Disclaimer: I do not own harry potter or the wizarding world; if I did many deaths never would have happened. Credit to any characters or places you recognize goes to J.K Rowling.
A/N- This story takes place a year BEFORE Harry comes to Hogwarts so the AU won't be too obvious, however, I plan for this to be a series so as it goes on the AU will intensify. Not everything is how you remember it, nor how it seems. ALSO
the concept of Family magics and their relation to heir rings in not uniquely mine, I have read about this in multiple other fics but am mostly drawing inspiration from A Marauder's Plan by CatsAreCool. It's a great fic, and you should 100% go and read it!
Chapter One: The Most Ancient House of Artois
Somewhere in France, at an address that most would find themselves unable to repeat, a young boy only months away from his eleventh birthday smiled up at his mother before releasing her hand to grasp an old tea kettle just before they both promptly disappeared with a "POP!" Usually this might be cause for concern, but this was no ordinary boy, and his mother was no ordinary woman.
This family was magical. In fact, the blood that ran through their veins was about as magical as it could get. Their line could be traced back farther than most muggle royalty and was just as well documented, without a drop of un-wizarding blood anywhere in it. It wasn't that they were prejudiced, although most would not associate their name with progressive thinking either, they just knew their place in society and encouraged their children not to marry beneath their station.
The Most Ancient House of Artois held with none of that nonsense about blood purity. They expected the respect and notice their name deserved because they had earned it. They were better than everyone else, but not because they were purebloods. Simply because they were The Most Ancient House of Artois and therefore by their very nature were better than most people (some would say this attitude was mostly due to the fact that, although the family eventually moved to England, they were French). In fact, if some of the ancient families knew the views that these particular members of the House of Artois held, they would be considered blood-traitors and a stain on their family name. Aurelia Artois raised her son with the old traditions, but she also taught him kindness, compassion, and tolerance.
It would never occur to young Ezra Artois to be cruel to someone undeserving. He was an intelligent boy and knew this would be no different from the muggle kids in his primary school who teased him for his "peculiarities." These kids were the reason why Ezra was consumed with both excitement and nerves as the world around him jolted and spun. Today was no ordinary day; today he would be leaving those children behind for good. Today Ezra would finally get to see the world of his mother's childhood.
He was not entirely raised without magic, and in no way was he ignorant of who or what he was, but Ezra Artois has lived most of his life in a house on a muggle street going to a muggle school learning decidedly muggle things. He has had tutors that taught him about magical things (and also things that relate to magic like latin and basic astronomy), he has been to la rue des merveilles fantastiques, and he has met other magical children, but he has never been able to make a home in the magical community of France. It has always been the British wizarding world of his bedtime stories, that he has dreamed of being a part of. He has always known that he would be going to Ollivanders for his first wand, not Gregorovitch, that he would be shopping in Diagon Alley, not la rue des merveilles fantastiques, and most of all that when he turned eleven, he would be going to Hogwarts, not Beauxbatons. For the first ten years of his life he had lived in a bubble of safety that his mother had erected around him to protect him from the war in her home country and its lingering effects, but soon he would be going to Hogwarts, and it was time for him to meet the only other remaining member of his family, his mother's uncle.
This uncle's home was where he arrived moments later when he landed, sprawled on the floor, in an entirely new country. Well bred and trained he may be, but he never could properly land a portkey landing.
"Mistress Aurelia! Does it really being you? Master had been saying yous would be coming, but Whimsy was not sure. It has been so very long, and Whimsy would not want to be making Master sad again!" A small house elf stood in the foyer, tugging on her ears nervously but smiling up at Aurelia widely. An amused smile spread across her face as she patiently waited for the elf to stop rambling,
"Yes it's me Whimsy, and this is my son Ezra. Can you take us to my uncle?" The smile then completely took over the elf's small face as she began nodding enthusiastically and leading them through the house into an elegant drawing room.
At first glance, Ezra's great Uncle Alexander was a stern looking man, his grey hair and dark robes immaculate, and his height towering over his petite niece and her young boy. However on closer inspection, one could see the laugh lines on his face and the way his expression instantly warmed upon seeing his long-lost niece. Alexander Artois was a man who had seen much loss, including that of his wife and his son/heir, but he was always good to those he considered family and his life's path had never changed that. Smiling he dismissed Whimsy and turned to survey the two standing before him. He first looked to his niece, who to his eyes didn't look that much different at thirty than she had at twenty and had last been in Britain. This was not necessarily accurate if he were to allow himself to he would notice the circles under her eyes and the thinness to he already slight face and frame. Both effects of the illness she had been battling for most of the year. No healer could tell her exactly what the disease was, just that her illness was naturally occurring and was getting worse. A muggle doctor, or likely most muggle-born healers, would have known the name of the incurable disease that affected her, but the wizarding world had little experience with such things and no concept of strange treatments like chemotherapy or radiation. Next, his gaze fell upon the great-nephew he knew only through letters; the reason Aurelia had first contacted him nearly five years ago. Although his curly hair remained what Alexander suspected to be its natural dark black color, he noticed that the color of his eyes was the exact same shade of deep blue as both his uncles and mothers and he smirked knowing that his nephew had most likely chosen this color intentionally, effectively declaring himself as family to anyone who looked at him. His quick perusal now over he turned back to his niece and greeted her with a hug saying "You have no idea how lovely it is to see you again Ari," he first shook Ezra's hand before pulling him into a hug and continuing, "and to meet you in person!"
