The silence that had followed the Weasley twins' statement was broken by the soft scraping of a wooden chair.
Remus Lupin leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His face was crisscrossed with scars, making him look prematurely aged, and his eyes reflected deep fatigue.
"Very well, Albus. The cards are on the table," said Lupin, his calm voice acting as an anchor for the agitated Order. "But the key question now is: What next? What will become of us, and how shall we act in the face of this new… and revealing variable?"
Albus Dumbledore clasped his hands in front of him. Despite the gravity of the situation, an enigmatic and unusually serene smile curved his lips. His face stood in strange contrast to the ancient wisdom radiating from his blue eyes.
"What comes next, Remus, is surprisingly simple," Albus replied softly. "We will not move against Lord Voldemort."
A wave of stunned silence swept through the dining room at The Burrow.
All the members of the Order looked at one another, their eyes wide. Sirius exchanged a stunned glance with Lupin, while Molly brought a hand to her chest. For a moment, the collective thought was unanimous. Age had finally caught up with Dumbledore's mind. As young and revitalized as his body appeared, his brain seemed to have shut down. Not take action against the darkest wizard of all time?
Noticing the silent panic, Dumbledore cleared his throat and raised a hand to calm the room before tempers flared.
"Calm down, please," the headmaster asked. "Understand this. Unfortunately, Voldemort is not our true enemy at this very moment. And, more importantly, we cannot act directly against him as long as he remains our country's Minister of Magic. A strike against him would not be seen as a victory for the light, but as high treason and a coup d'état that would destroy us."
Little by little, the disbelief on the faces of those present turned into a bitter and tense realization. Everyone at the table nodded reluctantly, acknowledging the inescapable truth behind his words.
Albus parted his hands and rested them flat on the wooden table.
"Therefore, we will do the unthinkable," Dumbledore declared. "We will ally ourselves with him, even if only in a practical, behind-the-scenes capacity, all to confront Gellert Grindelwald."
The tension in the room was so thick you could almost cut it with a knife. Fred and George Weasley leaned back in their chairs and laughed openly.
"Well, well… the classic scenario where 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend,' eh?" commented Fred with a crooked smile.
"Who would have thought that the monstrous, psychopathic Minister is our temporary ally," added George, shrugging.
Albus let out a long, weary sigh.
"That's right, boys," agreed the headmaster, not bothering to reprimand them for their humor.
From the other end of the table, Kingsley Shacklebolt's deep voice caught everyone's attention.
"And the alliance makes sense if we broaden our perspective," the Auror reported, nodding slowly. "Minister Gaunt is determined to act and crush Grindelwald. Even though the International Confederation of Wizards finally kept its word and began attacking Grindelwald's followers on the continent with far greater force and resources, the British Minister has no intention of easing up on his own offensive. He wants him dead."
Sirius Black, who had been idly playing with a fork, let out a small laugh and leaned back in his chair.
"I suppose it's not entirely bad to have another Archmage on our side in this damned struggle," Sirius muttered, staring at the wooden ceiling with a wry smile. "Besides, if the world were even remotely fair and the stars aligned in our favor for the first time in a long while, both Voldemort and Grindelwald would end up killing each other on the battlefield."
Some members of the Order murmured their agreement at the Animagus's macabre yet hopeful idea.
Dumbledore made no comment on Sirius's fantasy. Instead, he slipped a hand into the folds of his robes and pulled out a hardcover book, placing it in the center of the table with a thud.
Everyone leaned in slightly to read the title engraved in silver letters: Arcane Patterns by Argus Filch and Aurelian Gaunt.
"To survive the coming war, it is imperative that all of you learn to use and understand the magic of Arcane Patterns," Dumbledore ordered sternly. "This new branch of magic will not only help you enhance your attacks, but it is vital for defending yourselves and raising protections that Grindelwald's traditional curses cannot easily penetrate."
The silence was broken by Nymphadora Tonks's radiant smile. The young Auror, her hair shining in a vibrant shade of violet, leaned over the table.
"I found that book absolutely fascinating, Professor," Tonks said enthusiastically. "I've been practicing ever since it was published, and I can already draw some basic patterns without needing a catalyst. Look…"
Tonks raised her right hand. She moved her fingers nimbly, and a network of red lines appeared in the air before her, forming a hexagonal shield that illuminated the faces of those present for a few seconds before dissipating with a soft snap.
Sirius burst out laughing, impressed, and clapped a couple of times.
"That's my cousin!" Sirius cheered. "That's the spirit—showing these old fogies up!"
Across the table, Alastor Moody growled in frustration. The veteran Auror, who had relied on brute force and his wand his whole life, crossed his arms.
"Stupid magic created by an imbecile… too much math and shiny little drawings…" Moody muttered under his breath, clenching his jaw at his own inability to keep even a single line steady when he tried.
Fred and George, who were sitting a couple of chairs away, did manage to hear the fierce Auror's grunts. Both covered their mouths to stifle their laughter. They exchanged a knowing glance, full of mischief.
