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Chapter Text

It was over. Harry had done it. Voldemort was dead. The death Eaters had backed down. He looked up catching sight of platinum hair. Draco and his mother had helped in the end. The light probably would have lost if not for them. Harry caught his eye and smiled. Draco returned the gesture with a nod of his head. As he turned to walk back to his mother a blur of red crashed into him. It was Ron with Draco's wand in hand pointed at Harry. Next to him stood a smirking Hermione and before he could say a word, a flash of green hit him.
***
Harry bolted upright with a gasp. “What the fuck was that?!” he breathed into the silence of the blank kings cross station.

“That, I do believe, was Ronald Weasley casting a killing curse at you.” Harry turned to the speaker. They were a rather androgynous looking person standing at least seven maybe eight feet tall. Their eyes seemed to be shrouded like the light was being absorbed by the dark depths. The cloak they were wearing appeared similarly with wisps of almost purple at the hem and sleeves. They had the hair pulled back from their face leaving half loose. it fell to the bottom of their shoulder blades, and depending on the angle their hair seemed to be anything from the darkest black, to the lightest white, and all the gray between. Honestly it was giving Harry a headache. “I must admit, I did not expect you back quite so soon.”

Harry was fully aware of who he was talking to. It felt like it was ingrained in his soul to know exactly who this entity was. “But why?” his voice was small as he remembered the smirk on Hermione's face. He remembered seeing a matching one in Rons expression too. But Harry didn't understand. They were his friends. So why?

“Because you weren't supposed to survive. They thought you would die sacrificing yourself as the hero, and they didn't plan for anything else.” Harry could feel the sting of tears at the back of his eyes. His mind was whirling, until it landed on a single word. Plan. They planned for him to die?

“How long?” again his voice was quiet with a slight rasp. He gave a small cough and continued.

“How long have they been planning this? Were they even my friends?”

“The plans for you have been in place since before you were born. Someone has been manipulating the wixen of this world for many decades now. Did you ever wonder why the Weasleys used the muggle entrance your first year, And you should know by now that there was no way all the compartments were full.” death could see the dawning comprehension come to their masters eyes.

“Dumbledore.” it was said so quietly it was barely heard even in the silence of the void they were in. death would not interrupt their master. They could see him thinking and linking events together. So he sat and waited. A while later the teen spoke. “Dumbledore did everything. Didn't he? I mean. Who would hide a one of a kind magical artifact in a school. He was around for the first opening of the chamber and would have known about that. He practically stalked Tom in his school days and you're telling me he never knew where the chamber was or what the creature was and Sirius. He knew Sirius was innocent. He cast the fidelius. Let's not even go into fourth year. and…” Halfway through his rant he had begun to pace and gesture wildly. Getting louder and faster as he went until he stopped abruptly, face screwing up in concentration.

“I don't think I've been able to think this clearly in a long time. It's like things just make sense.” He frowned in confusion.

“Compulsions, potions, charms and blocks do not function in my realms.” Harry snapped his head round to look at death eyes wide. He opened his mouth only to close it a moment later. He repeated the action a few more times before deciding to sit cross legged on the floor despite the perfectly good chair he had been sat in at the beginning of his rant. Again death sat and watched his master think.

It took a while longer this time but eventually he spoke again, green eyes hard and unreadable. “I used to love reading. I basically lived in the library in primary school but the second I was at Hogwarts it was the last thing I wanted to do. So tell me. Was it Dumbledore's fault?” Death only nodded a confirmation. “Hermione and Ron did they know?”

“Hermione Granger, Molly, Arthur, Ronald, and Ginevra Weasley were all helping Albus Dumbledore. At the end of your third year a marriage contract was set up between you and Ginevra. Molly Arthur and Ginevra all signed it and Albus signed for you as your magical guardian.”

“Meaning if i was still alive i would have to marry her.” his eyes had started to glow in his anger.

“It also means with the contract in place, your death and no will, everything you own goes to Ginevra Weasley.” Harry was fuming.

“They did this for money.” His voice was deadly calm. “And they got it. They won. I played straight into their hands and there is nothing I can do about it.” Death smirked.

“I wouldn't say that.”

Chapter Text

Death was smiling at his master, sharp teeth on full display “Wh-what do you mean?” A faint blush rose to Harry's cheeks; he couldn't remember the last time he had stuttered. But he didn't think anyone could blame him. Death's smile would probably haunt his nightmares for eternity.

“Well master, you have four options. You…” death was interrupted by his master coughing and spluttering.

“Wait, you mean the master of death thing is real?” Death despite having no visible eyes managed to convey a look of utter exasperation. One that read “are you shitting me” and Harry drew in on himself slightly.

“Yes it is.” Death said it so deadpan it made Harry wince. “As I was saying. You have four options. Option one; you may be reincarnated. With this option we will take your soul with your memories intact and put it in a newborn. You could be reborn in the past or future. You do not get to choose when and where." Death looked to Harry to see if he had questions.

“Wouldn't that create a paradox or something?”

“No master. There are hundreds of trillions of timelines moving alongside each other; you shall be placed in one of those.” Harry just nodded and motioned for death to continue.

“Option two; your soul can be put back in your body. You will wake up back on the battlefield in front of Ronald and hermione.” A Cheshire grin spread across Harry's face just imagining the looks those two would have. Option three; you can stay here in my realms with me until you feel like doing something else.” Harry looked like he was thinking so death left him be.

“Option two sounds very fun. Seeing their faces would be amazing.” The smile Harry wore was vicious, and death matched it with his own before sobering.

“However I remind you master there is still the marriage contract and there is no way out of it. It was signed by all magical guardians.” Harry's face fell back into the stony mask he had before and gestured for death to continue. “Now option four; you can have your soul memories and magical core put back into your younger self.” Death saw their masters eyes light up “I will admit my sibling Time did not like this option and refused to help so we have limited options, and when i say limited i mean one. there is only one point that you were close enough to death for me to put you back without Times help." Harry looked at Death incredulously.

“I almost die every year and that's not enough for you?” Death shook their head. At Harry's raised eyebrow death elaborated.

“Yes you were put in a lot of life and death situations but for this you needed to be actively dying. With that requirement it left only one option. Well two but the second is just basically option two so that leaves the time you were poisoned by the basilisk at the end of your second year.” harry looked thoughtful for a minute before speaking

“When you say you will put my magical core back. Do you mean I will have an adult core? So when I reach seventeen nothing will happen.” he looked to death to answer.

“No. it means your level of magic will remain as it currently is. The magic you have will be put in your adolescent core So it would be as if you were born with more magic than you were this time. When you reach seventeen your core will mature again and your magic levels will once again increase." Harry was gaping at death. However he soon went back to asking his questions.

“What happens if I die again?”

“Every time you die you get the same four options. If you choose reincarnation and die the second and fourth options will relate to the life you just lived. And of course the fourth option might not be an option at all depending on whether you were close enough to death in your last life for that option.”

“And if i stay in your realms can i see my family?” Death looked at him in pity.

“I'm afraid not. You are truly immortal and can not pass in the same way as other mortals. You may be in my realms with me if you just want a break or I can teach you how to control and manipulate the realms. however just as i cannot interact with the ones that have passed nor can you." Harry sat (still cross legged on the floor) for a good while thinking. He let out a long measured breath before shuffling around and sliding back to sit at death's feet with his back pressed against death's legs. Death slowly put his hand in Harry's hair and played with the soft raven locks. The two stayed like that in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Harry sighed, breaking the silence.

“You know what I'm going to choose.” it wasn't a question but still death answered.

“Yes.”

“Any advice?”

“Get to the goblins. You can trust them.” and with those parting words the world fell to black.

Chapter Text

Harry opened his eyes just in time to see Fawkes's tears hit the puncture wound from the basilisk. His head snapped to the side when he saw movement. Ginny was beginning to wake up and Harry was considering just leaving and locking her in the chamber. As much as he wished he could, it was best if he still played the golden boy. And that thought made him pause. Sure he wasn't on Dumbledore's side but he wasn't on Toms either. He decided to think about that when he wasn't kneeling on a cold, wet floor covered in both his own blood and a thousand year old basilisks.

Slowly he stood and made his way to the red head. She was just opening her eyes as he knelt over her. The second her eyes focused on him she began babbling. A lot of sorrys and I didn't mean to’s. Harry wasn't really listening as he pulled her up. He just wanted to leave but before he could move Ginny launched herself into his arms. He swallowed a growl and forced his arms around her.

She continued to babble and every time he tried to let go she would cling tighter. Resigned to his fate, Harry tried to drown out the redhead's mumbling and started to look around the chamber. It was hard to drown out her babbling, as even though she was mumbling it still somehow managed to be shrill.. Looking around he could see into the open mouth of Salazar Slytherin's statue. He squinted his eyes and realized he could make out shapes in the darkness. There was definitely something in there. and wasn't that a thought. He was at the school for four more years and never thought to come back down here. Resolving to come back as soon as he could, his eyes continued to sweep the chamber and settled on the last important thing: the diary. He was not giving it to Dumbledore this time. There was just one problem. If Ginny saw it she would make him take it to Dumbles. He needed to get her out without her seeing anything.

Slowly he began to release her and with a bit of a push she let go.“Come on, we should get you out of here.” Ginny went to look back at where the snake lay right by the diary. Gritting his teeth Harry rested his hand gently on her cheek and turned her face back towards him. “Don't look, it's not pleasant.” her eyes still held a twinkle of curiosity, and all he could think about was all the times she had told him how traumatized she was. But right now she looked almost gleeful. “Its eyes have been gouged out and there is a gaping hole in its head where I put a sword through it.” Ginny's eyes lost their twinkle as her complexion took on a green tint. She nodded once and started heading to the exit, not daring to turn her head.

Meeting back up with Ron. (who had managed to clear enough of the cave-in to make their way through.) They used Fawkes to get back up the pipe and made their way to Dumbles' office, with Lockheart in tow. At this point Harry was beginning to notice the fog starting to creep back into his mind. It would seem whatever was on Harry was not removed in death's realm but temporarily disabled. He would have to be careful and as aware as possible. When they reached the office the gargoyle was already to the side with the stairs visible. Looking to one another they started up the stairs and knocked when they came to the door.a bellowing come in was heard and the door was pushed open.

Sitting in his throne behind his desk was Albus fucking Dumbledore, eyes twinkling brightly as he looked at the collection of people entering his office. “Harry. My boy. Please sit. Lemon drop?” Everyone shook their heads as they took their seats. With the exception of Lockheart who started wandering round the office babbling to himself. Dumbles cast him a befuddled look and Harry took that as his cue to talk.

“Headmaster.” Dumbledore's eyes snapped back to Harry and he continued. “When we heard Ginny was taken to the chamber and Lockhart was going to go get her, we thought we would tell him what we knew. When we got to his office he was packing. He was going to run. We ended up dragging him to the chamber, and when he saw a chance he took Ron's wand and was going to do a memory charm on us but…” he trailed off and looked over to Ron, who held up his spellotaped wand.

“The spell backfired.” Ron continued the story, gesturing at Lockhart, who was currently poking at one of the old headmasters portraits with a look of amazement on his face. “He doesn't remember his own name and It caused a cave-in that split me from harry. I was clearing the rubble while Harry got Ginny.” At this Dumbles turned back to Harry Twinkle still as bright as ever.

“I went on ahead and found Ginny lying unconscious. I went over to her, while I was with her a boy came out of the shadows. He called himself Tom Riddle. He said he was going to take her magic for himself, that he had used a diary to possess her and made her open the chamber. He then set the basilisk on me. I killed it and stabbed the diary with a fang from the basilisk. It broke the connection and Ginny woke up.'' He really hoped Dumbles would leave it at that, but he knew that was wishful thinking.

“And where is the diary now my boy.” Harry bit his tongue at the endearment and prepared himself to lie through his teeth.

“When I stabbed it sir this black liquid gushed out like it was bleeding, then the diary started giving off this black smoke, and the whole thing just crumbled into ash, and sunk into the inky liquid. There was nothing to bring back.” At this point Harry had noticed the old coots twinkle had died somewhat. He wasn't happy but Harry could see he believed him. so, mission accomplished.

Suddenly the door was flung open and in strode one Lucius Malfoy, and Harry was berating himself for forgetting this. Using this as a distraction he quickly conjured a scrap of parchment and a quill and wrote a short note. When he was done he banished the quill he tuned back in just in time as Malfoy senior was just leaving and no one had noticed his note taking. He was quickly dismissed, Ron and Ginny staying behind so their parents could floo to the office.

Harry ran down the corridor noticing the portraits lining the walls. They would probably report this to the headmaster. Not to mention Dobby. As much as Harry loved Dobby, he was loyal to Dumbledore more than anyone else. It wasn't a problem before but now… it wasn't great. “Lord Malfoy! Lord Malfoy!” he paused and turned to look at Harry, one perfectly manicured eyebrow raised in question. “I know this was you! You gave Ginny that book!” Harry stepped forward, poking the man in his chest. It was to distract from his other hand pushing the scrap of parchment he wrote on earlier into Lucius's hand. The man's eyes that were filled with anger and resentment flashed in surprise as he felt the parchment be pressed into his hand.

“Oh? I believe you are mistaken Heir Potter." Harry froze. He called him Heir Potter. Was that something to do with why death told him to go to the goblins. Questions for another time. Lucius moved and held his cane in such a way that he could read the paper surreptitiously.

Lucius would admit in the privacy of his own mind that he was surprised and curious when he felt the parchment be pressed into his hand. And then there was what the parchment said.

'You may be Dobby's master but you are not the one he is loyal to. He spies for the old goat and has been reporting your actions.'

When Lucius had finished reading he was even more curious and dare he say impressed. In the last two years not one person had doubted his mask of an innocent golden boy. But his actions today make him wonder just how he was sorted into Gryffindor and not Slytherin. Admiration aside, the contents of the note was troubling. His eyes hardened and he looked back to harry

“I know you did it! You put the book in Ginny's cauldron that day at Diagon Alley.” Harry continued raising his voice.

Lucius leaned forward so he was close to Potter, and with as much venom as he could muster, he spoke. “Prove it!” he spat. Pulling away, and with one terse nod and a smirk, he spun on his heel and strode away. Harry knew to anyone else that nod would look dismissive, but to Harry it was an acknowledgement that he was taken seriously. Harry was just glad he could do this before the fog taking over his mind could completely settle. It was extremely distracting and Harry wondered why he had never noticed it in his past life. Before he could venture down that rabbit hole, he decided to head to the dorms and sleep.

Chapter Text

Harry was panicking. He had woken up early, a habit carried over from being on the run for the last year. He sat up in bed and felt a small weight on his legs. He looked down, and there placed neatly on his quilt was the invisibility cloak, the resurrection stone, and the elder wand. Dumbledore's wand. So here Harry sat one and a half hours later, still panicking and trying to work out what to do.

A crash followed by an emphatic fuck was heard from the other side of the room and harry decided to do what he seemed to be doing with everything since he came back. He will deal with it later. He bundled the stone and the wand in the invisibility cloak and opened his curtains. Shoving the bundle to the bottom of his trunk he looked over to where the crash came from. Neville was knelt on the floor, tears in his eyes, picking up pieces of a broken pot. The soil was everywhere and Seamus was holding the flower gently at its roots trying to keep the soil where it was.

“I’m really sorry mate. It was an accident.” Neville looked at Seamus with teary eyes and smiled.

“It's fine. Accidents happen. I should have put it on something more sturdy.” walking closer Harry pulled his wand and silently reparoed the pot, scourgifyed the dirt, and conjured more soil for Neville to repot the begonia. He knew how much that plant meant to him. There was a matching one in his parents hospital room. Yawning he went back to his trunk and pulled out clothes making his way to the bathroom for a shower.

Neville and Seamus sat in stunned silence until Dean tapped Seamus's shoulder. “you alright mate?” Seamus opened his mouth to speak but Neville beat him to it.

“Did he just perform a silent reparo, scourgify, and conjuration?” Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Who?”

“Harry.” both said in unison. They looked between each other and silently decided this didn't happen.

Harry walked down to the great hall. He was exhausted and exceptionally glad that it was Saturday. He had stuff to do, and with how much concentration it took to do things with all the fog confusing him, he would need the time. but first he needed to get rid of Ron. The second he sat down the twins were on him. They thanked him for saving Ginny and asked about the chamber, the snake, the diary, what Lockhart did, and how he killed the basilisk. Eventually Harry managed to push the topic towards quidditch, and just as he hoped Fred and George invited Ron and him to play.

“Sorry but I'm still really sore from yesterday. Ron you should go though." Harry saw the conflicted expression, and the way his eyes flicked to Dumbledore. So even at this age Ron was reporting to Dumbles about him. “Oh, since I'm sitting out, you can use my nimbus 2000.” Ron's eyes lit with greed and Harry knew he would get a day alone.

“Are you sure mate? I can really use your nimbus?” As much as Harry didn't really want to, it was the best way to keep him away from Harry. Besides, he would be getting the firebolt soon enough.

“Of course. I don't mind you borrowing it, but you have to let Fred and George have a go too.” and with that all three red heads scurried out of the hall, leaving Harry to have a peaceful breakfast. He felt eyes watching him and began to panic. He had forgotten about the goat's wand. Slowly he turned to look at the head table but to his surprise Dumbledore was talking to professor McGonagall, eyes twinkling like nothing was wrong. He discreetly scanned the hall until his eyes settled on seamus who quickly turned away and began a hushed conversation with Dean and Neville. He had no clue what that was about but it didn't seem hostile so it was probably fine.

Once he had finished breakfast he made his way back to the dorm to retrieve his cloak. He pulled it out of the trunk only for something to clatter to the ground. Harry then remembered why he had been panicking before. He draped the cloak over his trunk and bent down to pick up the wand. It began to heat in his grip, becoming almost painful before suddenly liquefying in his hand. The liquid was an iridescent black that clung to his skin. It started to move along his arm until it formed a band around his upper arm. Slowly the band started to split and pool creating a band of rune like patterns. The liquid seeped into his skin leaving a band of iridescent runes. In all the process took about five seconds. Harry looked down at the stone still sitting innocently on the floor then to the cloak.

“Fuck it. Only one way to find out.” he muttered to himself before grabbing the stone and cloak again. The same happened with the stone, putting a band on his left arm this time. The cloak however was slightly different; it created two lines of iridescent runes running down both his sides, starting at the bottom of his ribs and ending mid thigh. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. The hallows had marked his body with something that he innately knew was permanent, but on the other hand the marks weren't all that visible. if someone happened to catch a glimpse they would either think it a trick of the light or a scar. Another thing was the knowledge. He didn't know how he knew but he just did. The abilities of the hallows were within his innate magic meaning, for example he could make himself invisible the exact same way the cloak did. just without it. Harry decided that once again this would go in the; to think about later pile, and went back to what he was originally going to do.

Once in the chamber Harry walked over to the basilisk and ran his hand across her scales. They were soft and smooth. She was a beautiful creature. It was sad. She had been locked down here for so many years. It's Probably why she went mad. He dropped his hand and made his way to the statue collecting the diary on his way. As he walked through he cast a silent, wandless lumos, marveling at the ease in which he cast it. He felt the elder wand runes hum in satisfaction and wondered if he would be able to do magic without setting off the trace. Another thing to add to the; think about later pile.

As he stepped through the passage the room lit up with mage light. The room was bare with a plinth in the center holding what looked to be an uncut citrine the size of his fist. He looked at his hand. The size of an adult fist. He walked towards it, hand outstretched. The second he made contact his hand was stuck. A sharp pain lanced through his hand and he watched in fascination as the crystal went from a burnt yellow to a deep orange. He felt a shift in the ambient magic around him and watched in amazement as the brick walls melted away to show a large receiving room. A cluster of comfy looking sofas surrounded a tall fireplace that had two corridors leading off the room either side of it. The other three walls each held an elaborate carved dark wood door. the entrance he came from nowhere to be found. For now Harry wanted to map out his surroundings to find out where everything led.

Two and a half hours later, Harry collapsed on to one of the sofas. He was right, it was comfy. He had found out a lot. First, the corridor to the left of the fire led to a spiral staircase. Which in turn led to a maze of passageways that took you all over the upper floors of Hogwarts. Every passage opens with parseltongue and is marked by a small engraving of a snake. The corridor to the right was the exact same but for the lower floors and they interconnected with the passages from the upper floors. The middle door opposite the fire led to a lavish study, decorated in greens, gold and silver. The door to the right led to a bedroom with a bed big enough for ten people. Surprisingly the room was decorated in cream, gold and bronze. The room on the left was the one Harry was most excited for. It was a library. A library at least double the size of the one the school had access to. He couldn't wait to start reading. Even if his mind was trying to tell him otherwise. However it was getting on in the day and he needed to make an appearance so no one, cough Dumbledore cough, gets suspicious. With all the effort of an exhausted teen, he made his way to lunch.

Chapter Text

After lunch Harry decided to make his way to the room of requirement and see what he could find in the room of hidden things. He had a list of items that would be helpful to have. He used the parsell passageways to quickly get to the seventh floor unseen. Walking in front of the door three times, he made his way into the room of hidden things, or Hogwarts lost and found. Inside it was just as chaotic as he remembered. things everywhere stacked haphazardly in tall piles. Remembering how the room can change to suit you he put his hand on the wall, closed his eyes, and pushed a small bit of his magic into the castle; asking for the items to be sorted. Luggage in one area, broken furniture in another etcetera, and as a last minute thought he asked for any galleons, sickles, and knuts to be left in a small pile close to him. It was a long shot but people lost coins all the time.

Opening his eyes he was pleased to see the room looked more orderly. Looking more closely at his immediate surroundings he saw a few piles of coins. The pile of knuts was substantially bigger than the other two. Still he was impressed with how much there was. A small stack of seven galleons thirtytwo sickles and he wasn't going to count the knuts; it was a sizable pile. Next he wanted to find as many trunks with a shrinking runic array on as possible. Hearing scraping he turned to see a pile of trunks rearranging itself into two piles. Guessing the much smaller pile was the one he wanted he walked over. In total there were about thirteen trunks, he looked through all of them testing the runes on each. In the end five were serviceable, all had shrinking and feather weight runic arrays carved in. Out of those, three had expanded interiors, and one of those had three compartments. the one with the largest space he shrunk down and put in his pocket reserving its use for transporting the basilisk. Levitating the rest, he put them near the entrance.

“Would you mind sorting through the books, removing any duplicates and splitting the rest into three piles please. one pile for any that are in the school library, another pile for any in the restricted section, and the last for any not found in the library at all.” again movement was heard, and he saw the books disappearing and sorting themselves. “Thank you.” he could feel the Hogwarts magic practically beaming at him like a child being praised. Not surprisingly the pile of books that the library didn’t have consisted of mostly darker and borderline illegal tomes. There were a few home care and advanced magic books scattered through as well. He removed a few of the books but not many. Opening the trunk that had three compartments he levitated all the books inside. Moving on to the next pile; he decided all the restricted tomes would be coming with him and levitated them in; switching the compartment part way through, when the first one was full. Looking to the last and largest pile he paused. There was a good chance he didn't need them all, but he didn't have a clear enough mind to go through them just yet and even though there in the library doesn't mean that, the golden boy, the boy who's allergic to books could be seen reading them. Deciding again that this is something that should be dealt with later, he levitated all the books into the second and third compartment. With that done he shrunk down the trunk and put it in his pocket.

He walked back over to the luggage section. And felt Hogwarts magic surge, it felt curious and… impatient? “Im looking for a satchel and something that will act like a coin purse. Would you like to help?” The magic around him buzzed in excitement as the bags were shuffled around. Two satchels were pushed forward. One was brown leather with bronze clasps, and had been well used. The other was black leather with silver clasps. It was embossed with a pattern of intertwining leaves and vines. They were both made to be feather light and had expansion charms placed on them. He really liked the black but knew if anyone saw him with it there would be questions. He could use it next year and say he bought it in diagon, but for now he would use the brown. picking up both, he shrunk the black and placed both it and the two shrunken trunks in one of the side pockets. He felt an impatient push of magic and looked to see a collection of velvet drawstring bags. None of them matched but that was fine. picking three at random, he put all the galleons in the black one, all the sickles in the purple one and a few handfuls of knuts in the red one, then placed all three in an inside pocket of his satchel.

“Would you be able to show me Ravenclaw's diadem?” The magic around him went cold. slowly, hesitantly it nudged him in the right direction. It stopped when he got in front of a set of shelves that held more than just the diadem, and Harry wondered how people could lose some of this stuff. There were several pairs of earrings, a few necklaces and more than a few rings. Harry was pretty sure most if not all were set with real gems in them. There was even a pair of what looked like gold ritual daggers encrusted with blood red gems and engraved with runes. All of this was coming with him. He summoned over the smallest of the trunks left, the rest of the velvet bags and packed everything away, taking special care with the diadem. He would find a safe place to put both it and the diary later. He would need all the horcruxes in one place to kill Tom quickly, or as a peace offering depending on what he decided later.

There was one last thing. “is there any potions equipment like vials or glass jars.” he felt something like a conformation, and was nudged until he stood in front of what he assumed to be the remains of Neville and Seamuse’s cauldrons from the past two years. Another nudge had him looking to the side where racks of vials were stacked next to empty jars. He cleared the shelf into the last small trunk and shrunk it away into his satchel.

Done for now, Harry made his way back to the chamber. before anything else he closed the statue. just in case. Harry knew no one could get down here alone, but if for some reason this time Dumbles decided he wanted Harry to show him the chamber, he didn't want him seeing more than he had to. Getting out the two trunks and resizing them Harry pulled out a vile and started collecting the venom. He quickly realized his mistake when the vile almost overflowed. pulling out a jar instead he continued collecting the venom. One vial, and Six and a half jars later Harry was done. staring at the giant snake, he couldn't help but pray to Merlin that it would fit. He did not know how to break down a basilisk correctly. Taking out his wand and feeling the elder wand runes beginning to heat, he cast a quick preservation charm on it, then cast the shrinking charm. He made it as small as he could. holding his breath he levitated it in. He had to sit on the lid, but he got it closed, and that's what matters. As soon as the trunk was shrunk and placed in his bag he let out a relieved sigh.

He still had three hours till dinner. Thinking for a minute he remembered what his biggest task was. Get to the goblins, and when he got to the goblins he would need their help. so ingratiating himself by learning their culture and customs wouldn't be a bad idea. With that thought he made his way to Salizars library. He stared blankly at the ginormous library. The library that had no signs or reference system that he knew of. “I don't suppose asking where the books on goblin culture, and customs are would get me an answer would it?” to his utter surprise, it did. Hogwarts magic nudged him deep into the shelves where he remained till dinner.

Chapter Text

It was currently Thursday. Harry had spent the whole of Sunday trying to make the goblin customs he was reading about stick in his head. He had managed to get some basics to stick, but unluckily for him Granger had gotten out of the hospital wing Monday evening, so it left little time for him to continue. She has been out three days and he already wanted to push her out a window. Ron was easy to deal with on his own, but add Hermione, who was nosy and persistent and you couldn't have a worse duo. She had been observing him, very obviously might he add, since she woke up. He also knew every time she went to “the library” she went in a direction that was definitely not the library. Conveniently enough though, she did always seem to be going in the same direction as the headmasters office. One time she said she was going to the library when Ron was with his brothers leaving him on his own just so she could follow him. He decided to go see his very much alive Hedwig.

In all honesty he was angry at himself. they were so obvious and yet he had missed it. He let out a long sigh. “Are we boring you Mr Potter?” oh and there was this. He was currently trying to perform badly in a second year class when he had already taken his OWL’s in the subject. He had been struggling all week hoping no one would notice.

“No sir.” He had been trying to be respectful, after having the man die in his arms, and seeing just how much Snape had done for him, he didn't have it in him to fight with the man. He couldn't say he didn't enjoy it though, his respectful attitude seemed to be throwing everyone off and it was amusing to watch. The first time he didn't rise to the bait, one of the slytherins who was cutting up a root turned his head to look so quick he slipped and sliced his thumb. Draco in particular was making his life difficult at the moment and not for the normal reasons. He would try to goad Harry into an argument only for Ron to step in and make a fool of himself. It took everything in Harry not to laugh, and look appropriately appalled on his friends behalf. It would get even harder when Hermione would join the argument only to be called an ignorant mudblood. The frequency in which the interactions were happening was also increasing. It was now every time he saw Harry he just had to say something.

Tuning back into the class he saw Snape hovering near him, his eyes scrutinizing every movement Harry made. He needed to try and reduce the animosity the man felt towards him. But he didnt know how. After seeing Snape's memories he knew he didn't act like his father. What he had done to Snape was not OK and Harry knew more about what it was like in Snape's shoes over his fathers. Dudley treated him similarly.

Soon enough class was over, and Harry slowly began to pack his belongings away, urging Granger and Weasley to go ahead because he needed to talk to Snape about the grading on his last essay. Once everyone had left he approached Snape's desk and placed a vial of violently yellow liquid in front of the man. All he got in response was a single raised eyebrow. Harry just continued to stare at the man until Snape sighed and reached for the vial. He waved his wand over it, and Harry watched as Snape's eyes went wide and snapped to him.

“Where did you get this? Wait no. Why are you giving me this?” He narrowed his eyes at Harry. He didn't know what the brat was doing but whatever it was wouldn't work. Harry decided he would copy the older man and raised a single eyebrow at him as if to say ‘are you stupid’.

“What would I do with a vial of basilisk venom sir?” Snape narrowed his eyes further and Harry sighed. “I got it from the basilisk when I got Ginny out of the chamber of secrets. I then realized; One, what on earth would I do with basilisk venom, and two I should not just carry around a vial of the most deadly venom in the world.” Snape sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The brat had a point but still.

“Potter, do you understand what you just gave me?” Harry was confused; he just said what it was and where he had gotten it. Something must have shown on his face because the potions professor rose from his chair and walked to a cabinet after a minute and a few dozen unlocking charms he retrieved a small vial about the size of a finger tip. It was mostly empty but the liquid that was left was a toxic yellow. “This is the last bottle of basilisk venom I bought.” he placed it next to the vial Harry gave him. It was a quarter of the size. “That vial cost two hundred galleons.'' Harry looked between his professor and the vile on the desk in genuine shock. Harry sat on the floor. He had six and a half Jars filled with that stuff. If that single vial is four times the amount in the one Snape bought that's eight hundred galleons and there are about ten vials in a jar, maybe more and that's six jars that's forty eight thousand galleons.

Movement caught his eye, focusing he saw a hand coming towards him. years of conditioning from the Dursleys had him flinching violently before he could stop himself. Remembering where he was and who he was with he looked up to see a very pale severus snape. Acting as calm as he could he spoke with an easy smile “Sorry I was distracted for a minute and am probably wasting your time.” he walked towards the door. “Oh and even though the venom would sell for a lot it's still worthless to me, so don't worry about it.” and with that he left.

The brat had gone catatonic and severus didn't know what to do. At first Severus thought he was just showing off his wealth, but the genuine shock and the now catatonic boy proved otherwise. He knelt down on the floor in front of Potter and put a hand out to get his attention. The boy zeroed in on his hand and flinched violently. The fear that flashed through his eyes when he focused on his hand was not from someone who was startled. As quick as it was there, it was gone, and never before had severus seen such a blank yet convincing smile on a twelve year old. And in less than a minute the boy was gone. He left Severus like nothing had happened.

***

Harry made his way through the corridors wondering if he should use this time to go back to Salazar's library. Before long he heard raised voices and knew he didn't want to do this. peeking around the corner he saw the two idiots yelling at Malfoy. Deciding that yes he really didn't want to do this he turned and left for the library. Completely missing the cobalt blue eyes watching him.

Theodore Nott prided himself on being observant, so on Tuesday morning when Malfoy started antagonizing Potter. he noticed the small up turn of his lips as the weasel made a fool of himself. It was quickly masked by indignation. but there was no missing the amusement in his eyes every time Draco insulted the duo. And that made Nott pause. Because Draco wasn't insulting Potter, and now that he thought about it every 'fight' Malfoy had with Potter had nothing to do with Potter. Sure Malfoy would start it aimed at Potter but in all the confrontations he could remember Potter hadn't said a word.

Later the same day the same thing happened Potter stood back as the two were verbally beaten by Malfoy. Yes, he had a mask of outrage on his face but Theo could see the gleam of amusement beneath it. He had been thinking about it all day. It was bothering him. He couldn't remember one fight Potter took part in. He was jolted from his mind when someone placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Looking up he saw it was Blaise with Pansy, Daphne, and Draco. They had been sitting round one of the fireplaces in the common room since dinner.

"Theo, you haven't turned the page in an hour." Theo looked down at the book in his hands and back to them, and focused on Malfoy.

"Why do you antagonize Potter?" Everyone just looked confused. So he tried something else. "Do you realize that Potter has never started or even taken part in one of your confrontations?" Draco just frowned at him. It remained silent for several minutes before Pansy spoke.

"He's right. I can't remember a single time Potter even said anything other than trying to get them to walk away."

"Earlier I noticed something. He smiled when you insulted Weasley. He masked it quickly but he still looked amused." They looked between each other and Daphne spoke.

"You think he's wearing a mask?" Theo could see the doubt on their faces which really just proved how good his mask was.

"A very good one, yes. Watch him, it's subtle but it's there if you look for it. They still looked skeptical but they nodded. They would watch him and draw their own conclusions.

As the week progressed Draco was harassing Potter every chance he got, and by this point everyone of them had noticed the slight cracks in his mask. A twitch of the lips every time a creative insult was used, an eye twitch every time one of the duo said something stupid. After potions Thursday without Harry there Draco went straight for Weasley. It had been a minute when he noticed a head of raven hair come round the corner. Theo elbowed Blaise and flicked his eyes to the corridor just in time to see him turn and leave.

Chapter Text

It was finally here, the first of July. the day they head back to London. Harry had been counting down the days till he didn't have to see Weasley and Granger. In the last week he had been preparing for this. He had sent a letter with Hedwig to the Dursleys saying he had to help a friend find their way around muggle London so he would find his own way back to privet drive. They had written a scathing reply on the back of it, that basically said, good. we don't have to go out of our way to do something for you. But Harry didn't care. He had found floo powder on the fireplace in the receiving room of Slytherin’s chambers and filled a leather pouch with it. He had also found the floo address for the chamber; it was ‘big nest’ spoken in parseltongue. He also had his meeting with McGonagall about his electives. no divination this time around, although he did pick three electives instead of just two, care of magical creatures, arithmancy and runes. McGonagall looked happy that he wasn't just going for what people call the easy O’s. he knew full well it was impossible to get an O in divination with Trelawney teaching it.

Harry was currently sitting in his empty compartment reading. The train was about two hours away from kings cross now, and Harry had hoped they would get there before his ‘friends’ found him. however it was not to be. He could hear them coming and opening all the compartments probably looking for his, so he pretended to be asleep. He heard the compartment door rattle open. “Well that explains why he didn't come find us.”

“Would you be quiet, you might wake him. The headmaster said he was probably still dealing with nightmares and stuff from his scare in the chamber. Which is why he's acting strange. The headmaster told us to keep an eye on him, remember? And to tell him if it seemed like any dark magic was influencing him.” Merlin were they really talking about this on a public train, with no secrecy spells, or anything? He felt dumber and dumber every time he thought about how he never noticed. It didn't seem like anything they said would actually be of worth to him so he decided to actually take a nap.

He was jostled awake by Granger shaking his shoulder. They had arrived thank Merlin and he waved the two idiots ahead so he could get his trunk down from the racking. Turning to the door he paused. standing in the doorway with a group of Slytherins was malfoy. Harry raised an eyebrow at them in silent question. Instead of saying anything they all moved to the side to let him through. He stepped out and malfoy finally spoke. “We’ll see you next year potter.” Malfoy nodded his head and the rest did the same. Harry clearly wasn't putting the pieces together just yet so he picked the safe option. He nodded his head back.

“See you next year.'' With that Malfoys group left. After a moment Harry made himself invisible and made his way off the train and to the floo’s, he saw the Slytherins, Weasleys and Granger looking at the train doors in confusion clearly waiting for him. He walked into one of the floo’s and called out, leaky cauldron. Still being invisible, he made his way to gringotts. On the steps he let his invisibility fall away, and nodded to the goblins as he walked in. Walking to a teller Harry realized he had no clue what he was supposed to say. The goblin called out next and harry had no more time.

“I need to get some money out of my vault.” direct almost to the point of being rude was how you respected the goblins. They didn't like you wasting their time with flowery words and pleasantries.

“Key.” he held out a gnarled hand.

“I don't have it. I have never even held my key.'' He said it in such a way that the goblin understood what he wasn't saying. He called over one of the runner goblins and had a short conversation in gobbledegook.

“Iron Fang will take you to the potter account manager, Gold Tooth.” Harry read the nameplate and gave a short bow.

Thank you for your help master teller Blood Claw, may your gold overflow.” if the goblin was surprised he didn't show it.

“And may your enemies fall by your blade, heir potter.” Blood Claw returned the formal farewell and Harry followed Iron Fang. he led them through twisting corridors until it felt like they had gone back on themselves at least three times. Gards were stationed periodically throughout the corridor’s and Harry was suddenly thankful he had never robbed the goblins in this life. They stopped abruptly in front of a large set of dark wood doors. Iron Fang knocked once, waited for a deep raspy come in, bowed to Harry, and was quickly gone. Harry turned to the door and hesitantly pushed it open.

The goblins' eyes snapped to him and he gestured to a seat. “sit.” Harry did as told. “Heir potter i have been informed you do not possess your key. We could do a heritage test to prove you are who you say and get your vaults rekeyed. However, by your interaction with the teller I have come to the conclusion you would be disgruntled if your magical guardian was to be made aware.” Harry slowly nodded. “Unfortunately, at this time due to the use of blood we would be required to inform a guardian that the test was performed.

“There is no way for me to have access to anything without informing him?”

“ not at this time I'm afraid. We would be legally obligated to inform your guardian of any and all usages pertaining to your accounts.”

“and if it had nothing to do with an account?” the goblin raised a bushy eyebrow. “Say I had things the goblin nation was willing to buy and sell for me, not into an account but in hand.” the goblin smirked.

“Then I would say that would be business between you and the goblin nation.” he gestured for Harry to proceed, so he reached into his satchel and pulled out the trunk that had the jewelry in it and began putting pieces on the desk.

“I'm not sure if they are worth much if anything at all.” The goblin was checking each piece individually and making piles. The only thing left in the trunk now was the pair of ritual daggers. He was debating keeping them, but eventually decided against it and pulled them out. Gold Tooth immediately zeroed in on them.

“Where did you get those.” he looked furious and Harry swallowed. “Their goblin made.” Harry immediately understood the problem. goblins had rules when they made artifacts for wixen, it was like the nation was loaning it to you for a price meaning it was still property of the goblin nation. but the wix did not care for this and made laws to stop goblins being able to take their artifacts back. Harry was now extremely happy he had studied goblin customs and culture for the last two weeks. Otherwise he would have had no clue what to do. He held out the two daggers and directly handed them to Gold Tooth who was looking at him with a mixture of Anger, resentment, caution, and hope. Looking him in the eye Harry spoke.

“I freely return these items back to the goblin nation, in hopes that they make their way back to their creator's kin.” Gold tooth looked suitably shocked. Harry knew not many would freely give up a goblin artifact but to Harry the goblins trust was far more valuable. Nodding once he sat back down in the chair opposite Gold Tooth. “I sincerely apologize. I was unaware they were goblin made.” Gold Tooth gave a small but genuine smile and nodded his head, before gesturing back to the table.

“These.” he gestured to one of the piles. “are the least valuable. In total they might get you 40 galleons from a second hand shop. Gringots will not deal with them.” Harry nodded and collected the pile. “These are fairly simple but with quality metals and stones. Gringots will offer you 70 galleons for the lot. He looked at the pile; he wasn't all that knowledgeable but he was sure they were worth a bit more. So he did something he hoped he wouldn't regret.

“One hundred galleons.” Gold tooth’s grin was vicious.

“Eighty”

“Ninety”

“Eighty three”

“Eighty five”

“Done.” Gold Tooth swept the pile into a box and counted out eighty five galleons and pushed them over to Harry. “These are a lot more impressive and more than likely custom. Gringotts is willing to offer one hundred thirty galleons.”

“One forty” Gold Tooth nodded and counted out the gold.

“Now there is one more thing. this.” he laid a matching collection of jewelry in front of harry. “This is a water nymph topaz parure. I can say for certain this is one of a kind. I have no idea where you got it, but creature jewels haven't been seen in a few centuries, much less a parure of this quality. As the wix keep removing their rights, creatures now refuse to give what they do have." Harry nodded.

“I'm sorry for my ignorance but would you be willing to explain the significance. I don't think I understand.”

“This parure consists of a circlet, a necklace, earrings, a bracelet and two different rings. The metal is twisted yellow and white gold. The large blue gems are nymph topaz, and the clear accent gems are diamonds. All of these pieces weren't just made with nymph topaz. The collection was crafted by the nymphs. Judging by its appearance, It is my personal belief that you have found the lost parure of Hufflepuff." Harry was gaping, it was just laying in the room of requirement. Like it was nothing. “Helga Hufflepuff was known for her good relationship with creatures. This included a large tribe of water nymphs that were said to inhabit the black lake at one point. For her kindness and protection the tribe gifted her with a parure displaying her position of advisor to the queen of their tribe.”

“Do you think it best I return it to them?” the goblin shook his head

“No need. As you probably noticed the nymphs have long since moved on from that lake. but i do suggest you keep it and not sell it.'' Harry agreed completely. there was no way he would sell something like this, he nodded and packed it away, then pulled one more thing from his bag. The goblin raised an eyebrow at the jar of toxic yellow liquid.

“Basilisk venom.” Harry said in answer. the goblin blinked at him before cackling. At first he thought the goblin thought he was joking.

“You, heir Potter, are interesting.” he pulled out a measuring jug and poured the liquid in. “gringotts will offer you 9450 galleons with an expanded money pouch thrown in.” Harry knew this time it was more of a set price and no haggling would be tolerated so he gave one short nod. Gold Tooth pressed a button on his desk and before long another goblin came in carrying the pouch of coins. He placed it in Harry's hand and walked back out. “Well heir potter is there anything else?”

“Are you sure there is nothing I can do regarding my accounts?” the goblin steepled his fingers and gave him a long look before grinning.

“you will return the day of your thirteenth year’s passing, and the goblins will aid you.” and with those parting words Harry was ushered out of the office.

Chapter Text

Before walking out of gringotts Harry cast a glamour over his hair and eyes. His hair lightened to a dusty blond and his eyes darkened to a chestnut brown, it would be enough for someone not to look closer. He was walking back to the leaky cauldron when a sign caught his eye, it read; the improved library trunk, for the Ravenclaw in us all. Harry had the trunks from the ROR but he wanted something a little better, and he could really do with organizing the books he had. So Harry stepped into the store. It was cluttered, in fact it reminded Harry of the room of lost things, piles of haphazardly placed items everywhere. He walked toward the back of the store. Looking around he noticed a display of neatly spaced out trunks in stark contrast to the rest of the store. Curious, Harry walked over to the display. Looking at the first trunk he read the description.

It was a flat. they put a whole damned flat in a trunk. Harry was both impressed and confused. And a bit peeved, where was this when he was on the run for a year? “Are you interested?” Harry jumped out of his skin. Right behind him stood the shopkeep.

“Um no. i…"Harry paused and thought about it. He was just about to go back to privet drive where he would no doubt be locked in his room for the rest of the holidays and Harry needed to be able to get back to gringotts. “I don't suppose you have one that would have floo access do you?” the man's smile became strained.

“That would be on one of our more expensive models.” Harry just nodded.

“How much?”

“The cheapest with floo is 6500 galleons. that's without any furnishings.”

“Would you be willing to take that in coins or must it be a gringotts receipt?” The man looked surprised.

“We have a deposit coffer so large purchases in coins are accepted.” Harry didn't know what a deposit coffer was but as long as they took his money it was fine.

“Would you be able to show me around the one you had in mind?” the man nodded and walked down the row stopping in front of a very large black trunk with silver accents. “Are these in price order.” he gestured to the row of trunks that he was maybe a third of the way down.

“Yes they are. the one at the far end starts at 75000 galleons.'' Harry almost choked, that was a lot of money. The man moved forward and tapped the trunk, which shrunk down into the size of a large jewelry box. He picked it up, placed it in the center of the floor and tapped it again to resize it. “As you just saw, this trunk can be shrunk and unshrunk by tapping the rune in the right top corner. And like all of these trunks there are two compartments one is the apartment the other is the muggle setting. The compartments switch with its size if it is in its shrunken form and you open it, it will look entirely ordinary. if it's in its large form you will need a password to open it and it will open to a staircase that leads to the apartment. Shall we?” he gestured to the trunk.

The stairs led into a small room that held a single armchair with a side table and a large fireplace. “This is the floo room. Not much else to it." He smiled and led Harry through a set of large double doors. They opened into a large sitting and dining room. To their immediate right, in the corner were two cream sofas. one on the same wall as the door they just walked through, the other opposite the first. A dark wood coffee table sat between them. The wood matched the bookcase that stretched along the wall between the two sofas. Behind the sofas on the same wall as the bookcase was an archway that showed a small kitchen. On the left wall were two dark wood doors. On the back wall was a massive window. It reminded Harry of the windows at Hogwarts starting at the floor going up and curving into a point at the top. In Front of the window was a dining table. It was large but it felt cozy with all the dark-wood and cream.

“This is the main space. through the first door to the left is a bathroom it has both a bath and shower. The next door leads to the bedroom which has a dressing room and of course access to the bathroom. Harry walked to the bedroom. It was a good size with a large bed in the center and a desk off to the side. again it was done in cream. Harry liked it.

“How much as it currently is, with the furniture.”

“There are a few things I would have to confirm with you but currently this would come to 7864 galleons. I could round it to 7900 and provide crockery, cutlery, cookware, towels, bed sheets, and floo powder.”

“What would you have to confirm?” He looked over to the bookshelves.

“Really it's just the bookshelves. It's another form of wizard space. This.” he gestured to one of the cases. “Is what we call the display. Currently there are three, that means three compartments are on display. The shelves themselves are the compartments. This set of bookcases has four compartments. Now if you see between each display there are gold accents, two on each side of the display. If you look, one of the accents is silver on each of the displays, and two of the other three have a number engraved. The silver indicates which compartment is currently visible on that display. The numbers indicate which compartments are on which of the other displays. Now to change compartments you touch one of the gold accents with a little magic and that's it. But what I need to know is if you would like more or less displays and compartments. You can’t have more displays than compartments and you can't have more than 200 compartments. It costs six galleons to add a compartment.”

“So if i wanted 100 compartments i would be paying 8500 exactly for this place.”

“8476. Four compartments were already calculated into the price I gave you.” Harry nodded his head.

“I would like it if you could please arrange that for me. How long would it take?”

“It should be ready to be picked up by tomorrow.” Harry winced. He was already pushing it for time and the dursleys didn't need another reason to punish him.

“And if I rounded the price up to 8500 galleons would it be possible for it to be done in the next two hours? 7000 now, and the rest upon collection.” the man nodded.

“I can do that.?” he gestured Harry over to what looked like a gold cauldron with a lid. “Have you ever used a deposit coffer before?” Harry shook his head. “That's fine you just pour the galleons in, and the amount in the coffer will appear on the side.” he nodded, took out his money pouch and started pouring. It took a while but eventually the side read 7000. The clerk put the lid on, waited a second then opened it and all that was inside was a gringotts receipt. “Right that's it then. If you would please come back at three it will be ready for you." After that Harry left the store and decided to spend his two hours getting groceries so he could eat proper meals this summer.

Chapter Text

Arriving at privet drive feeling a little nauseous after the horror that is the night bus, Harry made his way to number four and knocked. After a minute the door opened to reveal his uncle red faced and scowling. “It's about time boy! Your freaky friends are keeping you out past normal times." Harry just ignored the fact that Dudley wasn't home yet and it was still light out.

“Sorry uncle Vernon.” Harry was surprised how easily he melted back into being the Dursleys' freak nephew. Harry wanted to be left alone this summer so he decided to try something he worked out while on the run. Imbuing your voice with magic will make the person agreeable to what you are saying. It's not as strong as a compulsion nor does it take away free will. It basically makes you very convincing. “Uncle Vernon, why do you keep me in the house? I'm taking up Dudley's second bedroom. wouldn't you like to be a family of three. If you could keep me somewhere that wasn't in the house you could have that. No freak around to ruin it.” Harry gave a pointed look to the large shed in the back garden that he knew was practically empty. They bought it to look good to the neighbors. Vernon followed his eye line and while he was looking away Harry went to the stairs. Without using magic he spoke.

“I'll just go to the room and stay there.” Vernon's head whipped round and Harry got one foot on the stairs before he was roughly grabbed and pulled towards the back door.

“You will do no such thing boy! I am done having you and your freakishness in my house. You are not permitted to step one foot in this house again. Considering you managed to get yourself here you can get yourself back in september. Until then.” he opened the door to the shed. “You stay in there. I don't want to be reminded of your existence.” he shoved Harry in the shed and shut the door. Well that worked. Hopefully this should prevent some of the beatings and the chore list. However he could have done without the manhandling. he slid the shed window open and whistled. A second later Hedwig flew in, perched on his arm and nuzzled his cheek. Harry got her cage out and she hooted in displeasure. He put a hand up to stroke her breast. “It's just for you to perch on, you don't have to go in it.” she gave a hoot of approval, and glided over to sit on top of it. Putting his trunk against the far wall he opened it and went inside.

A few hours later he was exhausted. Harry had been putting the books away and didn't realize just how many he had until he was having to sort them by magic type. Half way through he pulled out a piece of parchment and began writing what categories were in what compartments hoping that it would make things easier. Deciding he was done for the day he went into the bathroom to have a shower before going to bed.

In the weeks that followed Harry got used to living in the trunk; he went back to the shed every now and then to see Hedwig but otherwise stayed where he was. On the fourth he made sure to stick a mandrake leaf to the roof of his mouth. He had ventured to Diagon a few times since and now had all the ingredients for the rest of the animagus potion. He would have the transformation before going back to Hogwarts. During the rest of his time he had slowly been making his way through his books. He felt like he was learning very little, the fog was still present.

Soon enough it was the 31st of July and Harry was walking up the steps of Gringotts. He nodded to the goblin guards who gave a deep bow of their heads. Harry as well as a few others who saw went wide eyed but continued into the bank. immediately he was approached by the same runner goblin as last time. "Heir Potter you will follow me to Gold Tooth." Once at the doors to the office he turned to leave but before he could go Harry spoke.

"Thank you Iron Fang." Harry walked into the office and was waved to the chair.

"Heir potter, do you understand why I asked you here today specifically?" Harry just shook his head. " Are you aware of the last of line clause?" Another shake of his head. "You are the heir apparent to the noble and most ancient house of Potter. Normally you would claim your Lordship at 17, however you are the last living Potter which inact's the last of line clause allowing you to claim your Lordship at 13. A lord can not be a child so in magic and law you will be seen as an adult." Harry had many questions. first being; Lordship? the Second, if he was considered an adult that would mean no guardian and that means no one can sign a contract on his behalf. right?

"Does that mean I would be my own guardian and Dumbledore wouldn't be able to sign anything on my behalf like say a marriage contract?”

“Yes, if he signed something as your guardian, magic would reject it as fraudulent and mark it as such.”

“And this means i can have access to my accounts without alerting Dumbledore?"

"Yes. I am fairly certain this will be the case, however if the last of line clause is not active meaning there is another potter out there it will be a problem, and the only way to find out if it is active, is if you take a heritage test, but if its not active you would have already taken the test and we would have to inform your guardian." He bit his lip. it was a bit of a risk but Harry thought it was worth it.

"I would like to take the test.? Gold Tooth nodded and started pulling things out of his desk drawer. Pushing a small ink pot, and a golden quill carved with runes over the desk towards Harry, Gold Tooth spoke.

“Prick your finger with the tip of the quill, and put seven drops of blood into the ink.” Harry did as told and waited. A thick piece of parchment was slid across the table. “Now place the quill in the ink. You see the rune in the top right corner of the parchment.” Harry looked to the corner. It was very subtle but Harry saw it so he nodded. “Now pick up the quill and let one drop of ink fall on to the rune and put the quill back in the ink.” Harry did as asked and watched as the runes on the quill turned red and in an instant the quill was writing across the parchment.

Gold Tooth leaned over and nodded once. “Good. Now that we know you are who you say you are we can proceed. There are two other tests I believe we should perform. One is very simple, it's just matching your name against any bequeathments. being the boy who lived, I believe there must be a few things." Harry nodded and Gold Tooth pulled out an ice blue crystal tablet and wrote Harry's name on it. After he placed a piece of parchment into a groove in his desk and placed the tablet on top then pressed his hand to the center and said a few words in gobbledygook. He set the parchment to the side and spoke. “The last test is to test your magic. This will tell us the level of your magic, the amount you possess as well as whether there is any magic on you that is not yours and what that magic is.” Harry thought about the fog clouding his mind and quickly nodded.

“I am aware that there are spells on me and I would like them off. Would Gringotts be willing to remove anything that may be found.” Gold tooth nodded slowly.

“Most would want their own kind to treat them for such delicate matters.”

“I don't trust them," Harry shook his head and looked at his hands in his lap. Were he looking up he would have seen genuine shock and appreciation on the goblin face. However it was quickly masked and Gold Tooth caught his attention again by placing a large red crystal ball in front of harry.

“I need you to place your hand on top of the crystal. This may feel uncomfortable, but it shouldn't hurt. It will be scanning your magic, which can feel very invasive.” Harry nodded and placed his hand on the crystal. Gold Tooth wasn't wrong. It was invasive. It felt like someone had stripped him down and was running hands all over him. When it was over he pushed the crystal away from him. Gold Tooth smiled at the action and transferred the information from the crystal ball onto parchment, the same way he did with the tablet. The quill that had been writing this whole time stopped writing and fell on to the table. “I suggest we start with the heritage test.”

Chapter Text

The heritage test was laid out in front of Harry and he began to read.

Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black

Sire: Jameson Charlus Potter (pureblood). 
Sire, via blood adoption: Sirius Orion Black (pureblood). 
Bearer: Lilyan Phoebe Potter nee Evans (pureblood). 

Titles Paternal.
Lord of the Most Ancient and Illustrious House of Gryffindor, Viscount of Whiteshade. Wizengamot seat holder.
Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, Margrave of Thornfair. Wizengamot seat holder.
His Grace of the Most Noble and Archaic House of Peverell, Grand Duke of Morsgrave. Wizengamot seat holder.

Titles Paternal, via blood adoption.
Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Margrave of Grimfell. Wizengamot seat holder.

Titles Maternal.
Lord of the Noble House of Sayre, Baron of Forlon. Wizengamot seat holder.
Lord of the Most Ancient and Illustrious House of Hufflepuff, Count of Faypine. Wizengamot seat holder.
Lord of the Most Ancient and Illustrious House of Ravenclaw, Marquess of Nuashall. Wizengamot seat holder.
His Grace of the Regal and Most Ancient House of Emrys, Duke of Broceliande. Wizengamot seat holder.
His Grace of the Regal and most Ancient House of Lefay, Duke of Avalon. Wizengamot seat holder.

Titles Conquest.
Lord of the Noble House of Gaunt, Baron of Greold. Wizengamot seat holder.
Lord of the Most Ancient and Illustrious House of Slytherin, Earl of Houndmoor. Wizengamot seat holder.

Titles that can be claimed by the last of line right.
Lord of the Noble House of Sayre, Baron of Forlon.
Lord of the Most Ancient and Illustrious House of Gryffindor, Viscount of Whiteshade.
Lord of the Most Ancient and Illustrious House of Hufflepuff, Count of Faypine.
Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, Margrave of Thornfair.
Lord of the Most Ancient and Illustrious House of Ravenclaw, Marquess of Nuashall.
His Grace of the Regal and Most Ancient House of Emrys, Duke of Broceliande.
His Grace of the Regal and Most Ancient House of Lefay, Duke of Avalon
His Grace of the Most Noble and Archaic House of Peverell, Grand Duke of Morsgrave.

At the bottom was a family tree spanning back ten generations, but by this point Harry wasn't paying attention. He didn't know what to do. He was still stuck on the fact that he had never known his own name. “Heir potter, I trust everything is in order.” Harry wordlessly handed the document to Gold Tooth. There was silence for several minutes, then Gold Tooth drew a rune on the bottom of the page where the family tree was, using the same ink and quill as last time. Harry looked over curiously as the quill started moving across the parchment.

“I'm extending the family tree so I can explain where the titles came from. I can tell you that Sayre came from your grandmother; she was a pureblood squib and the only child of the late lord and lady Sayre. They had no other family. It is known that the Hufflepuff line ended when the only daughter married into the Ravenclaw line in the early 1300’s, and the Ravenclaw line was said to have died out in the late 1500’s. However it appears they had a squib at some point and changed the last name to Aven. a direct descendant, Erza Selwyn nee Aven, Had a daughter. Clarissa Evans nee Selwyn, who was your five times great grandmother. Another thing that is known is that in the 900’s LeFay Married into Emris, ending the LeFay line, and Emris died out in the late 1400’s. Again however it appears they had a squib line by the name Evans. You, heir Potter, are a direct descendant of merlin. This explains both your eyes and your ability to talk to snakes. Merlin and his descendants were blessed by the last ancestral dragon, to have their gift of seeing magic and knowing the dragon tongue now known as parseltongue. Every Emris who has magic is born with the eyes of the last ancestral dragon. That's where the green you and your mother share comes from.

Harry took back the parchment, looked at the family tree and cackled. His aunt was a squib, so was dudley. “Well heir potter i think it best to move on. Would you like to check your magic or bequeathments?”

“Is there anything I really need to know about the bequeathments?” Gold Tooth picked up the parchment and scanned through it.

“It's mostly just a bit of money here and there, some jewelry and one thing of worth; it seems the dowager Dame Parkhurst left you her entire estate. She was widowed young, refused to remarry and had no children. She was also a historian and a recluse. Her estate is a drop in the water compared to what you currently hold.” Harry was still processing the heritage test and realized.

“What does it mean by ‘Wizengamot seat holder’? Does it mean I have a seat for each one of the titles?”

“Yes there are 100 seats in the wizengamot originally it was a council made up by nobles but as some lines went extinct, their seats were given to ministry officials. You hold 11 seats and 20 votes, Emris LeFay and Peverall have three votes each. Ravenclaw, Potter, and Black have two votes each and the rest have one." As soon as he was done here he needed to get as many books on the wizengamot as possible. Now that he thinks about it.

“So are my seats extinct then? were they given to someone else since no one has them?”

“Most of your seats are currently dormant, but some are held in proxy.” Harry just raised an eyebrow and Gold Tooth continued. “Dumbledore holds proxy on the founders' seats as every headmaster does. He also holds Potter and black in proxy; he holds a total of seven seats, the last being the Dumbledore seat.” Harry scowled; he didn't like Dumbledore holding his seats.

“Is it possible for me to change the proxy?” Gold tooth nodded.

“Yes, it is very easy. I would just have to get you the documents. you don't even have to put your name on it. As an example; you would write ‘I Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black do hereby give proxy to the seats of houses Black Slytherin and Gaunt to Lord of the Noble and Distinguished House of Selwyn.’ then you would stamp your lord ring at the bottom for each house you are giving proxy for.”

“Ring?”

“Wizarding Noble houses each have what is referred to as a ‘lord's ring’; it is a ring that is worn on your right ring finger and is a visual representation of your standing in the family. There are also heir rings that the heir to the house will gain at eleven. You may have seen some, most notably on heir Malfoy and Longbottom. We were wondering why you never came for yours, however I do believe that question has been answered." Now that he thought about it he did remember seeing Neville having one. He asked about it once and Ron was suddenly there talking about quidditch and pulling him away. “Heir Potter, do you have any further questions or should we move on to the results of the magic scan?”

“Just one thing, would you call me Hadrian?” Harry or Hadrian wanted to see how it felt to be referred to like that. The goblin nodded and pulled out the parchment with his test on and handed them over.

Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black

Core level: Novis Magus, Inhibited
Core inhibitors: Tolle quod tuum est (Siphon) Magical trace belonging to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
                       : Ligare Sanguinem (binding) Magical trace belonging to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

Traces of foreign magic: Horcrux (leach) Magical trace belonging to Tom Marvelo Riddle.
                                    : Mentis Nebula (curse) Magical trace belonging to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
                                    : Tacet Acceptatio (silencer) Magical trace belonging to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
                                    : Indissolubili Fide (Potion) Magical trace belonging to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
                                    : Mutare Alium (Compulsion) Magical trace belonging to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
                                    : Sanguis Larva (Glamour) Magical trace belonging to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

Hadrian looked at the parchment and back to Gold Tooth. “This means literally nothing to me.” the goblin outstretched his hand and Harry, Hadrian passed him the parchment.

“Let's start with the magical core, yours is, Novis Magus, however it is more likely to be Apprentice or Master Magus without the inhibitors. Core titles are split in two. The first part tells you your core size, or how much magic you have. It goes Novis, Apprentice, Master, Grand and Arch. The second part tells you how potent your magic is. A higher level would need less magic to cast a spell than a lower level. These go Wizard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Mage, and Magus." Hadrian nodded his understanding and Gold Tooth continued.

“Next are the inhibitors, both are highly illegal. one of which is so heinous every wixen would be after his head if they found out. Tolle quod tuum est, Take what is yours. It siphons some of your magic and gives it to the caster.'' Harry was shocked, he knew Dumbledore wasn't a good man but he didn't expect him to be literally stealing his magic. “The other, Ligare Sanguinem, bind the blood. It binds your family magic. It would be considered to be one of the most heinous things you could do to a person let alone a child.” Gold Tooth was practically growling. “Moving on. A horcrux…” Hadrian waved his hand.

“You can skip that one its a piece of Voldemort's soul. What's Mentis Nebula? it says it's a curse.” Gold Tooth was stumped. This boy didn't know how a seat on the wizengamot worked, but a piece of obscure black magic that was said to be lost to the ages is fine. With a sigh he continued.

“Mentis Nebula, Mental fog. It's a curse that causes concentration problems and general problems thinking and making sense of things.” so this was the fog in his mind. An aptly named curse. “Tacet Acceptatio, silent acceptance. It's basically a tongue locker. I can't tell you what it's directed towards but something like this could be cast on many situations. If he cast it toward, say, him casting spells on you, you would remember but your mind would make up every excuse to excuse it and the silence part would stop you from telling anyone about it. It's a nasty piece of spell work.” his mind flashed to a belt striking his back, but it was ok he deserved it for being a freak. All the times the teachers had asked and he couldn't say a word. Hadrian felt a tear run down his cheek and quickly wiped it away.

“So Indissolubili Fide?” Harry's voice cracked but they both ignored it and Gold Tooth continued.

“ Indissolubili Fide, unbreakable faith. It's a loyalty potion, need i say more?” Hadrian shook his head. “Mutare Alium, Change the other. It's a compulsion web that allows you to completely override someone's character. Lastly, Sanguis Larva, blood mask. It's a glamor connected to your blood which means it grows as you do and does not need updating." There was silence for a long while before Hadrian spoke.

“I want them all gone.”

Chapter Text

“I want them all gone.”

“Understandable. cleansing rituals can be organized while we go through some more things but if i may make one suggestion?” Hadrian motioned for him to continue. “The Blood glamor should be transferred to an item such as a necklace or ring. That way you will still have it should you want or need it.” That was a very good point, he didn't want Dumbles seeing a difference and looking closer. Hadrian nodded in confirmation, and Gold Tooth pressed a button on the side of his desk. “Is there a specific item you would like to use or we can obtain one and add it to the fees for the rituals.” Hadrian still had the rejected items he first brought to gringotts and poured them on to the desk. Looking through them he put away anything he couldn't wear like the earrings and anything too ostentatious. He found a ring that was just a band of silver with a Celtic knot design etched into it, you wouldn't even see the design unless you were up close and Hadrian passed it to Gold Tooth who inspected it. “Nothing special, just plain silver. The transfer will work with this.

The doors to the office opened and another goblin came in. Gold Tooth handed them the magic test, said a few words in gobbledegook and handed the ring over. A short conversation later and they turned to hadrian. “What would you like to do with the horcrux?” He opened and closed his mouth a few times. He didn't think anything could be done, Dumbledore said… Harry wanted to bash his head against a wall. Of course Dumbledick said the only way to get rid of it was an AK to the face. He let out a sigh.

“What are my options?” the goblin that wasn't Gold Tooth answered his question.

“Leave it, or transfer it to an object.” Hadrian reached into his bag and pulled out the first thing his hand touched. It was a gaudy fake gold bracelet with red glass gems and Harry couldn't help but think it was perfect.

“Would you transfer it into this? I would like to keep it please.” The goblin nodded, took the bracelet and quickly left.

“After the ritual you will need to take the magical test again.” Hadrian remembered the invasive feeling and shuddered. He went to argue but was cut off. “On the test it said your core was Novis Magus with the binding. With the blood binding it wouldn't show any of your blood inherited abilities and affinities. However this does raise the question of how you can talk to snakes?”

“Could it be from the horcrux?” That's what he was told last time, though that doesn't mean much.

“Possibly, no one has seen a human horcrux before.” it probably was.

“Um, what is the goblins' view on horcruxes?” Gold Tooth just raised an eyebrow. “Like could I keep one in the bank?” Gold Tooth scowled at him.

“No . It may be an object, but it still houses a soul. Keeping it in a vault would go against our laws.” Hadrian smirked.

“So if i told you there was already one here and i wanted it. Would you give it to me as the price for telling you where it is located?” Gold Tooth's eye twitched.

“You, heir potter, are telling me that one of our customers is housing a horcrux in their vault?” he just nodded, an angry goblin was a scary goblin. “If what you are saying is true we would be willing to grant you more than you asked for. Hadrian waved his hands.

“No, that's fine. All I need is the cup.”

“Well then if you give us the location we will retrieve it for you.” Hadrian was grinning. This means he has the diary, diadem, his scar, and the cup. The locket wouldn't be too hard to get either. Just the ring and Nagini, though he didn't know if Nagini was one just yet.

“It is in Belatrix LeStrange's vault and is Helga Hufflepuff’s cup.” Gold Tooth nodded and a runner was quickly scurrying in and away again after a few barked words from Gold Tooth. The doors opened and another goblin walked in.

“Well Hadrian.” he felt warm at the use of his name. This was the first time anyone had ever used it and he liked it. "I do believe the ritual spaces are ready for you. If you follow Healer Bronze Wing, they will take you." He nodded to Gold Tooth and followed Bronze Wing, who was already out the door. It wasn't a long journey but it was confusing and he had no clue how the goblin got anywhere. Once in the room he looked around. The whole room was made of a dark gray almost black stone, circles were etched into the floor but there was nothing else.

“For this we will need your magic to be docile, and the best way is for you to be unconscious, so if you would remove any other magical signatures; this includes your wand and any other enchanted item you may have.” he took out his wand and placed it where Bronze Wing indicated. They raised an eyebrow. “Nothing else?”

“I have nothing else on me. Everything else I left in Gold Tooth's office.” her eyes widened slightly, but she nodded.

“Now, if you would lie down in the middle of the circle, we will begin by putting you to sleep.” he did as asked and Bronze Wing tapped his forehead.

***

Harry woke to raised voices. “I want their heads. All of them! Malnutrition, multiple infected lacerations to the back, multiple wrongly healed bones, a basilisk bite. You hear me? a fucking Basilisk bite. Morgana knows how he is still alive.” He winced.that was not good. He opened his eyes and saw Bronze Wing yelling at Gold Tooth. “That's not all there was. There are scars. a lot of scars, old enough that I can't heal them.” Hadrian decided he didn't want her talking about this.

“It's okay. I didn't expect to get rid of them.” two heads snapped around to look at him. Their eyes wide and mouths hanging open.

“Did he just?”

“Hadrian, you do understand that we are speaking gobbledygook right now?” he blinked at the goblin and thought back. It was similar to how he spoke parseltongue. Like he innately knew what they were saying and when he didnt think too closely about it, his brain would default to English, mixing it up.

“Ha . That's new. So that magic test would probably be helpful.” Gold Tooth produced the red orb and hadrian put his hand on it. Soon enough a parchment was handed to him.

Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black

Core level: Master Magus.

Familial Blessings.
Blessing From the ancestral dragon Kilgharrah (Emrys.)
Child of the Seligen Queen (LeFay.)
Blessing of nature from Queen Lamara of the Northern water nymph tribe (Hufflepuff.)

