Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or Dresden Files or anything from the DC universe

AN: Thanks for reading! And thanks to all of you who reviewed! Didn't quite get this chapter out before the end of July, but I came pretty close at least.

Sakura Lisel- you are right, it doesn't make sense. But it will :)

Silent Mayhem- I like the way you think lol. Andromeda isn't the type to do something like that though. Her family on the other hand...

Kyu9930- Your idea has merit and is very logical. Though assassinating the Lestranges, whose head is one of Voldemort's strongest and most loyal supporters, would have to be extremely well thought out over a period of time. Krios doesn't want Voldemort to butcher a bunch of innocents or go after his family in retaliation. And Voldemort is far more powerful and more aware of the Muggle world in this fic. So Krios will have to be careful. Krios is not worried about the Malfoys, as he's pretty sure that they won't survive Gotham. And the League does exist, as you will see in this chapter:) but they likely won't be showing up much

JustAnotherFan217- Thank you! And you'll see:)

RamDLC28- Harry Potter Wiki places Rita's birthday in 1951, making her nineteen at this point in my story.

Guest- We'll see:)

Abdur Rauf Aymaan- Yes, John is a nickname for Giovanni Zatara. I probably won't be using the nickname much due to the existence of John Constantine to avoid confusion. And nice job catching that reference. And we'll see:)

Krios POV

"Susan, George, Hannah, may I speak to you privately?" I asked, walking to the Hufflepuff table where the McKinnons were sitting together. I had already gotten changed in my Slytherin Quidditch gear, and I had instructed Eric to watch my broom, the recently released Nimbus. 1001. It is a great broom, as well as the best available, and had just been released to the public last summer. The Hufflepuffs nearby tensed as I approached, eyeing me warily.

"Haven't you done enough?" Amos Diggory asked angrily from his seat nearby. That comment hurt me far more than I would have thought it would, even though it came from her complete prat of a boyfriend. I had no control over anything that happened. Martha had chosen to save me, I didn't force her to! But before I could reply, Susan spoke.

"Amos, enough! Krios didn't ask to be attacked by Dark Wizards in his own home," she snapped at him. This meant more to me than I could ever describe. She then turned to me. "Yes, you may," she told me. I smiled at her gratefully and nodded.

One of her roommates grabbed her arm and whispered to her urgently as she and her siblings stood. But Susan pulled away and shook her head. "It's fine, Maggie. I need answers, and Krios has them," she said. They then followed me into an abandoned classroom near the Great Hall. Unfortunately, it took some convincing to get Crabbe and Goyle to give me privacy.

Susan POV

"I'll be fine. If you have to, guard me outside the door. Stand there and make sure no one comes in, growl at anyone who looks at the door funny, just stay outside unless I call you!" Krios shouted rather irritably from outside the abandoned classroom we were meeting in. It appeared that he was not entirely pleased with the stooges that he had apparently inherited from Lucius. The theory that the Crabbes and Goyles were not much better than slaves to the House of Malfoy seemed to be true after all.

Krios Black then entered the room. Tall, dark, and handsome was definitely an apt description of the new Lord Malfoy and the Heir to the House of Black. And he had intense brown eyes that seemed to pierce your very soul.. "Stop it Susan, you are not here to ogle a third year, no matter how handsome he is," I mentally reprimanded myself.

"First off, let me just say how sorry I am for your loss. I considered Martha a friend for a long time. She used to babysit me and my cousin Eric when she was a rookie Auror, you know," Krios said sincerely.

"We know. She talked about it for months. She was so excited and honored to be trusted with the lives of both the son of her boss and the future Lord Black," I said, smiling sadly as I remembered her excitement over her rookie duties.

"My uncle's trust was definitely not misplaced, considering she disarmed Pollux before he could kill me. Then that cowardly scum Snyde shot a killing curse when her back was turned to him," Krios said, clenching his fists angrily. Hannah and I both gasped, and George growled in fury. Krios looked at us in surprise.

"Your father didn't tell you what happened? I sent him the memory of the fight. I know that he got it, and I was sure either he or Bullock would have told you," Krios asked us in surprise. I couldn't help but start to tear up at the mention of my parents. They had not reacted well to Martha's death, especially since my brother Dalton was now insisting on training to be an Auror and had vowed to bring Macklebee and Pollux in to face justice.

"Our father hadn't told us how it had happened, only that she had died trying to stop Voldemort from acquiring a Dark artifact. And I am pretty sure that he destroyed the memory as soon as he got it. My parents haven't been dealing well with losing her and the baby. My mother has always been fragile," I said tearfully.

