Hello everyone, here is the second chapter of the Black Lord. Enjoy.


Chapter 2

New house, new rules

They reached the train station and Harry felt his stomach coil. Ron waited for him as he gathered his things and they jumped onto the platform. They spotted Mr. and Mrs. Weasley first and they made their way there.

'Oh Harry dear.' Molly gave him a suffocating hug 'Dumbledore told us everything. We'll have you with us as soon as we can, don't you worry.'

Harry nodded when he felt a presence behind him.

'Good evening.' The baritone voice he had come to associate with the Black Lord said. 'You must be the Weasley family. I am Lord Aries Black, Harry's new guardian.' He extended a hand and Arthur Weasley accepted it hesitantly.

'Arthur Weasley and this is my family.' He said.

'It is a pleasure to meet you all. I hope we can become better acquainted later on.'

'Yes, I didn't have time to write about a visit…perhaps Harry can come by tomorrow to the Burrow…'

'Alas tomorrow is a bit too soon and I have other engagements. How about we schedule a visit for the weekend.'

'If nothing can be done sooner…' said Arthur

'Perfect. Well then.' He said looking down at Harry 'Shall we go?'

'Bye.' Harry said after nodding and allowed himself to be stirred through the crowd, with Hedwig in one hand as Lord Black was carrying his trunk. They passed the Barrier and went out of King's Cross and into a parking lot. They stopped in front of a sleek sport's car.

'Here we are. You strap your owl in the back seat, and I'll put your trunk in the back.'

'You have a car?'

'I do…'

'But you're a wizard…'

'Yes, well, a third of my business is Muggle. It doesn't hurt to blend in.' Harry looked at the car, this was not the sort of car that blend in. The lord chuckled.

'With the people I do business with, this is the standard.' He added as if knowing what Harry was thinking. The teen said nothing, this was not what he expected from a pure blood family like the Blacks, from what Ron told him, they were the darkest most traditional wizarding family in Britain, just as worse as the Malfoys.

'Shall we?' Aries asked as they fastened their seatbelts and they were off. The drive was quiet, the car radio was the only thing that broke the silence as Harry looked around nervously. It was after they left London that Aries finally spoke.

'If you don't like the station, you can change it.' He said.

'What?' Harry jumped out of his reverie

'The music.' Aries said smiling.

'It's ok. I don't know much about wizard music.'

'You can switch to muggle radio if you want.'

'It's fine.' Harry said.

They drove north for a while until they reached a forest and a narrow cobble road that lead to a gate.

'Here we are.' They drove for another five minutes until they reached a modern looking house. Harry blinked, somehow he had expected something like a castle, not a concrete and glass mansion. There was an elf in fine clothing waiting for them as they pulled up at the entrance.

'Good evening, sir. I trust the trip was comfortable.' Said the elf.

'Better than most.' Admitted Aries 'Pan, this is Harry Potter, Harry, this is my elf, Pan. If you need anything and I'm not home, Pan will get it for you.'

'Nice to meet you.' Said Harry shaking Pan's hand 'I've met another elf last summer, Dobby.'

'That's good…' said Aries

'It wasn't really, he did magic in my uncle and aunt's house and I got a warning from the ministry. He didn't want me to return to Hogwarts.'

Aries frowned. 'That's most unusual.' He said as they entered the house 'Did he say why?'

'It had something to do with the Chamber of Secrets…he knew it would be open again.'

'I see, well, that problem should be solved by the time you return to school.'

'I thought they had a Wollywasp infestation to deal with…' Harry feigned ignorance.

'That was as not to alarm the students and the parents.'

Harry didn't know what to think about that. On the one hand the man told him the truth, but then again, he was also a student. Did he want to alarm him?

'In any case, you needn't worry about that. Come, let me show you the house.' Aries led Harry around the house visiting the living room with dinning and kitchen, two guest rooms on the first floor each with their own bathroom, a study and a small library. The first floor housed five bedrooms each with bathroom and balcony while the second floor housed Lord Black's suite, another private study with its own library and a training room. The last room on the second floor was Harry's.

'Here we are. These will be your rooms.' Harry's eyes went wide when he stepped through the door. The first room was the size of the Dursley's living room, maybe a bit bigger with huge windows overlooking a balcony. On the left was another door which led to a bedroom with a queen size bed, a walk-in closet and his own private bathroom. On the right another door lead to a small study room with bookshelves packed with many of the books Harry saw and used in the Hogwarts' Library.

Hedwig was already perched on a beautiful white owl stand and his trunk had been brought up to his bedroom.

'Wow…' Harry couldn't help but be impressed.

'Feel free to decorate as you see fit.' Aries said making Harry turn towards the man.