Family magic
Parseltongue (Emrys)
Mage sight (Emrys)
Seligentongue (LeFay)
Fay sight (LeFay)
Waters friend (Hufflepuff)

He handed the test to Gold Tooth again hoping for an explanation. “Well Hadrian, you know what parseltongue is, and mage sight is the ability to see magic. Seligentongue is nonexistent nowadays but considering your ancestor it is understandable. It is the ability to talk to the Seligen. The Seligen is the collective name for the Seelie and Unseelie, or what people now call creatures. Back when Uther Pendragon was king of Albion, all magic was against the law, creatures were exiled but they had their own lands Known as the isle of Avalon. Avalon was ruled by Morgana LeFay and her eight sisters known as the nine true fay. The Seligen court was split into two, the Seelie were the creatures who needed wild or ambient magic and nature to survive. These include Elves, druids, Kitsune, Nymphs, as well as others. Then there are the Unseelie, who are creatures with their own magic. These include goblins, werewolves, vampires, merpeople and others. So in essence Seligentongue is the innate ability to speak and understand every creature language. Fay sight is the ability to see like us. I am unsure if you are aware, but we can see through most magics like glamor’s or disillusionment charms and such. You will now have this ability too. Lastly, water’s friend is a common enough blessing though it is normally given to a person, not a bloodline. It allows you to breathe and move more freely underwater. Water nymphs and merpeople will often bless the ones they grow attached to.”

Bronze wing came back with a box in hand, and handed it to Hadrian. “That is the horcrux we pulled from your scar as well as the one from the LeStrange vault. It's in a magic dampening box to be safe. oh, and there is this.” she passed him a fairly plain silver band, and reminded of the fact he had never seen what he truly looked like he conjured a mirror. It honestly wasn't much of a difference. His hair was still messy as ever, though it was darker. Before it was a black/brown, now it was such a dark black it looked slightly black/blue, except for a single lock of pure white where his now faded scar touched his hair line. Where his eyes had been a deep emerald, they had now lighted to a toxic green, one that looked identical to the killing curse. The rest of his features had minor changes to them: his eyes were bigger, his cheekbones were more prominent, his jawline was softer, and he looked a little more delicate in an aristocratic way. He liked it. His hair ruined it though. Maybe if he grew it, he could tie it back and it might look more respectable. if he was now a grand Duke by his highest title, he would need to look the part in the right circles.

“Hadrian, if you're amenable, we could convene at my office?” Only now did he notice he was lying in a bed, in what looked like an infirmary. He quickly got up and put the ring in his pocket along with the shrunken horcrux box. Looking around he saw his wand on the bedside cabinet and picked it up, only for it to splinter and split in two lengthwise, revealing the ashes of the once phoenix feather. Hadrian just looked in shock at his hand. Great, now I need a new wand.

Chapter Text

Hadrian was back in Gold Tooth's office, looking over his heritage test. Now his mind wasn't fogged over; he could actually think. He looked up when Gold Tooth slid something across the table. He blinked at the item, it was his glasses. He picked them up and put them on his face and Morgana's tits, he was blind. Curious, he pulled the ring from his pocket and put it on. It would appear that his bad eyesight was a product of the glamor. Taking them off, he placed both the ring and his glasses in his satchel, and went back to looking over the heritage test. “Gold Tooth.”

“Hadrian, while we are on our own, I believe you can call me Goruk.” He blinked in surprise. goblins don't usually even tell you their spoken name, let alone let you use it. Hadrian nodded.

“Right, Goruk, does the wizengamot keep voting records where you are able to see what seat voted for what?” he didn't like Dumbles using his seats, but he had to be careful about it. He could probably remove a few seats from Dumbledore, but not all. Potter was out, Dumbles would know instantly. Slytherin was out too, everyone was aware Voldemort called himself the heir. Gryffindore was also out, even he had heard the rumors that Gryffindor had married into the Potter’s or Longbottom’s. That left him with Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Black. He could easily put Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw with whoever he wanted. It was well known that Hufflepuff married into Ravenclaw so where one goes the other follows, and no one knows who the heir is. Black would be best with Malfoy; he looks like he is the next in line, according to the family tree, so it wouldn't raise red flags. That would take almost half his voting power, if Malfoys voting records are something he would be okay with. He may want to take votes away from Dumbledore but he wouldn't do it at the expense of others.

"Yes, the Ministry keeps copies of the voting records. Would you like me to get you a copy?"

"Yes please. For all the votes from the last two years if you would." Goruk penned a quick note and placed it in a box to the side of his desk. "I had a question about the family tree." Goruk gestured for him to continue. "There are a couple of people on here that have the line pureblood null. I understand squib. But I haven't come across the term null before. Like here my great grandmother Everlin Evans nee McNair Pureblood Null"

“She ran away from a magically binding betrothal contract. When she broke the contract her magic was ripped from her. it made her worse than a squib, and no better than a muggle. It's quite uncommon and you say there are more?”

“Just one, Natasha Aven nee Greengrass, my seven times great grandmother.”

“Ah, Lord Ellery Greengrasses eldest child. she was set to be the Lord Blishwicks fourth wife. if I remember correctly, she was many years younger that him and since all his other wives ended up dead in some sort of accident, she probably felt like taking her chances elswhere." Harry was utterly horrified but Goruk appeared not to notice as he continued.

"Well Hadrian I do believe it's about time for us to start wrapping up this meeting, it is getting close to three o'clock. There is just one more thing that needs to be done before you leave.” he placed eleven ring boxes of different styles and colors in front of him. “They’re in order, start from the left, all you have to do is put them on. They all go on the same finger.” Hadrian looked at the boxes and back to Goruk.

“But I thought I could only claim eight from the last line clause.”

“Once you have claimed one you are an adult in law and magic therefore you can claim the rest.” Hadrian opened the first box. The ring was rather simple with a platinum band and one large square tanzanite. “The Sayre Ring.” he put the ring on and his magic sang. He reached for the next box. This ring was all silver with a flat face that was engraved with a coat of arms. “The Gaunt ring.” he slid it on to his finger and watched as the two rings melded together. It looked like the Sayre ring until you looked closer and saw the coat of arms through the deep blue stone, it was subtle. He did the same with each ring until he was left with a twisting band of gold, silver and Bronze, for Potter, Black and Ravenclaw. a large square cut emerald for Emrys was in the center with two rectangular white diamonds either side for Lefay. Finally for Peverell behind the emerald you could see a thestral with its wings spread wide. The rest of the houses were removed when the more prominent houses were introduced.

“Now that you have the rings, if you need to pay for anything you can ask for a transfer parchment. It will have the amount you owe at the top, always check it. At the bottom will be a box that you press your ring against. It will take money out of whichever family vault you think about while pressing the ring on the parchment. You can also switch between the rings of each house at will. Now Hadrian, as much as I prefer seeing you to other wixen, I do believe we have gone through a lot today, and that you need time to go through everything," he pushed a rather large stack of parchment across the table. “Those are audit reports for all your houses, including land, properties, vaults and their contents. As well as the voting records you asked for. I have been gracious enough to book another appointment for you a week from now, for any questions and changes you may wish to make. Hadrian nodded and collected his things into the black satchel he took from the ROR, and made his way out of gringotts. there were still a few things he wanted to do today, one; get a new wand or a fake wand maybe both. two; get to a hairdresser and see if they can do anything, and last for today new glasses with the correct prescription.

First the wand. He remembered when Fred and George got their shop they had bought new wands. They said they were custom made, and came from a shop in Horizon Alley. So hadrian changed his eye color to blue, his hair to blond and made his way there. He willed his ring to become the Sayre House ring before walking in.

The shop was the opposite to Olivanders. Pristine white marble floors, white and blue paneled walls with shelves displaying wand accessories. Not a wand in sight. A younger man came through the back door to the counter. He was smartly dressed in black slacks and a light blue dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. his deep brown hair was pulled back from his face into a low ponytail. “My name is Gibson, how can I help you today?”

“I was wondering if you would be willing to make a replica of a wand.” he pulled out the pieces of his old wand and put them on the counter. Gibson picked up one of the pieces with a raised eyebrow.

“Holly, unknown core, eleven inches.” He looked back to Hadrian. “Kid if your wand rejected you this forcefully, making you another exactly like it wouldn't work.” Hadrian waved his hands in front of him.

“No, I don't want another wand. Well I do but not for this. I would like a fake, it just needs to look like the original so others don't know it's been replaced. I would also like a real wand I could actually use.” Gibson looked at the small kid in front of him. At first he was going to send him away, he was in ratty old clothes too big for him, and had messy hair that didn't look like it had been brushed in weeks, but he had noticed the family ring. They were clearly wealthy but he also knew for a wand to self-destruct like this would more than likely mean he had been under blocks when he first bonded with it. A wealthy family not taking care of their heir, the heir having blocks and now wanting no one to know they were gone. that didn't paint a pleasant picture. He sighed.

“Fine. it will cost five galleons on top of whatever your other wand comes to.” Hadrian just nodded his head. “Right, for your other wand we only do custom, not pre-made.” Hadrian nodded again. “Follow me.” He led him through one of the side doors into a room filled with shelves and shelves of small blocks of wood. “I need you to let your magic surge and you should feel a pull from some of the woods, follow the strongest pull and we will see where that leads.” hadrian closed his eyes and did as asked, following the pull he walked till his hand rested on something. He opened his eyes to see a trunk. He looked back to Gibson who was looking at him in shock and confusion.

“Okay then.” he opened the trunk and levitated the contents onto a conjured table. “Again.” again he felt his magic and moved down to what looked like a fang the length of his forearm. Gibson picked it up and packed the rest away. Beckoning Hadrian to follow, he walked into another room. This time the shelves were filled with jars, vials, boxes and other containers. “Right the same thing again, though you may feel an equally strong pull from two different cores if that happens, follow one and let me know.” Hadrian nodded and closed his eyes. However there were several strong pulls. It took him a while to figure out which was the strongest but he put it down to two, following one, his hand landed on a box. He picked it up and gave it to Gibson.

“There was another one.'' The man just nodded, gesturing for him to continue, and Hadrian repeated the process. And handed the tube to Gibson. They walked into what looked like a work room. He laid the three items on the table and gestured for hadrian to sit “your wand will be made from the fang of the Lux Hydra, and it will have a dual core of Thestral heart string and black phoenix feather. You can stay and wait for me to finish or you can pay half now and come back in an hour.”

“I'll pay half now and come back.” the man nodded and led him back to the front of the store.

“That’ll be 27 galleons now and another 27 when you collect.” he handed a transfer parchment over. Hadrian pressed his ring to it and left toward the hairdresser. He asked if they could do something about his hair stating the only input that he had is that he wanted it longer so he could tie it back. The lady he was talking to got a fiery look of determination in her eyes and ushered him towards a seat. By the end the poor lady was crying, no matter what she did his hair wouldn't stop being a mess. He told her it was fine and that he was sorry for putting her in the situation. He left with hair that was an inch or two below his shoulders, an unbreakable comb and a lot of hair ties. Tying it back did make it look better though so it wasn't a complete loss. Next was the optometrist, who spent a good amount of time trying to convince him to just get a new pair of glasses, but he had decided it would be best if he still wore the old pair. There were less questions that way. Begrudgingly they updated his prescription and let him leave.

Back in the wand shop, gibson handed him the fake holly wand, and Hadrian took it to inspect. It looked identical, and if he didn't notice the difference no one else would. Next he was handed a box. “The black phoenix feather and the lux hydra fang both worked and didn't work well together. They are directly opposite but are in complete harmony.” he gestured to the box. and Hadrian opened it. The wand was so white it almost glowed, but there were cracks running the length of the wand that seemed to seep shadow. “The Lux hydra or the Light hydra. The black phoenix, also known as the shadow phoenix. Putting the feather inside the fang caused it to splinter and crack, but putting the thestral heart string in seemed to equalize them, it now feels smooth to the touch, even with the cracks still there.” Hadrian picked it up and felt the magic mingle and connect with his own. He looked back towards Gibson, who was watching him intently.

“Would I be able to get a forearm holster? In black if possible.” The man nodded and passed over a black holster.

“That's 30 galleons with the holster.” He pressed his ring to the parchment and walked away. Walking back to the leaky cauldron he saw a clothing store and paused. He still had time before they closed for the day, he looked down and he definitely needed new clothes. He looked back to the store, it looked fancy. He hoped they would be willing to help him, he had no fashion sense. Walking in, the clerk looked up and grimaced. He opened his mouth to speak but Hadrian cut him off. “I need help. Yes, I can afford it. I am in need of a whole new wardrobe. Assume I own nothing and go from there." The man looked at him like he had hung the moon and stars before scurrying over to the door and flipping the closed sign. Hadrian got the sudden feeling he would regret this.

“Two hours later, and an hour after the store was meant to be closed, he had put in an order for an extortionate amount of clothes that the man said would be reddy for him to pick up in three days. Hadrian managed to floo home before collapsing in the bed.

Chapter Text

It had been over a week since he got his lord rings and hadrian had just finished going through the voting records. He had written out the names of the seat holders and had put two boxes next to each. Looking at the bill they were voting on Hadrian would decide what he would do and tally next to each name whether they agreed with him or not. Looking at the tally's there were three people that didn't have a single mark for something he wouldn't have voted for and Hadrian was stumped. Malfoy Nott and Greengrass voted exactly as he would. amusingly enough Dumbledore was one of the worst. He voted for a lot of creature restrictions despite preaching about their right to equality. It made him angry. However he could now do something about it.

Hadrian had looked at the current wizengamot and how it worked, Dumbledore was currently chief warlock because the light currently had the most votes, and Dumbledore held the most seats, making him the head of the light faction. The light currently held 23 seats, the dark held 22, the Gray held 19, and 7 were currently sitting dormant. The rest of the seats were held by ministry officials. So if he removed Black, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff, the light would have 20 seats. Two will go to the Gray faction, giving them 21, and the other seat, as well as one of the seats currently dormant, will go to the Dark faction, giving them 24. And making Lucius Malfoy chief warlock.

pulling out three forms from gringotts he wrote. I Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Margrave of Grimfell do hereby give proxy of the seat of House Black to Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Malfoy, Marquess of Ithnion.

I Lord of the Noble House of Sayre, Baron of Forlon do hereby give proxy of the seat of House Sayre to Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Nott, Earl of Norhaven.

I Lord of the Most Ancient and Illustrious House of Ravenclaw, Marquess of Nuashall, Count Of Faypine do hereby give proxy of the seats of Houses Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff to Lord of the Noble and Ancient house of Greengrass, Count of Perrybell.

Stamping each one with the correct rings he put them in envelopes and sealed them. He had specifically bought the envelopes as well as stationary for each of his houses and kept them in separate boxes he had had made with the crest of the corresponding house on it. It turns out it was quite important to nobles, something he had found out from an etiquette book. In the last week he had been absorbing knowledge on everything noble and pureblood including etiquette, management, the wizengamot and general house information, like what houses were barons or counts and what region they were the noble of. Now the curse was gone he was soaking it up like a sponge. He also realized how much he already knew even with the curse he had learnt the knowledge, it just wasn't accessible before.

He had had his next meeting with Goruk and mostly went over investments. He also commissioned two mail redirection boxes, so all his mail would go to Gringotts to get scanned for anything harmful, then placed in one of the two boxes. one was anything directed to him as a lord, the other was for everything else. So far he hasn't had anything but it's better to have it for when he needs it. The only reason he got it was because he didn't want anything coming to him in the great hall.

With the letters in hand he flooed to the leaky cauldron and walked to the post bird rental in horizon alley. he picked out a gyrfalcon to take the letter for Lord Greengrass, an eagle owl to take the letter for Lord Nott and a raven for Lord Malfoy. Each was a calculated decision for the house they were representing.

***

Lusius Malfoy was currently eating lunch with some of the members of the wizengamot. Draco had asked to have friends round and they were currently eating in the gardens while the parents were here discussing Dumbledore's latest bill. It wasn't proposed by him but everyone knew if Lord Doge proposed a bill it was because Dumbledore said to. It was a bill to enforce Auror presence at gringotts. Stating that it was for the comfort of wixen as the goblins don't care if someone is a criminal as long as they have gold. And there were enough creature haters in every faction that this might go through. Counting the votes they were sure it would pass and Lusius was sure it would cause another goblin war.

“We can only prepare. What if we told the goblins? Then at least they dont hate all of us. Screw the ones who think this is a good idea hell, I will give a list to gringotts of who voted for it.” Lady Zabini was a ruthless woman, who would watch the world burn as long as it didn't affect her and her closest. Lucius was just glad to be counted among those she was close to. Before anyone could answer the sound of wings were heard and three birds flew in. one, a raven, landed in front of Lucius the other two went to Benedict and Theodorus. Looking at the letter he noticed the Black family seal and reached for the letter. The raven flew away as soon as he took the letter the other two followed soon after. Opening the envelope he was shocked at the contents. Looking up he looked eyes with Theodorus who held up his parchment.

“Proxy to the Sayre Seat.” That was two seats to the Dark faction and one away from the light.

Lusius held up his own parchment, “house of Black.” Nott raised an eyebrow and they both turned to Greengrass who was just staring at the parchment. “Benedict?” He looked up and Lucius motioned to the parchment.

“I Lord of the Most Ancient and Illustrious House of Ravenclaw, Marquess of Nuashall, Count Of Faypine do hereby give proxy of the seats of Houses Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff to Lord of the Noble and Ancient House of Greengrass, Count of Perrybell.”

Lucius blinked and blinked again before cackling. Soon enough, Sophia Zabini joined him, the rest were looking between them like they had gone mad. Sophia spoke, still chuckling. “The old goat just lost three seats, and the Gray and Dark faction gained two seats each. He’s no longer chief warlock. Lucius sobered quickly, he hadn’t put that together yet, and that made him realize.

“I’m chief warlock.” Sophia started cackling again.

***

Hadrian Had received no less than four dinner invitations from Lord Malfoy in the last week. All were addressed to the Lord of house black, and hadrian was debating whether he should accept. It would be good to have him on side, and their views were the same. Which made hadrian think about the dark. He had looked into what they stand for and what the last war was about and couldn't help but agree with some of their ideals. The dark wanted to preserve their rights to their magic, faith, and culture. The light didn’t have a clear goal. He had checked. depending on who you asked, or what book you read, it ranged from preserving magic, to making the wizarding world more muggle friendly, to removing all dark magic, including ‘dark creatures.’

Hadrians pondering came to an abrupt stop as he heard a clap of thunder and raced to the window. It was charmed to see a view of Parris but reflected the weather outside, and right now there was a thunderstorm. He raced to his closet where he had placed the animagus potion and… yes. There was a single mouthful of blood red potion. Hadrian went to the floo room and removed the rug, chair, and table, shut and locked the exits. Lastly he conjured a full length wall mirror and stepped into the middle of the room. Putting his wand to his heart he spoke “Amato Animo Animato Animagus” he then drank the potion. Immense pain shot through him, it was like his bones were on fire. His head was pounding and he could feel two heartbeats thrumming through him. He closed his eyes and could just make out the shape of his form. It slowly got clearer until Hadrian was looking into the piercing green eyes of a pure black phoenix. It had a single white feather exactly where the white lock of hair was on him.

Chapter Text

It was the Saturday before school would start back up, and Hadrian was currently sitting in the viewing gallery for the first Wizengamot since he changed proxies, waiting for it to start. He had formally declined the invitation for dinner with Lord Malfoy but had asked to keep up a correspondence with the man. Since then the Malfoy patriarch had written to him several times asking for his views and opinions on some upcoming bills and legislation. He had seemed happy with the responses he received. He soon noticed a head of curly blond hair, her acid green quill poised and ready to wright. Hadrian may have sent her a tip that some of the more high ranking seats have shifted and it seems she was happy to see what was changing. Feeling eyes on him he looked over and locked eyes with molten silver, and smirked. Someone distracted lord malfoy for a second and hadrian took the chance to go invisible. He saw Lucius scan the seats for him again but when he couldn't find him he turned his attention elsewhere. Just before the session was about to start Dumbledore strode through the doors and straight to the chief warlock seat. He noticed a few members smirking, Most from the dark faction and some from the gray. Hadrian guessed they Knew what was about to happen.

Dumbledore banged his gavel and started the session. “Welcome to the 16th wizengamot session of 1993. To begin, it is noted that there are some proxy changes. first here is Lord Nott.” he gestured at Lord Nott who stood.

“I, Theodorus Nott, Lord of the Noble and Ancient House of Nott, do hereby claim proxy of the seat of the Noble House of Sayre with permission of its Lord. so mote it be.” The Sayre seat flashed gold acknowledging the claim and Lord Nott sat back down. Dumbledore nodded and banged his gavel once.

“Next is Lord Greengrass.” again he motioned and the Lord stood.

“I, Benedict Greengrass, Lord of the Noble and Ancient House of Greengrass, do hereby claim proxy of the seats of the Most Ancient and Illustrious house of Ravenclaw, and of the Most Ancient and Illustrious house of Hufflepuff, with permission of their Lord. so mote it be.” The two founders' seats flashed gold acknowledging the claim and Lord Greengrass sat back down. Dumbledore had gone ashen and his twinkle had died. banging his gavel once, he looked at the parchment and pursed his lips.

“And the last change for Lord Malfoy.” Dumbledore was scowling as Lucius stood.

“I, Lucius Malfoy, Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Malfoy, do hereby claim proxy of the seat of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black with permission of its Lord. so mote it be.” Hadrian could see Dumbledore gritting his teeth from here.

“With seat changes done, we move on to the next order. There are a total of seven bills in line to…”

“Lord Dumbledore. I do believe you missed something.” Lady Bones had interrupted in a clear voice laced with the barest contempt.

“Missed something Amelia?” Hadrian saw her eye twitch at the use of her given name in a formal setting. However she wasn't cowed by his belittling.

“The faction rankings have changed and with that change, so does the position of chief Warlock.” Dumbledore Scowled.

“Amelia dear, I still hold the most seats on this council, as such…”

“Even if that is how it worked, you do not hold the most seats. You currently hold four. Lord Malfoy also holds four, and with the light faction currently holding the least amount of votes out of all three factions the seat goes to Lord Malfoy." Hadrian was cackling, he was glad he had cast a silencing spell around himself, as the rest of the chamber had fallen silent. He could see Rita Skeeter writing furiously and he couldn't wait to see the shitshow that would be tomorrow's paper.

“Well then, forgive an old man for miscounting my dear.” He rose from the chair, and with the petulance of a toddler he stomped down to his seat on the lowest level of the chamber. Lord Malfoy made his way to the chief warlock seat and was sworn in. After that he tuned most of the session out, only paying attention to a few bills that Lucius had written to him about. The bill for stationing Auror’s at gringotts, was declined by a two vote difference, and hadrian let out a sigh of relief. By the end, the outcome of several bills had changed by the new proxies and Hadrian couldn't be happier.

Walking to the atrium, he saw Malfoy, Nott, Greengrass, and a woman he didn't recognise, conversing in one of the side corridors. As tempting as it was to go introduce himself properly, he knew it was too soon. However something about them triggered a thought and he changed course to the department of mysteries. He started walking straight to the hall of prophecies, on his way he went through the time room, remembering how hard it had been to do anything with Granger watching him, he pocketed one of the 24 hour time turners before continuing on. Once in the prophecy room he walked to the orb, picked it up, took it with him back to the atrium. and called for Kreacher. Within the last two weeks he had managed to talk to Kreacher, and was able to get the locket, and hide it with the other horcruxe’s. Kreacher had also become attached to Hadrian, stating he was a proper Lord to the house of Black. Kreacher popped him home and he placed the prophecy on the coffee table. Looking at the orb he realized he was never able to listen to it the first time. With that thought he stretched out his hand and pushed a small bit of magic into the orb and Trelawneys voice filled the room.

The one with the power to restore the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must stay on the side of the other, for neither can thrive while the false Light survives... the one with the power to unite races and magic will be born as the seventh month dies…

Hadrian looked at the orb in shock then laughed. Everything really was Dumbledore's fault. Even having Snape overhear the prophecy must have been planned. He needed to get Snape on side. Telling him about the prophecy might do it but he needed more. Thinking of that got him thinking about school. while the fog was over his mind he had been too careless. Weasley and Granger had noticed something was wrong. He needed to get his mask in place and quickly. There were only three more days before they went back.

Chapter Text

Harry was sat in the shed going over his mental checklist for Hogwarts. He had already sent Hedwig off an hour ago and was now stalling. In a way he didn't want to go back. He didn't like the glamour, or having bad eyesight, and he definitely didn't like his hair. The brown/black somehow made it look messier and it was back to being short, something he hadn't expected. The blood glamour seemed to work differently to a normal glamour. To Harry it felt similar to polyjuice, like it changed you instead of covering you. He also noticed the difference in his body; he hadn't thought much on it until he was put back, but his true appearance had filled out a little more after a summer of good food, and two weeks of Kreacher constantly trying to feed him potions. He wasn't completely healthy but he would get there. Then there were the clothes. He had bought new ones for him to be seen in at school but he still didn't like them. They were muggle and from a charity shop but at least they fit and weren't completely threadbare. He had also asked Kreacher to get him a massive crate of chocolate, when Kreacher had popped back he expected to see a honeydukes' yearly supply crate. What he saw was a small ebony box inlaid with mother of pearl to create a beautiful floral design. When he asked Kreacher he was told it was the yearly supply from 'confiserie des dieux,' a French chocolatier his mistress said was the best. Hadrian was sure he didn't want to know how much that cost. He had expanded an inside pocket on each of his robes to hold at least six large bars of chocolate. If the dementors were going to be around this year he would not go anywhere without it.

He cast a tempus and sighed at the time, he really needed to go. He walked to a shadowed corner and pulled the shadows to engulf him. He had been practicing this since he got his animagus form; he had noticed a day or two after that he was overly aware of shadows, and where a phoenix can disappear in a flash of light dark phoenix's can travel through shadow. It felt slightly uncomfortable but it was far better than any other magical transportation. stepping through he found himself on the muggle side of kings cross. He made his way to the platform and quickly found Neville sitting in a compartment by himself, so Harry joined him. It wasn't long before Ron and Hermione found him, and began talking about their holidays, ones he had no doubt were funded by his vaults. During his last meeting with Goruk he had gone over all the transactions Dumbledore had been making, and found him taking far more than he had any right to. The Weasley’s were being paid before he had even met them and the Granger’s were given a large sum of money in the summer between first and second year with smaller monthly transactions since then. It took less than five minutes for them to start an argument over Hermione's cat. He just turned to Neville and asked what new plants he got for his greenhouse this summer. The boy looked a little startled at first but soon was talking animatedly about his passion.

They had about an hour left of the journey and Harry was done. He saw that his mask was in perfect condition after Hermione stopped inspecting him and relaxed an hour into the journey but he could feel himself getting snappish towards them. He got up and excused himself to the bathroom and walked towards the back of the train. He was approaching one of the gangways when he heard a very shrill and recognizable voice on the other side. Quickly he slipped into the closest compartment and shut the door. He relaxed as he heard her walk past until a cough sounded from behind him, he turned to see Malfoy and four other Slytherins he believed to be, Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Daphne Greengrass, and Blaise Zabini, all watching him.

“Avoiding your girlfriend Potter?” He grimaced at the use of the word girlfriend, and pointed to the door

"um I'm just going to…" he was cut off as the train screeched to a sudden stop and he was thrown to the floor. He realized what was happening and got to his feet as quickly as he could. with his hydra wand in hand he turned to the door, it was already opening to reveal a dementor. it barely got inside before Harry cast a patronus, and two deer leaped across the compartment. One, a doe, stayed directly in front of him, the other, a stag pushed the dementor away, and came bounding back quickly. He sent them both to go down the rest of the train and drive off any other dementors. Turning back to the compartment he saw five very pale Slytherins and one shaking Zabini. He had clearly been affected the worst. Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a bar of chocolate and held it out to Zabini who just looked at him incredulously.

“It helps with the after effects.” He still didn't take it. “Look, I know the kind of shit they can bring up.” Blaise glared at him and snapped.

“Oh, poor prince potter has a few bad memories.” his voice was dripping with venom and Harry's eyes went cold. He knew Zabini was just lashing out at someone he didn't trust seeing him vulnerable, but Harry hated when people thought he could never know hardship. He dropped the chocolate in Zabini's lap and headed to the door. pausing just before opening it, he spoke.

“I hear my mother begging for my life, and her screams as she dies.” With that he left. He knew he shouldn't have said it the second it left his lips. But people seemed so intent on throwing around the title of the boy who lived without thinking about what happened for him to get it.

Casting the interaction out of his mind knowing he couldn't do anything about it, he made his way towards the pull of his magic to where his patronuses were. It led him to an open carriage, one that had no compartments, just a few tables and chairs. A rather large group of first and second years were huddled together with a few prefects lingering around, trying to calm them down. His doe patronus would nuzzle one of their cheeks every now and then, and his stag seemed to be standing guard slowly circling them. As soon as he stepped into the carriage both the deer bounded over to him nudging and nuzzling for attention. This brought the attention of the prefects so he called over to Cedric, who was the Hufflepuff fifth year prefect.

“Diggory, is everyone alright?” the Hufflepuff just blinked at him wide eyed.

“You know my name?” Harry couldn't blame him for that. until now he hasn't interacted with anyone but Weasley and Granger. He still let out a sigh.

“Yes. I do.” To his surprise he also knew the other two prefects so he called them over. “Clearwater, Fawley.” he gestured for them to come over. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out four chocolate bars and handed two to each girl. “Would you hand some out to each of the younger years? It helps with the after effects.” Clearwater looked shocked but nodded and quickly started handing out pieces of chocolate. Fawley raised an eyebrow at him and turned to do the same.

“I'm glad to see one of my future students has a good understanding of dark creatures and their effects.” Harry turned, and was not prepared for the wave of grief that washed over him at the sight of Moony looking so young and unharmed. His patronuses sensing his distress came forward blocking Moony from him. He reached up a hand to stroke the stags neck where he stood in front of him and slowly the stag moved aside.

“Are they yours?” he gestured to the patronuses.

“Yes they are.” he looked at Moony properly and saw when his professor realized who he was talking to. His eyes had flashed amber for a split second when he recognised his lost cub.

“They’re impressive. If you will excuse me I need to have a word with the conductor.” he quickly made his way out of the cart and towards the engine. Harry turned to talk to Cedric when a small voice interrupted him, and he turned. It was a second year slytherin and he saw Fawley twitch when she noticed. As if she wanted to pull her away.

“Um… is that your magic?” she pointed at the stag and Harry smiled.

“Yes it is. I call him prongs, and the doe over there is called Soteria.” He had found out that that was what his mother called her patronus from one of her journals he had found in her vault. The girl's eyes sparkled and she started to fidget.

“Can I, umm… can I pet them?” Every head turned to them as if this was the question they all had and Harry chuckled.

“I'm sure they would like that.” On that cue Soteria went to the cluster of students and laid down in front of them. They all looked to him for confirmation and he nodded. Soon enough there were two deers laid on the floor with a load of children sat near giving them attention.

“Are you alright for them to be out this long? Patronuses, especially corporeal ones, drain magic Quickly, not to mention you have two out, and they have already been out at least ten minutes." Harry could probably hold them like this for another three, maybe four hours by the feel of his magic, but he thought it best not to say that.

“They’re keeping the younger years calm, and I can hold them till we get to school. It's not like I will need my magic for something else today. It's just the feast then bed." Harry watched the kids stroking his patronuses and noticed one was shaking badly. He walked over and crouched near him. He noticed the slytherin tie and looked up to see Fawley glaring at him. She really was protective of the slytherin’s.

“Did you get any chocolate?” The boy shook his head and Harry pulled out the last bar of chocolate from his pocket. Breaking off a piece he handed it to the boy. “It will help with the shaking.” he bit into it and slowly his trembling stopped. Harry moved back to the wall so Fawleys glare didn't burn a hole through his head and stayed there until the train stopped. He walked to the carriages, Cedric staying next to him. Harry, now not being used to not having peripheral vision, tripped on a root and Cedric steadied him.

“You overdid your magic use.” he hadn't and he was about to say so when Fawley joined them on his other side.

“I appreciate what you did for the younger students. Children their age shouldn't have had to go through that, and it could have been much worse if you hadn't done something. You didn't have to hold the patronuses either but I…”

“Harry, where have you been!” He took a slow breath and turned to see Weasley and Granger storming towards him. Ron was looking over his shoulder and scowling.

“And what are you doing with a puff and a snake?” Harry was already losing his patience.

“There prefects Ron. I was affected pretty badly by the dementors so I stayed where I was for the rest of the journey. I knew I would see you at the castle. I figured it was fine. Come on, let's get to a carriage."He ignored both of the prefects trying to catch his eye, and led Ron and Hermione to the carriages.

Chapter Text

It was Friday evening, the end of his second day of lessons and Harry was already bored. He had read all the books for his classes as well as some extras, including several NEWT books in all his subjects. Without the fog he could remember learning all this before, in more detail than he ever had in his previous run through. Even with runes and arithmancy he knew the basics from his time on the run when they had nothing else to do, so Granger would try teaching him. It had been surprisingly easy, now however he was struggling to make it look difficult in classes, even with a fake wand. He was currently in the library finishing his homework and hiding from Granger and Weasley; they were making it rather easy for him with all their fighting at the moment.

He was just finishing his essay for transfiguration when a shadow fell over his table. looking up, he saw Malfoy Nott and Zabini standing there and he scowled at them. There were people all around him who were not being discreet with their sudden attention. He couldn't have a single crack in his mask with this many eyes on him. Why they approached him right now he didn't know. “What do you want, Malfoy?” the blond recoiled slightly at the venom in his voice and Zabini winced.

“Could we sit?” He could hear a wave of whispers spread among the people around him and knew that even being civil would cause rumors he didn't want Dumbles hearing. He didn't know what they were doing but he knew they shouldn't be doing it so publicly.

“Go ahead.” Harry's smirk was vicious, and they hesitated for a second. As soon as they sat down, Harry made a sweeping gesture with his hand. all his belongings packed themselves and Harry left without a word. He didn't want to antagonize them but no one could see him even being civil to the ‘evil slimy snakes,’ he didn't want to know what would happen if Dumbles found out.

Not wanting to risk seeing his 'friends' he decided to make his way to a passageway and go to Slytherins quarters. Coming to the receiving room he paused, something was different. He looked around until he noticed, there were now five doors. There was still one opposite the fireplace, but where there had been one door either side, there were now two. One the same large door as before and a new smaller door next to the first either side. He walked over to one of the new smaller doors, putting his hand on it, he felt his Lord ring heat up as the lock clicked open. He guessed he had to have a house ring before being granted access to these areas. Pushing the door open he found what looked like a medical wing with four beds and a large cabinet filled with vials of potions. He walked back out and went to the other new door. It was a potions lab, a very well equipped potions lab. There was every kind of cauldron, stirrer, and chopping board you could think of including diamond and gold. He knew Snape would kill for this space and decided if he could ever trust him, he would show him this place. Walking back out again he realized he hadn't really looked in the office and there was probably some important stuff in there so he went in.

"Finally you return. You walk in for two seconds then leave for months. Not even a greeting." he turned to the speaker, and was struck speechless. On the same wall as the door was a life size portrait of Salazar Slytherin. He remembered how he was just looking into the rooms so barely made it past the threshold before leaving. Harry was mortified.

“I am so sorry. I didn't realize you were here. I am Hadrian Potter-Black, it's an honor to formally meet you Lord Slytherin”Salazar took a minute to scrutinize him, then narrowed his eyes.

“Remove that which conceals you.” Harry blinked and was about to ask what he meant when he realized. he removed the ring, his body filled out, and his hair lengthened. He quickly removed his glasses and tied his hair back. It felt nice to be him again and he let out a sigh. Salazar nodded once. “Better. Though your attire could do with a change.” Hadrian looked down, feeling his cheeks flush and grimaced. He stood in front of Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts in scruffy muggle attire.

“Give me a minute.” He left the room and flooed to his trunk, returning ten minutes later dressed in smart black slacks, a deep green dress shirt and basilisk hide boots. Salazar gave an approving nod.

“I assume the concealment and the form of dress is a part of the mask you must wear?” Hadrian nodded. “I see. I am glad you activated the house stone. When all the founder's quarters were locked down we feared our lines had died. But with me connected to Hogwarts again I can sense the other founders' family magic. There are heirs in the castle, but I can only pinpoint you.” Hadrian stiffened slightly; he didn't know about the other founders quarters and he didn't know how they would take the fact that technically all their names had died out.

“I am Lord of houses Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor.” Salazar looked at him in surprise.

“Well then I would appreciate it if you would go activate the other house stones. They are currently cut off from Hogwarts and by extension me. Unfortunately we kept where we placed the stones a secret. The only thing I know about any of them is that Row put hers on the seventh floor, then proceeded to tell us we would never find it. Rick and Helga took that as a personal challenge but as far as I'm aware they never did find it.” Hadrian had a pretty good guess where it might be.

“I think I might know where it is.” Salazar actually looked excited. “Would you like me to go now?” Salazar nodded and Hadrian pulled the shadows towards himself. Walking in front of the wall three times he thought about Ravenclaws' chambers and an ornate gold door appeared. Stepping through it he was met with a similar site as last time. A single plinth in the center holding a chunk of charoite. He walked forward and placed his hand on the stone, a pain went through his hand and he watched vines of red travel through the stone.

Just like before the walls melted away and he was left in another receiving room smaller than the slytherin one. He startled at the sound of giggling and turned to see another life size portrait hanging over the fireplace. “I see the curse is still going strong.” she giggled again. “You must be one of Rick's descendants, and apparently mine.” Rowina sat elegantly with a massive smile on her face. But Hadrian was a little concerned about the part about a curse.

“Um yes. How did you know I was a descendant of Godrick Griffindore, and what did you mean about a curse?” she giggled again.

“The answer is one and the same. Helga invited us by order of Queen Lamara one year to celebrate a nymph holiday called Colhara. It celebrated the turning of the seasons. It was the first, and last time the rest of us were invited. Rick insulted the Queen by saying something about how one of her garments was messy. Queen Lamara did not take kindly to it, and cursed his entire lineage to have untameable hair. Though I must say you have done the best I have seen so far.” Hadrian was speechless; the potter hair was actually the Gryffindor hair, and was a legitimate curse.

“Ha. Um my name is Hadrian I am actually the Lord of all the founder's houses.” Rowina raised an eyebrow.

“I see. You will return.” Before he could say anything she raised from her seat, walked out the side of the frame, and Hadrian was left alone. Blinking at where Lady Ravenclaw had been sitting he decided to explore. like the slytherin chambers there was a large bedroom but decorated in purple silver and bronze. What looked like a room for divination, a study and another door that led to a spiral staircase. There was one more door after this but he decided to see what was up here first. The stairs led to the top of an astronomy tower which was definitely not the one the students used. The roof and walls were entirely made of spotless glass that looked out over Hogwarts. It was taller than any of the other towers and the view was breathtaking. Hadrian would probably bring a sofa up here at some point so he could read here. He was taking a minute to appreciate the view when he realized this tower didn't exist; he could see all the other towers from here. It must have some impressive concealing wards on it.

He made his way back down to the last door and opened it. No surprise it was a very large library. There were floors above and below the one he was on. About three went up and another three went down. At the bottom was another door and he made his way to it. Walking through he found himself in a very familiar receiving room and made his way to Salazar’s office. He was currently having tea with Rowina.

"There you are. I wondered what was keeping you." Harry just blinked at her

"When you said return you meant for me to return to Salazar?"

"Of course. We need to speak with you and my portrait was poorly placed. Being above a head high mantle means I'm looking down on everything. It is aesthetically pleasing, but not comfortable for anyone. Now back to our original topic, firstly what year is it?"

She put her cup to her lips. "Um 1993." And promptly choked.

"IT'S BEEN OVER FOUR HUNDRED YEARS"

Chapter Text

"IT'S BEEN OVER FOUR HUNDRED YEARS"

“You mean it's been four hundred for you.” Salazar smirked at Rowina, hiding it behind his teacup before she could see.

“That doesn't matter, you were the last of us to be locked down and it was 1657 that's still 336 years ago.”

“Hold on, Tom Riddle never found you?” He looked contemplative before speaking.

“The last of my line to come here was a Nagendra Slytherin. I believe she married into the gaunt family. Was this Tom Riddle your ancestor?”

“Merlin no. We aren't related. He was your last descendant.” Salazar raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down. “I'm not your descendant, I got your line through the right of conquest. He started school here in 1938. Went traveling for a bit, Then started a war, tried to kill an infant because of a stupid prophecy that wasn't even completely true, and got himself stuck in an incorporeal form.” Salizar looked a little perplexed and like he was trying to shuffle around the information to make sense of that, before his mind settled on something.

“If you aren't one of my descendants, what line gave you parseltongue? The Slytherin line has the gift because it carries naga blood from over 50 generations before my time, and the other lines carrying naga blood were killed off during Uther Pendragon's reign in the early fifth century.” Hadrian hesitated for a minute trying to find a way around this but other than walking out the door he couldn't think of anything.

“My mothers maiden name was Evans. Evans was the Emrys squib line. Making me Lord Emrys.”

“And passing on the blessing of the last ancestral dragon.” Salazar continued, Looking excited. “The book shelf over there, in the corner. Go to it." Hadrian stood for a second processing the topic shift but eventually did as he was told and was soon stood in front of the corner shelf of the bookcase. “You see the black book, top middle shelf, to the right. Take it down.” Hadrian pulled the book out and noticed two gold lock clasps over the side, each holding a small onyx, but no visible way to open them. The book was bound in thick black leather, embossed all over with intertwining snake coils, with a large polished oval onyx embedded in the cover. He ran his thumb over it and jolted at the sharp pain. The onyx turned a deep red and the clasps snapped open. He looked to Salazar who gestured for him to open it. When he did, the book was hollowed out with a large gold key encrusted with diamonds and emeralds. Hadrian pulled it out and held it up to Salazar, one eyebrow raised in question.

“That's not important, flip to the back of the book. Oh and put that back it's completely useless and doesn't go to anything." Hadrian was flipping to the back of the book but turned to look at Salazar.

“Why do you have it if it doesn't go to anything?”

“Have you never heard of a decoy? The real one is at the back of the book.” hadrian got to the back and found a rather small silver nondescript key. “Good. Now go to the back of the same shelf where you got that book and there you will find the keyhole.” again he did as told and the bookshelf slid back and to the side to reveal another bookshelf just behind it. He looked at Salazar with the most deadpan expression he could. “Those, Hadrian, are the rarest books I have and probably the only copies in existence. Most are parselscript but the top shelf is the exciting bit.” at this point Salazar was bouncing in his seat like a child. “They’re all written in dragonscript. I wasn't able to read them, but I wanted to make sure they survived the ages, so I collected them. And I'm so glad I did. Read something. what do they say?” he had abandoned his chair and was as close to the frame as he could get. Rowena sat behind him graceful as ever, eyes glittering in amusement as she watched her friend act like a child. Hadrian looked to her for help, but she just smirked at him.

In the end he pulled the entire top shelf down which consisted of five grimoires and seven scrolls. skimming through them he found a few were books on basic magic that already existed in wizarding variants. The only upside to them would be that no one would know what you're casting, and that they would be harder or impossible to counter. However two of the books and four of the scrolls were more interesting.

“This.” He held an intricately carved wood bound book up to Salazar. “Is a book on Draconic Runes and their sequencing. This.” he held up another book bound in wood. It was bulkier and a little less delicate this time. “is a book on permanent transfiguration and duplication. These” he gestured to the scrolls. “Are specific chants. One of them has a load of different elemental chants.” Hadrian was as excited as Salazar at this point and started reading through the permanent transfiguration and duplication text. He got to one of the duplication spells and had an idea. Last year he had noticed he couldn't take any of the books out of Slytherins quarters but he wondered if he used this he might be able to take the copy. He also wondered if he could bypass the anti-copy charms all modern books had with this. He pulled one of his textbooks, did the spell and It worked. He did the same to one of the books in Salazar's office and quickly ran out one of the passageways, returning a minute later sporting a cheshire grin.

It was 9pm when hadrian looked at the time. He had missed dinner, but he didnt care. He had spent the last few hours copying books and flooing them to his trunk to organize later. Mostly consisting of books on occlumency, potions theory, and anything written directly by the founders. Rowina, Salazar, and hadrian had continued their conversation while he worked. They wanted to know what was going on in the world and their school. After hadrian was finished they were both fuming for many reasons.

First being the view on Salazar and his beliefs. It turns out he had nothing against muggle borns, in fact, they had told him that Hogwarts was specifically built for them. During times when the muggles were becoming more and more hostile towards wixen, the founders decided to make a place muggle borns could run to if they needed protection, a place they could learn the culture and customs of the world they were now a part of, as well as learn to use and control their magic. The other wix heard about the sanctuary founded by four of the most notable scholars of the time, and many asked to help or learn. It became a place of magic whether you were a wix or part of the Seligen you were welcome. As time went on and the borders between magic and muggle were closed, the wixen population had their land to themselves and the sanctuary was slowly vacated. People still went there to learn and structures were put in place making it into a propper school.

The pure of blood concept that Salazar was known for had been miscommunicated somewhere, it had always been, those pure of magic. Salazar explained that his father had bypassed his two older brothers to give the Heirship to Salazar for his achievements. his eldest brother had used blackmagic, which was not the same as darkmagic, on their sister. It was supposed to steal her magic, but he altered it slightly so it stole her magic soul and life. She became ill and no one knew why. Salazar dedicated his time to experimenting with potions, and learning healing to try and cure her, but he was never able to and she died. Not long after his brother got sick and it looked the same. This time Salazar performed the diagnosis and detection spells a lot sooner resulting in him finding the magic residue and tracing it back to his eldest brother. He immediately went to his father and under truth oaths his brother was questioned and found guilty. He was sentenced to life in prison where he died, taking their other brother with him. His father, having already lost his wife, then daughter, sending his first born to prison for her murder, then losing his second son to the same blackmagic, killed himself. Salazar's family had been torn apart by blackmagic, all for the sake of his brother wanting to be Heir. Pure of magic, referred to those who were not tainted by blackmagic.

The next subject that they were not pleased about was the lack of the curriculum offered at Hogwarts nowadays. No alchemy, no warding, no spellcraft, no weapons training, no dueling, no languages, no enchanting, no invocation, no healing, no elemancy, and no wandcraft. Hadrian was pleased to note that all the books on these subjects were still in the founders library for him to learn what he wanted.

Another point of concern for them was the anti darkmagic mentality that was prevalent at the moment. When Hadrian had asked why they had pointed him to a set of books written by all four founders around the classification of magic, each type's importance to the nature of magic, and how removing one type could be detrimental to the prosperity of all magic. Now Hadrian was sat staring at the tempus he cast, reading 21:04 he was four minutes late for curfew. Wrapping the shadows around himself he moved to one of the shadows in the entrance hall just before the common room, checking he was alone before fully stepping through hoping no one noticed he was gone so long.

Chapter Text

It was saturday morning and harry was sat at breakfast when a piece of parchment made its way onto his plate. he had been back for less than three days, and had already fucked up. It was an invitation for tea right after breakfast from the old goat. “What'd it say mate?” Ron still had the fork in his mouth as he spoke and Harry couldn't help the grimace that came to his face, but managed to vale the disgust well enough at Ron's blatant lack of anything that could be considered manners.

“Merlin Weasley we all know you were raised in a barn, you don't have to remind us.” Harry took a sip of his pumpkin juice to hide his amusement, and made eye contact with Malfoy who was standing behind Ron, smirking back at harry. That one comment was all it took for Ron to start shouting. Harry turned to Hermione who looked like she was about to intervene.

“It was a note from Dumbledore asking me to have tea with him. I don't want to keep him waiting, so I have to go.” not waiting for her to reply he left and made his way to Dumbles office. He was quickly called in and shown to a seat, where tea was already laid out. He took a cup and felt his ring heat up indicating it was laced with a potion. The goblins had reassured him that with all his rings he would be protected against all potions and mind magics, so without hesitating he took a sip. Dumbledore seemed to brighten when Harry set the half drunk cup back on the table.

“My boy, I heard you were affected rather badly by the dementors.” Harry was surprised. He would have thought the headmaster would have heard about what he did on the train, but it would appear he hadn't, and after what he fed Weasley and Granger the headmaster looked no further into it. “Unfortunately I was unable to convince the ministry that having them here was a bad idea.” That was a lie and Harry knew it. He knew Dumbles had agreed to house the dementors without a fuss. Lusius had sidetracked into a small rant about it in one of his letters. “You see, we believe Sirius Black has a reason to come to Hogwarts. We believe he is after you.” Harry tried to look suitably shocked and unnerved by the news as Dumbledore continued to give the story about how his parents were betrayed, and so on. “So I must ask Harry where you were yesterday?” Harry stiffened in his chair. “You can understand with the risk to you this year, that your friends were worried when you didn't turn up for dinner and the portraits were unable to locate you.” a shiver ran through Harry's body at the thought of just how closely the headmaster had been watching him. He would need to cut down on using the parcel passageways and make sure the portraits saw him around the castle. He would also need to find a place he could be seen spending time in that wouldn't seem too suspicious.

“Yesterday I realized how little I know of the castle and decided to go exploring.” He averted his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. “I may have brought my dads cloak with me.” He hoped it was a good enough explanation. looking back he saw that it was. Dumbles was in full twinkle mode and was grinning broadly.

“It's not a crime to be curious, Harry, just be careful. We wouldn't want someone to find out you have a cloak like that.” That felt suspiciously like a threat, and Harry was not happy about it, but he just nodded. He was shortly dismissed and as soon as he was at the bottom of the stairs Weasley and Granger were either side of him. On the way back to Gryffindor tower Harry told them all about Sirius Black, how horrible the man must be, and how scared Harry was. like the dutiful golden boy he was meant to be. Soon enough they made it to the tower and sat talking in some of the chairs for a good while before the idiots got into another fight, granger storming out of the common room, Ron right behind her still yelling. Harry had no intention of following and wondered how long it would take them to realize. Harry decided now was a good time to continue his transfiguration essay he was never able to finish yesterday. Ten minutes later Neville sat down opposite him.

“Do you mind if I sit with you, Heir potter?” Harry looked up sharply, eyes trailing across the common room looking for anyone who may have hurd. It appeared no one was paying attention but Harry didn’t trust it and cast several discreet silencing and anti-eavesdropping spells.

“Not at all Heir Longbottom.”Harry bowed his head slightly and Neville copied the movement, a small grin on his face. “Oh, and call me Harry. No need for the Heir stuff when not in a formal setting.”

“Likewise, you can just call me Neville.” He turned slightly and made a ‘come here’ motion with his hand. “Would you mind if Dean and Seamus joined us? We were wondering if you would be willing to help us with the transfiguration homework? It's none of our best subject.” Dean and Seamus nodded their heads furiously from behind Neville.

“It's not my best subject either, however I wouldn't mind helping you.” he gestured for them to sit and they did so eagerly. They sat like that, switching transfiguration for Charms when they were finished, until lunch. They packed up and made their way to the great hall, where they were accosted by the two idiots as soon as they walked through the door.

“Harry! Where have you been?! We’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Granger was being loud enough that she had attracted the attention of half the hall, so Harry put on his best confused and slightly hurt expression before speaking.

“What do you mean? You and Ron left me in the common room. You two were arguing and stormed out. I was with Seamus, Dean, and Neville, in the common room. We worked on homework." He frowned at her slightly and made his way to the table. Neville immediately took the seat to Harry’s right, Dean and Seamus taking the seats opposite. Harry had to squash the laugh trying to bubble up at the indignant looks on Weasley and Granger’s faces, while Harry, Neville, Dean, and Seamus continued the conversation they were having before.

The rest of his day was spent hanging out with Neville, Dean, Seamus, Ron, and Hermione. And by this point Harry was suspicious, Dean Seamus and Neville were actively, yet discreetly, blocking Ron and Hermione from Harry, as well as excluding them from conversation and any decisions that were made regarding what they were going to do. Harry couldn't say he was upset by it, but he was definitely intrigued.when dinner was finished he noticed Neville distracting the idiots and leading them to the tower once again leaving harry alone. Not wasting his chance he left towards an abandoned part of the castle making sure to keep in sight of some of the portraits as he looked around. He never had been in these areas of the castle before and wondered if he could make something like a ‘secret base’ that the headmaster could inspect only to find nothing of interest but enough to satisfy him of what Harry was up to. Running his hand along the wall he pushed a bit of magic into it, and asked if there was a room around here that connected to the parcel passageways. Instantly he felt a tug at his hand and he followed it. It led him to an entirely empty room that clearly hadn't been used in a decade or two. One of the walls was lined in floor to ceiling windows, filling the room with natural light, another held a small fireplace. Harry liked it. An insistent tugging led him to a back wall where there was a small carving of a snake and Harry decided to head to the ROR through the passageways to get furniture.

When he was finished he had set up a seating area to the right, where the fireplace was, and to the left was a large desk covered in broom parts and several books on enchanting. He had pulled some of the old brooms out of the ROR and had been dismantling them and working out how they functioned. It was something Harry had wanted to do for a long time and figured it was something the golden boy would be allowed to have an interest in if the old goat came looking. Lastly he set up some parseltongue detection spells that would tell him if anyone had been through them, and made his way back to the common room.

Chapter Text

It had barely been three days since the beginning of the school year and Severus wanted it to be over already. He had been discreetly needling the headmaster over Potter's living situation for the whole summer, without any success. The flash of fear Severus had seen in the boy's eyes last year had thrown him. It was like something had clicked into place. Like it was the first time he had really looked at the boy, and when he did look, it wasn't what he expected to see. The threadbare muggle clothes that drowned his small frame, and Merlin he was small. and the double potions lesson on Friday had not helped his suspicions. Longbottom had caused a larger explosion than normal and when Severus was admonishing him he had used the words ‘idiot boy'. With Potter in his eye line, he saw the aborted flinch and quickening of his breath.

So here Severus was standing in front of a door he really didn't want to be standing in front of and doing something he really didn't want to be doing. Raising a fist he knocked. The door was quickly opened to reveal a tired looking wizard with sandy brown hair and soft brown eyes. Lupin blinked a few times and just stared wide eyed, until Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was just about to leave, thinking this really was a bad idea when Lupin pulled the door fully open and stood aside for him to go in. “Sorry about that. I didn't expect you to be the one to come to me. It threw me off. I um… it's good to see you. I…” Severus held up a hand. He really hadn't wanted to do this. The werewolf closed his mouth with a snap and started to fiddle with his cardigan sleeve. a nervous habit he had had since the beginning of Hogwarts he had never quite managed to get rid of.

“I came here to ask you about Potter.” his face fell slightly before becoming guarded. “I was just wondering who he was placed with after…” he trailed off and there was a long awkward silence before Lupin spoke.

“I don't know why you're interested, from what I heard you despise the boy.” Lupin sent him a stern look and continued. “However I am not the one you should be asking.” Severus flopped onto the sofa with a sigh.

“If you're talking about Albus I already did, he won't tell me, and I have… concerns.” Remus raised an eyebrow taking a seat opposite Severus. “If I take an oath not to harm the boy will you just tell me? Please?” The werewolf held eye contact for a minute before scrubbing his face with his hands.

“I don't know where he stays. Albus never let me see him, told me there were anti-werewolf wards around the place just in case Grayback came looking.” Severus was shocked. The wolf seemed a bit upset but a werewolf wouldn't allow someone to take their cub from them, especially not after losing the rest of their pack. A cub was more important than a mate to a wolf. Remus didn't appear to be displaying that, and that was more concerning to Severus.

“You're telling me you allowed someone to place your cub somewhere out of your reach, when the rest of your pack had been killed or taken from you that same day?” Severus was hoping he was getting the point across. Remus looked at him in question then understanding crossed his face which slowly morphed into horror.

“I left my cub.” Remus looked a mixture of shocked, confused, and terrified, his eyes flickering between a bright amber and a soft honey brown, visibly representing his conflicting feelings. Severus was having a hard time staying in his seat and not trying to comfort the other man. “I left my mate.” It was whispered so quietly but in the silence of the room he may as well have shouted. Severus felt his cheeks flush and he turned away. Clearing his throat he spoke.

“You understand as well as I do that the way you're handling this shouldn't be possible, right?” Remus nodded slowly. Severus didn't like the thought that Lupin was under compulsions of some kind, but it was the only explanation that made sense to him. “I can perform the standard magic scans if you would like?” the wolf just nodded. Soon enough the magic scan was complete, and Severus was scowling down at the parchment.

neglectus relationes and lupum ab homine separare. Severus knew both and was not happy. Both were curses, One would make him neglect those he was closest to. The other separated his wolf from him. It was the reason Lupin was so affected by his transformations. He was most unhappy about the fact that he couldn't remove them. It would take an extremely powerful cleansing ritual to remove curses of this strength, which was something Severus couldn't perform. Lupin would also be unable to go to St Mungo as their ritual circles are made of silver. He told Remus as much and they both sat in silent contemplation.

If the wolf didn't know where Potter stayed, who did, other than Dumbledore? The Ministry would have to know also, but the documents were probably sealed, and only the minister, and chief warlock… Severuses mind screeched to a halt. Lucius had access. Leaping from the sofa he strode back to his quarters to floo his best friend. the conversation didn't take long, and it ended with a promise from Lucius to let him know.

It was early Sunday morning, just after breakfast when Severus received a missive from Lucius. Not wasting any time Severus apparated close to the address Lucius had been able to get for him. He made his way along the street of scarily uniform, muggle looking houses and froze. Stood in the window of no4, the address assigned to one harry potter, was a face he had hoped to never see again. Steeling himself, he continued forward, making his way to the house and knocking firmly.

Several hours and an extensive use of Legilimency, and memory charms later, Severus left. He was horrified at what he had found and angry. Angry at the headmaster, angry at the Ministry, and more than anything, he was angry at himself, for the way he had treated Potter. The boy was nothing like his father and Severus should have seen that but he had been blinded by his hatred. When he saw a mini copy of his tormentor acting just as arrogant, it was all he could see. Severus knew now that it hadn't been arrogance but stubborn will, the same he himself possessed, grown from the hard childhoods they had both faced. A knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts. Using magic he opened the door and in strode one very disgruntled werewolf.

“I’ll be honest. After yesterday I didn't think you would just avoid me.” Lupin looked hurt and Severus blinked at him. Thinking back he realized he had left without a word to the wolf after their conversation. Then at breakfast he was distracted by the floo going off in his quarters and the missive from Lucius. After that he left the castle entirely and subsequently missed lunch.

“I wasn't avoiding you. I got distracted by something I was investigating.” After a moment of silence he decided it would be best if he told the wolf and gestured to the sitting area. Taking the seat opposite he began. “Last year something happened with potter. he was lost in his own head, so to get his attention, I put a hand out. The reaction…” he pursed his lips. “It wasn't good. You know James and Lily were some of the tallest in our year and yet Harry is one of the shortest. He is unhealthily small and…”

“Hold on. you think, what? that whoever is looking after him is neglecting him? Dumbledore wouldn't let that happen.” Severus winced. Knowing full well that he had let… no. was letting it happen. He looked at Lupin who was glaring at him.

“I don't just think he is being neglected. He is being abused. No it's not a suspicion I confirmed it. That's what I was doing today.” Lupin's eyes flashed amber.

“Show me.” Severus pulled out his pensieve and dropped the memories in. They emerged a little while later. Lupin was fuming.

“That wrinkly old bastard sent him to Petunia and didn't even check on him once. He told the whole wizarding world that Harry had grown up with a wizarding family, being taught what he needed to know. The hateful bitch didn't even tell him he was a wizard and Dumbledore must have known, why else would he lie to the entire wizarding world?” Severus had been thinking and with a second time seeing it he was a little more certain.

“Do you think that Albus could have been the one to put the curses on you.” he spoke slowly and carefully, not wanting to further upset the already irate werewolf. Lupin paused for a minute digesting his words.

“I think we should talk to Harry. Now. The sooner the better.”

Chapter Text

Harry was in the library with Ron and Hermione. They had refused to leave his side all day and Harry was looking for just about anything to save him. Seamus, Dean, and Neville had all tried getting the two to back off slightly, but all it did was put Harry in an awkward situation where he had to side with the idiots. He was thankful to only see recognition and understanding on the other boys faces instead of the anger and hurt that he had expected. He knew he would have to talk with them properly, just as soon as he could get them alone. The shallow whisper of students studying together petered out and an uneasy silence fell in its place. Harry looked up expecting it to be the Slytherins again. He wasn't exactly wrong, he just hadn’t expected this Slytherin.

“Potter. Professor Snape asked me to escort you to him.” Fawley was stood there staring at Harry as if he was something you would scrape off the bottom of your shoe. When Harry didn't move she huffed and swished her wand. Harry's book closed with a loud thud, earning him a reproachful glare from Mrs Pince. “I suggest not keeping him waiting, unless you would like a worse punishment for whatever you did.” Harry quickly packed up his belongings, reassuring Ron that he would be fine and repeatedly telling Hermione that he didn't know what he had done to earn the potion master's ire this time.

Fawley led them down towards the dungeons and as soon as they were on the basement floors she spoke.

“I made sure to impress on the younger years that they were not to approach you when there were eyes around. I do hope they haven't done any irreparable damage. I know Alexandrya was rather eager to see your ‘magic pets’ again.” Harry was a little shocked that she had picked up that much from such a short interaction and was willing to help him. It also explained why they hadn’t approached him.

“Um no. None of your younger years have spoken to me. I appreciate you doing that for me.” Fawley just raised an eyebrow at him.

“I appreciate what you did for the younger years, especially the Slytherins. I will admit the older years have held contempt for you for the last two years regarding your actions, actions we now understand were not yours. After recent events I looked a little further and found that you were never present when Your friends Hexed the younger Slytherins.” He turned to face her, eyes wide in shock, and she smiled. “Something you were clearly unaware of and something the rest of my house has now picked up on. We assumed that you were with the mud… ahem. Granger and Weasley when they were hexing our housemates and never looked into it until now." That's why Gemma had been so wary of him on the train, glaring at him every time he went near a Slytherin. He wondered if any of them ever noticed in his last life. He doubted it.

"I didn't know they did that. I'm sorry. You shouldn't be bullied for the color of your tie and your…" Harry quickly shut his mouth with a snap as they turned into a corridor with several portraits and dropped his speed to be walking behind the prefect. She looked confused for a second then followed his gaze to the portrait. Her eyes widened a fraction before going icy. They didn't speak for the rest of the journey. She knocked on the door and left, without even waiting for the door to open.

Harry stepped inside and froze. Harry had expected a very angry, scowling potions master, but this was somehow worse. Remus Lupin and Severus Snape sitting cordially having tea was not what Harry expected to walk in to. The door slammed behind him, bothe of the professors turning to look at him, and Harry suddenly felt very trapped. "Harry, please sit." Lupin gestured to the seat opposite them but Harry didn't move, he just looked between the two men.

"Sorry Sir, but why am I here?" He hadn’t done anything to warrant being called on a Sunday to a teachers office. He didn't know what he had done to change the timeline so drastically, surely the patronus on the train wasn't enough. The Slytherins had gone off script even before then though and he had no clue why.

“We are here to discuss your living situation while away from hogwarts.” Harry was now panicking. He had technically spent the summer at the dursleys, Dumbledore couldn't have known about his trips into the alley, could he? Why didn't he have the meeting with Harry himself? Why have Snape and Lupin talk to him? Did he break the blood ward by staying in the trunk and not in the house? They couldn't blame him for that, Vernon had been the one to put him in the shed. Was Dumbledore watching him closer than he thought?

“Why? I went to the dursleys like I was told to. I stayed there the whole summer. I did what professor Dumbledore told me to, I shouldn't be in trouble for that.” Snape and Lupin shared a look, and Harry got the impression he had misunderstood what was happening.

“Harry.” he startled slightly at the use of his first name spoken so softly by the potions master. Harry was now sure he had jumped to conclusions. The professors looked worried. “Did you speak to the headmaster about it? About the suitability of where you live, I mean?” and it clicked. They knew about how the Dursleys treated him, and judging by the question and how it was spoken, they were already suspicious of Dumbles, which means he could get them on side sooner than he thought he could.

“I asked him first year not to send me back, asked if I could stay at Hogwarts or anywhere else, but he told me I had to go back. I asked at the end of last year too, but again he said it was the safest place because of the blood ward.” he saw Snape clench his jaw and Lupin spoke.

“Did you tell him how they treated you?” Lupin looked almost pleading and Harry suspected he didn't want it to be true, but Harry wanted to know how they knew and how much they knew.

“And how would that be professor?” Lupin's eyes went gold and he quickly closed them looking away. Snape saw this and answered.

“I know the signs of abuse Harry.” he stiffened at the word abuse, he knew it was, but he didn't like hearing it. “I was blind to it for most of the last two years because of my hatred for your father, and I would like to sincerely apologize for that. I personally went to your… relatives to investigate my suspicions. Until your first year here they kept you locked in a cupboard, then put you in an actual bedroom for one summer, then decided to lock you in the shed this summer, only throwing a small amount of food through the window every once in a while.” which Hedwig had eaten. Snape suddenly turned very serious and made sure to look Harry in the eye. “I used legilimency on them. I saw the beatings as well as the treatment you faced first hand.” Harry felt his cheeks flush and he looked away. He knew he shouldn't be embarrassed, and that it wasn't his fault but that didn't make it easier to hear.

“Did you tell the headmaster any of that?” Lupin was the one now speaking again, Harry just nodded his head not wanting to say anything right now. He knew he shouldn't be upset. He had asked the question. They had just answered honestly, but He hadn't thought Snape would have gone to look into it, especially not with legilimency. They knew a lot more than he was comfortable with. He took that moment to sit on the sofa opposite them and Snape spoke again.

“Harry, you may not want to hear this, but please listen and actually think about what I am about to say.” Harry looked up and nodded. So he continued. “We believe that the headmaster may have been the one to place you there and that he did so on purpose.” Snape was speaking softly and slowly like he would run out the door any minute now and Harry couldn't help the giggle that bubbled out of him. They were trying to convince him that Dumbles wasn't as good as he portrayed himself to be. They were trying to convince him. Harry decided it was time to tell them just how fucked up Dumbles plan truly was. The professors shared a look as the teen giggled uncontrollably on the other sofa. They weren't sure what was happening whether he thought the mere thought of Albus Dumbledore being anything but saintly was humorous or that he was laughing at it taking them this long to work it out. They did not know, but soon enough the laughs died and the boy spoke.

“Before this conversation goes further I would like a secrecy oath from you, one that would withstand legilimency.” Both the professors blinked at him in surprise, but neither objected and soon enough the vows were made.

Chapter Text

The vows were done. Anything said, done or insinuated by Harry, or about him till midnight that day, would be covered by them. Harry didn't know what he had expected, but it wasn't for them to make such broad and long lasting vows. He had only asked for secrecy vows and without discussion or complaint they had made them as airtight as they could. Harry just stared in shock at the two men, who were patiently waiting for him to say something. A minute later, realizing Harry wasn't going to start, Snape cleared his throat and spoke.

“Considering the vows you asked us to make, I assume you already have suspicions regarding the headmaster.” Harry just nodded. “My suspicions started yesterday when we found that professor Lupin had been placed under some quite harmful spells. After my trip to your relatives today I brought up my suspicions with him and we decided to discuss it with you. We are not certain that it was the headma…”

Harry snorted. “It was definitely him.” He had been thinking about Moony for a lot of the summer regarding his abandonment of Harry. He had read about werewolves and how protective of their cubs they were and it never added up to how he treated Harry. But with the amount of spells on him, he figured there was probably something on most of the people he interacted with. “He has no problems with placing spells on people to make sure they follow the path he has laid out for them.” the potion master's eyes widened.

“do you… Did he place spells on you? Would you allow me to do a magic scan on you? just to check.” Snape stood up with his wand pointed at him before Harry could even consent, so he held up a hand to stop the potions master. Snape didn't look happy but he sat back down and put his wand away.

“There's no need. I already had one done and have been cleansed of everything that had been cast on me. I dont have the results with me but if I was given detention after dinner today for whatever reason I was brought to your office, I would be able to bring them to you and we could continue this conversation. there is only fifteen minutes till the start of dinner and I don't think we will get through everything by then.” the professors nodded.

“So there were spells cast on you? And you're sure they were cast by albus?" Snape frowned at the wolf and shared a look with Harry.

“Would the test you did yesterday reveal potions?” He directed his question at the potions master and received a shake of the head, Snape fully understanding what he was implying. Turning back to Remus he spoke. “Yes, I am sure it was the headmaster. He placed a Siphon and binding on my core, as well as several spells, and fed me potions.” Snape blanched and Mooney's eyes flickered amber for a second.

