The Wolf and the Lioness - The Boys who lived Part two. (Patreon)

Lily Evans, Grimmauld Place – London.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Sirius asked curiously as he adjusted the cloak over his shoulders, preparing to leave.

Lily simply nodded calmly with a gentle smile before answering.

“I will be, Siri, don’t worry. Aegon is busy at Hogwarts; apparently he’s giving Longbottom his first lesson in battle magic, so he’ll be occupied until tomorrow. I’ll read for a while in his study before returning to Hogwarts,” the redhead said calmly, before her face filled with curiosity and she asked,

“And you? Are you sure this is what you want?” she asked, genuinely worried about Sirius, who simply nodded solemnly.

“Yes. You know perfectly well that because of that bastard Rosier I can’t father children, and as much as I despise my family’s history, I won’t leave any of my cousins or nieces unprotected. Aegon is powerful, with that ruthless streak necessary to be Lord Black. I’ll make him the offer and try to convince him,” Sirius said with determination, making Lily nod.

“I understand, Siri. I truly hope your plan works,” Lily said sincerely.

Sirius smiled and nodded with determination.

“It will. You’ll see. I’ll give him an offer he won’t be able to refuse,” Lord Black said before nodding toward the redhead and disappearing into the Flu flames, leaving Lily alone in the immense ancestral house of the Blacks.

Just as she had planned.

The red-haired witch inhaled deeply, calming her mind and preparing herself for what could become either the brightest or the stupidest moment of her life, something she was certain would earn her a reprimand from Aegon once he found out.

Because Lily knew perfectly well that the young dragon would learn of her intentions sooner or later; she had no doubt about that and was completely willing to pay the price if it meant seeing her beloved and precious son again.

With steady steps, though trembling with fear inside, the redhead walked toward the enormous metal door, coming face to face with the imposing three-headed dragon that guarded the entrance to Aegon’s workshop and the Multiversal Megascope.

Merlin, even the name sounded… powerful and ethereal, she thought with amusement as the doors slowly opened, revealing the magical workshop before her eyes.

The redhead had seen this place hundreds of times, and even so, Aegon’s arcane mastery still left her breathless every single time, knowing and commanding aspects of magic so esoteric that Lily could not even recognize them.

Alas, she had not come here to admire her Lord’s incredible projects; she would have plenty of time for that later. So, with determination, the redhead walked toward the small chamber Aegon had created at the rear of the workshop, where a familiar object—one that had haunted Lily’s dreams for weeks—rested, seemingly inert and harmless.

She had studied everything. She had memorized every action, every step, and every word Aegon had used to contact his wife… this would work, she was… she was sure of it.

Right?

The moment Lily entered the megascope chamber, the quartz illuminated, detecting the redhead’s magical signature. She watched the emerald glow of the crystal while the silence of the chamber wrapped around her thoughts.

So much had changed in so little time. A few months ago, she had been the bitter and strict Potions professor of Hogwarts, the Iron Maiden, as they called her behind her back. But now she was a witch with purpose, in the service of House Targaryen, with a young and virile wizard capable of satisfying needs she had suppressed for years.

Now she possessed new robes, tailored from the finest and softest silk. The black silk was now accompanied by crimson fabrics and beautiful embroidered dragons, along with a magnificent choker marking her as property of the House of the Dragon.

Property of Aegon, the redhead thought, shivering and feeling heat gather in her womanhood at the mere memory of the passionate nights she had spent lost in the young dragon’s sheets.

The war had left her shattered, completely broken and only a shell of her former self. Her husband had died with wand in hand, trying unsuccessfully to defend her, and so had her little Harry, casting her into an abyss of bitterness and despair she had never imagined possible.

And then Aegon Targaryen had appeared.

He had not treated her as a broken widow or as a useful witch. He had recognized her talent, her power, and her skill. Aegon did not see the shattered widow Potter, the woman who had lost everything; he saw Lily. He saw her for the first time in years.

And although she would always be grateful to her beloved dragon, the thorn inside her, the one concerning her beloved Harry and what might have been, kept eating away at her from within.

So, with determination, Lily took her position, drew her wand, and cut her hand, making sure the crimson liquid fell onto the shining crystal before reciting the memorized words.

