Chapter 307: Future Team
Unlike most pure-blood families, the British Ministry of Magic now wanted Phineas Black dead.
This was the second time.
It was the second time he had blatantly disregarded the Statute of Secrecy, acting recklessly in full view of the wizarding world, giving the Ministry no face whatsoever.
While Ministry of magic's officials cursed the names of Phineas and Sirius Black, they failed to notice a squad of Black family combat wizards gathering just outside. They were ready to storm the Ministry, confident that their target had grown complacent.
Meanwhile, Phineas's engagement ceremony had reached the moment of exchanging rings.
The rings, designed by Astoria and crafted personally by Phineas, were now being slipped onto their fingers.
Yes, crafted — not commissioned. Though Phineas originally planned to order them, he had been forced into hiding over the past month and had little else to do. So he traveled to the French manor left to him by Nicolas and created them himself.
Drawing on Rowena Ravenclaw's alchemical legacy, Nicolas's notes and books, and the many alchemical puppets Nicolas had built, Phineas completed the pair of rings in a month's time.
As expected, the rings had enchantments for protection and tracking.
Thanks to Phineas's own innovations, they also functioned similarly to a pair of two-way mirrors for instant communication.
The ring's violet inlays curled around a soft pink gem, nestled among tiny tulips. Hidden in the center of the gem was the Black family crest. In many ways, these rings served as a modern replacement for the ancestral Black signet — a new symbol of authority and identity within the Black family.
The delicate rings made Leah's already elegant fingers even lovelier. The pink gem mirrored the soft blush in her cheeks, making her look radiant.
The union between the Black and Greengrass families evoked complex emotions among the guests.
The Selwyns, for example, were deeply bitter. They had once hoped for a marriage alliance between their house and the Blacks — a union that could have strengthened their political hand and offered influence over Phineas, especially since he had no parents.
Had Phineas married a Selwyn daughter, the family would've gained justification to involve themselves in Black holdings.
But it was too late. They regretted not initiating talks earlier, not investing in Silna — the squib who'd once been close to Phineas. There had been ways to awaken her magic, perhaps even purify her blood, but it would have required enormous resources. They hesitated, and now they were paying the price.
Worse still, their other daughters had been useless. None had managed to attract Phineas's attention. In the eyes of other pure-blood families, this meant that Phineas had consciously rejected the Selwyn daughters in favor of someone from a smaller house.
"I'll have to teach those girls a lesson when we get back," one Selwyn brother thought bitterly. "If they weren't so willful, perhaps Phineas would've picked one of them."
While the Selwyns seethed, the Malfoys, Weasleys, Longbottoms, and other families who had allied themselves with Black were delighted.
The Greengrasses, like them, had once been neutral or even opposing Black. This engagement signaled that loyalty could be rewarded — even with a place beside the Black heir.
Surrender could be temporary. Marriage was lasting.
After the ceremony came dancing and a feast. Leaders of every family mingled, discussing the day's events, recent developments in the magical world, Council of Elders directives, and Ministry policies.
Phineas led Leah over to Sirius and said with a teasing grin, "Sirius, I just realized — back when you were young, did you really never fall for anyone?"
Sirius's smile froze. He stared at Phineas stiffly, flailing a bit as he stammered, "N-No! Of course not! I… absolutely not!"
His eyes darted away, hands gesturing wildly, denying too much, too quickly.
Phineas sighed inwardly, already forming ideas. Sirius clearly had loved someone once. But who? And where was she now? Was she married? If not, wouldn't it be wonderful for Sirius to find happiness?
As he'd exchanged rings earlier, Phineas had noticed something else — several members of the Council of Elders' Oath Families had shown up. Representatives from various branches had come to witness this engagement.
Compared to them, the Black family's direct line was now dangerously small. Only two remained: Phineas and Sirius.
That had to change. Phineas didn't need a large family of his own — he was bound for godhood, after all — but Sirius needed to marry. Phineas had approached him just now to raise the matter, but perhaps it was time to consult Remus Lupin instead. Lupin was attending the ceremony, having been invited as Sirius's close friend.
Although Lupin was just an ordinary employee of his, as a good friend of Sirius, Phineas would not easily put him in a dangerous position. He was merely responsible for operating a shop in Hogsmeade.
But because of his close relationship with Sirius, it was perfectly natural for him to be invited to Phineas' engagement ceremony.
However, before going to speak with Lupin, Phineas needed to attend to a few others he had also invited.
