The rest of November passed without any further incident; it seemed as though the Slytherin's that had been causing problems had been suitably cowed, for now.
It took a few weeks for James to be fit enough to leave the hospital wing due to how much damage had been done to him courtesy of the curse and everyone agreed that even though Harry had acted rather rashly, he had done the right thing.
But thankfully things had turned out well in the end and Harry had completed his assigned detentions with Filch. The man had attempted to have Harry clean out the bathrooms without the use of magic, even resorting to confiscating his wand to ensure that it was done. Harry however simply used his spare wand to complete the task and spent the rest of the time reading and adding new spells to his already impressive arsenal.
As November gave way to December the weather outside the castle seemed to have changed overnight, from blustery winds and sporadic rainfall to near blizzard conditions that would see the braver of the students spending their time having snowball fights and the more discernible avoiding the treacherous conditions as much as possible.
Professor Merrythought, a man well known for his love of the outdoors, had even postponed outside lessons due to the poor weather and instead opted to have the class study inside where he would bring along a selection of much more delicate creatures for them to study.
All in all things had settled into a peaceful routine for the occupants of the castle and many were looking forward to spending time with their families in the upcoming holidays that would be starting the very next day.
Harry was among those that craved time away from the castle, something he had never expected to desire, but the time at Hogwarts leading up to the festive period had been stressful and difficult for the most part and he was certainly in need of a break away where he could spend time with the other Potters and not have to be on guard continuously.
Before that could happen however, there was one last thing that needed to be done before the Marauder's could leave and that was the prank they had been planning since arriving at the castle.
The tedious leg work had been done as they had tirelessly planned and put all of the finishing touches on to the details and all they could do now was wait, and hope that it was once again taken in the spirit that it was intended; it was only a bit of fun after all.
The time for the feast arrived and the Marauders were among the first students to reach the Great Hall, not wanting to miss any of the festivities. As they took their seats Dumbledore gave them a calculative glare, a gentle smile and amused shake of his head; clearly he had suspicions that something was going to happen though he made no effort to prevent it.
"Do you think he knows?" Sirius asked worriedly.
"Definitely" Harry answered. "I doubt you'd get him with the same trick twice".
"Why isn't he stopping it?" Peter questioned confusedly.
"Because he's game for a laugh" James surmised. "He knows we wouldn't do anything harmful".
"I bet McGonagall will do her nut this time" Remus interjected.
"Nah, even if she does, Dumbledore will stop her" James responded confidently.
"Then you won't mind taking the blame for this one then" Remus challenged.
"No can do Moony, I have plausible deniability, I've been in the hospital wing" James pointed out.
"I think it's your turn to take this one Remus" Peter cut in. "You put the extra piece to it".
"But it was Harry's idea" Remus grumbled.
"I have no idea what you are talking about, the last full moon must have addled your brains" Harry replied in an innocent whisper.
"Traitors" the werewolf mumbled.
When the students and staff were settled Dumbledore took his place at the podium to address the room as he always did on such occasions.
"It seems that the winter holidays are finally upon us" he began. "I truly hope that once we all return to resume our studies that any unpleasantness that has plagued us thus far this year can be forgotten and we can move on, we must stand united through difficult times such as we are now facing after all" he continued seriously. "But now, we once again we have a feast to indulge in so let me be the first to wish you all a very merry…"
At this point he was cut off as a burst of flame could be seen at the door and Fawkes appeared clutching the sorting hat in his talons. Dumbledore simply frowned as the bird flew towards him and dropped the hat, causing the headmaster to instinctively reach out to catch the aged relic.
The moment he did so a thick white smoke began pouring from the opening of the hat and quickly hid the staff table from view. Once the plume had ceased the hat disappeared in another burst of flames as Fawkes returned it back to its resting pace in Dumbledore's office.
When the headmaster managed to banish the remainder of the fog the students were treated to the sight of Father Christmas standing before them with a look of bemusement on his face, surrounded by a staff that were either sporting antlers or now dressed as snowmen.
The students burst into a round of applause and cheering as they realised what had happened and Dumbledore simply shook his head.
"I do believe I am jolly old Saint Nick" he deduced.
"Must we suffer this indignity at every feast?" McGonagall sighed as she caught sight of her red nose. "How on earth did they get the phoenix and hat on board" She added irritably.
"Fawkes is rather fond of Mr. Potter but I believe his involvement was the hats doing" Dumbledore mused aloud, stroking his much less straight beard.
"At least they got the hierarchy right" Burbage cut in. "You are the lead reindeer after all Minerva" she explained with a snicker.
"Oh they are going to hang for this" McGonagall vowed.
"We should just be grateful that it is only costumes, I'm sure it could be much more embarrassing if they wanted it to be" Slughorn interjected.
"Why am I the only elf" Flitwick piped up, gesturing to his green outfit and hat complete with white and red socks.
"It rather suits you Filius" Dumbledore praised amusedly.
He then turned his attention back to the students before speaking to the room once more.
"I wish the only thing left to do is wish you all a merry Christmas" he sighed.
The moment he mentioned the word Christmas an orchestra could be heard throughout the room playing 'Santa Claus is coming to town'.
Dumbledore simply shook his head and took his seat, not wanting to trigger anything else.
"That was amazing" Sirius declared. "How did you get the phoenix involved?" he asked Harry.
"That was nothing to do with me" Harry denied firmly. "The hat must have done it".
"Damn that hat is cool, maybe we can get him a wash or something" Sirius shrugged.
(BREAK)
It was the next day that found the boys settling into a compartment aboard the Hogwarts Express, ready to make the journey home for a couple of weeks.
"Thank Merlin" James sighed. "No offense, but I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed in my own room".
"I'm just grateful that I don't have to rub that ointment into your back anymore" Sirius grumbled.
"Hey, you won the coin toss fair and square" James pointed out.
"Lost James, I lost the coin toss" Sirius reminded him heatedly.
"You should feel privileged that you had the opportunity to get such an up close view of a fine specimen" James replied. "You should consider yourself lucky that it wasn't my arse" he added.
Sirius visibly cringed at the very thought.
"So what are you guys doing for the holidays?" Harry asked Peter and Remus.
""My parents and myself are going to Sweden" Peter revealed excitedly.
"Just a quiet one for me and my family this year, just what I need" Remus explained, clearly content with his plans.
"And you will be graced with my presence" Sirius piped up, looking at Harry amusedly.
"Great just what we need, a dog pissing up the tree" he returned sarcastically.
"I don't piss on things" Sirius growled.
"We all see you doing it Padfoot" James broke in. "And we can smell it in the forest, you definitely piss on trees" he finished accusingly.
"There's just so many, it's hard to ignore" Sirius whined.
"Well if the Christmas tree smells like it I will curse you or neuter you" Harry warned.
"You wouldn't" Sirius exclaimed worriedly. "How will the witches of Hogwarts cope, what would they do without me?" he questioned dramatically.
"You mean Marlene" Peter interjected.
"That's it" Sirius declared. "That's the last time any of you mention her or so help me I will curse you all" he threatened.
"Oh come off it Sirius, we all know you actually enjoyed working with her" James stated.
"I didn't have a bloody choice, neither did Harry or Peter" the boy pointed out. "How was it working with Rookwood, you never mentioned it?" he inquired.
Peter shrugged.
"He only really spoke to me once" he explained. "After that he just told me what to do".
"Well thank merlin it's over with now" Sirius sighed.
The journey passed pleasantly for the group as they played a few games of exploding snap and gobstones, talked amongst themselves and started planning a few more pranks for when they returned to school.
Soon enough the train arrived at Kings Cross and they pulled their trunks down from the rack and made their way on to the platform to meet the Potter parents who were waiting for them.
"See you in a couple of weeks guys" James called to Peter and Remus as they exited with their parents.
Both boys acknowledged the farewell with a wave as they left.
"Coming with us Sirius?" Dorea asked, shooting a glance further down the platform where Walburga was greeting Regulus.
"If that's ok" Sirius answered nervously.
"Always" Dorea replied with a warm smile.
Sirius breathed a sigh of relief before they themselves headed for the exit to floo home.
They arrived at Potter Manor and were about to head upstairs when they were called back by Dorea who was looking a little nervous.
"We've been invited to the Black home for boxing day" She revealed with a sigh.
Sirius simply looked horrified by the idea and James did not look any happier.
"It's ok Sirius you don't have to go" she placated the boy. "And neither do you James" she added. "But you do Harry" She finished with a shake of her head.