The spell was powerful. Lily had no idea what she was actually saying; it was an unknown language, the Ancient Tongue, as her Lord called it, before she finished with the final command.

The Multiversal Spiral, as Aegon had named it, manifested itself, showing her the infinity of multiverses, moving so quickly that they were barely perceptible to the eye.

Lily felt fatigue beginning to creep into her body, and knowing she did not have much time, she hurried through the final part of the ritual.

“Show me Harry Potter.”

And the result was instantaneous. The multiversal spiral condensed into a specific point, approaching slowly. First it showed her the entire planet, then Europe, and finally focused on…

“Little Whinging, Surrey,” she whispered to herself, watching the image draw closer and closer, approaching a neighborhood, Privet Drive, that seemed… suspiciously familiar.

The magic carried Lily inside house number four, passed through the door, and led her, to her horror, directly to the cupboard beneath the stairs, where she saw something that filled her with both love and relief, and with infinite sorrow and fury.

Her beloved son, her precious child, was alive, but… his physical condition left much to be desired.

“AGGGH!” Lily groaned in pain as she felt the fatigue grow stronger, so without wasting a single second, she spoke, her voice broken and filled with caution and longing.

“Harry?” the redhead whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she watched her little sprout lift his face, looking around in alarm.

“Who… who’s there?” he asked, evidently terrified, something Lily hurried to correct.

“It’s me, my love, it’s your… it’s your mama” she whispered, while the exhaustion forced her to fall to her knees, making a titanic effort to remain conscious. Her vision was blurred, but she could not give up, not when she saw her little one’s face fill with shock, while tears began to spill from his beautiful green eyes.

“Mu… Mum?” he whispered in a broken voice, filled with infinite hope, looking around, searching for her desperately.

Lily swallowed hard, feeling her heart break at the desperation in her son’s gaze, but also aware that she was on the verge of collapse.

“I… I’ll be with you soon, my love… I’ll come for you and bring you with me, I promise you, I promise you, Harry, soon we’ll be together, I…” the redhead cried out, feeling her vision darken, unable to do anything about it.

“Mummy? Mummy, don’t leave me! Mummy, I…” The desperation and longing in her little one’s voice broke something inside Lily, but she could do nothing about it, because a pair of heavy metallic hands pulled her away from the megascope at the exact moment the connection shattered.

“NOOO!” she screamed with the last of her strength before slowly succumbing to exhaustion, hearing Aegon’s guardian automatons speaking.

“Inform the Master, Lady Lily has lost too much blood and…”

The pale redhead looked weakly toward her hand, seeing that it was completely covered in blood, before fainting.

She would be punished, of that she had no doubt, but… she had found her beloved little one, and nothing would stand between her and her mission.

Lily was so tired and exhausted that she did not notice a small detail.

The scar on her little one’s forehead.

But that… is another story. For now, she would have to deal with the consequences of her actions.

Hermione Granger, Aegon Workshop – Hogwarts.

“Again, shield!” said the young Black Heir, while with terrifying speed he launched four precise spells at Neville, who blocked two, dodged one, and was struck by the fourth, a Depulso that sent him flying several meters backward, making him hit the ground with a heavy thud.

“Shit,” blurted her best friend before rolling to the side and getting back on his feet quickly when he saw that Aegon had launched a terrifying wall of fire toward him.

“Come on, Longbottom! You need to be agile!” said the Black Heir, while moving his wand in patterns Hermione had never seen before, creating completely unknown spells to the young witch.

“How is he doing that? He’s supposed to be sixteen!” Hermione exclaimed, not recognizing any of the spells and grimacing when she saw Neville fall victim to a paralysis charm, dropping him to the floor like a stone.

Beside her, Ron simply shrugged and said,

“The Blacks have always been mad, and Bellatrix Black is an international dueling champion. I wouldn’t be surprised if she taught her nephew a few tricks,” said Ron, far more interested in the beautiful magical chess set Aegon kept in his private quarters.

Hermione huffed at that thought. That a student could have… so many privileges compared to everyone else was outrageous, but after taking a look at the kind of projects Aegon Black had in this place…

There was no doubt that he was a magical prodigy, one far superior to any wizard or witch in the castle.