For instance, Harry, Draco, and the Weasley twins.
And, of course, Hermione.
In truth, Phineas didn't know how to face Hermione. He had long sensed that Hermione harboured some feelings for him. But whether for the sake of his future or due to the pressure from his family, it was impossible for him to choose her. If he did, it would be tantamount to standing against nearly every pure-blood family in Britain—an even worse situation than what the Weasleys had endured.
The Weasleys were friendly toward Muggles, but their children still married into wizarding families—at least those of wizarding descent. To many, this was seen as a necessary protection of the bloodline.
James Potter had chosen Lily Potter, a Muggle-born. And so, when the Potter family was attacked, no pure-blood family stepped forward to ask Voldemort to spare them. Had it been any other family, someone likely would have intervened. After all, Voldemort's goal at the time had been limited to the Potters—specifically their child. There had been no reason to kill other relatives.
Now, only Harry remained. That was the hard truth. Regardless of whether a family was tolerant of Muggle-borns or not, few would accept one into their direct bloodline. Some were less fanatical than others—marrying a Muggle-born might not result in expulsion from the family—but it was still discouraged.
As Phineas reflected on this, he suddenly remembered another guest he had invited: Tonks, a new recruit in the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic. She was his and Sirius' niece—the daughter of their eldest cousin, who had been disowned for marrying a Muggle-born wizard.
Phineas scanned the crowd and finally spotted her. The unmistakable pink-haired Metamorphmagus stood beside Lupin.
It seems that even with my influence, these two have found their way to each other. I suppose they'll end up together in the end, he thought.
Phineas couldn't help but recall their fate in the original timeline—both perished during the Battle of Hogwarts, leaving their newborn son to be raised by Harry. But now that he was here, he would never allow such a tragedy to happen.
Voldemort was dead—though the possibility of resurrection still lingered. After all, two Horcruxes remained: Harry himself, and the unknown one that continued to tether Voldemort to life.
He shook his head, clearing the thought. Then, with Leah at his side and a glass of wine in hand, he walked over to a group of Hogwarts students.
"Long time no see, Harry, Draco, George, Fred, Lee, Neville… Hermione, Ginny, Luna," Phineas said warmly.
These young witches and wizards would one day become leaders of their respective houses. They were his future team.
The twins grinned, quickly flanking Phineas and pushing Leah aside playfully.
"Spill it, mate. Where have you been all this time?"
"Right? You vanish, then suddenly reappear — engaged, no less! What did you do to charm our junior schoolmate?"
They pestered him playfully.
Phineas chuckled. "Which question should I answer first?"
"Start with Fred's," said Harry with a smile. "We've all been wondering where you disappeared to."
Phineas gestured toward a nearby seating area. "Let's sit. I'll explain."
Once everyone had taken their seats, he began.
"Initially, I was in seclusion. You all remember Lisa — my old assistant. After what happened to her, I had… a lot to think about. So the retreat was unplanned."
Hermione, ever observant, picked up on his wording. "You were in seclusion. But not the entire time, right?"
Phineas glanced at her, his expression softening.
"Correct. Afterward, I didn't return to Hogwarts. I met up with Damon — my assistant since Lisa. From him, I learned the wizarding world was far from peaceful. Rumors about me were everywhere…"
Hermione finished for him, "So you used that chaos to smoke out your enemies."
Phineas nodded. "After Lisa's death, I ambushed Voldemort with my team. We temporarily defeated him, and the world has been quiet since. That gave Black the opportunity to begin reestablishing control."
Harry's eyes widened at the mention of Voldemort. He opened his mouth to speak, but Phineas cut him off.
"Don't get your hopes up, Harry. He's not dead. He'll return — and he'll come for you again. Don't relax just because I beat him once. You still have your parents' vengeance to take."
Harry nodded solemnly.
Phineas turned to Draco. "I'm sure you've heard about the Parkinsons. Tell your father — the Malfoy family may need to make some changes."
Draco blinked but said nothing. He would pass the message on.
"And," Phineas added, "I probably won't return to Hogwarts."
Everyone froze. Even Leah looked stunned.
"What? You're not going back?" she asked, clearly blindsided.
Phineas gave her a reassuring smile and patted her hand.
"Hogwarts has little left to teach me. From now on, I'll be studying on my own — researching deeper magic. But that means you all need to be more careful at school."
His gaze fell on the twins. "George, Fred — try not to wander around at night. It's not safe. Lee, keep an eye on them, even if they ignore you."