"Why?" Harry asked with a frown as both Sirius and James were looking very relieved.
"Your Uncle Arcturus wants to meet you" Charlus answered. "He's promised it will be a small affair, so there is no need to worry" he assured the boy.
"Unless you have something against corporal punishment and complete disdain for anything fun" Sirius muttered.
"Sirius" Dorea warned. "It's not that bad".
"Tell that to my left arse cheek, I swear it has been numb since I was five and he hit me with that stinging hex" he grumbled. "I swear you can't be related to him Aunt Dorea" he finished disbelievingly.
"You haven't seen her angry yet" Charlus mumbled.
Dorea shot the man a glare.
"It will just be immediate family and we won't have to stay long" Dorea explained to Harry.
He sighed and dragged his hand through his hair but nodded.
"It's not like I have a choice is it" he stated. "Bellatrix said he'd want to meet me" he added with a frown.
"Well at least you will know one person there" Charlus pointed out.
"She's the one who cursed me in the back" Harry retuned.
"Ahh" Charlus deadpanned. "Well, I'm sure you'll be ok" he tried.
"So I take it you aren't coming" Harry stated questioningly.
"Someone has to keep an eye on these two" the man answered.
"It looks like I have another gift to add to my list" Harry sighed.
"Have you not done your shopping yet?" Dorea asked.
Harry shook his head.
"I didn't go to Hogsmeade, I had detention" he reminded her. "I'll go to Diagon Alley soon but you'll have to tell me what to get for him".
Dorea nodded.
"You can go unpack your things now" she allowed.
The boys gratefully left the conversation and headed up the stairs.
"That's some bad luck there" Sirius said sympathetically.
"It can't be that bad" Harry countered.
"It's worse" James disagreed. "Believe me you will never want to go back, once is enough" he explained seriously.
Harry just shook his head.
He had certainly dealt with worse in his life than dinner with family members, dinner with the Dursley's could not be any better than dinner with the Black's after all.
(BREAK)
It was a few days after the revelation that Harry would be spending Boxing Day with the Blacks that found Harry in Diagon Alley to complete his Christmas shopping. He had already written a list of everything he needed to get so he was confident that he could get through errand without too much trouble.
He had already sent Lily one of the charms books he had liberated from the room of requirement that he had no further use of, an exceedingly rare tome that had been written in the 1700's, something he knew she would enjoy.
He planned on getting Peter an advanced potion kit that he knew the boy would benefit from if he truly wanted to be a potioneer when he finished school and Remus some books on runes that he had helpfully identified that he did not have yet. He would send the gifts to the boys later on in the evening before Peter would be leaving for Sweden.
He sighed as he exited the back of the Leaky Cauldron to find the Alley very busy, despite the snowy conditions. He shivered and cast a warming charm over himself to stave off the cold and began making his way down the alley towards his first destination; Quality Quidditch Supplies.
He entered the shop and immediately spotted what he'd come in for; a professional level beaters bat for Sirius and some new gloves for James
He managed to pay for the items and leave in a timely manner and avoid being hampered down in a large queue, much to his relief.
He then made his way to Flourish and Blott's to procure the books he had planned to get for Remus and again seemed to have very little trouble in entering and exiting the store within ten minutes; clearly books were not high on the agenda of the day for most people.
The apothecary turned out to be a little busier than he had anticipated but the only real issue had been the size of the shop. It was not equipped to handle such a high volume of customers that had somehow managed to squeeze inside. Nonetheless, he managed to obtain what he wanted without too much trouble.
With only two more stops to make he entered a small jewellery store and purchased a simple white gold band complete with a few emeralds embedded into the metal for Dorea. He planned on adding several protection charms to it so she would be much safer should she ever be attacked, something that he worried about, He was aware that she was a capable witch but he also knew how ruthless Voldemort's supporters were and how dangerous the times they lived in were.
He exited the store and immediately reapplied his warming charm and frowned as it had very little effect. He was certain that he had cast the spell correctly but cast it once more to make sure, but to no avail.
"Shit" he cursed in realisation as he began scanning the sky and the crowd that were clearly not aware of what was happening, though they had apparently noticed the sudden drop in temperature.
At the first sign of the Dementors the members of the public began panicking and running in the opposite direction of which the creatures were approaching from.
Within the crowd Harry spotted a young blonde girl who had seemingly froze in place simply staring at the approaching horde, too scared to even move.
He fought his way through the mob and managed to reach the girl as the first of the Dementors entered the alley. He pulled her to him tightly with one arm as he raised his wand with the other.
"Expecto Patronum" he roared.
Prongs erupted from his wand, as big and bright as ever and immediately charged towards the beasts, fighting them back and sending them screeching from where they had come from, but they were not done yet.
Another horde attempted to get past the stag as did another after they failed, but to no avail the blonde wrapped in Harry's arm shivering through the whole ordeal.
When he was sure they had left he ended the spell and cast a warming charm on the still trembling girl.
"Are you ok?" he asked worriedly.
The girl just nodded as she buried her head further into his chest.
"Are your parents with you?" he asked further.
The girl shook her head.
"My father was supposed to come with me but he didn't" she answered.
Harry shook his head.
It was certainly far too dangerous for a young girl to be out here unsupervised, as he just found out.
"Why did you come alone?" he questioned her. "You do know how dangerous it is right now don't you?".
The girl nodded once more.
"I came to get my sister's Christmas present" she explained, pointing to a small heap of broken glass on the ground in front of them. "Andi really likes unicorns and I saved all of my Hogsmeade money to get it for her" she added sadly.
Harry frowned at the name and gently extracted the girl from his torso only to be faced with a young Narcissa Black.
"You're Harry Potter" she exclaimed. "Bella told me that you have green eyes, that's how to tell you apart" she finished knowingly.
"I am" Harry confirmed with a smile, feeling very surprised by a polite Narcissa, who had always been cold and aloof in all of his experiences with her as a grown woman.
He knelt down and tapped the remains of the glass with his wand, turning it back into a very striking ornament of a unicorn.
"Here" he said, offering her the figure.
"It doesn't work anymore" Narcissa sighed sadly. "It's supposed to move".
"It's enchanted" Harry stated knowing that enchantments could not be fixed with a simple reparo charm.
Narcissa nodded.
"Where did you buy it?" he asked.
Narcissa pointed to a shop a short walk away and Harry took her by the hand and led her to it.
"Are they gone?" the shopkeeper inquired nervously as they entered.
"They are" Harry confirmed. "This young lady here dropped her unicorn in the commotion, is it possible to fix?" he questioned the man hopefully.
The man took the figurine and inspected it, frowning when he had finished.
"It can be done but I will have to redo all of the enchantments and I do not have anymore in stock" he explained.
Harry nodded.
"How long will it take?" he asked.
"An hour or two" the man shrugged. "And it will cost 40 Galleons.
"Ok do it and we will come back and collect it" Harry agreed and handed the man the required amount of gold. "How about we go and get some ice cream and some chocolate?" he offered the girl. "It will make you feel better".
Narcissa nodded and gave him a smile so the pair exited the shop and headed to Florean Fortescue's where they ordered a couple of hot fudge sundaes with extra chocolate.
"Excuse me young man?" a voice broke in while the two were enjoying their ice cream.
Harry turned to acknowledge the woman and tensed slightly when he noticed that she had a man carrying a camera with her.
"The gentlemen who works in the apothecary identified you as the person who chased away the Dementors" the woman continued.
"I have no idea what you are talking about" Harry replied immediately , seeing that Narcissa was going to answer on his behalf. "We have just arrived here so he must be mistaken" he added firmly.
"I see" the woman sighed. "I apologise for the intrusion".
The two left them alone once again and Harry continued to eat his ice cream.
"Why didn't you tell them it was you?" Narcissa asked disbelievingly.
"I don't want to be in the newspaper" Harry answered simply, remembering his most recent experiences with the press.
"Oh" Narcissa exclaimed and began spooning the sugary treat into her mouth once more.
The duo stain silence for a few moments before the young girl spoke again.
"I think you're really nice, even if the people in my house say mean things about you" she proclaimed.
"I bet they do" Harry responded amusedly.
"Bella says that those idiots got what they deserved for hurting your brother" Narcissa continued. "And I don't think you're mean".
"I'm only mean to people who deserve it" Harry explained. "I wouldn't ever hurt anyone without a reason".
Narcissa nodded.
"Thank you" she whispered shyly. "For saving me and getting Andi's present fixed" she added.