A look of horror made its way onto Krios's face. "Baby?" he whispered, as if he was begging me not to confirm what he thought I was saying. But I couldn't.

"It was going to be her last mission. She hadn't even told her fiancé yet. They were getting married next week, and she thought this mission wasn't going to be too dangerous," I cried, not even bothering to stop the tears now. Hannah was sobbing as well, and George wasn't in much better shape. But none of that could possibly compare to how destroyed Krios looked. The news had certainly upset him.

"I am so sorry for your loss. I made sure all the funeral arrangements for Martha were paid for. If there is anything I can do, please let me know," Krios said softly, turning away so that we couldn't see his emotions. It was likely something that he had been taught from a young age.

"Thank you," I said, putting my arm on his shoulder to show how much it meant to me. He had undoubtedly scarred himself for life to avenge my sister, and that meant more than I could say. And the fact that he paid for the funeral showed how much honor he had. My thanks were echoed by my siblings.

"We probably should head back to the Great Hall before your boyfriend convinces people that you need to be saved from the scary Dark Wizard from Slytherin," Krios said jokingly while turning back to face us. This got a snort of laughter from my brother and a giggle from my sister. I just rolled my eyes and smiled slightly. We all silently agreed with a look that Krios Black was anything but a Dark Wizard.

"I am sorry about Amos. He's just..." I paused as I tried to find a way to describe my boyfriend of eight months. I loved him, I really did, but he was way out of line saying what he did to Krios. He could be a bit much sometimes. We walked out of the classroom and into the hallway and headed towards the Great Hall.

"An arrogant prat and a complete idiot. You and the rest of your team can play the best game of your life, but I will still beat him to the Snitch and make him look like an idiot while I do it. Slytherin is going to win today," Krios interjected with a cocky smirk that both irritated me and made my heart race. But I decided to focus on my irritation part, especially since my brother was currently nodding in agreement! And he had insulted my boyfriend and said we were going to lose!!

"Oh, really?" I said, raising my eyebrows and giving him a challenging glare as we walked into the Great Hall. There was no way that Amos would lose to this cocky second year! And there was no way in hell we were going to lose to Slytherin! Our team was way better than they were.

"I guarantee it. And I look forward to facing you on the pitch, my lady," he said, taking my hand and kissing it before doing the same to my sister and gave my brother a slight bow. My sister was blushing furiously, and I hoped I wasn't doing the same. But the voice of my irritated boyfriend dashed those hopes.

"Black, do you mind?" Amos asked angrily, glaring at the Black scion, who merely smirked at him.

"Not at all, Diggory. I wouldn't want to spoil your breakfast. I don't want to make you sick and make it too easy to get the Snitch," Krios said, still wearing that infuriating cocky grin, and proceeded to turn around and walk back over towards the Slytherin table.

Amos growled and started to get up from the table. Fortunately, one of our teammates was sitting next to him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't be a fool, Amos. Black is just baiting you and trying to get in your head. Let your play on the pitch do the talking," Randolph Fawley, our Keeper said. Amos sighed and sat down, knowing that Randolph was right. He nodded at the burly Keeper in thanks. But I was furious at Amos for acting the way he did. How dare he!

"It's unfortunate that it's too late to stop Amos from acting like a fool, though," I said, glaring at Amos angrily. Before he could retort, the owls came in with mail for the students. And the Daily Prophet headlines were definitely not going to get my boyfriend to calm down.

Krios POV

I made my way back to the Slytherin table and sat down in between Eric and Cyrus. Crabbe and Goyle had already sat down and started pigging out on their breakfasts. Eric grinned at me as I sat down.

"Well played," Eric said.

"Thanks," I said, grinning back. While it might be unfair engaging in a battle of wits with someone as unarmed as Amos Diggory was, it was still fun sometimes. The owls then flew in, bringing in the mail and the new. My owl, Lancelot, brought me two letters, one from my grandfather and the other from Natalia, as well as the paper. I didn't bother to look at them, deciding that I would read them after the match. I needed some breakfast.

Just as I had started eating my second piece of bacon, I heard a choking noise coming from a couple seats down. I looked up, and saw Adrianne choking on a piece of her food. Which was strange, because Adrianne was more proper with her table manners than any twelve year old I had met outside of Narcissa. A wave of Cyrus's wand cleared that up though. And then I noticed that a lot of people were staring at me.

"What? Did the twins do something to my food or something?" I asked in slight alarm. While it would be the first time they had done so to me, it wouldn't be the first time they had done it. The twins let out a scoff of mock outrage, as they had heard me at the Gryffindor table.