“He put blocks on your core?” Snape looked horrified at the thought before the expression changed into a confused frown. “Didnt you need a new wand? Most who bond with a wand when they have their core blocked wouldn't be able to use that same wand after the blocks have been removed." Snape was staring at the fake holly wand currently sticking out of his pocket. Harry just smirked at him and passed the wand over, handle first. The professor hesitantly took it from Harry. Holding someone else's wand was something just not done in their society so it must have felt awkward to him. As soon as his hand closed around the handle he looked up and locked eyes with Harry.

“It's fake.” Lupin's head whipped towards them. “You’ve been using a fake wand? But you can't do spells with this." Harry took the wand back and made a show of ‘using’ it to pour himself a small cup of tea which he took a sip of, a smirk still present on his face as the two professors stared at him with wide eyes. “You’ve been using wandless magic in your classes?” Harry nodded his head; he had been trying to use wandless magic as much as possible without the aid of the elder runes. Considering it was only third year material and he was still doing the wand movements and using the words ment it wasn't too hard for him.

“As impressive as that is, you still need a…” Lupin cut himself off with a frown. “I'm assuming it's been fake since before the start of school?” Harry nodded, not sure where this was going. “How did you cast two patronuses on the train without a wand?” Lupin raised an eyebrow at him and Snape started sputtering.

“Two patronuses? That was you?” Harry raised an eyebrow. With all the Slytherins that saw he would have thought Snape would have heard about it. Clearly he wasn't the only one with that assumption as Lupin had the same expression on his face. Snape quickly collected himself and spoke. “I heard about what happened and that someone drove the dementors away but was unaware it was you.” He knew it wasn't a coincidence that his name had been left out. It was more than likely intentional and Harry didn't want to think about the implications of the entire Slytherin house keeping him under Snape's radar, including Malfoy who was there when he cast the patronus and was Snape's godson.

Ignoring that he moved back to Lupin's original question. Lifting his sleeve so they could see the holster strapped to his forearm he took out his Hydra wand. “I already got a new wand. on the train was the only time I have used it though. I try to not let people see it. It is quite clearly not the wand I normally use and would rather avoid questions, hence the fake wand." Lupin opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the chime of the clock placed on the mantle of the fireplace.

“Well it's time for dinner. I do believe Mr Potter I will be seeing you at your detention after dinner for writing an entire essay on the wrong ingredient. I do believe I set it on moongrass not moonstone.” Harry took a minute to appreciate and admire Snapes pure brilliance at finding literally anything to give him a detention for before speaking.

“I will meet you in potions lab three.” Snape looked like he was going to protest so Harry continued talking. “and professor Lupin there is a lovely tapestry on the seventh floor of Barnabas the barmy. You should go look at it after dinner.” Before either man could question him, he left.

After an awful dinner of Ron complaining about Snape giving Harry detention like he was the one who needed to sit through it, and Hermione berating him for not doing his homework properly. He was making his way down to the dungeons when he saw Malfoy and his group walking up, probably on their way to the library. They were all chatting and didn’t appear to have noticed Harry. Just as he was hoping to get past without notice he locked eyes with the boy he believed to be Nott who elbowed Malfoy.

“Potter.” Harry sighed, they weren't the only ones in the corridor but there were no portraits and the only other people were upper year Slytherins so it wasn't too bad. But still he needed to say something while it was relatively safe to do so.

“Heir Malfoy.” Everyone, including the eavesdropping sixth years looked shocked at him for the formal address. “I would appreciate it if you would stop approaching me in any kind of civil manner in public.” The blond's eyes flashed in shock and anger before settling on confusion. “You three approaching me in the library was not sensible or subtle.” Malfoy frowned slightly and went to speak but Zabini stepped forward pulling Harry's attention to him before he spoke.

“We thought approaching you away from Weasley and Granger was enough. we apologize if it wasn't. However a formal apology is normally done publicly that is why we approached you in a public space." Harry just blinked at him confused. Apology? Why was an apology necessary? And how the fuck do the Slytherins Know that he was acting infront of Weasley and Granger? Seriously what did he do last year for everyone to start going off script. “What I said to you on the train was unacceptable. Honestly, we thought the way you treated us in the library was due to what I said.” Zabini thought he was mad at him? Harry let out another sigh and waved his hand dismissively.

“You were in an unpleasant situation and you lashed out at the person you didn't trust. It's understandable and not worth an apology. It was more of an issue that you approached me so publicly. Let me be clear because I have to get to my detention with Professor Snape. I have no problem with you. Any of you, or your house, but no one, and I mean NO ONE can see me being civil to you. That includes the portraits. Just because there are no people in a corridor doesn't mean no one's watching. Now I really do have to go but I hope to talk to all of you properly at some point.” he dipped his head and turned on his heel, making his way as fast as he could towards potions lab three, and leaving about a dozen gaping Slytherins behind.

Snape was already there by the time he walked in and he raised an eyebrow at Harry's late entrance. “Don't blame me. I had to have a conversation with some of your Slytherins about subtlety. The potions master blinked in confusion but Harry didn't elaborate. Instead he walked over to the back wall and looked for the carving of the little snake he knew was there. After a minute he found it and spoke the password. He walked in without turning around and gestured for Snape to follow. Soon enough they were at the seventh floor entrance and ushering Moony into the passageway. He didn't miss the look of absolute confusion and curiosity shared between the two professors as they followed him down the winding paths until they reached Slytherins receiving room.

Gesturing to the seating area he spoke. “You can sit, I just need to get the magic test results for you. I won't be a minute. Kreacher.” The house elf appeared with a loud pop and bowed. “Could you prepare tea for three please.” Kreacher nodded eagerly and popped away.

Harry came back after collecting the results from the study to find Snape and Lupin looking around in wonder with an untouched tea service on the table between them. Sighing, Harry reached for the teapot to pour everyone a cup when an aggressive pop sounded and Kreacher snatched the pot before he could touch it. “Master doesn't be pouring himself tea. It wouldn't do for proper Lord of house Black." Harry just sat down and waited for Kreacher to finish pouring the tea, noticing how he placed the pot as far away from him as possible before popping away. He picked up his tea to take a sip as Remus spoke.

“Before we see the results of the magic scan I believe we have some questions. where are we and what were the passageways we used to get here?” Both men were staring intently at him. He knew they would want to know but the manic gleam in both of their eyes was giving him second thoughts about showing them.

“This is Slytherins quarters and we got here using passageways that Salazar Slytherin built into the castle. The only way to enter them is with parseltongue.”

“These are Slytherins quarters?” Both men were eyeing the doors lining the walls with the same manic gleam in their eyes and Harry wondered if the hat ever considered them for Ravenclaw. “There were rumors about there being founder's quarters but no one has ever been able to find them.” looking back over his results of the magic test he responded absentmindedly.

“They can only be found by the founder's Heir.'' He heard a clunk and looked up to see two gaping professors and a spilt milk jug. Realizing what he said he continued speaking. “We were going to get to that later anyway, but yes I am a founder's Heir. However, back to Dumbledore isn't a good person. Here.” He handed over the first magic test done by the goblins. The potions master took it curiously and began to read, Remus leaning over his shoulder to do the same. The werewolves' eyes went amber and he started to emit a low growl. Snape looked up to meet Harry's eyes. Harry just raised an eyebrow.

“Just to confirm, everything here is already gone?” Harry nodded moving forward to sit on the coffee table, right next to Moony and the wolf calmed slightly. Snape nodded and continued reading more carefully. After a minute his face scrunched into a frown. “It says you have a blood glamor.” He looked Harry up and down. “I don't see a difference from before.” Harry lifted his hand and very obviously removed the ring. Pulling out a hairband he tied half of his hair back and pulled off his glasses. Snape blinked a few times before nodding and going back to the parchment. “The only thing I don't know about is the Horcrux.” he looked toward Lupin for an answer but Lupin shrugged.

“It's something I haven't come across before. I was hoping you would know. We can go look for it after we’re done here.” Hadrian decided to cut in before they tried to research it.

“It’s ancient black magic and you will not go looking for it.” Both heads snapped to him with a deep frown and he continued. “It's not something I am going to tell you about and I need you to make an unbreakable vow that you won't go looking into it. Neither of you can know this, especially you.” he turned towards Snape. “If the dark lord found out you knew anything about it, you would be signing your own death warrant.” Snapes scowl dropped and he suddenly went very pale. “All you need to know is that it is gone and there is no lasting damage.” Both men looked a little better at that and with a little grumbling they made one more vow.

“I cant believe that the headmaster did this to you.” they had gone back to looking at the parchment again and going through it properly.

“That's not everything I have.” Both men looked to him to continue. “He is the reason mum and dad are dead.” He held up a hand to stop Snape's inevitable interruption and looked him dead in the eyes. “The prophecy is fake.” It was silent for a long moment. The only sound was the harsh and steady breathing of the potions master attempting to calm himself down.

“Explain.” The word was growled out but Hadrian paid it no mind.

“The prophecy is fake. Well it's sort of fake. There was a prophecy but Dumbledore changed it, imperio Trelawny and made her recite the fake one in your presence so it would get back to the dark lord. Dumbledore painted the target on my parents' backs. It was his attempt to get rid of the prophecy child." Snape looked pissed and Hadrian couldn't blame him.

“Do you know what the original prophecy said?” Hadrian nodded.

“The one with the power to restore the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must stay on the side of the other, for neither can thrive while the false Light survives... the one with the power to unite races and magic will be born as the seventh month dies.” Snape and Lupin looked shocked.

“Restore the dark lord, be on the same side, against the false light? this implies you're going to bring him back." Snape looked horrified and Hadrian couldn't help but feel he was being hypocritical.

“Well I assume there was a reason you joined him in the first place?” he said it much sharper than he meant to and Snape winced. “I looked into his old ideals. I'll be honest, I agree with most of them.” Moony looked horrified but Hadrian hadn’t expected anything else from him considering he had only been fed what Dumbles wanted him to know. Pulling out a large stack of paper he placed it on the table and looked at Remus. “Who would you consider the Dark Lords most trusted?” he blinked in confusion before speaking.

“Malfoy and Nott. Nott was one of the first death eaters and Malfoy was his right hand.” Hadrian nodded and pushed the stack of parchment towards him.

“Those are the voting records of the Wizengamot for the last two years. Look at the bill, decide what you would vote for then check it against Nott, Malfoy, and Dumbledore. You might be surprised.” while Moony did that he turned to Snape. “I understand why you joined him. I think if my parents weren’t fed the bullshit Dumbles comes out with about the dark, and voldi didn't go insane, they would have agreed with the ideals. Oh and did I mention Dumbles is stealing from my vaults and paying Weasley and Granger to spy on me.” Snape just pinched the bridge of his nose probably trying to stave off a building headache.

“Right, I'm going to go back to the original reason we wanted to talk to you. Your living situation.” Hadrian looked down, he didn't like this topic.

“I have it handled. it may not have looked good but this summer was great. I'm the one who wanted to be put in the shed, they left me alone all summer. I bought one of the trunks with an apartment in it so I wasn't actually living in the shed. It also had a floo so I could go to diagon whenever I wanted.” he looked at Snape who seemed to be considering his words. Eventually he let out a sigh.

“I’m glad you found a solution. I'm angry you needed to, but I'm glad you did. However if something ever happens please promise you’ll owl me.” Hadrian felt touched that he seemed to genuinely care and he nodded.

The moment was interrupted by a rather loud growl and they both looked to see a rather angry Moony flicking through the parchment Hadrian had given him. “Why?” he was growling and Hadrian thought it was about time to mention it.

“You know if you're trying to hide being a werewolf you might want to stop growling.” his head snapped up and Hadrian smiled. “Your eyes have been flickering amber this whole time, Moony.” his eyes widened at the use of his marauder name. “I found one of my dads journals, Remus Lupin, also Known as Moony. Can I ask what made you so upset?” he gestured to the parchment and Remus blinked at the swift topic shift. It took him a few seconds to register what had happened. That his cub had acknowledged him being a werewolf so nonchalantly and moved on, like it was just something that was fact and not massively important. Only then did he realize Harry was still sitting on the low table close to him trying to keep his wolf calm. With a slight rasp to his voice he spoke.

“I just don't understand. Albus is voting for bills repressing dark creatures, yet he is always preaching about their equality, but the dark is trying to remove the restrictions. It goes against the dark’s ideals.” Hadrian shook his head.

“It goes against what you have been told is the dark’s ideals. I’ve heard more members of the lite faction hate dark creatures. These people believe the light faction's main goals are the banning, and removal of all dark magic, including dark creatures.”Lupin just sat gaping at him. “The light's ideals have no consistency no matter who you ask; their ideals will completely change from person to person. With the dark faction depending on who you ask, the only time you will not get the correct answer as to what the dark stands for is when you ask someone in the light faction. Everyone in the dark has the same base ideals. Don't get me wrong, not all of them share the exact same beliefs but the fundamentals are always consistent. That is the dark want to protect their culture and right to magic." Snape looked at the boy who was only just thirteen and listened to why Severus had that stupid mark on his arm, why he had damned himself and reminded him that in the end he wanted to do the right thing and he had thought the dark was doing that. “Anyway, we are getting sidetracked. Now that we have gone through that, I think it would be good to show you what my inheritance test looks like.” he placed the parchment on the desk and waited for them to read it.

Snape was first to break the silence. “It was you. You gave the proxies to Nott Greengrass and Lucius.” Hadrian just smirked into his tea. “He has been wanting to meet you for ages.”

“He has, however, not doing so gives him plausible deniability of my identity.” Snape nodded .

“Nott, Greengrass, and Lucius all believe you are the same person or at least know each other and coordinated the proxies.” He looked up at Snape. He didn't think it would be that obvious, sure a little suspicious for it to happen around the same time but not obvious. The older man gave him a small smirk and continued. “They all happened to be having lunch together when the letters arrived and they were all written by the same hand.” Hadrian facepalmed. He should have tried to stagger them or something. Oh well he cant change it now.

“There are many other titles on here, why not give them out?” Lupin was the one to ask the question and the two turned towards him.

“Gryffindor can be traced back to me easily, same for Potter, and Peverell. Gaunt and Slytherin are associated with the dark lord and could put whoever I gave it to in an awkward position. Black, Sayre, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw I have already given. and Giving out Emris and LeFay would cause a riot. You saw the prophet when it was announced that two of the founder's houses had a lord again. It was chaos. As funny as it was, I don't feel like reinstating one of the Royal houses just yet.” Both men nodded and it made sense. Now that Moony was calm Hadrian decided to move back to his seat. Pulling his wand out he poured himself another cup of tea. Snape and Lupin both stared at the wand. Tentatively Lupin spoke.

“If you don't mind, what is your wand made of? its…” he made a vague gesture with his hand and Snape filled the gap.

“Unusual.” He could tell they both wanted to look, but inquiring about other peoples wands was a large social faux pas so they were trying to be tactful in their curiosity. Hadrian placed it on the table in front of them and they moved forward looking in intrigue, neither attempting to touch it though.

“It's made of Luxe Hydra fang with a dual core of a dark phoenix feather and a thestral heartstring.” their eyes practically sparkled at the information. “So what happens now?” Their gazes snapped from the wand to Hadrian with a confused expression. “You wanted to know about my time with my relatives, which you know now. I confirmed your suspicions about the headmaster and then some. You understand the political direction I am going and the situation I am currently in with my ‘friends’. So I ask again what will you do with this information? What happens now?”

Chapter Text

Snape and Lupin looked between each other, neither knowing what to say. They didn't want to admit that they hadn't thought that far ahead. They all sat in silence for a few minutes, the two adults thinking about what they were going to say. “I would like to convey my thoughts on all of this and to just affirm some things.” the potions master started hesitantly. “Firstly I completely agree with the steps and precautions you have taken so far. And would like to state so there is no confusion that I will be here to help you if and when you need it." He was being very serious and direct with Hadrian, making him look down at his hands and pick at his cuticles. No one, not even Sirius had said something like that to him. “In no way do I agree with anything Albus has done nor was I aware of it. I need you to understand that. I am fully aware that my attitude towards you over the past two years has been anything but pleasant, but please understand that I am serious in my offer of assistance.” hadrian was floored with just how open his professor was being, especially after the hostility of the last six or so years that hadrian has known the man. “As for what happens now I think the most immediate thing that needs to be done is a cleansing for Remus. The only problem being we can't do it ourselves and he can't go to St Mungo's so we’re at an impasse.” hadrian just blinked at him.

“Why can't you just go to the goblins?” the two adults stared at him as if he had suggested they steal all the headmasters lemon drops. “Where do you think I got all the spells that were on me removed?” Remus spoke up after another minute of silent staring.

“Cub, I don't have that kind of relationship with the goblins,  Merlin knows how you do, and even if I did I dont have the money for that.” Hadrian stood and went to the office and pulled out the two way communication book he had with Goruk and wrote a quick message. 

Hadrian - I have two people who I have disclosed my situation to, one of whom has spells on him. Unfortunately he is unable to go through St Mungo’s to get them removed. I was wondering if you would be willing to put some time aside tomorrow evening to get both men tested and cleansed if necessary.  using the funds out of the Peverell vault to pay for it and of course the 10% commission for yourself.

Goruk - I will set the appointment for seven tomorrow evening and have two cleansing rituals set up and waiting for their arrival. I will require their names for our records. 

Hadrian - Remus Lupin and Severus Snape

Goruk - if you manage to get Potions Master Snape in this building the goblin nation would appreciate it. We have been trying to contact him for a while now but have so far been ignored. I can not disclose more information just know we would be grateful.

With nothing else to say knowing he couldn't ask more about the thing with Snape he closed the book and walked back into the receiving room and sat down. “You both have an appointment at seven tomorrow evening with the goblins. I suggest not being late.” he took a sip of his tea and grimaced. It was cold. With a pop a new cup of hot tea was placed in front of him and he took it. “Also I don't know why you’ve been ignoring the goblins but they're not happy about it, and will more than likely talk to you about it tomorrow.” He sent Snape a disappointed glare and received shocked confusion back.

“I haven't received any missives from the goblins. Only a complete idiot would ignore the beings that control our money.” Well that was interesting.

“I suggest mentioning that when you see them tomorrow.”

“Speaking of which.” Remus cut in. “How did you get us an appointment that quickly? You weren't even gone for five minutes.”

“I have a two way communication book with the potter account manager.” Snape groaned and put his head in his hands using his thumbs to rub at his temples. Remus closed his eyes and took a long deep breath. When he spoke he kept his eyes closed.

“At some point I will ask about that, just not today. I don't want to know what you did to get the goblins to like you that much.” Hadrian didn't understand what the big deal was. The goblins were just keeping an important client happy. That's all it was.

“You do realize I hold three of four Duke titles, as well as two of the three Margrave titles, and am the head of all four founding families? Right? I hold a large majority of wealth and power. They're just keeping one of their assets happy.” Remus shook his head.

“That’s not how the goblins work harry. Yes they like money and power but just having that doesn't mean they’ll like you. If anything they like to show wixen who think they have power how little it means to them.”

“Oh, well I thought it was because of that so I don't know why they like me.” another groan came from Snape who still hasn't removed his head from his hands. 

“Well I think this is enough for today unless you have anything to ask of us?” Lupin directed his Question to Hadrian and Snape raised his head to look at him indicating he was still paying attention.

“Just, I know we were acting under presumptions before and they have been cleared up now but…” he looked at Snape. “We need to keep the animosity between us in public. In fact we could use it to our advantage. I need to learn more about our culture and customs, as well as etiquette. I bought a few books but a lot falls under dark values, which means it's hard to find. If you could give me detention at least once a week you could teach me what you know. I could also do my best in potions and still have you downgrade me so i don't have to put effort into underachieving. It's harder than you would think.” Snape raised an eyebrow at that.

“You’ve been purposely underachieving?” Harry just nodded. “I’ll see what I can do about that.” Snape looked a little reluctant before sighing and nodding. “I would need to stay hostile to make sure Mr Weasley and Miss Granger stayed ignorant anyway. Also in case it wasn't clear before, you can trust us. We are on your side in this so please include us. I will inform you of anything I think will be of any value.” Did he just say he was now essentially his spy?  Hadrian just nodded at the older man and downed the last of his tea before standing. The two men followed and he led them back to the seventh floor to drop off Remus, then went to potions lab three. Once they were back in the lab he decided to say one more thing to the potions master before heading back to his dorms. He walked towards the door and rested his hand on the handle. 

“I read some of my dads journals when I found them and I just wanted to say, the way the marauders treated you was not okay, and I'm sorry.”  not waiting for a response he quickly left and headed up to Gryffindor tower.

***

Snape watched the boy leave in shocked silence. He never thought he would get an apology for all the years of torment, but once again the Youngest Potter had ignored his expectations; he shook his head to get him out of his daze and went to his Quarters. A few minutes later his floo flared and Remus stepped through. They sat down in silence for a few minutes while he poured them both a glass of firewhisky. After taking a long drink he spoke. “That was not what I expected.” Remus snorted a surprise laugh and tried not to choke on his drink. 

“No kidding. We were prepared to try and convince him to at least listen to our suspicions, and he came in like: ‘Oh, I know. He’s the worst, isn't he? I have already been dealing with it for god knows how long, and have already started to discreetly remove his power base.’ because that’s a normal thing a thirteen year old can do.” Snape groaned, rubbing at his eyes.

“Yes, and there’s his relationship with the goblins to consider. What on earth could he have done, that he didn't even know he had done, that could build that kind of rapport with the goblins. They don't even like Lady Zabini that much. she would still have to wait a week for an appointment and even though she does have a direct communication method with them, it’s nothing as informal and instantaneous as a communication journal.” he moved his hands to rub at his temples. Those short conversations had revealed so much information and he was not prepared for most of it. There was one thing he was endlessly curious about though and was sure Remus felt the same. “What do you think all the doors led to in Slytherins chamber?” Remus looked at him, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“One of them has to be a library right? Could you imagine the kind of knowledge that's kept there. Even if it's small the books would be old magic and probably extremely rare.” Lupin continued to babble, theorizing over the types of magic and things the other doors could hold. Severus remained silent, content to just listen to the wolf's excited chatter.

***

It was Tuesday and Harry had been excited for their first care of magical creatures class. It was the same as last time with him getting to ride Buckbeak. Harry had just dismounted and was talking to Hagrid when he heard Malfoy approaching. With the lack of animosity between him and the Slytherins he thought this wouldn't happen this time. Spinning on his heel he reached Malfoy just in time to pull him back by his shirt collar. Unfortunately the momentum pulled Harry forward and Buckbeak managed to scratch his upper arm and shoulder. it was only a scratch, nothing too deep but it was large. However he was happy it was him and not Malfoy. This way no one should get involved and Buckbeak should be fine. The hippogriff let out a small trill and nuzzled the scratch on Harry's arm. He pet his beak, showing he was fine. It was then that Ron suddenly broke the quiet Harry hadn't realized had settled.

“What’d you do that for mate? Should have let Malfoy take it.” He turned to see a scowling group of Gryffindors and a mildly shocked group of Slytherins; the only exception being an extremely pale Malfoy who was staring at Harry's arm where blood was soaking through his shirt.

“And what damage do you think his father would have done if he got severely injured?” Harry raised an eyebrow at the Gryffindors. Most looked a little sheepish but Ron was scowling at Malfoy and Hermione had a lite in her eyes he couldn't identify. “I'm going to madam Pomfrey, it's still a creature injury and it needs treating.” he nodded to Hagrid and left.

In the time Harry had been gone, Ron had managed to earn himself a week of detention and neither Ron nor Hermione were giving him a straight answer as to how he got it. As the rest of the day progressed it became clear to him that the Slytherins wanted to talk to him, they had been hovering since he came back from the hospital wing. Even now during dinner they were sending him not so subtle glances.  Scooting towards Neville while the two idiots were distracted he asked his question in a soft whisper. “What did Ron do to get detention?” Neville blinked at him a few times and gave a small shrug.

“He cast a tripping jinx at Malfoy.” Harry looked across the table at Dean who was the one to answer his question. Why would Ron do that? It's not like he was actually Harry's friend, he wouldn't care if Harry got hurt. Unless he just used it as an excuse to hex Malfoy, that would make more sense. Seamus leaned forward and continued. 

“He cast it while Malfoy was on the stairs. Luckily he wasn't too far up and one of his goons cushioned his fall, but still. also this isn't just gossip we heard. we were there, we saw it happen. Honestly, I can't believe Ron did that. I get that Malfoy is kinda a jerk but he could have been seriously injured.” Harry was so shocked he forgot his brain to mouth filter.

“He's also the only Heir to one of the Four Marquess families. If that had ended badly it would have been..” he trailed off noticing Neville raising an eyebrow at him. Both Dean and Seamus were staring at him in shock.

“You mean he isn't just a pompous git. That his family is nobility?” Harry had forgotten that even though they were half bloods Seamuses mother was a muggle born witch and his father a muggle, so raised him in a mostly muggle household. Dean was raised similarly; they may know nobles existed in the magical world, but not much more. sharing a look with Neville, he realized that now might be the time they needed to have that talk. He wanted to speak to Snape and Lupin about their trip to Gringotts yesterday but it could wait. 

“What are you talking about?” Hermione snapped next to them and harry panicked 

“Did you know acromantula nests have a royalty form of hierarchy? you have the Queen who is the highest form of authority, then there is the king right below her. When they get older they will pick a Prince and a princess to take their places when they die, as well as having forms of knights, gards, gatherers, and grunts. All of which have their own jobs and rules they must abide by. It works similarly to an ant nest and like an ant nest the Queen is much bigger than the others, about double the size of the king.” Harry had no clue where that knowledge came from, or why that was what he said, but it was done now and he couldn't undo it. He heard a clatter and looked up to see all heads in their vicinity staring at him with faces of puzzlement, horror and some with hesitant curiosity. After a minute Ron decided to speak up.

“Yeah. I didn't need to know that mate.” he looked pale then his eyes suddenly widened. “If Aragog was the King then that means there was another one double his size.” a visible shudder ran through the red head. “I'm gonna get to my detention.” he slowly got up and walked away, his eyes glassy and unfocused. Maybe he should get a pet spider, it would be a good deterrent. 

“Well I will see you later harry.” and that was Hermione gone. The only time she left him alone like this is when she went to report to the headmaster. So he probably had about an hour, maybe more if he could find a good place to speak to the others. The best place was probably the library.

“Library?” he raised an eyebrow at Neville who just nodded and silenced the two others when they went to speak, motioning them to follow. They walked to the doors and Harry saw the Slytherins get up and start to follow. Falling slightly behind the other boys he turned his head to glare at the Slytherins attempting to follow and shook his head once. Continuing to the library he was happy to see they took his hint and went back towards their common room. Entering the library they saw it was a bit busy. He wondered if there was a quiet alcove somewhere one a little harder to find would have been great. He almost stumbled when he felt a tug of Hogwarts magic but quickly recovered and followed the pull. It led deep into the shelves, around a few turns. At the end of a long stretch of shelves there was a small gap and he walked through.  It led to the back wall of the library where there was a large bay window with cushioned seating and a small table in the center. The window made the space glow in the light of the setting sun, making it a lot lighter than the rest of the library, which was rather dark and stuffy. Walking forward he sat down on one of the cushions and practically melted, it was so soft. He laid his head on the table as the others filled in the seats around him.

“So want to explain to us why a perfectly normal conversation was covered up by fun facts about acromantulas?”

“Ron and Hermione can't ever hear us talking about nobility, traditions, and stuff like that with Harry.” Neville was the one to answer Dean's question and Harry looked at him curiously. What did he know and how did he know it? Neville looked at Harry directing his next statement at him. “From what I can tell from the last two years. Weasley and Granger have been pulling him away from conversations and topics to do with things like that. I don't think it would end well if they found out that he already knew about it.” Harry lifted his head from the table and nodded. The boy had only had suspicions and circumstantial evidence, nothing concrete, which means it wasn't too obvious, and doubtful anyone else would notice. That was good.

“Okay, But why? It's not like it matters to them.”  Harry wanted to laugh. Neville looked at him questioningly, clearly not knowing if he should talk about it, so Harry decided to do it.

“Okay so a quick rundown of nobility. You have the highest rank they are the Duke Titles of which there are four. One Grand Duke family and three Duke Families. Below them you have the Margrave and Marquess titles there are seven in total. Three Margrave and four Marquess. Both are considered to be of the same rank. Under them you have the Earl and Count titles. Six of each, twelve in total. Then Viscount there are twenty families, and lastly Barrons of which there are twenty-eight.” He looked between the two other boys who were nodding along, and Seamus took that moment to ask a question.

“So Malfoy is the second highest rank then.” Neville decided to answer this one.

“Not exactly. Currently all the duke titles are dormant. That means no one knows who holds the titles, but magic still recognizes the bloodline as alive. Also even though Margrave and Marquess are the same rank, most people don't hold them in the same regard. Holding the Margrave Title slightly higher.”

“But if the Duke families are gone and people hold Margrave above Marquess then he is still the second highest ranked.” Neville thought for a moment and conceded the point. “Does that mean he is also the highest socially ranked in the school? and what does this have to do with Weasley and Granger keeping Harry away from it?” Neville turned to him and Harry continued where he left off.

“Well for one thing the Weasleys are a Barron family, a disgraced one, but one nonetheless. As well as their mother being the last of the Prewett line giving them the title of viscount.” Both boys were gaping as Harry continued. “The Potters and Longbottoms are also nobility, but like Neville said, I'm not supposed to know that.”

“And Malfoy? Please tell me that someone outranks him.” Harry just sighed.

“Three people outrank him in the school. One is more of a technicality though. Susan Bones is the technicality. She is the Heir Apparent because her parents died in the last war; the title of Countess goes to her as soon as she reaches Seventeen. Currently her aunt acts as Regent. But that puts her above him because she is the head of her family, not just an Heir. Then you have Neville and Me. We are both the Heir Apparent of our houses and will claim the titles when we turn seventeen. The Potters and Longbottoms both hold the title of Margrave.” The two boys sat for a minute looking between Neville and Him.

“What are the names of the other Duke, Margrave, and Marquess families?”

“Peverell is the Grand Duke. Lefay Emrys and Pendragon are the Duke Titles. Black Potter and Longbottom are the Margrave Titles. Ollivander, Ravenclaw, Malfoy, and Lestrange are the Marquess Titles. The lands of magical Britain were split between all but Pendragon whose lands reside in the muggle world. The borders of Albion were split between the three Margraves to protect and oversee. The middle lands were split in four and given to the Marquess families. All the other noble families fall under the reign of those seven families which is why there is such a big divide in power and status between the Margrave/Marquess families and the next step down.”

“So each of you owns a seventh of the magical world?” The boys were still staring at them with wide eyes.

“No. The three Margraves hold more land because they own the borders and it's only split three ways, and Lefay and Emrys Have their own lands outside of what is currently considered Albion. Not to mention the fact that Albion is not the only nation in the magical world. The ratios are closer to: each Margrave owning 16% of Albion and each Marquess owning 13%.” Harry did the quick math in his head and worked out with his titles he owned 45% of Albion. Harry was internally freaking out while Neville continued his explanation. “Albion consists of 70% of magical Britain with the other 30% being held by Lefay, Emrys, and Peverell outside of what is considered Albion.” Harry had not known these numbers and was having a small breakdown; he owned 61.5% of magical Britain. Not wanting to think about it right now, he decided to move them back on topic.

“Back to the original point of wanting to talk to you privately. Why are you three actively getting between Weasley, Granger, and I?” The three looked between each other looking a little nervous, Neville looking down at his hands twisting them together not making eye contact with anyone. Dean sighed and looked to harry.

“Granger came up to us last year after we had been hanging out with you towards the end of the year and basically told us to back off. That we were bothering you, but you were too nice to say anything to us yourself. you came to us the next day and started a conversation like everything was fine only for them to keep pulling you away. That's when we realized it probably wasn't you that wanted us gone.” Harry remembered in the previous timeline, that third year was when the other boys started to speak to him less, and realized the small act of him approaching them first was the thing that made such a big change. “After that we started to watch them more and saw just how closely they kept tabs on you as well as how often they would pull you away from other people.” 

“Yeah and how annoyed you looked every time they did it.” Seamus chimed in. “you would take the opportunity every time they were distracted to slip away, and have some time to yourself. When you came back they would interrogate you like you don't have a right to do anything without them.”

“In all honesty they don’t treat you like a friend, and it's clear you don't trust them. You make that obvious when you don't perform your best in class.” Harry raised an eyebrow at that. “I don't know if you remember, you had just woken up and seemed a little out of it, but last year you performed silent magic to fix the plant from my side table that got knocked to the floor. It was way above what we are currently covering in class.” Harry was trying to remember doing that but was drawing a blank. Eventually the memory came to him and he let his head fall to the table with a thunk.

Chapter Text

Harry walked to his last class of the day and waited silently outside the classroom wishing Weasley and Granger would shut up for two minutes. Scabbers had raced through the common room this morning, followed closely by Crookshanks. It had taken five minutes to catch them, and as soon as Ron had Scabbers he started yelling at Hermione. Since then they had been fighting on and off all day.

“Would you two shut up!” To everyone's surprise, it was Neville who spoke, and Harry decided that Neville was now his new best friend. They all stayed in silence, most still staring at Neville in shock, until the door to the potions lab opened, and they all walked in. Harry paused on his way to his workbench, something felt off, he couldn't quite place it, but something was wrong. He scanned the room, until his eyes settled on the professor standing at the front of the classroom. It was then that he noticed what had put him on edge. The corners of Snape's mouth were turned up ever so slightly. The potions master was scheming and he didn't know if he wanted to find out what it was. He slowly sat down in his seat, not moving his eyes away from snape. Soon enough the man stepped forward and addressed the class in his usual slow drawl.

“You will be moving on to more complex potions this year, as a result you will be working in pairs.” Ron elbowed him, a smirk plastered on his face, and Harry had to bite his tongue to stop a scream. The prat had hit his right arm, the one still healing from Buckbeak. Creature injuries couldnt be properly healed with magic, so mostly had to heal on its own. “I will be assigning the pairs.” that made Ron frown, and he was pleased to see the redhead unhappy, his arm was still throbbing with pain. 

In the end Ron and Hermione were paired with Crabbe and Goyle, Harry was having a hard time suppressing his giggles, until it was announced he would be working with Malfoy and he let out a grone. He slung his bag over his shoulder, feeling it protest with a sharp sting, as he walked over to the blonde, knowing there was no way Malfoy would move to him, and sat down. Surprisingly the other teen was just picking up his bag and moving to stand as he sat down. . Was he really about to move to him? Pulling his bag off he bit his lip to stop a whimper. His shoulder was really starting to hurt. 

Snape sent him a look of smug satisfaction and Harry realized this was the solution the potions master came up with to help him. Sitting with Malfoy kept him away from the idiots so he didn't have to visibly underachieve, it also gave Snape a reason to mark him fairly, he would never risk downgrading Malfoy and lastly it keeps the cover of most hated professor and student. He just hoped the blond would be alright to work with.

Harry had just started cutting a particularly hard root when his arm twinged at the sharp pressure, he dropped the knife, and it fell to the floor with a clatter. He had tried to ignore it but his shoulder and arm were burning. He breathed through his teeth and slapped away a hand that tried to touch him. He shrugged off his outer robe and saw the red staining his shirt. The idiot must have reopened the wound when he nudged him. 

“Sir! Potter needs to go to the hospital wing.” He looked over to see worried silver eyes, other students had looked over at the call, and Snape strode towards them.

“What has Mr Potter done this time? So incapable he can't even cut ingredients without causing injury.” He finally got to them, and Harry saw his eyes fill with concern as he took in the scene. “Mr Potter go to the hospital wing. I will expect you back as soon as Madam Pomfrey is finished with you. You will be staying after class to catch up on the work you will miss.” Harry winced and nodded, he knew the potions master would be interrogating him over this. He went to leave and caught sight of the incredulous expressions directed toward the professor from both Gryffindors and Slytherins, before heading out the door. 

He walked into the infirmary and found Madam Pompfrey sitting behind her desk. She was currently scratching the head of a tabby cat that was curled on top of her paperwork. It was purring so loud Harry could hear it from where he stood just inside the door. Wait, is that. The door made a loud bang as it closed and both occupants looked at who came in. Harry was still standing, staring in shock, because yes, that was McGonigal. Deciding to ignore that and pretend he just thought it was a normal cat, he spoke.

“Um, I think the scratch reopened.” he shrugged off the robe again and the mediwitch bustled over to take care of it. By the time she was done slathering it in ointment, before bandaging it, and handing him a pain potion, he had five minutes of class left. When he reached the potions lab, the other students were coming out, a few cast him pitying looks as they walked by. Before he could cross the threshold, Snape's voice rang out. 

“I will see you in potions lab three, Mr Potter.” with a sigh he turned and made his way there with the professor not far behind him. Once in the room Snape dropped his deep scowl, eyes tracing over the shoulder he knew was injured, and spoke. “Lupin is waiting on the seventh floor.” Harry nodded, walking over to open the passageway that led to Slytherins chambers, making a detour to the seventh floor on their way. They all took the same seats as they did last time and Lupin's posture went rigid. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths through his nose. His eyes snapped open and bright amber stared into emerald green.

“Why do I smell blood on you?” his eyes lowered, scanning his body for any visible signs of injury.

“A question I would also like the answer to. How in Merlin's name did you get that injured, not even a week into the school year? I know Poppy just wrapped it, but I would like to take a look.” Snape gestured to the shoulder, Harry sighed, and shrugged off his robe and pulled his sleeve up. The potions master stepped forward and took his arm and gently started removing the bandages. Mooney hovered close watching him work with a worried expression until the bandages were off and he stepped forward with a scowl.

“That's a creature injury. It came from claws or talons, large ones, a magical creature, but one that does not possess magic, otherwise it would look much worse.” his muttering became unintelligible after that.  Harry turned back to Snape who rolled his eyes in fond exasperation, and went back to  looking over the cut. He opened a black leather bag he had brought with him, and pulled out salves and bandages, rewrapping Harry's arm, he spoke.

“How did you get this?” Lupin immediately stopped his chatter, and focused on their conversation. Harry turned away and glared at a point on the wall.

“Your idiot of a godson, thought it would be a great idea to insult a hippogriff, despite being told of the consequences for doing so only moments before.” Snape took a deep breath then pinched the bridge of his nose while muttering about idiot godsons and their lack of any common sense.

“Cub, that doesn't explain how you got injured.” Harry sighed and rubbed at his face. 

“I pulled him out of the way and Buckbeak nicked my arm. It could have been a lot worse, Malfoy would have been a lot closer when he was hit, and would have gotten a much more severe injury than this." The two professors shared a look and Snape spoke.

“You pulled Draco out of the way of a hippogriff attack?” Harry nodded. “How bad do you think he would have gotten hurt if you hadn't.” he thought back to last time. Hagrid had said it was just a scratch, but he had asked Madam Pomfrey, because he felt slightly responsible, and she had told him there were three deep lacerations, two grazed the bone, one went half way through Malfoys ulna. If he hadn't used his arm to shield the talons would have got his face or torso, so in answer it would have been bad.

“If he had used an arm to shield from the blow, he probably would have had his arm sliced halfway through. If he hadn't shielded… it would have been bad.” Snape's eyes widened.

“Harry, you do realize how serious that is, right? That could warrant a life debt.” he shook his head, he didn't want a life debt. He also doubted it would warrant one, Malfoy had been fine in his previous timeline, so it wasn't that bad.

“It wasn't that serious, he would have been fine.”

“Having one Heir protect another at the risk of their own safety is a serious thing Harry, even if it isn't life threatening, which, in the right conditions, this could have been, but we will ignore that for now, they at the very least owe you a formal recognition of thanks. If Lucius hears about this he won't let it go, he will create a meeting with you to carry out the formalities.” Harry groaned and put his head in his hands. Why did they have to be so extra about everything?

“I'm sure the headmaster will deal with it.” Harry and Snape's head spun towards the werewolf both having the same thought. Did the cleansing not work? Was the potion re-administered? “If we can count on him for one thing, it would be keeping Harry in the dark, and having Malfoy give a formal thanks would bring up too many questions.” both of them let out a sigh of relief, Lupin was right, Dumbles would never allow it.

Harry looked down at the robe, which was still bundled on his lap, and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. A loud pop sounded through the room and the robe was replaced with the usual tea service with the addition of a large plate of mini sweet and savory pastries. He moved forward to grab one, but noticed the blood staining his shirt sleeve and grimaced. “I’ll be right back.” he flooed to his trunk and changed, deciding to remove the glamor as well. he put the ring on a simple chain and put it around his neck, so it was easily accessible if he needed it. 

He flooed back, and raised an eyebrow at the two men who were standing in front of one of the doors that led off the room, both men looked like guilty children caught doing something they weren't supposed to. Remus looked down at the floor, and Snape wouldn't make eye contact either.

“I'm sorry. We’ve been curious since the last time we came down here.” They stood in front of the door that led to the office and Hadrian hoped they weren't able to get in. He was not letting them in there without Salazar's express permission. 

“Please tell me you weren't able to get in there.”  Snape was the one to answer.

“No, the door was locked. what's in there?”

“Just an office, and if you were curious you could have just asked.” Both men looked a little sheepish at that but it was clear to hadrian that curiosity was overriding everything else. He sighed knowing they would be distracted the whole time if he didnt show them some of the rooms. “I will show you one room of your choosing, then I want to hear what happened at gringotts on monday. Deal?” their eyes lit with unholy glee as they nodded their heads, and looked at the doors, deciding which to choose. He knew they wouldn't pick the office as they now knew roughly what was in there, they also wouldn't pick one of the smaller doors deeming them to be less important than the others. That left a fifty fifty chance for either the bedroom or the library. He moved closer to the library door bringing their attention to it. It would make them think he wanted them to open that one making them more likely to pick the other, he really hoped they chose the bedroom, it would be easier to pull them away. to his immense satisfaction they did. Gleefully he opened the door and went back to take his seat, fixing himself a cup of tea while he waited. 

It didn't take long for them to come back with matching scowls on their faces. “It was just a bedroom.” Lupin said petulantly as he flopped back into his seat and Hadrian chuckled.

“You can't blame me, you picked the room, if you hadn't discounted the smaller doors as less important, you might have found something more interesting.” their eyes gleamed as they looked between the smaller doors, good, they were now ignoring the library completely. He knew after seeing it he would get nothing out of them, so if he had to bribe them with another door he would be safe. “So who wants to go first?” Lupin sat up straighter and begun

“It wasn't too bad, about what we expected.” He laid the parchment on the table and Hadrian picked it up.

Remus John Lupin.

Core level: Grand Sorcerer.

Traces of foreign magic : Indissolubili Fide (Potion) Magical trace belonging to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. 

                                     : Neglectus Relationes (Curse) Magical trace belonging to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

                                     : lupum ab homine separare (Curse) Magical trace belonging to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. 

Hadrian nodded, he was right, it wasn't that bad. the only thing Snape hadn't already found was the potion, which they had guessed he was under anyway. Next Snape slid his across the table.

Severus Tobias Snape-Prince.

Core level: Apprentice Warlock, Inhibited.

Core inhibitors: paulo infirmitas (binding) Magical trace belonging to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

Traces of foreign magic: Augendae Odium (Curse) Magical trace belonging to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

“The binding isn’t the same as either of the ones from my results, and what is Augendae Odium?” He looked up to the two men and Snape spoke.

“The binding isn’t as severe as the two you had, it decreases the amount of magic you have by one ranking, it’s more of an inconvenience than anything harmful and as a potions master I don't use a lot of my magic so it didn't affect me at all. Augendae Odium, or Increasing hatred, increased my feelings of hate towards things I dislike.” Idly, Hadrian thought how much the potions master would hate dumbles right now if the curse was still on him. “That's not all either.” he slid a second piece of parchment across the table and Hadrian raised an eyebrow.

Severus Tobias Snape-Prince

Sire: Tobias Robert Snape Muggle

Bearer: Eileen Berenice Snape nee Prince pureblood

Titles Maternal 

Lord of the Noble House of Prince, Baron of Aralicia. Wizengamot seat holder

He looked at the potions master. “This is what the goblins were trying to contact you about?” Snape nodded.

“My grandfather passed away almost a year ago. Before he died, he reinstated me into the family, and made me his Heir. They looked into why I wasn't getting the letters, it turns out I have an owl redirection ward on me, placed by none other than our illustrious headmaster. The goblins assured me that if he had tried to open any of the letters it would have incinerated itself, since they keyed the letter to my magical signature.

“They can do that?” Hadrian was intrigued.

“Yes they can, only because they have records of every magical signature in britain. If you take any kind of blood test, which you have to do to prove your identity for almost anything, they register the signature. It's why their magic scans show who cast the magic. It will run through the archive and match the signature with the name it's registered under.” Hadrian had never thought about it like that before.

“So Dumbledore definitely won't know you're the lord?” he was a little concerned Dumbles would try to finesse his way into holding the proxy, but he guessed if he did know he would probably already hold the proxy. 

“No my mother was disowned, that removes you from family records, and strippes you of your last name. Unless he has access to blood tests, like this one, there would be no proof that I was related to the prince family.” Hadrian nodded.

“May I suggest you give the proxy to Lucius? Having you hold it would be stupid for obvious reasons, and in Lord Malfoys last letter there were rumors that Dumbledore was trying to gain another proxy so he could fight the chief warlock seat away from him. I know it wouldn't work anyway but it doesn't hurt to be one step ahead. It might also be beneficial for him not to know you're the new lord.” Snape raised an eyebrow. “Plausible deniability.” Snape looked contemplative for a minute, then nodded, before realization lit in his eyes, and a grin took over his face.

“How would you feel about writing the change of proxy form for me?” he felt a matching grin spread across his face.

“You want him to think it's the same person.”

“He was having a slight melt down at the thought of someone holding four titles. I want to see what happens when he thinks it's five.” Hadrian couldn't help but chuckle.

“I can do better. I haven't replied to his letter yet. What if we sent the form with it, saying that it was the solution to the Dumbledore problem. He’ll think this person casually gave out another proxy just because he can.” In that moment, the potion master's grin reminded Hadrian of a certain entity with monochrome hair, and a shiver went down his spine. It didn't take long before the form was written out, along with the letter, and they went back to their tea. He noticed Lupin and Snape exchanging looks and raised eyebrows. It was clear to Hadrian that the potions master was trying to get Mooney to say something to him. 

“What is it?” The two men startled and looked at him with wide eyes. Did they think they were being subtle? “You're not subtle. Now, out with it.” he stared at Remus waiting for him to speak. It took a minute but eventually he spoke.

“It’s about your heritage test, on it, it said you had a second father.” The wolf bit his lip and Hadrian looked away. He had been wanting to ignore that and hoped they wouldn’t bring it up. Sirius was a sore topic for him. When he had seen it the first time his brain was too scrambled to fully understand, and once the mental fog was gone he was too overwhelmed with everything else. A few days later he had gone back to it and had a small breakdown at the fact he was counted as one of his parents meaning he still had a family, as small as it was. When he went back to Goruk the next weekend, he had asked about it, and the explanation had made it worse. A blood adoption was some serious magic, it rewrote your genetic code to give you three, or more, biological parents. Harry had completely broken at the thought of having been present for all three of his parents' deaths. He had immediately wanted to go find Sirius and keep him safe, but quickly realized the importance of keeping this year the same. Without him he would have no clue when, where, or how voldemort would show up. He needed Pettigrew to escape and find his lord; that would only happen if Sirius caught him. He hated it. He felt like he was using him or worse abandoning his own father. What if the dementors got him this time.

Hadrian startled at the feeling of hands on his face and tried to focus on the person in front of him, but his vision was blurry, he realized now that he was crying. Thumbs rubbed under his eyes, wiping away the tears, as his vision cleared a very distressed Mooney came into focus.

“I'm guessing you know about what happened.” Hadrian nodded. “Alright cub, we won’t talk about it anymore. We just needed to make sure you knew, no matter how tempting it may be, you can't go looking for him.” he looked him in the eyes conveying how serious this was and Hadrian nodded. Mooney gave a cheshire grin. “So you said the smaller doors were more interesting?” Hadrian couldn’t help the wet chuckle that came out of him, Remus was trying to lighten the mood, and he appreciated it. He scrubbed the remaining tears out of his eyes and focused back on the men. He saw both of them were now looking at the doors with the same manic curiosity he saw last time. Thinking for a minute he concluded there was nothing else that they needed to go over so he stood.

“Which one do you want me to open next?” Next was the infirmary. They were intrigued but not overly so. For the next one he pushed open the door and walked in before them, turning so he could see Snape's reaction. The man stopped in the doorway as his eyes roamed over everything, before he bounced on his heels, and ran to the shelves that held the most expensive cauldrons. Chattering about all the things he could do if he had access to this equipment. Hadrian didn't miss the indulgent smile on Mooney's face, as he stared at the potions master acting like a kid. He raised an eyebrow at the wolf, who blushed violently and turned away. Interesting, he had already noticed how close they were this time around. They would do little things without conscious effort that indicated an intimate relationship of some kind, so this was just a little more proof. He wondered if the spells on them both had kept them apart  last time. Lupin neglecting their relationship and with Snape being upset and angry it would have increased his hatred for the other man. Hadrian wouldn't bring it up with them though, instead he grabbed their attention and dragged them out of the room. 

“Now before I open this last door I have some things to say. First the only way you can get out of here is by the floo.” he pointed at the fireplace. “Second, do not go down the two corridors either side. You will get lost. They are an endless maze of secret passageways. Third is, all the other doors will be locked. The only place you will have access to is this room and the one through those doors. Lastly, no books can be removed from the chambers." He didn't give them time to process that before he opened the doors to the library. Standing in front of them he waved his arms around to make sure he had their attention. “Remember, the only way out is through the floo. Have fun. I'm going to dinner.” with that he left the two gaping professors behind.

Chapter Text

The next morning Harry was walking down to breakfast. He was in a good mood even with Ron and Hermione trailing either side of him. They would not be able to ruin his good mood today. There was a double period of divination first thing that morning followed by history of magic, and muggle studies. Harry took neither divination or muggle studies so both were free periods for him, and history of magic was so abysmal that it was basically another free period. It was his easiest day by far with only charms and DADA after lunch. Hermione took both divination and muggle studies. Ron also took divination, which meant he was free from them for two hours. He was also excited for DADA. In the last timeline, today was the day Remus put them against a boggart and Harry was intrigued what it would turn into, dementors didn't hold the same fear they once did for him.

Walking into breakfast, the trio quickly noticed the silence that blanketed the hall. No one was talking, everyone was staring straight down at the table, and the only thing that could be heard was the quiet clatter of cutlery on plates. Quickly Harry sat next to Neville and looked for the reason for the silence. It didn't take him long. Snape sat with the most severe scowl he had ever seen from the man. It was made more menacing by the deep purple eye bags, and messy hair. He looked like he had been up all night. Sat next to him was an equally grumpy and exhausted looking Remus Lupin. Harry was pretty sure Remus was wearing the same robes as yesterday. It was the most disheveled anyone had ever seen Snape. The braver students were looking between the two professors with speculative glances and he wondered what the Hogwarts rumor mill would come up with this time.

Suddenly, Snape's utterly venomous glare fixed on him, and he shivered as the onyx eyes bore into him. Harry realized very abruptly that he would need to find a way for them to have access to the library if he ever wanted peace in this lifetime. He would have to ask Salazar and Rowena as soon as possible. The potions master looked away as another group of students entered the hall and Harry let out a breath. Knowing that this was technically his fault he decided to try and get the dour man to be less murderous. Leaning right down to the table he spoke.

“Would you please make the strongest coffee you can, add cinnamon, vanilla, half cream, and one sugar, for professor Snape. Please and thankyou." With the silence in the hall almost the entire table heard him as well as some from other tables and were all looking at him like he was insane. Harry ignored them and turned to look at the head table where a steaming mug of coffee had just appeared in front of Snape. Everyone around him turned and watched as the potions professor reached forward and wrapped his hands around the warm mug and took a sip, his scowl lessened ever so slightly and the hall released a collective breath. Harry noticed Moony making puppy eyes at the cup and asked the elves to get him one too. Soon enough both professors were happily drinking their coffees and slowly the noise came back to the hall.

“Malfoy keeps looking over here.” he turned to Ron who was scowling across the room. looking over he locked eyes with the blond who looked at him in confusion then his eyes flicked to the ceiling where the post comes from and a scowl came across his features. Throughout the rest of breakfast Malfoy's eyes would flick between him and the ceiling. At this point it was obvious that Harry was supposed to receive something probably from the Malfoy patriarch. Hermione had noticed too and had a smug little smile on her face. If only she knew that Harry still received his mail despite the owl redirection ward Dumbles placed on him. When he had found out about it he asked the goblins to alter it slightly so all the redirected mail went to them to be sorted and sent to him via letter boxes.

Harry still wasn't sure how to deal with the Slytherins. He didn't hate them like he used to, he hadn’t since the cleansing, but he wasn't sure how open they would be to him trying for anything more than civil. He would class his current feelings towards them as mild amusement, mostly because of their interactions with the idiots, but if he was honest with himself, he was intrigued by the people who could have been his house mates, if the coot hadn’t interfered. He hadn't exactly made a good impression though, every time they had tried to talk to him, he had had to avoid them or act hostile. He expected they would wait for him to leave then follow, like they had been doing more recently. To his surprise they all got up and walked out the doors. Before he was even finished with his breakfast.

“I don't have Divination so I'm going to head to the library. I’ll see you in History of Magic after break.” Ron frowned, he was still angry that Harry didn't take divination with him, but there was no way he was going to sit through three more years of that. He stood and headed out the doors making his way to the library. In the corridor just before the library an arm shot out from behind a tapestry he was walking past and pulled him in. It caught him so off guard that he staggered and fell into someone, dropping the books he hadn't bothered putting back in his bag before leaving the hall. Looking up he saw a slightly shocked Theodore Nott. he went to push himself away and realized his wrist was still being held. He looked at the hand and followed the arm to Goyle, who quickly let go.

“Sorry. You are small.” Harry blinked at him. He called him small. He knew he was, but that was just rude. Crabbe facepalmed next to him, and started saying something to the other boy in a language Harry didn't recognize. But Goyles eyes widened and he turned back to harry. “Sorry. You are light.” Goyles words were heavily accented and he wondered why he had never noticed before. Crabbe rubbed at his temples and continued.

“He meant, you were lighter than he thought you would be and over compensated. He is sorry for pulling you so hard."He felt a slight shifting and realized he was still leaning against Nott. he quickly pushed himself away and looked around the space. All of the Slytherin third years were there and most looked like they were suppressing giggles. Another boy stepped in front of him holding out his books, and oh Merlin why were they all so bloody tall. Nott was the tallest and was at least a head taller than Harry; all the other boys were only an inch or two shorter than that. It wasn't fair.

“We know it wasn't the best way, but you said we couldn't be seen together and this is what we could think of.” The boy, Zabini, his mind supplied, was looking at him nervously and Harry realized he still hadn't taken the books, and was glaring at them for daring to be so tall. He snatched the books back and looked them over; they were some of the parselscript books he had copied from Salizar. He didn't mind having these out for people to see since no one could read them anyway and almost no one knew that parseltongue had a written language. Just because they were copies though didn't mean they weren't fragile. They were exact copies. He went to pull the first book open and the cover came off in his hand. It was fine. It was fine. It's just a copy you can make a new one. He felt tears sting his eyes and he didn't know why but it wouldn't stop. It was just a copy and he knew that, but all he could think of was Salazar telling him to be careful, and that even though they were copies, they were precious. This was stupid, he could fix this. He placed the book with its cover back on top of it onto the floor, and knelt down.

***

“I would like it put on record that I think this is a bad idea.” Theo couldn't help but agree with her.

“Well Daphne if you have a better idea I would love to hear it. He told us that we basically couldn't approach him ever, and at this point after the dementor on the train we probably all owe him a life debt that goes double for me, and Blaise outright insulted him. We aren't doing too well, and my father was all cryptic this summer, asking me to watch him, and that he wasn't what he seemed." They were currently walking through one of the secret passages that led to the library.

“You're being a little dramatic there, Dray.” pansy cut in pulling his attention away from her friend.

“I’m just saying that ambushing him and pulling him into an alcove where he is clearly outnumbered, isn't the best idea.” Before Draco could start again Blaise spoke up.

“That's not everything though is it Draco? You were going to be careful, but you just threw that plan out the window. So what happened during breakfast that made you decide to rush everything?” Everyone stopped and looked at Draco, who was biting his lip. Zabini was the only one who noticed that something had happened. No one considered that there was an actual reason, they just assumed he was being impulsive.

“I think someone might be tampering with his mail. At first I thought it was just a normal mail ward. You know? He’s famous. Getting mail from fans every day would get annoying, but my father sent him something. Something that should have arrived this morning. Having formal correspondence from a high ranking lord be blocked by a mail ward. It seems malicious. Not to mention when I looked at Granger, she smirked at me like she knew.” they continued walking and stopped at the entrance waiting for Potter.

“I get why, but there must be a better way than yanking him through a tapestry.” again he couldn't help but agree.

“Yes or no he close.” Goyles accented English cut any response that would have been given, and Draco nodded at him. Potter was pulled roughly through the tapestry and straight into his chest. He looked down into bright green eyes blinking up at him. He seemed to register their position and went to move but turned his head. Goyle still hadn't let go of Potter's wrist.

“Sorry. You are small.” Theo saw Crabbe facepalm, and started saying something to Goyle in Cornish before Goyles eyes widened and he turned back to harry. “Sorry. You are light.” He was trying his very hardest not to laugh and only now did he realize Potter hadn’t moved, and was still leaning on him. He noticed Zabini collecting books off the floor. Potter must have been holding them when he was pulled. The poor books.

“He meant, you were lighter than he thought you would be and over compensated. He is sorry for pulling you so hard." Theo was trying his best not to laugh at that, but it was hard. Potter's head snapped back to him and realizing the position they were in quickly pushed himself away. Blaise stepped forward holding the books out to the other boy. Potter didn't even look at them, just stood scowling. Blaise shifted uncomfortably.

“We know it wasn't the best way, but you said we couldn't be seen together and this is what we could think of.” Potter's glare stopped immediately and his eyes lowered to the books, he snatched them from Blaise and began looking them over carefully. Theo hadn’t known Potter cared for his books so much. He pulled the first book open and the cover came off in his hand. Theo watched the boy's face fall as he looked between the book and its ripped off cover. If he wasn't mistaken it looked like he was about to cry. All of them turned to him with faces full of panic, and Pansy spoke.

“Theo, please tell us that that book isn't some rare tome.” he leaned forward slightly and winced.

“The writing looks like a very ancient language. I don't know what it is. I haven't seen it before, it's also entirely handwritten. The style of binding is something only seen in very old tomes and would explain why it's so fragile.” Pansy was getting impatient and snapped.

“And?”

“It's more than likely one of a kind and from his ancestral library.” all of their faces went ashen as they looked at Potter who was still looking between the cover and the rest of the book. Because of them a probably ancient and irreplaceable tome had been damaged. Suddenly Potter dropped to his knees and placed the book gently in front of him, his hand held over the cover before closing his eyes, and starting to… Growl? Hum? He didn't know, but it was deep, melodic, and beautiful. The humming stopped abruptly and Potter's hand glowed with a yellow light. When he pulled it away he inspected the book again only for it to be fixed. That wasn't possible. repairing magic cast on ancient tomes just caused more damage. It interacted poorly with the preservation charms causing them to deteriorate and damage the tome.

***

Harry was happy that had worked he wasn't sure it would but good to know it wouldn't react poorly with the preservation spells. He quickly and carefully put the books away into his bag and stood. Looking up he remembered that he wasn't alone and that performing Draconic magic in front of them wasn't his best idea. They were all looking at him like he had declared that Snape was his father.

“So… are we just going to talk in this passageway or did you have somewhere more comfortable in mind?” a girl, Parkinson he believed, stepped forward and linked their arms, pulling him down the passageway and passed the other still frozen Slytherins.

“Of course, there's this abandoned classroom we turned into a study room. it's just at the end of this passageway. We made it there so we had easy access to the library.” They continued at a fast pace until they reached an outcove with a statue hiding the entrance to the passage. They slipped around it and into the door right in front of the statue.

This was not a classroom. He was pretty sure it was some kind of hall, and now that he thought about it that did make sense. You wouldn't have a great hall if there weren't other not so great halls. It was still beautiful though the, floor was some kind of polished stone with large pillars leading to high arched ceilings. The pillars were covered in deep green satin curtains that pooled on the floor where it was tied back to reveal the intricately carved stonework beneath, a large marble fireplace was in the center of one wall, and many floor to ceiling windows looking out over the grounds. To the far end of the room was a large dining table that would comfortably seat ten and in the center was a cluster of sofas all in different, but still complimenting, shades of green. Parkinson pulled on his arm and led him to one of the seats. It wasn't long before the others joined and Nott spoke.

“What the hell was that back there?” Harry just smiled knowing exactly how to derail that line of questioning.

“Your Nott? Right? Theodore Nott, Heir to the Noble and Ancient House of Nott. Your father is Theodorus Nott, Earl of Norhaven?” Notts face went pink and he stood quickly, the others rushing to join him.

“I apologize for my rudeness. Yes, I am Theodore Nott, Heir to the Noble and Ancient House of Nott. it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He held his hands at his sides, palms out and bowed in a traditional wizarding greeting of a lower ranking family. A girl with long dark brown hair and brown eyes was next to step forward. She looked extremely nervous.

“My Name is Tracey Davis, my mother was a daughter of the indirect line of the Selwyn family. It's a pleasure to meet you.” She bowed in the same way Nott had, but much deeper, and held it slightly longer. The other girls looked at her with encouraging smiles after she was done and Harry assumed they had taught her etiquette as she wasn't raised into a noble family.

“I am Gregory Goyle, Son of the Noble House of Goyle. My father is Barron of Temadura. it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." His accent was thick and Harry was now sure that English was not his first language.

“Millicent Bulstrode, Daughter of the Noble and Ancient House of Bulstrode. My father is the Count of Nastile. it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

“Pansy Parkinson, Daughter of the Noble and Ancient House of Parkinson. My father is the Earl of Embercain. it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Vincent Crabbe, Heir of the Noble House of Crabbe. My father is Barron of Direscar. it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He had the same accent as Goyle but seemed more comfortable with the English language than the other boy.

“Blaise Zabini, Heir to the Noble and Distinguished House of Zabini and the Noble House of Wilkes. My Mother is the Viscountess of Sencia and Baroness of Narveil. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“I am Daphne Greengrass, Heiress to the Noble and Ancient House of Greengrass. My father is the Count of Perrybell. it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Draconis Malfoy, Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Malfoy, My father is Marquess of Ithnion, and I believe we have met.” he sent a small smirk to him which Harry returned.

“I am Hadrian Potter, Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, Margrave of Thornfair. It's a pleasure to make all of your acquaintances.” he allowed the potter lord ring to be visible as they all looked to his hand with slightly wide eyes at his declaration. It was a bit of a risk to tell them about the Lordship but the whole house had proven themselves to be tight-lipped when they wanted to be. Parkinson and Zabini stepped forward, Zabini giveing a deep bow and Parkinson a Deep curtsey, with a low ‘My Lord’ spoken in unison. Harry was a little stunned but was quickly going through the etiquette and genealogy books he had read, and realized that the Zabini’s and Parkinson’s held lands in the Potter territories, making him their active lord. Technically he was also Greengrass’s Lord, as their lands were in Ravenclaws territories, but she didn't know that, and he wasn't about to say anything. They all retook their seats and Harry spoke.

“So what is it you yanked me through a tapestry for?” They all turned to Malfoy, so Harry looked to him for an answer also.

“We had decided to keep our distance until we found a suitable way of communicating with you, however this morning worried me. I believe you might have a mail ward placed on you by someone with malicious intentions." Harry raised an eyebrow. So they weren't just trying to be neutral with him, they were actively helping. This was unexpected but not unwelcome.

“I am aware.” Malfoy looked at him in shock.

“I apologize Lord Potter, but I don't think you are. This ward stopped a formal missive from another Lord of equal standing to yourself." Harry sighed, he would have to give them more. He supposes it doesn't really matter as Lucius already knows he’s not in Dumbledore's pocket after telling him about Dobby.

“First please call me Potter, or if we are in private, you can call me Hadrian. I would rather not be called Harry as I don't particularly like it.” they all looked slightly shocked at that revelation. “Next, Heir Malfoy, I am aware of the ward, who placed it, and have already counteracted it without any visible indication of doing so. I will check your fathers missive as soon as I am able. I appreciate your concern on the matter though.” The tension in Malfoys shoulders dissipated after he found out Harry would still receive his mail.

"If you are aware of who cast it, why have you not done something about it?" Harry looked into Malfoy's eyes before doing the same to all the others, but the only thing he found was curiosity. He really hoped this wouldn't be a mistake. If they really wanted to be allies he was sure it wouldn't be.

"The person who placed it is not someone to go against with something as minor as a mail ward, and until a time comes where their reputation won't save them, it is something that is best ignored."

“Lord Potter,” His eye twitched as he realized he had only given Malfoy leave to address him informally, but waited for Greengrass to finish before rectifying that. “As much as I understand the need for discretion and reluctance to divulge potentially sensitive information, I do believe it would be best if we all spoke openly.” Hadrian Raised an eyebrow at her and smirked.

“How very Gryffindor of you Heiress Greengrass, and please call me Potter or Hadrian, I extend that to all of you.” he looked around the others, hoping he wouldn't have to say it again. They all murmured something along the same lines, that he could call them simply by first or last name. He looked back to Greengrass and spoke.

“What do you want out of this conversation?” He sat back in his seat. if they wanted him to drop pretenses they would have to as well.

“I personally would like to know where you stand politically.” he would admit he did not expect her to be that blunt. “You slipped at the end of last year, allowing others to see through your carefully constructed mask of the golden boy. This year it's back in place as impenetrable as it was before. I don't wish to insult you, but that is not in the skill set of a lion. Not to mention having Draco's father ask us to observe you because he had doubts about your allegiances.” he was shocked she had offered him more direct information in that one answer than Dumbledore had in his entire time knowing the man. He was not the only one shocked; most of the others were scowling at her. Daphne however wasn't looking at them, keeping her cool steady gaze firmly on Hadrian.

“Honestly my views are more dark leaning Grey. I believe muggleborn and muggle raised magicals should be properly educated about wizarding tradition and holidays, and yes I mean the old holidays that are now considered illegal. The anti dark magic mentality is a slight against lady magic and the anti creature laws is blatant aggression against the Seligen court. The statute of secrecy should be more heavily enforced, and there should be a much greater divide between muggles and wixen.”

“If your values are the same as ours, why did you snub me in first year?” Draco was looking at him curiously but Harry couldn't miss the small amount of hurt in the blonds eyes. He scrubbed his hands over his face, rubbing the heels of his palms into his eyes and let out a sigh.

“Honestly because I didn't know any better. you were the first person I had properly met in the magical world and no offense but you acted like a git. You insulted Hagrid, who was one of the first people to show me kindness. Later you insulted Ron, someone I thought of as my first friend. You reminded me of my cousin, so not a very good first impression.”

“Hold on, are you saying you hadn’t met any magicals before your trip to Diagon? also why would Hagrid take you, and not your guardians?”

“After my parents died I was sent to live with my mothers sister and her family in the muggle world. I grew up without knowing that magic existed. My aunt hates magic and the ‘freaks’ who took her sister. When my letter came they took it, every time more would come they would destroy them. Hagrid was sent a week after the first letter, so he could take me to go get my school supplies."He looked up to see nine furious faces staring back at him.

“You didn't know about magic, at all?” Malfoy questioned, looking a mix of horrified and furious. Harry shook his head.

“No I didn't, Dumbledore made sure of that.” The bitterness in his voice was clear to all of them and slowly the pieces were slotting together in their minds. “Last year is when I started to notice things going on around me. I had never been able to read much of anything about the wizarding world before then Ron and Hermione would always distract me and stop me from looking into anything regarding our world. This last summer is actually when I found out I was a noble. I spent most of the summer reading about nobility, etiquette, and anything else I needed to know, so it's safe to say my knowledge is patchy at best. Weasley and Granger are basically my guard dogs. They are there to stop me from learning too much or getting too close to other people. My life as well as the lives of those around me are being controlled by the old goat.”

“There Are things that you are purposely leaving out,” Greengrass Pointed out, and Harry nodded.

“There is a lot I am not telling you at the moment, but maybe in the future you might find out. Currently all you need to know is that we cant be seen together and that no one should ever trust Dumbledore." they all nodded and pansy sat forward.