"Well we can't have your sister getting a broken present for Christmas can we?" Harry asked with a chuckle.
"No" Narcissa agreed. "But it was really nice of you, you didn't have to" she pointed out.
"It looks like I got a new friend out of it, so it was worth it" he replied with a smile.
Narcissa smiled.
"I'd like to be your friend" she declared happily.
"Then it looks like we both made a friend today Narcissa" Harry returned warmly.
The girl shook her head.
"Only my Father calls me that, everyone else calls me Cissy" she pointed out.
"Well everyone calls me Harry, or Potter if we aren't friends" Harry explained.
"So I can call you Harry then" Narcissa stated with a beaming smile.
Harry nodded.
"How about we go and see if your sisters present is done and then I will take you to the floo in the Leaky Cauldron so you can go home?" he suggested.
The girl took him by the hand and led the way.
"Ahh I have just finished" the shopkeeper explained as the duo entered the shop. "I even placed an unbreakable charm on it for you".
"Thank you" Harry responded gratefully. "I'll also take that painting" he added, spotting a beautifully created image of a griffin in flight.
"That will be 500 Galleons" the shopkeeper explained.
Harry removed a small bag of gold from his pocket and handed it to the man, shrinking and pocketing the picture before he led Narcissa to the Leaky Cauldron.
The painting was not originally what he was going to get Charlus, but he knew the man was fond of the creatures and thought he would prefer.
"Thank you for everything Harry" Narcissa said once again as they were stood next to the fireplace.
"That's what friends are for" Harry answered simply.
The girl wrapped her arms around him before throwing a handful of floo powder into the fire and disappearing.
Harry sighed and followed the girl's lead, appearing in Potter Manor a few moments later.
"You were gone a while" Dorea observed as he entered the kitchen.
"There was a Dementor attack, but it's ok, no one was hurt" he explained.
"Are you ok?" the woman asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, I've dealt with them before" he replied dismissively. "Anyway, I need to go and wrap the presents before Sirius decides to come in and search me" he added with an amused shake of his head as he headed upstairs.
Dorea simply watched the boy leave and shook her head sadly at his retreating back.
It did not surprise her in the slightest that he had encountered the creatures before, but it didn't make the confirmation any easier to take.
(BREAK)
Harry was rudely awoken before sunrise on Christmas morning by an overzealous Sirius who was evidently very keen on starting the day as soon as possible, of course by opening presents.
After cursing the boy's name repeatedly, Harry finally pulled himself from the warmth of his bed, showered and joined the rest of the household in the very heavily decorated lounge are, where Sirius was visibly bouncing from the anticipation.
Harry shook his head at the teen who was acting like a toddler before taking a seat.
"Can we start now?" Sirius questioned impatiently.
Dorea simply nodded and without hesitation, he barreled into the pile that he had clearly already identified as his own and began tearing off layers of wrapping paper.
Everyone was pleased with what they had received.
Harry had been gifted several books on spells and curses from Charlus that he had never even heard of and would definitely be useful in a fight. Among various other books he had also gotten new quidditch things, a vast quantity of sweets and Lily had even sent him a silk scarf that matched their eye colour. Remus had sent him a book on Thestrals and Peter a selection of potions that he had made himself that would most certainly get some use.
It was during dinner that evening, after a day of flying and eating junk food, that the impending visit with the Blacks was raised by Dorea as she explained what would be expected from him.
"He will want to be addressed as Lord Black, it's very formal I know, but it's just best to be safe" she began.
Harry nodded his understanding.
"Do not insult anyone, just bite your tongue as much as you can and you'll be fine" she concluded warily.
"So basically, pucker up and kiss his arse and hope he doesn't kick yours" Sirius cut in.
Dorea shook her head.
"You know, it's not too late to drag you along too" Dorea mused aloud.
"I've suddenly come over all weak" the boy declared, clutching his stomach.
"So you won't be wanting this then" James exclaimed, stealing the bowl of ice cream in front of the boy.
"You'd better give it back" Sirius warned. "Don't even think about it" he added as James raised a full spoon of the dessert to his mouth.
Dorea summoned the bowl away from James and handed it back to Sirius giving them both a glare.
"I swear that you two are still the same eleven year olds from the day you met" she stated.
"5 year olds more like" Harry interjected.
"Says the one who tried to curse me because I wanted the last piece of treacle tart" Sirius returned.
"It was mine, you didn't even want it, same as McKinnon, maybe I will have a go after all" Harry threatened.
Sirius scowled and gritted his teeth.
"Who's this McKinnon?" Charlus piped up.
"The love of Sirius's life, but he won't admit it" James answered.
"What's wrong with her?" Charlus asked confusedly.
James shrugged.
"There must be though if she's interested in him" he added, gesturing to the other boy.
"Can't be that interested if she turned him down for a date" Harry muttered.
"She did not turn me down" Sirius whined. "She just said I have to stay away from other girls" he mumbled.
"And why is that a problem?" Dorea questioned with a frown.
"Don't ask, for Merlin's sake don't ask" James pleaded. "You will get a long and pointless explanation as to why he is every witches dream and it would be unfair if he was tied to one" he explained.
Charlus chuckled.
"We all think that way when we are sixteen" he deadpanned.
"Just because you've dedicated yourself to one girl who's not interested" Sirius pointed out, looking directly at James.
"She'll come around eventually" James replied confidently.
"And what about you Harry, any girls you're interested in?" Dorea asked.
"All he does is train, read and play qudditch" Sirius broke in. "You need to have some fun".
Harry just shook his head.
"I have more important things to focus on" he shrugged.
"It will happen when the time is right, you boy's are all still young" Dorea pointed out.
It wasn't until Harry was laid awake in bed later that night did he think about what Sirius had said.
True, he did only train, read and play quidditch, but he did not have the luxury of a normal life and he couldn't put himself in a situation where he would end up in a serious relationship, it simply would not be right, right now.
It was then that another thought, a more comical one struck him. Other than Lily, the only other girl he had spent time with was Bellatrix, a thought that certainly didn't do much to comfort him as he fell asleep.
(BREAK)
He awoke as early as he ever did but decided to skip the majority of his physical exercises in favour of preparing himself mentally for the day ahead.
He took his morning run while working through his occlumency exercises, both reinforcing and strengthening his shields and finished up with some weight training. The spell work was always the most demanding part so he cut this part out of his routine, promising himself that he would make up for it the next day.
He spent the rest of his morning showering, dressing himself in a set of formal robes and reading through some of the books that Charlus had given him, finding himself very impressed by the spells and keen to begin trying them out.
It was at midday that Dorea called him into the lounge area to give him the once over before they were to head out. She gave him a simple nod of approval and led him through the front door of the manor.
"We can't go through the floo because you aren't registered in the wards, so we will have to apparate" she explained. "Do you know where Grimmauld Place is?" she asked.
Harry nodded and swallowed deeply remembering that the last time he was there was with Sirius the Christmas before he had been killed.
"Ok then, take my arm" She instructed, offering the teen the limb. "It will be ok, I promise" she added before disapparating them away.
The arrived in the familiar square that was situated in the centre of Grimmauld Place and Harry could already see the house marked number 12, clearly it was not under the Fidelius Charm at the moment.
As they approached the house Dorea pulled Harry back, drew her wand and began muttering several spells in various languages.
"You can only be taken through the wards by a willing member of the Black family" she explained. "Unless my brother adds you to the scheme permanently then it must be done this way every time" she added warningly.
Harry just nodded and allowed the woman to lead him through the front door and into the hallway.
It looked exactly as Harry remembered down to the heads of former family elves mounted on the wall and even the troll leg umbrella stand, though it was not dilapidated at this time.
Dorea paused as they reached the kitchen door and gave his hand a gentle squeeze of encouragement and a warm and slightly apologetic smile before she entered the room with Harry in tow.
Again, the room looked exactly as Harry remembered it but it was certainly much better kept than when Sirius had lived here.
The moment the duo were in the kitchen Dorea was approached by a man around her own age who Harry immediately identified as Lord Black.
The man had a very strong presence about him and gave the teen the impression that he should not be crossed. He carried himself proudly and stood about the same height as Harry himself and the most noticeable feature about him was his steely grey eyes which were calculative and very sharp.
"Dorea" he greeted her with a warm smile and a hug. "I'm glad you could make it" he said sincerely.
Dorea returned the hug and looked at her brother speculatively.