Without needing words, the twins made a unanimous decision. They were going to act as informants. They definitely had to tell Aurelian every detail of this meeting as soon as they returned to Hogwarts after the holidays. It was the least, the very least, they could do to repay him for all the help, the training, and the trust he had placed in them.
And, come to think of it, what was the problem? If the Order of the Phoenix itself had just agreed not to attack Lord Voldemort, then, broadly speaking, everyone was going to be on exactly the same side, rowing in the same direction against Grindelwald.
A parade of trunks, heavy wardrobes, full-length mirrors, boxes brimming with jewels and fine silks seemed to go on forever.
Standing in the middle of the Gaunt Manor foyer, Aurelian watched with rapt attention and a touch of disbelief as item after item poured through the front door. Stinky was sweating buckets but waved his hands enthusiastically, using his magic to levitate dozens of boxes at once and direct them with precision toward the upper wings of the house.
Aurelian crossed his arms, blinking as what appeared to be an antique collection of daggers floated past him toward the second floor.
"Now then, my loves…" Aurelian murmured, turning his head toward Hestia and Flora, who were supervising the move beside him with satisfaction. "Are you absolutely sure you could take all that from Carrow Manor without your father getting angry?"
Hestia and Flora exchanged a glance before bursting into laughter. They moved closer to him and hugged him from both sides, resting their faces against their boyfriend's chest.
"Oh, my love, don't be so dramatic," Hestia teased affectionately, planting a small kiss on his jaw. "Before, we could only bring very few things. I swear it was only what was strictly necessary to survive."
"Exactly. This is just a tiny fraction of what truly belongs to us by right," Flora agreed, dismissing the mountain of furniture with a wave of her hand.
Aurelian sighed and nodded slightly, surrendering to the twins' logic.
"Well, I guess it doesn't really matter much at this point," Aurelian conceded, wrapping his arms around their waists. "This house is big enough for all your clothes and shoes."
After a couple of hours, Stinky finally finished perfectly arranging and organizing all the girls' belongings throughout the various rooms and hallways of the house. When the little elf bowed deeply and retired to the kitchens to prepare dinner, Hestia and Flora took Aurelian by the hands.
"Come with us. We want to show you something very special," Hestia said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
They eagerly pulled him upstairs until they reached the room that, in theory, belonged to the twins in the mansion. In practice, they only used that room as a giant private dressing room, to store valuables, or as a reading room, since they both slept in the bed with him.
Upon entering the room, Flora walked over to a heavy marble pedestal they had just placed in the center of the room, where an object covered by a black cloth rested.
With a dramatic flourish designed to build suspense, Hestia pulled back the cloth, revealing a massive, ancient book. Its covers were bound in leather so dark it resembled dragon scales, and its edges were reinforced with silver. The magic emanating from the tome was cold.
Hestia and Flora lifted the heavy book together and turned toward Aurelian, smiling from ear to ear with immense pride.
"This, my beloved Aurelian, is the Carrow Family Grimoire," announced Hestia, her voice vibrating with reverence for the dark history of her lineage.
Aurelian's eyes widened in surprise. A family grimoire was not a mere book; it was the very soul of an Ancient and Noble House, the compendium of centuries of history, curses, blood rituals, and secrets that must never fall into the hands of anyone outside the family to which the book belonged.
"My God," Aurelian whispered, stepping closer to feel the energy emanating from the book. "I'll ask again: are you absolutely certain you could take this book? Alaric must be on the verge of a heart attack if he notices it's missing."
Hestia shrugged, tracing her family's coat of arms engraved on the cover with her slender fingers.
"We are our father's only direct heirs," Hestia explained coolly. "When he dies, all his gold, his lands, and his secrets will be ours anyway. We're just… bringing the inheritance forward a little—nothing major."
Flora nodded in agreement with her sister's words, wrapping her right arm affectionately around Aurelian's.
"Besides, if we're being honest, my love, we're the only ones in that whole huge, boring mansion who actually read and understand this book," Flora remarked, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Our father stopped studying and delving into magic many years ago. And we wanted to make sure we had it here, safe and close at hand, so our children would have it when the time comes."
Aurelian, who had been admiring the silver engravings on the cover, stopped short as he processed her last words. He slowly turned his head to look at them, blinking in surprise.
"The children?" Aurelian asked. "Are you already thinking about what to teach our children?"
The twins didn't hesitate for a split second. Their gazes grew darker, more intense, and full of love. Hestia and Flora pounced on him, pinning him against the edge of the pedestal, and kissed him passionately.
When they finally pulled back a little, their lips swollen and their breathing ragged, Hestia caressed Aurelian's cheek.
"Of course we are," Hestia whispered, brushing her nose against his. "Our empire will need heirs."
"And we'll give you many, many babies, my love," Flora added, kissing his neck gently. "A perfect and powerful family that will rule over everything you build."
Aurelian wrapped both of them in his arms, pressing them against his chest. If that was the future that awaited him, the entire universe would have to kneel before them.
------------------
I have a Patreon account. If you would like to support me, I would greatly appreciate it. You will be able to read up to 15 more chapters, listen to all chapters as audiobooks, and view images of the characters in the story for free. Thank you very much for reading my story :D
patreon.com/Daoistrg