“You said your knowledge on noble education was patchy right?” he nodded wondering what she was getting at. “Well every Thursday you have a two hour period where every one of your lions is preoccupied. We could use the time to teach you all the things you should have been taught growing up.” to his surprise they all looked excited by the proposal. Draco scooted forward, his mercury eyes gleaming as he looked Hadrian over.

“Can I finally fix his hair? I've wanted to fix it since the first time I laid eyes on it.” Blaise moved forward the same sparkle present in his own deep brown eyes.

“Oh and his clothes. They’re atrocious.” Malfoy nodded along and began an in depth conversation about colors and cuts that would suit him. He looked over to the girls who were having their own discussion about etiquette and other things he needed to learn, appearing like they were making lesson plans. He quietly got up and moved to the furthest sofa away from them. He pulled out the parcelscript book and settled in, only for the cushion to dip next to him. He looked up and saw Nott looking curiously at the book he was holding.

“What language is that? I haven't seen it before.” Hadrian scrutinized him for a minute before deciding to tell the other boy.

“It's Parcelscript. Most people don't know it exists. They think parseltongue is just the snake language not realizing it also belonged to the Nagas.” Theos eyes gleamed at the knowledge presented to him. They spent the next two hours talking about lost magics and languages and how the ministry was responsible for most of it being removed from common knowledge. Around them the others planned future lessons and styling choices for Hadrian.

Chapter Text

He left the Slytherin study hall with a promise to see them again next week, and two less books. Bulstrode had inserted herself into his and Notts conversation after she overheard the discussion, the three of them talked for a good hour about magical theory and the limitations wixen didn't realize they were setting by creating a divide between different types of magic and that few magicals had enough creativity to think about merging different magics together. This was why Fred and George were so successful in the last timeline. They knew what they wanted to make and only saw magic as a means to the end, in doing so they crossed the borders between the different categories of magic, blending them together to create the desired outcome. 

During that conversation he had found out that Bulstrode had a minor obsession with runes so lent her one of the advanced books he had on obscure ancient runes. The other book was a history of banned magic that he had lent to Nott. That particular book had been made illegal over two hundred years ago with almost every other copy being burnt. He had found it when he was putting the books from the ROR away and had put it on his reading list. It cataloged all the instances of the ministry banning branches of magic to uphold treaties or to bribe the muggle government. Most of the treaties and bribes had been completely forgotten by the muggles and it happened so long ago there was no written records that muggles still had. Only the wixen had proof and had no reason to continue following them as the muggle government would have no clue if they didn’t. However, to reintroduce the magic would mean they would have to explain that they had purposefully given false information regarding the banned magics to cause a stigma against them so the population would comply with the treaty without knowing of its existence.

 Harry had duplicated it, leaving the original safely in his trunk and used a permanent transfiguration spell to change the cover on the copy to make it look like the current history of magic textbook they were using.

During history of magic, both Nott and Bulstrode were immersed in their books, scribbling notes in their journals, and Harry could see Granger looking over at them and scribbling her own notes like it was a competition to see who was doing more. After the lesson finished Hermione and seamus rushed to muggle studies, while Harry, Ron, Dean, and Neville trudged to the library for their free period.

“Merlin I'm so tired I just want to go have a nap.” Neville complained through a yawn.

“who thought it was a good idea to have Divination the day after we’re up till midnight for astronomy then followed by history of magic. I bet you Snape made the schedule.”Dean grumbled, spitting Snapes name like a curse.

“Yeah, we’re already tired this morning from being up late. The heat and incense from Trelawney's tower make me drowsy enough, and then they put us in a room with Binns droning on about goblin wars expecting us to stay awake. Not a chance in Broceliande.”

“You do realize you can just go take a nap now? Right?” They all looked at him in disbelief. “It's a free period and it's right before lunch. You have time.” 

“Oh, I hadn't  thought we’d actually be allowed.” all of them looked slightly confused and disbelieving, making Harry chuckle.

“We aren’t monitored during free periods so if you feel a nap would be more helpful to your education than being barely able to concentrate during lessons because you're too tired then it is more sensible to take a nap in the time available to you.” They looked between each other and silently decided that sleep sounded good. They went to walk away but Dean turned when he realized Harry was walking in the other direction.

“Aren’t you coming with us?” The other boys stopped and turned at hearing Dean's question.

“No. I have Ancient Runes tomorrow and haven't finished the homework. I’ll see you guys at lunch.” he quickly continued down the corridor, making his way to his ‘secret base,’ before they could change their minds and join him. Once there, he shadow stepped into Salazar's office. Before he could make his way over to the desk both Salazar and Rowena shreeked. he whipped around, his hydra wand falling into his hand as he pointed it towards the portrait. Both founders were looking at him wide eyed.

“Where in magic's great name did you come from?” Salazar boomed, his hand over his chest in the universal sign of, ‘you just scared the shit out of me.’ Harry  let out a breath as he lowered and sheathed his wand while turning to walk over to the desk.

“Sorry about that. I can walk through shadows. In future I'll knock on the wall to announce my presence to you.”

“Please do. As much as you can't kill us from the shock, it is still unpleasant.” Rowina was giving him a disappointed glare that looked a lot like Remus, and that reminded him that he had questions. 

“Before I forget, is there a way to allow people access to the library without me having to be around?” He looked curiously at the portrait as they had a silent conversation with their eyebrows before Rowina spoke. 

“If you mean the two men who were here the entirety of last night? I wouldn't mind them having access, it was nice to see two of my little eagles get so excited over the knowledge that our library held.” Harry choked back a laugh. 

“Neither of them were in Ravenclaw.” She looked at him in bafflement. “Remus the one with sandy brown hair was a Gryffindor and Snape the man with black hair was a Slytherin and is currently head of Slytherin house.” Rowina looked like he had just slapped her in the face with a dead fish as she opened and closed her mouth, clearly not knowing what to say to that. Salazar on the other hand had a smug little smile at the fact that one of them was the current head of his house. 

“I’ll allow it also, they were respectful towards the books. All you need to do is go to the top floor above the library and you will find the ward stone. All you must do is give a drop of blood from each person you wish to give access to.” he nodded in thanks before taking a seat behind the desk and opening the gringotts mailbox that was designated for anything addressed to him as a Lord/Heir. Before looking through it though he looked back to the portrait he had one more question.

“What time did the two professors leave the library?” He remembered their disheveled appearance during breakfast, thinking they must have overslept that morning because of the late night. Rowina gave him an amused grin as she spoke.

“They were here till seven past six this morning.” Harry almost choked. Breakfast started at six, that ment they had been late for breakfast. He knew you didn't have to be there when it started, however, Snape was always there five minutes early without fail everyday. Well that explains why they didn't even have time to look presentable.

"Oh, I almost forgot, while you're here would you mind activating the other frames within the chambers so we can move around the castle more freely. You just need to tap the frames and push a little magic into it, the same thing you did to the frame in the library. Or if you're already going to the ward stone you can unlock them all from there." He must have seen the apprehension on Harry's face because he rushed to reassure him. "None of the other portraits will have access to the quarters. It only gives us access to the other frames in and out of the chambers." Harry relaxed knowing it wouldn't allow others into what he deems his safe space and nodded at Salazar. 

"I'll get to it as soon as I can." looking back down into the open box, he riffled through it seeing several envelopes. The one he was most interested in was the one addressed to Heir Potter, instead of his several other titles. It was made of an expensive looking heavy parchment. His name was written in royal blue ink and it was sealed with the malfoy crest stamped into wax, the primary color of their house, which was Ice blue. It was a little fancier than the letters he sent to Lord Black. He opened it carefully and began to read.

Dear Harry James Potter, 

  Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter.

I am writing to you in order to convey my and my wife's sincerest thanks regarding the protection of our only son and Heir from both a dementor and hippogriff attack. It is my understanding that you protected him at the cost of your own safety and wellbeing, In doing so you have sustained rather substantial injuries. I must thank you again. I have heard from multiple sources that if you had not intervened my son's injuries could have been far more severe. I have attempted multiple times to arrange a meeting with you properly to give formal thanks, However I have been denied every time, with the implication that you would not appreciate a formal thankyou from me and my house. I find this implication rather interesting as it conflicts with what I observed of you in our last encounter. There is to be a board of governors meeting this weekend where I intend to bring the matter to their attention, as I know others also wish to give thanks regarding the incident on the train. Until I am able to arrange a meeting, I sincerely hope you do not find the written correspondence to be an insult to you or your house.  

Yours Faithfully

Lord Lucius Abraxas Malfoy

Marquess of Ithnion

P.S. The issue you brought to me the last time we met, has now been dealt with, and I greatly appreciate you bringing the matter to my attention. He was all too happy to receive clothes, and I far too eager to give them. Only one older wizard seemed put out by the exchange.

He pulled out  a quill and a Bit of spare parchment mulling over his response and writing several drafts until he was satisfied. He then went into the desk drawer and pulled out the stationary box stamped with the potter crest that had everything for Potter House formal correspondence. Opening it, he took out the deep royal purple ink, heavy rich cream parchment and a gold tipped quill. 

It was aggravating to think he would have to use subpar handwriting for this. He was left-handed, not that anyone knew that. The Dursleys had made sure he knew it was one more thing that made him abnormal and forced him to learn to write with his right hand, but it had always been messier than anything he could do with his left. Even with them not around, he had carried the habit to Hogwarts and with him learning to use a quill through trial and error, because Merlin forbid that anyone tells him there was a guide to help, his handwriting only became more of a mess. When it came time to write something as Lord of one of the other houses it had taken no thought to use his left hand to make sure his letters were suitable. His handwriting was actually really nice after he had read the books on how to use a quill properly and when using his dominant hand. However, he knew that with this letter he would have to write as Harry Potter meaning using his right hand or Lord Malfoy would definitely recognize the handwriting and link him to Lord Black and the rest. 

Sighing he put the quill to the parchment and paused. He just realized he hadn’t given out the proxies for Gryffindor and Peverell because they were easily linked to him, but if they were easily linked to him he could still use them when writing as Lord Potter. If he used them to sign this letter it would add more weight to it without outing him as Lord black. He would definitely add Gryffindor, but the Peverell name was well known not just in Britain but over most of the magical world. The Peverells were seen as the religious leaders for a lot of magicals, as most of the rituals and holidays that were dedicated to mother magic and her children, were created by the Peverell family. Associating his name as the head of the Peverell family would grant him a lot of power, not just in England. Deciding he wasn't quite ready for that kind of power being tied to him just yet he began to write.

Dear Lord Lucius Abraxas Malfoy

   Marquess Of Ithnion

I write to you in response to your formal correspondence of thanks, I do not find insult with your written correspondence as I am aware of the machinations of a certain old wizard keeping you from performing the formalities in person. With this in mind I make a request of you to allow the formalities to be conveyed in writing, as it would not do to have certain people believe that I am privy to information they do not wish me to have. Please understand that I am not snubbing our traditions or your House and I would not ask this if the circumstances were different, however I believe keeping certain people ignorant of my knowledge would be beneficial to us all. I sincerely hope that you agree.

You mentioned others who wish to show thanks, I ask that if you trust them with the knowledge that written correspondence is best that you inform them. I should make you aware that I have spoken with Gregory Goyle, Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson, Heir Crabbe, Heir Zabini, Heiress Greengrass, Heir Nott, and Heir Malfoy today and they are privy to a few more details that may be enlightening. Also all written correspondence is completely safe and in no way an issue.

Yours Faithfully 

 Lord Hadrian Jameson Potter

Margrave of Thornfair, Viscount of Whiteshade

He looked the parchment over and decided it was acceptable. He had written in a different style than he usually did in his letters, keeping his handwriting neat, with sharp flicks and points, instead of the looping calligraphy he did as lord black. It was easier to write that way and meant he was able to keep the style tidy and presentable. He cast a quick drying charm over it before stamping the Potter and Gryffindor Lord rings at the bottom and folding it to put in an envelope. He then pulled out the midnight Purple wax and sealed it with the Potter crest. Deep Purple being the Potter primary house color. 

He didn't have much time left till lunch so he packed everything away, pocketed the letter, and made his way to the great hall for lunch. By the time he arrived lunch had just started and there were only a few people in the hall not one of them was a Gryffindor, so he sat appreciating the quiet meal while it lasted. It lasted longer than he thought it would as Ron and Dean who were usually the louder ones were still groggy from their nap. 

The quiet lasted all the way through charms till DADA where Malfoy just had to provoke Ron into a fight. It was amusing to watch however he did mourn the silence that was so rudely taken from him. Malfoy continued to push the other boys' buttons expertly while Ron spluttered his way through incoherent defenses and childish retorts. Harry rolled his eyes at the display until the door to the classroom was opened, and everyone filed in. he was lagging behind everyone else watching them enter and couldn't help but think about the fact that Gryffindor and Slytherin were paired together for the two classes with the most potential to go wrong, DADA and potions. Eventually he entered and took his seat.

 Today was exactly what he thought it would be, them facing a boggart. Nevilles still turned into professor snape and harry would always take immense satisfaction at seeing the dour man in that vulture hat and severely dated female robes. This time around though the amusement was dampened at the realization that Neville Longbottom, his godbrother, the same boy who was hung upside down out of a third story window by his uncle, was more scared of Snape than anything else.  He hoped to talk to both Neville and Snape about that because it wasn't okay for him to feel that way.

They continued through the line with Harry right at the back. He had pushed through the crowd more intent on slipping his letter for Lord Malfoy into Draco's pocket over getting ahead in the queue. The line slowly whittled down until it was Seamus's turn, who was just before Harry, and just like last time it turned into a banshee, after the riddikulus charm its screams came out as animal sounds, and Seamus stepped aside grinning to himself. As soon as he was no longer blocking Harry from vue the boggart locked on to him.  unlike everyone else though it didn't change form. The pale female appearing creature merely tilted its head staring at Harry. It opened its mouth and spoke in a deep hoarse voice that felt like nails down a chalkboard to his ears.

“You are not human.” it said tilting its head in the other direction. His eyes widened at the statement, because there was no question in their tone. It spoke as if it were a fact. He turned to Remus with questioning eyes. The whole class flinched and Harry looked back to the boggart who was now nose to nose with him.

“YOU ARE NOT HUMAN.” its voice was louder now, almost accusatory as it grinned manically. “A HIGH FAY APPEARS ONCE MORE.” He was abruptly pulled back by the collar and in an instant Lupin was in front of him already casting the boggart back into the trunk.

“What the fuck. Why can't something be normal just once.” Harry didn't realize he had spoken out loud until a snort was heard and everyone turned to the platinum blond who was valiantly trying to pretend that he, a Malfoy, did not do something so uncouth as snort. Quickly enough everyone was distracted by the professor ushering them out of the classroom. Harry stayed behind not on purpose, but because he was left reeling. It said he wasn't human. Was that his biggest fear or was it something else. A High Fay. What is a High Fay? And why did it think Harry was one. He stared at the trunk wondering if the thing had the answers he wanted. He took a step forward but was halted by a gentle hand being placed on his shoulder. He turned to lupin with pleading eyes.

“Open it, please.” the man just frowned at him.

“Harr…”

“Please.” lupin sighed and flicked his wand at the trunk. it sprung open and for a few seconds nothing happened, but then out stepped a humanoid figure with four arms, sickly pale blue tinted skin and golden tendrils for hair. Its eyes were a toxic yellow with no separation between sclera, iris, and pupil, it was all just yellow. Its ears were pointed at the tips and as it grinned at him, he caught sight of its teeth; they had the appearance of being flat blunt molars, even the front ones; it was unnerving to say  the least.

Remus stepped up to Harry's side and he felt more than saw the creature's eyes flick to the man for a brief moment, before they settled back on him. 

"I believe I upset your wolf in my excitement. My commander has already berated me for my actions toward you, but I ask for your forgiveness also, your Imperial Highness. I should not have allowed my excitement to dictate my actions towards you.” The creature bowed waiting for a response. There was a lot to unpack in that short apology. First, it could talk. though he had already figured that from before. Second, it knew Remus was a werewolf. Third, it had spoken to its commander already. How was that possible? Its commander can't be in the trunk, can it? Also , it has a commander? Is it a soldier of some kind? Fourth, YOUR IMPERIAL HIGHNESS?? what the actual fuck was his life? 

He rubbed at his eyes and turned to Remus who was looking between Harry and the boggart with a face full of puzzlement that made him realize that Lupin most likely can't understand the creature, but if Harry can then that points to it being part of the Seligen Court. He turned back to the creature and asked his most pressing question.

"Please raise your head. I accept your apology. Would you be able to tell me why you refer to me as your imperial highness?" He kept his voice level despite the anxiety he was feeling.

"You are the many times great grandson of Morgana, Imperial Queen of the Seligen Court. The first of only four before you to meet the criteria to don the title. Only mother magics chosen can be born a High Fay, the last was Nimue, who was crowned in 1143. Our Imperial Queen Morgana ruled the Seligen Court for a millenia with her eight sisters, the eight Imperial Princesses of the Seligen Court. Not long after the courts were revealed to the humans in the late sixth century the eight Imperial Princesses decided to return to Mother Magic. Our Imperial Queen decided to stay and continue ruling over the Court, however many years later she fell in love with a wizard and wanted a family. She begged Mother Magic who granted her permission to have the family she so desired with the understanding that she would become mortal and return to her sisters after a full mortal lifespan. She agreed and the Lefay name was birthed. Only a High Fay can claim the Imperial Crown of the Seligen Court and so far only one has.”

“And what is a High Fay.” his voice shook with the words.

“A High Fay is a descendant of one of the nine true fay who retain their creature blood. Only one before you has found their way to the throne; others have fallen before they were able. To our knowledge you are the fourth High Fay to exist, the last was Nimue born from the Lefay squib line. a group of dryads found her wandering around a forest, recognizing what she was, they brought her to Avalon to claim her birthright, and  there she became the first Imperial Queen of the Seligen Court since Morgana.” 

Harry stood thinking over the information that was presented to him for a long moment. What it… he really needed to ask for its pronouns or whatever it refers to itself as. Moving on. What it implied was that not all the Lefay descendants were able to claim the Seligen throne, but only those who inherited the creature blood, and including him there have only ever been four with the inheritance. Including him! He was next in line to a throne. He wanted to cry. He only came back for a bit of revenge, mabe to save a few people he wasn't able to last time, not whatever this was. His rapidly spiraling thoughts were abruptly cut off by a loud growl. He looked up to see Moony in a defensive stance, eyes glowing gold, and elongated canines bared as he growled low at the boggart. 

“Moony What happened? I wasn't paying attention.” He didn't move his eyes away from the ‘threat’ as he answered.

“It was moving towards you. Cub, I'm sorry, but I don't understand what is going on, and you're not telling me. I don't understand how you can speak with it or what it is saying. I didn't even get body language cues from either of you. For all I know you were talking about the weather or it was telling you the secrets of the universe.” Harry realized now that Lupin was panicking. His wolf had probably sensed his distress and started to get agitated. Harry moved forward to take the hand that Remus had splayed behind him protectively urging Harry to stay back. He tugged at it until the professor looked at him. He stared him in the eyes, holding Lupin's hand on his chest for a minute, allowing him to feel the steady beat of his heart. slowly the wolf's breathing evened out and his eyes bled back to brown. He hadn't realized just how scared and agitated he was getting until it was too late.

“I'm sorry Moony but I don't really know how to explain right now.” He was still trying to process the information he was just given, and was not in any state to try explaining it to someone else. “Just know they aren't a threat; it lunged at me earlier out of excitement more than hostility, and It has already apologized.”

“My commander wishes to speak to you.” Harry turned back to the boggart. 

“And how do they intend to do that?” the creature tilted its head mulling over his question.

“We are a collective. We are connected yet we are still individuals. We and our cousins were made this way as the guards of Avalon.”

“Are you saying your species share a single mind?”

“Yes, and no. We can tap into each other's consciousness and we know what everyone else knows, but we are individuals. as are our cousins. We are the Bowguard, they are the Deoguard, and we are the Guards of Avalon” he tilted his head. “Though I believe the humans refer to us as boggarts and dementors.” Harry blue screened at that. The dementors were one of the guards of Avalon. “My commander wishes to take over my consciousness to call one of our cousins so they can perform our vassalage bond with you. We are your vassals and will aid you when needed.” Harry's mind went blank; it sounds like they are some kind of royal guard and he most definitely didn't want boggarts and dementors following him around all the time.

“And if I declined the bond?” The Boggart or Bowguard stared at him for a moment before frowning and jutting its lower lip out in a truly impressive pout as it crossed both sets of its arms over its chest. He could imagine it stomping its foot any moment now. This thing was seven feet tall and built like a brick wall, yet it was pouting at Harry like a child. He rubbed his hands over his face and huffed out his answer into his hands.

“Fineee. I’ll take the bond but I need to talk to… My wolf first.” he turned to Lupin who was looking slightly less stressed and a lot more amused. He didn't know what they were saying , but he knew what the beginnings of a tantrum looked like.

"It will take a few minutes for the commander to fully settle into my mind.” with that he/she/they sat on the floor cross legged and closed its eyes.

“Quickly before you start.” its eyes snapped open and focused back on harry. “How would you prefer us to refer to you?” the being tilted its head in confusion. “Like are you a she, a he, or do you prefer they?” it scrunched its nose in distaste.

“We are the Bowgaurds and Deogaurds. We are not the same as others. We are not creatures. We are the creation of the Imperial Nine. we are a collective and when separate we are a vassal or an it." Harry winced slightly at the harsh tone. He thinks he may have offended it.

“Do you have a name?” probably something he should have asked before.

“My name is Bowgaurd as is the rest of my family. We are pleased with the name bestowed on us by our creators and proud to serve avalon as its defense.” Harry just nodded, sensing that it would get annoyed if he pushed more, and turned back to Remus.

“We should sit down for this. I’ll call for Kreacher to bring tea.” he flopped into a couch that Reamus conjured for them and without needing to say anything a tea service was popped in front of them, table and all.

Chapter Text

Kreacher handed him a perfect cup of tea and Harry sipped it gratefully. The familiar motion was comforting and helping him sort through the jumbled mess that was his mind. The biggest thing on his mind was that he was apparently the Imperial Prince of the Seligen Court. The goblins had given him a brief overview of the Court. It was a council of sorts composed of the leaders of every creature clan, kingdom, tribe, and collective. That court was ruled over by Morgana until her return to mother magic, then later Nemu, and now soon to be him. Now that he thought about it why hadn't the goblins said anything to him about it. Maybe they didn't want another ruler, Harry couldn't blame them for that.

Harry was so consumed by his thoughts that he barely noticed the soft knock that came from the door, and it didn't fully register until Remus was already at the door with his hand over the handle.

“Wait!” he stood from the sofa and strode across the room towards the now confused looking werewolf all the while waving his hand around, wildly gesturing over to  the… Meditating? Creature. The knock came again a little firmer this time, and Remus turned back towards it.

“It's fine. It's just Sev." Harry  couldn't stop the shit eating grin that took over his face as he turned to walk back over to the sofa.

“Well then, if it's just ‘ Sev ’ then it's fine.” Lupin started choking on his own breath but had no time to retort as the door was already opening to allow entrance to the potions master, who strode in two paces, slammed the door closed, and spun to look at the werewolf, leaving his back to the rest of the room.

“What did Potter do? I am hearing rumors about him either being attacked or that he is such a ‘fearless hero’ that not even a boggart knows what to do. It hasn't even been twenty minutes since classes let out and half the school is talking about it. Can the boy not go one day without something happening?” That was a fair question, one Harry himself had had many times.

“Well that’s interesting. I'm glad that you care so much for me, professor.” Snape spun on his heel and threw a stunner straight at Harry, which he blocked with a reflexive wandless and wordless protego, all while smirking into his teacup. Snape’s face went from horror, to intrigued, to anger, to exasperated all within the space of a second. “Also please dont hex my new friend.” Harry gestured to the Bowguard who still had its eyes closed. “I don't wish to find out their effectiveness as a royal guard just yet.” The potions master looked towards the creature with something closer to curiosity than fear, and once again Harry was left questioning how on earth Snape was sorted to Slytherin. Moony pushed Snape towards the seating area and doctored two cups of tea to their liking.

“So does one of you want to explain what happened?” Lupin looked towards Harry not knowing what really happened either, and everything came crashing back on him. He let out an agitated breath, running his hands through his hair, which did not help calm him. The strands felt wrong, they were too short and damaged, where the thick smooth locks would normally help calm him, the short frayed strands they were currently did not. His hands also caught in the frames of his glasses, irritating him further. Having the glamor on was starting to great on his nerves, he felt too big for his skin, not helping the fact that the material from his robe was rubbing against his skin in a way that set his teeth on edge. Quickly he took off his glasses, dumping them haphazardly on the tea table. The ring for his glamor soon followed. feeling himself grow and shift, he let out a sigh before ruffling out his hair, pulling lightly on the strands. Already he felt slightly better until he felt the rub of the material from his robe on his arm, making him stand abruptly, pulling off the offending garment and throwing it in a bundle onto the sofa. 

He had been pushing everything away for a while now, ignoring it and moving on to the most immediate problem but everything was starting to pile up. Right now the Bowguard was connecting to its commander, then its commander will call a Dementor witch harry guesses will do the same thing the Bowguard just did and connect to its commander, all so they can make a vassal bond with him. Making every Bowguard and Dementor eventually his servant. That was the most immediate thing he was dealing with. Expanding from that he is meant to be the imperial King of the Seligen Court, he also owns just under two thirds of magical Britain, and being the head of the Peverell and Emris families, which comes with their own set of problems. Having someone claim the Emris Dukeship literally changes their entire government. The minister of magic position was created to handle the absence of the Emris family when the seat went dormant around five hundred years ago.  He is not qualified for this. He doesn't know enough about any of this. He knows basically nothing of the Seligen Court, even less about the old ways and religion that is the backbone of the Peverells, and don't get him started on his lack of noble education. 

He hadn't realized he was pacing till he walked right into someone. Looking up he was met with worried honey brown eyes and he took a shuddering breath. His lungs burned, was he not breathing properly? He took a minute to focus on just breathing in and out, in and out. Moony slowly pulled him back toward the sofa and gently pushed him down onto the soft cushions. Kreacher pushed another cup of tea into his hands. He cradled it to his chest letting the warmth bleed through him as he pulled his legs up onto the sofa. He needed to explain to them what was going on but how was he supposed to do that when he himself barely understood. Finding out what they already know would be a good start.

“What do either of you know about the Seligen Court?” Snapes eyebrows shot up at his question but was the first to answer.

“It was a council of creatures that banded together to create a ruling class amongst creatures back in the mid eleven hundreds to early thirteen hundreds. Not much is known about them as they disbanded and there aren't many references to them. From what I understand they were the ones that allowed creatures to become something seen as subhuman. So a lot of creatures don't like them.” Well that was interesting. Mixing that information with what he already had, it would seem Nemu wasnt what most would consider a good ruler. He looked to Remus to see if he had anything to add.

“To my knowledge the Council still exists.” Snape looked over at that and scowled. “And they still rule over every creature, they’re just less hands on than they used to be.  They say the problems started because it stopped acting as a council. Somewhere around 1150 to 1310 someone overruled the Court. That person wanted peace, so they allowed wizards to walk all over them, in doing so they created many problems for creatures.” Well that was just fanfuckingtastick. By the sounds of it the Court probably wouldn't take kindly to another ruler, though that might work in his favor since he didn't want to rule.

“Cub, why are you asking about the Seligen Court? Or better yet how do you even know about it?” Now how in Broceliande is he supposed to answer that? Fuck it. he didn't have the mental capacity for this right now.

“It's what me and Bowguard were talking about.” Remus blinked in confusion, then pointed at the still meditating creature, and Harry nodded.

“His name is Bowguard?” Snape asked curiously.

“It's  not a he, it's an it, and the entire species name is Bowguard, but they all identify that as their collective spoken name also.” Snape looked kind of baffled but nodded once.

“Why were you two talking about it?”

“Because I'm the Imperial Prince of the Seligen Court, thanks to my creature inheritance, that Bowguard so kindly informed me about.” Both the professors sat gaping at him. Snapes jaw opening and closing like he wanted to say something while Remus was still as a statue. He started to pour himself another cup of tea when the cushion dipped next to him. He looked over to the creature and gestured to the pot. 

“Would you like a cup of tea?” Does he realize that he's once again pushing everything down and ignoring it all? Yes he does. Does he realize that it's not a good coping mechanism? Yes he does. Does he care? No he doesn't. 

Bowguard Poured itself a cup of tea, then proceeded to add eight sugars and no milk. There was something hilarious about seeing a massive humanoid figure that had four arms with biceps the size of his head drink tea out of a dainty floral antique tea cup. 

“So you're the commander then? It's a pleasure to meet you.”

“It is an honor to meet you, my Imperial Prince. The Deoguard commander will be here momentarily, then we can start the bonding.” oh shit. That wasn't good. He turned to his professors who were looking at him with confusion (Remus) and wide shocked eyes (Snape).

“So, don't panic, but there will be a dementor joining us soon.” he smiled at them, conveying as much ‘everything is fine’ energy as he could. Lupin buried his face in his hands, while Snape pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

“Ok, so that explains exactly nothing while creating an entire book's worth of questions. For now I will prioritize, so, what exactly do you mean by ‘there will be a dementor joining us soon’?” Harry could see a twitch forming in the potion master's right eye while Lupin spoke. Harry let out a long controlled breath before speaking.

“Boggarts and dementors both act as the Guards of Avalon. They wish to make a Lord/Vassal Bond with me.”

“We need to make a Lord/Vassal bond with you.” Harry raised an eyebrow at the creature. “This is the longest period of time we have gone without the bond, and we are beginning to get desperate. The Deoguard more so than us. We are able to feed off of emotions to keep us sustained, but Love is more finite than fear so our cousins are struggling. It's why they obey the wizards and guard the Lost Isle.”

“What is the Lost Isle?” The creature tilted its head as its eyes dimmed from their toxic yellow to a muted cloudy yellow and reverted back again a few seconds later.

“You call it Azkaban.” 

“Um… Cub?” Harry looked back to the two men who were looking between him and the Bowguard. Right he needed to translate. 

“Basically, it was saying they need the bond. similarly to house elves, they will die without it. However from what I can tell I am the only one who would be able to sustain the bond.” the creature nodded in conformation next to him. Wait, if it understood english could it speak it?

“You understand English, right?” the Bowguard nodded. “Can you speak it?” it tilted its head from side to side.

“I am capable, yes.” its voice was like nails down a chalkboard, but it was english, so that was good enough. It didn't look too happy about it though.

“Sorry I wouldn't normally mind but having to translate everything you say would waste a lot of time.” It looks somewhat placated but still a little grumpy. “Would you be able to explain to them what you said to me about my creature inheritance and how it links to me being in line to the Seligen throne.” the Bowguard nodded and reiterated what he had told Hadrian

“He is the many times great grandson of Morgana, Imperial Queen of the Seligen Court. Only a High Fay can don the title, the last was Nimue, who was crowned in 1143. Our Imperial Queen Morgana ruled the Seligen Court for a millenia with her eight sisters; her sisters decided to return to Mother Magic in the late sixth century. Our Imperial Queen decided to stay and continue ruling over the Court. She fell in love with a wizard and begged Mother Magic to grant her a family. She did with the understanding that Morgana would become mortal and return to her sisters after a full mortal lifespan and with that the Lefay name was born. A High Fay can only be a descendant of Morgana who retains their creature blood. Only one has ever found their way to the throne. To our knowledge only four High Fays have ever existed.” Snape and Lupin were avidly listening to everything and took a moment at the end to think it through before Lupin spoke.

“What is a High Fay? Like, I mean, what are the characteristics of one?” The Bowguard tilted its head in confusion. “A werewolf is created by a human being infected by a werewolf through a bite or scratch. That is the equivalent of what you explained to us about a High fay. The characteristics of a werewolf would be that they transform into a wolf the night of every full moon. They have heightened senses and are extremely territorial…” Bowguard raised a hand and Moony cut himself off.

“I understand what you are asking now, however all High fay’s are different. A High Fay will experience a deeper connection with one of the races than the others, and its attributes or characteristics will depend heavily on what that race is. Bahram was the first and took after the vampires. Drustan took after the giants, he was the second. Neither Bahram or Drustan made it to the throne. Nemue took after the Dryads. They all took visible features as well as magic and abilities from their Kin race. Kin Race is what we refer to the race they took after.” this time Snape had a question.

“So we won't know what attributes he will get until he gets his inheritance at seventeen.” The creature shook its head.

“The inheritance is triggered with his bond to Avalon not his age. He will gain his inheritance once the vassal bond is complete and he is connected to Avalon. You can make educated guesses as the Kin Race will normally coincide with the High Fays personality.” Before anyone could say anything to that the window opened and a chill swept through the room. It took everything in him not to cast a patronus, instead he sat there watching as the dementor got closer. As it got closer it slowly changed, flesh began to cover its skeletal frame and its floating slowly became steps as its legs carried them the rest of the way. By the time it reached them it looked more like an inferius shrouded in a smoke like cloak. Hadrian swallowed down the bile threatening to rise in his throat and spoke the only thing he could think of.

“Would you like a cup of tea?” He saw Remus and Snape staring at him with open mouths out of the corner of his eye but ignored them as the creature nodded and sat in the armchair next to the two sofas. He watched as the creature pulled the sugar bowl towards itself then proceeded to pour a small amount of tea into it, just enough to dissolve the sugar, then filled the rest with cream and started stirring. Frost creeped up the sides as he continued stirring and Hadrian's jaw dropped open as the creature ate a spoonful of the now frozen cream. Did it just make tea flavored ice cream? He sipped at his own tea not having a single clue how to deal with this. Looking over to his professors he saw that they were in a similar state to him.

“I appreciate a chance for tea. It has been a long time since someone has allowed me the kindness.” his head snapped towards the Deoguard who was smiling at him. Hadrian was sure that the smile was from genuine gratitude but he still hoped he never saw it again. Its mouth was far wider than it should be, going from just under where its ear would be all the way around to the other side, showing off a set of teeth that were similar to a sharks, all pointed and with multiple rows, he counted at least three sets while it was talking. He had to once again swallow down his nausea as he smiled back at the creature. 

“It was only polite, but if you two don't mind, would you explain the Lord/Vassal Bond to us? like what would I need to do?” The Deoguard ate another spoonful of his ice cream before answering.

“You would only have to accept our pledge to you. It will take very little time and effort, however after that our connection to you and Avalon will be restored, granting you your creature inheritance. Which is the most problematic part of all of this. We have been there all three times the creature inheritance has been granted so we understand that it is not an easy or painless process. Drustans was the worst of all. The more physically different you are from the creature the more uncomfortable it will be.” he was taking a moment to take that in when Snape spoke.

“How long will it affect him? And does this mean he might not look human?” The Deoguard stared at him appraisingly for a long moment then glanced at Hadrian and turned back to Snape folding its arms over its chest. 

“Is our Prince not looking human, a problem, wizard?” He felt the temperature around them plummet, and decided to answer that before it killed the potions master. 

“Yes it is a problem.” The creature turned to him in clear confusion, and the icy temperature raised a few degrees. “I am someone who is in the public eye constantly and until I am old enough to handle it, it would be best that all of this is kept secret.” its posture relaxed as it turned back to Snape.

“I apologize for misunderstanding the intentions of your question, but there is no need to worry. Drustan had the biggest physical change taking after the giants but even then he grew to be around seven feet. Tall, yes, but not a giant.”

“However.” Bowguard cut in. “He was also the one with the weakest connection to his Kin Race. Bahram had the strongest connection and basically became a vampire, A very powerful daywalker vampire. Nemue was somewhere between the two, striking a good balance between human and creature.” a chime sounded from an old grandfather clock in the corner and everyone looked over to it.

“Bollocks.” he turned back to Snape eyebrows raised in shock. “It's time for dinner. With all the rumors circulating, you will be missed if you dont attend." Hadrian looked at the two creatures.

“We will be back. Are you two alright to stay here? I promise as soon as we get back we can perform the oaths.” they both nodded. “It's unlikely anyone will come in here but if they do, try and hide as best as you can. No one can know you’re here.” again they both nodded. He moved forward picking his ring and glasses off the table, not bothering to grab his robe. It wasn't mandatory to wear it at dinner and since Bowguard was sitting on it he didn't feel like trying to get it back.

Once they were out of the classroom Harry pushed Snape towards one of the regular secret passageways that led to the dungeons, They couldn't be seen walking together, and discussed with Moony what the story was. They decided that the cover would be that, Harry was excited and intrigued as to what it would turn into, so there was no fear for the boggart to latch on to, and it got confused. Harry wanted to try again, so stayed after class, where it turned into a dementor and Lupin was now trying to teach him the patronus charm. He would be going back after dinner to try it again.

During dinner he gave that exact story to everyone who asked, putting emphasis on the fact that he was going back after dinner. No one seemed too suspicious, including Ron and Hermione, who seemed nonchalant about the whole thing. He was just glad that none of the Gryffindors saw him cast a patronus on the train, otherwise this wouldn't have worked.

He met back up with Lupin and Snape, who had used the same passage to get back, and entered the classroom. Both creatures stood and bowed as they entered. 

“Is it time?” the Deoguard asked, sounding hopeful. He nodded, walking forward.

“What do you need me to do?” Bowgard addressed both him and the two professors as he spoke. 

“It is best that you sit.” he gestured to one of the sofas that had been moved away from the rest. “Like we said before our bond will not be the problem.” It turned to the two professors. “The creature inheritance will be painful. We don't know by how much, but it will happen right after the bond is in place." Both professors looked a little hesitant, glancing at harry. “You can not intervene until it is over. it can take anywhere from one to twenty minutes from what we have observed in the past.” Moony walked forward pulling Harry into a hug.

“You sure you want to do this, cub?” He will admit he hadn't really been thinking about it as an optional thing, more that it was just one more thing that was happening. But the Deoguard was dying, starving to death, and Harry knew all too well what that felt like. It had been him not too long ago, locked in his cupboard for weeks at a time. He shook his head.

“It’ll be fine, Moony. Like they said it will be done in twenty minutes or less. And I still have the blood glamor so even if my appearance does change it won't matter.” He smiled at him and reluctantly the Wolf let go. He then walked over and placed his ring and glasses back on the coffee table that was still there, before going to the sofa, and sitting in the middle as instructed. He felt a hand placed on each of his shoulders, one freezing, the other overly warm. 

“We the guards of Avalon do hereby pledge our fidelity to the rightful ruler of the Seligen Court, the Imperial Prince of Avalon, the fourth of his kind. We pledge to watch over him and prevent him from harm. We swear this to mother magic, her children and our creators. So mote it be.”

He felt the connection the instant they stopped talking. It was like a string being pulled taut, right above his navel. Only it didn't stop. It kept pulling, and as it pulled heat began to emanate from the same spot, until it felt like he was burning. He clutched at his stomach and just as he thought he might throw up, the string snapped. The heat that had built in his stomach exploded and burned as it made its way through him, circulating and pooling. Pain, so much pain began to form. His lower back felt like someone was welding a red hot poker to the bottom of his spine, and his head hurt, his eyes itched, his teeth ached, and it felt like someone was drilling two holes in the top of his head. This hurt worse than any crucio. He was pretty sure he was screaming, not because he could hear it, he couldn't, not over the blood rushing in his ears, but because his throat felt raw. Eventually it was over and the pain receded. Strangely he felt no aftershocks or aches. It was like the pain was never there, except for the pressure in his lower back and on his head, though that felt different somehow. 

Blinking his eyes open he looked up to see his two professors standing close by. Mooney's eyes were a solid gold as he stared at Hadrian. his arms were held out in front of him and hands twitching like he wanted to grab him. He looked over at Snape who had covered his mouth with both hands and had a noticeable flush to his cheeks. He looked down at his hands. His nails were thicker and sharper somewhere between normal nails and claws. Running his tongue across his teeth he felt elongated sharp canines. He looked back at Moony who was still reaching for him so he raised his arms in a silent invitation. That was all he needed as the wolf launched himself at hadrian nuzzling his face into his neck. 

Hadrian suddenly felt the strangest sensation as Moonys sent filled his nose, the only way he could describe it was ‘pack’ and he nuzzled back into the wolf's neck. Moony eventually pulled away and Hadrian felt a whimper leave his throat, but let him go. In that time Snape had moved forward and Hadrian was shocked when he registered a weaker version of the same feeling of ‘pack’ coming from the dour man. He felt the increasing urge to hug him. But this was Snape and Hadrian was not stupid or suicidal so he pushed the urge away. Movement caught in his periphery and he turned to see fluff. A lot of fluff. He put his hand out to stroke it and startled at the feeling it was attached. He pulled it forward slightly so he could see it better. Was this a tail? 

Hadrian didn’t wait any longer before conjuring a mirror. Forgetting he really wasnt supposed to do that wandless and wordlessly in front of people. He looked into the mirror and almost groaned. He looked adorable, with big fluffy pointed ears sat on top of his head. They were the same raven black as his hair with tufts of white at the ends. His eyes were the same avada green but with slitted pupils. And his tails were so fluffy, all black with white tips. He had five of the things, all wagging or thumping the floor behind him. The bowguard took that moment to remind them that they were still there. 

“Your Kin Race is the Kitsune, known for being mischief makers as well as faithful guardians to their friends and family.” Merlin damn it. He couldn't say that wasn't exactly accurate, could he? “They are also shape shifters capable of being a fox, human, or something in between. I believe you are currently in between.” Hadrian closed his eyes and felt for his magic. It wasn't hard to find, it had definitely increased in some way after this. He went back to focusing on the thought of being human and slowly he felt himself changing. Opening his eyes, he looked back into the mirror. He looked exactly like he always did without his glamor, except his canines were slightly sharper looking and his human ears had a slight point to them. Hold on. He pulled Mooney's sleeve until the man was standing next to him.

“AM I SHORTER!”

Chapter Text

“AM I SHORTER!” Lupin and Snape were both staring at him incredulously.

“Yes, Potter, because that is the most important thing that we are dealing with right now.” Snape drawled and Hadrian glared at the man.

“It's important to me, I just got those inches.” He knew he was whining like a child but he had hoped to be taller this time around. He grabbed the blood glamor ring and put it on, then took it off and put it back on again, repeating the process several more times. He was still taller than his glamored self but only by about half an inch, not the two he had gained before. As long as he wasn't shorter than his original timeline he would deal with it.

“If I may, your highness?” Hadrian turned to see Bowguard standing not too far from him. He didn't know what it wanted but nodded for it to proceed anyway. “The kitsune are also known for being defensive about their height. they make sure whenever anyone does any research on them, not that there's much, that they always state their height including their ears, making them the same average height to humans.” Hadrian got the impression that Bowguard was trying to make him feel better but it most definitely was not working.

“Also.” now Deoguard was contributing. “You aren't even considered a child in their eyes. For beings who can live well over a millenia sometimes over two, you are but a toddler and still have far longer to grow. It is likely you didn't shrink further because of the amount of power you hold. In the kitsunes perspective you have reached your second majority. The first is three tails, the second is five and the third and final is nine. Those who possess nine tails are called the Tenko. There are only a handful of tenko that exist, one of which currently acts as their leader and representative on the council. She is called Kuzunoha and is one of the oldest Tenko in the world.

Hadrian just stared at the two creatures not wanting to tell them that what they had said really wasn't helpful. He could see Snape visibly shaking from suppressed laughter but decided to ignore it. He turned back to the mirror. He was glad that his human appearance hadn't changed all that much as he had grown very  fond of the way he looked. It was a good representation of all three of his parents and that was something he treasured, but adding the very slightly pointed ears and sharper canines was also a subtle nod to his creature heritage, with how they were it just felt right. For the first time he felt truly comfortable as himself. He knew after this it would be even harder to keep the glamor on now.

Looking at himself he tried transforming again. It was a weird sensation. He could feel his ear canal relocating and his tails sprouting from the base of his spine. It wasn't painful like the first time but it was uncomfortable in a way he couldn't put into words. He continued past the halfway transformation and felt his bones begin to grind and shift as he got smaller. Looking back to the mirror he now found a small black fox with long messy fur and five tails sitting on its haunches. He stood and did a little spin. The majority of his fur was the same raven black as it always was but his paws, belly, and the tips of his ears and tails were white, along with a small streak where his scar would be on his head.

He was startled when a hand started scratching the top of his head right behind his ears, but quickly he relaxed into the touch, closing his eyes and tilting his head so the scratching was in just the right spot. After a small amount of time he felt a rumbling come from his chest and his blissed out mind suddenly became very clear. Was he purring? He realized that, yes, he was, and quickly he moved away from who he thought was moony only to see onyx eyes staring back at him. He would never be able to live this down. He decided that this never happened and the way Snape coughed and stood he understood that this would never be spoken of again.

Harry transformed back to his fully human form, it was getting easier with every time he did it. His mind flashed to the difficulty of his animagus transformation. He had been meditating every night and had achieved some partial transformations but never the whole thing, but something seemed different now, like a barrier had been removed. Would he be able to complete a full transformation now? He may as well try. Closing his eyes he tried for his animagus form and just like that, he shifted. He couldn't understand how it had been so difficult for him to do before. It felt as easy as breathing switching through his forms. He felt a weird tingle of cool magic wash over his shoulder. He opened his eyes to look in the mirror and what looked back was his phoenix form. He stared for another minute before turning back again. 

The realization was instantaneous. he shrugged his shirt off of his shoulder and unwrapped the bandages. The injury from buckbeak had been completely healed, leaving only a small scar. He hadn't thought about it before but that actually made a lot of sense. Phoenix injuries healed almost instantly. Oliver will be ecstatic to know he can play quidditch again.

“And the black phoenix form came from where exactly?” Hadrian turned to the two professors, who were giving him a very unimpressed look.

“It's my animagus form.” Snape pinched the bridge of his nose, while Moony was beaming at him. The smile he had was dripping with pride and it made something in Hadrian's stomach flutter.

“And just how long have you had this form?” Snape drawled. Hadrian shuffled from foot to foot, not making eye contact.

“Today was the first time I got the full transformation. Before that I had only been able to do partial transformations.” Snape nodded and the clock chimed again indicating the hour. “ How is it eight o'clock already?”

“You had the longest transformation so far at thirty eight minutes.” Bowguard said, stepping forward. Hadrian was shocked he didn't realize it had been that long. He had less than an hour left before he would need to go back to the dorms. 

“I should be getting back to the tower. Staying here any longer than this will seem suspicious.” Bowguard and Deoguard came to stand in front of Harry before taking a knee.

“We can talk at a later date. With you being connected to Avalon you are also connected to us. If you ever want us for anything you need only call and we will find you. For now there are a few more things that would be best to say before you go.” Harry just nodded at the two creatures and they continued. 

“The connection with your kin race is very strong. Your magic and body have changed to reflect that. One of the changes is that Kitsune who reach their second majority become fire elementals. You are no different. You now have a natural affinity with fire allowing you to control and manifest it at will. However it can also manifest on accident. Kitsune, unused to their power, often set things on fire when upset or angry, so it would be best to be careful.” That wasn't helpful. He was known for having a bit of a temper and the last thing he wanted was to set things on fire. Suddenly the image of Dumbledore's beard catching fire popped into his head, making a malicious grin spread across his face. Maybe accidentally setting things on fire might not be too bad. He was brought back to the conversation by Bowguard continuing.

“The last thing that needs to be said before you leave is that Judging from your magic, it would seem that you don't age the same as humans.” Hadrian saw both Snape and Lupin stiffen slightly out of the corner of his eye. “The rate that you age seems slower than most. It's about half the speed of normal humans, though kitsune normally stop aging altogether when they reach the age of fifty. Giving them the appearance of always being in their mid twenties.”

“So I age at half the speed of regular humans?” 

“Roughly, yes.” Hadrian was excited. He had felt so overwhelmed recently, like he had no time to do or learn anything he needed to. He thought having a time turner would help, but quickly realized that using it too often would age him too quickly, since your body still goes through the hours you turn back, so decided to reserve its use for really important things. But with his aging slower it means he can repeat every day. Actualy, It might be more accurate to say that he has to repeat every day so he can age at the same rate as everyone else. This was great. He could spend one day normally, going through his classes and maintaining his golden boy image while on the other he can just spend all his time learning all the things he is behind on. 

A knock came from the door and everyone startled. Moony quickly turned to the door, then back to the rest of them with a panicked expression, mouthing ‘Albus.’ Quickly, with Harry's urging, the bowguard fled back to the trunk, the Deoguard raced out the window, and Harry turned himself invisible. Snape and Lupin traded startled looks at the almost instantaneous disappearance of the other occupants before Snape too disappeared, deciding to use Lupin's office as his escape. The second the office door was closed dumbledore strode into the room. He looked around looking slightly confused.

“I thought I had heard that Harry came for some extra training.” The headmaster sent Moony a reproachful look that made Harry seethe inside; he felt his fangs elongate and his tails flick in agitation. His temper cooled instantly at that realization. He looked over to the tea table and his eyes landed on the glamor ring. Bugger, he had forgotten about that. His ring glasses and robe were still over there. If Dumbles saw them it would be a problem. So he slowly made his way over.

“He did. But he left when the clock reminded us of the time.” he gestured to the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. Harry froze as Dumbledore's eyes flicked over to him, only for the older man to look through him to the clock behind then back to Remus. “His bow-ahem. His boggart turned into a dementor. He had a rather adverse reaction to it, and with the incident on the train and all the dementors around at the moment he asked if I could teach him the patronus.” Dumbles nodded genially. 

Harry was now by the table and quickly picked up his glasses and ring. The second he touched them they went invisible with him and he let out a sigh of relief before moving over to his robe and did the same.

“Remus, my boy, I understand your desire to remain close to Harry, but I feel I must remind you that it is unwise to approach Harry with the intention to get closer to him. It will only hurt both of you when the time comes for you to part. Allowing your wolf to bond with the boy would be a mistake.”Dumbledore sent him a stern look and it took every bit of Hadrian's self control not to set the nosy bastard's beard on fire.

“That will not be a problem, headmaster. With the amount of time we put in today he already managed to cast it. It was rather impressive. He reminds me a lot of Lily in his determination." Hadrian felt the breath leave his lungs. No one had ever said he was like his mother. Not one person. It was always James he was compared to. He felt the sting of tears gather in his eyes and fought to keep them down. Looking at Dumbledore he noticed that his face had lightened and his twinkle had brightened.

“I see, so there are no more tutoring sessions scheduled for young harry?” Remus shook his head. “I see. And you didn't speak with him about his family.” Remus shook his head again and the old goat sent him a beaming smile that Hadrian wanted to wipe from his face, permanently. Without another word the headmaster walked out of the room. 

Deciding not to let Lupin know he was spying, Harry shadowed to the closest passageway to the Gryffindor tower and stepped out, making sure the portraits noticed him so that they had something to inform the headmaster about. He then made his way to the common room. He still had around twenty minutes till curfew so he was on time.

***

Lucius was sitting in his office sipping a large glass of fire whisky staring down at the letter that had been occupying his desk for the past hour. It was a letter sent by Lord black containing a ‘solution’ to the Dumbledore problem. He had sent Nott a missive a while ago, asking if he was free to talk about it, but so far he had received nothing back. Lucius took a large gulp of his drink just as the floo flared.

“Bad Day?” he scowled over at the fireplace, finding irritatingly smug cobalt blue eyes staring back at him. He didn't reply; instead he downed the rest of his drink, poured two more, and handed the second over to Nott, who walked over to the sitting area in the corner and waited for him to follow. With a huff Lucius picked up the letter from Lord Black and dumped it in the other man's lap as he walked past to take the seat opposite. There was a minute of silence as Nott read the letter before he looked up.

“He's handing over another proxy? Are we sure this isn't a group of people using Lord Black as a point of contact?” Lucius took a sip of his new drink as he thought about it.

“It could be multiple people, but that's not really the problem. Who is Lord Black? By all rights the title should go to Draco." Nott rolled his eyes and Lucius glared. "That's not what I meant. Lord Black already told me that the main reason he gave the proxy to me was because it looked like it should go to Draco. Meaning no one questioned it. There is a clause in the Black family charter that states, after ten years in Azkaban any family member is then deemed unfit to hold the Lordship. Which is how it was passed on from Sirius. However it should have fallen to Draco but it didn't. Bella has the same problem as Sirius with her being in Azkaban for over ten years, and Andromeda was formally and magically disowned. There is no one else.”

“You don't think that Regulus might still be alive, do you?” Lucius shook his head.

“No, the tapestry showed him as dead years ago.”

“Have you checked the family tree for anything recently?” Lucius shook his head again.

“Walburga moved it to grimmauld place, and since the new Lord came forward the house has been locked down.” Nott pursed his lips before taking a sip of his drink. A soft knock came from the door and Narcissa walked in. Nott bowed his head in greeting as she walked over.

“Draco sent us a letter.” she brandished a rather thick looking letter and handed it over to her husband, taking the seat next to him. He opened the heavy envelope and took out its contents. His eyes were drawn to the second letter that was sent within Dracos. More specifically his eyes were drawn to the royal purple ink that his name was written in. turning it over he found it sealed with the Potter family crest. Ignoring Draco's letter for the moment, he opened Heir Potter's letter and began to read.

Dea r Lord Lucius Abraxas Malfoy

   Marquess Of Ithnion

I write to you in response to your formal correspondence of thanks, I do not find insult with your written correspondence as I am aware of the machinations of a certain old wizard keeping you from performing the formalities in person. With this in mind I make a request of you to allow the formalities to be conveyed in writing, as it would not do to have certain people believe that I am privy to information they do not wish me to have. Please understand that I am not snubbing our traditions or your House and I would not ask this if the circumstances were different, however I believe keeping certain people ignorant of my knowledge would be beneficial to us all. I sincerely hope that you agree.

Y ou mentioned others who wish to show thanks, I ask that if you trust them with the knowledge that written correspondence is best that you inform them. I should make you aware that I have spoken with Gregory Goyle, Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson, Heir Crabbe, Heir Zabini, Heiress Greengrass, Heir Nott, and Heir Malfoy today and they are privy to a few more details that may be enlightening. Also all written correspondence is completely safe and in no way an issue.

Yours Faithfully 

 Lord Hadrian Jameson Potter

Margrave of Thornfair, Viscount of Whiteshade

Lucius had to reread the last part more than once. ‘Yours Faithfully Lord Hadrian Jameson Potter, Margrave of Thornfair, Viscount of Whiteshade.’ Lucius had fucked up. He had used both an incorrect name and title for the boy. How in magic's name did he not know he was called Hadrian. Writing the wrong title is one thing but using the incorrect name would be seen as an insult no matter how you look at it.

“Are you alright?” His wifes soft voice broke him from his thoughts and he looked to Nott.

“What is Heir Potter's full name? Do you know it?” Nott looked utterly bewildered as he answered. 

“Harry James Potter?” He phrased his answer like a question and Lucius was shocked. How did no one know the boy's name? Narcissa pried the letter from his hands and began to read.

"Darling, I think you might be focusing on the wrong thing here, or did you miss the second title?" 

“It's only an additional Viscount title. It's hardly important compared to the fact that I addressed him with what is essentially a nickname. It would be like him addressing me as Lucy!”

“For any other Viscount title I might agree however, he is the Viscount of Whiteshade.” Nott's jaw fell open as he grabbed the letter to read it over. Lucius thought for a moment before his eyes widened.

"He's Lord Gryffindor. That's three founder's families with Lords again." Nott quickly sped through the letter before looking back at the Malfoys.

“Are you not even going to mention the blatant distrust of Dumbledore? And the fact that this clearly states he is trying to hide his true feelings towards the man. Also Lucius, I don't think Lord Potter took it as an insult. He responded calmly and wrote his full name with titles at the end, as long as you don't do it again, now that you know, it shouldn't be a problem.” Lucius took another sip of his drink and nodded. 

“You're right. It didn't seem like he took it personally.”

“Now that that’s sorted, how did he claim the Gryffindor Lordship when his father couldn't?” Narcissa cut in. 

“There might be conditions, like how we all know the Potters hold the Peverell line but no one has been able to claim it in over two hundred years because of conditions no one outside the family knows. Can we get to the actual contents of the letter now? Are you not curious about his blatant distrust of Dumbledore?” Nott asked. Lucius took the letter from the other man and read through it again while Narcissa answered Nott.

“We aren't all that surprised by it. Before the end of last year he gave us a warning, that the headmaster was spying on us. He also told us how the man was doing it, so that we could fix it. He gave us that warning discreetly while making a big scene so no onlookers would question his loyalty to Dumbledore. Honestly with how he has handled everything up until now I’m more curious how he convinced the hat to put him in Gryffindor when he is clearly suited for slytherin.”

“He has asked us to keep his cover by allowing the headmaster to believe he is still ignorant.” Lucius said not looking up from the letter. “He has also asked me to tell others of his predicament. He is opening up to the headmaster's opposition, hoping for our cooperation.” He placed the letter down and picked up the parchment from Draco that had been forgotten and skimmed through it, his eyebrows rising the further down he got before his face morphed into one of fury. Narcissa and Theodorus shared a look before Narcissa placed a gentle hand on her husband's knee. He passed Draco's letter to his wife and sat waiting. He knew she would be just as furious as him, if not more so.

“That twinkle eyed bastard. How dare he interfere with an Heir like this. He has no right!” Narcissa’s fury was practically palpable. Nott looked between the two blonds and Lucius took Draco's letter out of his wifes grip, passing it over for the other man to read.

“He had the Heir to one of the most prominent wizarding families sent to muggles who kept him ignorant of magic until the day he received his Hogwarts letter. Then continued to keep him away from his heritage.” Nott was also pissed. “Surely we can get this rectified. If we go to the papers…” Lucius cut him off.

“I’m sure we could, however, it is clear that Lord Potter is hiding the fact that he knows all of this from the headmaster. It would seem he has a plan and what he has asked is that we keep the act going. Honestly I look forward to seeing whatever he has planned.” Nott didn't look fully convinced but nodded anyway. 

“Who will you be informing about his situation?” Lucius sat thinking for a while.

“I’m not sure I should inform anyone.” Nott gaped. “The two most vocal were Lord Flint and I. He wouldnt understand the situation and would see it as a slight to his house. Without my backing he doesn't have enough power to force Dumbledore's compliance. If I tell him that I have dropped it he won't even bother bringing it up at the meeting. This way, as long as I phrase it right, Lord Flint wouldn't take it as a slight from Lord Potter but instead Dumbledore. I will give pieces of information when I feel it is necessary but the Headmasters information network is large and I believe the most important thing to Lord Potter is keeping him ignorant.” they both nodded along with his words. 

“I’ll see if I can get any information from my son. In Lord Potter's letter it said he had talked to all of the Slytherins in his year.” a thoughtful expression took over his face. “Clover.” a house elf in a smart black pressed pillowcase popped into the room and faced her master. 

“What can Clover be doing for master Nott, Sir?” 

“Get me my mailbox from my office.” without a word she nodded and popped away, returning a moment later with a wooden box. Nott opened it, looked through the contents before pulling out a letter and opening it. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It would seem my son will be of no help, unless you would like to hear all about the book Lord Potter lent to him.” Lucius shook his head. Everyone knew the younger Nott’s obsession with books and Lucius didn't want to read the love letter Heir Nott wrote about it. 

“Should I call Benedict? Heiress Greengrass more than likely sent her father more information than either of our children.” Nott nodded. It wasn't long before Benedict stepped through the floo and walked over with a letter in hand. Narcissa rose gracefully from her seat to get another glass of fire whiskey for Lord Greengrass and a glass of wine for herself before retaking her seat next to Lucius.

“I was just about to contact you when I received your missive.'' He passed the letter over for Lucius to read while Narcissa passed Benedict the glass of fire whiskey along with the letters from Draco and Lord Potter. Lucius saw Nott hold out his son's letter but Greengrass just raised an eyebrow at it and Theo put it back on the table. 

The letter from Heiress Greengrass was more of a report than a letter, telling her father Lord Potter's political leanings along with her own observations of his behavior. She even hinted at his family not treating him well. She also confirmed his thoughts about keeping Dumbledore in the dark as much as possible. He handed the letter over for Nott to read also.

“His letter supports everything my daughter wrote.” they all nodded. “So, Potter is self aware and it would appear he is not on the light side of the war either.” Greengrass paused before continuing hesitantly. “What happens if the Dark Lord returns?” they all side-eyed Nott, whose face was unnervingly blank.

“We can only hope that that monster doesn't come back.” they all rubbed their left forearm. “He was such a brilliant man and I hope with everything I am, that if he does come back, that he comes back whole and sane, For all our sakes."

Chapter Text

It was Wednesday evening a week after Harry received his creature inheritance and a lot had happened. The most pressing thing was the letter he received on Sunday from Lord Malfoy. Dumbledore had proposed another bill during Saturday's Wizengamot. It had passed and Harry was livid. The bill prohibited creatures from marrying or procreating with those not of the same species. Meaning for example a werewolf can't marry a wizard, or a vampire, or anything that isn't another werewolf. Harry had been trying to work out a way to remove more of Dumbledore's votes after he was able to get that passed. That left him here looking down at the list of houses he could still give proxies for. Out of eleven houses he had given only four proxies. Dumbledore still held Gryffindor, Potter, and Slytherin. He couldn't touch Potter under any circumstances. Slytherin was tricky and he didn't want to cause anyone else problems. Gryffindor was awkward but if he was careful he could give it out. He just needed to find a way to talk to Neville alone. He was hoping to do that tomorrow during their free period just before lunch. 

In the last week a lot of other things had also happened, all much less important than dethroning Dumbles. One thing was quidditch practice. Wood had been ecstatic when he found out Harry had healed and was able to play again. Practice had been as grueling as always but it had been fun. Another change was the Slytherins. After their talk they had gone back to acting hostile towards him in public. It was a big help in lowering Granger's suspicions. She seemed to be on high alert recently, watching him closer than ever. It didn't bother him too much since he now used the time turner every day. He had worked out a good system where at midnight he would go to the bathroom in the dorms, hide in one of the cubicles and use the time turner to shadow to Slytherins bedroom. He would then go to sleep, live the day however, and shadow back to the same stall just after midnight and go to bed in the dorms. He had done that every day for the past week now. it had allowed him to get a lot done so it didn't agitate him as much when he had to waste his time appeasing the idiots. 

In the last week he had also been getting used to the new things that came with his creature inheritance. The first thing he had noticed was a kind of empath ability. If someone had strong emotions he could sense how they were feeling. It made it far easier to read Hermione's mood and know when not to push. The second thing he had noticed was his attraction to mischief. Whenever Fred and George were plotting something he seemed to innately know what was happening and just couldn't help himself from joining in. That led to him spending far more time with the twins, helping them with pranks as well as the development of the very first prototypes of Weasleys wizards wheezes. he wasn't sure when they had first started developing them last time but he had a feeling his presences may have accelerated the timeline. He hoped it wouldn't have a bad impact but he didn't see how it could affect voldies come back, and at the end of the day that was the only reason he was still trying to stick to the timeline in the first place.

The last thing he noticed was how little tolerance he had for Ron and Hermione. With the time turner giving him a break from them it was easier to fake his enjoyment of their company, but inside he hated them more and more with every passing day. He had called them out on a few things, like whenever they were mean to someone in front of him, but most of the time he was unable to do much. More often than not he would set something in his surroundings on fire whenever he was with them. This and him slowly telling them off for some of their more obvious behavior led to him spending more time with Seamus, Dean, and Neville. Mostly because if something spontaneously set on fire everyone assumed it was Seamus's fault.

The next morning Harry walked into the great hall and over to the Gryffindor table where his year mates were sitting,  only to feel compelled to go a little further down. There was an aura of mischievous excitement coming from that direction. He looked down the table to where he felt it and saw Fred and George sat with their heads bent together. Harry walked quickly towards them and pushed them apart claiming the space between them. Both looked at him bewildered.

"You two are scheming and I want in." If he didn't have the glamor on he was sure his tails would be wagging in excitement. They looked a little hesitant and Harry frowned at them. They hadn't excluded him from any of their pranking so far and seeing the hesitance upset him a little.

"We're just trying to"

"work out a way"

"to get out of the castle" 

"without being caught." Harry's frown deepened. He knew full well that they knew exactly how to leave the castle if they wanted to. He pouted at them but they gave no indication that they would say more. He sighed and looked at them with the biggest puppy eyes he could.

"We both know that's a lie. If that's all it was you would use the one eyed witch passageway that leads to honeydukes cellar." Their eyes widened and George opened his mouth to say something but Harry got up from his seat and smirked at them. 

"When you want help or an alibi let me know." He then bent down so they were the only ones who could hear him. 

"Also not every passageway is on the Marauders map, you know." The two gingers gaped at him as he walked away to have breakfast with his year mates before making his way to the library. He walked to the back wall, found an abandoned shadowed corner, and moved to the Slytherin Hall he had agreed to meet Draco and the others in. He double checked that the room was empty before stepping through and taking a seat on one of the sofas. 

After a minute he pulled out a book and started reading. This one was a book written by the centaurs about astronomy and its correlation to divination. When Rowena found out that divination had become a joke she had been furious and decided that two hours of his re-lived day would be dedicated to her teaching him the proper ways of divination. He had protested at first but after a bit he had been fascinated by the intricacy of how astronomy and Arithmancy worked together within divination so was now reading the book she had assigned as homework. That wasn't the only thing he was learning either. Rowena and Salazar had been tutoring him on many subjects as well as helping with a few other things. 

He stayed sitting reading his book and drinking tea for a long time. After a while he cast a tempus. They were twenty minutes late. Were they not coming? He had been excited to talk to them more and hoped that they hadn't forgotten. It had been a week now and Hadrian hadn't heard even a whisper of anything he had told them last time, so he was sure he could trust them with more. He wanted to be able to confide in more people, other than Snape and Lupin. He had considered talking to Neville but it only took one little accident like, calling him Hadrian in front of Weasley and Granger for things to go wrong. He would share other things with Neville but for now the Slytherins were distanced from him in public so there was less chance for a slip. He went back to his book and a few seconds later the door opened.

"Maybe he's not coming. We didn't exactly ask if he wanted the lessons. we kinda just went for it and started planning." Pansy sounded cheerful but Harry could sense her disappointment.

"But we still have his books." Bulstrode said quietly. Harry's eyes locked with Daphnes which widened at the sight of him.

"Yeah, and I have questions fo…" Theo was cut off by Greengrass who raised her voice above the rest.

"It's good that he's here then." The group collectively looked towards him.

"We were waiting for you outside the passageway. You wouldn't have been able to go through that door without us noticing. How did you get past us?" Harry just smirked at them.

"Who said I used the door?" They all stood there looking confused for a long moment before Nott walked forward and sat opposite him with a serious look on his face.

"You said something last time and I have gone through the whole bloody library and found nothing but a single mention of it with no real information at all. What is the Seligen Court? It's driving me crazy. You mentioned it last time but I can't find anything about it." The others had taken seats while Nott spoke and Harry was able to hear a grumble from his Right.

"Maybe if you had just asked I could have told you." He turned to the speaker and was surprised to find Goyle.

"I'm surprised you know about it. Not many people do." He pulled his bag into his lap and rifled through it until he found the book he had found in the founders library on the court and passed it over to Nott. He quickly opened it only to look up at Harry with murder in his eyes.

"I can't read this. Do you know how many languages I can read? It's a lot just so you know and yet you give me a book that I can't read." He placed the book gently on the coffee table before burying his face in Zabini’s lap and throwing his legs over Draco.  The two people who decided to sit on the same sofa as him. Goyle moved forward, picked up the book and opened it.

"How did you get this?" The boy skimmed through the pages quickly. 

"It came from one of my ancestral libraries. Is something wrong?" He leaned over Goyle who was sitting next to him and looked down at the book. Theo was right the book wasn't in English but if he didn't notice then it was in some kind of creature language. Goyle looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm just surprised you know Gibberish." Harry was about to ask what creature language that was when they were interrupted by an annoyed Parkinson.

"English please. It's rude to cut everyone else out of the conversation." 

"By that logic you all cut me out of the conversation because I barely speak it." Goyle grumbled next to him. And now that Harry listened carefully, that was definitely not English. Damn it, he needed to be more careful with that. Crabbe took that moment to cut in.

"Hadrian, how do you know Gibberish?" 

"Um, family magics?" It sounded more like a question but it was technically true.

"The Potters don't have Nymph ancestry." Greengrass was glaring at him speculatively.

"No they don't." He paused for a long moment, biting on his lower lip. "But the Evans do." They looked confused for a moment before Davis spoke.

"Your mother wasn't a muggle born?" Harry shook his head.

"Something no one knew, not even her, is that she was technically a pureblood. The Evans line was a squib line and there hadn't been a muggle in her line for eight generations making her a pureblood.” they were all staring at him with open mouths.

“That… that’s not possible.”