They sat in the drawing room for well over an hour, talking about everything from their trip over -"International portkeys always are a bit of a bother, aren't they?"- To Ezra's last weeks of school. Eventually, Ezra warmed up to his uncle and was able to almost completely relax into the conversation. It was almost noon when his uncle stood and asked them to accompany him to his study,
"Ezra, as I am sure you are aware, you are the only remaining male member of the House of Artois other than myself. Has your mother ever explained what this means?" at his words the mother and son both reacted visibly, although very different. Ezra's confusion was clear on his face, he had been taught about his family, and of course, knew that they were the last of the bloodline, but what did that have to do with him right now? Aurelia Artois knew exactly what he was talking about. This was clear by the way the blood had instantly drained from her face and the shock that was clear in her expression,
"Uncle, he is not even eleven years old! You can not possibly expect him to begin his heir duties?" the more she thought about it the more her shock turned to anger. He was just a boy, what her Uncle was asking would involve things like the first stages of marriage contracts, and him swearing to the house.
"Calm yourself, Ari! Of course not. I simply think it is time for him to start learning about it so that eventually he will be able to understand his role and the oath he will take. However, there is no reason we can not allow the family magic to test him and have him claim his heir ring. They may afford him a certain amount of protection once he starts Hogwarts and we cannot be near him all the time." Although his tone was stern and unmoving, his expression communicated his understanding. There are still many families who would expect a sole heir to swear his loyalty to the house as soon as he could speak, those that would draw up marriage contracts as soon as a child's gender was confirmed, " I have no doubt the magic will accept him. Not only is he one of the only options, but he is also a talented young wizard with rare gifts to offer the family." feeling abashed Aurelia nodded her head and began following him to the study,
"I'm sorry uncle, but are you saying I'm the heir? Why not my mother, shouldn't it be her?" His Uncle Alex smiled down at him,
"Normally you would be right. The family magics do not care about gender, only magical power, and potential. However, the wizarding society of Britain still holds some rather archaic views about women being both heirs and heads of house, and would not recognize her in most of their governing bodies. There is no logic to this, Augusta has been serving as the Longbottom regent since her husband's death, and there is no one on the Wizagamont that is fiercer in their stances than her. Nothing more than petty displaying by those insecure in their masculinity if you ask me. In this case though, since you are your mother's heir and because of your gifts the family magic is likely to choose you anyways." They entered his office as he concluded his explanation, Ezra watching raptly the entire time. Alexander looked him in the eye and said, "Is this something you would be interested in Ezra?" In a display of enthusiasm unique to those not yet teenagers, Ezra began smiling and nodding before the question was even fully asked. With a chuckle and a wave of his wand, Alexander summoned the Artois ritual bowl and knife from the corner and turned his family toward the tapestry that covered the entire wall behind them. Ezra's eyes flew across the beautiful portraits of his ancestors and their names inscribed in silver thread, finally coming to rest on the names of him and his mother, two of only three names sewn in the vibrant gold of the living. Unbeknownst to the males in the room, there was a fourth golden name on the tapestry connected to Aurelia Chloe Artois and Ezra James Artois. Their eyes slid past this spot, old magic stopping them from even noticing the spots existence.
"You need to take this knife and use it to draw blood, the cut doesn't need to be large, but I suggest avoiding your palm. Lots of nerve endings there. Let your blood fall into the ritual bowl and then dip a finger from your wand hand in and spread it across your name on the tapestry." Ezra took the knife and made a small cut along his arm, just deep enough to draw the required blood. As the knife was dragged along his skin the wound on the other side would stay open just long enough for blood to land in the ritual bowl and then the skin would began to knit itself back together, "Now, concentrate on the line you have made with your blood and repeat the family motto after me, omnia pura cor et animam meam." Ezra repeated the words and the mark his blood made on the tapestry began to glow a bright gold before disappearing. As the mark disappeared the blue of his eyes began to shift between the deep blue of his mother and uncle, to a more steely greyish blue, to the same golden glow as the mark, and back to his original color. His mother was so preoccupied with his rapidly shifting eyes, a diversion from what is normally an exact ritual, that she did not notice the ring appearing on his right ring finger,
"His eyes, uncle. Was that meant to happen?" her concern evaporated though when she turned to see her uncles expression, bright with pride.
"It is simply confirmation of what we already knew. That is the family magic bonding with and expressing his gifts; your son will be a powerful wizard Ari." The crack that came as the ring fully materialized on Ezra's finger jolted Alexander out of his reverie, "That ring will allow you to call upon the family magic, as well as offering you some protections. While you are wearing it, it will filter your blood of any lower level poisons and will stop your mind from being influenced by all but the most advanced charms. The only ones that
I know of being able to surpass the ring protections are the imperius and a very skilled legilimens. Even those, are weakened by the rings shielding."
As Ezra lay in bed that night in his room, he couldn't contain his mind from spinning in a million directions trying to understand all that had happened that day. He suspected from the moment he set foot in England; his life would never be the same again. He couldn't wait.