Children of Sin

Chapter 29

November 3rd, 1994.

Larissa could help but feel a little nervous. It had been nearly two decades since she had last stepped foot on Hogwarts' grounds. Now, it felt strange to be returning, especially as an expert specifically called in. 

"No need to be so nervous," Leopold smiled gently, "and don't forget to bring Nicholas' notes on arcane magics. I set it aside on the kitchen counter."

"Thank you," Larissa kissed her husband on the cheek, "I should be home at the end of the day, but I cannot make any promises. If I don't make it home, have dinner at school."

"You got it ma'am," Leopold saluted his wife, "go on, they're waiting."

Larissa took a deep breath, and whispered the portus spell. Grasping onto the ring, she allowed the teleporting magic to swell around her. She had been working on improving teleportation on apparating, but hadn't gotten any conclusive results. Until she had reliable results, she would not be testing her theories. She appeared in the headmaster's office; a special exception to the anti-portkey wards had been arranged by the brilliant headmaster.

"Welcome Madam Arquette," Albus Dumbledore greeted her kindly, "please follow me to the office we will be convening in."

"Not much has changed," Larissa mumbled to herself as she walked the halls, "its rather reassuring."

"It always does seem that way," the Dumbledore of the past commented, "though it always does change. Each generation brings something new."

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Madam Maxime thanked Larissa as the headmaster led her into the room, "we apologize for interrupting your normal schedule."

"No need for apologies," Larissa responded kindly, "it is a great privilege to have been asked."

"You will be fairly compensated," Mr. Coruch reassured the woman, "now, onto the point. Do you know how the Goblet of Fire works?"

"I understand the basic idea," Larissa admits, "student names are entered along with the school names into the goblet and the goblet is enchanted to pick one of each school. According to my esteemed mentor's notes, it likely picks based off of strength of character and magical strength. According to Master Flamel, it can absorb parts of the essence of the writer via handwriting. It has a form of artificial conscious, which allows it to make independent decisions. Now, I was told something about a fourth contestant?"

"It seems that she's not just talk," Elladora Lestrange noted, "she is what these visions have been portraying. You can see it in her posture; she knows exactly what is going on. If I'm reading her body language correctly, she already has a solution. She is only asking for propriety's sake."

"I don't think you're reading her wrong," Rodolphous concurs with his mother, "she's tapping her wand against her side in a rhythmic pattern. She's not curious at all of the situation; she's impatient, ready to begin working."

"I don't get how you two can do that," Rabastan whines, "you always know what people are thinking or doing before me."

"You were the one who refused to learn," Rudolph reproves his son sharply, "it is no one else's fault you were a hopeless pupil. Your mother instructed you countless times; you simply cannot compare to Rodolphous' skill. Quit the unseemly whining."

"Yes Father," Rabastan straightened, a contemptuous look flashing across his face, before quickly disappearing,  "I'll do better now."

"You better," Rudolph turned from his son, "we must regain out strength. The Blacks are on a path to failure; the Lestranges must ensure we soar above them. We will no longer be their vassals; we will conquer them with new strength. You must be better, or all our plans will fail."