Chapter 68. Inheritance
Diagon Alley
It was the dead of night, and Severus, instead of going to bed like a normal person on his day off, sat staring thoughtfully at the woman standing before him.
"Clearly, nothing is clear," he said with something like philosophical weight. "But one thing I can say for certain: she understands who I am, and she has accepted that I took over her son's body without hating me for it. It's possible our connection affected her, but that's not certain. The seal inside her hasn't changed at all since I created it, which suggests that's unlikely, but I still can't dismiss the theory entirely." He sighed tiredly and rubbed his temples. "Or maybe, out of gratitude, she wants to follow me or see what I can achieve in her son's body. After all, even if the soul is different, the body was mine, after all. So the last option is most likely correct, but that's not certain either."
"Severus, what will you do with her?"
"Nothing. If she wants to watch over me, let her watch." He shrugged, meeting the phantom's cold gaze. Then he took out the pocket watch Godric had given him. "Get in. I configured it so you can see what's happening outside. And remember, don't leave until I let you out. If anyone sees you near me, they'll send me to Azkaban immediately. Understand?"
Instead of answering, she nodded indifferently, turned into a shadow, and slipped inside. The watch snapped shut.
If she develops sufficiently, she might still prove useful. She harbors no ill will toward me, so I needn't worry about my own life or Nagini's. I shouldn't forget that she's under my complete control; I could dispel her at any moment. With that thought, he rose from the chair. He stretched, then held out his hand to the snake lying on the table, and she quickly crawled onto it. "Let's go to sleep. Tomorrow promises to be a very interesting day," he added with an enigmatic smile. Nagini tilted her head and blinked, confused, and he couldn't resist stroking her. She looked far too cute.
"What's supposed to happen tomorrow that has you so intrigued?"
"You'll find out tomorrow morning, I think."
"Your riddles again," she snorted in annoyance as they entered the room. She slid from his hand and settled on the pillow.
And just as Severus had predicted, someone knocked on the shop door that morning. By then they had been up for a while, had even managed to grab a snack, and had put the table under stasis again.
When he opened the door, he found three Aurors on his doorstep, led by Captain Robinson, the same one who had interrogated him before.
"You again. What do you want from me now? We already made a deal, and I still have two weeks until payment. Or did you decide to deliver my Galleons early? I wouldn't say no to that."
"No, we're here on other business," Robinson interrupted, an irritated look on his face as he handed over a sheet stamped with the Ministry seal. "This morning at two o'clock, eleven bodies were discovered at the Prince family residence. All were members of the family. Do you know anything about this?"
"No. I want nothing to do with them whatsoever. I don't think I need to explain why." Robinson merely nodded. He truly detested the man standing before him, especially after that incident, and wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
"Not necessary. We've reviewed your records." Then he opened his briefcase, withdrew a large folder, and handed it over. "As the last remaining member of the line, you're entitled to all property acquired over the generations. Are you ready to sign?"
"Give it here." Severus signed the first sheet and returned it to the Auror. "Is that all?"
Robinson grimaced, but nodded, glancing at the signature.
"Yes. Thank you for your cooperation. Have a good day, Mr. Severus."
"You too."
Then Severus simply slammed the door in their faces. Robinson's eye twitched. He spat on the threshold, turned to Apparate, tripped on his own spit, and cracked his head against the stone slab.
Behind the door, Severus merely chuckled and went back to the table.
"What is in there?" Nagini asked impatiently. She had heard the whole conversation and already had a rough idea of what might be inside the folder.
"Let's see." He opened it and began flipping through the papers. "That house we visited recently, two shops in Diagon Alley and another in Knockturn Alley, a plot of land in Bristol, plus shares in several sizable companies. And that's not even counting the bank account of nearly two hundred thousand that the previous head of the family had frozen. Apparently, he sensed something was wrong, but I think we can fix that. Not for the money, but for the artifacts and books stored there as well." He finished with a satisfied smile and closed the folder. "Soon we'll move into our own house. Happy?"
"Not that one, I hope?"
"Exactly that one, but I'm tearing it down immediately. You know the saying, 'A man's home is his castle'? I'll make it a real fortress so no bastard can crawl into our place." When she sighed wearily, he raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"
No, everything is fine. It's just that you're going to work yourself to death again. Severus, please take care of your health. You shouldn't overwork yourself so much. It's one thing at Hogwarts, where you have a year and a half left to study, but here, at least, please take a little break.
Seeing the sadness on his companion's face, Severus gave a crooked smile and ran his hand gently over her smooth scales.
"I promised I wouldn't overwork myself this time, and I have Tobby and Nelly to help me, so relax. What makes you think I'm doing this alone?"
"You always do."
"Fair point, but I promised not to push myself too hard this weekend, so trust me."
"Like before?"
That was not my fault. It was the circumstances. I'm doing this so I can finish faster, and then we can spend more time together. So let's drop the subject. I suggest we check on our properties.
Besides wanting to distract Nagini, Severus himself wanted to see everything with his own eyes.
Just as they were about to leave the shop, an owl tapped at the window, and by the markings near its beak Severus immediately knew whose it was.
The letter itself held nothing special, just Malfoy's thanks for the gift and an invitation to visit next weekend, two days before classes started.
Severus accepted, and a few minutes later the owl flew back, very satisfied after snacking on fish that neither he nor Nagini liked.
After that, they left the shop and went straight to the two stores owned by the Prince family. One was closed, and the second was rented out to a certain Miller. It housed a small restaurant, and the tenant paid well, so Severus saw no reason to break the lease. He simply explained who the new owner was and which account the rent should now be sent to.
The shop in Knockturn Alley dealt in dark artifacts, essentially a competitor to Borgin and Burkes. The tenant didn't purchase stock; he only sold, but he paid three times the rent of the previous occupant. That was understandable, since along with the premises, he enjoyed the protection of the Prince family.
Of course, when the wizard learned the family had fallen, he was ready to leave, but after a brief conversation and an explanation of who was backing Severus, he was actually pleased. Severus gave him the same order as Shafiq: if anyone wanted to sell the shop, he was to call Severus or Karner immediately. Severus doubted such people would appear, but he instructed him to do so anyway, just in case. What if they did?
As for the companies, one was a furniture maker, serving both the magical and Muggle markets. The Prince family's share was only five percent, but even that brought in thousands of Galleons each month. Taken together, all four companies yielded roughly seven thousand a month, according to the checkbook Severus had found in the manor. That was quite a lot. Though it varied with the companies' profits, it never dropped below six thousand.
If you totaled all the family's income, it came to nearly nine thousand a month. That spoke to the strength of the Princes' position, and with earnings like that, the rumor of the family's downfall was most likely just a rumor.
After that, they visited Bristol as well, where a new manor was under construction. The family had invested a huge amount of Galleons in the project, as the materials were not ordinary, but were the best of their kind. Apparently, they intended to move out of the old manor, though Severus couldn't understand why they hadn't simply used Reparo to repair it. He didn't try very hard to understand.
And by evening, he decided it was time to visit his little green friends at the bank.
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