"Have you looked at the Prophet this morning, cuz? It's rather illuminating," Eric said, and the shit-eating grin on his face was a good sign that I wasn't going to like it. I opened up my copy of the Daily Prophet. Where my face was splattered alongside Princess Natalia Romanov. And Eric had decided that it was necessary to read the article out loud.

A Royal Engagement! Heir Krios Black marrying Princess Romanov

by Carla Winger, Daily Prophet Senior Reporter

"It is my delight to announce that Lord Arcturus Black, Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, has confirmed in yesterday's Wizengamot session that his grandson and heir, our own Krios Black, thirteen year old Heir of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black and the current Lord Malfoy, has been betrothed to the Princess Natalia Romanov of the Ancient and Most Noble Royal House of Romanov.

"It is an honor and privilege to tie two of the Wizarding World's oldest and most powerful lines together. My grandson will be taking the Romanov name in accordance to the royal traditions of the Romanov family when they are of age and married. He will third in line for the crown in the absence of an heir for Prince Sergei," Lord Black proudly proclaimed to the astonishment of everyone assembled, including this reporter.

When asked about the identity of the future of the House of Black and it's future Lady, Lord Black had this to say: "The future of the House of Black is very bright. Krios saved a Princess from a horrible fate, and now will receive her hand in marriage. He will be a Prince. And a Prince should get to choose his future wife, both for the House of Black and the House of Malfoy. He has proven his worth, and I know he will make the best decision for the future of our House."

That's right, folks. It will be Krios Black himself who will choose the future Lady Black and Lady Malfoy. Not only will the lucky lady be marrying a true hero, a real-life Knight in Shining Armor who saved a prince and a princess from assassination, but an actual prince. Who will manage to capture the love of this prince and become a Lady of a Noble House and a princess?

As he stopped reading, the first thing I noticed that I currently had the attention of everyone in the Great Hall. A few of the males, such as Diggory and Montague, looked jealous. But the rest of the guys, including some of my friends, looked like they were in awe, which was kinda cool. Although the look of semi-reverence on a the faces of few of the younger Gryffindors was a little disturbing. But it was the girls that took it to a whole other level.

The girls that I knew were either betrothed or dating someone else seemed indifferent, but even a few of those, such as Susan McKinnon, were giving me thoughtful looks. And the most of the younger girls in the first, second, and third years were looking at me with adoration, which confirmed that I would be dealing with a lot of fan girls. Thankfully, the majority of them weren't in Slytherin.

But some of the unattached older girls were looking at me like a lion would look at a slab of meat, as if deciding the best way to eat it. I couldn't help but gulp nervously. I was screwed. Literally, if my increasingly out of control hormones had anything to say about it. "Gramps really is a true Slytherin. And a sadist. This must be some kind of test to see how I handle pushy people and pressure," I thought to myself.

Fortunately, Steve Laughalot, being the Quidditch obsessed nut that he is, had speed-eaten his breakfast and had left to start adjudging our game plan that he had in the scenario that Susan McKinnon had returned. And he had chosen that moment to return to the Great Hall.

"Alright, Slytherin team, let's go!" Steve shouted. I immediately took the chance to escape. I grabbed my broom and letters, and shot out of the Hall as fast as I could. As soon as I was out, I called Gremlin and had the House Elf take my letters to my quarters on the seventh floor. I had a feeling that they were going to be important. At this point, Crabbe and Goyle had caught up with me, so we headed down to the locker room together.

Alphard Black POV

I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of my nephew running out of the hall like the devil was after him, when it was really only the two idiots that he had inherited from Lucius. I hadn't seen him run that fast since Sirius had gotten upset and used accidental magic to turn a toy that Krios and Eric had been playing with into a snapping turtle when they were children. Thankfully, the headmaster took that moment to get everyone's attention.

"Please remember that if you do decide to seduce young Mr. Black to use a contraceptive spell or potion. Madam Pomfrey has the potion available in the hospital wing if you don't know the spell, and I am sure that Professor Slughorn will make sure that she is fully stocked throughout the year," Albus said, causing Horace Slughorn to groan slightly at the realization that he just had gotten more work to do. Poppy Pomfrey wasn't at breakfast, along with Ogg, Hagrid, Cuthbert Binns, Argus Filch, and Silvanius Kettleburn. And I had no doubt that Poppy was going to be pissed.

