Chapter 3 The Royeauxs and Noble Weasleys

A/N: For people wondering how Harry would meet Daphne and Tracey if he's in France, where is every pureblood's favorite vacation spot? France, and the most Purebloods have relatives that live in France ( Malfoys and Blacks in particular). So, holidays! Like this one, " Hint Hint"

For this Chapter, Harry will be referred to as James Black, James, Heir Black or some other title equivalent when it is his Viewpoint, or in France Period. Sirius and the others will still refer to him as Harry.

Not to keep you all busy much longer, but I was rather amused by a review submitted by Nightwing27. Thanks for the good chapter comment. Nightwing's review did give me an idea though.

Bold Type = French

Italics: Thoughts

James hit his head on the bed he was resting on as he tried to get up. The man standing over him was Cheval Royeaux, a French nobleman who could claim descent from the last Mage King, Louis the Sun King. He had blonde hair that looked like the sunlight on a clear summer's day. His eyes were the color of the sky on a clear day. He spoke with a lilting French accent, making his voice roll off his tongue, " Messer Black, it is a pleasure to meet you at last. Of course I know who you really are, but that is a tale for another day. Like Madame Maxime, I have been sworn to secrecy. As I am aware, you will need a wand. Is that correct?"

James cleared his throat to make sure he had a Translation Charm going, before saying, " That is correct, Lord Cheval Royeaux. My own wand was taken from me at the time of my 'accident' and I need a sufficient replacement."

" Well, there is a French Wand crafter, and he is most magnificent in his craftsmanship. But he is most unusual in his style. He uses crystals and gemstones for his wands rather than wood. As such, his wands are worth significantly more. "

James sighed. Money was a real problem, because Dumbledore had managed to sneak off with most of it. The money that had been recovered was going towards his Tuition at Beaubatons, which cost significantly more than Hogwarts had. Cheval laughed at his forlorn exchange student, " For my family, cost is no such problem. Though I was upset when I heard of the Potters losing their estate, my own is in good hands. My family has run jewelry stores, enchantment stores, and apothecaries for centuries! No matter the cost, you will have what you need. But do not mistake my children as spoiled. They work hard for what they have."

James chuckled at the last statement. The only thing that went through his mind was, Great, French versions of the Malfoys. He swung his legs off the bed, and got up. The manor was huge, according to Cheval, it was larger than Potter Castle had been until Dumbledore had sold it to an American car dealership. This caused James to bristle considerably, so Cheval decided that now was not the time to talk about his new charges actual family.

Cheval shouted, " Guillaume! Lenore! It is time for us to get ready to go shopping for Beaubatons. Come on down and meet Heir Black!"

The first down was the boy. He was James' age, though he was of considerably better constitution and build. He was taller than Harry, but only by a few centimeters at most. He had darker brown hair, it was very wavy. In other words, near the top of his head, it was very straight and elegant looking. At the ends and near his neck, it was bushier than Hermione's hair. Guillaume shouted, " You are Lord Potter?"

Cheval cursed, " Damn you boy! We aren't supposed to call him that! On the outside, he is James Augustus Black, the son of Apolline Delacour's friend Sirius Black. You may only call him Potter in this house, and only then when he allows it! Am I understood?"

" Yes father."

" Yes what?"

" Yes Lord Royeaux."

James chuckled, " Hard on your children?"

Cheval glared wistfully at Harry, " I only know a little English. So it is one of my rules. Don't Speak English at my house!"

James laughed, but didn't say anything. A female voice wafted down on them , " Sorry I'm late father!"

Lenore couldn't have looked any more different from her brother, but more like her father than if she tried. She had her father's sunlight blonde hair, his sky blue eyes, but she was taller than he was. Lenore was two years younger than James, she was technically fourteen, but James would turn sixteen on July the thirty-first, exactly two days from now. James knew about the Delacour contract, and knew he would be considered a cradle robber for the rest of his life, but he figured he was entitled to look at girls within two years of his own. She blushed at his gaze, " Hello Heir Black."

James chuckled, used to this reaction, " My first name is James you know."

She blushed further, and James didn't pursue a further conversation. Cheval muttered, " Well, we had better get going to Crystal Alley. Our equivalent to Diagon Alley. You will find it to be better in many ways, Heir Black."

James chuckled as he stepped into the Floo. Damn he still hated Floo travel….

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( Sirius)

Sirius looked at his still bleeding arm with apprehension. Dumbledore had almost had them. Luckily, the only thing Moony had done was blast the door, so they still had their spy on the Order of the KFC. They had saved Madame Bones, and were still deriving as much information they could from her. She had sworn to join the Black Order, and had. Now they had a powerful Official on their side, albeit one who was some serious DE trouble.