"I had very little choice if I remember correctly" she returned gently with a soft chuckle.
Lord Black just rose an eyebrow at her and shook his head amusedly.
"No James or Charlus?" he inquired.
"Sirius is still with us and James insisted on staying with him" Dorea sighed. "And as you know they are rather mischievous so Charlus is keeping an eye on them both" she explained.
"The little bastard isn't welcome here anyway" a scathing voice cut in.
Harry recognised the woman he had only ever seen in portrait form; Walburga Black.
Even alive she was not any less impolite evidently.
"Shut up Walburga" Lord Black hissed angrily. "He would be a guest in this house just as you are, remember you only live here because I allow it" he reminded her.
Walburga scowled at him.
"There will never be room for him at a table where I am sat" she mumbled stubbornly. "I cast the bastard out already" she added smugly.
"And as I have told you time and time again, you do not have the authority to do so, the boy will be the head of this family and there is nothing you can do to change that" Lord Black replied coldly.
"Then I hope he gets himself killed" the woman stated with a fake smile. "It will be a sad day for this family if he is ever in charge" she declared disgustedly.
"I would remind you that you are merely married in to the family, you shared none of our blood, you have been blessed to receive our name, now I will only tell you once more to shut up" Lord Black growled furiously.
Walburga opened her mouth to speak once more when a man sat next to her placed a hand on her forearm and she thought better of it.
"Hello Harry" Lord Black greeted the teen after shooting the unpleasant woman a final glare.
"Lord Black" Harry responded formally, offering the man a bow. "Thank you for inviting me today, it is an honour" he intoned with practiced ease.
"Nonsense boy, and you can just call me Uncle, it is those beneath us that will address me correctly" he explained with a firm nod.
"So this is your other son?" Walburga broke in, addressing Dorea with a distasteful look on her face.
"It is" Dorea confirmed. "This is Walburga, Sirius's mother and wife of my nephew Orion" she introduced to Harry with forced enthusiasm.
Walburga sneered and turned her head away, clearly not interested in greeting the teen.
"I've heard all about you" she grumbled, not even acknowledging Harry.
Harry chuckled.
"I imagine you have" he replied with a shrug. "But you shouldn't listen to other peoples opinions on me and I won't judge you from what I've heard" he concluded with fake kindness.
"Harry" Dorea whispered warningly.
Arcturus snickered but schooled hos features quickly.
Orion stood and offered Harry his hand which the teen took and gave a shake.
"I apologise for my wife's behavior, social etiquette is not her strong point" he sighed.
"Apology accepted Mr. Black" Harry replied cordially.
He got the impression that Orion was very much used to having to apologise for the woman and had no reason to add to his already clearly stressful life.
"This is my son Regulus" Orion continued, gesturing to the boy Harry recognised from the quiditch match.
Regulus stood and offered Harry a slightly shaking hand, obviously more than a little nervous by the other teen's presence.
"Hello" he said quietly.
"It's nice to meet you Regulus" Harry returned.
Regulus nodded stiffly before taking a seat.
"This is Melania, the lady Black" Dorea cut in. "Wife of my brother" she finished with fondness in her voice.
The lady was petite with very delicate features and was beautiful. Her smile was welcoming as she bowed her head in greeting.
"It is my pleasure lady Black" Harry intoned, taking the woman's hand and giving it a gentle kiss.
"My you are a handsome one aren't you" Melania observed. "And a gentleman too".
"And this" Dorea added. "Is my younger sister Cassiopeia" she explained, indicating the final person sat at the table.
The woman stood and took Harry's hand gently before pulling him into a hug.
"It's just Cassie" she said with a warm smile. "It's nice to meet you Harry".
"You too" Harry replied with a smile.
"Is Pollux not coming?" Dorea asked Arcturus.
"He should be, but the boy is always late" the man answered irritably. "Come Harry, take a seat here" he offered, pulling the seat out on his right from the head of the table.
Harry took the seat and was joined by Dorea who gave her brother another calculating stare before she sat next to the teen.
Before Arcturus could speak again, Walburga beat him to it much too the mans obvious annoyance.
"Why have we only just become aware of the boy?" She questioned Dorea demandingly, taking a sip of her tea and waiting for an answer when she was done.
"Family secret" Dorea answered sweetly.
"Are we not your family?" Walburga returned.
"Potter family secret" Dorea answered.
"For Merlin sake Walburga I have already explained this to you" Arcturus broke in irritably.
"I do not like being kept in the dark" the woman grumbled.
"Well none of the family knew about him besides myself" Arcturus said firmly. "And it is not your business to question family things".
Walburga huffed indignantly but spoke no more. She simply stared at Harry through narrowed eyes.
It was then that the kitchen door opened, admitting a lithely built man who looked very much like Arcturus though younger and sporting a pointed goatee beard.
Behind him came four females, two of which Harry recognised as Bellatrix and Narcissa Black. He deduced that the other younger female was Andromeda, who looked very much like the middle sister but her hair was a shade or two lighter.
Narcissa's eyes lit up the moment she saw Harry even though it appeared she had recently been crying.
"Hello Harry" she greeted him excitedly.
"Hello Cissy" Harry returned, still finding it very strange that the young girl who was smiling so brightly could ever turn into the cold woman he knew her to be.
"And how is it that you are on such amicable and familiar terms with my daughter?" the man questioned Harry with a sneer.
Before Harry could respond it was Narcissa that explained.
"It was Harry that rescued me from the Dementors with his big reindeer thing" she answered happily. "And then he even got Andi's present fixed and bought me ice cream to make me feel better" she added.
The man just grunted.
"Then it seems that you are in young Mr. Potter's debt Pollux" Arcturus broke in, giving Harry an appreciative nod.
Pollux just frowned.
"Why is it that your wife and daughters look upset" the older man asked his son.
"It seems as though they are not so supportive of my latest business transaction" Pollux shrugged.
"And what business transaction would that be?" Arcturus inquired, noting the very distraught demeanour of his daughter-in-law and granddaughters.
"I set them up in marriage contracts with prominent families for the betterment of our own?" Pollux answered dismissively.
The reactions at the table were a mixture of shock and horrified at the revelation.
"You did what?" Arcturus asked dangerously.
"I set them up with marriage contracts" Pollux reiterated.
"Oh, so I did hear you correctly" Arcturus stated casually. "So you have taken the freedom I gave to you and your siblings and pissed it away have you?" he ground out.
"Father, these families are amongst the most affluent in our community" the younger man tried.
"What is your last name?" Arcturus questioned simply.
"Black" Pollux answered confusedly.
Arcturus nodded.
"There are no families better than ours you imbecile" he roared, slamming his hand on the table.
"They are my daughters, I will decide what will be done with them" Pollux hissed.
"As the head of this family it is my choice" Arcturus bit back furiously. "And what families have you decided to align yourself with?".
"Actually it is no longer your choice" Pollux responded coldly. "I have taken steps to ensure that you must sign it" he added with a smug grin. "The girls will be married into the Yaxley, the Lestrange and the Malfoy families" he finished gleefully.
"And what steps have you taken?" Arcturus asked through gritted teeth.
"The contract must be signed today or the contents of the family vault will be transferred equally into theirs" Pollux explained.
"And how did you manage that?" Arcturus returned neutrally.
"You have granted us all with complete access to the vault" Pollux pointed out. "I can move as much money around as I like" he explained further.
"Give it to me" the older man ground out.
Pollux removed three separate sheets of parchment and handed them to his father who read them and shook his head.
"You fucking moron" he spat. "You've essentially handed over the damn key to our vault and where in the contract is the stipulation that the contents of our vault will be forfeit if I refuse to sign?" he finished furiously.
"I signed a different contract for that" Pollux explained.
Arcturus gestured for him to hand it over which he did reluctantly.
"Half a million Galleons for your three daughters" he stated disbelievingly. "A stipend of 10,000 Galleons to be paid weekly to each family, please don't tell me you were stupid enough to sign this for pocket change only" the older man pleaded. "And why am I only aware of this now, this is dated from September?" he pointed out angrily.
"I was instructed not to inform you of the arrangement because you would refuse" Pollux replied. "And no, I did not only get the money, I am promised an introduction to someone who is at the forefront of the new pureblood movement" he added contentedly. "I am sure he will be along with the others shortly".
"What is the buy out? There's always a buy out option" Arcturus returned knowingly.
"1.5 million Galleons and a duel with a champion of their choice" Pollux informed him.