"I have yet to have anyone get pregnant here at Hogwarts since I have become Headmaster, and if anyone decides to be the first, I will devote my time to making my displeasure known by making your life living hell. And I am sure the Lord Black would be very displeased with attempted line theft, and I can assure you that he will also make his displeasure known. I will say it again: no pregnancies! Now, off you go. Enjoy the game!" Dumbledore finished loudly. He then turned and walked away from the staff table, being hotly pursued by an undoubtedly irate Minerva McGonagall.

The students started to trickle out of the Great Hall as well, including an extremely confused Slytherin Quidditch Captain. He was currently trying to get one of his Chasers to explain what was going on. And since my little cousin Eric was far too busy trying to breathe while laughing uncontrollably, and Miss Vanity was currently crimson from blushing and unable to do much more than stammer, he had turned to Mr. Flint for help.

And judging by the quality of Mr. Flint's essays, it might take a while for them to work it out. I just hoped that they could pull it together in time for the game. As a former Chaser on the team during my time at Hogwarts, I was rather fond of the Slytherin House team. I had bet both Pomona Sprout and Travis Kipling ten galleons that Slytherin would win, and I did not want to have to deal with their smug looks for the rest of the year!

It was then Minerva returned from her unsuccessful attempt to corner Albus. The old man was harder to corner most of the students were. "That infuriating man! I cannot believe him! What on Earth was he thinking telling them that?!? We have enough problems with students violating broom cupboards already!" Minerva fumed. At this point, it was just Minerva, Filius, Travis, and myself seated in the Great Hall. All the other students had left the Great Hall already, as had the other members of the staff in order to keep the peace in the stands.

"He was probably thinking that trying to prevent teenagers from acting like teenagers is an exercise in futility. He's likely just trying to prevent the worst possible scenarios, ones that would have the Lord Black bring his wrath upon us and our students. I personally think that he did the right thing there," I said, taking a sip of my morning tea. The elves here really made an excellent tea.

"Aren't you worried about your nephew? He is only thirteen!" Minerva asked, undoubtedly surprised by lack of concern. But she didn't know Krios and Arcturus Black like I did. Everything Arcturus did was calculated, and I knew that Arcturus wouldn't have done this if he didn't think his Heir could handle it or had some sort of plan. Arcturus had told him in private that he couldn't have asked for a more capable Heir than Krios, and Arcturus wasn't a very complimentary person in general. And I couldn't help but agree with the man.

"No, not really. The kid is more intelligent than most adults I know. He can handle it, and Arcturus wouldn't have done what he did if he didn't think Krios could handle it. I can't wait for him to join my Ancient Runes class as one of his electives next year. He seems really interested in the subject. I missed having him in class this year, I really enjoyed teaching him last year in the mandatory Wizarding Traditions class," I said.

This brought a smile to the faces of Minerva and Filius, while Kipling just grunted in a grouchy form of acknowledgement. Krios was well-liked by almost all of the staff and was considered one of the most talented students they'd ever had. Only Binns and Kipling didn't have anything really nice to say about him out of all of his teachers. Binns was a ghost who didn't care about the students enough to do anything but try to drill facts into their heads, so he didn't count. And Kipling had some history with the House of Black that left him with an extreme dislike and wariness towards the majority of my family.

And to be fair, the man had acted rather professionally towards my nephew and nieces in our interactions. I wouldn't have blamed him in the slightest if he hadn't. What that insane bitch Lycoris had done to his face was bad enough. But what Orion had done in the summer of 1954 had been even worse, and was what made me decide to become a curse breaker not only because I had wanted to for a long time, but so I could leave England and my insane family forever.

Travis Kipling had two siblings. One was his younger brother, Ryan Kipling, a Squib who had moved to America with his mother, a Muggle who had divorced her husband in 1943, in Ryan's fifth year at Hogwarts. She had been unable to accept her husband's obsession with his job in Magical Law Enforcement as a reason for neglecting his family, and had left with her only non-magical child.

Two years later, his father died in the war against Grindelwald in the May of 1945, just two months before Travis graduated and three months before Grindelwald was defeated at the hands of Albus Dumbledore. Travis, assisted by an elderly aunt, then became the caretaker of his then seven year old sister, Sarella, known by most as Ella. The girl that became the love of my life and of the kindest people I have ever met. She was also one of four people I considered real friends at Hogwarts. The others were Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, and my roommate, Francis Pucey.

While Francis was my first friend and close confidant from the beginning, it was a friendly rivalry that began my friendships with Ella, Minerva, and Filius in our second year at Hogwarts. The four of us were considered the best and brightest in our year not long after we started Hogwarts in the fall of 1947. We were all in different houses, Minerva in Gryffindor, Filius in Ravenclaw, Ella in Hufflepuff, and I went to Slytherin like every Black had since the Founders built Hogwarts, with only two exceptions. And both Iola and Phineas Black had ended up disowned and blasted off the family tree in the late 19th century.

