“Please follow me, Mr.
Lockhart.”
The silver-haired butler bowed respectfully, not losing his dignity, and led me toward the entrance of Vinterhall.
The metal gates closed behind me.
I felt the activation of the protective charms, which had been briefly deactivated to let me through.
Even as a Master Ritualist and Artificer, I could say that the protective charms used on the Vinter family estate were only used in wartime.
The enormous magical drain.
The inconveniences of letting people in and out who weren’t on the household list.
The blocking of postal owls and even correspondence via enchanted Protean objects.
And those were just the disadvantages I’d noticed.
There were sure to be more.
Aristocrats, above all, value comfort and convenience.
For them to forgo such conveniences, there had to be serious reasons.
Though the Vinters certainly had those…
Soon, the butler led me to a small guest hall.
A table was already set.
The Vinter couple awaited me.
My beloved’s friend and mentor, Ayrissfil Vinter, was now beaming with a perfectly natural smile.
Not that forced grimace she’d had before.
Their daughter, though trying to maintain proper etiquette, clearly wanted to run and play.
The head of the Vinter family, Elisha Vinter, who looked like an ordinary thirty-year-old man, was…
unreadable.
A light stubble, uncommon for the current fashion among magical European families, graced his face.
A pleasant expression was on his face, but his gray eyes were completely devoid of emotion.
“I’m glad the savior of my wife and daughter accepted my invitation to dinner.
Allow me to introduce myself: Elisha fon Vinter, Head of the Ancient and Noble House Vinter, and Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of the German Ministry of Magic.”
“Gilderoy Lockhart, wandering wizard.
It is an honor to be invited to dinner by such a distinguished man.”
“Then please, sit.
Our house-elf has outdone himself preparing the food.”
Elisha smiled, his emotions hidden behind a veil.
Or rather, they weren’t completely hidden; they were just obscured, making them hard to read.
More characteristic of a mental shield artifact, but the head of the Vinter family was certainly also a master of Occlumency.
I wouldn’t be able to read his true mood, even with subtle probing.
In my previous body, before possessing this one, I might have tried.
But not now.
Sitting down, I glanced at the numerous pieces of cutlery.
Fortunately, the hosts hadn’t deviated from accepted norms.
The whole “arsenal” of a true gourmet was present, without any enchantments that might interfere with my checking the food for anything.
Soon, the first course arrived: classic potato soup.
We ate in silence.
As the house-elf, invisible due to the charms that every mature house-elf learns, served dessert and a tea set with steam rising from freshly brewed tea, Elisha spoke.
“I’ve heard, Mr.
Lockhart, that you’re a writer.”
The familiar mental mask was in place.
“Yes.
I’m currently working on my third book, about recent events.”
“Oh, interesting.
Will we be in it?”
“Certainly, but I’ll be using different names.
When I have a draft ready, I’ll send it to you for permission to publish.”
“You’ll write about me?
Really, truly?”
Little Ilia’s eyes sparkled.
With a thoughtful expression, I said:
“Well, if your parents don’t complain about your behavior, I’ll think about it.”
“Mum, Dad, I’m being good, aren’t I?
I’m a good girl!”
For the first time during the meeting, I saw a genuine emotion flicker in Lord Vinter’s eyes.
It reminded me of how Grysha would look when he did something endearing.
With an expression that seemed to weigh heavy thoughts, Ayrissfil answered her daughter.
“We’ll see about your behavior this week.
I heard your etiquette teacher wasn’t entirely pleased with your hair suddenly turning blue in the middle of a lesson.”
“But Muuuum!
It was a complete accident!”
Ilia used the most effective weapon in any loving parent’s arsenal: pleading puppy-dog eyes.
A flicker of true feeling passed through Lockhart’s smile.
I was happy to see this, but it also hurt.
Because even though all my past acquaintances might be here, my and Maria’s son might never be born in this world.
Ignoring the different body and all the other factors that made Grysha’s birth highly unlikely, the very thought of him dying again, now because of my weakness and my selfish desire to have my family back…
“From what I’ve heard from my wife and Sebastian, you’re a master of charms, practically at the level of a Master.