"So that is why you held off telling me until today when it has to be signed" Arcturus growled. "I can't even get to the bank, it's fucking Boxing Day and even the Goblins don't open today" he continued angrily.
"It wouldn't matter" Pollux shrugged. "You wouldn't be allowed to duel their champion anyway, no one with the name Black or anyone married to a Black could do it" he explained, clearly proud of himself.
"That was obviously done to stop Charlus from fighting on our behalf" Dorea deduced.
Pollux nodded and smirked again.
"I despair" Arcturus stated. "How did we raise such a selfish little prick?" he asked his wife who was visibly upset.
"I did this for our family" Pollux hissed.
"No, you did this for you and your fucking greed, my hands are tied on this because of your ambition to be a bigger man than you deserve to be" Arcturus returned angrily. "How long until they get here?" he added, defeated by his son's underhanded dealings.
"In 10 minutes" Pollux answered with a victorious grin.
"Then that gives me plenty of time to kill you, you stupid bastard" Arcturus seethed as he grabbed the man by his hair and drew his wand.
Pollux instantly paled and began trembling but was saved by his mother.
"Arcturus please, he's our son" Melania pleaded. "Please we will make it work somehow, I know you'll be able to fix it" she added confidently.
Arcturus shook his head.
"This prick has just given away my granddaughters for nothing" he spat dangerously. "I could have found a way had he come here yesterday but he did this on purpose, now there is no way out of it" he sighed as he released the man, clearly experiencing many emotions at once.
He took his seat once more and shook uncontrollably.
It seemed that no one in the room had any idea what to say to this and Pollux left the room a few minutes later to meet his guests.
As promised, he returned a few moments later with four men in tow, one clearly being a Malfoy, another a LeStrange but it was the fourth who entered that immediately had Harry on edge and reinforcing his occlumency shields as best he could as he swallowed deeply and tensed, ready to release his wand at a seconds notice.
The man in question was much older than Harry had seen him previously in this form, but there was no doubt in his mind that this was the same sixteen year old boy he had met in the chamber of secrets only now a fully grown Tom Riddle.
It was LeStrange who spoke first after he became aware of Harry's presence in the room.
"You, you filthy little bastard" he spat.
Everyone gathered around the table looked at the man with complete disdain. Arcturus simply looked murderous but luckily for LeStrange one of his own associates intervened and attempted to calm the man before he caused too much of a provocation.
"Randolph, control yourself" Malfoy whispered harshly.
"That little shit cursed my son" LeStrange hissed angrily.
"And I am sure the young man is apologetic for his part in the unpleasantness" Riddle interjected attempting to mediate the situation.
"Actually, I think you'll find I've cursed both of the morons" Harry replied casually. "And no, I'm not sorry" he added firmly.
"Well that is indeed most unfortunate, we should not be fighting amongst ourselves after all" Riddle sighed and shook his head disappointedly. "However, I believe that what we have to discuss today is much more important than a fallout between children, so Randolph, do remain quiet" he requested.
LeStrange ground his teeth and nodded reluctantly, though he continued to glare at Harry.
"Lord Black" Riddle greeted the man with a formal bow. "May I say that it is an honour to be in your presence" he declared charismatically. "I do apologise for intruding on this joyous occasion, but it is the only way I could garner an audience with a man of your station and prestige" he finished with another elaborate bow.
Arcturus simply frowned at him before he spoke.
"There is nothing joyous about this" he growled. "What is it you want? Make it quick" he demanded.
"I will get straight to the point" Riddle conceded. "I represent a group who wishes to prevent certain changes from taking place in our community" he began simply. "As you know the muggleborns and half-bloods are slowly but surely destroying all of the traditions that we have built over many centuries and it has become a very big problem indeed, I fear that our ways will be completely lost in a very short amount of time" he concluded gravely.
Arcturus nodded his agreement and gestured for him to continue.
"The time has come for us to no longer sit by and allow them and the blood traitors to be so liberal and continue to devalue the blood that flows through our veins, it is time to take our rightful place back at the top of our world" he declared firmly.
"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Arcturus asked.
"The process has already begun" Riddle answered with a grin. "I have the support of many pureblood families, those who have seats on the Wizengamot and we will soon have enough power to challenge the proposed changes that have thus far been granted on many occasions" he explained.
"That sounds rather promising" Arcturus acknowledged. "But I see many flaws" he stated. "Firstly, you will never get a majority vote unless you have over half of the Wizengamot backing you and that will never happen" he deduced confidently. "There are 220 pureblood families that have seats and only around 50 would agree with what you are saying, 120 of them will be completely opposed to you because they sympathise with them and the other 50 will be neutral and more likely to side with the sympathisers" he explained knowingly.
Riddle nodded thoughtfully.
"But then isn't it our job to show them why we are needed to ensure our perseverance and prosperity?" he asked. "The world we live in is no longer our own, we need to fight for our traditions" he finished passionately.
Arcturus nodded once more and gave the man a speculative stare.
"And what about when we have taken that control, surely you have plans beyond that" he stated questioningly.
"Very astute Lord Black" Riddle acknowledged with another bow. "I refer back to my earlier statement regarding us sitting atop our world" he reminded the man.
Arcturus frowned.
"You mean branching out into the muggle world" he concluded thoughtfully.
"Indeed" Riddle agreed. "Our kind has spent far too long hiding in the shadows, it is us that stand far more superior than those, why is it that we should hide like scared rabbits?" he questioned.
Harry scoffed and shook his head causing Riddle to frown at him.
"I believe my nephew has something to say on the matter" Arcturus sighed amusedly.
"I apologise Uncle and mean no offense, but might I assume that you a rather ignorant of the muggle world?" Harry asked.
"I am" Arcturus conceded.
"I thought so" Harry intoned. "But that is not what is bothering mostly" he added with another shake of his head.
"Then I am interested on what you have to say on the matter" Arcturus returned with a smile.
"And the opinion of a child matters?" Pollux cut in angrily.
"Age means nothing over experience and I believe my nephew has something important to say or he would not interfere in such a manor" Arcturus stated firmly. "His opinion means much more to me than yours right now Pollux" he added coldly. "Go ahead Harry" he instructed the teen, shooting a final glare at his son.
Harry nodded and sighed internally. He knew that Arcturus was slowly but surely buying into the charismatic demeanour of Riddle and he knew he had to prevent that happening. He knew what he said now could certainly have a significant impact on how things would be from here on. The day had gone badly so far, he needed this to go right so he would choose his words carefully while making sure he exposed Riddle for what he truly was.
"If I may, I have a few things I observed earlier that aren't quite clear Mr.?" he questioned Riddle, keen to see what alias he would use.
"Gaunt" Riddle answered simply.
'How very original' Harry mused inwardly.
"Gaunt is it?" Arcturus inquired. "I thought the family had died out" he added with a frown.
"I am unfortunately the last of my line" Riddle sighed, flashing a family ring to prove his identity.
'Clever' Harry conceded reluctantly. 'Should have at least disguised yourself though, very arrogant as usual' he observed.
"Indeed" Arcturus intoned with a slight bow of his head.
"Well Mr. Gaunt, I think we established earlier that politically you have no chance of achieving your goals" Harry began again. "How is it you plan on being successful if you cannot do it through legitimate authority?" he questioned, pleased to see a flash of irritation cross the man's face.
"That is a good question" Arcturus acknowledged agreeably.
"Myself and my associates are very determined to reach our goals" Riddle answered cryptically.
"And that would include the use of violence I assume" Harry returned with a raised eyebrow.
"If necessary" Riddle confirmed reluctantly.
There were more than a few looks of surprises by those gathered.
"Which brings me to my next point" Harry continued. "Again it has been pointed out that not all of the pureblood families will agree with you and many will oppose you heavily, what happens if they choose to side with those you want to subjugate?" he inquired further. "You are after all, trying to preserve our traditions and, I assume in turn, our lines".
"I am indeed" Riddle agreed. "But those who side with them have no place amongst us" he stated casually.
Harry nodded and frowned.
"So you will happily see those you are attempting to preserve killed if necessary to reach your goals?" he questioned further.
"I sincerely hope that it does not come to that but yes, if it becomes a necessity" Riddle sighed in forced sadness.
"So what you are doing is not about blood at all, it is simply a bid for power for yourself and your associates" Harry pointed out.
"I believe you are misinterpreting what it is I have said young man" Riddle returned patronisingly, though Harry could see he was getting annoyed.
"Actually, what my nephew is saying makes perfect sense" Arcturus interjected with a frown.