Aegon moved his wand calmly, lifting the spell from Neville, who remained lying on the floor trying to recover his breath.

“Please… I need… a break,” begged her best friend, making Aegon roll his eyes and reply,

“Fine, you have two minutes, and if you fall to the same spell a third time, you’ll be cleaning all of this without magic,” Aegon said firmly, making Hermione frown at the threat.

But even she, a stubborn and headstrong witch, was not foolish enough to interfere in the training between those two. She would keep taking notes, every detail, movement, and action, trying to figure out what spells the young Black was using.

“Do you think Neville will be alright?” Hermione asked cautiously, making Ron nod with determination.

“He will. The Blacks are strange, but they’re not really a dark family. Neville’s grandmother and Aegon’s father are allies in the Wizengamot. He won’t do anything that permanently harms him physically, although his pride…” said Ron with obvious amusement, as they watched Neville get back to his feet once more, legs trembling but his expression ready to continue.

Something that clearly pleased the Black Heir.

“Good, you’ve got spirit, take your stance and…” Aegon began, only to be interrupted by an alarm in the Workshop, one that was evidently important enough for the training to stop.

DING!!

At that sound, the young Slytherin forgot about the duel completely and walked toward his enormous desk with a smile, heading toward a large metallic box, with an… unknown crystal floating gently in the center.

Hermione hated to admit that she did not have the slightest idea what the artifact did, and what annoyed her even more was that apparently, Neville did know.

“So, is it done? Is this what will help us?” he asked cryptically, staring at the object with intensity.

Aegon nodded, while moving, to Hermione’s incredible envy, his hands all over the object without using his wand and activating it somehow.

“It is, and it’s time to test it.”

At those words, Hermione stepped forward with a frown and asked inquisitively,

“What is that?” demanding an answer to her ignorance.

Aegon simply ignored her, completely focused on the object in front of him, but Neville, her best friend Neville, answered.

“It’s one of Aegon’s projects,” said the young Longbottom distractedly, completely focused on the strange object, which had begun to charge with magic. The crystal in the center of the box had started to glow, while a projection of Hogwarts Castle appeared in the air, originating from the mysterious box.

“Only Hogwarts? I thought it would have more range,” Neville asked with a frown, further fueling Hermione’s curiosity, and she opened her mouth to demand more information.

It was not fair that Aegon and Neville knew something and she did not! They had to share it! That was how knowledge worked!

However, before the young Muggle-born could say anything, the Black Heir replied.

“It will. This is a prototype, and look at this… we have two anomalies,” he said with satisfaction, while indeed, two bright points appeared within the holographic model of the castle.

One of them was located on the Seventh Floor, a few levels below the Astronomy Tower, curiously behind a solid wall with no apparent door.

However… the other… was located exactly in the Tower where they were at that very moment.

In the Workshop of the young Black Heir, a couple of meters away from the object, to be exact.

Precisely where Neville was standing, staring at the projection with disbelief and concern.

“There… there has to be a mistake, right?” her best friend asked uncertainly, making Aegon draw his wand and reply.

“There’s only one way to find out,” he said as he walked toward Neville, moving his wand in strange gestures, whispering in a language the brunette did not recognize.

Sensing that something was wrong, Hermione stepped forward and asked tentatively,

“Wh… what’s happening? What’s wrong with Neville? What is that artifact?” Hermione asked with a trembling voice, worried about her best friend.

Aegon did not answer for a long moment. Instead, he moved his wand around young Longbottom, creating a kind of… arcane halo around him, glowing with an intense golden light before changing to a sickly purple color, making Aegon curse under his breath.

“Damn it!” he snapped furiously, making all the torches present flare brightly, reacting to the powerful magic of the young Black and startling Neville, Hermione, and Ron.

“What’s going on? What the hell happened, Aegon?” Neville demanded, trembling with fear, at least until the young Black raised his hand in a calming gesture.

“This… is not easy to explain, but I need the professor here,” he said, before looking directly at Hermione and Ron.

“You two, go get Professor Dumbledore, now!” he ordered with such firmness and authority that both Hermione and Ron obeyed instantly.

They did not know what was happening, but they would get to the bottom of it, one way or another.

That was a promise.