Despite being in different houses, we formed a study group during our second year and became fast friends. We bonded over our shared birthday month of October and our passion for studying the mysteries of magic. And in our fifth year, I fell in love with Ella and we started dating in our sixth year, despite the fact that her older brother was hunting my relatives, the insane dark witch Lycoris and her brother, Regulus, former lieutenants of Grindelwald now allied with Heinrich Kemmler.

The summer after we graduated, I learned the location of Regulus and Lycoris's hideout at a family dinner from a conversation between Arcturus and Orion. I found out afterwards that Arcturus had known that I was listening, as he felt that his brother and sister were out of control and needed to be brought to justice or put down. I did exactly what he had expected me to and told Travis where they were. The raid was successful, and both Lycoris and Regulus were captured. Travis had been severely injured, and two others on the ICW task force had been killed.

But while Arcturus quietly approved of my actions and the arrest of his siblings, Orion was irate. He had always been extremely close to his Uncle Regulus, and was apoplectic when he realized that I had undoubtedly been the one to betray them. And two weeks after they were arrested, he and a couple of thugs that he had been friends with at Hogwarts decided that I would pay for it while we were out for a stroll in the woods outside her family home in Scotland, where her brother was recovering from his injuries.

I had been planning to propose at sunrise, on the grassy field near a creek where she spent so much time as a child. But before I could, she had screamed at the appearance of three hooded figures. We managed to kill Orion's accomplices, but as I finished dispatching the second one, Orion shot a killing curse at Ella, ending her life. Orion Disapparated before I could retaliate, leaving her brother and I to mourn over her dead body.

The Black lawyers had made sure that Orion was able to escape spending any time in Azkaban in the subsequent trial, despite my testimony. The trial did shred Orion's reputation and ended his betrothal to a German pureblood heiress, as well as ensure that he would never become Lord Black. Only Walburga would marry him, as she was equally as undesirable, as my half-sister was born out of wedlock to a teenage mother who died giving birth to her when my father was thirteen. Also, Walburga always was rather unhinged.

I was brought out of my reminiscing by the voice of Minerva. "Yes, Krios is the only good thing to come from his father escaping justice all those years ago," my old friend said bitterly.

"His younger brothers are good kids as well. Those three, along with my three nieces, are going to change the world for the better. That's why I came back to England. Arcturus promised me a chance to right his mistakes and make sure that the House of Black becomes stronger in character as well as wealth and power. And while it is hard to be back at Hogwarts without her, I feel that we are getting closer to doing that," I said, smiling sadly. Minerva put her hand on my arm in comfort while Filius wiped away a tear, remembering the first student who showed him kindness despite his goblin ancestry.

"And yet, Orion and Pollux still walk free," Travis growled angrily. The years had not quenched his desire for revenge. A desire that I shared.And my father's attack on Malfoy Manor and his attempt on my nephew's life had made both of us furious. Attacks on children had always raised his blood pressure, and Krios is one of the only members of my family I actually like. Fortunately, I knew that my father wouldn't be allowed to live for much longer.

"My father won't be among the living for much longer. Arcturus is absolutely furious with him for trying to murder Krios. Apparently he doubled the bounty to 10,000 galleons for his head. Francis Pucey even told me he saw Jared Kincaid of all people in the Black Goose when he went in for a drink last night. Apparently he was there to inquire about the bounty. He was probably drinking too much though, Kincaid has to be dead by now. And he was the only one in the bar at the time so I can't confirm it. And the person that he was meeting with was wearing a hood, so Pucey doesn't know who it was," I said with a grimace.

My old friend had been through a rather nasty divorce three years ago when he caught his wife sleeping with their Squib butler, who happened to be Francis's cousin as well. Things got really bad when he found out that their then three year old daughter was the result of that affair as well. He had been drinking his life away in Knockturn Alley bars ever since, unable to handle the shame. And Lord Pucey, whose son was a second year Slytherin, had been unable to snap his brother out of it.

"I really hope Pucey was drinking too much that night. Kincaid is the equivalent of a Muggle boogeyman around the ICW. Hardly anyone talks about him, and no one knows what he did or why he is so scary. There are even crazy rumors that he is a half-demon wizard with ties to the Muggle World. I even heard one that said he is a an old friend of the mythical Ra's Al Ghul and was a member of the League of Shadows, which is ridiculous. There is even a protocol in place that everyone in the ICW knows about to call in all available ICW Hit wizards in via Portkey if anyone ever sees him," Travis said, looking slightly disturbed by the thought of someone existing that needed that much firepower to contain.