'This is too much.' Whispered Harry and Aries smiled.

'Dinner will be ready in half an hour. If you wish to freshen up, or start unpacking…'

'I…yes, I'd like that.'

Aries nodded 'Come down when you're ready.'

Harry was left alone only with Hedwig for company.

'Well Hedwig…what do you think?'

Hedwig hooted softly.

'Too good to be true? Yeah, I think so too.' Harry sighed and sat down. Something wasn't right with this Lord Black. He looked like a benign lord, he had a house elf that dressed in fine clothes, unlike Dobby, he had a car and a fancy house, but there was something about him, something that seemed so fabricated, so…fake. Harry shook his head, he shouldn't jump to conclusions, but he best keep his guard up, just in case. He opened the window to the balcony and stepped outside. It was a crispy day in late march, and the trees weren't quite green yet, but the forest looked beautiful from the second floor height. Deciding to take a quick shower and leaving the unpacking for after dinner, Harry made his way downstairs a little over half an hour later. He was wearing Dudley's second hand sports pants and a faded black T-shirt. Lord Black was at the table a cup of tea in front of him as he read through some documents.

'Ah, I see you've made yourself comfortable, good. Come sit. Pan is just about finished.' Aries said putting away the documents.

Harry didn't say anything, just sat down opposite Aries. Pan popped in a moment later and poured Harry a cup of tea before bringing in dinner: chicken wings with roast potatoes and some sauce, salad and some fancy French desert. The two ate in silence until desert came.

'Did you enjoy the food, Harry?' asked Aries

'It was really good, sir…'

'Don't call me sir, Aries will do. If you're ever hungry or need a snack, the fridge is always packed. You can ask if you feel uncomfortable at first, but I hope you'll simply help yourself.'

'Thank you.' Harry said nibbling at his desert.

'Good, now, I know you probably have a lot of questions, and it will take a while for us to know each other but tonight it's getting a bit late and we won't have time for everything. So, I propose we both get one question, and leave the rest for the morrow.'

'One question?'

'If there is anything you want to know, ask away, and I will try to answer.'

Harry stopped and thought it through. There was one question he wanted the answer to, would the man answer him, and if he did, would it be the truth. One way to find out.

'Why did you take me in? Aside from your nephew's responsibilities, you probably could have ignored them all together if you wanted to…so, my question is…why.'

'It is true, I could have left things as they were. Sirius Black hadn't made a will, and he certainly never would have thought that he would ever be responsible as your guardian at the time of his demise. But here we are. Why…because I wanted to.'

'That can't be it…'

'It's the only answer I can give you at this point in time. And it's the truth, I wanted to be your guardian.'

'Because I'm the boy who lived?'

Aries shook his head 'That has nothing to do with it.' Harry frowned confused. Why would this man want to be his guardian?

'When you're older I will tell you why, but until then, you will have to be patient.'

'This isn't really answering my question.'

'Then you get another question, how's that?'

Harry looked around, he didn't like not knowing, but he found himself asking another question just the same.

'Do you have a family?'

'The Black family is my family, although in Britain the ones that are still living have different names. In Australia I have an uncle still, but he is a squib. If you're asking if I have a wife and children, then the answer is no.' Aries smiled 'My turn now, what is your favourite thing to do?'

Harry blinked, he did not expect that.

'Flying, I love to fly.'

Aries chuckled 'Somehow I'm not surprised. Come, it's late, we'll talk some more tomorrow.' Harry looked at the time and it was indeed past 10.

The next day Harry woke up and took a moment to process where he was. He had slept so well in the new bed and had woken up quite early. He stepped onto the balcony and admired the view in the chilly morning sunrays. He saw Aries walking towards the house in sports clothes and decided he would first take a shower and unpack before going downstairs for breakfast. He didn't feel comfortable with the man just yet, probably never. So it was almost 10 when he came down and Aries was in the kitchen. Still dressed casually drinking from a huge mug of coffee and reading the Daily Prophet.

'Good morning.' Harry said.

'Good morning.' Aries said looking up 'Did you sleep well?'

'It was OK. Where is Pan?'

'Probably still sleeping. He isn't a morning elf.' Aries said getting up 'Sit, do you like omelette?'

'Er, yes.' Harry said before watching as his new guardian started preparing the food. Harry didn't know what to make of this. He was in a kitchen with a Lord who had stared down Albus Dumbledore, Malfoy and the minister of Magic, and the guy was making an omelette, muggle style. A couple of moments later he had a delicious meal in front of him, complete with pumpkin juice.

Harry hesitated before taking the first bite, and then he couldn't stop eating. The thing was the best omelette he had ever eaten in his life. He was more than half way through when he noticed Aries looking at him funnily. He realized he was probably eating the thing too fast and stopped abruptly.