“It is. Most of her ancestors were Squibs, and technically she was a first generation pureblood, but she was considered a pureblood, since after eight generations of only magicals whether they be Wixen, Squib, or Null, you are considered a pureblood by magic.” 

"She had Nymph heritage?" Goyle asked, looking slightly excited. "Do you know what kind? My pa was an earth Nymph descendant. My father thinks I'm likely to get the creature inheritance too, Just like my pa." Hadrian noticed Goyle was still speaking to him in gibberish which he guessed was the language of the Nymphs at this point. 

"Sorry she's not descended from the Nymphs, but her family magics allow me to read, speak, and write most creature languages."

"English please!" Goyle stuck his tongue out at her before answering in English.

"You feel same thing I feel now." She glared at him.

"At least you understand most of the conversation, we get nothing." Harry picked up his tea and took a sip before grabbing a biscuit, watching the argument unfold until a timid voice came from his left.

"Hadrian, where did you get tea and biscuits?" Everyone went silent as they looked at him confirming that, yes, he did have tea and biscuits.

"Did you want some? Kreacher." Kreacher popped next to him,  surveyed the scene then popped away, returning a moment later with more cups and another pot of tea.

"Potter. I don't think you realize that outside house elves aren't supposed to be able to get through the wards." Harry paused, his cup half way to his mouth. He hadn't known that. Was he able to do it because he was a founder's Heir? He didn't know and wasn't able to explain something he didn't have an explanation for. He looked at Malfoy coldly.

"Do you want tea or not?" Malfoy just nodded and no one bothered bringing it up again.

"Oh yeah." Pansy broke the stifling silence with cheerful excitement. "Draco and I brought some stuff with us to try and fix your hair." She got up from her seat and walked towards him. "Blaise also brought a few magazines and stuff for clothes." That seemed to be everyone's cue, as most of the group slowly shuffled away to the table at the end of the room, pulling out books and parchment, settling in to do homework. 

Bulstrode whispered a low “good Luck.” and gave him a consoling pat on the shoulder as she walked by, Leaving him with Pansy, Draco, and Blaise, who all moved to sit closer to him.

"I hate to break it to you but you can't fix my hair. It's cursed." Draco pouted at him.

"A bit dramatic to call it cursed, besides you don't know what me and Pans can do. We can work miracles."

"No, I mean it is literally cursed. One of my ancestors insulted a fay and our lineage was cursed with untameable Hair." Draco’s face fell.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do now. You just ruined my life goals Potter." He walked over to the sofa and flopped face first onto it, and he called Hadrian dramatic. Pansy was sitting next to him just glaring at his hair.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you that my real hair looks better than this?" Pansy's eyes snapped from his hair to his face and Draco lifted his head from the cushions to look at him before repeating.

"Real hair." with a raised eyebrow. Harry had been thinking about doing this anyway; he hated the glamor and wanted to spend as little time with it on as possible. He pulled the ring off and felt the glamor fade. He pulled his hair back into a half up half down to keep the front strands out of his eyes and pulled his glasses off.

"What the fuck." Zabini was staring at him with wide eyes and Draco was now off the sofa and back over to them.

"We can still work with this, you have given me hope." He felt something touch his ear and looked to see Goyle poking the point of his ear. All the others had looked over after Zabini’s loud exclamation.

"What's with the white streak?" Pansy asked, walking behind the sofa and undoing his hair, letting the curls hang around his face. She walked back around to the front and pulled gently at the lock of white hair.

"Why in the hell would you change your looks like that?" Zabini looked utterly confused by all of this. Everyone had moved back over to the sofas by this point and were staring at him. He felt a little uncomfortable. 

"You have pointed ears." He looked at Goyle who was staring at him intently. He opened his mouth to say something but he had no clue what to say to that. 

"Um… yes."Greengrass walked over and put out her hand.

"Can I see the ring?" He handed it over to her and she slipped it on to her finger, but nothing happened. She took it off and handed it back while speaking.

"It's a blood glamor. You know they're illegal, right?" No, He did not know that.

"Since I'm not the one who cast it, I'm not the one breaking the law, am I?" She smirked.

"I hope you have proof of that." He nodded.

"I do. It's also why I still wear it. I hate that glamor and would rather not have to wear it but right now that's not an option." She nodded in understanding.

“I would like to see that proof at some point and hope in the future you would be willing to show us.” she moved back to the table to continue homework, clearly no longer interested. The others followed her, once again leaving him with Pansy, Draco, and Blaise.

Pansy walked back round the sofa to play with his hair while Draco instructed her and Blaise flicked through the clothes with him. Hadrian had told him that he had bought clothes but couldn't wear them around school but his response was you can never have too many clothes, so Harry spent the two hours learning no etiquette from them, instead laughing and messing around with the occasional intelligent conversation thrown in when Nott and Bulstrode decided to ask more questions. He hadn't realized how long it had been since he was able to laugh this freely. Before coming back in time they had been in the middle of a war and for Harry that war had started at the end of his fourth year. Though he was able to laugh and joke around, he never truly let go and just enjoyed himself. When he looks back on all the good times he had had with Ron and Hermione they were all tainted with reminders that it was never real. He would get revenge but what he truly wanted was friends, family, people who were truly on his side, and this time he would make sure they survived.

___

Finally it was their free period before lunch and Neville started to split from the other boys, saying he was going to the greenhouse and Harry took his chance to go with him. Once they were alone Harry went to speak but quickly realized he didn't know how to start.

"Nev, I have a question and I want an honest answer. What do you think of Dumbledore?" Neville stopped walking abruptly and just stared at Harry with an unnervingly blank face.

"What do you think of him?" Harry took out his wand and saw Neville flinch slightly. He quickly raised the tip to the sky and made a secrecy vow stating he wouldn't repeat anything from this conversation. Without prompting Neville did the same and they continued walking.

"I think he is manipulative, unkind, biased, and someone who thinks far too much of himself." Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Does your gran feel the same?" Neville snorted a surprise laugh.

"She would have far less kindness in the words she would use for him." Harry laughed at that.

"Speaking from experience then?" Neville nodded, grinning.

"Why do you ask?" Harry bit his lip.

"I want my votes away from him but he can't know about it. Not yet, so Potter is out, but I have Gryffindor too. I'm sure you've heard the rumors. Gryffindor married into either the Potter's or…"

"The Longbottoms." Neville finished his sentence with a Cheshire grin and Harry nodded. “You want everyone to think I hold the title so Dumbledore doesn't realize you're aware of your heritage.” Harry nodded again.

“As long as you're okay with that. It will put a lot of attention on you, especially from Dumbledore. After all, it will look like you are taking a seat away from him.” Neville grinned viciously.

“Whatever do you mean Harry? My gran took me for a blood test during the holidays where we found out I hold the Gryffindor title. She felt it was unnecessary to claim the seat, but out of nowhere she sent me a letter with a proxy form the other day telling me to give her the seat and I, the oblivious Neville Longbottom, who knows nothing about any of this, did as I was told.” Harry couldn't help but smile at that. He had noticed in the last week that Nevills confidence seemed to be higher when they were alone and realized he wasn't the only one hiding behind a mask. It was the same with the Slytherins. In public they were cold but behind closed doors they were all really close friends, most had grown up together and Harry had found out Goyle only knew as much English as he did because of the time he spent with them as kids. Goyls father had kept him sheltered unlike his two older brothers for reasons Harry didn't know yet.

“She blames him, you know. Told me to always be wary and to stay out of his grip. She also told me to look out for you.” Harry looked at Neville in confusion. “Gran blames Dumbledore for what happened to my parents, and yours. She said that during the war he was the one who convinced both of our parents to leave their ancestral properties, insisting it was safer to be somewhere unknown instead of behind centuries old impenetrable wards." Harry could feel the anger seeping from Neville.

“Yeah, I know. One more thing in the long list of shit that man has done. So you don't think your gran would mind me writing to her?”

“She would love to hear from you. Especially if it is about taking more of Dumbledore's power away from him.”

"Good, because I need her to know at least some of the situation so she understands that I want it to look like you hold the title and not me. One word from her that you're not the Gryffindor Heir and everyone would know who it really is." Neville nodded and they continued discussing the details while they worked on repotting some kind of purple flower until lunch. Neville wanted to stay a little longer so Harry left him to it and headed back to the castle.

He was walking through one of the smaller courtyards when he heard a sob. Looking over he found two girls sitting on a bench. The one with blond hair was sniffling, her face red and blotchy. The other girl had light brown hair and was clearly trying to comfort her friend. Harry was pretty sure they were first years judging by how small they were. He walked closer and as soon as the one with brown hair noticed him she pushed herself off the bench and stood in front of her friend, scowling at Harry. He raised his hands in surrender and stopped moving closer.

"I just wanted to check that she was ok." The girl was silent for a long time just glaring at him before answering.

"Lana got hexed in the halls by one of the older students." Harry frowned at that. Who would pick on a first year only two weeks in. 

"Is she hurt?" The girl bit her lip and turned her head to look at her friend before stepping aside and nodding.

"She hurt her ankle." Lana had already taken her shoe and sock off so Harry was able to see from a few meters away how swollen it was. It was also turning a nasty shade of purple. He took an involuntary step forward before pausing. 

"Will you let me take a look at it?" The two girls shared a look before Lana nodded and Harry moved forward. He sat on the stone floor at her feet before carefully holding the arch of her foot and moving it so he could get a better look. His eyes were immediately attracted to a bronze colored cloud coating the outside of her ankle. He took a closer look and found that it was hovering around a large welt. It was magical residue left over from a very overpowered stinging hex. He frowned and put his hand out to feel the magic. It felt thick and sticky like honey and it had a musty scent, like old dusty books and parchment. He put a little magic into his hand and pulled the residue away from the injury until the bronze color was completely gone. He heard a sharp intake of breath and looked up.

"Are you alright? Did that hurt?" He could see tears brimming in her chocolate brown eyes but she shook her head.

"It stung a little bit but it feels a little better now." Harry nodded and went back to looking over the ankle. 

The stinging hex had been ridiculously overpowered. The large welt and the fact that it managed to break the skin proved that. He pulled out spare ointment, gauze, and bandages that were meant for his shoulder, but no longer needed and began dabbing the cream on to the welt. He heard the girl sniffle again.

"I'm Harry by the way. Sorry I didn't introduce myself sooner." The girl sniffled again.

"I'm Lana and that's Astoria. Harry's eyes flicked to the brown haired girl. Astoria Greengrass. His eyes flicked down to the green tie then to Lanas. They were both Slytherin first years. Meaning it was more than likely a Gryffindor who attacked them. He was just about to ask if they knew who did it when he heard heavy footsteps from behind him.

"Get away from her!" He turned to find a wand tip right in his face. He followed it up to the boy's face. He was a sixth or seventh year Ravenclaw. He had gold blond hair and chocolate brown eyes the same as Lana. He must be her brother. Harry pulled one hand away from her ankle and held it up in surrender.

"I was just trying to help." He gestured to the creams and bandages he was still holding on her ankle. If he let go they would all unravel and he would have to do it again. The boy's eyes flicked down and he faltered slightly before his face morphed into anger.

"You mean you're trying to cover for your mudblood." He heard Lanas small gasp and Harry went rigid. Dimly he noticed all the braziers around him extinguish. Hermione did this. He remembered Fawley saying they hexed the younger Slytherins but being told something and seeing it were two different things. He turned back to Lana.

"Hermione Granger did this?" Lanas eyes were wide and scared, and Harry realized how angry he must have looked. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking once more. "Make sure you tell professor Snape as soon as you can. Tell him what happened in as much detail as possible, and bring Astoria with you so she can add what she knows. Also bring an injury report from when you see madam Pomfrey. You just need to ask for one. She shouldn't ask questions after seeing the injury but if she does, tell her someone did this to you, and you want to go to a teacher with all the information you can. She will help you." Harry finished wrapping her ankle. “How does it feel? It's not too tight? She shook her head.

"It feels okay but..” she bit her lip. “Seeing your magic pets again might make me feel even better." She looked at him with big pleading eyes and Harry felt his lips twitch into a smile. It would seem Lana was one of the first years he helped on the train. He conjured Soteria and watched as it sniffed at Lanas ankle before sitting down and resting her head in the girl's lap. Harry stood and turned, his eyes widening at seeing more than just Lanas brother standing there. He had Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones with him, along with another Slytherin first year who was probably the one who went and got them. The younger boy quickly walked past him to his friends leaving the four older wizards staring at each other.

"Your Lanas brother right?" The boy only nodded. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that this was Granger's doing." Harry spat his forma friend's name then closed his eyes and took a deep breath before bowing his head slightly to the other boy. "I'm sorry. I should have been there. if I was, this wouldn't have happened." At that the boy's eyebrows rose.

"You would have stopped her?" Harry grimaced.

"I wouldn't have had to. They don't do this shit in front of me." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He hadn't thought about the consequences of him avoiding the idiots. It gave them more opportunities to do stuff like this and Harry didn't want that, but he also didn't want to have to be around them constantly to stop their bad behavior. Hannah stepped forward interrupting his thoughts.

"What do you mean they don't do it in front of you." Hannah had a frown on her face clearly thinking. Abruptly her eyes snapped to him. "They don't.” she sounded surprised like she only just realized. “In fact, they act quite differently around you." Harry just nodded knowing how true that was. "I don't think we introduced ourselves properly. I am Hannah Abbott, Daughter of the Noble and Distinguished House of Abbott. My father is the Viscount of Albaria. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She bowed and Lanas brother started speaking.

“Finnian Abbott, Heir of the Noble and Distinguished House of Abbott. My father is the Viscount of Albaria.” The boy bowed and Harry startled slightly; he hadn't known that Hannah had siblings. He looked between the two of them. How he didn't notice that, he didn't know. They had the same eyes, same hair, even the same jawline. His thoughts were cut by another introduction.

“I am Susan Bones Heiress Apparent to the Noble and Ancient House of Bones. My Aunt is Regent of the Earldom of Deerhurst.”

“Harry Potter…” he paused. “Heir apparent of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter.” He didn't have a regent. He knew that most people thought it was Dumbledore but it wasn't and him leaving that part of the introduction out, was telling. He saw Bones eyes widen a fraction but the Abbott siblings didn’t seem to have noticed him deliberately leaving part of his introduction out.

"Why did you tell her to go to Snape?" Susan was studying him waiting for his answer.

"Because he won't let Granger get away with it. All the other teachers would go to the headmaster about it and he would just sweep it under the rug. Snape will go to the headmaster then give out his own punishment anyway. He may not be the nicest teacher but he does care about his snakes. Especially if a Gryffindor was the one to hurt them." Susan shared a look with Finnian before she cautiously asked another question.

"You don't think the headmaster will punish her?" She looked at him skeptically and he choked on a surprise laugh which turned into giggles.

"Definitely not. He wouldn't allow Granger to be punished for keeping the 'dark wizards' inline. Doesn't matter that they're eleven when they're in the house of evil. Right? The only reason Weasley got detention for hexing Malfoy was because he did it so publicly it couldn't be ignored. Granger’s not that stupid." Harry had said way too much there but his temper was starting to get the better of him. He was getting more and more annoyed at the thought that there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. He just had to get through this year. After this year he would be changing the timeline as much as he wanted. Which meant no more putting up with Weasley and Grangers crap. The future was just too dependent on this year being, at the very least, mostly the same. Susan and Finnian had small smiles that made Harry think that he had passed a test he was unaware he was taking. 

"You should probably get Lana to Madam Pomfrey." He looked over at the three first years petting his patronus. Finnian stepped forward and gave a short bow.

"Thank you for your help, Heir Potter." He didn't wait for any response before walking to his sister, picking her up, and placing her on his hip. Susan and Hannah followed, both fussing over the injured first year and Harry made his way to the great hall, hoping that he had enough time to eat something.

The rest of the day went by and after their last class Granger was summoned away by a prefect. Harry didn't think much of it until she came back with tears in her eyes and anger rolling off her in waves. Harry found out she had been summoned to McGonagall's office, where Snape had also been waiting with her last assignment in hand. He had circled two paragraphs of text in red ink and had asked Granger what was wrong with them. When she said she didn't know he opened a book and pointed to two of the paragraphs and stepped back allowing McGonagall to take over. By the end of the meeting Gryffindor had lost thirty points and Granger received two detentions. The two paragraphs of text had been written word for word out of one of the textbooks so they gave her detention for plagiarizing. But with Snape doing that it became clear to Harry that Dumbledore had dismissed Granger's actions. He wrote a small note telling the Abbotts about the punishment Granger received from Snape, so they wouldn't think it had been completely ignored. He managed to discreetly drop it in Hannahs lap on his way past at dinner.

He had also written to Neville's gran starting with small pleasantries and by the following Thursday he had explained a large amount of what was going on. With her understanding of the situation she had assured him that as far as she was concerned she had never spoken to Harry Potter in her life and was ever so proud of her grandson for meeting the conditions required to hold the Gryffindor title.

It was at breakfast that day when he overheard a conversation sparked by that morning's profit. They had done another small piece on Sirius that he hadn't bothered to read.

"Do you think he'll come to Hogwarts to get back at Potter?"

"How stupid is he? It doesn't matter what he does, it won't change the fact that you know who is dead." Harry's mind had screeched to a halt at that. It was so simple. A simple fact he had forgotten. Voldemort was dead. To everyone else at this point Voldemort was dead. No one in their right mind would think or want to think he was alive. He rushed out of the hall and as soon as he was alone he shadowed to Salazar's office. He went straight for the desk and pulled out two change of proxy forms. As long as he was sensible everything would be fine. He wrote out the forms, as well as another tip for a certain reporter, before shadowing to the post bird rental and sent off the letters. The Wizengamot was in two days and he couldn't wait.

It was now Saturday and Harry was sitting in the Wizengamot viewing gallery once more. He was layered under invisibility, a notice me not, and a silencing charm, waiting for it to start. He saw Rita Skeeter sitting not too far from him and smirked. He had sent another tip saying that  today's Wizengamot would be interesting. If he continued giving her tips like this she would trust him in no time. Not that she knew it was him sending the letters. He had sent both letters on black parchment and written in silver ink. He had used the presentation as a sort of signature since he hadn't signed the letters. But if he built up a relationship with her this way he would be able to direct her articles in a way that would help him. He was brought out of his thoughts by Lucius starting the session.

“Welcome to the 18th wizengamot session of 1993. To begin, there are a few proxy changes. First on the list is Lord Dumbledore.” he gestured to Dumbledore and he stood.

“I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Lord of the Noble House of Dumbledore, do hereby claim proxy over the seats of the Noble House of Weasley and the Noble and Distinguished House of Prewett, with permission of their Lord. so mote it be.” the Weasley seat flashed gold while the Prewett seat took a few seconds to do the same. Smiling smugly, Dumbledore retook his seat. Many of the other lords were looking at him in disgust knowing exactly what he was trying to do. 

“Next is for Madam Bones.” He gestured and she stood.

“I, Amelia Bones, Regent of the Noble and Ancient House of Bones, do hereby claim proxy over the Noble House of Gaunt, with permission of its Lord. so mote it be.” Hadrian had double checked  her voting record and saw that it was mostly fine. Both her and Neville's gran had the same problem where they thought muggles were helpless little lambs that needed protecting, so their voting was a little more muggle friendly than he liked. Their priorities were still to their own culture though, so Hadrian wasn't too bothered.

“Next is Dowager Longbottom.”

“I, Augusta Longbottom, Regent of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom, do hereby claim proxy over the seat of the Most Ancient and Illustrious House of Gryffindor, with permission of its Head of House. so mote it be.” Dunbledore was not happy and looked about ready to protest so Hadrian was really looking forward to what would happen next.

“The last was sent through the ministry.” Lord Malfoy held up a sealed envelope before opening it and unfolding the contents. He opened his mouth to speak but slowly closed it as he looked over the contents. His face slowly became pale and his hands had a slight tremor. Fudge called out to him a few times but in the end one of the lords closest to him nudged him and he startled before clearing his throat. “The last is the Slytherin proxy being given to Ravenclaw. As Ravenclaws Proxy Greengrass will handle proxyship.” Greengrass stood but he wasn't the only one. Dumbledore was also standing.

“This can't be allowed. We all know who holds that line, besides…”

“He is dead, Albus.” Fudge roared. “We also know he would never give the proxyship of his house over.” Dumbledore's face was twisted in anger.

“Either way a Lord must give permission to the person claiming the proxy, not a proxy held by that person.” a clear and chilling voice swept across the room and hadrian was surprised to see Neville's gran also standing, smiling coldly at Dumbledore. 

“Lord Dumbledore I do believe you are the last person to be saying such things. If I recall you never reclaimed proxyship over the Potter seat when the Heir turned eleven as custom dictates. Both Madam Bones and I Reclaimed the proxy when the Heir Apparent of our houses turned eleven. You however still hold the proxy from when Lord James Potter, May his soul be with mother magic, gave you the proxy over thirteen years ago despite the Heir apparent having his formal debut. If I'm not mistaken that is quite serious and if it is found that you are using the seat without the Heirs permission, you will be fined and all bills that have been passed over the last two years will need to be reviewed and put to vote again." The entire hall was silent, everyone looking between Dumbledore and Dowager Longbottom. The minister's personal assistant was the only one moving. She was shuffling through stacks of papers until she found what she wanted and broke the silence.

“What Dowager Longbottom says is the truth. Lord Dumbledore you must reclaim proxyship or forfeit the seat” Dumbledore Recoiled like he had been slapped.

“You're accusing me of not asking permission to hold the proxy.” Hadrian did not like the smug light in his eyes and was suddenly wondering if he had gained permission and made sure Harry didn't remember. So quickly Harry spoke under his breath hoping this would work.

“I Hadrian Potter-Black, Hereby revoke all previous permission given to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore to hold the Potter proxy. So mote it be.” he felt the magic settle and hoped that worked, just in case Dumbles had done something.

“We are not assuming anything. We are stating that you didn't reclaim the proxyship when you should have. Nothing more nothing less.” Luciuse’s smooth voice had a note of smugness and Hadrian couldn't help but grin.

 “I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Lord of the Noble House of Dumbledore, do hereby claim proxy of the seat of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, with permission of the heir apparent. so mote it be.” for some time nothing happened but then the potter seat glowed. However, instead of the usual gold, it glowed red and the once golden potter crest that was inlaid on the back of the chair turned silver, indicating that the seat was now dormant. The whole chamber was in uproar. The most shocked however was Dumbledore. 

"But I asked permission." He looked utterly confused before his face morphed into annoyance. He raised his voice before speaking again. "Maybe the way I asked Heir Potter was too informal for Lady Magic to accept it as permission." Hadrian was now thankful that he revoked permission beforehand. Lucius banged his gavel.

"And now Lord Greengrass." Greengrass had no problem claiming the Slytherin proxy which caused Dumbledore's face to sour further. The man had gained two proxies only to lose Three others and come out worse off. The previous bills of the last two years would need to be voted on again and Dumbles had lost most of his power. He had gone from holding seven seats to only holding one of the original seven and two others. He had also gone from holding ten votes to now holding three. If they voted on everything now most of the creature restrictions that had been passed over the last two years will be revoked. Neville's Gran was his new favorite person. She had managed to get the Potter proxy away from Dumbledore and in doing so called into question the voting over the last two years. 

By the end of the session it was decided that instead of meeting once a fortnight they would meet twice a week so they can get through all the old bills. Nothing new could be submitted until they were finished. Dumbledore had talked his way out of any punishment for using the Potter seat without permission. He pulled out his best grandfather act and said that he had had the conversation with Harry but hadn't done anything formally. He had assumed that was enough for permission but was ‘sad’ to realize he had done something like this. Almost the entire hall had understanding expressions and Hadrian was using all of his self control to make sure that he didn't set anything on fire.

Chapter Text

As soon as the Wizengamot was over Lucius invited several of the Lords and Ladies to his manner. They needed to discuss what had happened. not all of them had the time but in the end the main people were there. Lord Crabb would talk to Lord Goyle when he got the chance, if he got the chance. Goyle's eldest son was nineteen and would be turning twenty in january. Everyone suspected he would be passing over his title and responsibilities as soon as he did. It was the earliest age that was seen as appropriate to hand over the title when the current lord was still alive. But he hadn't been all there since his husband, Julian, had died. His youngest son was the spitting image of him so was sheltered and not allowed to leave the estate after Julians passing. He wondered if he should start inviting the Heir to socials instead.

“That was the best thing I have ever had the pleasure to witness.” Sophia brought him out of his thoughts. “Did you see Dumbledicks face? He was furious. And he asked permission for the seat my ass. I can't believe how many people swallowed that lie.” 

“That's why Lord Potter is being so careful. Things like this will make small cracks in his facade and if you have enough cracks the whole thing will crumble.” Benedict was right. That was the most sensible way to handle it. Walchelin moved to the edge of his seat looking worried. 

“As much as what Lord Potter did was great, is no one worried about the Slytherin and Gaunt Proxies being given out?” There was a long moment of silence before Theo spoke.

“I don't think there is much cause for concern looking at it, it doesn't seem like something the dark lord would do.” Patrick took the moment to speak up.

“Do you think Severus might know? If the dark lord is back he is probably weak and would need his potions master." Lucius thought about it for a moment. It was Saturday so Severus was probably off.

“Narcissa Dear, would you mind seeing if he is free and willing to come over at some point.” Narcissa nodded and left the room.

“Don't you think it looks like someone inexperienced though?” Dimitri interjected. “They gave the proxy over after Skeeter did that piece on Ravenclaw having a Lord again. Not to mention they sent the change of proxy directly to the ministry instead of the person. Lord Gaunt sent theirs directly to Bones. I'm pretty sure they must be branch lines and if two different people hold the titles it must have branched off the main line around four hundred years ago or more." Everyone was nodding along. It seemed like the most plausible explanation.

“Now that everyone agrees that this wasn't the dark Lord, what was everyone's favorite part of today's smackdown?” Sophia was grinning like a shark that smelt blood in the water as the bickering began.

“It has to be when Fudge yelled at Dumbledore. The expression on his face will be fueling my patronuses for years.” that was Lord Bulstrode.

“No. The way that Dowager Longbottom just casually threw out the fact that Dumbledore had gone against customs like it was nothing was brilliant.” Lord Crabb disagreed.

"However Lord Potter using Dowager Longbottom in that manner was quite possibly the highlight of my year." Lord Parkinson was smiling clearly remembering the event.

"The way Lord Potter was able to remove his proxy without making himself the enemy while also calling the voting over the last two years into question was excellently done, and showed a measure of forethought I wouldn't expect from a thirteen year old."

"Be honest Benedict. I wouldn't have expected that level of forethought from anyone. He had the headmaster by the balls and Albus doesn't have a clue that he's even involved." Lord Nott was interrupted by Severus storming into the room.

"What the hell did Potter do?" Everyone was quickly silent, all of them knew about his irrational hatred of the boy. Lucius hadn’t expected him to get here so quickly.

"Severus, it's good to see you. I didn't think you would come so quickly."

"What, did, he, do?" Lucius faltered at the anger in his friend's voice. He really hoped Severus wouldn't do something stupid just to spite the boy.

***

It was Severus's day off, he should be relaxing, curled up with a good book, and sipping a glass of expensive wine, but instead he was worrying over Potter. It had been a little over two weeks since Potter got his creature inheritance and he hadn't heard a peep from the boy. He was being too quiet and Severus was growing more and more suspicious. Every day that passed with no mention of the boy being involved in some kind of antics set alarm bells off in his head. 

His nervous pacing was stopped by the floo flaring. He walked over and knelt by the fire as Narcissa's face formed in the flames.

"Severus, it's good to see you. Lucius was wondering if you had some time to come over. We haven't seen you in a while and thought it would be nice to catch up." He thought about it for a moment and decided it was a good way to get his mind off Potter.

"I'm not busy at all, are you alright for me to come through now?" Narcissa nodded before she was gone from the fire and Severus stepped through.

"Some of the others are here also. They're currently in the drawing room." She led them down several corridors until he could hear the faint sounds of talking coming from the open door ahead of them and he was able to make out a sentence.

"However Lord Potter using Dowager Longbottom in that manner was quite possibly the highlight of my year." Severus stopped in his tracks. What did the brat do?

"The way Lord Potter was able to remove his proxy without making himself the enemy while also calling the voting over the last two years into question was excellently done, and showed a measure of forethought I wouldn't expect from a thirteen year old."

"Be honest Benedict. I wouldn't have expected that level of forethought from anyone. He had the headmaster by the balls and Albus doesn't have a clue that he's even involved." Severus couldn't remain silent anymore and stormed into the room.

"What the hell did Potter do?" Everyone stared at him looking panicked and Lucius stood from his seat.

"Severus, it's good to see you. I didn't think you would come so quickly."

"What, did, he, do?" Lucius faltered while everyone else avoided looking at him. He was out of patience.

"Kreacher." In the last two weeks Harry had given him and Lupin access to the founders library through the form of Kreacher popping them directly into the quarters. That also gave them the ability to call Kreacher as they pleased. The little bastard was never happy about it but Severus didn't care.

"Masters' scary dungeon bat be calling for Kreacher." Severus felt his eye twitch at the chosen form of address but ignored it for now. 

"Bring the brat here, now." Kreacher narrowed his eyes at him.

"Kreacher will be asking great Master if he will be joining the dungeon bat." Kreacher popped away and Severus rubbed at his temples until there was another pop and he looked up. Potter was there without his glamor, looking like the little Lord he was, in smart black slacks, dragon hide boots, and a soft blue button down acromantula silk shirt. His hair was pulled away from his face revealing his pointed ears and Severus had to take a quick moment to collect himself. He hadn't seen Potter like this for a while now and it was a little jarring.

"What did you do?" The brat had the nerve to look at him confused.

"What do you mean? I haven't done anything. I haven't caused any incidents in the last two weeks. I'm pretty sure that's a new record." Severus sighed.

"You remember I told you that you could rely on us, right?" Harry nodded. "So why is this the first time I'm hearing about you giving out more proxies?" Harry looked at him confused and Severus felt his stomach sink. "Why did you feel the need to give more out?"

"Lucius wrote to me about a bill Dumbledore was able to pass during the last Wizengamot. I realized that he still held too much power. I thought about it a lot and made sure nothing would be able to be traced back to me. I've been organizing this over the past two weeks and it all went well. There is nothing for either of you to worry about."

"But you didn’t tell us."

"Did I need to?" It suddenly hit him. this child had never had someone he could rely on. He didn't understand that they expected him to go to them for help. He was so used to handling it himself that he had no concept of what it was to rely on others. Severus put his head in his hands.

"You've barely spoken to us in the last two weeks. If there was something serious going on you should have spoken to us." Harry still looked confused and Severus got the sudden urge to go crucio the headmaster.

"I didn't want to involve you and Moony. Especially Moony. the bill he passed was…" Potter bit his lip. "Not pleasant." Severus looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"You're thirteen Potter. It isn't your job to protect us from things like this. I told you to come talk to us, and you haven't spoken to us in weeks, other than the small occasional check in. Rem has been really worried about you, especially after what you went through the last time we spoke to you. The next thing I hear after you being suspiciously quiet for two weeks, is that you're taking risks with your seats and apparently have been in contact with Lucius for Merlin knows how long." By the end of his rant he was shouting and Potter looked like a kicked puppy. 

A loud cough cut through the thick silence and they looked over to the group of Lords and Ladies sitting a little ways away from them. Severus saw Potter put a hand up to cover his ear, and realized he had allowed the anxiety that had built up in the last two weeks to dictate his actions. He had forced Harry to reveal something he probably wanted to keep private and in doing so caused a problem for him that severus was now unable to fix. Everyone was staring at  Potter in shock, except Lucius who was looking at him one eyebrow raised in question.

"It would seem the two of you are on far friendlier terms than anyone was aware of." He felt his eye twitch at the accusation in Lucius’s voice.

"Says the person who is in contact with the brat, apparently. How long has that been going on?" Luciuses eyes suddenly flicked to Potter. 

"We have sent a few letters, however I don't recall ever speaking with him about the Wizengamot or anything about the new bill that was passed." Contrary to what Severus thought would happen Potter stepped forward and spoke confidently and calmly.

"Before we get into any discussions, which I assume I am now a part of." He paused waiting for a positive or negative response from Lucius, who nodded. "Well then I believe introductions are in order."

***

Hadrian was in Salazar's office. He had only come back from the wizengamot about an hour ago and was currently discussing the advantages of using horcruxes in the resurrection ritual he was looking into with salazar. About a week ago he had decided to start looking into what Voldemort did last time during his resurrection. He explained to the two founders what the ritual had included from what he remembered, and it had narrowed it down to three rituals. all were very similar and with similar outcomes, so it was impossible to know which one it was exactly but it didn't matter. He had gone through each one and made detailed notes on all of the  three rituals including the flaws and problems that would come from using them in the manner they were going to. It had taken a while but he had gotten through it and was currently discussing better alternatives with Salazar and Rowena. 

Convincing Salazar to help had been a struggle. Hadrian had walked in and asked if they knew anything about horcruxes. immediately salazar started screaming saying no lord of the Slytherin house would be touching that kind of magic. It had taken Hadrian the entire day to calm him down and explain everything before they would even consider helping him. Once they had started helping though their information had been invaluable. He already compiled detailed research into horcruxes with a fair amount on how making them affects the caster. He was putting all of this together so he would be able to give it to Voldemort after he had already explained the prophecy in hopes that he would be willing to look at it properly and understand the error he had made in making them. It was a lot of work that he hoped wasn't a waste of his time. It would probably take another two weeks to find a better ritual and a further few months to make the necessary alterations in order for it to work how they wanted it to. It wouldn't be perfect but he didn't need it to be. It just needed to be good enough for Barty to finalize it. Hadrian knew Barty was the one who organized everything from the homunculus to the ritual last time and knew he would be far better at making the final adjustment than Hadrian. His research was interrupted by Kreacher popping in to the office

“Masters dungeon bat be asking Kreacher to bring great master to him.” Hadrian choked on the breath he had just taken. He hoped Kreacher had not addressed Snape like that to his face. Though He was pretty sure the little shit had done exactly that.

“Did he say why?” Kreacher shook his head and Hadrian sighed before getting up and holding his hand out to the elf. With a loud pop he was standing in front of the potions master. He wasn't able to say a word before Snape spoke.

"What did you do?" Hadrian looked at him confused. He hadn't done anything.

"What do you mean? I haven't done anything. I haven't caused any incidents in the last two weeks. I'm pretty sure that's a new record." Snape sighed.

"You remember I told you that you could rely on us, right?" Hadrian nodded, completely confused. What was he talking about? There hadn't been anything he needed to go to them for. He hadn't had any problems he couldn't deal with himself. "So why is this the first time I'm hearing about you giving out more proxies?" Hadrian looked at him more confused. Why would he speak to him about that? Should he have told them because he also gave Snapes proxy out? But this had nothing to do with that. He saw the potion master's face soften slightly. "Why did you feel the need to give more out?" Hadrian actually had an answer for that question so quickly spoke.

"Lucius wrote to me about a bill Dumbledore was able to pass during the last Wizengamot. I realized that he still held too much power. I thought about it a lot and made sure nothing would be able to be traced back to me. I've been organizing this over the past two weeks and it all went well. There is nothing for either of you to worry about." technically Lucius had told Lord Black but that small detail didn't really matter. 

"But you didn’t tell us." Hadrian didn't understand why he was supposed to have told them. He hadn't done anything without proper planning and everything had gone better than he ever thought it would.

"Did I need to?" Snape's face fell as he just stared at Hadrian before he put his head in his hands. A long moment later Snape looked back up at him with a serious expression.

"You've barely spoken to us in the last two weeks. If there was something serious going on you should have spoken to us." Hadrian didn't understand. This wasn't serious. He had handled it with no problems, not to mention he didn't want to have to explain to two people, who he was pretty sure were a couple or at least close to being one, that their relationship was now essentially illegal. 

"I didn't want to involve you and Moony. Especially Moony. the bill he passed was…" he bit his lip. He still didn't want to tell him. "Not pleasant." Snape's face hardened and he raised an eyebrow.

"You're thirteen Potter. It isn't your job to protect us from things like this. I told you to come talk to us, and you haven't spoken to us in weeks, other than the small occasional check in. Rem has been really worried about you, especially after what you went through the last time we spoke to you. The next thing I hear after you being suspiciously quiet for two weeks, is that you're taking risks with your seats and apparently have been in contact with Lucius for Merlin knows how long." Snape was shouting by the end and Hadrian realized what he had done wrong. The creature inheritance had worried Moony and that had bothered Snape. Hadrian hadn't told them much about the inheritance and Remus probably assumed he was struggling, like he did with his wolf. Hadrian would have to make time to talk to him so he didn't worry anymore.

A loud cough cut through his thoughts and he turned to see they weren't alone. Instinctively he put a hand up to check he still had human ears, and was relieved to feel that he did. Most of them probably already knew about the glamor. He assumed anything he said to the Slytherins went straight back to their parents so didn't say or do anything he didn't want them to know. He wasn't ready for them to know about the creature inheritance just yet though. He took a look around and realized they were in Malfoy manor. He felt a shiver run through him. They had been imprisoned here. Hermione had been tortured here. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat and tried to focus on anything else.

"It would seem the two of you are on far friendlier terms than anyone was aware of." He didn't understand the accusation in Lucius's voice.

"Says the person who is in contact with the brat, apparently. How long has that been going on?" Luciuses eyes suddenly flicked to him and Hadrian felt like he was a bug under a magnifying glass. 

"We have sent a few letters, however I don't recall ever speaking with him about the Wizengamot or anything about the new bill that was passed." Hadrian had fucked up. But maybe it was about time he let them in on some of the secrets. 

"Before we get into any discussions, which I assume I am now a part of." He paused waiting for a positive or negative response from Lucius, who nodded. He didn't want to assume he was welcome considering he was pretty sure Lord Malfoy wasn't the one to invite him. "Well then I believe introductions are in order." Malfoy's eyes widened realizing the social blunder he had made while the rest of their company stood from their seats and walked forward. 

“Walchelin Crabbe, Baron of Direscar. Pleased to meet you."

"I am Sophia Zabini, Viscountess of Sencia and Baroness of Narveil. It's a pleasure to meet you, my Lord.” 

“I’m Dimitri Bulstrode, Count of Nastile. it's a pleasure to formally meet you."

“I am Benedict Greengrass, Count of Perrybell. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Patrick Parkinson, Earl of Embercain. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, my Lord.”

 “ Theodorus Nott, Earl of Norhaven. It's a pleasure.” 

“Lucius Malfoy, Marquess of Ithnion and my wife, Narcissa Malfoy, Marchioness of Ithnion.” Hadrian looked over to Snape and raised an eyebrow at him but the older man just scowled. So He sent him the biggest grin he could and Snape's scowl deepened while a flash of panic went through his eyes.

“I am Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black, Barren of Greold, Baron of Forlon, Viscount of Whiteshade, Count of Faypine, Earl of Houndmoor, Marquess of Nuashall, Margrave of Thornfair, Margrave of Grimfell, and Grand Duke of Morsgrave, It's a pleasure to make all of your acquaintances.” He dipped his head to them not needing to bow since he was of a higher standing than them. He had only left out Emris and Lefay; he definitely wasn't ready for people to know that just yet.

“Potter!” Snape was looking at him in shock. And Hadrian once again raised an eyebrow at him gesturing for him to go next and he sighed.

 “Severus Snape, Baron of Aralicia.” he gave a formal bow then glared at Hadrian folding his arms over his chest. Lucius was staring at Snape looking utterly betrayed.

“The two of you. Everything  was the two of you.” Hadrian decided to correct that.

“Actually  it was the summer holidays when I gave out the first lot of Proxies and no one was aware I held any of the titles. Out of the titles I had, Black, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Sayre were the ones that I deemed were safe to give out. no one could trace them back to me and it took away three of Dumbledore's seats.” 

“Why choose us?” Hadrian looked towards the speaker to see Lord Nott.”

“I will answer that, but are we able to take a seat first?” it seemed everyone had forgotten that they were still standing and started to shuffle towards the sofas. It would be a bit of a tight fit with all of them there.

“Maybe we should move to the dining room.”

“No!” Hadrian hadn't meant to shout but he was very sure that he would have a panic attack if he went in there. He could still remember Hermione's screams and Burbages lifeless eyes as Nagini ate her. He was struggling just being in Malfoy manor at all but he would not go into that room. He smoothed out his expression before turning to Lady Malfoy. 

“I apologize for raising my voice, it was unnecessary. Talking here should be fine though.” Snape was looking at him in concern but Hadrian ignored him. And continued to the seat to malfoys left as was customary for the highest ranking person after the host. He would have taken the right if Lady Malfoy wasn't present. 

“Lord Nott, back to the question you asked me before. I didn't just choose you at random. I looked through the voting records for the last two years and found the people who voted the most as I would have. Three people voted exactly as I would have. That was Lord Malfoy, Lord Greengrass, and you, Lord Nott. I gave Black to Lord Malfoy Because most people believe the title will go to Draco. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff went to Greengrass because they are known for being gray houses. Then I put Sayre with Nott because I wanted a greater divide between the light and dark factions so Dumbledore would have a harder time getting back into power." They were all staring at him with wide eyes.

“You put that much thought into it?” that came from Lady Malfoy and he nodded at her before taking a sip of his tea, then realized. How did he get tea? He looked at it in confusion and was amused to see Snape realizing the same and they shared a look. The older man just shrugged and continued drinking his own tea. It had come from Kreacher, that much was obvious from the crockery, but he didn't remember picking it up.

“So you planned all of that on your own? What about this Last wizengamot? Would you explain that to us?” This time it was Greengrass asking the questions and Hadrian answered. 

“I had Peverel, Potter, Slytherin, Gryffindor, and Gaunt Left. I couldn't touch Potter or Peverel, and I didnt want to cause anyone else problems by giving out Gaunt and Slytherin. That left Gryffindor and all the rumors say they married into Potter or Longbottom, so I spoke to Neville and his gran, and organized everything with them. I then realized that no matter what unless vol… the dark lord appeared right in front of the minister, he would forever deny that he was anything but dead. Dumbledore would of course claim it was him and that would cause problems between him and the minister, removing more of his influence. I gave Gaunt to Bones mostly to remove suspicion. if it was the dark lord he would have never given a proxy to Bones, a family that he himself tried to wipe out in the last war. I gave Slytherin to Ravenclaw because Rita did a lovely piece on how Ravenclaw had a lord again. Meaning if someone from an indirect line ‘who had little education in this area but suddenly had a title’ saw it, they would give a founders proxy to another founder. Or is that not what everyone was already thinking?” Suddenly a bark of laughter was heard and his head snapped to Lady Zabini.

“That’s exactly what everyone in the Wizengamot is currently thinking, kid. That's what we came up with too, we assumed someone from a different branch was able to claim the title but had no clue how to deal with it so gave it to another founder." Hadrian was glad to hear that. “My question now. How did you get put in Gryffindor? There is no way you are suited there.” Hadrian smirked at her.

“A lot of begging.” Lady Zabini started cackling. While everyone else seemed to be in shock. Snape broke out of his stupor first.

“You don't actually mean that you weren't meant to go to Gryffindor?” Hadrian nodded, a grin spreading across his face.

“I was meant to go to Slytherin, but after Dumbledore sent ‘all Slytherins are evil’ Hagrid and set up a meeting with the ‘all dark wizards are death eaters’ weasleys, I begged the hat to send me anywhere but Slytherin. My decision was cemented as the right one when I went to the class I was most excited for, only to be greeted by the head of Slytherin house being a dick." Snape spluttered.

“You were most excited for potions?” Hadrian raised an eyebrow at his professor.

“That's what you took away from that?” Hadrian saw Snape's face flush and felt a little spark of triumph. Lady Malfoy cut in when it was clear Snape wouldn't answer.

“I have a question if you're willing to answer.” he made a gesture for her to continue and she did. “How did you get the Black title?” Hadrian looked down into his cup, not making eye contact with anyone. He hoped there would be no follow up questions after his answer.

“Sirius Black is my blood adopted father, so when the title passed from him, it went to me.” Her eyes widened as she stared at him.

“Your mine and Draco's Cousin? That explains a lot of your appearance.  You have the black cheekbones and the Black jawline.” she was scanning his face almost reverently. “I thought me and Draco were all that was left of the Black family after my sister and your... And sirius…” she smiled at him. “Would you mind if I told Draco? he’s always wanted a cousin.” Hadrian hadn't expected that and was feeling a little choked up at the thought of having family he hadn't even considered. Once Sirius was back properly it would be even better. He nodded at her.

“I don't mind you telling Draco of the relation. I didn't realize it would mean so much to you.” Narcissa nodded.

“Family is everything to a Black.”

“I'm sorry to interrupt this, but your question sparked my own.” Everyone looked at Lord Greengrass. “That explains the Black title but what about all the others? Where did they come from?”

“Peverell, Potter, and Gryffindor, came from my father. Black came from Sirius. Slytherin and Gaunt came from the right of conquest. The rest came from my mother. She wasn't a Muggleborn but no one knew that. Not even her. Her mother was Vivian Sayre. The squib daughter of the late Lord and Lady Sayre. She was sent away then adopted by muggles. They wiped her from all records but didn't disown her. Hufflepuff married into Ravenclaw and they then had a squib line who married into the Evens family. making my mother…” He trailed off as he felt an alert from one of his proximity charms he had set by his secret base go off. He had made it look like he was down there to the portraits so it would only be one person. He needed to go. He stood quickly and turned to snape.

“I need to go, Dumbledore is on his way to where I am supposed to be and I don't know what he wants.” He didn't understand why he hadn't received the same alert during his first run through of the day, but he knew he hadn’t so he needed to go. He pulled the glamor ring off from around his neck and slipped it on to his finger.

“You need your glasses, also you can't be seen in those clothes.” He pulled his glasses out of his pocket, put them on, and looked down at his clothes.

“Bollocks.” He conjured a plain closed front robe, threw it on, and shadowed to the room he had set up as his base. Once there he rushed over to the broom parts and started copying the runes he had forced to show up on the broom, on to a piece of parchment to make it look like he was in the middle of doing something. He had only drawn one when a knock came from the door and Dumbledore strolled in. Harry put on a shocked and slightly awed expression.

“How did you know I was here, Headmaster?” Dumbledor chuckled 

“Nothing happens in my school without me knowing.” Harry had a lot of things to say to that. Not your school being the main thing.

“What brings you here, headmaster?”

“I was curious to see what could keep you away from Miss Granger and Mr Weasley.” Hadrian fiddled with the quill he was writing with before forcing tears into his eyes. looking up at Dumbledore with his now watery eyes.

“They've been fighting so much recently and I don't like it. Ron is almost constantly yelling at Hermione. It reminds me of the dursleys. I really don't like it. I hang out with Neville, Dean, and Seamus, but it's not the same as being with them.” At the mention of Neville he saw Dumbles' eye twitch and Harry had to stop himself from smiling.

“I'm sure they miss you though. You should go see them.” Harry expected more spells or forcing him to sign something. What was he playing at?

“I don't want to be around shouting today.” Harry could see Dumbles getting agitated and knew he would have to give in. his other self had been using the founders library until dinner, it's why he had been confined to the office on his relive. So at least they wouldn’t cross paths. 

“Though I guess we could go to the library. It will stop them from shouting and I need Granger's help for my homework anyway.” he really didn't but letting Dumbles think he needed her was in his best interest. the headmaster beamed as he packed up his things and slung his bag over his shoulder.

“I do believe they are already there and I was just about to go as well. Madam pance has been requesting more books, so I shall accompany  you.” He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and guided him down the hall. He saw a few Slytherins look at him with something that looked like panic, and Harry wondered how much his year mates had told the rest of their house. 

Finally they reached the Library and Dumbles pushed him towards a table with Ron and Hermione sitting there. On his way over he noticed the table behind them and cringed. Sitting there were the third year Hufflepuffs including Bones and Abbot. He wondered what they must think of him. He had seen what Granger did but still sat with her and acted friendly. Bones caught his eye and he looked away quickly, feeling his cheeks heat in shame as he sat with Ron and Hermione.

“Mate, where have you been? We were looking for you.” Harry just shrugged his shoulders saying nothing. Before laying his head on the table and ignoring them. It was a short while later that Ron spoke again, malice coating every word. “What are you doing here, go back to your own table.”

“I'm not here to talk to you weasley, so stay out of it. Potter, may I have a word?” He lifted his head from the table and looked over to see Bones standing there. 

“He doesn't need to talk to you!” harry turned to Ron

“We’re in a library dont just yell at people, you'll get us all kicked out.” Ron scowled at him but sat back down with a huff.

“What do you need, Bones?” She scrutinized him for a moment before speaking.

“We need help with the DADA homework, you're the best in our year. Will you help us?” She gestured to the table and Harry nodded and stood up to go but was stopped.

“Harry, you just got here and we haven't seen you all day. You're not really going to leave us now are you?” Harry knew Granger was trying to manipulate him but he also knew it was something he would have fallen for in the past. He was currently facing away from the idiots so they couldn't see his face. He mouthed an ‘i'm sorry’ to Bones before he turned and sat back down. 

“Maybe later. But Hermione's right, I haven't seen my friends all day.” It physically hurt him to say that but ignored it. Hermione had a smug smile on her face and all he wanted to do was smash it into the desk. He couldn't look at Bones as she walked away, he just stared down at the table.

Harry pushed all his anger and irritation behind his now decent occlumency shields and pulled out his ancient runes textbook from his bag. Salazar had been teaching him occlumency since the first time he used the time turner and he was now halfway decent at it.

“Hey Harry? You know the wizengamot and all that stuff? Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have a seat on it?” That was about as subtle as a sledgehammer. what the fuck was Ron up to. 

“I can't say that I have. Why would I think about something like that?” Hermione closed her book to join the conversation.

“Yeah, like, you have never thought about being nobility?” Harry decided to make this as painful for them as he could.

“Are you saying that wizards have nobility? I didn't know that. It seems kinda archaic and stupid though. Why would you want something like that?” Ron scrunched his face but Hermione spoke first.

“Nobles have the power to change the wizarding world by passing new laws but the seats are all held by old pureblood familys. It's very important but it's just another way purebloods repress muggleborns. If I had a seat I would give it to Headmaster Dumbledore so he could do as much good as possible.” Ron was nodding furiously. The way they acted really reminded him that they were still only thirteen. Though he wondered why he didn't feel that way with many of the others. Maybe they were just more mature. The Slytherins had grown up with the expectations of being Heirs and representatives of their family so maybe they grew up faster because of it.

“Don't you agree harry?”

“What?” he hadn't been paying attention.

“If you were part of a noble family with a seat on the wizengamot wouldn't you give your seat to dumbledore?” did he think this would be enough to count as permission? Wait. Was it enough to count as permission? He didn't actually know. He would have to be careful. He hummed noncommittally, still looking down at his book and Hermione huffed. “Harry?”

“Why are you asking about this? It's not like this will ever happen.”

“But hypothetically, if dumbledore came up to you telling you that you were nobility and that you had a seat on the wizengamot, that he needed to use,  wouldn't you give it to him?”

“But that would never happen.”

“But if it did.” Hermione was getting annoyed and Harry was enjoying himself far too much. Harry made a show of thinking about it before answering.

“If he came up to me and told me that. I think… I would ask why. Why he hadn't told me before. Why he only told me because he wanted the seat. He knows how much knowing about my heritage would mean to me. So I would ask why he kept that from me for years.” Harry sniffled and rubbed his eye with the back of his hand. “But this would never happen because Dumbledore would never do something that cruel.” he looked back at them with a watery smile. “He would have told me before now so none of this matters. I don't like thinking about him like that even hypothetically so can we stop talking about it?” Ron and Hermione looked shocked. Hermione was clearly going over his words and to his surprise looked a little understanding and confused. Harry now realized why the headmaster emotionally manipulated children all the time, it was just so easy.

Silence prevailed for a long time after that and Harry couldn't be more thankful. Until Ron got the nerve to try asking about the proxy again. It kept happening all the way till dinner time, but he only gave the same kind of answer as the first time. They were getting frustrated but not as frustrated as Harry. Who was currently working out how to get away with murder. He was a little surprised how easy it would be. His current favorite was shadowing Ron to Aragog. 

They got up to leave for dinner but Harry said he needed to pick up a few books beforehand and told them to go ahead. He couldn't go with them. His other self went to dinner so he couldn't be there. They were reluctant but did eventually leave him to go to dinner. As soon as they were out the door he let his head hit the table. Merlin, he couldn't stand them. He felt someone prying away his hands from his head. He hadn't realized he was pulling at his hair. He allowed his hands to be pulled away and he looked up into soft blue eyes.

“Bones, what do you want?”

“I wanted to say sorry.” Harry was taken aback. Why was she apologizing? “I should have realized it was a little more serious when I saw the headmaster physically bring you in here and push you towards them. I should have picked a better time to approach you. Do you mind if the rest join us?” she gestured to the table filled with her housemates. 

“Wouldn't it be easier if we joined them?” she smiled at him, before standing and pulling him up. She brought him over and pushed him into a chair next to Abbott and she sat on the other side of him.

“We introduced ourselves the other day but these people are Megan Jones, Leanne Meadows, Lucas Ashford, Ernie MacMillan, and Justin Finch-Fletchley. You all know Harry Potter." Harry winced. “MacMillan and Ashford are both Heirs too. Before we get to anything else we need an answer to a question otherwise it will never go away. What happened from your perspective in the dueling club last year with the snake?” Harry blinked at her. He thought back to his second year before his eyes widened and he looked at Justin. 

“That was the first time I spoke parseltongue in front of people. I didn't know it was seen as a dark trait and I didnt know people couldn't understand me. To me it sounds like English so I didn't realize. But basically, when Malfoy summoned the snake it was agitated and scared. Lockheart throwing it into the air didn’t help its mood either. It went to attack Justin and I asked it not to. Snakes don't automatically obey me though, even if I speak parseltongue.” Everyone's eyes were wide.

“It just sounds like English to you?” Justin was looking at him incredulously.

“It does. I can't control when I speak it properly either. It's a pain. I'm sorry for scaring you back then, I didn't mean to.” Justin looked thoughtful then nodded.

“It's fine. I think I overreacted anyway.” Harry felt a small smile spread across his face. 

"So can you tell me why you still act friendly towards Granger, despite knowing what she did to my little sister?" Harry grimaced. He was a little wary of the badgers, they were the ones at the center of Hogwarts rumor mill after all.

"The more I'm around them the less time they have to do things like that. They won't do it in front of me." It was one of the reasons he spent more time with them, just not any of the main ones.

"You always look like you're enjoying their company and having fun." There was accusation in Ashford's voice as he glared at him.

"The magic of shoving all of your anger and resentment behind decent occlumency shields." He had been using that trick for a little while now. It would be an incredibly unhealthy coping mechanism if he didn't repeat every day and sort through the emotions he had repressed. Ashford scowl lessened and Meadows chose that moment to speak up. 

"Now that everything is aired out can you help me with the DADA homework?"

***

Potter trailed off, his eyes going vacant for a moment and Lucius was able to see the concern in Severus's face. It looked like he was about to call out to the boy when Potter's eyes widened and he stood abruptly.

“I need to go, Dumbledore is on his way to where I am supposed to be and I don't know what he wants.” Lucius could take a guess at what the manipulative old fool wanted. Potter pulled out a chain from around his neck and took the ring off it before sliding it on to his finger. Now that Lucius was able to compare the changes in the boy he realized just how bad he looked like this. To think this is how the headmaster wanted the boy to be viewed.

“You need your glasses, also you can't be seen in those clothes.” Harry was already pulling out his glasses from his pocket and putting them on. He looked down at what he was wearing.

“Bollocks.” The boy conjured a plain closed front robe. He didn't even use a spell. Suddenly the shadows from around the room moved, accumulating at Potter's feet and spreading over his body before he sunk into the floor.  The room was utterly silent, everyone still staring at the spot where Potter had been standing seconds before. Lucius pulled himself together first and turned to severus.

“Care to explain?” Everyone else looked to the potions master who didn't look away from the spot where Potter had disappeared.

“I didn't know he could do that.” Snape looked like he was in shock and Lucius could practically see the gears in his head turning trying to make sense of it. In the end he looked like he gave up and turned to Lucius. “How long have you two been in contact?”

“I have been in contact with Lord Black since the twentieth of August. Though you know that because I told you about how we all received the proxies from the same person, and you thought it would be funny to sit there and act oblivious.”

“In my defense Lucius, I didn't know at the time. I found out the first Sunday we were back at school.” Lucius thought he still should have told him. Wait. wasn't that when he asked for Potter's address. Lucius was too busy working out who Lord Black was at the time to really think about what he wanted it for.

“A bit of a coincidence that that was when you asked for his address.” Lusius saw Severus wince.

“How much do you know about where Potter was placed after his parents were killed?” Before Lucius could answer, Benedict spoke up.

“He is in regular contact with our children and sees them every thursday. They are trying to teach him all the things he should have been taught growing up but wasn't, because of Dumbledore. My daughter suspects the people he stays with don't treat him kindly. She has noted whenever someone moves too fast or touches him without warning he flinches minutely. After the face I saw him make earlier I am inclined to agree with her.” Lucius thought back. They had all seen it when Narcissa suggested moving to the dining room. He looked terrified and Lucius didn't want to know what put that kind of expression on the boy's face. More disturbing was the speed in which he masked it. His face had been completely blank showing no hint of his emotions.

“He is in contact with the Slytherins?” Severus looked like he wanted to bash his head against the table. “That's one more thing to add to the list of questions I now have for him. But yes I went to his… ‘relatives’ though I loathe to call them that.” he paused before looking directly at Lucius. “Lucius, his childhood makes mine look preferable.” Everyone here knew Severus’s childhood wasn't great but Lucius was the only one who understood fully.

“What's the plan for the end of the year? He can't go back there.” Severus shook his head.

“He worked out a way around it last summer and has explained why he must go back as well as the plan he has for them this summer. He will be fine and if he isn't he promised he would send me a letter. Though now that I think about it I have no clue how bad it would have to get for him to actually ask for help.” he sighed putting his head in his hands.

“Okay but how do you go from hating someones very being to mother henning over them in a few weeks? that just doesn't make sense. Honestly, your acting completely different. Even with us.” Sophia was looking at Severus in confusion.

“Kreacher.” the elf popped next to him. “Do you know where Harry keeps the gringotts exams?” Kreacher nodded, popped away, and returned a few seconds later holding the parchment. He handed it to Severrus and left. He laid it on the coffee table so everyone could look. He pointed to one line in particular. Augendae Odium. Lucius was shocked.

“Potter knows about this? He knows what it does?” Severus made a so so gesture. 

“I told him it increased my hatred for things I disliked. He's thirteen and has enough on his plate. He didn't need to know.” Nott Looked like he was about to storm into Hogwarts and crucio the headmaster himself.

“Severus, he forcibly suppressed every good emotion you had and amplified all the bad for what must be years. Please tell me you're seeing a mind healer.” Severus scowled at him.

“And who do you suggest I see?” he sighed. “Nevermind we’ve gotten off topic and I have a question. what was the bill dumbledore put through that potter wouldn't tell me?” Lucius explained the contents of the bill and saw Severuses face darken with every word. He looked furious, then in an instant the fury was gone, replaced with shock as he put a hand up to cover his mouth and Lucius could see the tips of his ears turn red. Lucius looked at everyone else, checking that it wasn't his imagination and that everyone else was seeing what he was. Their expressions confirmed it. Severus Snape was blushing. Severus buried his face in his hands before groaning.

“I'm going to kill him.”

Chapter Text

The next morning had a flurry of owls entered the great hall. It wasn't long before he found several people sneaking glances at him and Harry got curious. He reached for the prophet that dean had put aside only for Ron to stop him by physically taking the paper out of his hands and passing it to Hermione. She quickly took it, smiling at harry. 

“Thanks for passing it over. I really do need to get my own subscription.” He smiled back at her, deciding not to push this and let them think he was uninterested. He didn't know what it was and he would be able to find out later, so it wasn't exactly important. He regretted his decision by lunchtime. They hadn't given him a minute by himself the whole day. And by dinner time he had had to put out several fires. literally. It wasn't until his relive that he found out what they were hiding and Merlin it was glorious.

The Potter seat is Dormant once more.

As you all know dear readers, one of the most prominent families in wizarding Britain, the Potters, have had a seat on the Wizengamot since its inception over a millenia ago. (see more on the Wizengamot on page 5.) For the last thirteen years and seven months their precious seat has been entrusted to Lord Dumbledore, Baron of Chilldraft. It was given to him to use by the Late Lord, James Potter, Margrave of Thornfair. However during yesterday's Wizengamot Dumbledore's access to the Potter seat was revoked after it had been found out that the Heir apparent, Harry James Potter, Had not given his permission for the Headmaster, his guardian, to use the seat. 

For all those unaware of Wizengamot bylaws, it is required for someone holding a proxy in place of a minor to reclaim Proxyship when the Heir apparent Turns eleven. Headmaster Dumbledore however did not reclaim the seat at the designated time. It took Dowager Longbottom pointing out the fact, (over two years late might I add.) For Dumbledore to reclaim the seat, only for his claim to be rejected. Everyone was shocked, though none more so than the Headmaster. He proceeded to tell the court that he indeed had asked for permission and had gained it verbally. He was under the impression that that was enough to count as permission. Lady magic clearly didn't agree. 

Dowager Longbottom had this to say. “My Grandson only gave me verbal confirmation and it didn't stop me from claiming the Longbottom seat. The only way he was rejected is if Lady magic deemed the permission invalid." This statement leads me to question why Lady Magic would deem the permission to be invalid? Is there more to this than is being stated. Why did it take this long for Dumbledore to reclaim the seat when it is a custom? Did he forget? Or was he aware that he no longer had permission and didn't want to give up the seat? We have already seen his agitation towards losing the seats he had previously. It shows in his actions today when he claimed the Weasley and Prewett seats. Two seats that were already being held and used by Lord Weasly, someone who is very close to dumbledore. It was entirely unnecessary as well as somewhat improper but it was done as nothing but a desperate attempt to regain some of his lost power. 

That was not the only thing either, the headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry outright argued over giving the Slytherin seat away stating that “we all know who carries that line.” despite Gaunt, another line held by the dark lord, was given to Regent Amelia Bones earlier during this same Wizengamot. A family that he who must not be named personally tried to eradicate during the last war and yet lord dumbledore had no objection to that proxy being claimed, only the one he was currently holding.

It seems to me, dear readers, that it's more than likely that Lord Dumbledore was aware that he had no right to the seat and yet decided to continue using it despite that fact. My question to you, dear readers, is how was Albus Dumbledore allowed to keep the seat for over two years with no one making him reclame it, surely someone was aware that it should have been reclaimed, so why was it ignored for so long. He was allowed to ignore one of the bylaws that have been in place for hundreds of years, and after it had been discovered he walked away without any further punishment. Normally disregard for this law would result in being banned to hold proxies for five years and a hefty fine. With what Dowager Longbottom said it makes me wonder if all he said was the truth or if people have been blinded by his light to the point that we now allow someone to twist the laws how they please…

The rest of the article continued along the same line of painting Dumbledore in an unfavorable light. She also dived head first into analyzing Harry's relationship with the man. She pointed out that Harry had never been seen at any events despite his position as a future Margrave. How Dumbledore had been the one attending in his place despite no formal announcement that he was Harry’s Regent and questioning, was he his regent, if not why was he acting like he was. Why had there been no formal statements made by Harry in the last few years. She brought up the fact that many reporters have tried to get in contact with him but all have been told by Dumbledore, not himself, that he wouldn't be doing interviews. Rita truly was a master of her craft. 

By the end of the article even if someone reads it as Reeta Skeeter's over exaggerated lies, the small slither of doubt will still be there lingering at the back of everyone's mind. She had managed to spread doubt on their relationship in a way no one had been able to before and Harry was ecstatic. The entire day people had been eyeing him and with Harry being genuinely oblivious to what was going on. People were getting suspicious. It was interesting to look back and see everyones reactions. Dean Seamus and Neville had clearly been trying to speak to him for most of the day but Granger and Weasly had made it impossible for them to do so and to Harry's utter glee, people had noticed.

He wanted to know what was being said throughout the school, so on monday during his relive and at the same time that they had a free period, that they had instead of muggle studies, he went to the Slytherins study room and waited. It didn't take long for them to show.

“Potter? You're not normally here during this time. I'm surprised you were able to distract your shadows long enough for you to slip away.” Harry pouted at Draco dramatically.

“I can leave if you want?” He made a move to get off the sofa and Draco's eyes went wide with panic, not registering the teasing note in Harry's tone. The blond quickly opened his mouth to say something but before he was able to blurt anything out Pansy slapped her hand over his mouth and whisper shouted at him.

“Don't you dare make him leave. I like having tea while we work.” Harry chuckled.

“Good to know that I'm just the snack bringer.” Pansy flushed.

“I didn't mean it like that, it's just. I do miss the tea when you're not around. The tea we get at breakfast and during breaks is…” she scrunched her nose before finding the right words and continuing. “Low quality.” He had noticed that also. After having Kreacher's tea, the stuff the school supplied seemed off. He nodded at her in understanding then remembered the reason why he was there.

“So does anyone want to spill the gossip about what people are currently saying about me?” not surprising to him in the least Pansy practically teleported to his side, cup of tea in hand.

“Oh Merlin, where do I begin? The Ravenclaws are absolutely invested, trying to work out any little bit of info they can get their hands on. They were not convinced by the article at all until Heir Abbott said something about how everything isn't what it seems.” She raised an eyebrow at Harry. “Interesting by the way. I don't know how or when you got that connection but good work. He doesn't socialize with many people and Merlin knows he doesn't talk politics with anyone other than Bones. Anyway. He didn't say anything else to his housemates, making the rest of the house curious so now they’re all trying to get more info. The Hufflepuffs appear to be ‘helping’ them by lying and spreading rumors. Specifically Bones.” She looked at him again, judgment clear in her eyes. “They are flooding the rumor mill with unfounded accusations and conspiracies, burying any hint of what is actually going on. The rumors mostly consist of conspiracies about how you and Dumbledore are pretending to be at odds in some convoluted scheme to rule the wizarding world. We're staying quiet of course. It's not fun just giving them the answers. My question is what ‘truths’ do you want the Slytherins to give out?” she was grinning at him looking eager to start.

“I need it to seem like I still don't have a clue what's going on, that itself should put suspicion on Dumbledore. Me not knowing anything about this is one big red flag to anyone who sees it. Also remember to keep it hateful. You don't like me, remember?” Her grin turned malicious as she nodded at him. “As much as that  information was great, do you know what the students are actually thinking?”

“That's my department.” Harry turned, finding Blaise occupying his other side. “Most people are wondering what the big deal is. ‘So what if he used your seat. it's not like you're using it, plus it's Dumbledore.’” Blaise's voice was mocking. It was clearly a direct quote from someone. “However the Heirs and other children from noble families, other than a few, are livid that he was able to do that and receive no punishment. Though most are confused as to why you haven't given him permission. A few select groups of people appear to be keeping unusually quiet. The Hufflepuffs of our year, for example, excluding Sally-Anne Perks, Wayne Hopkins, and Zacharias Smith, who all believe Dumbledore is a saint among men." Everyone pulled a face at that and Davis raised her hand.

“If I may add something?” Harry nodded at her. “It's more of a suggestion though.” he motioned her to continue. “You should continue to play on Weasley and Granger's actions.” he raised an eyebrow at her and she quickly explained. “It's only a few people right now but they have started to notice the way those two pull you around and stop you from interacting with others. If you do things to trigger more of that behavior it will cause others to take note and spread more rumors that will help your image. It may upset Dumbledore when he hears them but they will be rumors derived from their actions not yours, so it is unlikely to cause you any problems.” blaise was looking at her impressed. 

“Where did you hear people talking about that? I didn't know anyone had noticed their behavior.” she blushed before replying quietly. 

“Apparently I don't have a very strong presence so people just forget that I'm there, so they say things in front of me that they wouldn't infront of others.” In an instant Blaise and Pansy were on their feet with one of their arms linked with each of Traceys as they dragged her to a corner to do what Harry assumed was gossip. Greengrass cleared her throat and spoke.

“Well, they are going to be utterly useless to you for the next hour and there is no way that we have any more information to offer you on the matter. However it would be a shame to waste this time we have together so since you're here maybe we should use the time and finish going over the banquet etiquette we were doing last time.” Harry slumped in his chair with a grown but after a minute he nodded. He needed to know this stuff.  