"Let's agree never to speak of this again. That is just too disturbing, and I wouldn't be surprised if Pucey had too much to drink that night. He really hasn't been the same since his divorce," I said after a moment of silence. They all quickly agreed, and started to head towards the Quidditch pitch. But my mind was not focused on the upcoming game, but how Voldemort might respond to the bounty on Pollux Black.

While he might take offense to Pollux's death, Voldemort did not yet have the resources to challenge Lord Black. Voldemort was more likely to let it go and try to pursue an alliance with the House of Black instead. While I doubted that Arcturus would accept, the old man had surprised me before. But either way, we all needed to be on guard.

"Well then, I had better get started on that rune project I have been thinking about. We're probably going to need it," I thought to myself grimly.

Krios POV

"Here comes the Slytherin team! Laughalot! Crabbe! Goyle! Flint! Vanity! Potter! Annnnd... Black!" Otto Bagman, the third year Gryffindor who was announcing the game shouted. He was also a Beater on the Gryffindor team. He also had a younger brother named Ludo who was the same age as Regulus. I wonder if they will both end up in Slytherin together in a couple of years.

"And here comes the Hufflepuff House Team! Fawley! Jones! Hooper! McKinnon! Dawson! Fawcett! And... Diggory!" Bagman shouted. I wondered briefly how that idiot managed to convince the staff that he should be allowed to announce a Slytherin game. But then I decided that I didn't care. Fawcett and Laughalot shook hands. Then, Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and tossed the Quaffle, kicking off my first Quidditch match.

"Fawcett takes the Quaffle, and passes to McKinnon, who fakes.. and SCORES! 10-0 Hufflepuff!" Bagman said loudly through the magical megaphone seated in the announcers booth. And from that point on, it seemed like Hufflepuff could do no wrong, scoring eighteen goals while Slytherin could only manage to score five. It wasn't that my team was playing badly, because we weren't. Hufflepuff were just that good. They were clearly the better team, their Chasers being the difference makers with their flawless teamwork and skills. And Laughalot was actually playing pretty well, stopping at least half of their shots.

So I knew that I had to do something that I wasn't comfortable doing, despite my bravado earlier in front of the McKinnons. After all, the move I was thinking about doing hadn't even been invented yet. And according to the papers, the guy that was supposed to do so* was still sucking on his mother's tits."Oh well, no guts, no glory," I thought to myself, and sent my broom into a steep dive towards the pitch.

Amos fell for it hook, line, and sinker as he dove after me in pursuit of a Snitch that wasn't there. He pulled up alongside me as we plummeted towards the ground. And just before we hit the ground, I pulled up, hearing a number of screams and gasps from the crowd. Hooch blew her whistle, signaling a timeout. Madam Hooch flew down to tend to the groaning figure of Amos Diggory, who had crashed as I had intended. But the main cause of his distress was something that I had not expected.

"What an extraordinary feint by Krios Black! I can't believe what I just saw! Amos Diggory crashed as well, giving Krios time to look for the Snitch without interference, which is what I am sure was he was trying to do. And as a side note, it seems that we have confirmed that Amos Diggory does in fact have a stick up his ass as we suspected," Otto said in excitement, causing a roar of laughter from most of the crowd. I couldn't help but chuckle at that one,

"BAGMAN!!" McGonagall shouted from her seat in the announcer's booth, where she had been keeping an eye on her third year lion.

"Only calling the game how I see it, Professor," Bagman replied. I silently vowed to do something nice for Otto for that one. Absolutely hilarious and something that Amos was never going to live down once he woke up. He had passed out upon realizing that his broom was not only broken, but the handle had gotten lodged into his ass. I couldn't have imagined my revenge for his comments earlier being this sweet. Now I just needed to catch the Snitch against whoever their reserve Seeker was.

It turned out that their reserve Chaser, Katie Rogers would be coming into play to replace Diggory. She had been ready to play today before Susan's timely return, so that likely helped. But I knew that the drop off in skill between Diggory and Rogers was significant, so I expected that I would have a sizable advantage. The Hufflepuffs huddled around each other as Diggory was taken to the Hospital Wing, and Laughalot called us over to do the same.

"That was bloody brilliant, Krios!" Eric yelled, thumping me on the back as he flew up beside me on his broom.

