Harry Potter : Cael Vale’s journey to Hogwarts

Chapter 158: Mother



The room at the Leaky Cauldron was dark, lit only by the faint glow of street lanterns seeping through the curtains. Cael Vale stirred awake, the weight of sleep still heavy on him—but something was wrong. His senses prickled with unease.

A figure stood near the foot of his bed.

Cael's hand darted to his wand, aiming it without hesitation. The figure stepped forward—small, with large, bat-like ears and eyes too big for its wrinkled face. A house-elf.

"Who are you?" Cael demanded. "And what are you doing in my room?"

The house-elf bowed low, its head nearly touching the floor. "Greetings, young master," it said in a squeaky voice.

Cael's expression tightened with confusion. "Young master? What do you mean 'young master'? I didn't hire a house-elf."

The creature straightened. "My mistress wishes to speak with you."

Before Cael could refuse, question, or even prepare, the elf snapped its fingers. The world twisted—space itself folding like paper. His hand instinctively clenched his wand as the familiar walls of the Leaky Cauldron melted away.

In the blink of an eye, they reappeared inside a dark, ancient corridor.

Cael's boots echoed faintly on the wooden floorboards. Dust hung in the air like mist, clinging to every surface. Cobwebs drooped from the corners. The oppressive silence of the place settled heavily over him.

He immediately raised his wand, turning it on the elf. "Where the hell did you bring me? Where am I?"

The house-elf bowed again, unbothered by the wand pointed between its eyes. "You are in the ancestral home of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Mistress wishes to see you."

Cael's heart skipped a beat. The Black family? He'd read about them—the oldest, proudest pure-blood family in Britain. Most of them were mad, cruel, or dead. And their house? Hidden away on… Grimmauld Place—yes, that was the name. Somewhere in London.

The elf, silent as ever, led him through the hallway.

A sharp, angry voice cracked the silence like a whip. "Kreature! Did you do what I told you? Did you bring the boy?"

Cael's grip on his wand tightened as understanding struck him like a hammer. The Black family. But why him? How did they even know who he was?

The elf shuffled into a sitting room, and Cael followed, his steps cautious.

The room was large but decayed—tattered curtains, faded wallpaper, and a grand fireplace with a portrait hanging above it. A woman sat stiffly in the portrait, not ancient, but worn by bitterness, with sharp features and cold grey eyes. A teacup floated near her painted hand.

Her painted eyes narrowed the moment they landed on him.

"So…" Her lips curled into a sneer. "You are that bastard's child."

Cael's brows furrowed, confusion rising. "Bastard's child? I think you've got the wrong person—"

But the portrait woman cut him off. "You look like her… those eyes. But your hair… at least your hair belongs to the House of Black." She spat the words with disdain. "Grown among filthy Muggles, disgraceful."

Cael held up a hand. "Alright, hold on—first of all, who exactly are you? And second, whose child do you think I am? You've clearly got the wrong person ."

The woman in the portrait rolled her eyes with theatrical exhaustion. "No manners. No respect for elders. Muggle upbringing shows."

Cael turned to the elf, raising a questioning eyebrow. "Who is she?"

The elf straightened proudly. "Mistress Walburga Black, last Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black."

Cael froze. The name hit him like a slap. Walburga Black. Mother of Sirius Black. And Regulus.

His eyes snapped back to the portrait. The woman stared him down, quiet for a moment, before she spoke again. "You were brought here because of your blood, boy. The bastard I speak of… was your Mother "

Her face twisted in contempt. "One day, he returned home with a child—a girl, born of a union outside of marriage. Another pure-blood woman, though still a stain on our house. That girl… your mother."

Shock rippled through Cael's chest. His voice came out flat, disbelieving. "Madam, I think you're mistaken. My mother was a Muggle. She died giving birth to me. My father's a Muggle too, lives among them."

Walburga's painted features contorted in fury. "Don't you dare parrot those lies! My husband, sullying the name of Black… bringing home his shameful secret… and then that girl running off to wallow among Muggles." Her voice rose to a near shriek.

She ranted for what felt like hours—cursing her husband, the Muggles, the shame upon her house.

Cael pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can you stop cursing for five seconds and answer the question? Why bring me here? What do you want?"

Walburga sneered. "Simple. You're the last male of the Black line still breathing."

Cael folded his arms, unimpressed. "Your son Sirius is still alive, rotting in Azkaban. You can ask him."

Walburga's eyes burned with hatred. "That ungrateful, treacherous boy is dead to this family. A blood traitor. Disowned." The house-elf sobbed beside her painting. "Poor mistress… both her sons gone…"

Cael shook his head, exasperated. "You didn't answer me. What do you want?"

Walburga's eyes glittered with cold triumph. "I want you to do your duty, as the last male descendant of this house."

Cael's eyebrow arched. "You want me—half-blood, raised by Muggles, whom you clearly despise—to carry on your pure-blood legacy? Makes perfect sense."

Walburga's laugh was sharp, mocking. "Foolish boy. You are not to become heir. But your son… your firstborn male child—born from a proper pure-blood woman—he will be heir to the House of Black when he comes of age. That is your duty."

Cael blinked at her. "Wow. That's… anticlimactic." He smirked, shaking his head. "Sorry, but no. I'm not playing your game. You don't get to order me around like some pawn."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You will. You want to know who your mother was? Her real name? What she did? I know… and I am your only hope of finding out."

Cael shrugged. "I'll pass. I'll find her mother, my grandmother. She'll tell me."

Walburga's bitter laughter echoed across the room. "Poor, stupid child. I killed her. The moment my husband brought that girl home, I tracked down the woman who seduced him and ended her. I should've ended the girl too, but my husband forbade it."

Cael's jaw tightened. Mad. Completely mad. Just like the Black family reputation promised.

"So let me get this straight." He tilted his head. "You hate my mother—who did nothing but exist—and now you expect me, her son, to clean up your family's mess? To marry a pure-blood and hand over my child like some trophy? You're delusional."

Walburga's sneer deepened. "The Muggle you call father is not your real father. He was cursed—a memory charm, a manipulation—while your mother hid among them. When The Dark Lord was active . She ran, concealed herself in filth."

Cael's mind spun as he instinctively called to his system. System, what the hell is going on? You told me my father was a rich Muggle, my mother died in childbirth—what is this?

The system's voice crackled in his mind, surprisingly uncertain. Host… I only know what your so-called father remembered. If he isn't your biological father… I didn't know. This surprises me too.

Cael sighed, rubbing his temples. "Brilliant. So much for reliable information."

Turning to Walburga's portrait, he straightened. "I'm not doing this. You can't blackmail me with vague promises about my mother. I'll find my answers on my own."

Without waiting for her curses to finish, he stormed from the room. The walls trembled with her shrieking voice.

"Kreacher," he called.

The house-elf appeared instantly. "Yes, young master?"

"Take me back to my room at the Leaky Cauldron. Now."

"But—Mistress wants—"

"I don't care."

Kreacher hesitated, then snapped his fingers. The world folded in on itself again.

Moments later, Cael collapsed onto his bed back in his Leaky Cauldron room. His heart was still racing, his mind spinning.

"My mother was a witch — a child born out of wedlock — and connected to the Black family. Well, not my mother, but the mother of this body. "The implications were staggering

Suddenly, the system chimed in his head.

New Quest Generated:

Discover your origins. Uncover your mother's true identity and what she did for the Ministry.

Reward: +10 Magic Points, Full Occlumency Unlock

Cael exhaled deeply, staring at the cracked ceiling above him.

"So now I have to find out who I really am… and who my father and mother is."

He closed his eyes, for a good sleep.


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