It was now Thursday September thirtieth. The last five days had been some of the most amusing to Harry. He may have sent Rita a reward after the first article that consisted of one hundred galleons, for ‘revealing the truth about Dumbledore.’ After that, she had written several more spectacular pieces on how Dumbledore had now halted the entire Wizengamot’s progress due to the fact that all bills from the last two years would have to be reviewed. All because he hadn't followed customs. She seemed to be trying to defame Dumbledore to the best of her ability. Harry suspected he wasn't the only one wanting her to write these articles since one of them had been on Dumbledore's mental stability considering he had tried to claim you know who was back over a simple proxy. He guessed Fudge had been involved in that one.

The idiots had been running around trying to keep him away from the prophet and every other person in the school so he didn't hear about what had happened. It had been amusing to taunt them by picking up random copies of the prophet like he was about to read it only for them to do something completely obvious to get him to stop. Harry was seeing more and more people with a calculating light in their eyes. The duo hadn't realized it yet but they were clearing his reputation with the rest of the student body by acting how they did. The rumors however stayed either outlandish accusations of world domination or Harry being oblivious, which suited him just fine.

It was now time for his redo and Harry was excited. Tonight was a full moon, the first since they had been back at Hogwarts and Harry was watching the shrieking shack waiting for Moony to enter. After he did, Harry waited until he came back out, once he had Harry transformed into his fox form and carefully approached. The wolf looked so much healthier than when he had seen it last time. He looked more like an actual wolf than the monster wolf hybrid he had been. He got closer until golden eyes locked on him and he stopped. Mooney sniffed the air before bounding up to him and pressing his forehead against Harrys for a moment, then he was gone running into the forest and Harry chased after him. They ran through the trees for hours, playfully tackling each other every now and then, before they made their way back to the shrieking shack and parting. It had been amazing running through the forest like that. It felt like he was free for the first time he could remember.

It was the next day when he realized something was up. Snape had been snapping at him all class and finally decided that Harry's latest infraction deserved a detention, said infraction being not dicing correctly. He was confused and slightly worried that Dumbledore had gotten to him, with the way he was acting, but remembered that Snape now had a Lord ring and it would prove far more difficult to spell him, so it was unlikely. Draco was looking at his godfather in a way that screamed betrayal and Harry decided the next time they met he would have to tell the blond that it was just an act. He didn't want to be the reason for an argument.

He had been meeting the Slytherins during his relive of the day, every time they had a free period. Which was every Monday, Wednesday, and two times on thursday. His research into a new resurrection ritual had taken a back seat for now. He wished he could give it to Snape and Lupin to look into but he and Salazar had decided using at least one horcrux in the resurrection was vital if they wanted him back whole and sane. Which they definitely did want. Harry had his professors take a vow that they wouldn't research horcruxes so there was no choice but to leave them out of this. 

He wondered if he should go to Lord Nott for help. He was one of the oldest in the group of Lords and Ladys and was one of Voldemort's closest friends during school. If he did he would have to get a secrecy vow out of him. He continued thinking about it before he realized something obvious. He had access to six most ancient family libraries, including both the Peverells and the Blacks but was only using the founders library. A library that hadn't had anything added to it in around four hundred years. Well he knew what he was doing during his relive today. He still hasn't looked through the family portfolios that he had gotten from gringotts either. He needed to do that. Why was there so much to do? He wondered if the deogard would be able to search stuff for him? It was worth asking.

“Harry?”someone placed a hand on his shoulder and he flinched back looking up into soft concerned onyx eyes. He quickly looked around but they were alone. “Class ended. Everyone else is already gone. I was trying to get your attention for a while but you were lost in your own head.” Harry nodded, getting his thoughts back on track.

“What did you need to speak to me about? You seemed really agitated during class.” Honestly Harry had better things to do than talk with Snape. he was still a little annoyed at him for the way he spoke to him in front of the other lords. Using Lord Black in the way he had wasn't only to keep people off his trail. It was to cultivate an acquaintanceship where they were on equal footing before revealing that he was a child. Snape had not only ruined that plan but also undermined him in front of the other Lords and Ladys he was trying to prove himself to. The man was meant to be a spy yet he made a stupid mistake based on emotions. If he was going to continue doing that Harry didn't want to involve him with what he was doing. Snape clearly heard his dismissive tone and glared down at him.

“That might have something to do with the dangerous little excursion you went on last night. Remus isn't too pleased either. I also would like to talk to you about a few things that came to my attention when we met Lucius on Saturday.” Harry glared back at Snape and gritted his teeth. He was treating him like a child again. This man did not have the right to treat him like a child after bullying him for the last seven/two years. Even if it was under curses he still knew the way he had treated him. Harry wasn't mad at him for it. He was mad that he couldn't see that Harry had never been treated like a child so him doing it now was insulting. 

“You know I'm mad about that. You were speaking to me like I was a child in front of them.” Snape's frown deepened and his voice lowered.

“You ARE a child. Something you don't seem to get.” He didn't want to deal with an overprotective hypocritical potions master and quite frankly he didn't have the time either.

“NO! I am the most politically important person in the entirety of wizarding Britain and maybe a few other places too considering the power the Peverell name holds. You can't treat me like a child in front of other high ranking political figures the way you did. you went completely against decorum. Do I need to remind you that in the eyes of politics you are just a Barron. You are at the bottom. Even Lucius isn't permitted to talk to me like that in public. You single handedly ruined any positive reputation that I have been building with them in that one interaction. I haven't received a single letter from any of them since that meeting. Did you know that? Honestly right now I was going to give you a chance, but you once again are treating me like I have no clue what I am doing. Like I wasn't the one who organized all of this. Like I'm not the one who has been dealing with all of this far longer than you have even known about it. I allowed you this information. I could have easily shut down and ignored you and your concerns. I don't need YOU. or your help. You are a decade too late to start treating me like a child.”

Harry heaved in a heavy breath, trying to calm his anger after noticing every cauldron station in the room was now burning hot and bright with an emerald green flame. Eventually he collected himself and spoke evenly. “Until you manage to get that through your head, I don't think we have anything to talk about. besides I'm busy and have a million and one things to do without having to pamper to your guilty conscience." Harry left the shocked professor behind and walked out of the classroom. 

He wasn't lying, he didn't need them. Right now they were more of a hindrance, taking up time he needed for other things. They had been fine before but now they were just questioning everything he did and it was getting annoying. What he needed was more time. Maybe he could use the time turner more? If he used it so he lived the weekends three times it wouldn't be too bad. He ages at half the rate of normal so two days turns into one day of extra aging a week. fifty two weeks in a year that's fifty two days of aging in a year. That's seven years before he would age an extra year or no time turner uses during holidays should balance it out. That's not a problem. One live through to be with Weasley and Granger, the second live through to see the Slytherins or learn things he wanted/needed to. Third, to look through his other ancestral libraries for anything to help with the ritual. That should help with his time management. 

He might even add some time to run through the forest in fox form. it had been relaxing and Harry wanted to do it again. What Snape had said stayed with him though. Remus wasn't happy that he had gone with him the night before. He remembered the way Moony had placed his forehead on Harry's and the way he nuzzled his muzzle before bounding into the forest. At the time he was clearly happy to have Harry there so why was he angry. Harry had just wanted to run with him like his father had before, but if Remus didn't want him there then that was fine. He would run on his own and make sure he didn't go out when it was a full moon so Lupin wouldn't see him.

He ruffled his hair feeling agitated at the frayed strands. Merlin, he hated this glamor. He strode down the halls, heading towards Hagrid's hut. No one bothered him or followed him on his way down. Unknown to him the reason no one approached was because he looked close to murdering the person who tried. He walked straight past the hut and into the forbidden forest, unaware he was being watched. He walked deeper until he came to a lake. The lake he and Sirius almost died by from the dementors at the end of this year. 

He could feel his anger and frustration boiling over. He was angry. Angry at Snape. Furious even. It wasn't fair. He hadn't needed to confide in them and yet, he had. Not only that but he had helped them. If it weren't for him Lupin would still be under the spells and potions. And what have they done for him? Nothing. They just caused more hassle for him, constantly demanding answers he barely has, demanding his time that would be better spent on other things, demanding updates that they don't reciprocate. All for nothing. They have done nothing to help him. He felt angry, hurt, and… betrayed. Snape had betrayed his trust the same way McGonagle had done in his first year when she hadn’t believed him about the stone. Though this time it felt worse. Harry hadn't been ready to reveal those things to the other Lords and Ladys, and now they weren't even writing to him any more. It was all Snape's fault and he had the nerve to tell him that he wasn't happy with the way Harry had acted. Bullshit.

Harry could feel his tails writhing beneath his skin, his fangs trying to elongate, his ears trying to flatten in his anger. All unable to manifest through his stupid glamor. He quickly pulled off the ring and for the first time in the three weeks since he had received his creature inheritance, Harry let go of his restraint. It was like a chain snapping. The second he let go the space around him was engulfed in a swirling stream of red fire. It rapidly changed color going from red, to orange, to amber, to yellow, then slowly it turned to a lime green changing to an AK green and continued to darken until it was almost black, the edges still flickering an AK green. It spun and twirled around him in streams, heating the air and ground around him to the point that it was almost suffocating. The fire was hot. Hotter than the fiend fire he had seen in the room of requirements but just as beautiful. 

It went on for several minutes with Harry just watching the flames swirling around as though they were dancing. Eventually he calmed down suddenly feeling drained and the fire sputtered out, nothing left to fuel it. he sunk down to the floor, a bone deep exhaustion settling in as he watched the water. He allowed the gentle ripples of the water and soft breeze to wash over him, relaxing him further. His tails curled around him as he sat there.

His outburst at Snape had been unnecessary. He wouldn't apologize for it but he went a little too far. It was just so frustrating. He wanted to be able to trust them and have them help him but at this point the Slytherins have been more helpful than them. When he thought about it, if he needed something, anything, he would go to the Slytherins, not them. Goyle had given him more information about the Celegen Court and creature hierarchy. Blaise, Pansey, and Tracy constantly kept him in the gossip loop. Crabb was teaching him all about his family's history that was public knowledge. Theo and Mili were helping him with the resurrection ritual, not that they knew that. While Draco and Daphne were teaching him etiquette. They were doing so much for him.

He had grown close to them. Far closer than he ever thought he would, he considered them friends at this point. He had had to take everything he had known about them from their future and throw it away, not one of them fit the mold he had for them. Crabb was somewhat slow and wasn't great at his classes but he worked hard and was an absolute history buff. He fit into the same sort of category as Nott and Bulstrode. All three of them had random and obscure knowledge about almost everything between them.with Crabb knowing all there is about history. Bulstrode Had more knowledge on runes, symbols, magic circles, other magical writings, ward stones, and wand lore, and Theo… Harry was pretty sure Theo would marry the library if he could. If you found a topic he didn't know anything about it would be pandemonium. Harry thought back to when Nott interrogated him on the Selegen court and shuddered.

Goyle was a treasure trove of sarcastic comments and filthy jokes that had Harry cackling and Goyle turning bright red forgetting Harry could understand him. He had gone so long with no one knowing what he was saying when he spoke in gibberish that it was second nature to him to say snarky comments under his breath. He was also very adept at natural magics, like casting intuitively without a wand or spell, but struggled to get his magic to cooperate when using the structured magic they did in class. Harry was sure the boy was a nymph, without a doubt.

Then there was Pansy and Blaise, the gossip Queen and King. if there was a rumor pansy knew about it. Whatever was beneath the rumors Blaise knew about it, and If a Slytherin and a Gryffindor had a midnight meeting in a broom closet that ‘no one’ knew about then Tracey knew about it. Blaise and Pansy had now officially claimed Tracey as the Gossip Princess and were using her ability to blend into the background to its fullest extent. The amount of blackmail those three held was unfathomable.

The last two, the ice Queen and the ice King. Daphne and Draco. Daphne was interesting, she showed very little emotion but if you knew her you would be able to read her emotions like a book. Harry had learnt it was mostly in her gestures that gave her away. Simple things like when something displeases her she would smooth out her skirt or if something annoyed her she would tug the edge of her skirt down as if she was just adjusting it. Nothing anyone who didnt know her would pick up on. 

Draco had the same mask when he was in public. When not in public he was a dramatic brat and it was honestly hilarious. Goyle had called him a pompous peacock and Harry hadn't been able to get past the comparison. When he had finally received his mothers letter about Harry being his cousin. He had thrown a fit about Harry not telling him. Since then he had been a lot more affectionate, throwing his arm over Harry's shoulder or ruffling his hair, little bits of physical contact as well as calling him cousin instead of his name. When lady malfoy told him that Draco always wanted a cousin it hadn't occurred to him that this would be the outcome not that he didn't like it. The casual shows of affection had been nice.

When he was with them he really regretted forcing the hat to put him in Gryffindor. He regretted it every time hermione ‘corrected’ his homework, every time he saw one of the Slytherins in the halls send him a pitying glance, every time he had to laugh at one of the idiots jokes, every time he heard Ron's voice, every time he woke up surrounded by Gryffindor red and all he could think of was the red hair of the weasley family who had betrayed his trust. He wondered if Fred, George, Percy, Charley, and Bill were involved. Bill had been there for him in a way no one had and if it had been an act, Harry wouldn't know what to do.

“Harry?” he startled at the voice and turned around, finding Neville standing by the tree line looking worried.

“Nev, how long have you been there?” The other boy still looked worried, not attempting to move closer as he stared at Harry with wide eyes.

“I… um you…” he took a deep breath before continuing. “I saw you coming down here. You looked… well, you looked livid so I followed you to maybe help. Also I haven't been able to talk to you for the last week because of Weasley and Grangers interference. I didn't know if you were able to see the prophet this week but it was something you really should know about.” Another thing Snape hadn't even cared enough to talk about with harry. Didn't he say he would tell Harry what he knew about the headmaster. Surely something should have come from this even if it was just his mood. He could feel his frustration building again and closed his eyes taking a deep breath trying to calm himself. The last thing he wanted was for Neville to think he was angry at him. Opening his eyes again he smiled and patted the space next to him. Hesitantly Neville walked forward and lowered himself next to Harry. 

“So you saw me throw my tantrum then?” Neville frowned at that.

“Harry, that wasn't a tantrum. You have every right to be upset about everything that is currently happening. Keeping all your emotions constantly in check every second of every day is not healthy.” his voice quietened into a whisper. “And it must be even harder for you when you have to hide that you're a Kitsune.” Harry jolted, his hand flying to his head where he found soft fluffy ears.

“You can't tell anyone.” Neville looked at him sternly.

“I will never tell anyone anything you tell me Harry or anything I witness about you." His eyes kept shifting between looking at his head and slightly behind him. Neville bit his lip. “Could I maybe touch one of your tails? They look so soft.” nevilles eyes  widened as they snapped back to Harry's face. "I didn't mean to say that." Harry just chuckled, moving one of his tails into the other boy's lap as he spoke.

“They are very soft. Most nights I sleep cuddling one with the rest acting like a blanket. They’re soft and warm.” Neville slowly stroked the tail in his lap, helping to calm Harry further. It felt nice. They stayed in silence for several minutes before Neville broke it.

“I won't ask what's happening. If you want to tell me I'm here and I will listen, however I won't push you to say anything either.”Harry blinked at him. Debating his options. He trusted the other boy more than almost anyone. The Slytherins were getting close but weren't quite there. He decided that, yes, he did want to talk to Neville about it, about everything. Just, not right now. Right now he felt drained and exhausted. He just wanted the silent comfort of a friend and he wouldn't lie to himself, the pets felt nice. 

He shifted his tail away from Neville and slowly placed his head in the other boy's lap instead. Neville seemed to reboot and it took a minute for his brain to kick into gear but after that he began dutifully playing with Harry's hair. 

"Do you know about what the prophet was saying?" It took him way too long to process what Neville had said with his brain being the puddle of goo that it currently was.

"Yeah. I know what's going on. I also know about the rumors and what people are genuinely thinking." Neville hummed.

"That's good then. I was worried that they had actually been able to keep you away from it. Also gran sent me a letter a lot of Lords are demanding to hear from you."

"Strange that none of them have sent me anything." He giggled, if they wanted to talk to him so bad why not send him a letter. Neville pulled at his hair gently, encouraging him to look up so he did.

"You do know that they can't just send you letters? Right?" Harry made a confused face and Neville sighed. "You're of a higher social class than them. You need to initiate contact." And oh that made sense. Is that why none of the Lords and Ladys had sent him anything since the meeting? It wasn't because of what Snape had done but because he told them he was a Grand Duke so he now outrank all of them.

They both stayed sitting by the lake, Harry with his head in Nevilles lap long past dinner and right up till curfew. When they realized the time he shadowed both of them to a passageway close to Gryffindor tower where they promptly collapsed into their beds. a few hours later his alarm went off and he stumbled out of bed, making his way to a bathroom stall, used the time turner before shadowing to the quarters and passing out on the Purple quilt of Ravenclaws rooms.

He woke up around six and thought over what he would do for the day while eating the breakfast Kreacher brought him. He had decided that it was about time to go through the audit reports for his houses. It would probably take him the whole day to go through one report fully so which house should he start with. He looked down at the list of houses before deciding to read through the summary page first to gauge a general idea of what he was working with. He  left Gaunt and Slytherin accounts till last. He didn't see them entirely as his property. 

Gaunt family Vaults: 552, 553, 554

Coin vault: 552

Contents: 3 galleons, 12 sickles, 7 knuts 

Heirloom Vault: 553 

Contents: portraits, furniture, wands, staffs (itemized List on page 3)

Library Vault: 554

Contents: books, scrolls, family grimoire (itemized List on pages 4-6)

List of properties on page 2.

Well that was somewhat depressing. Harry was hoping to give back the Gaunt and Slytherin titles to Voldemort, if he came back sane. But giving them back in this state felt wrong. He opened the Slytherin folder next.

Slytherin family Vaults: 213, 214, 215, 691

Coin vault: 213

Contents: 36,285 galleons, 8 sickles, 10 knuts 

Heirloom Vault: 214

portraits, furniture, wands, staffs, Jewelry, weaponry, ingots, precious gems, miscellaneous (itemized List on pages 3-6)

Library Vault: 215

Contents: books, scrolls, family grimoire (itemized List on pages 7-19)

Heir vault: 691

Contents: 1,149 galleons, 15 sickles, 11 knuts 

List of properties on page 2.

The Slytherin house was better, probably due to the fact that the Gaunts weren't able to claim the title for the last few generations, but it was still in a worse state than the rest of his houses. This needed to be fixed before he gave them back. Making his mind up he shadowed to gringotts. The second he stepped into the entrance every goblin present stopped what they were doing and looked at him with wide eyes. Lucky for him it was early and there were only two other wixen in the bank. Quickly the head teller goblin stepped down from his station and ran, yes ran, over to Harry. The goblin bowed deeply and stayed bowed as he spoke.

"Your highness, what brings you to gringotts this morning." Harry wanted to hit himself. He had forgotten about the inheritance, and By this point the two wizards currently in the bank were paying way too much attention to them, so Harry allowed his ears and tails to come out. That was enough for the two wizards to lose interest. Deeming the interaction to be creature stuff that wasn't important to them and Harry let out a sigh of relief.

"You don't have to bow, I'm just here to see Goldtooth." The goblin led him to Goruks office and quickly left. As soon as he entered Goruk was staring at him with wide eyes. 

"When the Lefay name came up in your test I wasn't sure you would be able to claim the full inheritance but it appears you have." Harry raised an eyebrow.

"After what I heard about Nemu I just assumed you didn’t want another ruler. I definitely wouldn't blame you for that." Goruk winced.

"Drustan and Bahram were violent with very little compassion and that was what got them killed, Nemu however was very passive and had a lot of compassion for everyone, most would say too much." Hadrian nodded in understanding. 

“Compassion without conviction will get everyone hurt. however I am not here to discuss the court. though if you don't mind I will leave the ears and tail as they are. It's more comfortable.” Hadrian had found that without the glamor ring it took conscious effort to keep his Kitsune ears and tails hidden from view and it was far more comfortable to just have them out. Goruk nodded and Hadrian continued. “I came to discuss a business deal with you.” Goruk looked intrigued and Hadrian put the two audit reports for slytherin and gaunt on the desk, and Goruk picked them up.

"I would like you to make as much money as you can with the amount already there." Goruk looked up at him, slightly confused.

"It will take a while to build up enough money to invest with when there's this little as a buffer so…" Hadrian cut him off.

"You don't need a buffer. Every galleon, every sickle, every knut, use all of it. Do anything and everything, just make as much money as you can with what you have in the coin vaults. I don't care if it comes from the muggle or magical world. I don't care how shady it is as long as it's not illegal. You will receive twenty percent of all profits for handling this. Will you do it?" The goblin gaped at him before nodding.

"You don't mind us using muggle means to make more money?" Hadrian shook his head 

"I don't care how you do it. I am handing you vaults 213 and 552 and telling you to go wild, have fun and make as much as you can. The more gold you can make the more you will receive. You have about a year, maybe a bit more to make as much money as possible by any means. The only stipulation I have is, nothing illegal, that's it. Oh and split the rest of the profits so fifty goes into the Slytherin vault and thirty into the Gaunt vault." He was pretty sure Voldemort wouldn't care even if they did something illegal but Hadrian decided to play it on the safe side. Goruk gave Hadrian a manic grin as his knurled fingers traced along the numbers of coins he had to work with, his mind clearly calculating the most efficient way to use it. 

"Is there anything else or may I get started." He could see the excitement in the goblins' beady black eyes. 

“I regret to say that there are a few more things I would like to cover before you can start your fun.” The goblin pushed the ledgers to the corner of his desk as if not wanting to tempt himself with its proximity before giving him his full attention once more. “I would like to hire some cursebreakers. Discreetly. It is one of my own properties however I am unsure if it is under surveillance. If it is, I need them to not be seen.” Goruk looked intrigued. “One problem is that I think Parcel spells and curses may have been used. Deadly ones.”

“I do believe our Indian branch has a single level five cursebreaker with the ability you need, but it will not come cheap.” Hadrian nodded expecting as much, not that he cared. The Peverell volt alone had more than enough for him to live his life a hundred times over in luxury. There was no need to worry about money. He would have just transferred some funds into the Gaunt and Slytherin vaults but he had a feeling that it would irk the dark lord if he did. Doing it this way means that the gold came from his house transactions alone. It was not charity, just good business sense.

“I would need a secrecy contract due to the nature of the object I would like them to retrieve for me. The object is a ring hidden beneath one of the floorboards in the house. There are numerous deadly curses in and around the property, especially on the ring.”

“The cursebreaker I am thinking of is a level five cursebreaker. That is the highest level a cursebreaker can be. She has fifteen years of experience and is also the only parselmouth we have working for us. Most go into a career in healing and are highly sought after in most eastern countries, not so much in britain.” Hadrian scoffed knowing just how true that was. “With what I suspect, you want her to retrieve another horcrux for you. Which will be dangerous. You want her to also be unseen, a much easier feat. I will get in contact with the Indian branch on your behalf and keep you as an anonymous client. It will cost around two thousand galleons, due to the lethal nature of the job.”

“Double it and emphasize the need for secrecy. If allowed, I would like her to be willingly obliviated of the job after completion other than her acceptance and understanding of the criteria. All handled by you of course." the less people who knew about horcruxes the better. Goruk nodded.

“She is not unfamiliar with having a job obliviated so I doubt it will be a problem.” Hadrian nodded.

“Take the gold from the black vault and keep me updated through the journal if you need anything else from me. The Last thing I need before I leave you to your new project, is the permanent portkeys you hold for all of my properties barring any held under the Gaunt and Sltherin titles. I would like to be able to visit each and look around.” mainly he wanted to visit Montauves Island. an island off the south coast of France owned by the Sayers. Despite them being only a Baron family their wealth was on par with Ravenclaw. Considering Ravenclaw was one of the four Marquess families that was saying something. 

If the Emris family hadn't gone dormant for five hundred years the Sayers would probably have been moved into one of the missing Count or Earl positions. Currently, with the amount of families that went extinct in the last five hundred years there were two missing count positions, three Earl, eleven viscount, and thirteen Barons that used to make up the Wizengamot. The problem was that only the Emris family had the authority to promote or demote families. He could think of three families off the top of his head that should be stripped of titles completely. Gaunt, Weasley, and Dumbledore had already been stripped of their lands by their active lords, but they didn't have the power to strip the titles.

He was getting distracted. He wanted to visit Montauves Island because he was hoping to get Sirius to go there after the end of the year. It was a private island so no one would be there who wasn't meant to be, the climate should be warm due to its location, there should be enough outdoor space so he didn't feel cooped up. The only thing he really needed to check on was the condition of the manor and grounds. From what he knew it was about twenty years since the last Lord died so he hoped it wasn't too run down.

Goruk nodded to his request and called for a runner goblin to retrieve what he asked for. It wasn't long before they came back with nine boxes ranging in materials from wood, metal, and one looked like crystal. They were all placed in front of him and the goblin left. Curious, he opened a large dark oak box. It was carved all over with what looked like roses and peonies and the lid was inlaid with the golden crest of the Sayer family. Once open it showed a velvet lined compartment split into small sections each held a ring and a small plaque with the property name on it. Some of the rings were rather plain, others were ornate. The one for Montauves island was a silver band inlaid with small aquamarines the whole way around, and had Montauves engraved on the inside of the band. He was so used to portkeys being whatever was lying around that all of this seemed like overkill.

“Each family has their own unique portkey traditions. The potters use gold coins engraved with an image of the property and the name. The sayers use rings, Hufflepuff uses a stone taken from the property that is then polished and engraved with the destination name. All the families are different.” Hadrian nodded, putting the ring back in the box before shrinking all of them and putting them safely in his satchel. 

"Well. That was all I came for today. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I will leave you to the rest of your day." He dipped his head in a short bow and left the bank. He shadowed back to Salazar's office.

Once back he pulled out the portkey for Montauves, finding the activation word written on the velvet lining in gold. He slipped the ring on to his finger and spoke the activation word. Not soon enough for his liking he was stumbling and face planting an unforgiving rough stone floor. Slowly he stood up, finding himself standing on a stone dock looking towards a horizon, the ocean beneath it shimmering in the morning light. He stood there for a moment drinking in the sight before he heard a pop behind him and turned around. Standing there were several elves but that wasn't what got his attention. What did, was a massively grand manor house he could see in the distance. There was a thick line of trees at the back of the property that looked like it could be a forest. The house itself looked like a large Georgian style mansion with exposed brick and white accents.  

“The new Master be’s here to claim us?” his attention snapped back to the elves at his feet. There were five in total.

“Hello, my name is Hadrian. I am the new lord of house Sayer. I just came to check the condition of the property. I might be having a few people living here towards the end of the year.” the elf that spoke before nodded.

“I’s be Coral, head elf here on Montauves Island. We’s been keeping house and grounds spotless for the next masters' arrival.” Hadrian looked over them.

“Is this all of you?” Coral shook her head, twisting her fingers together nervously.

“There be two children, Master Hadrian.” he nodded, smiling gently at her hoping to convey that it was fine.

“Are they alright to be on their own?” Coral nodded.

“They be not old enough to work but old enough to be on theirs own.” he nodded again.

“May I know the rest of your names?”

“I’s be Jasper, I takes care of the horsies.”

“I’s being Beril, I’s run the Kitchens.”

“I’s be Opal Sir, I’s do the cleanings.”

“I’s be Drusy Sir, I’s tends to the gardens.” one by one they stepped forward introducing themselves and Hadrian took note of all the names, not wanting to forget them.

“Kreacher.” Kreacher popped next to him with a bow. “This is Kreacher. He is my personal elf. I might pass instructions through him from time to time. I hope you don't mind.” The five Sayer elves bowed to Kreacher while Kreacher stared at him with big slightly wet eyes.

“Kreacher be Lord Black's personal elf.” Hadrian thought that had been obvious but apparently not, so he nodded in answer to Kreachers question and turned back to the other elves. “Would a tour of the island be possible?”

The tour had taken the rest of the day. It was a relatively large island to the left side was a large white sand beach. To the back of the island passed the house was a forest that led to small cliffs. There were stables that had seven horses currently with two foals, and five horses. Apparently they had been given permission to continue breeding them until the next master came along. Hadrian allowed the elves to continue maintenance of the property exactly how they had been. Meaning they were still allowed to have children of their own and that they could bread the horses. It irked him that he had to give permission for them to have children like they were animals, but he ignored it. There was also a full sized quidditch pitch that he would definitely be making use of.

The house had been well kept. It had large windows allowing light to fill the house, something he thought was essential for sirius. He wanted it to be the opposite of Azkaban. With its warm climate and bright interior. All the rooms were well furnished with old fashioned yet very comfy and good quality furniture. There was nothing that needed changing, it was all fine. He just hoped it was good enough to help Sirius adjust to being out of Azkaban.

Chapter Text

Lucius was annoyed. It had been about a week since their meeting with Potter and he had already found himself reaching for parchment several times, only to realize he could no longer write to Lord Black. It had been a shock to all of them when Potter had revealed that he was Lord Black. Lucius would also blame the revelation for the fact that it took them until Severus had already left for them to fully process the other titles. Sophia had sparked the realization when she had spoken up just as Severus stepped through the floo and stopped everyone in their tracks.

“Did he say he was the Grand Duke of Morsgrave?” They had all heard him explain his titles to them, yet only an hour after the fact did it truly sink in just how much power the boy held. At first Lucius had thought it was ridiculous to have a mere child hold so many titles, but then as the week went on, he kept wanting to ask Lord Black for his opinion on things. Every time he reached for parchment he remembered that he was looking for the advice of a child. He had re-read all of his correspondence with Lord Black and had realized something very important. 

This was not a child. Yes he may be young but he had had to grow up far too fast and that showed in everything he did. From the way he handled situations to the way he wrote letters, and wasn't that a shock when he noticed. He had wondered why he hadn’t connected Lord Black to Potter through their writing until he looked at it side by side. The writing looked like it had been done by two different people. The boy had thought of everything. It was impressive. Lucius had decided that he would not disrespect or discount the boy for his age. His perspective on some of the more recent bills and legislation was thorough and insightful. Now if only the bloody child would contact him so they could continue their correspondence. 

Lucius also needed to know how Potter got out of Malfoy Manor without Lucius receiving even a nudge from the wards telling him someone was leaving. It was a form of magic that Lucius had never heard of before. He had been looking through the library in Ithnion castle but found very little. The closest thing he could find was a small note in one of the books on necromancy. It was about how one of his ancestors fought a true necromancer and was sure they could wield shadows like a weapon. It had no real information at all but the description was the closest thing he could find and that just brought up a whole other series of questions.

He dropped his head into his hands, scrubbing the heels of his palms into his eyes when he heard the floo flair. He looked up to find Severus stepping out of the fire and making his way straight to his Liquor cabinet. He poured himself a glass of fire whiskey before downing it and pouring another. He then turned to Lucius and spoke.

“I fucked up.” Lucius quirked an eyebrow and Severus took another swig of his drink. “I forced Potter's hand when I brought him here and let's just say, he was irritated, then I opened my mouth and now he is pissed.” Lucius smiled knowing Severus had a particular talent for pissing people off.

“I can't help you unless I know exactly what happened.” Severus knocked back the rest of his drink and scrubbed a hand over his face.

“He was upset that I treated him like a child in front of all of you. I proceeded to tell him that he was a child and well, that didn't exactly go over very well.” Lucius winced. He could imagine Potter taking exception to that.  “He told me that I went against decorum and informed me that in societal terms that I am at the bottom and had no right to speak to him how I did.”

“Yeah, you fucked up, and he isnt exactly wrong. You shouldn't have done what you did. You have that kind of conversation in private, not in front of a group of highly influential Lords and Ladies.” Severus groaned, rubbing at his temples.

“I know, but I just keep making the situation worse.” Lucius sighed.

“What exactly did he say? Your occlumency is exceptional. I know you can remember it word for word. If you really want my help then tell me.”

“I said that he was a child and that's something he seemed to have forgotten. His response was, and I quote. ‘NO! I am the most politically important person in the entirety of wizarding Britain and maybe a few other places too considering the power the Peverell name holds. You can't treat me like a child in front of other high ranking political figures the way you did. you went completely against decorum. Do I need to remind you that in the eyes of politics you are just a Barron. You are at the bottom. Even Lucius isn't permitted to talk to me like that in public. You single handedly ruined any positive reputation that I have been building with them in that one interaction. I haven't received a single letter from any of them since that meeting. Did you know that? Honestly right now I was going to give you a chance, but you once again are treating me like I have no clue what I am doing. Like I wasn't the one who organized all of this. Like I'm not the one who has been dealing with all of this far longer than you have even known about it. I allowed you this information. I could have easily shut down and ignored you and your concerns. I don't need YOU. or your help. You are a decade too late to start treating me like a child.” Now that was interesting.

“I'm not entirely sure that he is that angry at you. Don't get me wrong he is angry but. It sounds like he’s stressed more than anything. He talked about him being the one to organize everything and deal with it. Have you offered him any help? And I mean specific help with anything he is currently working on. Not just you expecting him to ask or go to you. Have you helped him at all?” he looked towards his friend who seemed to be going through another crisis and sighed. By the expression on his face Lucius guessed that, no, he hadn't offered any real help. Lucius got up from his desk and collected a glass of elvish wine on his way to sit opposite severus in the sitting area.

“He specified that he didn't need you or your help, that you are too late to treat him like a child. He may not hold your past actions against you but it's clear he hasn't forgotten them. You suddenly treating him like something fragile has upset him, and though he may not need your help, I think he wants it. He just doesn't know what you could help with. Also it might be good to inform him that he needs to be the one to contact us first since it is clear that that is something he is unaware of. I think he is truly angry at the thought that he has lost the respect he had gained from us. A good way for you to reach out to him would be to inform him that despite us knowing his age, all of us still respect him and do not view him differently.” Severus sighed, slumping in his seat.

“I also recommend you tell him what the curse actually did to you. It's obvious to me that you are having a hard time controlling the newly heightened emotions, causing your outbursts and erratic behavior.” Severus nodded in the way Lucius knew meant he was thinking and not really listening anymore so he left him to think over what he had said.

***

It was the Saturday of the first weekend that he would be living three times over. the day after his argument with Snape and subsequent breakdown. He had gone through the first two relives of the day, avoiding Neville and Snape as much as possible. It seemed that both wanted to talk to him but he just wasn't ready. By Tomorrow he would have had three days to calm down and he would be talking to Neville. he worked in the greenhouses on Sundays so it would be a good time to speak to him as well as a good way to avoid tweedle dumb and tweedle dumber. 

Now though it was time for his third Loop of the day. He had decided to go through the paperwork for his properties starting with Peverell. He had been hoping to get a general idea of each property before deciding if he should visit or not. What he really wanted was the ancestral properties that had any kind of library. The overviews detailed the properties size, including both buildings and land, as well as key points of a property, and a general description. It also specified any house elves that are bonded to the properties. Hadrian had assumed there would be no house elves for most of his properties considering the amount of time that had gone by since anyone had claimed most of his titles. Other than Black, Potter, and Sayer it had been over two hundred years since the last Lord died.

He pulled out the stack of parchment that consisted of all the Peverell property details. there had been a lot to go through and there seemed to be no reason for the order they were placed in so far. He was only on the third property though, not able to simply move on to the next property after he had read the description. Morsegrave Tower. It was a Peverell property and when looking into the details he had on it, it basically told him it was a library. A ten story, 18 hundred year old library. He hadn't needed to continue looking for more after that. 

He pulled out the Peverell portkey box admiring the Ebony box covered in intricate swirls of gold and silver filigree. After a moment he opened the box and froze. He knew Goruk said that everyone had their own portkey tradition but he didnt know how to feel about this. The inside of the box was lined in black velvet but the stark white against the black material only made the portkeys that much more prominent. They were bones. All of them were bones. A few were skulls, some were teeth, and others were almost cartoonish in their appearance but all of them gave him shivers. Upon closer inspection each one was covered in tiny runes etched into the surface of the bones.

He noticed a small book held in the lid of the box by black satin ribbon and took it out. It detailed each of the bones' origin, why it was chosen, and where the rest of the creature had been buried within the property grounds. as a connection point it was important to know the location. Reading it made Harry realize that this was originally how portkeys were created around two thousand years ago. He remembered reading something about how Merlin had updated the creation of portkeys but he hadn't thought about what they had been before. It seemed that even after the update the Peverell’s decided to continue using the old method out of tradition. 

His hand moved towards the large fang that would take him to Morsegrave tower. He had purposefully not looked up what creature it came from. He didn't want to know. He spoke the activation phrase and before he knew it he was stepping forward on to a smooth marble stone floor. He was now confused. He hadn't felt the same discomfort he usually did with portkeys, not even a little bit. No pull at his stomach. No disorientation. No nausea. He was just there. As much as he wasn't all that happy about the old Portkey methods of sacrificing a living being, they were most definitely effective.

Shaking off the thought he looked up and his jaw dropped. In front of him was not just a tower. It was multiple towers, all connected with bridges at varying heights. The whole thing was a brilliant white marble. Not a single speck of dirt in sight. All the towers were covered in carved pillars and between each were large stained glass windows. All the towers were topped with a peaked roof covered in dark black slate tiles. The central tower was by far the largest at double the width of the others and two stories taller than the tallest side tower. 

There were numerous trees scattered around the towers all contrasting against the white with their autumn colors of reds, oranges, and yellows. It took his breath away. It looked like something out of a fairytale. He started walking up to the main tower. The door he came to was large and made of a black ebony, with decorative hinges that were a striking pale silver against the dark wood. They spread out across the entire door like the branches of a tree.

Once he was close enough the doors swung open and a gust of magic heavy wind rushed over him. It prickled at his skin and he felt his own magic rise to meet it. The building he was now standing in was ancient and Magic poured from every stone, every crack, and every corner. He could feel it buzzing in the air and resonating with the magics in his core. He looked around, the entrance had an atrium spanning the full ten floors with balcony railings for each floor. The atrium ceiling appeared to have the same enchantments as the great hall in Hogwarts, revealing a perfectly clear blue sky. On the ground floor in the very center of the massive space was a dais holding a gold ornate lectern, with a large black leather bound book resting atop it. Throughout the massive space there were floating balls of light ranging in colors of soft yellows, oranges, and white. It was breathtaking.

He stepped onto the dais, and walked up to the lectern before looking through the massive book. It appeared to be a full index of what the library held and where you could find what you're looking for. Without a real thought of what to search for he decided to just look through the front of the book. It had categories of magic written out in alphabetical order. He continued going through it until he got to S and saw it. Soul Magic. It was written in loopy gold ink just like every other word in the book but it stood out to him. This library has an entire section on soul magic like it isn't completely illegal. Quickly he flipped to the pages indicated and read. Once again he stopped at H because sitting innocently on the page was Horcruxes. Apparently that section was on the seventh floor in row 26 case 19. He made his way there gawking at the sheer size of the library as he went. 

It took him some time to get there but when he finally did he found several thick tomes on the subject. It bothered him to see just how many books there were in the soul magic section. In a way he wanted to destroy the knowledge so no one could use it again, but he knew that would be stupid. Educating people on why these magics are dangerous would be more effective than hiding the information. If this stuff was common knowledge, with all of the down sides included, it would be unlikely that anyone would use it. He sighed, pulling off the first book and placing it on the table at the end of the shelves. 

He wondered if this was once a public library with the way it had been set up. Between the end of the shelves and the balustrade overlooking the atrium, were tables with six chairs around each. Every floor seemed to have around five tables evenly spread out between the shelves. It seemed as though it was designed to be visited by a large number of people. He would have loved to open the library to the public if the ministry wouldn’t confiscate over half of the tomes currently here. The book he was currently holding was most definitely illegal as was a lot of the magics in the index. He sighed as he settled in to read.

Harry had been quietly reading for about an hour when someone knocked on his table and he startled. He looked up to see a woman with short fluffy auburn hair. He blinked at her dumbly for a moment. Before noticing the feathers around her hairline. He looked down towards the hand that had knocked on the table to find something that looked somewhere between hands and talons. Auburn feathers covered her lower arms and dotted up the start of her upper arm.

“ Um.. what are you doing here? ” he asked the woman. Eyeing her cautiously. Her eyebrows raised into her hairline as she visibly looked him over.

“ I believe I should be the one asking you that, stranger. ”

“ Um.. I own this library. ” He tilted his head to the side and her eyes widened.

“ You are the new Lord Peverell. My apologies I didn't realize. ” suddenly wings stretched out behind her, then the right one swept forward in front of her as she bowed.

“ I am Melia, the head Librarian of Alexia’s great Library .” she rose from her bow and gestured to the seat opposite him, asking for permission to sit. Which he granted with a nod of his head.

“ I’m sorry, I wasn't aware that there were librarians here. ”

“ What exactly are you? ” They both spoke at the same time and Melia covered her mouth with her hands. Did she just ask him what he was?

“ What do you mean, what am I? ” she lowered her head in embarrassment as a blush rose to her cheeks.

“ I mean, you speak to me in Harpish.” damn it he really needed to watch out for that. He kept speaking languages he shouldn't know. “and I feel a magical presence from you. Though it might be more accurate to say that it feels like a magical pressure telling me to bow. ” she lowered her head further. He felt stupid. of course she could feel it. She was a creature, a Harpy if he was correct, it must be how the goblins instantly knew when they saw him. He released his hold on his creature attributes, allowing his ears and tails out and her eyes snapped back to him.

“ My name is Hadrian Potter-Black. I am a High Fay, and I am Prince of the Seligen Court. ” Her eyes widened at the information.

“ Our Suzerain is the left wing for our Queen within the court. Being the only English Harpy Clan there is, as well as being the keepers of knowledge our Clan leader was invited to the Court. " Harry blinked, trying to process that.

“ Your Clan leader, the Suzerain, is part of the Harpy representation in the Seligen court? ” She nodded. “ Would I be able to meet her? ” Melia bit her lip.

“ She is currently under an emergency summons from the court and won't be back for another week. ” He smiled and nodded. It wasn't her fault she wasn't there. 

“ Alright then. You said your clan are the keepers of the library? ” she nodded, her crown feathers fluffing up in her excitement.

“ Yes. Our clan helped Alexia Peverell build the library, as well as maintain it. In return, the librarians, of which there can only be twenty at any one time, are allowed to read the books and pass on the knowledge we learn to the rest of our kind. Alexia Peverell extended the wards of the property to engulf our canyon, granting us the protection of the wards that encompass this land. The canyon is where the rest of our clan live. It is located just behind the towers. The tower closest to the canyon is the living quarters for the librarians. ” Harry nodded. With there not being a Peverell Lord for the last two hundred years, he had been surprised by the immaculate state of the library, but to know there are librarians makes sense. 

“ It is likely that I will be coming here daily for the next few weeks. I hope this won't cause any problems for you. ” she shook her head

“ It's been around eighty years since the last of mother magics devoted was here but we used to get a lot. ” Harry raised an eyebrow and she continued. “ People who led the ‘old ways’. Performing the rituals for others and large groups were often given access to the library. The last one with the permission to enter died eighty years ago. So there were no more who were able to visit. ” her melancholy went away as she shook her head. “ I will leave you to your research. Once our Suzerain is back, I will inform her about you and arrange a meeting. ” She bowed again before walking over to the balcony and giving Harry a heart attack by jumping off, before he realized that, duh, she has wings and he went back to his reading.

***

It was now Sunday and Harry was making his way down to the greenhouses for his talk with Neville. Letting his magic uncoil and probe his surroundings, he felt it mingle with Hogwarts magics. Slowly it began to pull him towards greenhouse four, where he found a scowling Neville, elbow deep in an empty bed of soil. He looked frustrated, ripping up soil and pulling at thin wiry webs of roots, dumping them in a container next to him. Harry walked over to the other boy and sat opposite him on the other side of the bed. Neville looked up, slightly startled. 

“Hey Nev, you alright? You seem a little upset.” Neville gave a small smile, looking back down at his work.

“Yeah , I'm good. Just Weasley and Granger.” Harry frowned at that.

“What did they do?” Neville scoffed before taking his hands out of the dirt and sitting back on his ankles, looking at harry.

“Nothing to me.” he sighed. “Harry, the way they treat you isn’t how friends treat each other.” Harry was trying to think back to what happened today but nothing stood out to him. This seemed to annoy the other boy further. “You tried to do something without them and they pulled out every guilt trip I have ever seen before you backed down, then once they got what they wanted they proceeded to ignore you and bicker with each other. I’m guessing that you were able to come here by sneaking away?” Harry nodded and Neville sighed again. He looked back at Harry before looking towards the door. 

“You know, no one comes down here. You can be comfortable with me, if you want.” Harry was a little confused until Nevill gestured to his head. “You know the ears and stuff. I heard it's taxing keeping them hidden." Harry's eyes widened as they flicked towards the door.

“You're sure no one will see? What about Sprout, or someone else?” Neville shook his head.

“I've been coming here for the last two years every Sunday and no one has interrupted me yet.” he paused. “Other than you.” Harry bit his lip. He trusted Neville and he was here to talk about it anyway. After a moment he pulled the ring off, allowing his true appearance to be seen. A few seconds later he allowed his creature attributes to show and Neville smiled at him softly, before focusing back on the soil he was derooting. 

“I said I wouldn't ask but I'm curious, how did you get your creature inheritance? It normally comes with your magical majority at seventeen or if the connection is strong enough, it will come with your semblance at fifteen. Never before...” he trailed off, looked up at Harry before his eyes widened and he hurried to continue. “You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I was just…"Harry cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“Nev, I don't mind, it’s just, maybe not the best place to start with… well, everything.” he rubbed the back of his neck. He doubted Neville knew anything about the Selegen court and coming out with everything would probably be a bit overwhelming. After a few minutes of silence Neville spoke again.

“So would talking about Dumbledore be an easier place to start?” that brought Harry out of his musings. Was Dumbledore easier to talk about? Not really. Everything was just so complicated and tied together that it was hard to detangle it all. He decided to start with something Neville already knows about and was involved with.

“ I have been removing proxies from him. It's been fun seeing him flounder.” Neville chuckled. 

“Yes, he wasn't too pleased when the Gryffindor seat was taken away.” Harry felt a shit-eating grin spread across his face.

“That wasn't the only one. I'm the one who took Black, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin away also.” Neville gaped before bursting out in full blown laughter.

“Oh, he fucked up making an enemy out of you. Merlin, I want to be there when he finds out.” Harry smiled at his friend's outburst. It was nice to see Neville like this. His smile slowly dropped as he remembered that he needed to continue. 

“Neville, he blocked my family magic, kept me from knowing anything about my heritage, and stole from me. I'm just glad that he only had access to my Potter trust vault. The maximum he was able to remove was two thousand Galleons a month. I earn more than that from my investments in the potter accounts alone anyway.” Neville was suddenly very serious as he looked at harry. 

“He blocked your family magic.” it wasn't a question and Neville didn't give him time to answer anyway. “That is so many kinds of illegal that it's not even funny.” Harry grimaced.

“But can you tell me that he wouldn't be able to twist it in some way to make it sound like something that had to be done for mine or others safety.” Neville pulled a face like he had swallowed a lemon.

“I really don't like him.'' Harry smirked.

“Join the club.” Harry paused. That was a good point. He grinned at neville. “Join our club. The ‘we hate Albus Dumbledore club’ meets during divination and muggle studies. I can ask if you can join us if you want?” Neville looked at him in shock.

“That's not really a thing, right?” Harry giggled.

“No it's not an actual club, but it might as well be. I um…” he suddenly didn't know if this was a good idea now that he thought about it. “I meet with the Slytherins in our year. They’ve been teaching me things I should know as a noble, since, you know, I didn't learn this stuff when I was growing up like I was supposed to.” Neville nodded.

“I get along with Greg. He likes herbology. I wouldn't mind joining you all, if they dont mind.” Harry beamed at him.

“I’ll ask.”

***

The next day was the first Slytherin meeting he was bringing Neville to and Harry was excited. Yesterday he had managed to ask them if he could bring Neville and to his surprise and delight, all of them seemed happy to add him to the group. Especially after Harry had called it the ‘we hate Albus Dumbledore club’ to their faces. It seemed to put their minds at ease, knowing Neville wasn't a sycophant like most of Gryffindor. 

Now it was their second period and he was pulling Neville through the passage that led to what he had dubbed Slytherin hall. Neville had a soft little smile watching Harry excitedly pull him down the corridor until they got to the doors and walked in. It was the first time Harry hadn't been there before the Slytherins. It made him feel a little off balance and using the door didn't help the feeling. He wasn't used to walking here like a normal person. Despite that, he moved forward, taking his usual seat.

After formal introductions were made, a stiff conversation started up, with the Slytherins probing at Neville trying to find his boundaries until a pointed question from Theo made Harry choke on his tea.

“So Heir Gryffindor, is it true that founders Heirs can feel the castle? We were brought up on rumors that Hogwarts magic is almost sentient to its Heirs. Is it true?” Before the question even registered in Harry's head, Neville had already answered with a confused frown.

“I wouldn't know.” immediately Neville's face drained of color while Harry attempted to clear his airways of the tea he had just inhaled. Pansy sat forward with a predatory grin that made Harry shrink in his seat.

“Hadrian, Darling, is there something that you want to maybe tell us?” Every pair of eyes were flicking between him and Neville. Harry placed his cup on the coffee table and wiped at his face with a napkin Kreacher handed him. Looking around the room, determined not to look at any of them, he spoke slowly and quietly. 

“In my defense, I was under the impression that anything I said to you would get back to your parents and vice versa. So I assumed you already knew. I wasn't specifically withholding it from you.” and that was the truth. He had assumed that their parents would have told them the list of titles he held so none of them made any kind of mistake but apparently not. 

“Harry approached me…'' Neville was interrupted with a glare from Draco.

“Don't call him that. He doesn't like it.” Neville looked a little bewildered, turning to Harry for an explanation. He suddenly realized that Neville and the Slytherins had two different sets of knowledge. It's not that he was hiding anything, well, he was, but not the point. He just hadn't gotten round to telling them everything he wanted to. 

“He can call me harry. It's fine." Both Neville and Draco scowled at him before he received two answers.

“So HE can call you Harry, but not us?”

“If you don't like it you need to tell me.” he scrubbed at his face then held up a hand. 

“Dray it's not that i let him call me that because we are closer or anything, and Nev it isn't about me just putting up with it.” he sighed. “I don't really like being called Harry because ‘Harry Potter is the boy who lived’ it’s a brand. Not me. Not a person. I am Hadrian Potter-Black, that's my name, but I don't want you or me to get used to you calling me Hadrian when you will need to call me Harry around everyone else.”

“All of this just so he won't use a name in front of weasel and the shrew. What does it even matter if they hear him call you Hadrian.” he sighed.

“It matters a lot actually. If they hear it they will tell the headmaster and that one piece of information will lead to him knowing that I know more than I should, then he will look closer to find discrepancies and ruin everything. You can't just scream and shout at the public that he's a bad man or they will turn on you. It doesn't matter what proof you have there will always be people who think it's fabricated. So first you remove a good chunk of his power. Power he doesn't technically have a right to, so no one can dispute it. As soon as he makes a move to regain some semblance of power, remove more and allow his own actions to cause suspicion. Little hit after hit will cause enough damage to eventually remove all trust the public ever had in him. As long as its handled correctly that is.” he looked up from where he was twisting his hand in his lap to find everyone staring at him in shock. Daphney was the first to speak up. 

“You're actively trying to destroy dumbledore? Not just remove a bit of his influence. you're calculating his complete downfall." Harry smirked at the hint of awe on her face before nodding.

“So about the whole Heir Gryffindor thing.” pansy cut in still smiling viciously at him. He smirked back.

“It's lord Griffindor actually.”

***

The next day after DADA he stayed behind after class to talk to Moony about what Snape had said. Remus hadn’t been happy that Harry had joined him during the full moon, especially since he never asked or spoke to him beforehand. He had explained that he was afraid that he would hurt Harry and would feel more comfortable if he didn't join him. Harry had argued and maybe, possibly, guilt tripped him into agreeing to allow him to join the older man during full moons. He left the classroom feeling happy and accomplished.

By the end of the day he thought it was about time that he spoke to Snape. Pushing his magic into the walls of the castle asking where the man was, he was met with an image of Snape marking papers in his private office. He felt Hogwarts magic wrap around his wrist and tug him towards the dungeons, leading him all the way to the potion master's office. He took a deep breath before knocking and waiting. It didn't take long for the door to open and he stepped in. Snape looked up from his grading and paused, clearly not expecting to see Harry standing there. Snape quickly stood and gestured over to a small sitting area consisting of a loveseat and two squishy looking armchairs. He took a seat in one of the armchairs and waited. To his surprise Snape also waited for him to start, something he wouldn't normally do. He was allowing Harry to control the direction that the conversation went in. He took a deep breath.

“I may have overreacted the last time we spoke. I'm not sorry and honestly I'm still mad at you. But I am aware that I was already running close to my limits on bullshit for that day and maybe didn't handle it the best I could have. It's just, I don't know if you realize just how much I am doing. How much I have to do, and then you have a go at me for not telling you things that are quite frankly not your business. Not only that but you decide to interrogate and yell at me in front of people who, not only do I not know but are the very people I have been trying to ingratiate myself to. Now, all they’ll see is a child. I worked hard as Lord Black to make sure that when they did find out my age they would still hold some measure of respect for me. But that plan is now gone before it could even start.” At some point he had gotten up and started pacing the length of the room. with every pass of the fire it would flare before settling only to flare a few seconds later on his way back.

“I guess what I'm really mad at is that I know you're better than this. I can't help but feel you... I don't know. Did it on purpose. But I don't actually think you would do it on purpose. It's just… so frustrating.” he stopped his pacing as he felt himself being pressed into a firm chest. Only now did he feel the sting in his eyes and the lump in his throat. To his mortification he was unable to stop the sob that passed his lips or the tears that soaked into the man's robes. 

“I'm sorry. I betrayed the trust you put in me and for that I am sorry. I allowed my emotions to overwhelm me and I shouldn't have. I spoke to Lucius after you left that day and he made me realize a rather large mistake I made.” At that he pulled away from the hug to look at the potions master. “I withheld information from you that I shouldn't have. The curse I was under, the one I said made me hate things I dislike. Well, it does do that but it also dampens other emotions. Now that it's gone I'm attempting to regulate emotions I haven't had in over a decade. To say that I'm struggling would be a kind way to phrase it. Pulling you to the manor that day was a lack of rational judgment on my part.” That actually made him feel better. The man had been a double agent for both Dumbledore and Voldemort in the last timeline and without that knowledge, him making this kind of mistake seemed intentional. 

“Also during the conversation with Lucius it was revealed to me that the Lords and Ladies who witnessed our interaction thought little of it and it bore no impact on their assessment of you. In fact I would say Lucius holds you in rather high regard and would appreciate your continued correspondence." Harry felt himself sag in relief. He hadn't realized how much this whole thing had been weighing on him. Though now with everything laid out, he felt a little bad for his outburst.

“I’m sorr…”

“Do not apologize. There is nothing you should apologize for. I was out of line and had anyone else been there it most definitely would have impacted their opinion of you. We were lucky that they knew me so well and saw it impact me more than you. I would appreciate it if we could draw a line under this whole thing and move forward.” Harry nodded. The only thing he was trying to apologize for was the way he had handled the situation, nothing else and he could accept Snape's apology. He was pretty sure he was the first adult to ever apologize to him. He moved back over to the armchair and sat down. “If you are willing, I would like to know what you are currently doing since you emphasized the amount you currently had to do.” Harry sunk back into the seat. 

“right now I need to look over my properties, continue my research on horcruxes, rituals, the Selegen court, the old ways, and what I need to know about being the head of the Emris family. I also have my lessons with Salazar for occlumency, Rowina for Divination, and my Etiquette lessons with the Slytherins, along with all the supplemental reading I'm doing, and my homework for my actual classes.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “I feel like I'm missing something obvious. Oh right. I need to start writing back to Lucius as well as a few other Lords and Ladies. That's what I can think of right now. Oh, and that's not including the fact that I have to do this out of sight of Weasley and Granger.” Severus just gaped at him.

“That's a lot.” Harry nodded. “ There is little you could delegate also since most of this is to improve your own knowledge, but if you need a hand in occlumency I would be happy to help.” Harry smiled.

“Help with occlumency would be nice.” there was only so much Salazar could do when instructing from a painting. Sometimes you need someone to physically test your barriers. “Once a week after potions on either Wednesday or Friday? You can just give me detention.” Snape quirked a small smile and nodded. “I should be getting back to the idiots before they get suspicious.

Chapter Text

In the last two weeks Hadrian had continued to go to Morsegrave tower. It was still the only one of his properties he had been to or even looked over the paperwork for, other than the island, since he had only wanted to look through their libraries and this one was more than he needed for the moment. To his utter shock the books he had found on horcruxes were written in great factual detail. They were like textbooks, purely factual with no bias embellishments thrown in. Harry had spent the last few weekends taking great care in detailing all the most important aspects of the work on to parchment. He had hoped to find something for the ritual too but the amount of books on ritual magic was far more vast than he had expected and Harry had no clue where to begin. He wondered if just giving Barty what he already had would be enough? Then if they were open to what he gave them he could bring him directly here so he could find what he needed.

He had also set a date to meet the Suzerain a week after Samhain. Originally they were going to meet sooner but he had found out that she was just making time for him when she was extremely busy with Samhain preparations and he didn't want to bother her. He knew what it was like to have no time for things. He insisted they could talk after Samhain had passed and everything had calmed down. In the meantime he had been talking to the librarians and getting to know them. They seemed happy to have people (him) visit the library after so long and he was happy to listen to their stories about the library or his ancestors. It had been a nice change of pace. 

He had grown rather close to two of the Librarians Erinys and Keres, a set of twins who both had gray feathers and piercing yellow eyes. They adored the library as well as teaching and had taken it upon themselves to teach him all about the old holidays that were created to honor mother magic and her children. He had been extremely grateful for the knowledge they gave him as he was sure that he now knew more than even the purebloods with how the rituals in their culture had been watered down over so many years. 

Currently Harry was in the school library ignoring Ron and Hermione, reading a book he had found in one of the side towers of Alexia's library. He had gone through all the books they had on horcruxes and hadn't found what he had wanted to. He wanted evidence of the horcruxes causing insanity but he hasn't found any written record of anyone making more than one. The only evidence he had found was about the makers becoming colder and quicker to anger. If he was going to convince Voldemort to take back some of his horcruxes, he would need more. Melia had told him that three of the towers were filled with books written in creature languages that were either common, extinct, or unknown. Harry had immediately gone to the tower with the unknown languages to see if his magic could decipher them. If they hadn't been identified in several hundred years then they would be old and might have something interesting.

This side tower was the smallest at only two stories but he had expected that. In the center had been a plinth holding a perfectly circular electric blue stone that appeared to glitter in the magelight. Melia informed him that it was a system that was created by Alexia herself and that no matter how hard people have tried they haven't been able to replicate it. He just needed to push magic into the stone while thinking of the parameters he was looking for and it would bring you the book that held what you asked for. Since she was unable to identify any of the languages it was made with advanced intent magic, no one really knows how she did it. He had placed his hand on the orb with one thing in mind, horcruxes. Three chests and three books were brought to him. Melia informed him that the books were the same as the scrolls that were in the chests and that all of the scrolls within the library had been hand transcribed to books for easier reading and study. 

The books were massive and only one was actually legible to him. but he had been making his way through it, wanting to know what he could. So far it depicted the history of a leader of a community the name of which had translated to ‘the collection of burning blood’ and he didn't know how that was meant to be taken. The leader didn't have a translatable name so it looked like the original language to him which was a bunch of squiggles and dots that made three distinct sections. He had focused on it and read it out loud, asking Melia what he had said after. She had spoken it back to him as Ramaloth so that's what he went with. 

The whole thing had been written by someone who seemed to be a friend or an advisor to Ramaloth. It went through everything from when he was a child being the seventh of nineteen sons and the fight for the throne that was expected of them. With eighteen people out to kill him he became paranoid leading him to develop and make his first three horcruxes. Harry had the sinking feeling that this was the first person who made a horcrux. But he had made them by killing three of his brothers, sacrificing them to make himself immortal.

It spoke of how his paranoia got worse, pushing him to make another, sacrificing another brother and eight townspeople to increase the power of the ritual. After this he became obsessed with death. Before he had been interested in becoming a doctor. The human anatomy intrigued him. This intrigue turned into a manic obsession of learning how the body worked by any means necessary. Despite his original goal of helping his people with illness, he found himself slaughtering hundreds to sate his curiosity. After another assassination attempt from one of his brothers, he made another horcrux. At this point it was just him and his older brother, the second son. He figured he wouldn't be left alone now that there were only two of them left, so he made another horcrux with his death. 

The person writing detailed everything from his changing priorities, beliefs, obsessions, and sanity with every horcrux created. It was haunting as it recorded the slaughter of their entire community, by the hands of its now ruler. The writer wrote about destroying the horcruxe’s of the person they once loved, the final blow he landed, and the betrayal he saw in the other’s face as he watched the light leave his eyes. Their entire race had been eradicated, their community raised to the ground. Nothing was left and that's why they wrote this to warn others of the consequences. It was awful and exactly what he needed. He needed to talk to Salazar. 

He stood from his seat slinging his bag over his shoulder and running to the library wall that holds an entrance to the passageways. He allowed the magic of the castle to guide him as he made his way to Salazar, his face still buried in the book as he goes over what is written. The second the door opened he moved forward practically skipping into the room. 

“Sal I found it. I found what we needed. There’s details in here that should help with the alteration of the ritual as well as actual proof of the insanity theory.” he placed the book on to the desk only for it to drop right through and hit the floor. There was definitely meant to be a dest there. He blinked at the book for a second before slowly raising his eyes to observe his surroundings. Plush green sofas and armchairs were clustered around fireplaces. The walls were dotted with several portraits that hung between large windows looking out into the black lake. There were also a lot of eyes currently watching him in confusion. Oh he was definitely not meant to be here 

“Oh, um, my bad, I must have taken a wrong turn. I’ll just be going now.” He quickly picked up his book but before he could turn around he was tackled. Looking down he found a girl who he recognized. It was the Slytherin second year that had asked if she could pet his patronuses on the train. She unwrapped her arms from around him but didn't let go of his robes as she bounced in place. 

“Can I see your magic pets again? Please? They said I couldn't ask you when we weren’t in the common room but now you’re here I can see them right?” She continued to bounce while she spoke and Harry couldn't help the soft smile that spread across his face. Before he could answer her, Flint was gently pulling her away.

“Andry you're being rude. I know mother taught you better than that. You haven't even introduced yourself. Nor have either me or father spoken to him yet.” the girl, Andry, he guessed, stuck her lower lip out in a  pout, casting her eyes to the floor as Flint turned to Harry and bowed. Not a small head tilt or acknowledgement but a full ninety degrees bow. Quickly the girl regained her composure and plunged into a deep curtsey. For a moment it was silent with the two showing no signs of moving and Harry started to panic.

“You have to allow them to stop.” Harry startled at the voice that whispered into his ear. Looking over he found Theo standing right behind him with his head bent down to speak directly to him. He quickly turned back to the two people bowing in front of him.

“Um. you can stop that. Please.” Flint rose from his bow and immediately started to speak.

“I am Marcus Flint, Heir to the Noble and Distinguished House of Flint. My father is the Viscount of Lurias and this is my sister Alexandrya Flint. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” he gave another short bow and continued. “My father has been unable to acquire a meeting with you and as Heir to the Flint family I have been given permission to handle this in his stead.” There were a few gasps and Harry had a strong sense of foreboding. “I, Marcus Flint, Heir to the Noble and Distinguished House of Flint, take on the Life debt to Harry James Potter, Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, in my sister's stead, if it so pleases him.” Harry was gaping. He knew he was. but what life debt did they owe him. He was so confused. The one thing he did know was just how serious this was. Refusing was not an option; it was seen as extremely rude and could cause a blood feud. The problem was that he had no clue what had invoked it. 

He sighed, noticing that the girl hadn’t risen from her curtsey yet. There was only one option for him to choose. “I, Hadrian Jameson Potter, accept the debt invoked by the Noble and Distinguished House of Flint and its transferral to the Heir of their house. So mote it be.” a soft yellow glow encompassed the three of them and the girl finally raised from her curtsey, looking nervously between the two of them.

“Heir Flint, I apologize for my ignorance but what exactly was done to invoke a life debt between our houses.” Flint's eyebrows shot up in surprise before he could school his expression. 

“It seems no one told you just how close the dementors got.” his hand seemed to automatically reach out for the girl next to him. “If it weren't for you I'm not sure my sister would still be here.” he was petting his sisters hair in what looked like an unconscious gesture of comfort for the both of them. Harry knew of course that she would have been fine since last time no one was seriously hurt but from their perspective he saved a member of their family. He sighed.

“I release the life debt owed to House Potter by the Noble and Distinguished House of Flint…”

“Harry.” Theo hissed warningly into his ear. Harry knew he couldn't just dismiss a life debt, again it was seen as disrespectful. However he could use it.

“...in return for your confidants.” There were a few gasps and Flint looked a little shocked. What Harry had asked of Flint was to basically listen to him and keep his secrets, that's it. not exactly something you would exchange for a life debt. Flint just nodded mutely before shaking his head and speaking. 

“I accept your terms.” again a soft yellow light glowed between them before dying out. Harry was glad he accepted, he didn't like life debts. “Does… Does it extend to others?” well it was a little late for him to be asking that, wasn't it.

“No it doesn't.” Flint visibly relaxed and Fawley stepped up beside them with a bow toward harry.

“I’m Gemma Fawley, Heiress of the Noble House of Trembley and Daughter of the Noble and Ancient House of Fawley. My Mother is Countess of Santanes and my Mama is Baroness of Valensart. It's a pleasure to formally meet you.” That was interesting. He knew Fawley was an heir but he had assumed it was to the Fawley line. Clearly she had an older sibling who inherited the more prominent title of Fawley, leaving the second lesser title of Trembley to her. “Heir Potter, would you mind explaining to me just how exactly you got into our common room?” ah yes he had just waltzed right in. he turned to the wall he had come from finding a full length portrait and Harry waved his hand towards it.“Yes, but how? Professor Snape informed all of the prefects about every entrance and that wasn't one of them.” Hadrian shrugged.

“He doesn't know all of the passageways.” He closed his eyes for a moment, allowing his magic to probe at his surroundings, finding all the passages leading into the dorms before they opened and he smirked. “There are a total of fifteen passages that lead into the Slytherin dorms in some way. Though the ones in a few of the bathrooms are a little disturbing but all in all it’s still on brand so there’s not much I can really say about that.” Fawley along with everyone else gaped. It was silent for a moment then pandemonium.

***

Theo was in the Slytherin common room with the other Slytherins in his year, happily reading another one of Hadrian's books. He always had interesting books on topics that Theo could never find much on. He had become someone Theo would consider a close friend. Hadrian had managed to become a part of their group to the point that his absence was noticed by all of them. At first they were just getting annoyed with the way he was treated by Weasley and Granger but then it evolved into all of them waiting for Thursdays to see him. Then he started coming to their study room more and theo noticed people turning to talk to him when he wasn't there or all of them subconsciously leaving a space for him. He noticed Draco’s face light up as he turned to say something only to pause when Hadrian wasn't there. Honestly it was strange just how quickly he had slotted into their group. Goyle would say something in Gibberish then look up confused when he got no answer before repeating it in cornish to Crabb if he needed an answer or just going silent if he didn't. 

Now was one of those times that they were missing his presences so they had left their study room early and gone to the common room where his absence wasn’t as noticeable. They hadn't been there too long when Flint walked over to them and bowed toward Malfoy. That got most of the room's attention. 

“Heir Flint, what can I help you with?” Draco’s impassive mask was in place and his voice was indifferent. 

“I request help in securing a formal meeting with Heir Potter.” Theo saw malfoys eyebrow twitch in surprise, clearly not expecting that. 

“I will be willing to make your request to him the next time I see him.” Flint nodded in thanks and was about to leave when one of the full length portraits swung open and everyone in the common room turned to look at the intruder, who practically skipped into the room.

“Sal I found it. I found what we needed. There’s details in here that should help with the alteration of the ritual as well as actual proof of the insanity theory.” Potter lent forward like he was going to place the book on something that wasn't there, his eyes never leaving the pages. Clearly he wasn't where he thought he was. The book dropped to the floor with a loud smack which seemed to break Hadrian from his daze. He looked up and surveyed the room. “Oh, um, my bad, I must have taken a wrong turn. I’ll just be going now.” He quickly picked up the book but before he could turn around he was tackled by Flint's little sister. 

“Can I see your magic pets again? Please? They said I couldn't ask you when we weren’t in the common room but now you’re here I can see them right?” Flint Quickly strode towards them and theo followed, curious. He gently pulled her away, clearly unhappy with her behavior.