"Yes it was, but we need to take advantage of it. Krios has got to get to the Snitch quickly. The Chasers are too good, and we need to get the Snitch before it's too late to win the game by catching it," Steve said nervously. He had a point. We were already down 130 points, and the Snitch was worth 150 points.

"I'll find it. Just hold them off as long as you can," I said determinedly. Hooch then blew her whistle, signaling that they were ready to resume the match. And just two minutes after the game resumed, I spotted the Snitch. And we were only down 140 points as I raced after it. Katie spotted it too late, and a few seconds later, I clasped the Snitch in my hand. But a split second before I did, Susan managed to score a goal, making it 200-200. It was a tie. And since the game is automatically over once the Snitch was caught, there were no tiebreakers. So, both Hufflepuff and Slytherin were credited with a win in the standings.

I managed to escape the field after congratulating the Hufflepuff team with the rest of my team, retreating to my private quarters on the seventh floor. While I had no doubt that there were several people wanting to congratulate me for the win, I needed to know what my grandfather and Natalia had written me about. I read Natalia's letter first. She seemed excited by the match from what I could tell, and looked forward to seeing me in person. I didn't realize how soon that would be until I read my grandfather's letter.

Krios, as the soon to be Prince Romanov-Malfoy-Black, there are certain duties and information that you must be made aware of. You only have one life debt owed to you now, as you requested. The King was very pleased that you gave up your debt to the princess for a betrothal that was going to happen regardless. It was a good move that will benefit you in the future. I would suggest that you don't do that with the prince. I don't need to remind you how beneficial having the future King in our debt is.

One of the conditions for the betrothal is that you are required to go to Russia for ten months to learn what is required of a prince of Russia. You will be leaving after the funerals tomorrow. You will have private tutoring at the palace, and Bullock will be accompanying you for additional security. The Headmaster and the Department of Magical Education have already made arrangements for your end of the year testing. Your teachers were informed as well. It is imperative that you make the most of this time, and represent our house with dignity while getting to know your betrothed. I know that you will understand the benefits of this arrangement. You will see your friends and Hogwarts again in September. And don't worry about helping with the wedding arrangements over the summer. We have all the details taken care of, including the dress colors, which will be red. Don't tell anyone that though. Don't want to upset the bride.

Lord Arcturus Black

Well, damn. I had not expected that. I had no desire to go to Russia and learn how to be a prince. But I could see the benefits of doing so. It would endear me to the Wizarding population in Russia, as well as getting to spend time with the royal family while learning the ins and outs of their politics. And it would be a whole new culture to explore, and I had no doubt that the royal tutors had a lot to teach me about magic. It sounded like a fascinating prospect.

Not to mention the fact that I could avoid having to deal with the drama that was going to unfold with all the girls trying to seduce me. I had really been wanting to avoid losing my virginity as a second year. It was too soon to start dealing with that kind of thing. And I could put off dealing with any attempts at revenge from Diggory or the Slytherins that were still upset about what happened at Malfoy Manor. Also, not having to worry about a Dark Lord for ten months sounded really nice.

But there were downsides. Quidditch was one of them, but Pucey could play Chaser while Eric moved over to Seeker. I doubted that we would be able to win the Quidditch Cup with that lineup, but they would be competitive at least. So I wasn't too worried, and the team couldn't get too upset at me for doing my duty. Although Crabbe and Goyle might be upset that they couldn't come with me. I hoped that they were able to survive not having someone to order them around. And I would miss my friends and family for sure.

Although I couldn't help but grin at the coded message about the wedding. "A red wedding. Should have known that Gramps had something planned. Letting the Lestranges get away with a Black bride after what they did isn't his style. We wipe out the Lestranges, leaving Andromeda as Lady Lestrange and free to marry whoever she wants. A win-win for everyone except Voldemort and the Lestranges," I thought with a grin.

Andromeda would no doubt be furious when she found out, but the chance to get rid of three evil men and get the Lestrange title on top of it was worth it. Especially if Reinhardt had the cup in his Gringotts vault. This plan was completely necessary, although my reasoning was likely different from my grandfather's. Andromeda could not find out, as she was far too good of a person to go along with an assassination attempt like this.

"I probably should go to the common room and let my friends know that I am leaving," I thought to myself after I had finished digesting the letter. I instructed my house elves to pack up my things, as well as have Gremlin give my grandfather a note that I would do my duty to the House of Black. And that his wedding plans literally sounded bloody brilliant. I was not looking forward to my friend's reactions. They were not going to be happy.

