Weiznan's Inheritance

Will's pupils contracted. In an instant, he understood almost everything.

The "Weiznan Berens" in the painting was Will himself. Now he could piece it all together. At some point in the future—perhaps in a few years, perhaps after grinding his way into becoming a true great wizard—he had gone back in time for some reason and saved Leta Lestrange's younger brother, Corvus Lestrange.

Corvus's bloodline should have died out long ago, but Will had kept it alive.

That had changed the course of history. A branch of the Lestrange family that was friendly toward Muggles and had even helped Hogwarts now existed. They should never have been there, yet there they were.

Will also understood why Sylvia was so interested in him. His face and surname were part of it, but so were his eyes.

Fewer than two percent of people worldwide had silver-gray eyes. In the Muggle world, people would talk about science and genetics. In the Wizarding World, though, it suggested a mystical connection. Anyone could see that Will looked like a younger version of the man in the painting.

With all those factors stacked together, it was no wonder they took Will for a descendant of "Weiznan Berens."

Will soon met Sylvia's parents and received an exceptionally warm welcome at the Lestrange family's castle.

Sylvia's father, Victor Lestrange, ran a broomstick and magical-materials import business. The Lestrange family had been importing magical materials from Asia since the time of Corvus V.

Her mother, Daisy, was a proper noblewoman. She came from a Half-blood family and had stayed out of the business for many years, managing the household instead. She also got along well with Sylvia's grandmother, Dallis.

Everyone was so warm toward Will that he felt a little uncomfortable. They genuinely seemed to regard him as Weiznan's descendant. That was understandable: Will had looked into it afterward and found that there were no wizards surnamed Berens in England.

Back to Will. He had finally fielded the elders' many questions, and a house-elf had carried his trunk of books to his guest room.

Sylvia was now showing Will around the Lestrange family's estate. The family was not trying to show off; Weiznan Berens's advice had gone into building the estate.

As Roy put it, they wanted Will to see something his ancestor had helped create.

In the castle corridors, the two occasionally passed the family's house-elves. Portraits lined the walls on either side, depicting members of the Lestrange family from Corvus V onward.

Leta Lestrange even greeted Will. "You look so much like Weiznan."

"Are you Weiznan's child? Have you come to spend Christmas with us?"

"How wonderful. Little Sylvia, be sure to look after our guest."

One after another, Sylvia's elders welcomed Will.

Sylvia tugged at Will's sleeve. "See? I told you my family would be happy to have you. Even the portraits are welcoming you."

Will spread his hands. Who knew what his future self had done after going back in time?

The Lestrange estate covered several hectares. It was not as large as the Howard family's gardens, but it was filled with magical structures.

There were growing areas whose temperatures could be controlled at will—reportedly something Weiznan had insisted on so the castle could be somewhat self-sufficient. There were also multiple spaces inside the castle enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm. Even the vast estate itself had been enchanted.

A Muggle-Repelling Charm had been permanently fixed over the valley where the estate stood, so no Muggles could disturb their lives. During Voldemort's time, the Fidelius Charm had also protected it. But Roy's old friend had since died, and the charm had lost its power.

"Will, Will, what are you staring at?" Sylvia nudged him with her elbow as he gazed out at the valley.

"Nothing. I'm just amazed they managed to cast a Muggle-Repelling Charm over an entire valley."

In truth, Will was wondering how anyone could permanently fix a Muggle-Repelling Charm over a whole valley. Had his future self done it alone, worked with the Lestrange family, or had he not been involved at all?

"That's just like you." Sylvia sounded a little annoyed. Sometimes Will really was like one of those Ravenclaw bookworms.

Snow filled the air on Christmas Day. A beautiful girl was showing him around a beautiful estate, and he was thinking about spells? Sylvia gritted her teeth at how oblivious Will was, never mind that they were both only eleven.

Toward evening, a house-elf came to announce that Christmas dinner was ready.

The feast was lavish. Will and Sylvia sat to the right of Roy Lestrange and his wife.

The fire crackled in the hearth. Warmth and the natural scent of pine branches drifted over the table laden with food. Complete sets of silver cutlery lay neatly arranged. Sylvia prodded the Christmas pudding on her plate with a silver fork. House-elves kept bringing out carefully prepared dishes, their footsteps almost inaudible; only the soft clink of silver platters against plates could be heard.

An enormous Christmas turkey, stuffed and roasted to a glossy golden brown, stood at the center of the table.

The atmosphere was easy and pleasant. Roy told stories from the past now and then, and Will learned quite a bit about this branch of the Lestrange family.

Halfway through dinner, Roy brought up a matter that began with the Lestrange family's wealth.

It went like this—

This branch now held the entire Lestrange family fortune, and part of it belonged to Will—or rather, to Weiznan Berens.

After Voldemort disappeared, Bellatrix, her husband Rodolphus Lestrange, and Rodolphus's younger brother Rabastan Lestrange had all been brought to account. The men had died, and Bellatrix had been sent to Azkaban. Though the Lestrange family had several bloodlines, they were all Lestranges. So, following wizarding tradition, the Corvus branch had taken possession of the Rodolphus branch's estate.

They had divided the fortune into three shares. They kept one, gave one to Dumbledore, and set one aside for Weiznan Berens as he had instructed. If Weiznan had not appeared by 1991, his share would go to a descendant of his bloodline. If no descendant appeared, they were to hand it over to Dumbledore before 1995. Some of the things in that share were extremely dangerous, and only Dumbledore could deal with them.

At this point, Roy took out a strange little golden sphere. With the pattern drawn on it, it resembled an eye, except that a tiny hole sat where the pupil should have been.

"Weiznan left behind an alchemical object. He called it the Wizard's Eye. With just one drop of blood, it can tell whether you're a blood descendant of Weiznan Berens."