“Andry you're being rude. I know mother taught you better than that. You haven't even introduced yourself. Nor have either me or father spoken to him yet.” Flint turned to Harry and bowed. His sister followed soon after. For a moment it was silent and theo looked to see Harry starting to panic and abruptly realized he had no clue what was going on. He stepped around them making sure he didn't come between them or stand beside Harry since he was not involved and dropped his head down to whisper in his ear. Merlin, Theo hadn't realized just how Short Harry was. His general presence was always so noticeable and powerful that he had always appeared larger than he was. He barely reached Theo’s chin. 

“You have to allow them to stop.” Harry seemed to startle, his eyes flicking to him in surprise for just a moment before looking back and awkwardly addressing them. 

“Um. you can stop that. Please.” Theo had to smother a chuckle at just how uncomfortable Harry seemed at that moment. Flint rose from his bow and immediately started to speak.

“I am Marcus Flint, Heir to the Noble and Distinguished House of Flint. My father is the Viscount of Lurias and this is my sister Alexandrya Flint. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” he gave another short bow and continued. “My father has been unable to acquire a meeting with you and as Heir to the Flint family I have been given permission to handle this in his stead.” Theo sucked in a sharp breath. Most of the house knew that the Flints currently owed a life debt to Hadrian. Alexandrya had been a few moments from having her soul ripped out. A dementor had been feeding on her for almost half a minute by the time Potter's patronus had stopped it but to think they were that desperate that the Lord was allowing his Heir to take the life debt in his place showed just how important this was to them. 

“I, Marcus Flint, Heir to the Noble and Distinguished House of Flint, take on the Life debt to Harry James Potter, Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, in my sister's stead, if it so pleases him." Harry went stock still and Theo peered round to see his face. He looked utterly confused. Theo was about to give more instructions when hadrian sighed.

“I, Hadrian Jameson Potter, accept the debt invoked by the Noble and Distinguished House of Flint and its transferral to the Heir of their house. So mote it be.” a soft yellow glow encompassed the three of them and Theo was surprised that he knew what to do. He was pretty sure that they hadn't covered life debts with him yet.

“Heir Flint, I apologize for my ignorance but what exactly was done to invoke a life debt between our houses.”  Theo saw Flint's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, his eyes flicking to him and Draco with a clear question. Theo had never thought to bring it up with hadrian and clearly no one else had either. 

“It seems no one told you just how close the dementors got.” Theo winced at the clearly pointed jab at them. “If it weren't for you I'm not sure my sister would still be here.” He sighed again.

“I release the life debt owed to House Potter by the Noble and Distinguished House of Flint…” what the fuck was he doing? You don't just dismiss a Life debt especially not after just receiving it. That's worse than just rejecting it. He’s essentially saying that she isn’t worth one.

“Harry.” Theo hissed warningly into his ear but he was ignored and hadrian continued.

“...in return for your confidants.” Theo felt his knees buckle slightly in relief. He wondered if Hadrian realizes that he basically just made Flint his Vassal. He would have to bring it up with him later.

“I accept your terms.” again a soft yellow light glowed between them before dying out. “Does… Does it extend to others?” Theo could see the apprehension on Flint's face. it was a little late for him to ask now but luckily for him Hadrian wouldn't do something like that.

“No it doesn't.” Flint visibly relaxed and Fawley stepped up beside them with a bow toward harry.

“I’m Gemma Fawley, Heiress of the Noble House of Trembley and Daughter of the Noble and Ancient House of Fawley. My Mother is Countess of Santanes and my Mama is Baroness of Valensart. It's a pleasure to formally meet you. Heir Potter, would you mind explaining to me just how exactly you got into our common room?” That was actually a good question that Theo also wanted the answer to, but Hadrian just waved his hand towards the portrait he had walked through and Fawley looked less than impressed.“Yes, but how? Professor Snape informed all of the prefects about every entrance and that wasn't one of them.” Hadrian shrugged.

“He doesn't know all of the passageways.” Theo felt a burning wave of magic sweep over him, knocking the air from his lungs. He had never felt magic that dense in his life. He looked at hadrian, feeling the magic still seeping from him. Then in a moment it was gone and Theo was utterly confused. The Notts had the gift of magic sensitivity. Being in Hogwarts really messes with him. It's like his nerves are constantly buzzing with all the ambient magic but that also dampens the feel of everyone else's since it just merges with the castle's magic. He had never noticed that hadrian doesn't leak magic like other people. Like he consciously keeps it locked away. This was the first time he felt it like that and it was almost intoxicating.

“There are a total of fifteen passages that lead into the slytherin dorms in some way. Though the ones in a few of the bathrooms are a little disturbing but all in all it’s still on brand so there’s not much I can really say about that.” Fawley along with everyone else gaped. It was silent for a moment then pandemonium.

“There are passageways that lead to the bathrooms?”

“How is that ON brand?”

“Can everyone just get into our dorms if they know the right passage?” Theo saw Hadrian shuffling towards the portrait again, hoping not to be noticed but was intercepted by Warrington placing a heavy hand on his shoulder and directing him back towards him and Draco. It wasn't long before Hadrian was standing in front of them pouting. 

“Can’t I just leave and we can all pretend that this never happened. I actually have things to do. The only reason I came here was because Hogwarts brought me here. It's normally more reliable.” Warrington, to his and Dracos surprise, snorted a laugh. 

“No you can't just leave. Especially not when you tell us that there are so many ways to get into our dorms that anyone could utilize if they knew.” Hadrian shook his head.

“No one can use them other than me. Not the teachers, not Dumbledore, not even Snape can use them without me escorting them.” Warrington looked skeptically at him until he elaborated. “They’re Slytherins passageways. You have to know parseltongue to use them and I don't plan to use them unless I really need to.” Warrington actually looked relieved at that, calling over to Fawley who was still trying to calm the rest of the house. When that didn't work he stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle. Hadrian flinched back from the noise covering his ears and dropping the book again. Theo could see tears brimming in his eyes. Warrington however didn’t seem to notice. 

After getting everyone's attention he calmed them with the knowledge that Hadrian was basically the only person in England who could access them. While he did that Theo moved over to Hadrian, who looked like he was still in pain. Draco was right by his side but before they got there Goyle ran past them, talking a mile a minute. Hadrian gave him a soft smile nodding at something he said, still rubbing at the ear that was closest to Warrington.

“Are you alright?” Draco sounded worried. Hadrian just nodded and Goyle scowled, clearly disagreeing with his assessment.

“Creature blood makes ears…” he paused, clearly struggling for a word. “Loud?” Theo winced in sympathy. Hadrian had been right next to Warrington. If he had sensitive ears then yes that would have been painful. 

“Sensitive. He has sensitive ears.” he corrected Goyle and the other boy nodded.

Hadrian ended up staying in their common room till dinner. Allowing the younger years to play with his patronuses, helping the fifth years with their OWL work and some of the six and seventh years with their NEWT work. Theo just sat there in awe. Clearly Hadrian hadn't noticed that they were testing his limits. Limits no one had found yet. They asked him to help them with spell performance by getting him to demonstrate them. Its like he didn't even notice he was supposed to struggle casting spells while his patronuses were still out. They didn't even flicker a little bit. Honestly even Theo was taking notes on the lesson and yes, it was a lesson. He kinda wished Hadrian was their DADA professor. The way he was explaining concepts and making casting corrections was better than any teacher they had had so far. More interesting was that he seemed to enjoy teaching them.

Eventually though they did have to go to dinner and Hadrian was offered a standing invitation to come back if he wanted to. To their surprise he came to the Slytherin common room both Tuesday and Thursday, after dinner until curfew. By the Halloween feast the few people that hadn't been convinced that they could trust him now at least liked him. They had been subtly interrogating him over his personal beliefs. Even though Theo and the others had already assured them that he wasn't on the light side of things they still wanted to make sure. He hasn't seemed to notice and was genuinely happy and relaxed around all of them. This, however, only made it more obvious to the entire house just how uncomfortable he was with his own house.

During the Halloween feast Hadrian looked dead on his feet and Theo was honestly worried, looking at his house mates he wasn't the only one who noticed. Every now and again he would catch one of the upper years sending a worried look over to where he was sitting. Theo was just glad that Neville seemed to be acting as a buffer between Hadrian and their house mates. 

It was after the feast that once again something went wrong. A bloody serial killer managed to bypass a horde of dementors and get into the ‘safest’ building in Britain. And now they are telling him that he needs to sleep on the fucking floor. At the risk of him sounding like Draco, just wait until his father hears about this. At least Hadrian silenced the weasel. No one would have gotten any sleep if that had continued.

Theo was not pleased to be awoken by loud shrieks and yelling. Was it not bad enough that they had to sleep on the floor the night before. Now, people have to wake him at… he cast a tempus and frowned at the numbers displaying 06:17 in glowing blue. Someone was going to die today. He turned towards the commotion to find the target of his ire, only for his scowl to disappear immediately upon seeing Granger shaking an unresponsive Harry Potter.

He scrambled to his feet and walked forward only getting a few steps away before a hand landed harshly on his shoulder and pulled him back. He spun finding Flint and Warrington holding not only him but Zabini and Malfoy too. He spoke lowly so only they would be able to hear.

“I know you're worried but right now, in front of the entire school, that's not a luxury that any of you or him can afford.” they all nodded knowing his words were true. Instead of moving closer they watched as someone cast an enervate only for it to hit some kind of shield that dissolved the spell and caused a ripple effect around his body. Madam Pomfrey as well as Snape marched into the hall and straight over to Hadrian.

Diagnostic charms weren’t working. Movement charms didn't either. No magic could be cast on him at all. Smelling salts didn't work. Physical movement didn't work. Snape even tried to prick his finger but he couldn't even puncture the skin. Eventually he lifted him into his arms and carried him out of the hall. As soon as the doors had closed behind them it was pandemonium. 

“Why can't something be normal just once.” Theo couldn't help but snort at the perfect deadpan that Zabini had quoted Hadrian's own line from the class with the boggart they had had at the beginning of the year. 

“Because he’s Harry potter.” Was the equally deadpan answer that Pansey gave him. 

***

Harry woke up to the red canopy of his Gryffindor bed the day before Halloween and decided no. Just no. He didn't want to deal with Ron, Hermione, or anyone else for that matter. He didn't want to and he wasn't going to. He pulled his covers around himself and buried his face into his pillow. He was tired. So tired. A minute later his curtains were pulled open and someone shook him. Peeking out from under his covers he saw Ron. As soon as he made eye contact he glared at the other boy and hissed.

“Fuck off Ron.” before pushing the other boy and shutting the curtains. He just wanted one day. One fucking day where he didn't have to talk to anyone, do anything, be anywhere, he just wanted to curl up without the stupid glamor that he always kept on when he slept in the dorms for this exact reason. He warded his curtains closed, not caring about the consequences of having people realize he could cast wards of that level. He took off the glamor ring and snuggled into his tails.

He pulled his knees closer to his chest, cocooning himself within his tails. He had tried to ignore everything  and push it all away over the last few months but it was getting more and more difficult. Things just kept piling up but most of it wasn't even bothering him all that much. He was dealing with everything as it came. There was just one thing that kept popping up in his head on an almost daily basis and he couldn't deal with it anymore.

He didn't know if he could trust Fred and George. Death hadn’t explicitly stated that they were helping Dumbledore but it didn't mean that they weren't. At first he just didn't think about it but he had forgotten just how close he was with the twins. With the amount of help he was giving them with pranking they were only getting closer, and that scared him. his mind kept reminding him that they were just two more people who could betray him and honestly that would hurt more than Ron's betrayal ever did. He squeezed his eyes closed, willing himself to go back to sleep.

He woke to someone prodding quite forcefully at his wards. He quickly put his ring back on before whoever was on the other side got in and snuggled back into the pillow. If they wanted in that bad they would have to break fully through the wards. After a good five minutes and three different people trying, they finally managed to get through. He knew it wasn't one of the teachers, it wouldn't have taken them that long to get through. It also wasn't one of his year mates since they wouldn't have been able to get through at all. Merlin, why wasn't he allowed just one day to himself.

He didn't bother to move or even open his eyes. He just stayed there as they gingerly pulled open the curtains around his bed. He jolted as he felt a hand on his forehead and his eyes snapped open. George was knelt by his bed, hand outstretched. He relaxed instantly  and allowed the contact. George turned to the people with him and Harry looked past him to see Fred and Oliver. His eyes widened. He had quidditch practice. 

“Shit.” all eyes turned back to him as he pushed himself up to get out of bed. But Fred marched over and pushed him back down. 

“Nu uh. You're not getting up.” Harry frowned at him.

“You're a little warm right now. It's best if you stay in bed.” George added on looking slightly worried.

“Besides, practice is already over.” Harry squeezed his eyes shut.

“I'm sorry I missed practice.” Oliver stepped closer shaking his head.

“It's perfectly fine. We were just a little worried. We know you wouldn't miss practice on purpose. So when we asked Ronald and he told us that you have been sulking up here." Harry noticed bothe Fred and George frown at that. “We thought we would check on you.”

“You’ve been asleep the whole day”

“Dinner’s in a few hours.”

“And you missed breakfast and lunch.” He hadn't realized that he had actually slept the whole day. Honestly, he couldn't bring himself to care all that much. he wanted a day to hibernate and Merlin damn it he deserved one. George’s hand returned to his forehead and Harry wouldn't lie, the cold felt nice against his flushed skin. He nuzzled into the hand and felt a second be placed on the back of his neck. The cold was nice.

He was gently nudged awake again and he blinked bleary eyes up at George, who was now sitting on his bed gently running his hand through his hair. Harry was curled into his chest. 

“It’s time for dinner.”

“You shouldn't miss another meal.” his head snapped around to find Fred sitting on his other side. All Harry could do was nod. He still felt tired but he knew he needed to eat something. During dinner he sat between the twins who warded off any and all questions, allowing him to ignore everyone. He just felt so tired.

The next day Harry was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, conflicted. Today was Halloween. The day Sirius would break in and he was currently trying to convince himself that it was a bad idea to approach him. He knew he couldn't. Siriuses actions were one of the most important things that needed to stay the same this year. It is his actions that make Wormtail leave to find his Lord. if he messed things up now everything he had had to endure with weasley and granger would be for nothing. 

“Hade? Are you alright?” he looked to his left, finding Neville sitting next to him. After his tantrum by the lake he had told Neville about everything that had been done to him. It had given him a proper understanding of what was going on so instead of trying to pull Harry away from the two idiots he had ingratiated himself into the group. Acting as oblivious and harmless as he could. The act had made the two idiots more comfortable about leaving Harry alone with him. Not thinking he would bring up anything they didn't want him to know. It had taken a lot of pressure off of his shoulders over the few weeks and he was incredibly grateful. 

It was one of the times that they were alone after Neville had gone to the first meeting with the snakes and found out he didn't like to be called Harry, when Neville had called him Hade instead of Hadrian and it seemed to have stuck. Hadrian had also continued to bring Neville to Slytherin hall whenever they met up. To his slight surprise he had found that Neville and Goyle had started to forge a friendship through their mutual love of herbology. Apparently a language barrier didn't exist when it came to plants. He had yet to talk all that much with the other Slytherins but they were all still friendly. 

“I'm fine. It's just that something bad always happens on Halloween.” he still wasn't feeling all that good. Since the day before it felt like he had no energy. Like all he wanted was to sleep. Neville grimaced but nodded. it was almost time for the feast so there would be no chance for him to use the time turner, since they would be shuffled into the hall for a sleepover. He would just have to make sure he stuck close to Neville, Dean, and Seamus. This was going to be such a waste of a day.

Like clockwork the events played out exactly as they did last time, with Sirius scratching up the fat lady's portrait during the feast. After the dramatics of everyone needing to see the damage, and making sure that their savior understood just how lucky he was that he hadn’t been in the tower they were all shuffled down to the hall for a sleepover. Despite the Gryffindors and Slytherins being at opposite ends of the hall he saw a few of them cast worried glances toward him. Honestly he wasn't sure if they were worried about what happened with Sirius or if he looked as bad as he felt. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and his vision was starting to swim. He sat heavily on the purple sleeping bag he was given, slamming his hand on the floor to stabilize himself when a sudden wash of vertigo hit him.

“Are you okay?” He looked up and tried to focus on the person in front of him. It was Neville. He was kneeling in front of him, his hands on both of Harry's shoulders keeping him upright. “Harry? Are you alright?” damn he had taken too long to answer.

“Yeah, I'm fine. I just feel really tired. Like really really tired." Neville tried to let go but Harry was basically leaning on him at this point. He was freaking out a little bit, this wasn’t normal. Why did he feel like this? This didn't happen last time. A loud snarl made him jolt and he turned to see Ron passed out and snoring loud enough for the Slytherins to look over. He pulled out his wand and cast a silencing charm at him, receiving the gratitude of most of the hall. Not that he noticed in his current state. Using his magic seemed to make the exhaustion worse and he face planted the soft purple sleeping bag, within a few seconds he was asleep leaving a very worried Neville staring down at him.

Harry awoke slowly to fingers running gently through his hair. He was sitting with his back pressed against something hard. He cracked his eyes open and was met with the strangely specific shade of white he associated with his in-between. Tilting his head back, he met the shadowed area where Death's eyes should be, and now that he was looking closer, he swears he can see a purple pupil shaded in their depths. He slowly blinked at them before closing his eyes again and resting his head on Death's knee. They stayed like that with Death running their thin fingers through his hair until he broke the silence.

"Death? How am I here?" he remembered how he felt before he came here, he was tired. so tired he basically collapsed. His eyes widened. “I died, didn't I?” Death chuckled. The sound was low and smooth.

“No, you are not dead, master. I apologize for worrying you with how forcefully I pulled you here but I felt that it was necessary. I believe you have questions that I could answer, also it occurred to me that a few things were missed out when I sent you back. I am only able to initiate contact when the vail is at its thinnest, so it had to be tonight.” Harry raised an eyebrow at the understatement of them missing a few things to tell him.

“Yeah you could say you missed a few things.” Harry moved away from the deity and sat in his own armchair opposite them. “You could have at least given me a warning. ‘Oh by the way you own most of wizarding Britain, are the religious leader for most of the magicals in the world, and are the King of all creatures.’ thanks for the heads up.” Harry spoke in the most even deadpan he could manage and Death winced.

“Yeah that was a surprise to me too. I knew about Potter, Black, and Peverell. The others weren't something I was aware of." Harry gaped and Death folded their arms over their chest defensively. 

“What do you mean you weren't aware?!” death scrunched their face up.

“That was Fate's fault and the creature stuff was Mothers.” They huffed, slouching in their seat looking just as irritated as Harry at being left out of the loop. Then Harry realized.

“If that's not what you were talking about, then what was it that you left out?” Death looked back to him in slight confusion before it cleared to understanding in a second. 

“Oh, I forgot to mention that you can summon me within the mortal plain. All you need to do is call.” and yes Harry could see how that would have been an important and very useful piece of information to have had. Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and drew in a deep breath resisting the urge to… scream? Cry? Punch the entity in the face? He wasn't quite sure, but he knew none were a good idea. 

“You're telling me that I could have summoned you this entire time, just by calling for you?” Death nodded and Harry took another deep breath.

“I am just as annoyed as you are. Do you know how many centuries I have been waiting to go to the human world?” Death was pouting at him and Harry sighed, before deciding to move on.

“How long do we have here?”

“As long as you like, Master. Once here you can stay as long as you like.” That was good. He had a lot of questions that he didn't want to talk about where someone else could hear. 

“First question. Fred, George, Percy, Charly, and Bill, did they know what was happening to me?” this had been the one thing he had wondered about this whole time.

“Fred, George, and Bill. found out around your fifth year.” Harry sucked in a sharp breath. “They confronted their mother when they found out about the family's involvement. She obliviated them. Percy and Charly never knew a thing and both thought of you like a little brother. Percys ‘betrayal’ of his family was because he became suspicious of Dumbledore and believed his family was too deep in to listen to him. He had been collecting evidence on all the bribes and other illegal things Dumbledore had done within the ministry. He hoped to get his family out from under his thumb, not realizing that they were a part of the problem.” Harry wondered whether he should talk to Percy maybe during the tournament next year, though if he got to Barty first he wouldn't have to compete at all. 

Now was not the time to be thinking about all of this. He had so many questions but now he had someone who could answer them he couldn't think of any. His mind had gone mostly blank other than one question. It kept repeating like a broken record.

“What happened after I died? Everyone saw Ron send a curse at me. So what happened to them?” Death grimaced. 

“The way Ron hit you was more calculated than you think. He tackled the young Malfoy, while simultaneously sending a killing curse at you.” They paused before looking directly at harry. “Would you rather me show you?” Harry nodded and instantly they were standing in the rubble of Hogwarts, watching as his old self grinned at Draco while the blond nodded back. He saw his face turn to confusion as Draco was tackled and the green light was sent towards himself. Everything was silent for a minute until it was shattered by a scream and Hermione ran over to him, tiers running down her face. He had to admit she was a good actress; he would have believed it too.

Ron told everyone he saw Draco draw his wand and that was another thing. Ron had Draco's wand. The wand Harry had been using since he disarmed him at malfoy manor, but he had dropped it during the battle. Draco had been using another wand, the same one he had thrown to Harry in their time of need. Did no one care that Draco had been the one to save them? He watched as Draco protested saying it wasn't him, only for Hermione and Ron to shut down every one of his points.

To Harry's horror he realized that no one but Ron and Hermione would know that Harry had in fact been using Draco's wand this whole time. When Draco said as much, Hermione had walked over to where Harry had lost Draco's wand, they were clearly aware of where he had dropped it since they picked it up again. She made a show of looking around before ‘finding’ his holly wand broken in two on the floor and Harry's heart fell into his stomach. Hermione had kept the pieces of his trusted wand for sentimental value. They had set it up so well. Harry had thought it had been impulsive, stupid and that they would have been caught easily, but that wasn't the case. 

After that it was like it was in double time. Harry watched through the farce of a trial they gave Draco before throwing him through the veil along with his mother and father. He watched as more and more magics were banned. as the house elves were forcibly freed, killing an entire race of creatures. As werewolves were discriminated against to the point of being actively hunted. As Bill, Teddy, and Andy were killed by the hunters. As fairies, pixies, nymphs, merpeople, centaurs and other creatures fled england. As England's magic became unstable due to the imbalance. As Albians wards that were over two millennia old started to fail. As they finally fell, revealing the magical world. As every nation was engulfed in civil war between magicals and muggles. And finally as the bombs were dropped across the world. Poisoning the planet and killing most of the human race. 

Seventeen years. That was all it took from the end of the battle to the end of the world. Harry was left reeling staring in shock at the toxic planet left behind. Death spoke softly as he watched the dying world.

“The one with the power to restore the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must stay on the side of the other, for neither can thrive while the false Light survives... the one with the power to unite races and magic will be born as the seventh month dies…” after a long silence he Eventually spoke in a small voice barely above a whisper.

“To stop this.” he gestured to the world around them. “I have to work with him, don't I? Only with Tom and I working together can we fix it.” Harry had already worked this out. It was why he was working so hard on the resurrection ritual, but he wanted undeniable conformation. 

“Yes. You can not do this alone and despite what he turned into, he was a visionary and one of fate's favorites when he was younger. My sibling has tried three times in the last century to fix the rapidly tipping balance of magic but her three chosen have all been tampered with by Albus Dumbledore. First was Gellert Grindelwald, next was Tom Riddle, and last was you.”

“Judging by the pattern, if he had been alive at the end of the battle I would have been made into the new dark lord then.” Death nodded.

“It is more than likely, yes.” Harry just sat thinking for a moment.

“When you said Dumbledore interfered with Tom, what exactly do you mean by that?”

“Are you aware of how Riddle found out about horcruxes?” Harry shook his head. “He found it in a book in the restricted section. The restricted section of a school library. Do you really believe a school library would have such an illegal book?” he shook his head again. He knew there were some questionable magics in there, but the ministry would have stormed in here if there was anything illegal. “It also just happened to be one of the books that had the least amount of information. Just enough for you to be able to make a horcrux but nothing on the dangers of doing so." Harry frowned. “It doesn't help that the old goat placed compulsions and curses on the book. After he made the first horcrux he wasn't the same. Then with each one he made his sanity declined until he was no longer the charismatic confident man people originally followed.” 

“Will I be able to fix it?” Death nodded. “Even if I destroyed his largest soul piece?” Death chuckled.

“A soul is not so easily destroyed, master. Merely the vessel.” Harry frowned.

“Then what happened to it?”

“It  latched onto its closest other soul piece.” they lent forward and tapped his scar. Harry almost panicked until he realized something.

“With every soul piece I destroyed the one in me got bigger.”

“And your emotions heightened, anger increased, the hurt, the loneliness, the hatred.” Harry just sat processing that for a long while. “It no longer resides in you, master, so there is nothing to fear.” Harry tried desperately to stop thinking about the last timeline and whether dumbles knew exactly what he did, or if this was something even he didn't know. He was pretty sure he didn't want to know the answer to that.

“So, I can fix him?” Death nodded. 

“I can't lend a lot of help in this matter, but I can say that you are currently doing well. He has to be willing to reabsorb his soul pieces. If he is not, it will not work. So you must convince him first.” Harry had no clue how he would have gone about forcing the dark lord to do something like that so willing participation was always the plan. 

“And you can guarantee me that Voldemort, the thing that came out of that cauldron will not come back?” Death nodded.

“As long as they don't use the same ritual they did last time it will go very differently.” Harry nodded. At this point he was glad that he had seen the Riddle in both the diary and Dumbledore's memories. It put his mind at ease knowing what he used to be like. Dumbles memories were bias as hell but he was able to see them to the intelligent boy beneath them, and what he had learnt of the Knights of Walpurgis gave him hope that he was doing the right thing. Not to mention he had seen the consequences of the alternative.

Chapter Text

Harry was sitting at Death's back, running thin fingers through their long grayscale hair, twisting and braiding it into increasingly more elaborate designs. The two of them had been talking for what felt like a long time. The topics revolved mostly around the things Dumbledore had done to Tom. Sure, Tom wasn't exactly a nice kid but Mrs Cole’s fear of his magic clouded her judgment and she greatly exaggerated the things he had done when talking to Dumbledore. A few of the things had struck a nerve in the professor already clouding his own judgment of the child so when Tom said he could talk to snakes, it was the last thing Dumbledore needed to solidify his view of Tom. 

To keep the boy from ‘harming’ the other children he placed the same siphon on him as he did Harry, preventing all the wandless magic he had been using to keep the other children away from him. After that Dumbledore mostly left him alone just keeping a watchful (maniacally obsessive) eye on him. The actual manipulation didn’t really start until Tom's third year. It started with a small compulsion making him more curious towards darker magic and from there it only escalated. Dumbles made sure Tom was sent back to the orphanage every year causing his excessive fear of death and pushing him to look for ways to make himself immortal. Dumbledore placed the book on horcruxes in the library with an alluring spell placed on it keyed to Tom.

Despite Dumbledore dumping the book directly into his lap, Tom wasn't interested in the allure of horcruxes. He was convinced that there was a better way to keep himself alive than splitting his soul into chunks. Despite the book not mentioning any consequences, Tom had realized that there must be something. Otherwise there would be a lot more people around who had made them. When Dumbledore realized Tom wouldn't make any horcruxes without any encouragement, he nudged everyone into the right positions to cause Myrtle Warren's death and subsequently Tom's first horcrux. It had mostly been an accident with a side of compulsion. From there it only took a small nudge from Dumbledore for Tom to make his second.

At that point he was running on twenty five percent of a soul making him less than stable. Three years later he made one more horcrux just tipping him over the line of sanity. Suddenly, them trying to keep their traditions and magic turned into the pureblood rhetoric everyone knows today. It wasn't until he made his last three horcruxes all in quick succession, that he became truly feared. He attacked anyone who got in his way whether they were pureblood or not. The things he once stood for weren't even known to the public. This drastically changed the direction of the war and inevitably led to his downfall. 

If Harry was able to get Tom to take back the horcrux in the bracelet that came from his scar then he would be able to work with him. Just that one horcrux would give him back fifty percent of his soul. Honestly with all that he knew now Harry couldn't even hate him. He had been fucked over just as much as harry had. With this whole conversation it had become very clear to him that every single bad thing in his life stemmed from Dumbledore. Voldemort may have been the one who actually killed his parents but if dumbledore wasn't trying to play god none of this would have happened. 

“so , Death?”

“Hmmm.” Death shifted his head back slightly to look up at Harry, careful not to dislodge his master's hands from where he was braiding their hair. Death was currently sat at his master's feet in the white limbo he so hated. It wasn't meant to be white and blank like this, not that he would tell his master that. It was supposed to shift and change for each person into the place you feel the happiest and safest. It speaks volumes that this space is a sparse nothingness and it makes him hurt for his master and makes him want to hurt the ones who made it this way. He only hopes in time that this place won't stay cold and empty.

“Death, are you listening?” 

“Mhmm.” he nodded subconsciously to the question and his master let out a soft chuckle. More a single huff of amusement but still.

“I asked why the marriage contract between me and ginny.” they felt a frown creasing their brow. He did not like that girl. The second the contract was in place she basically viewed him as her property. And death would not have that happen again. Not that it could. Harry was emancipated, even if no one knew it.

“Dumbledore wanted your political power, Molly wanted your Money and Ginevra wanted you. The rules within the contract would have given them what they wanted. This is where the problem with magical contracts exists. For a lot of people the contracts are there to protect both parties interests which is why they are perfectly legal. There are laws around specific things you can write in them, and I will say the one they wrote for you was all kinds of illegal but, that right there is the snag.”

“With the way he wrote it, there would be nothing you could do. Even though it is illegal by ministry law, it was a magically binding contract. If you didn’t comply with the terms of the contract you would forfeit your magic. Albus isn't the senile old man he makes himself out to be. He put in a secrecy clause in the terms so that you wouldn't be able to tell anyone about it and if you didn’t comply with the rules you forfeit your magic. It's a lose-lose situation. You either marry Ginevre and hand over control of all assets to her, with the stipulation that dumbledore gains all your political power or you lose your magic.” 

It remained silent for a long time after that, and death was happy to allow his master time to think over everything they had spoken about, that was definitely the reason they weren’t interrupting him. It had nothing to do with him not wanting to interrupt his master doing their hair, not at all. Death had never been a particularly vain person, but the way their grayscale hair shifted shades as it caught the light with the different angles in its twists and braids made them look ethereal in a way they never thought they could. In a way they had always associated with their siblings but never themself.

“You said when I go back all I have to do is call your name, right? And you will just show up?” Death tilted their head back and blinked up at him, processing what his master had said before replying a few drawn out seconds later. 

“Yes, I will always be there. You have to verbally call me the first time but after that I can communicate with you constantly as long as you don't dismiss me we will always be able to speak to each other. If you formally dismiss me you will have to verbally call me again to re-open the connection.” Harry nodded.

“So when am I going back?”

“Whenever you would like. Would you like me to wake you now?” Harry sighed, staring into the pure white around him. It was nice here. It was peaceful. He stared a little longer and realized that the layout, although still that weirdly specific shade of white, had changed. It no longer had the outline of the king's cross but… he squinted at the space around him. It kinda looked like an all white version of Slytherin hall. He smiled, he should go back, it felt like he hadn't seen them in ages.

“I should probably go back.” Death nodded before reaching out and tapping the center of his forehead with their index finger. The next thing he knew he was slowly blinking bleary eyes open and looking up at a very familiar ceiling. It just wasn't the one he fell asleep under. Pushing himself into a sitting position he looked around confused. He wasn't in the great hall but in the hospital wing. For once he hadn't actually done something to end up here, so why was he here? He reached over to the bedside table for his glasses when the office door banged open and a ruffled Madam Pomfrey bustled over to him, casting diagnostics and many other spells that Harry couldn't identify. Her hair was messy and she was in what Harry assumed was her pajamas. 

“Mr Potter, are you aware of what happened to you?” Harry blinked at her shuffling through his memories in search of what could have possibly happened. Clearly he had taken too long to answer so she moved on to her next question.

“Mr Potter, what exactly was the last thing you remember?” Harry was so confused. Why on earth was he here? Thinking back he realized that Neville may have told the teachers. It wasn't like he just went to sleep. To someone else it would look like he had passed out. Oh Merlin, what if no one could wake him. Harry immediately decided that the best course of action was to plead ignorant of everything.

“Um… I went to sleep in the great hall. Did something happen? Why am I here?” Madam Pomfrey scowled at him in thought. 

“There wasn't anything strange that you can remember being done to you or just anything out of the ordinary?” Harry shook his head before pausing. Literally the entire quidditch team knew he had slept through the day before along with the other boys in his dorms. Neville was also present when he passed out. Damn it they would know he was lying if they just asked one other person.

“Um… actually, I felt unnaturally tired for the whole day until I basically passed out at the end. The day before that I slept for almost the whole day. But I feel fine now and I honestly don't understand why I'm here.” There, he gave the facts without giving any real information. Madam Pomfrey raised a single eyebrow at him.

“Mr Potter, it is Wednesday night, you have been asleep for over three days. No one was able to wake you or diagnose you.” Harry's eyes widened. He had been asleep for three full days. What was even more horrifying was that Albus Dumbledore had had full access to his unconscious form for three full days. He could feel himself shaking as he pieced through his mind and relationships trying to see if he feels any malice for the Slytherins or unnatural fondness for any of the Gryffindors. Which he didn't. His mind still seemed clear and everything seemed untouched but he couldn't be too sure and decided to take a trip to the goblins as soon as possible. Oh fuck, the Slytherins, Draco was going to kill him or smother him to death. Either way he was a dead man.

“Mr potter.” He looked back up at Madam Pomfrey, who was looking through all the parchments that had appeared from his diagnosis. “All of the diagnostic charms came back looking fine. I would really prefer to keep you for the rest of the night and check on you again in the morning.” He really didn't want to. Sleeping here would allow Dumbles access to him again and he really wasn't keen on that idea.

“But you said all the charms came back clear. I would really rather go back to my dorms for the night.” Madam Pomfrey scowled at him, looking wholly unimpressed. 

“Mr Potter it is…” she cast a tempus before continuing. “...12:48am. I think it is safe to say that it is well past curfew. It would be best if you stayed here at least till breakfast.” Harry relented and she made her way back to her office. The second she was gone he cast multiple detection wards around himself. He would know the second someone stepped through them. There was no way that he would be taking any chances. Strangely enough he was still tired and fell asleep quickly.

Harry woke to his wards letting him know that someone had passed through them. He opened his eyes to find Madam Pomfrey walking over with a small smile. “How are you feeling? Still tired?” Harry shook his head. He felt fine, better than fine actually. He felt refreshed. She cast one more diagnostic before nodding.“Breakfast will start soon. There is a clean change of robes for you in the bathroom.” she gestured to a small door in the corner of the room. “There are also fresh towels and soaps. Please Mr Potter, take it slow for the next day at the least and if you start feeling the same tiredness then please come back to see me. Preferably before it becomes an actual problem.” She didn't give him any time to reply as she bustled back into her office. 

He made his way to the bathroom, taking a quick shower and dressing before walking out of the hospital wing. making his way to the closest abandoned classroom. He wanted to call death before he went to breakfast. He called for death and felt a wave of relief when Death appeared in front of him. But the relief was short lived when he remembered a certain old coot who recently had unrestricted access to him.

“Death, do you know if Dumbledore was able to place any spells, compulsions or anything on me while I was sleeping?” death shook their head.

“No, he would not have been able to do anything. He wouldn't have even been able to remove a single hair from your head. I placed your body under protection just as I brought you over to my realm.” Harry let out a breath he was unaware he had been holding.

“Are other people able to see you?”

“Yes, but not the way you do. To others I would look like something similar to a dementor. Their minds wouldn't be able to comprehend the appearance of a god.” Harry nodded along in understanding. “Though I can change my appearance to suit my needs.” Harry grinned at them but it was too sharp and had too many teeth to be nice.

“So if I asked you really nicely you would stay with me as my new pygmy puff familiar.” Harry couldn't hold back his giggles at the thought of the literal Death bouncing around as a Pygmy puff. Death turned to look at him and though he couldn't see Death's eyes he was certain that he was on the receiving end of a Snape worthy glare. 

“If you insist on an animal companion, which honestly I personally think is a good idea. I could always just make myself invisible but then you would not be able to see me either and we wouldn't want other people thinking you were insane when you start talking to thin air. I was going to suggest an exact replica of your fox form. A phoenix would bring far too much attention but a fox, though not common, isn't too eye-catching. I can falsify a familiar bond between us allowing you to bring me everywhere and no one would be able to take me away from you. It would also give you a level of freedom in your fox form as everyone would just think it's me running around.” That was actually a really good idea. One that Death had clearly spent a long time thinking about.

“Maybe you should go for a walk along the outskirts of the forest. You know, to get some fresh air after not feeling so good for the last few days. And maybe you just so happen to stumble across a black fox and when you make eye contact it just so happens to create a familiar bond. And how unfortunate it is that a wixen and their familiar can't be separated from each other for any reason." Harry felt his lips twitch into a smirk.

“You’ve clearly been thinking about this, a lot.” Death crossed their arms over their chest and pouted at him.

“Yes, well I had a lot of time on my hands. You see, my master decided not to summon me for months on end, leaving me stuck, abandoned, and alone to think about all of this.” Harry sent his own glare towards the deity. 

“You can't blame me for that. I didn't know I could summon you. It's your own fault for not telling me.” Death scowled harder.

“Just go to the bloody forest child.” and with those last words they faded into the shadows, disappearing from sight. Harry rolled his eyes but did the same, shadowing to an empty corridor near the castle's exit. There was still a few minutes before the start of breakfast so there was time for him to be seen taking a quick walk outside where it would be plausible for him to stumble upon death. 

He walked out onto the grounds and down to the forest, walking along the edge enjoying the peaceful silence while it lasted. He knew after being asleep for three days he would come back to chaos and he wanted to avoid that for as long as possible. He let out a sigh before locking eyes with vibrant green the same as his own. He felt his magic lash out before tightening around the fox form of death and pulling taught. He crumpled to his knees at the sudden rush of magic and death bounded over. That did not feel like a fake bond. That's because it wasn't a fake bond. I artificially created a bond between us. Since we already have one, because you're my master, it was easy to do. Great, you're in my head now? Yep. Death popped the p and Harry felt his eye twitch. 

Harry took that moment to look death over. The black fur was thick and so soft. He wondered if that's what he felt like in fox form? It felt way softer now then when Harry was in his inbetween state. Just like his fox form, Death had white fur on his belly, paws, tips of his ears, and a small patch right where his lightning bolt scar would sit on his forehead. Like this he was also able to notice an iridescent pattern on his front legs and sides that he didn't think he had. You do have them. They are the markings from the hallows. They mark every one of your forms. Harry hadn't even noticed that. I am an exact replica of you in your fox form. There are no differences. You can inspect me later. Right now you should get to breakfast. I want to try the delicacy you mortals call bacon.

He stood up carrying Death, who was curled up in his arms, happily purring away. Harry couldn't help scratching around his soft ears pulling happy little chuffs from the fox. He had to remind himself several times that this was the literal god of death and that he shouldn't be treating him like a cute little puppy. Though now that Harry thought about it, he had spent hours or maybe days playing with said entities' hair. Harry walked into the hall, still cradling death in his arms as he made his way to the head table and over to McGonagle. As soon as she saw him she let out a weary sigh.

“Mr Potter, why do you have a…” she stared at the ball of fluff for a long moment. “Fox? with you?” Harry pulled on his most innocent expression before starting his story.

“Well Professor, I just went outside for a little bit of fresh air. After the last few days I just wanted to stretch my legs, but when me and the fox made eye contact my magic kinda just latched on and I didnt want to leave him. I don't think he wants to leave me either. I was wondering if I would be allowed to keep him with me?” Several of the teachers suddenly straightened, paying closer attention to their conversation. Lupin and snape were looking between him and the fox in utter confusion and incredulity, respectively. 

“Are you saying…” The conversations in the hall quietened down at the shrill tone of her voice. “…that you’ve formed a familiar bond with the fox? Mr Potter, That is extremely rare for someone your age.” Harry was pretty sure half the hall was listening in on this conversation. He did his best to make a confused expression, tilting his head to the side ever so slightly. 

“Is that what a familiar bond feels like? Like there is a tangible string of magic connecting the two of you?” McGonagle looked close to bashing her head on the table but before she could speak up, professor sprout interrupted.

“There is a simple way to determine whether this is in fact a familiar bond.” she swished her wand in a complicated pattern and for a moment you could see a deep green string of magic connecting the two of them. It was quickly gone. Are we done? Can we get a bacon yet? Harry just ignored death as he waited for the teachers to speak. Judging by the looks of shock on their faces they hadn't actually expected there to be a bond. A moment later McGonagle cleared her throat and spoke.

“Mr Potter you may bring him with you throughout the day, no one will stop you. I will make sure to inform the rest of the staff and the elves will provide appropriate meals. Now go eat breakfast.” Harry didn't wait any longer to turn and leave. He heard McGonagle speak as he walked away. “It hasn't even been eight hours since he woke up from his last incident.” Harry smothered a chuckle as he walked over to the table of red and gold. He only managed to make it halfway before being tackled into a bear hug. He stiffened immediately at the contact before realizing it was Neville.

“You scared me half to death passing out like that.” Neville let go before leading him to the table where he and the other boys were sitting. As soon as he sat down a plate popped next to him filled with what he guessed was food for Death, but Death just ignored it and stared at the plate of bacon in the center of the table. Harry put several pieces on top of the other food and pushed it towards him. 

“What happened to you Harry?” Hermione was staring at him intently. He knew there would be questions but he really couldn't be bothered with them right now.

“Not a clue. One minute I went to sleep in the great hall, the next I was waking up three days later in the hospital wing. Honestly you probably have more information than I do.” she did not look happy with the answer but she wasn't angry at him. More the fact that she didn't know something. She opened her mouth seemingly to ask another question when Neville cut in first.

“What's their name?” Harry looked at the fox happily munching his bacon and was about to answer when his mind went blank. He couldn't just call him Death. What do you want me to call you? I am Death. Yeah I can't call you that. People will look at me weird. He felt Death’s sigh of exasperation, which was decidedly a very strange feeling to have in his head, before he spoke again. Azrael, Time often calls me Azrael. It's the only name my siblings call me that I don't completely hate. It's Kinda unoriginal but better than Death I guess.

“I'm calling him Azrael.” most wixen wouldnt understand the relevance of the name anyway. Actually, would you rather me give you a name. At that death looked up from his food and straight into Harry's eyes. Oh, sweet abyss, no! I don't need any more names thank you. Well that's fine then. Azrael it is. Hermione's head snapped towards him.

“Azrael? Like the angel that separates souls from bodies? The angel most commonly known as the angel of death?” Harry wanted to glare at her so bad. Of course she would know all about it. He couldn't tell her that Azrael named himself. Instead of glaring he looked at her in confusion.

“The what? I mean I heard the name before but I don't know about all that. I just like the name and so does Azrael.” Hermione looked at him in disappointment, shaking her head at his ignorance. If it meant the conversation was now over he didn't care. It wasn't long before they were all done and Harry was shadowing to Slytherin hall for his usual free period with the Slytherins. he had a feeling this one was going to be particularly unproductive. 

He pulled off his glamor ring and settled into the sofa with a book settled on top of death who was once again curled up on his lap.  Master, did you just place a book on me, despite me being a higher entity?  Death are you currently curled up on my lap like a cat, despite being a ‘higher entity’? Death made a huffing sound before replying. It's comfy and you're warm. Right, and I want to read. It was about five minutes later that the door was flung open and Draco ran in. He pulled Hadrian off the sofa and into a crushing hug. Death and his book went tumbling to the floor with a loud yawl from the former. I should bite him for that. Draco pulled back before slapping him on the arm.

“You idiot, what in magic's name did you do? We were all worried.” Harry looked between them, genuinely surprised to see that amount of concern on their faces. Harry bent down scooping Death back into his arms and settling back on the sofa. When Draco tried to sit next to him death started to growl. He shall not sit near us. Harry gave an apologetic smile to Draco.

“You didn't make a good first impression.” Draco winced slightly and moved to the armchair next to Hadrian, so there were at  least two armrests between them. That seemed to be enough to satisfy Death and he didn't growl when Theo took the seat next to him on the sofa. I like this one's magic. It's interesting. Harry looked down at Death who was staring at Nott. Harry looked over at the other boy, allowing his eyes to switch focus. Looking at magic was like looking at the water drops on a window pain instead of looking through it to the world outside. 

Theo’s magic was cold like ice and spread out along every surface like frost spider webbing through the air around him. Where others moved like water, in tendrils poking at their surroundings, Theo’s spread everywhere seeming not as contained as everyone else's. Hadrian was pulled back to their conversation by Pansy breaking the silence.

“We’ll get back to the new familiar later but first, what happened to you?” Harry sighed knowing that this would be his entire life for the next few days.

“I don't know. I went to sleep in the hall and woke up in the hospital wing. That's it. That's all the information I have. It's fine though, nothing happened.” Draco looked like he was gearing up for a rant when Theo cut in before he could start.

“It's not fine. Someone put you in a magical coma. What happens if next time you don’t wake up? We don't even know who did this to you or what spell, enchantment, curse, or potion they used. I have never seen something like this or even heard of something that was able to block all kinds of magic and physical harm the way this did. I hate to point this out, but the only person I can think of who could, and would have made this would be Snape.” Both Harry and Draco froze. Draco was looking at Theo in shock, clearly wanting to deny it but it also looked like he somewhat agreed. Harry needed to stop this immediately.

“No, Severus did not do this.” tell them that it was magic from the veil but that it's personal. It has been documented before that people have been pulled by the veil during samhain. In every one of those instances the person it happened to wouldn't share anything about what happened due to its extremely personal nature. Harry felt uncomfortable about lying to them like this. Though was it really lying. Technically he was pulled by death which many refer to as the veil and it is personal. “I can guarantee this won't happen again.” he held up a hand when it looked like they were going to interrupt. “It's personal so I don't want to go into detail but the veil pulled me in.” There were a few gasps but Harry didn't let anyone ask anything. “I would also rather no one else know about this. I'm sure that should certain people become aware of this happening that they would stop at nothing to find out exactly what I saw.” They all immediately nodded and every one of them let out a sigh of relief.

“We won't ask about it but thank Merlin it wasn't anything sinister. At least we know that there isn't some new danger we need to worry about.”Everyone seemed to share that sentiment.

“So now that there isn't another big bad evil out to get Hadrian, can we move back to the new familiar. What's their name?” pansy moved forward holding her hand out to Death. I am not a pet. If she touches me I will bite her. 

“His name is Azrael.” Please don't bite her. As she moved her hand forward death moved away, off of his lap and curled up between him and Theo with his face smooshed into the back cushions of the sofa. I didn't bite her. Now do your job and don't let them touch me. “I don't think he really wants to be touched.” Pansy looked a little disappointed but backed away. For the rest of the free period they all just talked about what he had missed over the last few days. 

The next few days were spent in the same way, with him reassuring everyone and explaining he didn't know what had happened. Or for the rare few (Lupin, Snape, and Neville) he gave the same story he gave the Slytherins about the vail pulling him in. Soon enough it was his Saturday relive and Harry was nervous. He had spoken to Melia on Thursday and she told him that the clan’s Suzerain was asking if he would be free on Saturday for the meeting he requested. Harry had completely forgotten that he had asked to talk to her but happily agreed to the meeting.

Now though he wondered why in magic's name he thought this was a good idea. Who are you bringing with you? Harry looked over at Death. What do you mean who am I bringing? Why would I bring people? Death changed into a more human form before continuing. 

“You are the Imperial Prince of the Selegen court and you are about to go to a formal meeting with the third most important member of the Harpy race in their own territory. Please don't tell me that you thought this would be some casual meet and greet.” Harry felt the blood drain from his face. He had not thought about it like that. Death sighed. “Master it is more than likely that she invited their queen as well as the right wing. It is most common for someone to bring what people refer to as your right and left hand. The two people you rely on most. As well as guards.”

“Can’t I just use you and Deoguard or something?” Death hummed.

“You could probably get away with using me but the Deoguard aren't considered creatures by the court. They would work as guards but not advisors.” Harry could probably bring Snape… “No. You can't do that either. Snape’s not a part of the Selegen court.” Harry sat thinking for a while.

“What about Goruk, he’s my financial manager. Technically he is the being I would most consider an advisor, or there's Moony but he is more family and I would rather not mix him up in this. Plus there isn't enough time to explain everything to him.” Death nodded.

“What race would you like me to represent?” Harry just blinked at him for a long minute.

“I don't know. You decide. I need to go talk to Goruk. I will be back soon.” Harry shadowed into a side street right by gringotts before walking up the steps and through the open doors. It was still rather early in the morning so the bank was void of any patrons. The head teller goblin was at his side immediately, walking him down one of the corridors.

“Sorry for my presumption but you are here for Goldtooth, yes?” Harry nodded and they continued to the doors of his office. Goruk was sitting behind his desk inspecting a rather large gem when Harry walked in. As soon as he looked up and saw hadrian he started cleaning off his desk marking legers before closing them, putting things in draws, and tidying parchment into stacks. Harry just waited until he was finished.

“I apologize for the sudden meeting, Goruk, but I was just made aware that I may have made a rather large mistake and I need your help in rectifying it.” Goruk raised an eyebrow.

“And what mistake might that be Hadrian.”

“I set up a meeting with the left wing of the harpy delegation without considering my own position within the court. It would be improper of me to show up alone and I only have three people who fit the criteria of advisor. One is a wixen.” Goruk bared his teeth slightly. “I will not insult any other race by bringing a wixen with me.” Goruk seemed to relax slightly at that and Harry continued. “The second is basically family and until I discuss it with him more I won't be bringing him with me.”

“He is not a wixen?” Harry shook his head. 

“He is a werewolf.” Goruk nodded and Harry continued. “The last is you.” Harry had never seen a goblin truly shocked until that moment. “The meeting is today at twelve. I have someone else to stand on my right, but I ask you, Goruk will you stand on my left for this.” Goruk placed a closed fist over his heart before bowing.

“It would be a pleasure to stand with you. I am not a part of the goblin delegation so there is no conflict of interest.” oh thank magic. Harry hadn't even thought about that. If he had been part of the goblin delegation and he brought him with them it could have caused problems. “What will you be bringing with you?” Harry looked at Goruk with resignation.

“What exactly am I supposed to be bringing with me?” Goruk smirked at him and Harry resisted the urge to smash his face into the desk.

“It is a common practice for the one visiting to bring food or drink that can be enjoyed during the meeting. I would suggest some form of sweets like, Cakes, pastries, chocolates, or fudge. It is difficult for harpy’s to source sugar since they can't go into human markets and most wixen in England won't sell to them either, so sweets are harder to come by making them a very precious treat.”

“I will think of something, thankyou for saving me from another social faux pas. I do have to be on my way though there is a lot to do before twelve. I will collect you from the lobby at 11:45 if that is alright with you.” Goruk nodded and hadrian bowed before leaving the office and shadowing back to Slytherins quarters. 

“Kreature!” there was a pop and Kreature was standing next to him. “Kreacher, would you be able to get me a large array of cakes and sweet pastries?” Kreature nodded and popped away.

“Get them lace.” Harry turned to look at Death and choked violently. In their place stood a tall visibly female vampire. She was dressed in a tight fitting black dress that was cut right on the knee. Her nails were long and painted a blood red that matched her lips perfectly. The stiletto heels she wore were the same blood red. Her iris was as black as her pupil, making her waist length honey blond hair stand out amongst the red and black.

“Really? You went with the most cliche vampire look there is? Honestly, I don't know why I expected anything different. So what do I call you when you're like this?” Death gave him a shit eating grin, exposing his sharp fangs and making him look more menacing than usual.

“Morticia.” Death looked so proud of themself in that moment that all Harry could do was sigh.

“Why get them lace?” Death, because he was not calling them Morticia, shrugged. 

“Harpy’s find great value in delicate things. Due to their talon-like hands they find it difficult to create delicate jewelry, pottery, or fabrics. Though you might want to steer clear of gifting any jewelry to anyone. A lot of races use many variants of jewelry to propose marriage. It's easier to just not give any then to memorize what race gives what. You don't want to accidentally ask someone to marry you.” Harry decided to engrain that knowledge into his brain and promised himself not to give jewelry to anyone.

“Goruk said I should get them something edible that we could eat or drink during the meeting.” death shrugged again.

“He's not wrong, it is the most common thing to do, but you don't have to.” There was a small pop and Kreature was there holding out a pastel green stack of cake boxes. Kreature placed them on the desk before carefully opening each one. Inside was a large number of perfectly uniform cakes, tartlets, pastries, and macarons. Harry cast a stasis charm as well as a sticking charm on them to make sure they would all arrive in one piece. He thanked Kreature before closing the boxes and shadowing to the outskirts of Hogsmeade and walking into the forest.

He kept walking until he felt the biting cold and aura of misery that indicated a dementor's presence, he paused then called out. “Deoguard?” He waited but soon he found several shadows creeping towards him. He stayed still and waited. When they were within a reasonable distance of him they all took a knee waiting for orders. Like this with seven dementors bowing to him it really hit him that he wasn't just Harry, not even just a normal wizard. He let out a ragged breath that formed a white cloud in the frigid air. 

“I need two of you to act as guards for me today.” The one closest to him raised its head.

“Our commander asks, how soon would you need the escort and where would you like us to meet you?” Harry thought about that for a moment.

“The meeting is at midday but I would like to be there around 11:45. Do you know where Morsegrave Tower is?” the creature nodded its head. 

“The commander states, they shall be waiting for you at the tower by the time you arrive.” Well that was incredibly easy. Is he supposed to just leave now or what?

“Um… Thank you for your cooperation. It is much appreciated. I’ll be heading back now.” The creatures didn't move. “You can return to whatever you were doing before.” At that they all rose in unison and dispersed. He shadowed back to death and groaned. He just wanted a better understanding of the Selegen court and now he has the feeling that this wasn't going to be as simple as him asking a few questions. 

When the time came he shadowed him and death to Gringotts, meeting Goruk in the lobby.

“We’ll be traveling by portkey, is that alright?” Goruk nodded, leading them to a room off of the lobby that allowed for portkey use. They all held on to the fang and hadrian spoke the activation phrase. Goruk did a double take at the portkey, inspecting it closely before nodding once and turning to the building. Harry could practically see him salivating. As they got closer Goruk spoke

“It’s made from white statuario. The entire thing is made from white statuario. How on earth?”

“It was made almost two thousand years ago by Alexia Peveral.” Goruks head whipped towards him so quickly Harry was pretty sure something cracked. 

“Are you bringing me to Alexia's Library?” The goblin sounded hysterical. 

“Yes this is where we’re meeting the Harpy delegation. Is something wrong?” Goruk shook his head.

“No, I just got the privilege of telling our archivists that I got to see Alexias library. It's basically a legend among creatures. Only twenty harpy’s in every generation are allowed to enter the library, no other creature has been granted the privilege until now." Oh, Harry has a bad feeling that he is about to do something that will have more consequences than he planned for. Well, fuck.

Chapter Text

Harry, Morticia, and Goruk continued to walk down the path towards the tower. As they got closer to the intricate ebony doors he noticed four figures standing there. Two were tall but thin, almost skeletal, cloaked in black tattered hooded robes. The other two were large in every way, with bluish skin, and four extremely muscled arms. They wore something close to a toga in a charcoal gray color, with silver accents on the hem and belt that was tied loosely around their waists. 

What was the Bowguard doing here? He sighed, the Deoguard probably told them about it and brought them along. It didn't matter either way he had guards, that should be enough. Before he could even acknowledge them they came forward, positioning one bowguard and one Deoguard either side of the group. Clearly they knew what their role was so Harry wasted no time explaining anything to them and walked forward. 

The doors swung open revealing the library atrium bathed in the midday sun. The librarians had clearly been waiting for their arrival since they were lined up either side of the door creating a pathway into the center of the atrium, where Melia was standing waiting for them. She seemed to be haloed by the light streaming through the ceiling, making her auburn feathers and hair look fiery in the light. 

As the seven of them stepped over the threshold all the librarians present plunged into deep bows, their wings spread in a way to mimic the positions of their arms. Harry stepped forward swallowing hard at the sight of these beings all bowing to him. 

Theoretically Harry had been aware that this wasn't, as death called it, some casual meet and greet, but he hadn't truly understood the consequence that one single offhand comment about meeting their suzerain would have. He had merely asked in passing if he could meet her so he could learn about the internal workings within the Seligen court, and now this was happening. 

Hadrian suddenly felt the weight of what his titles truly ment in that moment. It wasn't a heady feeling making him feel giddy or excited about the power he held, but rather like a burning in his throat. The kind you would get before you were sick. He refused to show his discomfort on his face though and didn't falter as he walked towards Melia.

“Your highness, I am tasked today with leading you and your contingency through to the entrance of the canyon. From there the guards shall escort you the rest of the way.” Harry nodded and began following Melia through to the very back of the library, where the doors to the librarian's quarters were. He tilted his head to the left slightly, seeing Goruk cataloging the entire place. Harry might allow him to spend a bit of time in the library after the meeting depending on how all of this goes first. 

Finally they reached a set of plain ebony doors that swung open as they got close. It led out of the tower and on to one of the bridges that connected the side towers to the main tower. Scattered along the path in intervals were arches of purple wisteria, it created a beautiful contrast of purple and green against the brilliant white of the marble that was harshly reflecting the midday sun. Harry suddenly frowned at a realization.

“Melia, do you know if the tower's wards include weather and season manipulation?” Melia smiled.

“They do indeed. Alexia was an incredible witch. She set up several greenhouses using her impressive weather manipulation skills to make the perfect environment for all kinds of plants to flourish. For the towers she made it always be the perfect season for the extensive flower gardens to always be in bloom. In doing so she actually forced the plants here to evolve slightly differently to their usual counterparts.”

“With it always being optimal for the plants to bloom, they slowly developed in a way that the plants would constantly be producing new buds. Instead of only producing buds at the start of spring and blooming in late spring early summer, these plants continuously produce buds allowing for all the plants to continuously be in bloom.”

“The same has happened with the greenhouses, as far as I'm aware. But that's the Epimelides domain so we do not go there. We have amicable enough relations but we agree to not intrude on the others’ space. They do not come to the canyon or the library therefore we do not venture to the greenhouses." Harry thought that that was a lot more to take in than he had originally asked for.

“The epmlades?”

“Epimelides, your highness. They are a subsection of the land or earth nymphs. You have the Dryads, the Epimelides, and the Oreads. All are regarded as land nymphs or to most wixen Earth nymphs. There is also a lone Dryad who decided to live on through the forest here. If you ever look at the trees surrounding the towers you will find one that stands out slightly. That is her tree. Her name is Trillis. She’s… not very social.” Melia grimaced

“Noted.” they reached the doors that let in to the side tower and stepped through. Harry was a little surprised to find the back wall of the tower just missing. The thing was completely open with only a few pillars to keep the ceiling from falling down. They were led closer to the edge and Harry gasped at the sight in front of him. 

The massive stone cliff face opposite him had been dug out in a way that resembled the hallway of an apartment building, ledges sticking out indicating just how many floors there were. Every rock face was carved out to create homes and shops. Throughout the whole canyon harpy’s were moving around doing daily tasks, flying from one ledge to another carrying their children in fabric slings as they got their work done. It was always interesting to him that their wings weren’t connected to their upper back like the usual depiction of an angel, but to their lower back right behind their stomach. 

He was so engrossed in watching the daily happenings of the harpy’s that he completely missed the arrival of several guards until a throat cleared and he whirled around. Standing next to Melia were six harpy’s clad in silver coloured armor with gold detailing. The fabric parts of the outfit were all a deep turquoise and even Harry was able to discern their position as a royal guard. He looked over slightly at his own guards wondering if he should create some kind of uniform before dismissing the thought immediately. They looked fine and Harry had no doubts that they would destroy anyone they wanted to, fancy armor or no. 

“We have prepared a platform for you.” She gestured over to what looked like a palanquin and Harry suddenly felt very uncomfortable. It was a small platform with cushions arranged on the space so they could sit comfortably. There was light frame work around one end of the platform allowing flowy turquoise fabric to be draped over to create a canopy of sorts. Once they were on it the entire thing would be lifted and taken to wherever they were going. Harry assumed that they needed to use this because it was the only way to get them there since the harpies flew everywhere. He turned to the being who appeared to be in charge before asking his question.

“Would you mind if I followed you? I haven't been flying in a little while and I would appreciate the chance to stretch my wings.” The guards looked at him curiously before giving one short nod. “Bowguard if you would stay with Gold tooth and… Morticia. Deoguard if you would follow me I would appreciate it." The first bowguard climbed on to the palanquin and stretched out a hand for the goblin to take as he climbed the stairs and settled in the middle of the platform looking wary. Death smirked, having no problems with sitting on the edge of the platform and draping her legs over the side like an empress of old.

As the palanquin was lifted, Harry transformed into his phoenix form and rose into the air. He resisted the urge to fly in loops and instead slowly followed the parade from above. The deoguard were trailing either side of him as they move towards a tower about the same height as the library, which was saying something considering this tower also went all the way down to the bottom of the canyon. The thing had at least thirty floors and was made from the same white marble as the library.

They began flying higher and higher until they were now level with the top of the tower. It appeared to be an entirely open floor with only evenly spaced pillars around the sides holding up the piqued roof of the tower. There was a large semicircle platform not sheltered by the roof, where he watched the guards land. They slowly lowered the palanquin and Death gracefully stepped down while Goruk looked ecstatic to be on solid ground once more. They moved forward together and Harry flew between them, transforming back gracefully stepping in time with Morticia as they walked forward. 

The space was rather sparse with it only holding one massively long, perfectly polished rosewood table and nothing else. He flicked his eyes over to the people he was clearly here to meet and he felt his throat go dry. It was clear to him who exactly was the most important person there out of the three women greeting them. 

To his right was who he guessed was the canyons suzerain; she looked around forty with delicate laugh lines surrounding her turquoise eyes. Her hair and feathers were a rich chocolate brown and she wore a carefully embroidered, flowing, cyan dress accessorized with bronze jewelry. She was beautiful and elegant with an aura of ‘dont fuck with me’ surounding her.

To the left was a taller woman with dark skin and darker feathers. She had a scar running down the left side of her face and through her eye that was a milky white. The other however was a vibrant gold that matched the chest plate and arm bracers she wore over a thin flowing cream dress, that would have probably been a little scandalous if it weren't for the brown leather shorts she was wearing beneath it. There were also several sheaths on her person that Harry had no doubt held weapons as intimidating as she was. 

In the center however stood what looked like a child. She was small with fair skin, pure white feathers and eyes that were too green to call yellow but too yellow to call green. They were perfectly inbetween and looked at you like she could see your soul. They were not the eyes of a child, similar to his own in the way they didn’t match their childlike appearance. She wore silver from the delicate but extravagant crown on the top of her head to the hem of her skirt at her feet. It was only broken up by the small patches of white embroidery scattered throughout the silver fabric of the dress.  

The one in turquoise stepped forward with a perfect bow, “I am Hellynea, Suzerain of Morsgrave Canyon and the left wing of the Sheynia Court, may I introduce Sylophis head of the Royal Guard and Right wing of the Sheynia Court.” the woman in gold bowed as she was introduced, but otherwise stayed silent. Then the girl with pure white hair stepped forward.

“I am Zeliene, Queen of the Sheynia Court. I bow to the Imperial Prince of the Seligen Courts.” Oh fuck harry didnt know what to do, this was way too formal. What the fuck is he supposed to do? Introduce us! Gold tooth first, then me. Then yourself!

“This is Gold Tooth member of the British goblin hoard.” Gold Tooth dipped his head slightly and Harry was just about to panic at his lack of courtesy when death calmed him. She is not his superior, he need not bow. They bowed to you as their superior. He showed enough respect to someone not of his nation. It's fine. Harry let out a relieved breath. 

“This is Morticia…” Member of the Vuscal Court. “Member of the Vuscal Court.” ‘Death what the fuck is the Vuscal court?’ It is one of the Unseelie courts and is ruled by the vampires. ‘That did not help.’ Death smiled and dipped her head. “And I am Hadrian Potter-Black, Imperial prince of the Seligen court.” He bowed briefly to the Queen before straightening and Death moved forward presenting the boxes of cakes and pastries. 

“His imperial highness arranged these for you today. We hope they are to your liking.” She passed the boxes off to one of the guards who brought it over to the queen. Upon opening the first box the girl's eyes lit with excitement and they finally matched her childlike appearance. 

“The gifts are much appreciated. Please come sit, we’ll have drinks brought out to accompany these delicacies.” she gestured to the long table and as she turned Harry caught sight of her wings. They lay limpley down the back of her dress creating a train of white feathers that drug softly against the floor. He quickly averted his eyes and walked to the other side of the table. After they were all seated Harry decided to talk.

“I do apologize for causing such a fuss, you see, there is very little written in regards to the Seligen court and I was hoping to only have a small conversation to correct my lack of knowledge. I asked this of Melia without fully grasping what exactly I asked for.”

“Your business here is to increase your limited understanding of the Seligen court? Why?” The queen's eyes were back to the calculating sharpness he had seen before. 

“You're asking why I want to know?” She nodded and Harry knew this was a test, he just didn't know what she was testing. “If I don't know how the court functions, how am I supposed to become a part of it? I don't even know who all are in the court.” she smiled something sweet and sharp.

“Does it matter?” Harry frowned in confusion but before he could ask she elaborated. “What does it matter how it functions at the moment? All you need to do is come in and tell it how to function, no? That's what I did with my throne." Harry barked out a laugh. He had known this girl less than five minutes but he could tell that what she said was a lie.

“Someone with eyes like yours doesn't grow up ignorant. You grew up watching and learning. Maybe you did change everything when you took that throne but you did it after watching your predecessor or the people around you. You knew what you were changing and why. I'm not saying that I won't change anything. I'm saying that I'll change the problems I find, but I can't do that without knowing anything.” she glared at him for a long moment before tilting her head.

“Pretty words for someone who only seeks power. We know of you, Harry Potter, and we’ve heard the whispers. I will say that I am less than impressed by what I’ve heard. I hear a lot of things you see and I think out of all of them the worst is what you’ve done here, within Alexias library itself. Though having met you, seeing your eyes with my own I can't help but wonder. You appear to be a contradiction.” She picked up the cup of tea in front of her and sat back in her chair sipping daintaly while eyeing him like a particularly hard puzzle.

“What have I done within my own library that you disapprove of?” Harry was thrown by the sudden shift in mood. It was obvious that she didn't like him, but why? What did she think he had done? She raised a single eyebrow at him while gently placing her cup back on its saucer. 

“You seek more power, more power that will do nothing but cripple you.” Harry blinked at her, utterly confused. He didn't want the power he had, he wasn't trying to get more. He thought back to what he had done in the library while sipping his tea. All he had done was read, he didn't even branch out that much, he always read the same books on… he choked violently on his tea.

“I'm not looking to make a horcrux!” He blurted, still half choking on the tea he had inhaled. He looked up, finding the Queen now frowning at him skeptically. 

“You're not?”

“Merlin, no. There is someone who made them and I want to put them back together again and I can't do that without understanding how they function among other things. Please believe me when I say that I am not dumb enough to do that. Nor was the person I'm helping. If someone hadn’t spelled him to do it then they wouldn't exist." Finally the queen looked satisfied, like all the pieces were now slotting together. 

“Harry potter, as the public knows him, doesn't exist, does he?” Harry pursed his lips and took a sip of his tea,  not answering the question. She smirked at him, his actions clearly an answer in itself. There was a moment of silence before she spoke once more. “So you truly only set up this meeting to learn the workings within the court?” Harry nodded and she hummed in thought. 

“Well honestly the court is… how do I put it... stagnant. The courts themselves thrive but the council is… I don't wish to call it pointless, but with the damage done by Nimue…” She trailed off and most of the table seemed to understand but Harry didn't. 

“I’ve heard that Nimue wanted peace so allowed the wizarding world to walk all over you, but I don't know any specifics about it.” Zeliene huffed, placing her cup down a little forcefully.

“One of the biggest things is the lore that once you enter a court you can't leave it without special permission. There are many races that people now deem extinct but in reality are confined to the courts. All those folklores about people entering the fay courts only to be stuck there are true. The only ones untethered are the members of the council. The magic of the council nullifies the restriction. Everyone else is magically bound to the courts.” Harry gaped at her in horror. 

“The places that were created as a safe haven became a prison?” In what universe did Nimue think that was remotely reasonable. Zeliene pursed her lips.