'Do you like it? I was told I make a good breakfast.'

'It's good.' Harry said now nibbling at the food.

'I'm glad.'

'How come…' Harry stopped himself from finishing the question realizing it could be rude.

'Yes, Harry?'

'Nothing.'

'You wanted to ask how come I am the one cooking and not Pan?'

Harry averted his eyes from the older man but nodded.

'Well, Pan is a terrible cook.' Sighed Aries 'And I find cooking relaxes me.'

'But last night…'

'He ordered the food and just heated it.'

'Oh…when did you learn to cook?'

'I've left home when I was young and lived on my own for a long time. I had to learn to fend off for myself.'

'I never thought of cooking as relaxing.'

'Oh? You know how to cook?'

'At my aunt and uncle, I was in charge of making breakfast ever since I was old enough to hold a frying pan.'

'Ah, yes, chores can rarely be seen as relaxing. But don't worry about making breakfast anymore, I'll be in charge of that mostly.'

'Really?'

'Yes, if I am out of the house however Pan will order something from the bakery in town and you can always prepare something if you want.'

'So, what are my chores then?'

'Mainly keeping your room orderly, Pan will take care of the weekly cleaning but it is your job to put books back in their place and make sure your clothes are in the dirty basket when they must.'

'Just that?'

'Well, when Pan is not available and it's just the two of us, if one makes the table, the other will have to clean it at the end. Also if you have friends over and you use the Livingroom you should, after they leave, make sure it's not a complete disaster.'

'Fair enough.'

'And since we've started talking about this, there are some rules I'd like to set, since I am as of yesterday officially responsible for your wellbeing.'

'Rules?'

'They are all reasonable, and negotiable only today.'

'Negotiable?'

'Yes, Harry, I'll tell you what I have in mind, and you have until this evening to think if they seem too harsh or if you wish to add something.'

'OK.' Harry was confused. Rules that were negotiable, he never had those at the Dursleys.

'Good, then first rule is stay safe. That means don't do anything stupid that can get you in danger or hurt. You will be able to use magic in this house.'

'I will?'

'Yes, because it's a wizard's house and the enchantments around it prohibit the use of the trace by the minister, or not really prohibit but make it impossible for them to detect underage magic.'

'So I can really use magic? But I thought the trace was for underage magic.'

'The trace can only detect magic done around a minor, not the source. All wizard children living with magical parents can in fact use magic without repercussions, well, scolding from the parents mostly.'

'And you are letting me use magic?'

'Within reason and under supervision. I don't want you trying spells you don't know unless either Pan or I am present.'

'OK.'

'Good, because this rule is not negotiable, no matter what, your safety and the safety of everyone in the house is paramount. That being said the second rule is that you shall not leave the estate without permission or adult supervision.'

'So I can't leave the house?'

'No, I said the estate, you can wander around the gardens as much as you like. You can even fly around over the forest. The place is big enough for you not to get bored for a bit I think. And you can leave, just accompanied. I don't know if you noticed, but we're kind of in the middle of nowhere here. Our next door neighbour is 10 km away.'

'But I can go visit my friends by flu network.'

'Yes, but you will have to tell me in advance and make sure your friend's parents know that you are coming.'

'Can my friends come over?'

'Yes, as a matter of fact I sent a letter to your friend's dad Arthur Weasley, inviting his family over on Friday evening.'

'Really?'

'Yes. I said I'd let you meet your friends. I mean what I say Harry. If there is something I think you shouldn't know yet, I will tell you so, but I won't lie to you. And I expect the same from you. I don't want you to lie to me.'

'What if I don't want to tell you something?'

'I won't force you to tell me anything you don't wish to share. However if it's something that hurts you or could put you in danger, I expect you to tell me.'

'OK, I guess, but what if I don't realize it is dangerous?'

'Then the punishment will make you decide better in the future. Though it will definitely take into account the gravity of your omission.'

'Punishment?'

'We'll get to that after the rules. If something is bothering you I expect you to tell me and we can discuss about it. I also expect you to try your best at school. I don't expect you to be with your head in the books day and night, and I won't get angry if you get a P or a D but I will be disappointed if you don't try to do better.'

'I guess.'

'We'll talk your school transcripts in the summer holiday and if you are having trouble understanding theory or practice, feel free to ask. I'm not a good teacher, but I promise I'll try to help.'

'OK.'

'And I guess the last rule that comes to mind right now is about behaving courteously while we have guests or we're in public. From what I saw in Dumbledore's office you're a really polite kid, and that's good, but this isn't about just behaving towards strangers.'

'I don't understand.'

