Amelia Bones settled into her high-backed chair behind the heavy desk. With methodical and extremely professional movements, she opened the thick leather folder in front of her, slid the scrolls across the tabletop, and picked up her quill. She looked up at the young man sitting across from her, forcing herself to ignore the two girls accompanying him in absolute silence, and cleared her throat before beginning the interrogation.
"Mr. Gaunt," Amelia began in a firm voice, "for the official record, my first question is: For what exact reason were you outside the safety of your common room at the moment the attack on Hogwarts began?"
Aurelian settled back in his chair. He narrowed his dark eyes slightly and, flashing a small, innocent, and charming smile, replied without hesitation.
"I just wasn't very sleepy that night, Madame Bones. I felt like a little midnight snack, so I decided to sneak down to the kitchens for something to eat. Just as I was there, the alarms went off and the attack began all at once. The hallways were in total chaos, and by the time I realized what was happening, the path back to the dungeons was blocked. I couldn't get back."
Amelia watched him for a second through her monocle before nodding, her quill deftly tracing the parchment as she jotted down his excuse. It sounded plausible for a teenager.
"I see. Which brings us to the most serious aspect of your… situation," continued the Department Head, interlacing her fingers on the table. "Could you explain in detail what happened that caused you to disappear completely for three full days?"
Aurelian scratched the back of his neck in a gesture that betrayed apparent confusion. His mind, working at full capacity, began to weave a web, mixing undeniable truths with masterful lies to shape a new version of events.
"To be honest with you, it was stupid of me. My curiosity got the better of me. I sensed from the castle that Headmaster Dumbledore and Grindelwald were dueling at the Quidditch stadium, so I headed over there to watch," Aurelian recounted, furrowing his brow slightly as if trying to remember. "Along the way, I had to fight off some of the intruding wizards and witches to make my way through. When I finally arrived, I slipped under the stadium bleachers to watch the exchange of spells safely. But… everything spiraled out of control very quickly."
Aurelian paused dramatically, looking Amelia straight in the eyes.
"There was a colossal clash of magic between the two of them. The impact generated a shockwave that shattered part of the bleachers, and a stray spell struck near where I was hiding; the explosion sent me flying through the air straight into the Forbidden Forest. The blow knocked me unconscious. And to be honest, Madame Bones… I don't remember much of what happened to me in there or how I survived those three days. I only remember waking up disoriented among the trees and walking back to the castle."
Amelia nodded slowly, her quill moving swiftly across the paper until she finished recording the testimony. The magical explosion on the Quidditch field had been documented and corroborated by multiple witnesses, so the story fit perfectly with the physical evidence at the scene.
She asked him a couple more minor questions about the acolytes' attire and the routes he'd taken through the castle, to which Aurelian replied calmly.
"That would be all, Mr. Gaunt. I greatly appreciate your time and your cooperation with the Ministry," Amelia concluded, closing the official folder.
Aurelian gave her one last smile, stood up, shook her hand firmly across the desk, and, once again holding hands with Hestia and Flora, left the private office.
Moments after the door closed, Alastor Moody burst into the office, limping heavily as he leaned on his cane. His magical eye darted frantically toward the door through which the young man had just exited.
"Well?" Moody growled, standing in front of the desk. "What did Little Prince Gaunt tell you?"
Amelia arranged the scrolls and let out a slight sigh, leaning back in her chair.
"His story makes sense and fits the evidence, Alastor. I didn't find anything at all unusual in his statement," Amelia said calmly. "At the end of the day, he seems to be just a very curious young man, with a great deal of magical talent, but very little common sense when it comes to danger."
Moody let out a harsh, raspy laugh, devoid of any sense of humor.
"Nonsense!" spat the old Auror, banging his wand on the floor. "I'm sure everything that just came out of that brat's mouth was nothing but damn lies! If the laws around here weren't so lax, if it were up to me… we would've slipped three drops of Veritaserum into his tea to find out exactly what he really knows and what he's hiding."
Amelia sat up straight suddenly and shot him a reproachful glare.
"Don't talk nonsense, Alastor! You know perfectly well that using truth potions on a witness who hasn't been formally charged—and without Headmaster Dumbledore's consent, since he's still a Hogwarts student—is completely and utterly illegal. We don't operate that way."
Moody looked at her with his normal, bloodshot eye, snorting in frustration. He shook his head and turned toward the door.
"The law, the law, the law..." Moody muttered as he left the office, dragging his leg. "It's because of cowardly technicalities like those that we're in the state we're in in this country, Amelia. Because of things like that... they're always one step ahead of us."
As they walked away from the Head of the Security Department's office, Aurelian looked at the two girls who were still holding his hands.
"I have to go to the Minister's office now," Aurelian said casually. "Do you want to come with me to see my father?"
Hestia and Flora exchanged glances for a second before nodding enthusiastically.
"Of course we do. It's been quite a while since we stopped by to say hello to our dear father-in-law," Hestia replied with a smile.