I knew that the older students were likely celebrating in the common room with cigars, a few drinks, and a poker tournament. For some reason, Gryffindors celebrated like rowdy unsupervised teenagers and Slytherins partied like high class members of the Mafia. And yes, that includes the cutthroat competition involved. Do not play poker at Slytherin parties unless you are prepared to lose money, a lesson many younger Slytherins have to learn the hard way. There is a reason most of the upper years in Slytherin have learned basic healing spells.

I met Professor Slughorn, Steve, and all the prefects excluding Andromeda on my way down. Slughorn had been kind enough to inform them of my departure for me in order to make sure that the news didn't cause any problems when the news got out. Apparently they were supposed to keep an eye on me until I leave. Completely unnecessary, but I appreciated the gesture. Slughorn left shortly after the explanation, leaving me with the older students.

The conversation with Steve as we all walked towards the common room was short, since he had already processed my departure. I recommended Eric replace me and have Hadrian Pucey replace him at Chaser. He agreed, and patted me on the shoulder as we entered the common room. "Good luck, Krios," he said, before walking over towards his friends, who were playing poker in the corner. I walked over to the area where my friends were sitting. Crabbe and Goyle saw me from where they were sitting and followed me over.

"All hail the conquering hero," Eric said as I sat down, grinning broadly at me. I chuckled, which caused Samantha and Ramona to glare at me.

"What were you thinking when you pulled that stunt? You could have been seriously hurt," Ramona said, looking irritated at my aerobic maneuvers during the match.

"Nah, I had it completely under control as you saw. And it was totally worth seeing Diggory with his broomstick shoved up his ass," I said with a grin. That is definitely one of my favorite memories made at Hogwarts. Diggory has always been an ass since I got here. My comment causing all of my friends to either smile or laugh confirms that.

"Well next time, please inform us before you go off and do something like that. You almost gave me a heart attack," Narcissa complained as she came over and sat down with me and my friends. She also gave me the perfect opening to inform them of my plans.

"Well then, since you asked, I suppose I should tell you that I just found out that I am headed to Russia for the next ten months to learn how to be a prince. Going to live in a palace, have private tutors through the ICW, and get to know the princess and Russian politics. My grandfather wrote me this morning, and I just read it," I said, purposely hiding my excitement over the opportunity.

"Are you serious?" Hadrian asked, breaking the shocked silence caused by my statement. I briefly considered telling him that Sirius was my brother, but I decided against it. That joke had been way overused since Sirius had figured it out.

"Yeah. It's a pretty amazing opportunity. Don't worry, I will be back in September. And then you are stuck with me here until we graduate," I said with a grin.

"Oh well, at least we have that to look forward to," Cyrus said dryly, causing us all to laugh.

"It makes sense. You are going to be living there after Hogwarts, being a prince and all," Ramona said, looking rather sad.

"Yeah, but not all the time. I have a lot of business to mange here in Britain. I'll be around. And you guys will have a part to play in my future plans, I promise you that. I did promise you and Sam that I would provide the funds to start up your business, didn't I? It's not like I'm going to make an investment without making sure it succeeds," I told her.

The smiles that I received from my friends confirmed that I had said the right thing. It was natural for them to be afraid that I would leave them behind. But as long as they remained the good people that they were, I would never abandon them. It just wasn't something I was capable of doing. It was then that I realized that it was nearly curfew, and that I should get back to my private quarters. I wanted to sleep in them at least once before I left.

As I rounded the corner of the seventh floor corridor, the secret door leading to the Room of Requirement opened. And to my shock, out of it stepped my cousin Andromeda and Ted Tonks.

AN: A betrothal confirmed and another in jeopardy. And Krios is headed to Russia to learn from the royal family after sticking it to Amos Diggory and getting a win in the books through a tie. He gets to temporarily escape the drama of Hogwarts and Wizarding Britain for ten months, but as you can see he isn't out of the woods just yet.

Alphard Black's past comes to light, as does the true depths of Orion's character. Alphard left Sirius his gold for a reason, just as Orion warded Grimmauld Place like he did for a reason. And Orion is doing the same to his cottage in Greece where he is exiled. And Pollux Black is in deep shit, as the depth of his betrayal and crimes are revealed. Will his and Orion's past crimes catch up to them?

In the next chapter Krios will confront Andromeda and Ted in attempt to get them to trust him and let things play out. Will he be forced to reveal the plan in order to convince them? If so, will he succeed in convincing Andromeda to become the future Lady Lestrange before marrying Ted? Or will they run off and leave the House of Black forever? Krios will then attend the funerals for Arabor Moody and Martha McKinnon and meet Lord McKinnon. Will he be able to settle the debt before before leaving for Russia? Thanks for reading hope you enjoyed it!