'Harry, you heard your headmaster address me as Lord Aries Black. While I'm not one to care about titles, being a lord in the wizarding world implies a few duties that may at times seem unpleasant. What does that have to do with you, you're asking yourself now. Well, you're now under my care, my ward. And while that may not mean much to you right now, and acting out in public may not cause much damage to my image as a lord seeing as you were not raised by me until now, it can affect your future.'

'My future?'

'Yes, Harry. I know you've been raised by your muggle Aunt, so you can't know the etiquette or rules of the so called pure blood wizard society, however, I'd like you to make an effort and learn it. But until summer, when we will have time to organize something like lessons, my only demand is for you to be civil to the ones that may come into our home.'

'I know how to behave with guests…I can stay out of the way…' Harry said a bit annoyed and slightly hurt that he felt like at the Dursleys.

'You misunderstood me. I don't expect you to stay out of the way. I expect you to make an effort and know our guests.'

Harry's eyes snapped up from his almost finished breakfast.

'I don't want you to hide, I want you to be there and to know these people. Some you may not like, some will become real friends with you, but that's neither here nor there. What I want you to do is to be a good host and observe, at least for the time being.'

'Why?'

'Because it will help you when you get older. I'm not just the head of a powerful family because of some antiquated notion of pure blood supremacy. The Black family is powerful because of the influence it has, influence that is created and maintained through politics and finance, both of which are based on human relationships.'

'I guess I sort of understand.'

'You don't need to understand everything now. You're still very young, and we don't know each other for more than 24 hours, but I hope time will change that.' Aries gave a soft smile. 'Now, you asked about punishments if you misbehave.'

Harry shifted nervously and nodded.

'It will depend on the gravity of your actions and it will limit your time spent doing something you like, such as flying and meeting your friends in the holidays and instead you will be doing extra work I will assign you.'

'Extra work?'

'Yes, for example, if you fail a transfiguration test three times because you didn't want to study for it you will be doing transfigurations essays for a while.'

'Oh…'

'Don't worry too much about punishments, I've heard you're quite a decent kid.'

'I'm almost 13.'

Aries chuckled 'Almost a man grown then, but almost is the key word. Now, I've cleared my schedule for the first week of your holiday to actually get to spend some time with you. But as it is, I have to go into town for a bit to mail something the Muggle way for one of the normal businesses I run in Thailand. Would you like to ride with me and see the surroundings?'

'Yeah, I have to change first.'

'Sure, take your time, finish eating, I can wait.'

Harry's day went quite unexpectedly well. After dropping a thick envelope at the local postal office they went around the small town. The centre was historical and a pedestrian only area where Harry found some interesting shops. Aries found a nice clothes store and to Harry's surprise bought both of them some new muggle clothes. Jeans that now fit Harry's frame without needing a belt, half a dozen T-shirts and a new jacket were now lying in the back of the car as the two were inspecting an old music shop. Harry had first protested against Aries spending money on him and insisted he pay, but Aries told him very firmly that he was now his guardian and having Harry pay for his own clothes was a great offence. Harry had to accept the clothes but was determined to pay the man back at some point, maybe when he was older. They stopped for lunch at a beautiful restaurant before returning to the house. Harry put away his new clothes before going back down where Aries was in the lounge with a good book. He decided to take this time to do some of his homework seeing as his new guardian would be inspecting his marks at the end of the year and Harry didn't want to be stuck inside all summer with potions essays as company.

The next few days passed in the same way. Aries, Harry found out, was not a complicated person to talk to. Sure, he was intimidating as hell still, but the man wasn't anything like the Dursleys. Harry got the courage to ask him something about a potions essay and to his surprise Aries actually took his time and answered him. He was sure his homework would be very much improved in quality. Another surprise was when Aries accompanied him flying in the back yard. They took out a practice snitch and flew to catch it, and even if Harry caught the little thing every time, Aries wasn't far behind giving the younger boy a good practice.

'I was thinking we could go to a broom racing competition next week. There's one organized by the Quiddich league to raise money for some magical support foundation happening near Birmingham.' Aries suggested.

'I'd like that. I've never seen an actual competition before.' Harry said as the two were relaxing in front of the fire after flying for the better part of the afternoon.

'Then I'll tell Pan to get tickets. Arthur Weasley wrote to tell me they will be arriving tomorrow after 3 PM.'

'They're really coming?'

'Well it is the weekend. Do you have anything you'd like to do with your friends here?'

'Well, maybe if we could use the back yard to fly…that would be cool.'

'Of course, then you best tell your friends to bring their brooms.'

'I'll send Hedwig right now.'


Well, that's the second chapter over and done. Next one will be with the Weasley family. Let me know what you think so far and have a nice day.