Aurelian burst out laughing at the ease and boldness with which they were already using that title. Hearing him laugh, the girls smiled even wider and pressed closer to him, hugging him tighter as they walked through the hallways of the Ministry's top floor.
Upon reaching the doors of the main office, Aurelian briefly let go of one of their hands and knocked three times on the wood with his knuckles.
"Come in," Lord Voldemort's unmistakable, authoritative voice echoed from inside.
Aurelian pushed open the door, and the three of them entered the Minister of Magic's office. Seated behind the enormous desk was her father, reviewing some scrolls, but he wasn't alone. Standing in front of the desk, talking with him, was a witch whom Aurelian didn't quite recognize.
Upon seeing them enter, the mysterious woman turned around. Her eyes lit up immediately, and with an exaggeratedly effusive smile, she let out a squeal of joy. She lunged forward with open arms, ready to envelop him in a hug to greet him.
But she never got to touch him.
In a blur, Hestia and Flora broke free from Aurelian's grasp and stepped between him and the strange woman. They stood firmly in front of her fiancé, drawing their wands slightly and growling at the witch with hostility.
"You're not going to fool the two of us with that stupid disguise," Flora hissed, glaring at her.
The woman stopped dead in her tracks and blinked a couple of times, taken aback by the girls' aggressiveness. Suddenly, the surprise on her face was replaced by a sharp, chilling laugh that echoed off the office walls.
"Well, well! You're far too perceptive for your own good, girls," the woman sneered, rubbing her face.
A second later, the magical illusion faded. The woman's features melted away like wax, revealing the pale, beautiful, and wildly sharp face of Bellatrix Lestrange, with her usual tousled dark hair cascading down over her shoulders.
Hestia and Flora simply narrowed their eyes, unfazed by her presence. Just as quickly as they'd gone on guard, they spun around, grabbed Aurelian by the arms, and dragged him over to one of the office sofas, settling themselves on either side of him and leaving him sandwiched between them.
Aurelian, already accustomed to these strange dynamics, looked toward the desk.
"Hello, Father."
Tom Gaunt dropped his pen. He let out a long sigh that seemed to contain all the pent-up tension of the last three days. His gaze softened imperceptibly as he saw his son safe and sound in front of him.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Aurelian," Tom said, his deep voice devoid of any reproach.
Aurelian smiled at him, sensing the concern beneath that facade.
Bellatrix, who had already settled into the sofa across from them, crossed her legs and let out another raspy little laugh.
"Oh, it was quite the front-page news, my dear boy!" Bellatrix exclaimed, gesturing with her hands. "You must know that your father nearly started a war. And, by Merlin, I would have paid all the gold in Gringotts for a photograph of the moment the Minister punched Dumbledore right in the face—not just for letting Grindelwald escape, but because he'd lost you right under his own nose."
Aurelian's eyes widened in surprise. He turned his head to look at his father.
Tom, suddenly looking unusually uncomfortable, averted his gaze toward the window. He picked up a random scroll from his desk and pretended to read it with deep concentration, as if what those papers contained were the most fascinating thing in the world.
Aurelian shook his head, letting out a small laugh.
Bellatrix leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"So, child prodigy… What really happened to you out there?"
Aurelian leaned back on the sofa, relaxing his shoulders under the weight of Hestia and Flora.
"You wouldn't believe a single word of it if I told you, Bella."
They spent quite a while chatting in the office, with Tom listening silently while Bellatrix teased the twins, who subtly shot back insults—something Aurelian found extremely entertaining to watch.
By the end of the day, Aurelian was back in the halls of Hogwarts. All alone.
No sooner had they stepped through the castle gates than Hestia and Flora were summoned to Deputy Headmistress McGonagall's office for a severe punishment, since both had left the school grounds without permission. Although they were reluctant to leave him, Aurelian promised he would wait for them.
Taking advantage of his solitude, he walked silently through the hallways, climbing staircase after staircase until he reached the Astronomy Tower. Instead of staying on the observation balcony, he used his magic to climb out and sit directly on the castle's highest roof.
The night wind ruffled her dark hair. From up there, she could take in the majesty of the entire school—the dark grounds, the Black Lake reflecting the moon, and the imposing Forbidden Forest.
Aurelian took a deep breath, filling her lungs with air, and smiled.
His time at that school was about to end. He had only two months left of his seventh year, and then he would be free. Free from classes, free from restrictions, and above all, free from history.
He smiled even wider, recalling the words of the goth girl in the meadow. As Lady Death had told him, Destiny no longer existed. The prophecies were dust. All the knowledge he'd brought from his past life about the Harry Potter books… was now absolutely useless to him. Everything had changed; everything was different, and the original script had been torn apart.
He was no longer in a work of fiction. Now, this was his only reality—his world.
Aurelian closed his eyes and clenched his right hand tightly. A faint hum cut through the wind, and the Elder Wand materialized in his grip.
He opened his eyes, shining with an intensity that rivaled the stars themselves. Aurelian Gaunt thought once more of his goal. He would forge the best, the greatest future possible for himself and his family. No matter who he had to crush along the way. It was a promise.
---------------------------
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