"Ok" Harry spoke up once more. "Let us assume that I have completely misunderstood you" he offered. "But surely even you can see that the idea of attempting such a coup is foolish and completely counterproductive in preserving our respect lineages".
"How so?" Arcturus asked before Riddle could speak.
"Well as you pointed out there are 220 pureblood families" Harry began again.
Arcturus nodded.
"Well, if we are very generous and say Mr. Gaunt manages to secure the support of 100 of those, what do you think will happen between the now two factions?" he asked.
Arcturus's eyebrows rose significantly in realisation.
"War I imagine" he deduced.
"You mean like we are already seeing, Mr. Gaunt himself confirmed that he has already began work on his plans" Harry reminded him.
Arcturus frowned.
"What is your point Harry?" he questioned curiously.
"My point is that even if it is about maintaining the pureblood doctrine and traditions that the majority of purebloods will be killed in the pursuit of it, thus making it counterproductive and on top of all that there is the muggleborns and half-bloods to consider also" he pointed out.
"The mudbloods are of no consequence" LeStrange growled. "We are purebloods, we are better than them" he surmised sternly.
Harry sighed.
"Even I didn't think you could be so ignorant" he muttered. "Albus Dumbledore is a half blood and I daresay one of the most powerful wizards to be seen in many generations" Harry stated, purposely using the man as an example.
"He is a muggle loving fool" LeStrange spat.
"And yet he could destroy you in a heartbeat if he chose to" Harry shrugged. "And regardless of if you believe purebloods are more powerful, the numbers would not be in your favour" he concluded confidently.
"Numbers mean nothing when you are faced with superior men" Malfoy cut in.
Harry shook his head.
"That is true in some cases" he conceded. "But Britain's magical population stand at around 100,000 if I am correct" he stated questioningly.
"It is" Arcturus confirmed.
"Well, there a re 220 pureblood families and if we say there are 20 people per family on average that gives us around 4400 people being outnumbered by about 96,000" he explained. "That is almost 20/1 odds, not exactly favourable is it, but then again it is much more than that" he finished knowingly.
Arcturus looked a little overwhelmed and gestured for him to continue.
"Well as we already know, not even half the purebloods will support you" he reminded Riddle. "So the odds are less in you favour, I imagine you will have a maximum of 1000 supporters" he concluded. "Even if your belief that purebloods are superior rings true then those odds are completely insurmountable to overcome" Harry concluded thoughtfully. "But I guess a man of your intelligence has already reached that conclusion" he assumed.
Riddle stared at the teen through narrowed eyes but nodded nonetheless.
"I have indeed" he confirmed warily. "I have support from outside of Britain and we are not looking to fight in open warfare" he added cryptically.
"Ahh, so you mean you will stage strategic attacks and eliminate prominent figures from the shadows, I believe that is something the muggles call terrorism, very frowned upon, even by wizards that would be deemed disgraceful" Harry surmised.
"If it becomes necessary then that is what we shall do" Riddle stated dismissively.
Harry nodded, pleased he had the man exactly where he wanted him.
"And that brings us to your overall goal of standing atop of our world" Harry continued. "If by some miracle you manage to exert your will here, how do you plan on taking over the muggle world also?" he asked, genuinely curious to know what approach he would take.
"Muggles are foolish, we are far more than they will ever be, we have wands" LeStrange broke in passionately, waving his wand dramatically to prove his point.
"Put your wand away you moron" Arcturus hissed. "The wards will obliterate anyone it deems acting threateningly" he explained.
LeStrange paled and swallowed deeply before placing his wand gingerly back in his pocket.
"Your ignorance really is astounding" Harry sighed. "Yes, we have wands but they have weapons much more destructive than ours and they number in the millions, that is why we have the statute of secrecy, it is there to protect us, attempting a takeover will be the end of us" he concluded gravely.
"Bullshit" LeStrange broke in once more. "Their gans, or whatever they are no match for us" he declared vehemently.
"They are called guns and they would be the least of your worries, though I imagine even they would be sufficient to destroy us" he mused aloud.
"What are you talking about?" Arcturus growled irritably.
Harry sighed once more.
"Imagine having 300 killing curses fired at you every minute, that is basically what a gun does" Harry explained.
"Ha, that is where you are wrong" LeStrange returned triumphantly. "It takes a long time to fire it and put the stupid powder back in to fire again".
Harry shook his head and chuckled darkly.
"I believe your knowledge is very outdated" he replied. "The guns you refer to haven't been used in decades, what they have now is far more superior and as I already said, they would be the least of your worries" he finished seriously.
"What do you mean?" Orion chipped in.
Harry thought for a moment, trying to come up with the simplest way to explain, when he had it he nodded contentedly.
"Uncle, if you were to fire a blasting curse in this room, how much damage would you do?" he asked.
Arcturus frowned and scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"I imagine at full power I could destroy the entire room and some of the next" he answered proudly.
Harry nodded, not at all disagreeing with the man's capabilities.
"Well, imagine a blasting curse that could wipe out the entirety of our shopping district in London" he implored.
"Impossible" LeStrange huffed.
"Now imagine a blasting curse the could level the entirety of London" Harry continued, ignoring LeStrange completely.
"They can do that?" Arcturus asked worriedly.
"They can and no matter how powerful you are no shield would protect you from it" Harry answered sincerely.
The room were shocked into silence whether or not the teen was believed, the thought of such a thing was not pleasant.
"So as you can see, not only would most of us be killed in pursuit of this, we would all be killed if we attempted a muggle takeover" he concluded.
Again the room was silent while the occupants were lost in thought, though Riddle simply glared at Harry.
"You are a very intelligent young man, I could use someone of such calibre for our cause, you have certainly given me much to consider" he conceded, knowing he had been beaten this time. "But our plans will go ahead, once I have of course given much thought to what we have discussed" he added, giving Harry a speculative stare as he bowed reluctantly in his direction.
"Indeed, it has been a rather enlightening afternoon" Malfoy muttered, also glaring at Harry.
"I do hope I can gain an audience with you once again Lord Black, once things have moved in a much more decisive direction" Riddle requested.
Arcturus simply nodded dismissively.
Riddle once more turned to Harry and gave him a calculative stare.
"I hope you yourself consider joining our cause young man, I assure you that you would indeed be very welcome and a valued member" he said promisingly with a bow.
Harry raised an eyebrow at the man.
"It is doubtful Mr. Gaunt, I am rather fond of living" he returned firmly.
Riddle glared at him once more.
"You know my family has a rather insightful saying that I believe you would do well to listen to" he intoned thoughtfully.
"What saying would that be?" Harry inquired curiously.
"If you pull on the tail of a snake, you should be prepared to face it's bared fangs" Riddle hissed in parseltongue.
Harry smirked amusedly and again reinforced his occlumency shields as he felt a probe of passive legilimency.
When Riddle felt the powerful mind shield he immediately withdrew from his attempt, his eyes widening very slightly in surprise at the occlumency skill on display.
"I am not pulling on the tail, I always go for the head" Harry hissed back, clearly surprising everyone in the room besides Dorea. "It is not wise to make threats in the house of Black Mr. Gaunt, as I am sure you know, the wards are most unforgiving" he added warningly.
Riddle could not stop the look of shock that appeared on his face, but managed to school his expression quickly.
"How is it you came across such an ability?" he hissed.
"The Blacks were once known for it, it seems that I am the first of our blood in centuries to be gifted with it" Harry explained, of course not wanting to share Dumbledore's theory of how he became a parselmouth.
Riddle nodded and smirked.
"I do implore you to reconsider your position Mr. Potter, I assure you that you would have a place at my side, we could achieve many great things together" he offered once more.
Harry shook his head.
"I think not Mr. Gaunt, though I am flattered and can respect your ambition, it is however, not for me" he declined diplomatically.
"Then perhaps you will change your mind once you have witnessed how successful we will be, I will leave my offer open to you, if you of course do not oppose me" he Riddle returned warningly.
Harry nodded stiffly but said nothing else. Conversing with the man in such a way made him feel very unclean.
Riddle returned the nod and headed for the door.
"I again thank you for your hospitality Lord Black" he stated with a bow. "Gentlemen, please join me in our usual place once you have concluded your business" he instructed firmly.
The three men that had accompanied bowed their compliance and a very thoughtful and angry Tom Riddle exited the house.
He had thought that convincing Arcturus Black would have been very easy but he had not been prepared for the teen in attendance, a foolish mistake on his part but a problem he could not have foreseen.