You got my wife and daughter out from under the noses of at least a dozen wizards, leaving an illusion behind.
A flattered, proud smile appeared on my face.
“In magic, I can surprise many.
I could easily pass the Charms exam.
But you know the problems with getting a Mastery in any magical field.
Paying several hundred Galleons, or waiting for the guild’s exam, which is only held every five years.
Having a recommendation from another Charms Master.
And preparing your own masterpiece, a personally invented and created spell.
I’m thinking of taking the Charms exam in Prague in three years, at the next guild exam.”
“You’ve forgotten that for Ministry employees, the Minister can organize an exam.
You just need to invite three Charms Masters.
The Ministry covers the costs of inviting them.
In that case, you don’t even need a recommendation.”
“The German Ministry of Magic pays great attention to the magical improvement of its employees.
The British Ministry could learn a thing or two from you.
But I don’t plan to settle down yet.
My soul yearns to see new places and countries, to capture them on the pages of my books, to uncover the secrets our world hides.
And I will.”
I smiled confidently.
A slight smile played on the head of the family’s lips, but his eyes held that cold, calculating gleam of a politician.
“That’s a worthy goal.
Most people live only to earn their next meal.
It’s good to see a wizard striving for something more.
But know that Germany is ready to welcome someone of your talents.”
“Thank you.”
Having heavily hinted at the possibility of being hired by the Ministry, or even by his not-so-poor family, Elisha started the usual aristocratic small talk.
The weather, politics, new inventions of famous Masters.
Ilia quickly grew bored, and Ayrissfil soon excused herself, taking her sleepy daughter with her.
“Could you tell me more about what happened on that train, and after, when you saved my wife and daughter?
The specialists who investigated the kidnappers’ hideout got some very unusual results.
Although you told the Aurors you didn’t know anything about what happened in the hideout after you got my family out, perhaps you have some theories?”
Elisha finally got to the reason for my invitation.
I felt a weak attempt to read my thoughts, which quickly ended when he realized the strength of my mental defenses.
“How are you connected to the Ventru clan?”
Elisha froze.
For a brief moment, he was still.
Then he put a surprised expression on his face.
“I didn’t think you knew about vampire clans.
But why are you asking about them?”
“After I left those tunnels with your wife and daughter, a higher vampire showed up with a brood of his fledglings.”
Without any expression, the aristocrat stared at me, his face cold.
The air grew cold from the magical power the Lord Vinter released.
“Lies.
Higher vampires haven’t been seen outside their territories for a century.
If they had, you wouldn’t be speaking to me.”
Meeting the gray eyes of the wizard, already one of the strongest in Europe, I released my own magic into the surrounding space.
A crack echoed.
Several dessert plates on the table flew into the air or shattered into fragments from the collision of our powers.
“I am Gilderoy Lockhart.
And it is not for some bloodsucker, who lost to wizards in the past and has been hiding in his crypt for all these centuries, to end my life.”
The table split in half.
The amount of raw magic I was releasing began to exceed what Elisha was releasing.
What I truly shared with Lockhart was pride.
Because of that pride, even with his frankly low skill in any magic not related to cosmetic charms or grooming, Lockhart in my past, and perhaps in this world’s future, could have risen above the vast majority of wizards.
Wealthy, famous, with considerable influence over his army of fans.
His wealth and influence might not compare to the money and power of aristocrats.
But he’d made the entire magical world believe he was a powerful wizard.
Gilderoy Lockhart would never have accepted a life at the bottom of magical society, where an ordinary half-blood, without connections to high-ranking officials or arrogant Wizengamot lords, could only hope to become an assistant to a secretary of some minor department.
If only he hadn’t had that inferiority complex, the one that made him abandon anything he couldn’t become the best at in a short time…
But that didn’t matter now.
What mattered was that neither I nor Lockhart would have accepted our fated lot.
Neither the fate of being an insignificant part of a faceless, inert mass of mediocrity, nor the fate of being devoured by a horde of corpses.
“Fine.