“Not exactly. The people inside aren't the problem. Of course there are some who want to leave  but mostly the problem lies with those who need somewhere safe but don't want to abandon their world. Who would want to go somewhere if they were told they could never leave. There aren't many who would make that choice, especially if they had family that weren't in the courts. The few people who do decide to come to the courts often have trouble adapting. Only about five percent of those people end up having a full life in the courts.” The queen was no longer looking at harry. her eyes had shifted behind him and her eyes had glazed over.

“The harpy nations will forever be grateful and loyal to the Peverell family for giving us this canyon and hiding us within their wards. The court thrives but the canyon is… Etrua… There are very few races that have a safe place to call their own outside of the courts. This canyon is considered one of the largest after Liqilean.” her eyes focused back on Harry and only now did she seem to register his confusion.

“What of that did you not understand?” She asked not unkindly as she picked up a peach coloured macaroon and placed it in her mouth. Harry saw her eyes light up as they flicked towards the box of macaroons with an intensity that made him feel like a voyeur.

“Well I don't know what liquilin is or what you called the canyon.” her eyes snapped back to him as she pondered what he had said.

“Liqilean is an underwater city that is home to a large number of merfolk. It's honestly rather funny. As I understand it, the mundanes are constantly perplexed by it because of a small mistake when it was originally warded. They forgot to add a mundane repellant ward,and since it was warded almost a thousand years ago, when few people went anywhere near it, they didn't notice the problem until about two hundred years ago. The warding knowledge used to ward Liqilean was lost a long time ago as such a Mundane repelling ward can’t even be added. The mundanes now call it the bermuda triangle or the devil's triangle.” she giggled and Harry gaped.

The bermuda triangle was created by faulty warding… that… actually makes a lot of sense. He wonders what Theo knows about it. he should ask when he gets back. “Umm what about the thing you called the canyon?” she smiled at him softly.

“Etrua. You’ll find that most of us will refer to this place as Etrua. It doesn't have a direct translation. It's from the old tongue. It roughly means heart, home, safe place, mother, or comfort. It’s hard to describe. It is the feeling of belonging. Many harpies within Sheynia express their wish to see it for themselves.” she sighed.

“I believe we have gotten a little off course. The problems Nimue caused are numerous. She crippled the court making it so that they couldn't overthrow her decisions and in doing so she removed our power to govern the courts even in her absence. The rule of the Seligen Monarch is absolute.” Harry grimaced, there went his hope that the council would run itself and that they didn't need him. 

“Thank you for explaining all of this but could you tell me the structure of the Seligen court. I don't know what races are a part of the court or anything about it really.” Zeliene looked at him in disbelief and Hellynea cleared her throat before speaking. 

“There are 25 courts that make up the Seligen Courts. 13 Seelie Courts, and 12 Unseelie Courts. The courts were created using the same wards that Albion utilizes to keep itself separate from the mundane world. The council however is made up of 20 seats in total. The nymphs have eight courts but three seats split between land, water, and sky. Everyone else has one court to one seat on the council.” 

“The 13 Seelie courts consist of the eight nymph courts, the High Elves, the house elves, the Kitsune, the fairies, and the Satyr. The 12 Unseelie courts belong to the Arachne, the Centaurs, the giants, the Goblins, the harpies, the Leprechauns, the merpeople, the naga, the sphinx, the Vampires, the Veela, and the werewolves. Each race holds a seat on the council.”

For the rest of the day Harry learned about the internal workings of the Seligen court that boiled down to every court having its own internal lores and politics governed by the head of every court. Their lores however didn’t expand to anyone not within the courts and that was what the council was there for. But because of Nimue they can't pass laws without a monarch but instead all lores passed in Britain's Wizengamot automatically become written lores within the Seligen courts because that's how Nemue set it up. After all this Harry had one question.

“How did Nemue die?” Everyone at the table stiffened. 

“Officially she passed away from old age. Dryads are not immortal and must bond themselves to a tree to continue living.” he raised an eyebrow. 

“And unofficially?” Death was the one to answer him this time. 

“She was forcefully bonded to a tree which was then burned to ashes by unanimous vote by all governing members of every court, including the ones not directly on the council.” Harry nodded. It was harsh but she had ruined the lives of every creature governed by Seligen lore. Harry suddenly had the thought that Nemue and Dumbledore were very similar. Two people who think that they know best, to the detriment of everyone around them. 

“I appreciate the time that you made in your schedules to see me today. I'm sure you all had far better things to be doing than explaining the basic running of the court to me.” he stood from the table, making it clear to all that the meeting was now over, the queen quickly followed, raising gracefully from her seat.

“I am glad to have been of assistance, after all, ignorance is the privilege of the masses. A privilege neither one of us is entitled to.” She watched him with calculating eyes and Harry realized that she had somehow gained something from this meeting also. He didn't know what it was but she hadn't seen this as a waste of time, which he was glad for.

As they were about to leave the Queen stepped up to him and took his hands gently in hers. In one swift motion she lowered herself to her knees pressing her forehead against his knuckles and causing every other harpy present to kneel with her. 

“I Zeliene, Queen of the Sheynia Court, am happy to serve his Imperial Majesty Hadrian LeFay, the first Imperial King of the Seligen court. I promise my loyalty, service, and sword to his reign. So mote it be.” a rush of magic encased them and it felt natural as he spoke his response.

“I Hadrian LeFay accept your pledge and make my own. I promise my respect to you always, to defend our people from harm, and support the courts for which I am responsible. So mote it be.” the magic swirled around them before wrapping around their wrists and sinking into their skin. There was no visible mark left but Harry was able to feel the pull of magic between them. 

Queen Zeliene slowly pulled herself up, staring at him with wide eyes. “I am honored by your Pledge, my King.” Harry was a little taken aback by the awe in her voice, looking behind her he found that everyone seemed to be staring at him in some form of shock and he couldn't help but wonder if he had done something wrong. 

It is uncommon for someone to reciprocate a pledge like this one. It shows that you respect them. It’s not a bad thing but wizards don't exactly have a reputation for treating creatures with basic decency let alone respect. Harry felt himself calm down at the explanation, happy that he hadn’t somehow messed everything up.

He nodded to everyone and ushered Death and Goruk on to the palanquin. Goruk looked like he would rather do anything else, but grudgingly he got on. It wasn't long before they were all standing back in the library. Just as Harry was about to ask if Goruk wanted to have a look around he pulled out what looked like an emerald. 

“Hadrian, if we’re done here, I should really get back to the horde. Am I able to use portkeys here?” Harry didn't actually know the answer to that. Lucky for him Melia did.

“Portkeys can be used outside the tower only. The tower itself is warded against all modes of travel.” and didn't Harry know that already. He couldn't shadow step in the building and it was infuriating. Now that he thinks about it maybe he shouldn't rely on that so much. Goruk said his goodbyes and was quickly gone leaving Harry to think over everything he had learned.

Chapter Text

Harry watched as Goruk walked away with Melia before he too followed, leaving the confines of the anti travel wards and shadowed back to the Ravenclaw receiving room. Immediately he walked over to one of the sofas and face planted the soft purple cushions. 

He screamed into the cushions and heard melodic laughter coming from the portrait above the fireplace. He flipped her the bird and the soft chuckles turned into a slightly manic cackle. He looked over to the portrait with his best glare but Rowina just cooed at him causing his scowl to drop into something more deadpan. 

It was still early in the day but Harry wished he could just curl up in bed and sleep for the next two days. Learning about the courts had been both interesting and stressful. Interesting because it was an entirely new world of magics and cultures that can't be learned from anywhere else. And stressful because it was made clear to him that he was very much needed as an active member of their government. Harry had hoped that they would jump at the chance to govern themselves, however that appeared impossible at this moment in time. It had all left him with a ton of questions. So, so many questions.

He buried his face deeper into the cushions and screamed. Everyone had been addressing him as prince but at the end Queen Zeliene had called him her king. Something had changed but he didn't know what exactly, and then there was the vow, she had pledged herself to him. Was that the difference? They had to acknowledge him. Then that raised the question was Nemu Queen in only name or had they all pledged loyalty. Oh merlin did he need to do formal talks with the other courts and if that is the case would it offend them if he waited? Is he now on a time limit to set a meeting with the next court? Will it reflect badly on him if he waits?

He groaned, smushing his face further into the soft purple cushions. He grunted at the sudden weight on his back, feeling death in fox form make himself comfy between his shoulder blades and Harry guesses he is staying here now.

“Hadrian, your cousin and friends are currently wondering if you’re going to make an appearance in their common room today as you haven't been back since before halloween. I believe they miss you and they don't think they will see you tomorrow since it is the first quidditch match of the season.”

Harry groaned again. He did not want to think about how bad the match was going to be. He sighed into the cushions, maybe seeing his friends would help him take his mind off everything that had happened today. Third year homework was mind numbingly tedious and the perfect distraction to occupy his mind. Plus he had some questions for them anyway. 

He shifted slightly to indicate that he was going to move, so death had forewarning to get off of him, and got up from the sofa with a stretch that cracked his shoulders. He pulled the glamor ring off the necklace before sliding it on to his finger. He didn't mind his yearmates knowing about the glamor but he wasn't willing to let the entire slytherin house in on that particular secret. As far as he was concerned they already knew too much about him. 

He made his way into the slytherin common room and paused. Clearly he had just walked into an argument and Harry was debating turning around and going back to the Ravenclaw rooms but this didn't sound like a common spat, they sounded concerned. 

“I get that magic is normally a good explanation for most things but seeing something that isn't there is not normal even for magic. Especially when no one else can see it. We all looked, there was nothing there." Harry noticed them gesturing over to a first year boy who had silent tears running down his face. Harry recognised the boy as the one who hung around with Astoria and Lana but he didn't know the boy's name.

“We need to get professor Snape, he's clearly not well…” The huddle of older years were clearly concerned about the boy but they were completely ignoring him and continuing to argue in front of the kid, implying that he was seeing things, causing the boy even more distress. 

Harry sighed and walked over to the kid, wandlessly and wordlessly casting his patronus to trot next to him as he went to comfort the boy. As soon as Harry sat next to him and placed an arm over his shoulder, the boy seemed to come out of his catatonic state and buried his Face into Harry's chest, sobbing.

The arguing stopped and Harry looked up to see the older years looking at them with guilty expressions and Harry glared at them venomously. It was clear that their arguing was what made the kid cry and Harry was not pleased. They were old enough that they shouldn't need to be told not to argue over something like this infront of the person it pertains to. He raised an eyebrow at them.

“So, what happened?” The group looked between each other before Montegue stepped forward.

“Heir Burke had herbology and when coming out of the green house he saw a creature by the forest. He asked several of his year mates about it but no one else could see it and neither could the upper years when he asked. He started to panic, insisting that there was a creature there but…” Montegue trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “No one else was able to see anything.”

“I'm telling you it's a death omen.” a girl from the back of the group hissed and the boy let out another sob. Harry rubbed the boys back while sending a glare in the girls direction. 

“What did the creature look like?” Harry tried to coax the boy out from where his face was smushed into Harry's robes but he just shook his head.

“He said it looked like a horse. I believe he said it was black and… I don't know… Thin maybe?” Harry sighed, carting a hand through the boy's hair. 

“Heir Burke, was it almost skeletal with leathery skin and wings like a bat?” The boy pulled away from him quickly and looked up at Harry's face, nodding so hard that Harry had to move back a bit to make sure the boy didnt headbut him. Harry sighed, this kid could see the thestrals and due to their rarity it wasn't taught in care of magical creatures until Hagrid took over the post this year. It would be taught in fifth year just after the winter holidays so currently there was no one with the information. Harry sighed again.

“You're not seeing things, they are creatures that can only be seen by specific people. I know that Flitwick, Dumbledore, Snape, and Hagrid can see them. There are also a few students that I know of. There's Nevile Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Me, and I believe Nott can see them too.” As soon as Harry said that Gemma called over to his yearmates.

“Nott! Could you come over here please?” Harry looked over and locked eyes with cobalt blue. He raised a single perfect eyebrow before raising from his seat and walking over. He was delayed when the common room door opened and a group of fourth years walked in cutting off his path.

“Oh thank Merlin. Athina! Could you come over.” A girl from the group looked over, a little confused before her eyes locked on the boy still in Harry's arms and her face morphed into something concerned and furious. She ran over and started fussing over the first year, removing him from Harry and cuddling him to her chest, asking if he was alright and who hurt him, whispering words of vengeance and retribution on any who made him cry. A few of the older group took shuffling steps away from her as she continued promising increasingly specific revenge ideas. 

Finally Theo made it over and looked questioningly between everyone, silently asking why he was here. Before anyone could say anything, Athina spoke up.

“Who in Brocerlian made my little cousin cry?” The group of older students shuffled nervously under her glare but eventually the boy, her cousin, spoke.

“I saw a creature and no one else could see it. They said that wasn't normal that it must have been an omen of death and that i'm going to die because people can only see them if they’re going to die and…” a  sob interrupted the boys explanation and Athina started shushing him while trying to kill the rest of them with her glare alone. Harry moved forward rubbing the boys back.

“It wasn't an omen of Death… Well, some people call them that but that's only because they don't understand. Remember, I said that I can see them too and I'm pretty sure Theo can as well.” At this everyone looked to the blue-eyed boy and Harry elaborated. 

“He can see the thestrals. I can but I wasn't sure if you could.” Theo's eyes widened before he nodded.

“I can, so can Blaise. I know Longbottom can too but that's all the students I know of.” He smiled over at the boy. “They’re really quite gentle creatures but since they can only be seen by people who have witnessed the passing of a soul they are associated with bad omens.” The kid didn't seem convinced so Harry moved to the edge of the room before pulling out his apartment trunk and resizing it.

He went in, walked over to the bookcase and picked up the parchment that documented his filing system. Changing the case in front of him to shelf 74, he located the book dedicated to thestrals and pulled it out. It was old and went into way too much detail, but hopefully it would put the boy's mind at ease to have physical proof that he wasn't crazy or being stalked by death omens. He quickly copied the book, placing the original back on the shelf before exiting. 

He climbed out of the trunk finding both Blaise and Theo now attempting to comfort the boy who seemed to have worked himself into another panic. He walked over quickly. 

“What happened?” Blaise turned and scrubbed at his face.

“Euphemia decided to tell everyone what she ‘knew’ about thestrals.” He pointed to the girl that kept talking about death omens and Harry scowled. He walked over to where Athina was screaming at Euphemia, who was talking over her about needing to keep the boy away from the rest of them, that he was cursed. 

Harry had had enough and released the tight grip he always kept on his magic. Every flaim in the room grew tenfold and a wave of scorching heat traveled across the room and silence fell. Every single eye in the room was now looking at him as he faced Euphemia. 

“Thestrals are creatures ,the same as a unicorn or hippogriff. They have been studied and are understood if you cared to look. Spreading misinformation about one of mother magics creatures will not be tolerated.” he waved a hand over her, casting a draconic silencing chant. There was no way anyone other than him would be able to remove it. “Until you learn to not spout rubbish I have forcefully removed your ability to do so.” 

He turned his back to her, made his way over to Heir Burke and held out the book to him. “This is a book on thestrals. It details everything you would ever want to know as well as many things that you would probably rather not know but it's all there. Hogwarts has the largest herd in the British isles and they pull the carriages so it's likely that you will see them again.” the boy nodded and hesitantly took the book.

By this point he seemed to have calmed down and Harry was suddenly reminded of someone who he hasn't reached out to since he had been back and he can't believe he hasn't spoken to her sooner. He guesses that he did have a lot going on but that was no excuse to not go and see her. He would need to make time, probably tomorrow. He couldn't leave the Slytherins now, he only just got here and he wouldn't have time later. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Theo clearing his throat to get Harry's attention. 

“Now that that's cleared up…” Theo's eyes trailed to Harry's bag, where he had placed his shrunken trunk once more.  “Care to explain why you have a trunk that you can go in and why you had to go in there to get that book?” Harry knew that if he wanted them to drop it all he had to do was ask and they wouldn't bring it up again, the perks of having slytherin friends is that they know when to drop something but Harry had trusted them with far more sensitive information than this so decided that telling them shouldn’t cause any problems.

“It's where I keep most of my books.” Theo stared at him for a long moment.

“Potter, I thought we had gotten closer. I thought we were friends.” Harry was confused by the change in topic, then registering what theo had said, he jolted, rushing to reassure him.

“We are, or I thought we were, why...” Harrys hands fluttered in front of him as if he was trying to physically bat away Theos insecurity. 

“And yet you withhold books from me.” Theo brought a hand to his chest, his face portraying an exaggerated expression of betrayal and Harry calmed down. The other boy was clearly messing with him and Harry's panic was replaced with a small smile and a roll of his eyes. Theo continued lamenting the fact that Harry was keeping books from him as they walked over to the rest of their year mates.

He waved to the group and Millicent raised an eyebrow at the still ranting Theo. Before Harry could answer her unspoken question Blaise spoke up.

“Theo realized that Hadrian doesn't love him anymore.” Harry spluttered while Theo suddenly went silent, his face dusting a soft pink. Milly just nodded like that made complete sense.

“I see, so Hadrian withheld books from him. Do we think the relationship is able to be salvaged?” Blaise looked somber as he shook his head.

“I don't think so. It wasn't just one  book you see.” Both Tracy and Millicent gasped in unison, mock horror on their faces. “I'm afraid so. He has a portable library in his bag.” Millicent gasped, her hand coming up to cover her mouth while Tracy mock-swooned. 

“Potter how could you? I thought we were friends.” Millie sounded every bit the offended pure blood she was and it made harry giggle

“I hate to disappoint but it's not a library. It's uh… it's um, kinda… where I stay during the summers.” he spoke softly not really knowing why he had admitted that to them but he quickly pushed forward not wanting to hear what they had to say about it. “There are a fair few books in there though if you wanted to have a look.” Harry pulled out the trunk from his bag, placed it on the floor and resized it.

Theos eyes gleamed almost manically as he nodded his head. The others were a little more subdued but still looked interested. Harry happily led them down the stairs into his little apartment. “You guys can look around if you want.” as soon as he gave them the okay they all split up in different directions.

Predictably Theo rushed to the bookshelves the second he was given permission to do so. He was closely followed by Tracy, Milly, Vince, and Greg. the others seemed to spread out and nose around the place. He heard a low whistle come from the open door that led to the bedroom and walked over. He found Pansy and Blaise at the door to the wardrobe, staring in with sparkling eyes.

“I know that you said you had clothes and just couldn't wear them, but damn, some of these are really nice. Like, REALLY nice.” Blaise was running his hand over a deep blue shirt that almost shimmered. It was one of the much higher quality shirts he had gotten for when he needed to do something in a more official capacity. Like the meeting he had had today.

Harry just smiled at them not really knowing what to say to that. After a minute it became clear that they were going to go through every inch of his wardrobe so Hadrian slowly backed out of the room not wanting either of them to realize he was trying to leave. In the main area he found the others either sitting on the sofas reading or, in the case of Draco and Daphne, standing over his dining table looking intently at whatever they had found there. 

Hadrian walked over to them and finally realized what they were looking at. He had made a spreadsheet of Wizengamot members and the seats they held whether via proxy or through inheritance. As he got closer they both looked up at him. Daphne's expression turned soft and a little guilty as she started to talk. 

“Hadrian, I don't wish to disparage the work you clearly put into this but some of this is incorrect.” Harry just nodded, expecting that already. At his clear acceptance and lack of offense she elaborated. “The Trembley seat, here you have it written as Lord but the Trembley house are Matriarchal, so only a female is permitted to hold the title. So it would be Lady. The house of Fawley, while being egalitarian, is also currently headed by Lady Ileen Fawley.” Harry nodded, quickly marking down the changes.

Draco was next to speak up. “Also you have it written here that Arthur Weasley is Lord Prewett. He is not. The Prewetts are patriarchal as such the headship can only be claimed by a male, which is why Molly can't hold the position. But Arthur has no claim to it because he has no Prewett blood.”

“The lordship should have gone to their eldest since the prewett line is of a higher rank. But William is publicly known as the Weasley heir and in a family with multiple children and multiple lordships they always get split up. So it goes to Charles, I believe.” Something in Harry's gut was telling him that wasn't right. He thought about it before remembering something he had read when going through some ICW laws.

“No…” it was barely a whisper but it got their attention. “No. Charlie can't hold any titles. He works on a dragon reserve. According to ICW law no one working with Dragons is permitted to have any claims to any positions on any governing bodies.” Draco snapped his fingers.

“I forgot about that. A few hundred years ago someone in China tried to build a dragon army after he had bonded with a few of the dragons. It caused massive problems and many deaths including the deaths of several dragons. After that they basically said you can have dragons or you can have politics but you can't have bothe.”

“Right, so it's not Charlie then. so it's the next one, right?” Harry smiled at Daphney trying his best not to laugh at how she had just said ‘the next one’ clearly given up knowing their names.

“Percy is the next one… oh shit. Percy’s the next in line to be Lord Prewett.” Harry's mind was racing. Percy was quite possibly the best person to have in that position. He was suspicious of Dumbledore, had a genuine interest in politics, and was the least biased out of all of his siblings. He could also find so much more on Dumbledore with a title backing him this time.

Hang on, why wasn't he Lord Prewett last time? With his work in the ministry he would have jumped at the chance to claim a standing for himself away from the Weasley name. You know Molly has her two favorites. Harry gasped. She didn't tell any of them. They didn't know that they had any right to the title and since none of them were given formal education about it they had no clue.

“They’re technically a dark family but now they’re just another dumbledore mouthpiece.” Flint said, startling Harry out of his musings.

“Bloody hell, when did you get here?” Flint smirked but said nothing. “Also Percy is the best person to have in that position. You’ll find that he’s not as pro-dumbledore as most people think. I just need to handle that carefully.” he looked up, finding skeptical faces surrounding him.

“Percy’s in his last year of schooling, right?” they all nodded. “So he’s seventeen, right?” they all nodded. “And yet he doesn't even have an Heir ring on his finger.” They all paused. “He has absolutely no clue what he’s entitled to. And I bet Molly's the reason for that.”

“Well, fuck.” Harry nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with Flints assessment.

“Once he claims the seat it is likely that it will be designated neutral and vote closer in line to how your fathers vote.” he nodded to Daphney and Draco. “I just need to make sure he’s where I think he's at before releasing that information to him. Tell him too early and it might push him back into Dumbledore's hand. 

“OH MERLIN!” they all looked over to Theo “there are multiple shelves!” HFe squealed, changing the shelves over on the bookcase he was in front of and Harry laughed.

***

It was the day after his meeting with the harpies, and Harry was nervous. It was the day of what was originally the Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor Quidditch match. Harry had forgotten that in the first run through they were meant to play against the Slytherins, but with Draco's injury they had switched round the teams, causing them to go against Hufflepuff. This time though Draco wasn't injured so there was no reason to change who was playing.

So that brings him back to the fact that he  was nervous. It was no secret that the Slytherin vs Griffindor matches were more brutal than any of the others, and with the storm raging the way it was, Harry was sure someone was going to get hurt. 

It also didn't help that the last time this match had played out, the pitch was swarmed with dementors and he fell from two hundred feet in the air. He knew the dementors wouldn't come to the pitch this time. Their link to Avalon had been restored, they were no longer starving, so the draw of happiness should be ignored. But even with all the logic in the world, Harry was still stupidly nervous about the whole thing. 

It turns out that Harry had every right to be nervous. The game lasted several hours. three people fell from their brooms due to the rain making it harder to keep their grip, nothing as dramatic as Harry's fall but it still wasn't great. The slytherin keeper got hit badly with a bludger and was no longer able to play. The poor boy projectile-vomited as soon as he landed. 

In the end Harry caught the snitch by pure luck. He caught a glimpse of it when a flash of lightning glinted off the little gold ball. Harry wasn't even sure that it had been the snitch but he went with his gut and dived. By the time anyone realized that he had gone after it, it was too late. however even if he hadn't caught the snitch Gryffindor still would have won. Without their keeper, Slytherin wasn't able to block most of the goals Gryffindor scored. 

It was a messy game and by the end the entirety of both teams were herded to the hospital wing to make sure they were okay after they flew in the freezing rain for several hours. Out of the three who fell from their brooms, Angelina Johnson, the Gryffindor chaser, had mild bruises, Katie Bell, another Gryffindor chaser, had a sprained wrist, and Cassiaus Warrington was in the worst shape. He had a broken ankle that he decided not to tell anyone about and continued to play with it for over an hour. 

Everyone had some level of frostbite while Fred and George had a more severe case bordering on second degree frostbite. They had clammed up when explaining that they hadn't had the money to spare on renewing the warming charms on their gloves for this year and Harry saw red. Their bitch of a mother was stealing money from him and didn't even have the decency to make sure her children had the right equipment for school. 

He was pulled away from his thoughts of murder when he noticed Madam Pomfrey bustling between everyone, muttering under her breath. It was too quiet for any normal person to hear, but Harry was able to hear it clearly and he almost spat out the hot chocolate he was nursing at the rather colorful vocabulary she was using towards Dumbledore. Apparently the medi-witch had asked him to reschedule the match on account of the terrible weather but she had been ignored.

Harry noticed Percy standing a ways away with pursed lips and folded arms, watching as his younger brothers were treated. To anyone who didnt know him he looked disapproving, but to Harry he looked concerned. Harry, being already treated, caught his eye and beckoned the older boy over. Percy hesitated and Harry caught the unease and suspicion that twisted his features for a split second before it was smoothed out and he walked over. 

It seems that Percy's suspicions were already starting. Maybe Harry could do a little more to nudge him in the right direction. Before the older boy could say a word Harry began to speak in a low tone making sure his words wouldn't carry to the people around him.  

“Percy, I don't want to sound rude or insensitive but your family won a fair bit of money recently didn't they?” the older boy bit his lip before giving one terse nod. “Couldn't Your mother spare two galleons to update the charms? Merlin, couldn't she even spare five minutes to do it herself. I’m sure she knows how to imbue clothing with warming charms.” He turned away from Harry and towards his siblings where they were still getting  treated.

“She… she kept saying she would get around to doing it every time they asked but… If I had known that she didn't get round to it then I would have done it myself. For how loud they often are, they are surprisingly quiet when it comes to stuff they need. Oh they’ll ask but…” he trailed off and Harry continued. 

“There's only so many times that they will be brushed off before they give up.” Percy flicked his eyes back to Harry for a split second before nodding and they sat there in silence for a moment. “You know it surprised me when I saw that the eight of you went to Egypt with the thousand galleon draw. A thousand galleons hardly seems like enough to cover eight people's travel costs and expenses. Though…” he looked towards Percy whose face had started to pale while his eyes widened ever so slightly. “...I might be wrong, it's not like I’ve ever left the country.” Harry knew it wasn't enough money, and he knew that Percy knew that it wasn't enough either.

Harry finished his now cold chocolate and was about to get up when the door to the infirmary slammed open, revealing a pissed off Snape. To everyone else he looked normal but Harry could see the older man's magic churning and roiling around him, ready to lash out at any moment. It was so distracting that Harry didn't notice the other man standing behind him until his eyes met stormy bronze ones. 

Remuses wolf was dangerously close to the surface and Harry suspected the reason it took them this long to get here was because they had to calm Moony enough so his eyes weren't completely golden. Harry watched as the potions master swept toward the Slytherin team while Remus broke away and walked towards Harry, using Snape's rather dramatic entrance to distract from his own.

Everyone from Gryffindor stayed for barely another minute before quickly leaving, Snape's arrival causing them all to run before he could hand out detentions for any perceived slight. A few looked like they were going to grab Harry but seeing him with the DADA teacher led them to leaving him behind, which he was glad for. 

Once all the Gryffindors had vanished, Moony left too while Madam Pomfrey and Snape shut themselves away in her office to finish documenting the injuries and subsequent treatments. It was just Harry and the Slytherins left in the ward so Harry slowly made his way over. The team was huddled around Warringtons bed and he was able to gain their attention easily by simply walking over.

“Is everyone alright?” Harry looked pointedly at Warrington when he asked and the other boy rolled his eyes.

“I'm not fragile, Potter.” Harry scowled, he wasn't implying that he was. Honestly Harry was surprised that he had only broken an ankle. The fall had looked a lot worse. 

“I never said you were, just that this never should have happened in the first place. The headmaster had been warned by Madam Pomfrey long before the match started that it should be postponed.” Warrington raised an eyebrow.

“And you know that, how exactly?” Harry smirked.

“I have better hearing than most.” he turned away from warrington and towards Draco. “Are you okay?” Draco scoffed.

“As if you Gryffindorks could hurt me.” Harry placed his hand on his chest and gasped dramatically.

“I thought I was an honorary snake by this point.” Flint scoffed a laugh and grinned at him.

“The sorting hat would never allow it.” Flint ruffled his hair, belying the harsh edge in his voice that didn't seem capable of softening for anyone other than his sister, and Harry laughed.

“The hat has been trying to put me in slytherin since the first time it was placed on my head in first year.” all the Slytherins froze

“You… the hat wanted you in slytherin?” Harry turned to the speaker and  found their keeper staring at him in sheer disbelief. If Harry remembered correctly his name was Bletchley. He had never been formally introduced to him though, so it was an educated guess at best. He had spoken to all the other players in the common room at least once before this. He was the only one he hadn't talked to. But Harry knew of the Bletchleys. while looking into possible house promotions to start filling the noble ranks again, the name bletchley had come up. They manage their lands and businesses well enough that Harry had them down for a promotion to count, when he got around to sorting out the wizengamot. Harry raised an eyebrow at the other boy.

“Your Bletchley, Right?” the boy flushed slightly before nodding.

“Yes, I’m Miles Bletchley, Heir of the Noble and Distinguished House of Bletchly. My father is the Viscount of Soloster.” Harry nodded.

“Harry Potter, Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter. Margrave of Thornfair.” The entire house had known about him taking up his lordship for a long time now and still Harry hadn’t heard a whisper about it from anyone else. 

“And yes the hat wanted me in slytherin… well it still wants me in slytherin but i'm not ready for that to happen at the moment. We’ll see if it's a viable option in the future.” Miles opened his mouth to say something else but at that moment the door to the office opened and Snape walked out. Flint placed his hand on Harry's shoulder and stepped forward slightly. 

Harry felt his stomach heat at the clearly protective gesture that he wasn't even sure Flint had done consciously. Around him the others seemed to close ranks and Harry felt his face flush at the thought of all of them standing between him and their house master.

Snape, seeing the actions of his snakes, paused a little further away than he normally would, his eyes widening slightly at the display. His gaze flicked over to Harry and he raised an eyebrow in question.  

“Mr Potter?” every slytherin present bristled at the potion master's tone and snape sighed, rubbing at his temples. “I don't know how you got my entire house to treat you like their collective little brother instead of the chaos niffler that you are and quite frankly I don't want to know. Either way you have detention thursday." Harry just nodded before pausing.

“Oh can it be Wednesday? I have a lot planned for Thursday already. Oh and I've been meaning to ask for ages but say, hypothetically you had a really large basilisk, how would you go about harvesting it and what parts would even be useful?”Snape just stared at him for a long moment. 

“We will talk about this hypothetical Basilisk on Wednesday after we talk about the meeting you had yesterday and not a moment sooner. Other than that was there anything else you needed to ask?” By this point the Slytherins had come out of protective mode and settled into confusion at their easy interaction. Which is what Harry had been aiming for. He wanted them to realize that their animosity was only fabricated and that they didn't need to protect him from snape. Harry however did still have a question for the dower man.

“how is the headmaster attempting to gloss over the inattention to student health and safety this time? I know for a fact that Madam Pomfrey expressed her feelings on the thought of us playing in this weather and I have no doubt that other teachers expressed their own concerns, you included, but maybe with less colorful  vocabulary.” Snape raised an amused eyebrow, glancing over to the closed door of the office where Madam Pomfrey currently resided. He looked back to Harry, his expression going stony.

“The ‘headmaster’...” the title was spat with such venom that it even made a few of the older Slytherins  straighten. “...is very disappointed in the Slytherins. He thought, ‘that the students would be mature enough to understand the dangers and hold back accordingly. He is so very disappointed to learn that he misplaced his faith.” Harry scoffed.

“Oh I'm sure. And of course the Gryffindors had no choice but to match their viciousness so they didn't get hurt. It's not like Alisha tackled Warrington hard enough to break his ankle. Oh, wait, she did.” Harry took a slow breath and beside him Snape let out a huff that hissed through his clenched teeth. “Is there anything I can do on that front?” Snape shook his head.

“Not unless you can remove him from his position as headmaster.” Snape and Harry bothe paused before making eye contact. Harry could in fact remove him as headmaster but whether it was a good idea or not was the question. He raised a brow at Snape in a clear question of ‘i could’ and snape raised one back as if to say ‘you could’ then he shook his head.

“No, as much as I wish that was a viable option, an unpredictable Dumbledore is not an adversary I wish to see in my lifetime.” Harry had to concede to that. It would be far too dangerous to have the man out of the castle and roaming free.

“Fine if there is nothing else I have put off greeting my little moon for far too long now.” and with that he walked out of the hospital wing. The second he turned off the hospital wing corridor he was met with gray eyes and dirty blond hair.

“Hello Hadrian Potter-Black. I would introduce myself but I believe we have already met in about two years.” Harry just stared at her, unable to say a word. He still can't believe he had forgotten about Luna during all of this. He had been so distracted that he hadn't thought about her once until yesterday. “I am glad to see the nargles, though still present, no longer afflict you with their venom.” Harry just blinked at her, trying to piece that together until it clicked. She was referring to Ron and Hermione. Or was it the headmaster? “The chronomites told me what I needed to know during samhain.” Well that was infomation that Harry didn't know what to do with.

“You know all of it?” Luna hummed.

“Not like you do. It's very different to be told things and shown snippets than to live it. But from what I saw you were my first real friend and I…” she trailed off looking down and Harry realized that this was the first time he had ever really seen her look so unsure. “I didn't want to wait two years.” he barely heard the second part of her sentence but he did hear it, and the sadness in her voice made his heart clench. He stepped closer, pulling her into his arms. He can't believe he left her to fend for herself this whole time. He knew her time hadn't been pleasant and he hadn't helped.

It took Luna a while to pull away but when she did she was beaming at him. “I’m glad to have my friend back but you have things to do. Like speaking with a fluffy arcane entity.” Before he could say a word she was gone and Harry wondered just how much she really knew.

Chapter Text

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore thought he had planned for every possible contingency but apparently he had not and he was not best pleased about that fact. First, his perfect pawn’s godfather somehow became the first person ever to escape Azkaban. That wouldn't have been too problematic on its own. It gave him a good excuse to request the presents of the dementors. Forcing Harry to face those monsters would be a good test for this year. So he had managed to work the situation to his advantage. 

However, after fixing one problem another popped up, or should he say several other problems popped up. In one singular Wizengamot meeting the Black, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff seats were all taken away from him. The Ravenclaw seats were a large loss too since it held two seats, though you could argue that it held three considering Hufflepuff came with it. 

The one thing that had stopped him getting truly mad over it was the fact that the switch didn’t appear to be personal or even political. They gave their seats to the head of the gray faction. Considering both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are Gray houses the switch seems to be done more out of duty than any personal feelings. As soon as he was able to find out who the new Lord was he should be capable of convincing them to hand the seats back over.

The Black seat however wouldn't be such an easy fix. Scratch that, he wouldn't be able to ‘fix’ it at all. The Malfoy boy was the only male Heir to the family. Albus was just lucky that they hadn’t realized sooner. The title passed from Sirius after his tenth year in Azkaban so they could have taken the seat away two years ago.

With the loss of five seats also came the loss of his chief warlock position. Something he had been rightfully angry about. especially with the way Amelia had gone about interrupting him and making him look bad. That though, had nothing on the later session. 

Gryffindor was claimed by none other than Augusta. And Merlin that woman had been a pain in his ass since her son and daughter in law had been tortured into insanity. He suspected Augusta knew more about his involvement in the situation than she let on, but he had no knowledge of what she could possibly know. That was another problem. One he had tried to deal with many times, but again, the woman was as stubborn as they come and every attempt Albus had made to ‘remove’ her had always failed. 

He had wanted Neville to grow up with his great uncle Algie but unfortunately that hadn't worked out. If it had, the Gryffindor seat would still be his. When Harry had pulled Gryffindor's sword out of the hat he had hoped that the title would go to him but no, he was just a Gryffindor at heart. 

When the Gaunt seat was claimed by Bones Albus had almost had a heart attack. His shock was so bad that he missed his chance to interject and when the Slytherin proxy was given out he used that moment to make his objections. All that did was give Augusta the chance she needed to get the Potter seat revoked, giving Skeeter ammunition to start a smear campaign against him. 

He cared little for the campaign she had launched against him. So few people actually believed Skeeter that it wouldn't matter in the long run. Eventually this would all blow over and his reputation will be as pristine as ever. What he was concerned with was the fact that his reclaiming of the Potter seat had been denied at all. 

He had gotten permission from Harry in his first year then promptly obliviated the boy. Apparently doing so revoked the permission. Or did he wait too long to use the permission? He wasn't quite sure witch was the problem but what he did know was that he couldn't ask again. His spies had reported what the boy said and Albus was both pleased and infuriated.

Clearly the boy still trusted him with how upset he was at the mere suggestion of Albus not telling him something so important, but this leads to the point that he now wouldn't give Albus the seat even if he asked because all he would ask was why it was kept from him for so long. Albus also couldn't force him to give over the seat or again magic wouldn't accept the permission.

He thought his bad luck would end there but no, his two little spies were fucking things up for him even further with the way they were acting. The only thing currently that wasn't going awry was Potter himself. Sure the boy was avoiding his friends, but Albus had witnessed the arguments that his spies were having and he knew that this was an ingrained behavior the boy had picked up from living with the dursleys, so he felt that there was little to worry about on that front. 

It was obvious that Harry was as oblivious as ever, and while Albus had thanked mother magic for the small mercies he’s been gifted with while everything else falls apart around him, it was also a double edged sword. Because everyone, with Skeeters prompting, had started to notice, and it was now taking everything to keep the boy ignorant. In fact Albus was sure the boy would have already noticed the strange behavior if it hadn't been for the spells he had placed on him.

Albus had also caught Remus and Severus sharing a few jokes and playful interactions over the last few weeks and had wanted to scream. He thought he had put a stop to that relationship during their sixth year when he got Sirius to expose Lupin as a werewolf. If something doesn't change with that he might have to find his own way to make sure they stay apart. 

He sighed looking down at yet another letter demanding an audience with the Potter Heir and he tapped it with his wand, setting the parchment alight without a thought. He stared down at the elder wand in his hands. Recently the wand had felt… off. He didn't know how but it just wasn't working the same as it once did. Where it used to almost jump to perform any spell, almost begging to be used, now it seemed hesitant. It was just one more thing in the long list that was going wrong in his life. 

He sighed, placing the wand down on the desk. If he didn't know better he would say that he had lost its allegiance somehow but it hadn't been out of his sight since he had won its allegiance all those years ago, so it simply wasn't possible. Albus rubbed a hand down his face letting out a weary sigh.

***

 Harry was sitting in the Slytherin common room surrounded by the other third years… and flint. Harry didn't know why but every time he came down here flint seemed to follow him like a little duckling and Harry hadn't found the courage to ask why yet. Right now though they were all just sitting doing their own things.

Harry was currently going through his duties as an Emrys when he wondered if this was even something he needed to do. What if the power of the Emrys family had been fully revoked and none of this even applied to him. Was he just wasting his time? He sighed, lowering his forehead to the table.

“Hadrian?” He let out an answering grunt that he hoped conveyed the understanding that he was listening. “Are you okay?” he looked up at Greengrass, who was looking at him somewhat amused, before tipping his head back down into the crease of his, frankly way too big, ancient law book.

“Yeah, I'm good.”

“Is it anything I can help with?” Harry didn't even look up as he waved a hand at Flint.

“Nah, it's just boring house stuff.” He left his head buried in the tome until a screech of wood against stone made him look up to see Flint storming away from the table. Why did he look so mad? Theo sighed next to him.

“Hadrian, I haven’t asked till now, and maybe that was a mistake, but do you know what exactly you asked of flint when you exchanged the life debt for his confidants?” Harry paused to think about that. It hadn't been too long ago but for him it felt like it had been forever.

“Um, I asked him not to spread my secrets.” Theo groaned, burying his face in his hands.

“No potter, you essentially made him your vassal and every time he has ever offered assistance you have rejected him. To everyone else it looks like you hold no value in his service.” Harry was confused. The confusion must have shown on his face since Daphne cut in.

“You bonded him like a vassal but did not complete it formally, meaning he can't actually claim to be a vassal to House Potter. But he is still bound the same way a vassal would be. It's…” Daphne paused trying to think of the correct word to describe it. “Shameful? No, demeaning maybe? Look, the point is it’s not a good look for him. Then every time he’s around you dismiss his help. Not only are you not granting him the use of a title, you are rejecting his entire presence. To everyone else It looks like you bound him then threw him away.”  

Harry was horrified. He hadn’t meant to cause those kinds of problems for Flint. He had thought it was a harmless way of dismissing a life debt, nothing more. Harry can vividly remember all the times Flint had been there, always right behind him offering help and Harry felt awful. He looked over to where Flint was sitting and noticed that there was a small ring of empty space around him like his house mates were keeping their distance.

“Being a vassal to a Margrave house like the Potters is considered a prestigious position, Hade.” Harry looked back to Theo whose cobalt blue eyes were shining with sympathy. “Being a vassal is often synonymous with being a steward. Let me put it this way, Flint is set to inherit the title of Viscount when his father steps aside, however, being a vassal to house potter is a title that would grant you the same respect as being a Viscount. If named steward his rank would be above that of his own fathers, matched only by the earls and counts.” 

“That being said,” Daphne interjected smoothly. “If a vassal is rejected it could cause a lot of damage to House Flint. Other nobles would pull away from them, long standing business deals may be ended, Flint's own heirship may even be brought into question." Harry swallowed hard. One small thing that he had thought of as so insignificant that he had pushed it out of his mind and hadn't thought about it since the incident could cause so much trouble. He could have destroyed an entire family just from not knowing the consequences his words would have.

“H’how…” his voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “How do I fix this?”

“Whatever you do, do not let anyone else know you didn't mean to make Flint your vassal. That will only make the situation worse.” Daphne nodded along to Theos words. 

“So I need to make it look like I know what I'm doing? But then how do I explain my behaviour for the last two weeks?” and Merlin had it really only been two weeks. Daphne and Theo stayed silent thinking it over. In the end it was Draco who broke their silence.

“Cousin, when will you understand that you are the Margrave of Thornfair. You need not justify your actions to those beneath you.” Harry raised an eyebrow.

“So what? I just start treating Flint properly and offer no excuse for my previous behavior. What if they ask questions?” Draco sniffed imperiously.

“If they start to ask questions you tell them that it is none of their business.” Honestly as awful as that sounded it also sounded like the easiest way to do this. Soon enough people would forget the entire thing. “But cousin.” Harry focused back on Draco. “Be honest with Flint. Tell him about everything. As a vassal, Flint is magically bound to your house, doubly so considering the life debt. At this point in time Flint would be considered your closest confidant, above even me despite us being cousins, so treat him like it.”

That appeared to be all Draco wanted to say as he went back to his work once he had finished speaking. Harry sighed and cast a tempus, they still had a few hours before curfew. It would be better to get this over and done with. He closed his book, the loud thud sending the common room into a startled silence. He packed the tome in to his bag and walked over to the table Flint was occupying.

“Marcus, a word if you please?” he tilted his head, indicating for the older boy to follow him as he walked over to the large portrait he uses to enter and exit the slytherin common room. He heard Flint scrambling to follow him only a few seconds after he had turned away.

Once he was close enough to the portrait it swung open and he walked through. It didn't take long for him to realize that he couldn't hear a second set of footsteps following. He looked back to the entryway to see Flint hovering in the frame. He raised an eyebrow.

“Are you coming?” Flint flinched before cautiously stepping through the opening. The canvas swung shut behind them and Flint jumped. Harry frowned, What did Flint think he was going to do to him for him to be this twitchy? Harry just sighed and led them down the passage.

He kept an eye on Flint as they walked and watched as the Slytherins' eyes flitted around the space, lingering on every door and passage they passed. Until eventually they came to the Slytherin Receiving room. He allowed Flint a minute to catalog the space before he spoke.

“Heir Flint, I owe you an apology.” Dark eyes snapped back to him and Harry continued. “I did not consider the implications of the vow I exchanged your life debt for. I have since been informed and regret the actions I have taken with you thus far. It was not my intention to cause you such problems with my actions, or in this case, my inaction.” Flint paused for a moment before visibly steeling himself and opening his mouth to speak.

“Does this mean you will be relinquishing me from your service?” Harry raised an eyebrow. He was under the impression that course of action would bring further problems for Flint but if that's what the boy wanted then Harry would comply.

“Is that what you want?” almost immediately Flint shook his head. “Well then, no, that is not what we will do.” Harry waited hoping his silence would prompt Flint into voicing his wants on the matter. After a minute of silence, Flint spoke.

“So you’ll formally take me as your vassal then?” Flint's eyes were shining with hope as he asked.

“I…” he paused. He was about to admit that he didn't know how to do that when he had a thought. 

‘Death, how would I go about making a vassal?’

‘That depends, are you making a vassal house or just making someone a vassal?’

‘There's a difference?’ death sighed.

‘Give me a second to understand the situation.’ Harry felt the slightest pressure in his head for a moment before it was gone ‘oh, this is about the Flint Heir. you will need to conduct a fealty oath. He is already bound by the magic of the life debt but this will be more official. You need to know what house he will be serving also, since you are the head of several houses you need to pick which one to bind him more formally to.’

“You don't want to.” Harry focused back on Flint who was looking at him in a mixture of anger and resignation.

“No, it's not that I don't want to. I'm just…” fuck it, Flint was already magicaly bound to keep his secrets. “This is something you can't tell anyone. Some of the things I'm going to tell you Draco doesn't even know. Well they know some of it.” Flint nodded.

“I will keep your secrets.” Harry nodded and let out a breath.

“The first thing is that I have multiple houses so deciding what house you should serve will be the most important part right now.” flint held up a hand.

“If I may add my thoughts to this?” Harry nodded a little confused since he hadn't yet told him what other houses there were to choose from but was happy to listen either way. “While I will be bound to a house, more importantly I will be bound to you as my lord. my oath will not be to a house but to you. The house is only important as a title. For an example I would be Hadrian Potters Vassal or Marcus Flint, Vassal to House Potter. The house isn't overly important as you could argue that as your vassal I am a vassal to all your houses.”

“Oh, so it doesn't really matter?” flint made a pained noise.

“It does matter,” He stressed. “just not in the ways you seem to think. It's more political. For example you aren't telling people that you hold other titles for the time being so the last thing you want is me proclaiming to be the vassal to that house. Also the flint holdings are already within the Potter territories. So it would make the most sense to keep me formally as a vassal to House Potter." Harry rubbed at his temples. He was starting to get a headache. Why was this all so confusing?

“So it does matter in terms of proprietary but it doesn't actually matter in practicality.” Flint immediately opened his mouth in what looked like a vehement denial, but closed it with a snap as he seemed to contemplate it. A minute later Flint groaned.

“Don't ever say it like that to anyone else, but yes, essentially.” Harry nodded “So will we be conducting the oath here then?” Harry startled. Here? as in right now?

‘You need a witness… and a sword.’

‘You better get here then… wait, why a sword?!’

The door to the office opened and death walked out wearing the face they had dubbed Morticia. She walked up to them and presented a sword to Harry.

“De… ahem Morticia will be our witness if you have no objections?” He looked back at Flint whose face was a splotchy pink. Death winked at the boy and his blush intensified. 

“I believe our lord asked you a question.” Death practically purred at Flint and Harry facepalmed.

“Ticia need I remind you that he is a minor while you are… well you.” Death's tinkling laugh filled the air and Harry watched Flint's eyes glaze slightly.

“Hadrian Darling, surely you aren’t commenting on a Ladys age?” Harry snorted.

“What Lady?” Death smirked, flashing her fangs slightly.

“What would you call me then?” Harry didn't even need to think for a moment.

“Fluffy arcane entity.” Harry deadpaned and death cackled. Ever since Luna had said it, death had been obsessed. He even stole Harry's nickname for her, calling her his little moon. That, Harry had been summarily informed was now an official title. Harry Potter was Death's master. Luna Lovegood was Death's Little moon. A registered official title amongst the gods. Apparently Fate had not been happy since Luna was one of her children but Death didn't really care.

Harry looked down at the sword he had been handed and blanched. “How did you get this? I thought it was still in Dumbledore's office?” he stared down at the sword of Gryffindor and death smirked.

“As lord Gryffindor it belongs to you. Besides, I left a replica in its place.” She waved off his concern easily. “Hadrian, place the blade in the ground and rest your right hand on the pommel.” Harry did as he was told. without prompting Flint knelt in front of him and placed his right hand over Harry's. Oh, we’re doing this now now. Like right this second now. Harry didn't know what he was doing. Surely they needed some prep time or something?

“I, Marcus Orilious Flint, Heir to House Flint, do swear Fealty and service unto the Margrave of Thornfair,-” Death whispered something into Flint's ear and his eyebrows rose before he continued. 

“-Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black, To speak and to be silent, to do and to let be, To come and to go, in need and in plenty, In peace and in war, in living and in dying, From this hour henceforth,-” death whispered something again and flints eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He looked to death but she just nodded. He turned back to Harry and continued.

“Beyond death will I serve.” Harry sucked in a sharp breath and flicked his eyes to Death who looked far too smug right now. The second Flint had finished uttering those words Harry could feel the Death magic weaving itself into the bond. Offering allegiance beyond death to someone like Harry wasn't just a meaningless gesture, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

He listened to death as they instructed him to take out his hydra wand and hold the tip to their hands as he spoke aloud the words Death whispered to him.

“I, Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black, Margrave of Thornfair, Hear and shall not forget, nor fail to reward, that which is freely given: Fealty with love, Valor with honor, and Oath Breaking with justice. With this pledge your vow is sealed, in Magic's name our strengths are bound, and…” he paused and took a breath “In the presence of Death these words are final.” Morticia stood to the side looking down on the proceedings with dark eyes glinting in the magelight. 

Harry was not prepared to see the Potter crest bloom into existence on the back of Flint's right hand. His eyes widened in horror at the brand but when Flint looked at it he smiled and looked at Harry.

“I’ll wear the crest of House Potter with pride, my lord.” Harry had mixed feelings about the crest but if Flint wasn't upset he would keep his thoughts on the matter to himself.

“I would prefer for you to continue to call me Hadrian.” Flint nodded and Harry handed off the sword to Death who quickly disappeared back into the office. Flint's eyes trailed her as she went. Once the doors were shut he seemed to shake himself out of it and his brows furrowed.

“Who was that and how were they here?” Harry sighed and flopped on to one of the sofas placed near the fire, gesturing for Flint to take a seat. There was an almost inaudible pop as Kreacher set out two cups of tea and a small selection of fruits. Harry smiled softly, clearly it was too late for him to be having sweets. He looked over to thank Kreacher and was both surprised and happy to see the elf wearing a new, clean, and pressed pillowcase.

A house elves attire was a good indication of how they were feeling. If they felt unworthy of their place or felt they were a ‘bad elf’ they wouldn't take care of themselves as a form of self punishment. But this showed that Kreacher was finally starting to believe he was a worthy house elf. Harry couldn't wait for the day the old elf would ask for the house livery. He knew he couldn't rush this. If he just asked Kreacher to wear it then he would feel unworthy and it would just create a spiral. But they were getting close and harry couldn't be happier with the progress they were making.

“Kreacher has prepared a crushed mint tea with apple, and a snack of mixed melon cubes for Lord Black and…” Kreacher's eyes flicked to Flint and they widened slightly. “...and Lord Black's Vassal.” 

“Thank you Kreacher, it smells lovely.” With a deep bow Kreacher popped away. Flint moved forward, taking his tea and relaxing back on the sofa.

“So Lord Black?” he raised a questioning eyebrow at harry. “Who was the vampire you managed to sneak into hogwarts?”

“Her name is Morticia. You will see her around from time to time. But you need not concern yourself with her. Technically she holds no title or position of power, however believe me when I say she is not one to mess with.” his warning was serious and Flint seemed to recognise that since he nodded quickly. Harry however thought about that. Death had no actual seat of power. Sure they were a god but they couldn't exactly tell people that. 

‘Death? How do you feel about becoming Steward to House Peverell?’

‘Hmmm… not a bad thought. As you well know House Peverell is allied with several creature clans and having a part creature, especially a dark creature, as a steward would send a message to those who may have forgotten the house ties over the years. I could also begin campaigning for the rights to our own religious practices again… yes, I do think this would be a good idea. though we would have to wait to make it public.’ Harry nodded.

‘You’ll need a full name and I can get the goblins to give you a new identity.’

‘I will be Morticia Allani Nephthys. I will leave the paperwork for the rest of my backstory, qualifications, and other information on the desk in Sal’s office for when you need it.’ Harry nodded again and turned to a confused looking Flint.

“Ignore what I just said. That was Morticia Nephthys Steward to House Peverell.” Flint blanched.

“H’house Peverell?” Flint slowly placed his tea on the low table in front of them. “So you are Lord Potter, Lord Black and Lord Peverell?” Harry only nodded before diverting the conversation he wanted to ask a question before he told the other boy his titles.

“What do you know about the house of Emris? Like I was thinking about the fact that all the Royal houses sit dormant currently, right? So that means the bloodline is alive. So what happens when Duke or Duchess Pendragon suddenly shows up? Could they just reorganize the whole of the Wizengamot?” Flint frowned.

“Queen Elizabeth by technicality holds the Pendragon seat as does every reigning British Monarch. They have the right to vote with that seat in the Wizengamot if they so choose. Lefay also wouldn't hold the power to reorganize the Wizengamot. They were placed on the counsel to be the voice for creatures. But I guess if an Emris showed up, theoretically they could pull the Wizengamot apparte, add new seats, remove old ones, revoke noble titles and give new noble titles. They would have to have good reasoning for all of it if they didn't want to cause a riot. I’m sure there are also rules in their house charter that would stop them from causing too much damage also.”

“Umhm. what would you do if you had that kind of power?” without missing a beat flint spoke.

“Revoke the titles and voting privileges of anyone who has already had their lands reclaimed by their sitting Lord.” Harry nodded that had been one of his first thoughts also. Flint suddenly looked suspicious.

“Why do you ask about this? Peverell, while technically a Duke title, doesn't hold the authority over Wizarding Britain the way the other Duke titles do.” Harry let a small smirk grace his face.

“How rude of me, I didn't introduce myself; I am Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black, Barren of Greold, Baron of Forlon, Viscount of Whiteshade, Count of Faypine, Earl of Houndmoor, Marquess of Nuashall, Margrave of Thornfair, Margrave of Grimfell, Grand Duke of Morsgrave, Duke of Avalon, and Duke of Broceliande. It's a pleasure to properly make your acquaintance.” Flint stared into the middle distance for a long moment before he started whispering to himself.

“Greold is Gaunt, Forlon is Sayre, Whiteshade is Griffindor, Faypine is Hufflepuff, Houndmoor is Slytherin Nuashall is Ravenclaw, Thornfair is Potter, Grimfell is Black, Morsgrave is Peverell, Avalon is LeFay, and Broceliande is Emris…” Flind put his head in his hands.

“Merlin's hairy ballsack, you hold eleven titles… and one of them is the House of Emris. Who else knows you're the head of House Emris?” 

“A family friend of mine and Snape. That's it. Oh and Morticia” Flint nodded softly. 

“This is insane.”

***

It was the Wednesday after the Slytherin VS Gryffindor quidditch match and the day after Flint had made his vassal oath. They had spoken long into the night about his titles and especially what it means to have the house of Emris back. Initially it had just been a hypothetical for Flint but knowing that it wasn't had changed the way he approached the situation.

Finding out about the Lefay title and what that entailed had made Flint truly understand just how out of his depth Harry truly was. Harry didn't just need help, he needed tutoring, badly but he also didn't have time. Flint was now the only person alive who knew about the time turner and how much he was relying on it. Flint had been a little worried at first but after Harry explained how he was using it and how careful he was being, Flint had calmed down.

For now though Harry was making his way down to his ‘detention’ with Professor Snape. The Slytherins had not been happy with him receiving detention on wednesday considering it was one of the days he would often spend time in their common room. Technically he could still go since he had a time turner but he really didn't want that to be common knowledge. 

He knocked on the door to the potions lab and walked in when called to enter. Snape was sitting behind his desk marking papers, but what made Harry pause was another boy in ravenclaw robes standing at one of the tables de-shelling some kind of beetle with a disgusted look on his face. Snape looked up from his marking and sneered.

“Ah, Mr Potter, you finally decided to deign us with your presence I see. You can join Mr Ashford. And you’ll be staying an hour extra to make up for your tardiness. I want you to harvest the eyes from the beatles Mr Ashford has already removed the elytra from. I trust that this won't be too hard for you.” Harry just nodded. Despite the man's condescending words he could see the apology in his eyes, clearly he hadn't planned for this.

He quickly walked over to the other boy, curious about this Ashford. He didn't realize there was another set of twins in his year. And this boy didn't look much like his brother, but Harry had seen him in his classes so he was definitely in the same year as the other Ashford. Oh maybe they're cousins. This one could be from a branch line. 

They did look different enough that they were likely to be cousins, but there were also enough similarities to tell they were closely related. Their eyes were the same sky blue but where Lucuses hair was a slightly coppery blond, this Ashfords hair was as if someone with blond hair stripped out the yellow leaving them with a soft grey colour. 

Once Harry reached the table he quickly got to work harvesting the eyes from the Beatles Ashford was already done with. After a few minutes Harry subtly cast a one way silencing charm around them allowing them to speak without Snape hearing.

“So Ashford, what did you get detention for?” The boy's eyes flicked to him in panic before flicking toward Snape who was still marking at his desk undisturbed by the conversation Harry was trying to start. “I put up a one way silencing charm, he can’t hear us, but he can still see us so dont stop your work.” He gestured to the several jars of beatles still sitting at the edge of the desk. 

“I wanted to see if watering the venomous tentacula with blood instead of water would calm its volatile nature. When Professor Sprout found out about my experiment she was… not pleased. I was supposed to have detention with her but apparently something came up and professor snape was already overseeing a detention tonight so he could take mine too." That made sense. Snape wouldn't exactly say ‘no, I'm not actually giving Potter a detention, we just needed to have a quick chat.’ 

“What about you?” Harry looked at the boy in confusion, so he elaborated. “What did you get detention for?” Harry snorted.

“Breathing, most likely. Honestly, I stopped really paying attention to what excuse he uses to give me detention most days.” Ashford let a small smile spread across his face as Harry spoke. 

“I had heard you two didn't like each other but to see it with my own eyes is definitely entertaining.” Harry sent the other boy a mild glare before resuming his work.

“So I met Heir Ashford the other week, I'm assuming you're related in some way?” The other boy scowled a little and Harry wondered if he had said something he shouldn't. 

“Apologies for my rudeness but there wasn’t exactly time for introductions.” There was a little bit of snark in the other boy's voice when he said this and Harry ignored the mild hostility he was getting from this newest Ashford. It wasn't something he wasn't used to from others. “My name is Winter Ashford. I am the second son of the Noble House of Ashford. My Mother is Baroness of Claydall.” Winter bowed as low as he dared with Snape still present in the room. 

“I’m Harry Potter, Heir apparent of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter.” He offered a nod to the other boy and winter again seemed a little confused by the gesture. “So your Heir Ashfords twin then. For a second I thought you might be his cousin or something. Since well… twins often share a Heirship till they’re old enough for magic to decide properly.” Like the Patels who are both heirs to their house. Harry assumed the Ashfords just decided to go with the eldest. 

The other boys frown deepened at Harry's words and Harry felt like bashing his head against the table. The Ashfords did not seem to like him. Lucus had been borderline hostile when he met him in the library the other week and now winter seemed just as annoyed by his presences. Maybe he should just stay silent for the rest of the detention. There was no point bothering people who so clearly didn't like him. 

He was just curious about the other noble families and finding information on them was incredibly hit and miss. Some families' lineage was public knowledge while others were completely private. The ashfords were one of the families that was relatively private.  Harry's musings were interrupted when Ashford spoke.

“We aren't twins. Lucus was born almost four months before me. Mother and mama got pregnant not long after each other but Lucus came early, far too early, while I came late so the time between us was longer than expected. Pa almost had a hippogriff when the same thing happened with our younger sisters. Though, there’s only two months between them.” 

Harry paused for a moment registering that. “You have three parents?” Winter's glare intensified and Harry quickly backpedaled. “Sorry, I was raised in the muggle world. I didn't know that was something that could be done is all. I wasn't trying to be nasty about it. I was just curious since no one has ever really talked about this stuff. They’ve only ever said things in passing. Like same sex couples being a more common concept here.” 

Harry also had three parents, technically, but they weren't together, not like that, as far as he knew. Though, they might have been and Sirius just didn't tell him. But Harry was pretty sure they weren't. It was just that Harry didn't realise people could have more than one partner and that would be okay. Winter nodded slowly, seeming to contemplate Harry's words.

“Triads, while not common, are accepted. Quads are also a thing but even less common than triads. The last prevalent quad known in the wixen world was heiress Trembleys great grandparents. Triad are more common with at least one in every generation. They're even encouraged in some cases. magical twins being the most prominent example. They don't always share a partner, but for some sets of magical twins they share thoughts and feelings, so they often end up liking the same person and the thought of separating to be with different people isn't something they even consider. Of course there's always some who just fall in love like my parents did.” 

Harry nodded along, intrigued by the concept. The wizarding world really did seem so accepting at times, then he remembered how some of the purebloods spoke about blood status and he realized that their prejudice was just aimed elsewhere. Harry opened his mouth to continue the conversation when he felt his silencing spell break.

“Ten points from Gryffindor for using unauthorized spells in my classroom Mr Potter. And five points from ravenclaw for encouraging stupidity Mr Ashford.” Harry winced, sending an apologetic look to Ashford. Harry also cringed internally at how he had handled that conversation. He had barely done any small talk before moving straight on to personal questions. 

He needed to pull back on his current projects; it was making him more single minded than he should be. Currently he was looking into everyone's family trees, mapping them out and making sense of them so he could better understand his future responsibilities as head of the house of Emrys. This slight fixation had caused him to ignore general common decency and ask intrusive questions. He hoped this didn’t reflect poorly on him in Winter's eyes. Merlin knew the boy's brother already didn't seem to like him.

Harry focused on the task he was completing for the rest of the time, only being pulled out of his work when he felt magic rise around him. He looked up sharply, finding winter already looking at him. He raised a single eyebrow in question as winter eyed him with a sharp curiosity that made him slightly uncomfortable. 

“You wouldn't happen to have a Nott amongst your close relations, would you?” Harry blinked a few times at the other boy. It was a little rude to be asking something like that but Harry guessed he started it with his questions first. He thought through what he knew of his family tree.

“My maternal great great great grandfather was Lord James Nicholas Nott. Why?” Winter opened his mouth to speak then closed it with a confused frown. He sat there for a moment, thinking, before trying again. 

“I thought he didn't have any Heirs? That's why the title was passed down to his nephew, Lord Edgar Nott.” Harry nodded in conformation. 

“James had two children, my great great grandmother Pepper Louise Nott, who as a female was not an eligible Heir for the house of Nott, and her brother Edmund James Nott who unfortunately died in infancy.” Winter grimaced a little.

“I apologize, that question was a little insensitive.” Harry immediately shook his head.

“No it's fine, this happened over a hundred years ago, it's not like I knew them personally. But I am curious as to why you asked.” At that Ashford seemed to freeze like a deer in headlights. 

“Oh, well I, umm… your reaction when I cast a spell made it seem like you might… Well, havethenotfamilymagic.” Winter rushed out the end of his sentence making it difficult for Harry to know what he said. “But with how distant the relation is I understand that that wouldn't be possible, and I wasn't trying to pry into your family magics or anything, I swear, but I've always been so interested in it. Not all families possess unique family magics like that, and the few that do keep the information close to their chests. But again that's understandable since its family stuff and no one else really needs to know but…” The silencing bubble they were in popped again and Snape's voice filtered in.

“Next time Mr Ashford I suggest you take a page from Mr Potter's book and make sure the silencer is one way. Since you wouldn't have been caught if you had heard me call you the first time. Ten points from Ravenclaw for using unauthorised spells in my classroom. And fifteen points from Gryffindor for encouraging rebellious behaviour Mr Potter." Harry wanted to argue but he realized that, Yeah, he had encouraged Ashford to do it. If Harry hadn't cast a silencer first Winter never would have done it.

“Well the hour is over so Mr Ashford, unless you would like to spend another hour with Mr Potter De-shelling more beetles, I suggest you exit my classroom.” He made a sweeping gesture towards the door causing the heavy wooden door to swing open with a loud bang. If Snape wasn’t so terrifying everyone would realise just how dramatic the man truly was. 

Winter didn't need to be told twice. Within the minute he was scurrying out of the door, letting it shut with a loud slam. Almost immediately Harry put down the knife wrinkling his nose at the dismembered beetles in front of him.

“Was this really necessary?” Snape gave him a flat look.

“It was not my intention to actually make you go through a detention. If you would like to blame someone, blame Pomona. Now then.” He flicked his wand, levitating all the beetle parts into the correct jars before stacking them on the shelves. “I do believe we needed to have a conversation regarding the meeting you had on Saturday.”

“What about moony? We need to wait for him.” Severus grimaced. 

“He is currently… indisposed.” He did not look pleased by the fact. He gestured Harry towards a seat facing the man's desk.  Harry raised an eyebrow at his professor wanting a better explanation of Remuses absence and Severus sighed.

“It appears the headmaster has noticed our… amicable relationship and has decided to take it upon himself to keep us separated with menial tasks.” Harry pursed his lips, his brow furrowing in thought.

“Is there any chance that he suspects our relationship might change due to this dynamic?” Severus seemed to pause at that, taking a moment to think it over.

“I don't think he suspects anything as of right now, but I'm not sure if he thinks there is a possibility it could change with time. I will make sure to show no change in my hostility toward you. Maybe even set up an argument between me and Rem over it to get the old man off our backs.” Harry nodded, if dumbledore was going to meddle in their relationship it might be for the best to pretend not to have one.

“Now then,” Snape's voice cut through his thoughts and he looked up at the potions master. “You told us vaguely about a meeting you were having on Saturday with someone who could explain more about the Selegen court to you. How did that go? What did you find out?” Harry grimaced.

“It was… enlightening.” Snape waited for more but when it didn't seem like Harry would continue he let out a huff. “It was a little more formal than I thought it would be so I wasn't really able to get into too much detail, but good news, I got to meet the Queen of the Sheynia Court.” Snape, ever so slowly placed his head in his hands.

“Please tell me you didn't cause an international incident.” Harry paused.

“I don't think so? It went pretty well, I think. By the end Queen Zeliene acknowledged me as her king so I can't have messed up that bad. I just wasn't able to pull out my list of questions and ask everything I had initially intended to. Which was annoying but at least I got the basics and didnt make an utter fool of myself.” Snape took a deep breath.

“Okay, that's… good, I guess. So what did you find out about the court?”

“Just how many courts make up the Selegen court, what races are represented, the general workings of the court, what kind of leader Nemu was, oh, and that there is absolutely no way for me to hand control of the courts back over to them. That was about it.” Snape nodded. 

“Well at least you know what races are included in the court, that's a start. You’ll be able to research their customs and culture before having to meet them.” Harry nodded, it was one of the most important things he had wanted to know by the end of the meeting.

“There have also been a few other developments this week. For one, I have appointed a steward for house Peverell. Her name is Morticia Allani Nephthys, she is part vampire and well versed in the holidays and Rituals that the Peverell house is known for. I fully trust her and her ability to run House Peverell.” 

He stared Snape down daring him to argue. The man had gotten better since their argument but sometimes he still needed to remind him not to question Harry's decisions. Sometimes he wanted to hear the other man's thoughts and opinions but this was not one of those times. Snape's jaw stayed firmly closed and Harry continued his telling of the week's events.

“Heir Flint has also officially become a vassal to House Potter and is fully aware of all eleven titles I hold. We spent a great deal of time talking yesterday and he now has as much, if not more, information than you and Remus. I think that is all I have to say for this week. Though considering it is only Wednesday that doesn't bode well for the rest of the week.” Snapes lips twitched as he steepled his fingers and fixed Harry with a look. 

“I do believe you may have forgotten one thing.” Harry paused thinking over the week so far but came up with nothing more. “You see, I am rather intrigued about this hypothetical basilisk?” Harry let a sheepish grin take over his face as Snape stared expectantly at him.