'I should have prepared for every possibility' he scolded himself before apparating away from Grimmauld Place.
(BREAK)
"Shall we get down to business then?" Malfoy questioned the still shocked room.
Arcturus growled angrily.
"And what if I refuse, or have the wards simply kill you?" he returned threateningly.
"Then the life of your granddaughters and son would be forfeit" Malfoy returned smugly. "It is all in the contract that your son has already signed" he pointed out.
Arcturus shot a scathing look at his son who looked a little pale and fearful under the scrutiny he was facing.
"I regret the day that you were born into this world you little shit, I gave you everything and this is how you repay myself and your mother?" he asked rhetorically. "As of today your are not my son, you are a disgrace to this family" he spat.
Pollux shrugged.
"I have done what is best for us" he growled, pointing to himself and his children. "This family has become a joke under your leadership and I am tired of living in your shadow, I can make my own way and I will" he vowed. "Mr. Gaunt will be successful and I will be right up there with him" he declared proudly.
Arcturus simply shook his head at his son and turned to his granddaughters.
"I wish there was something I could do" he said sincerely. "This house will always be open to all of you should you need it and I am sorry it came to this, my wish was for you all to marry a man of your choice and your father has taken that from you, my hands are tied" he finished in defeat.
Harry sighed inwardly at the thoughts he himself was having.
"This is it" he mused. "This is what made Bellatrix and Narcissa what they are" he sighed sadly at the thought of the young blonde becoming what she undoubtedly would.
"I hope you bastards suffer for this" Arcturus ground out to the three men who would now take control of his granddaughters.
"Just sign the contract Black" LeStrange demanded.
Arcturus swallowed deeply and picked up the blood quill that had been procured for the signing.
"Wait" Harry interrupted the proceedings, already chiding himself for what he was going to do, but he knew it was the right thing, he knew he had no choice in the matter unless he wanted things to be considerably worse.
"This is not your concern boy" LeStrange spat angrily.
"The buy out clause, what was it again?" Harry inquired.
"1.5 million Galleons and a duel with a champion of their choice" Arcturus sighed.
"But it is too late for that, we took the steps to ensure that it would not be a possibility" Malfoy added.
It was Harry's turn to sigh.
"And no one of the name Black, or anyone married into the family can duel?" he inquired.
"Exactly" Malfoy confirmed gleefully.
Harry shook his head in disbelief at his own conclusion.
He removed his shrunken trunk from his pocket, resized it and placed it on the table removing several large bags once he had done so.
"1.5 million Galleons" he explained, gesturing to the vast amount of gold. "I'll fight" he finished seriously.
The three men looked nothing short of furious at this unexpected obstacle.
"You are just a boy" Malfoy hissed angrily.
"I have the gold and I said I will do it, you can't change the contract now" Harry returned firmly.
Arcturus looked at the boy in complete shock but was clearly proud of him.
"Harry" Dorea cut in weakly. "This isn't a duel that you would have at school" she explained unnecessarily.
"I know" Harry replied simply. "So take your money and piss off" he commanded the three men.
"You stupid boy, you should never have gotten yourself involved in this" Malfoy spat angrily.
Harry just shrugged.
"I have a few terms for the duel" he stated.
"As is your right" Malfoy conceded reluctantly.
"There will be no spectators, it will be only myself and your champion present" he began.
Malfoy narrowed his eyes but nodded his agreement.
"We will both have only our wands, nothing else" Harry continued.
"Of course" Malfoy agreed.
"And I want two weeks minimum to prepare, along with the name of your champion" Harry concluded.
Malfoy nodded his agreement, though he was clearly not happy by how things were turning out.
"Done" he growled through gritted teeth.
LeStrange chuckled darkly.
"It's your funeral Potter, you are only delaying the inevitable" he said confidently.
Harry just shook his head at the man.
"Come gentlemen" Malfoy implored. "We have other things to attend to, Lord Black, until next time" he bade farewell.
"The name of your man" Harry stated questioningly as they reached the door.
Malfoy smirked smugly.
"Antonin Dolohov" he answered simply eliciting a gasp from the gathered Black family members before the trio exited the house.
"Harry what have you done?" Dorea choked.
Before Harry could answer he was confronted by an apoplectic Pollux.
"You stupid bastard" he screamed as he prodded the teen firmly in the chest. "You have just ruined all of the hard work I have put in".
Harry ploughed his fist into the man's sternum, grabbed him by the throat and pushed him firmly against the wall.
"No you prick, I just saved your daughters lives" he whispered dangerously. "I promise you now, if you try and do something so fucking idiotic again your father will be the least of your worries, understand?" he asked dangerously.
Pollux simply trembled under the young man's glare from his glowing green eyes and whimpered slightly.
Harry gave him a final look of disgust before allowing the man to slide to the floor in a heap.
Arcturus gave him a nod of approval before sighing.
"Dolohov is a world champion duelist" he informed the teen.
"I know" Harry returned.
Arcturus nodded and then shook his head despairingly.
"Are you sure you can handle it?" he asked worriedly.
Harry nodded. It would certainly be a real test of his abilities but if the prophecy was true then Dolohov could not kill him and he would have to if he wanted to win.
Arcturus sighed once more.
"You really are full of surprises" he stated. "A parselmouth?" he questioned.
"I am" Harry confirmed.
"And what is it that Gaunt said to you?" the older man inquired.
Harry dragged his hand through his hair.
"Gaunt is not his name, did none of you recognise him?" he asked.
When no one spoke he sighed before explaining.
"His name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, there's a picture of him in the trophy room at Hogwarts, he got an award for special services to the school" he informed them.
"I don't understand" Arcturus responded confusedly.
"That is why I had to do what I did, your granddaughters would have been in his service whether or not they wanted to be if they were to marry into those families" Harry replied.
"What does Riddle have to do with it?" Cassie broke in, clearly just as confused as everyone in the room seemed to be.
Harry drew his wand and wrote the name Tom Marvolo Riddle in the air in flaming orange letters before flicking his wand and rearranging the way Riddle had in the chamber of secrets.
Everybody in the room gasped loudly at the revelation.
"That was him?" Arcturus questioned frantically.
"It was" Harry confirmed. "He himself is a half blood".
"Bastard" Arcturus whispered. "And you bought him into our house" he roared at Pollux who was still on the floor trying to steady his breathing.
"I didn't know" the man wheezed breathlessly.
Arcturus shook his head at his son.
"Mr. Potter" Pollux's wife broke in nervously. "What are you going to do with those contracts, you do technically own them after all" she explained.
Harry approached the table where the contracts were laid and picked the three unsigned ones up and glanced over them, feeling a sense of nausea overcome him as he did so.
He turned to face the three sisters in which the documents pertained to and saw the apprehensive looks on their faces.
He flicked his wand at the stack of parchment he held and it burst into flames, disintegrating into nothing but a fine ash.
"You should all get the chance to marry whomever you like" he stated flatly. "No one should decide that for you".
Narcissa flung herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.
"Why would you fight for us?" she whispered. "It's not like you are getting anything out of it".
"Because that's what friends do for each other" Harry answered simply.
"You will of course get your money back" Arcturus promised.
Harry just nodded.
"Thank you Mr. Potter" Druella stated sincerely. "My girls mean the world to me" she added. "But would you mind destroying the other contract also, it would put my mind at ease" she requested.
Harry approached the table once more and picked up the final piece of parchment, frowning as he did so.
"What the hell is this?" he mumbled, feeling a lot of magic coming from the document.
"What do you mean?" Arcturus inquired.
"Can you not feel it?" Harry asked, handing the man the sheet.
Arcturus frowned and shook his head.
"It feels very heavy and wrong" Harry mused aloud.
"May I?" Cassie asked. "I'm an enchantress, so I can identify the different types of magic on it" she explained.
Arcturus handed it to her and Harry noticed that Pollux was now looking very nervous indeed.
Cassie withdrew her wand and began casting detection spells over the parchment, frowning when she had finished.
"Oh Pollux you didn't" Cassie whispered, clearly horrified by her findings.
"What is it?" Arcturus demanded impatiently.
Cassie swallowed deeply.
"He imbued blood magic into the contract and placed some awful charms on it" She informed them.
"What charms?" Arcturus growled, shooting his son a death glare.
"Ones that would make the girls more receptive to their would be spouses advances and more compliant to their will" Cassie explained disgustedly.