I believe you.”
Lord Vinter closed his eyes, stopping the release of his magic.
At the same time, I stopped releasing mine, hiding my hands in the sleeves of my rather loose robe.
This wizard shouldn’t see my trembling hands and slightly bulging veins.
Lockhart’s body still wasn’t adapting to the volumes of magic I was wielding.
If only he’d practiced his spells more often…
“Why are you so sure it was a higher vampire from that clan?”
The brunet asked calmly, as if we hadn’t just been measuring our magical power, or, as Kretzko would say, our “dicks,” seconds ago.
“His battle transformation was identical to that clan’s members.
And he survived a blast from a mass destruction combat potion a few meters away, then still used blood magic.”
“Travelers these days know too much.
As for your previous question, I can’t answer it.”
But his gray eyes never changed.
The same cold, calculating gleam that lived up to this family’s reputation.
Cold, calculating, and stern.
Towards others, and towards themselves.
Only the current head had learned to be a better hypocrite.
What had made such a man hate non-humans so much?
“Well, I have nothing more to say.
So, with your permission, I’ll take my leave of this hospitable home.”
I rose from my chair, unharmed, and walked toward the door.
“Are you planning to attend the ball celebrating the founding of the German Ministry of Magic?”
I turned my head slightly to see Lord Vinter and spread my hands.
“Unfortunately, tickets for the ball are no longer available for public sale.”
“I’ll send you an invitation.
A wizard like you shouldn’t miss the chance to meet some important people.”
I put a grateful smile on my face.
“I would be delighted to attend such a momentous occasion.”
“Sebastian, show our guest out.”
The silver-haired butler, who had just entered, nodded to his master as the debris from the broken furniture and dishes in the guest hall began to disappear under the work of the invisible house-elf.
I followed the butler with measured steps.
I didn’t know if Elisha had achieved all his goals during our conversation.
But I had certainly achieved mine.
The aristocrat now knew about the vampires.
How he used that information was none of my concern.
In any case, all his actions would be directed against those creatures.
“Elisha, how are you?”
Smiling, the man placed his hand on his worried wife’s blonde head and ruffled her hair.
“I’ve asked you not to do that.
Do you know how much time I spend on my hair?”
Ayrissfil pouted and moved away, smoothing her hair.
“A few seconds to say the hair-styling charm, personally modified for your hair.
And I’m fine.”
“Sebastian’s worried look when he showed the guest out doesn’t suggest everything went smoothly.”
The brunet smiled tiredly.
“I decided to test him.
He gave me some very unpleasant news.”
“And?”
“And he was stronger than me.”
Her ruby eyes widened in surprise.
“You fought?
Show me your bruises.
Or did he get you in a hold, like those Muggle wrestlers?”
She began quickly examining her husband, nearly pulling his clothes off.
“Ayri, you know what I mean.”
Her fingers clutched his clothes.
Her face, slightly bowed, was shadowed.
“I knew Lockhart was a powerful wizard.
But I didn’t think he was that powerful.”
“Don’t worry.
Magical power is important, but knowing how to use it is even more so.”
“A wizard who tracked us through a Portkey trail, infiltrated the kidnappers’ hideout undetected (after they’d killed our bodyguards, I might add), and got us out just as quietly.
Who created a Portkey from the other end of the country to Prague in a few minutes, right in front of me.
He doesn’t know magic?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Ayrissfil stared at her husband.
“Fine, fine.
We hosted the successor to Albus Dumbledore, or perhaps Merlin himself.
A talent that overshadows even Grindelwald.
Happy?”
Fuming, she turned away.
“You’re already thinking of recruiting him?”
Elisha looked out the window at the pine trees, illuminated only by the light from the manor, and rubbed his chin.
“I need to study him better.
You can’t force him with authority or power.”
Her slender arms wrapped around his torso.
Her chin rested on his shoulder.
“Darling, I owe him a life debt.”
“Don’t worry, dear.
I know how to be grateful.
And how to calculate risks.”
The head of the Vinter family smiled.
That cold, calculating gleam flickered in his eyes.