostile now, and Snape allowed Astraea to enter his mind, for he knew what awaited her there, just as it had with Dumbledore.

Astraea, confident she could shatter this half-blood for his audacity—something no one had likely ever dared to do to her—let her pride dictate her actions. She wanted to learn about Snape first, before punishing him and possibly even reprimanding Bellatrix for bringing someone like him into her home. She was surprised that Snape met her gaze without fear, while his eyes began to gleam with a faint blue hue. She dismissed it, considering him merely a child, and swiftly delved into his mind in search of knowledge.

Snape had outperformed several pure-blood students, positioning himself above everyone else last year. Astraea was surprised that even her granddaughter, who had outshone everyone since her fifth year, had been overtaken by him this year. News had begun reaching her from the school about this half-blood challenging every student, which was, in her eyes, most unfavorable.

None of the families wanted someone who wasn't a pure-blood or from a highly respected house to surpass the students they meticulously trained from a young age to become shining examples of their families in the wizarding world, seeking the highest positions.

Even more now that the war was truly about to erupt in the coming years. This year, many heirs had graduated from Hogwarts, and those aligned with the Dark Lord would soon begin acting as Death Eaters, supporting the pure-blood cause. All who stood with the Dark Lord were beginning their training to place these heirs in the right positions in the new magical society, ready to assume leadership of their families.

The Black family had an unofficial heir for the wizarding community, but Astraea had already decided that Regulus would lead the family. He was the perfect example of a pure-blood wizard, despite his youth, whereas his cousins were far less capable, especially his older brother, Sirius, who had been a disappointment to the family and ultimately had to be disowned.

As for her granddaughters, all would be strategically married into prominent families to further the Dark Lord's cause, with Bellatrix and Narcissa already betrothed. Though Andromeda had shown herself to be rather rebellious about it, Astraea still had two Black women who would aid in uniting the families. She was already negotiating Bellatrix's marriage with the Nott family.

Everything was proceeding according to their plan, or almost everything. After all, this year saw a half-blood rising to challenge all the great families at Hogwarts in class, not only irritating many of them but managing to stay alive and well, even entering the Black household and mocking her.

But she was about to punish him for his audacity, perhaps even on behalf of all the families that wished to punish—or even kill—him. She was a master of Legilimency and didn't believe that a mere 16- or 17-year-old boy would have the ability to stop her from getting something so simple.

She wanted to know why Snape was doing so well after making so many enemies, how someone who was a nobody had suddenly become powerful in dueling, smart enough to achieve top marks in every subject. This sudden change was suspicious, and she would soon uncover Snape's secrets. Because, obviously, he had one.

As she felt herself entering Snape's mind, she was shocked to feel her own mind being pulled inward. She was no longer in control of his mind; instead, she was surrounded by darkness—pure, deep darkness—as if she were in an abyss.

"What is this? What's happening? This shouldn't be happening!" she murmured, starting to feel a bit uneasy about her current situation.

"Hm?!" She suddenly noticed a different light in the midst of that darkness, and then purple eyes began to open—so enormous that she instinctively took a step back, feeling minuscule as they stared down at her.

"What is this!" For the first time in many years, Astraea lost her composure, feeling something she couldn't even remember feeling.

"Am I... afraid?!" Her voice sounded weaker than she intended as she kept stepping back. She didn't understand what was staring at her, but it struck terror into her heart just by meeting those purple eyes.

The eyes watched her the entire time as if she were an irritating flea, seeming to wonder what she was doing there. Astraea quickly attempted to escape but found she could no longer move, trapped with that being as fear gripped her heart.

She had to remain there, feeling that fear as the eyes seemed to take pleasure in her misfortune. However, everything began to lighten once the eyes decided to close, and she seemed to be returning to the physical world—but at the same time, she wasn't, for now, she found herself in the middle of London. She could recognize its features, at least half of what was left.

"This is London... What happened here?" Astraea found herself in a completely destroyed place, with flames burning in a nearly ruined city. It didn't take long before she witnessed things she could never have imagined, as England seemed to be at war. But instead of Death Eaters fighting Ministry Aurors as she had planned, there were monsters fighting one another—dozens, or perhaps hundreds of thousands of them, as she witnessed the battlefield before her eyes.

This left the woman who had commanded the Black family since her husband's death feeling weak, faltering at the thought of how the world could come to this, filled with darkness.

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