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After ten minutes of waiting, the house-elf returned.
"All is ready, mistress," Kreacher wheezed from around the corner, coming out at the same time, holding a dagger of some kind in his hands.
"Go with Kreacher, Maximilian."
Walburga smoked a cigarette and stared somewhere behind the portrait's frame, making it clear that the conversation is over. I nodded and got up from my chair, and followed Kreacher down the hall.
The house-elf led me to a spacious, empty hall, one of whose walls was an old and shabby canvas with gold embroidery.
"It's holding on with the last bit of strength ..." Kreacher spoke softly, gazing up at the cloth in awe.
On the tapestry of the family, it was on it that there were the names of the wizards of this family, of many generations of wizards. On a quick but careful look around, I noticed a couple of scorched spots. Two of them belonged to wizards of the past generation. The biggest gaping hole was on the side of Regulus Black, and the second, precise and neat, not even a trace of scorch marks, was between Bellatrix and Narcissa Black. Quite rare wizard names have been connected by lines of golden embroidery to wizards of other Houses - a marriage bond. An even smaller number of such connections spawned a small golden line to a common child. Here, for example, is Draco Malfoy.
"Kreacher, Lady Walburga told me that wizards don't exchange information like that," I pointed my hand at the lines of mating ties.
"A sign of trust," Kreacher squeaked. "Give me your hand, strange guest."
The house-elf extended his skinny, gray, bony hand toward me. I leaned a little and put my hand in his.
"I need some blood."
With these words, Kreacher gently and quickly pricked my palm, making some blood protrude on it.
"The strange guest of the most ancient and noblest House Black should put his palm to the tapestry."
"Where exactly?"
"It doesn't matter."
I put my hand in the first place I saw. Kreacher did the same, muttering something so quiet that I couldn't make out a single word. There was an almost imperceptible surge of magic in my hand, and my name appeared next to the Black sisters. Except it was Maximilian Knight-Black. And there were no lines.
"Kreacher's finished," the house-elf hissed, removing his hand from the tapestry. I followed his example.
After the binding, I hurried to Walburga's portrait.
"Lady Walburga, we are finished."
She merely nodded.
"I have a question. I appeared on the tapestry next to Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Andromeda, but there is no parental bond."
"I assumed a similar thing. The tapestry thought you were Narcissa's brother, but the lack of connection could be for several reasons. Anyway, you are Narcissa's son, as I see it, and as I understand from your story, you are more suited to brother status. Plus your changing magic. The tapestry easily identified your place, generation, so to speak. But where you come from, dear nephew, the tapestry cannot understand. After all, it's just a complexly enchanted canvas - you shouldn't expect much."
"I see. That's about what I thought, but the second question is much more interesting. Why is my last name Knight-Black?"
"Yes? How interesting," Walburga perked up a little. "How long have you known about your lineage?"
"A long time."
"Hmm. And did you know that Narcissa was a maiden Black?"
"Yes."
"And you didn't think to deny such a connection?"
"No, and it was even kind of interesting. Are you saying that this surname is not foreign to me? If we consider the past conversation about the connection to the name."
"Exactly. And it's quite interesting. Perhaps even some time Black will come first," Walburga allowed herself a moment's weakness, and her face took on a dreamy expression.
"But then why did the letter from Hogwarts come as Knight's after all?"
"The little wizard's registration occurs at the moment of the first magical outburst. I'm sure you weren't even thinking about kinship yet at that point, so the last name Black wasn't anything special to you personally."
"It's kind of confusing."
"Certainly, the magic of names and souls is a great unsolved mystery, as are the mechanisms by which it works. For more than a hundred years, wizards have been battling the question."
"However, Lady Walburga, I would like to hide the fact that I am Black. We don't need any unnecessary attention right now."
"I fully support you, nephew," Walburga nodded. "Just touch the tapestry with your wand and wish to conceal this information. It's an opportunity you have as the future head."
"What about official documents if I suddenly have to sign them?"
"Just don't sign anything yet. Not even a bloody feather can get your full name out of you, though. It's not an option at all. Nor will veritaserum force you to give your full name."
"I hope that's true. Well..." I sighed, smoothing the missing creases of my thin black turtleneck with my hands. "I think I need to take a little walk."
"Sure."
But before the walk, I hid "Black" on the tapestry. Tried to hide myself completely, but it was a complete fiasco. I so wanted to say, "You don't have enough rights to perform this operation."