Harry frowned and then his eyebrows shot up in realisation as he looked towards a confused looking Bellatrix.
"So if for example, the boy who Bellatrix was supposed to marry put her under the Imperius curse" he inquired thoughtfully.
"Then she would not be able to defend herself against it, not a damn chance" Cassie concluded firmly, completely saddened by the thought.
"Bastard" Harry hissed.
He was seething inside and wanted nothing more than to kill Rudolphus for what he had done.
"And I bet he knew it" he whispered.
"Knew what?" Cassie asked confusedly.
"You don't remember attacking me do you?" he questioned Bellatrix.
"I don't remember anything after leaving my common room" Bellatrix retorted heatedly.
It was then that she realised what had happened.
"He didn't" she growled angrily.
"I think he did" Harry replied certainly. "This was signed in September" he explained, picking up and gesturing to the parchment.
"I told you I didn't remember anything" Bellatrix pointed out irritably.
"Yeah, well I didn't expect this" Harry returned waving the contract in front of him furiously.
Bellatrix just folded her arms and scowled at him.
"Forget it" Harry sighed as he burnt the last piece of parchment that alluded to the unwanted unions. "You're free now so it really doesn't matter, now if you'll excuse me I have a duel to prepare for" he finished seriously.
"You don't think you can actually win do you?" Bellatrix questioned disbelievingly. "He's a bloody world champion" she reminded him.
Harry paused at the door but didn't turn back.
"He's a duelist, I don't duel" he stated flatly, before exiting the room and the house.
"What does that even mean?" Bellatrix asked irritably.
"It means he's a fighter" Arcturus answered proudly. "I wouldn't underestimate the boy" he advised.
"I know a little of what he's capable of" Bellatrix agreed in reply. "Why would he defend us though? It doesn't make sense" she added confusedly.
"Because he's a better person than you will ever understand" Dorea whispered sadly, her eyes firmly on the door that the boy had just exited from.
"Will he be ok?" Narcissa asked the woman worriedly.
Dorea sighed.
"Harry has seen and done things that you wouldn't believe" she explained. "Even I'm not sure of his full abilities but I think Dolohov and the rest of them are in for a rude awakening, you all saw him in the Great Hall after James was attacked" She reminded the three girls.
"He's terrifying" Andromeda concluded succinctly.
Dorea nodded.
"I've seen him train once and I was blown away by what I saw and what he can do, I've been too scared to go in again since that day" she revealed seriously. "But he's my son, I'll always believe in him but it will never stop me fearing for him" she finished emotionally.
"Can he really produce a patronus?" Bellatrix asked curiously.
"He can" Dorea confirmed. "But I think that is one of his lesser skills, he is a very dedicated wizard so I imagine there is very little he can't achieve if he sets his mind to it" she added confidently. "Now I have to go and make sure he is ok" she informed them. "Thank you for our invitation Arcturus" she said formally as she reached the door. "Oh, and Pollux, if my son dies because of your stupidity, I will make every single day you have left a complete misery" she told the man coldly before exiting the house.
"I already plan to" Arcturus growled. "You should feel damn lucky that the boy was here if not I would be killing you right now".
Pollux swallowed deeply and stormed from the house clearly furious of how the day had gone for him.
"What are we going to do?" Druella asked sadly.
"That is entirely up to you" Arcturus answered. "You are family and you are welcome in any of our homes, and thanks to Potter you will always have that freedom, I trusted your father too much and gave him much more freedom than I should have" he sighed exasperatedly.
"Are you joking?" Walburga shrieked, clearly coming out of an unusually shocked state. "The boy just cost you your chance to join the elite of society in greatness" she screeched.
"Orion, shut your wife up, or I will" Arcturus commanded his other son.
Orion simply nodded and took the woman by the arm and led her from the room.
"We have a hell of a debt to the Potter boy" Arcturus muttered.
"Yet, he clearly wants nothing" Melania pointed out.
Arcturus nodded.
"He knew what he held in his hand and he burnt it like it was nothing, he could have had anything he wanted from us'" he whispered disbelievingly.
"What do you mean Grandfather?" Bellatrix asked.
Arcturus turned to face the three girls and smiled warmly at them, pleased that the problem had been solved at least.
"The boy essentially bought those contracts and could have honoured all three if he chose to, demanded a ridiculous sum for them or just kept all three of you as slaves" explained gravely.
Bellatrix shook her head.
Potter had held her and her sister's fates in his hands and simply gave it up for nothing.
'More to him than I can even understand. He's either an idiot or just an amazing person' she mused, her heart warming at the kindness he had shown her and her family, a small smile making it's way to her face.
She sighed and shook her head.
'He hates me' she reminded herself sadly.
Druella noted the expression on her daughter's face and she herself shook her head amusedly.
'So dense and stubborn' she sighed inwardly.
(BREAK)
Dorea followed Harry back to Potter Manor and arrived in time to see him entering the front door in the distance so she rushed to catch the teen up.
She entered the house to meet Charlus who was frowning confusedly in the entrance hall.
"Is there something I should know about?" he asked.
Dorea nodded and swallowed deeply.
She explained everything that had happened and when she had finished Charlus sighed and dragged his hands through his hair.
"Harry has experienced the man before, he nearly killed one of his friends not long before he came here" he informed her, speaking of Dolohov. "He at least has an idea of what he is up against".
"What can we do Charlus?" Dorea questioned worriedly.
"There's nothing we can do except help him as much as we can" he answered thoughtfully.
"What are you thinking?" Dorea inquired suspiciously.
Charlus swallowed as he removed a book from his pocket and resized it.
Dorea shook her head furiously.
"You promised that you wouldn't teach this to James unless it was necessary, Harry comes under the same rule" She said firmly.
"Do you not think it is necessary? we both know what the boy is facing and we are in a position to help him, all of them need to be able to defend themselves" Charlus replied gravely.
Dorea nodded reluctantly.
"I never thought we would see this day" she mumbled sadly.
"Neither did I Dor, I thought Grindelwald would be the last for a long time" Charlus agreed. "I guess we were wrong, and Harry never had a childhood, not really, the family magic will give him an extra edge, despite the training he has had, it may be needed" he explained.
"Will you train him personally?" Dorea asked.
Charlus nodded.
"As much as I can, but I imagine he will be even better than myself" he stated knowingly.
Dorea nodded.
"We are going to have to explain this to James and Sirius" she realised aloud.
"Then we should do that now, go and fetch Harry from the basement and bring him to the kitchen" he requested.
Dorea immediately headed for the basement while Charlus entered the kitchen where James and Sirius were sat.
"What's going on Dad?" James asked with a frown noticing his father's unusually serious demeanour.
"Something very serious has happened" Charlus began as Dorea and a completely impassive Harry entered the room.
"What is it?" Sirius asked.
Charlus looked towards his wife, imploring her to explain everything, which she did, causing the other two boys to experience a maelstrom of emotions.
"This is a joke" James stated disbelievingly.
"No joke" Charlus confirmed.
"By why would you do that for them?" James questioned Harry.
"I have my reasons" Harry answered firmly, giving the boy a knowing stare.
James swallowed and nodded his understanding though he clearly did not like it.
Harry stood and made to leave the room but was held back by Charlus who was looking at the book he held sadly.
"Here" he said simply handing Harry the book. "Read it and then come find me and I will help you" he explained.
"Is that the family magic book?" James asked disbelievingly.
"It is" Charlus sighed.
"Can I learn it?" James questioned excitedly.
Charlus shared a look with his wife who was simply looking terrified by the thought.
"The way things are going I think you should" he answered reluctantly. "But this is not a joke this is the most serious thing in the world" he added severely.
James nodded firmly.
"Give me a few days with Harry and then we will start" Charlus conceded.
James nodded and turned his attention to Harry.
"What are you going to do?" he asked worriedly.
Harry looked at the boy through narrowed eyes and nodded slightly.
"I'm going to kill him" he stated simply before exiting the room and heading towards the basement once more.
"He's not serious is he?" Sirius asked, completely shocked by what he had heard.
"He is" James whispered sadly.
"Dolohov will not let him live" Charlus broke in. "Out of his last five opponents four have died, he will try to do the same to Harry" he concluded regretfully.
"What can we do?" James asked desperately.
"Not much, but I think Dolohov is in for a hell of a shock" Charlus declared as he followed Harry from the room to begin helping the boy.
James sighed
'It's not easy pretending to be your brother Harry, especially when I feel like I have to protect you' he thought to himself sadly.