But the masterwork was the manor itself. Standing in the middle of this dark land, the place was focusing the attention on it, like some headquarters for a Dark Lord or another evil wizard bent on conquering the world. The manor was four floors high, and the only way to access it was by a black paved alley bordered by statues of snakes. At the end of it, was a large black marble stair ending with two terrifying sculptures of black cobras barring their fangs. The rest of the mansion was made from black stone, with midnight-coloured towers, gargoyles and repugnant pictures making this place of the less engaging that she had ever seen. But there was worse. No matter its appearance, Alexandra had to look twice before finally realising she was observing a sort of...black aura seeping from the walls of the manor. The kind of thing she had seen with Devkins before fighting him. The oppressing presence which had manifested itself when the Salamander had emerged from a vault and proceeded to annihilate all resistance. What exactly was this place to emanate the same darkness?
Returning to the little matter of group, their number had severely diminished in the instant she had passed to observe the surroundings. Leo Black was walking towards the manor with a black-haired man who had absolutely the same hair and face. No doubt his father, Lord Sirius Black. The Boy-Who-Lived was a bit behind, marching towards the same destination but with a woman in a dark green robe and a stuffed vulture on her head. Almost certainly his grandmother. The only persons in the vicinity where the sixth-year Weasley and Alexandra were waiting were two persons with blond hairs, one of which she was already familiar with having met him at Flourish and Blotts. Lucius Malfoy. So the woman next to him, wearing silver robes which emphasized her seducing body and figure, was his wife, Narcissa Malfoy nee Black. And the two were glaring at the Weasley teenager like if he was some dirty parasite they would like to crush with their shoes.
"Should we start to follow the two other members of our group?" Alexandra asked to the Gryffindor Prefect. The Black-Longbottom-both adults and children- had left them where they had arrived without a look behind.
"Professor Snape..."
"Said he would wait for the 'delayed student'." Who if the persons waiting here were any indication, had to consist in the arrogant and bullish being named Draco. "He never told us to wait for him."
Weasley opened his mouth to answer, but the words died in his throat as another Portkey, this one an enchanted teacup, ejected two persons right in front of them from nowhere. The first was Professor Snape. The other was Draco Malfoy.
"Oh, well. No need to wait for our Professor." Alexandra said in a whisper.
The Head of Slytherin had not heard her remark, but clearly agreed to the spirit of it as he began to head to the manor with long strides after having made a sharp gesture in Weasley and Alexandra's direction to follow him.
The black cape and clothes of Professor Snape, dark and without ornament, were weirdly appropriate given the ambiance reigning in the area. Passing dozen of snake sculptures and climbing the black stairs, the group reached at last the black gates of the gloomy residence. The Malfoy adults and their spoilt child were a bit behind on the grounds.
"Severus Snape, Alexandra Potter and Percival Weasley." Told the Professor in a bored tone to one of the black, well...things decorating the main doors. "We are expected."
The figure, which looked like a hybrid between a demon, a gargoyle and a Minotaur, nodded once to acknowledge Snape's statement and the doors opened in a noise which was more of a shriek than a hiss.
The teacher entered as soon as enough space was created, and Percival and Alexandra penetrated in Black Cobra Manor too. It was...dark. Unlike Hogwarts, the entrance of the Black Cobra Manor was weakly illuminated, with only a few candles and torches providing light. As a result, all the persons arriving (which included the three Malfoys) took a few moments to adapt their eyes to the new conditions. When it was done, Alexandra had to admit she was not impressed at all.
After seeing the marvels offered by her school, she had hoped to see hundreds of painting with old and proud wizards and witches, perhaps architecture of the Renaissance-era, some armours from the medieval times, a silver chandelier or golden candelabras. Nothing of this sort was here. Instead, the Hall where they were standing was to be polite in a state of decay. They were cracks on every wall, and not the small fissures which came when the worker Vernon hired to redo the paint in the living room of Privet Drive did a half-baked job. The wall on the left directly to the door had one which ran from the ceiling to the ground. The walls were dirty, and there was nothing on them, though by the traces there had been some paintings on them once upon a time. There was a lot of dust and obvious signs of neglect. This place was giving a feeling of abandonment and isolation, like in some club rooms she had visited frequently thorough the corridors of Hogwarts. In some way, it made her sad, as she knew this place had in the past been bristling with life and now there was nothing left. An era had definitely passed.
"Look how deep they have fallen..." Whispered someone on her right.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/Makimafic
If you guys wanna check it out.