Of Shadow, Shine, and Shades

Ch.14 In the Mean Time

"Honestly, I think this was a terrible idea," Harry complained.

"Yeah, you've established that already. Several times." Caelum tried to tone down his irritation but it still came out far more bitingly than he'd intended.

"..."

He nearly never snapped at Harry but there were instances – such as this – when he simply couldn't control himself. He was not accustomed to dealing with children and no matter how mature Harry liked to act, he was still a kid. And now that he was comfortable enough with Caelum he didn't mind letting the mage know his opinion.

Not that it was a bad thing! ...Just irritating at times.

"Sorry," the man sighed. Being in this house did not make things easier. "Why don't you go to the kitchen while I try to contain the Darkness a bit better?" He looked down and met the defying glare straight on. He could relate, he really could. Harry was just as unaccustomed to having someone influence his decisions as he was, and Caelum had not laid down any rules concerning their relationship.

As Harry stomped away, Caelum heard him mutter, "How many dark houses do you have to have?"

Was it his fault the Blacks were a decisively Dark family? He had tried to explain everything he could to Harry but obviously he couldn't tell everything. One of Harry's first questions had been whether he was going to have friends or not. What was he supposed to say to that? Explain everything about Ron and Hermione and their faults? Explain that he killed some of his school mates? That he'd seen even more killed before his eyes?

So he'd shrugged and said that he didn't care who Harry made friends with because they were two different persons and he could make his own choices.

And reminded the boy again that, while he was from the past of a different world similar to this one, he did not know the future. His mere presence had already changed things, and there were many worrying differences such as the location of the horcruxes.

A sliver of darkness licked at his boot and Caelum frowned. This was not the malevolent kind that he'd destroyed in the London house. This Dark was almost warm and welcoming and it only wanted to embrace and protect him. He could have given in to the silent calling but the fact that Harry was in the house and the boy was too young for that kind of experience held him from letting go. Because no matter how warm and welcoming this Dark might have felt for him, Dark Magic was always seductive and dangerous. Induced with desires. It could influence an undeveloped magical core if the exposure to it was prolonged.

That's what most Dark families did with their children to make them more receptive to the Dark.

"Retreat," he whispered with a hint of command in his voice and the tentacles made out of pure Darkness pulled away and vanished. He bit his lip, staring down the corridor with indecision pulling at his thoughts. The decision to come to La Tanière d'Ombre was an easy one to make. He wanted to find out the state of his estates and after this only the Black Manor in Wales was left but he was quite certain that was used by Arcturus and Melania at the moment. Cassiopeia and Lucretia had houses of their own that Caelum doubted would return to him at their deaths. He was quite certain that Cassiopeia had even changed her will. Gobteeth had mentioned something about that a while ago when he had finally went to get his identification papers and to inquire about the state of Sirius' case. The papers were perfect – Sirius' case not. The Ministry had put a block on the case and any inquiries led to dead ends.

It frustrated Caelum more than he could say but he could not just go and break the man out. Not when he was responsible for Harry and had no guarantees of his state of mind. He had not known Sirius in his own world but – if the stories were anything to go by – the man was an excellent Auror and the white sheep of the Black family. Was he worth breaking into Azkaban? Caelum did not know. He would have to meet with him and that would not be happening in the near future.