Sirius and Harry had overpowered Voldemort easily, but Dumbledore had been a horse of a far different color. He came in with the big guns firing. Sirius had barely had enough time to escape a Fire Whip to cast a Smoke Bomb spell to get out. Luckily, none of the Order of KFC turncoats had been on his team, and only Narcissa was in any trouble of being implicated for anything. At worst, he would be accused of being a Death Eater, but Fudge would never touch a Black. Period, no matter how many Imperious Curses he was under. Messing with the Blacks was a death sentence, except for those Harry had claimed. Harry had said he had something special planned for Ron and Hermione.

Harry explained an unlikely theory at best, but was becoming more and more likely every time Moony said he saw them. Aunt Cassie had approved of the theory, which was strange, she never approved of anything. Harry postulated that Ron and Hermione were somehow meant for each other. How the hell they were, he didn't give a fuck. He didn't care if Hermione really was in love with Ron, or if she was a Cauldron wife, his plan was still the same. He intended to steal the fuck out of their thunder at the most opportune moment. A moment that would not only crush both of them, but the spirit of the Light Forces as well. " What single moment would be best for raising the spirits of the Light? A wedding of course. A wedding can be seen as a symbol of hope to many. To ruin it would be a coup d'état of the greatest degree!" he had argued to great effect.

The more Sirius thought of this at one time unrealistic event, the more he realized it was more and more likely to happen. Sirius contemplated his own stance. How would he begin the Black Quest for Vengeance? Such a quest was something that not even mothers dared use to chastise their unruly children at night. Everyone knew that fucking with the Blacks was a death sentence or worse. And the Blacks knew the meaning of Worse than death better than the preacher of that philosophy Dumbledore himself.

Snape came bustling in with a salve for Sirius' arm, muttering, " You guys did quite a number on the Dark Lord. He was pissed when he got back. He was throwing Cruciatus curses around like they were bouncy balls."

Sirius groaned, " Yeah, if only Dumbledore hadn't come personally, then we could have mopped up the Phoenix members too. "

Snape sneered, " You should have known Dumbledore would be there to see Bones personally dead. She is a thorn in his side, and we should probably find her niece and bring her here. Her name is Susan Bones."

" Wonder when Moony is going to get back from that Phoenix meeting?"

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( Remus Lupin/ Order Meeting)

Lupin starred a furious Dumbledore down like a boss. Eventually, the old man relented, unable to break Lupin's naturally powerful Occlumency barriers. Molly was furious as usual. Arthur had been injured in the fight when he tried to stun Harry Potter, so Potter had retaliated. Granted, that Fist of Earth spell was meant for the Death Eaters, but Harry was able to quick switch his targets with great precision. Harry had shattered five ribs with it, and that was as he was getting sucked out by the Portkey.

" That ungrateful bastard almost killed my husband! I'll kill him if I ever see him again!"

Kingsley stoned her, " What makes you think you stand much better of a chance against Potter? It is clear that Black has been teaching him powerful spells. Speaking of Black, how and why was he there? Didn't he die about a month ago?"

Dumbledore glared at the wall, " Sirius Black somehow lived through going through the Veil of Death. Who knows what evil powers Black possesses, and to an extent, Harry? It is unfortunate, but we have to assume that Harry Potter has gone dark. In his desperation, he finally succumbed to the allure of the dark side."

Most of the Order bowed their heads in shame, some, including McGonagall of all people cried. However, some of them held their heads high. Flitwick, Lupin, and Kingsley held their heads up high. Same with the Weasley twins. Lupin had been "recruiting" for awhile now, and had determined that some of the more adept fighters, especially the older ones, were getting tired of Dumbledore's passive attack patterns. Flitwick in particular, had a reason similar to Moody's. He didn't want to die with his back pressed against the wall and a hundred Death Eaters in front of him. Though, as a half-Goblin, that end would be far more glorious than lying under bed sheets waiting for death, Flitwick didn't rightly care. His true passion was teaching, he had quit Dueling for a reason.

The Weasley Twins were perfectly conscious of the precarious state their relationship was with Harry Potter. On one side, their family was going through a Hate Harry episode like the rest of the world was prone to doing and it would likely pass. The Twins themselves still liked Harry. On the other, he also owned a portion of their business, and through loopholes, Harry could run them out of business, , sue them for damages and withholding money, or even worse, take control of it right from under their feet. Being schooled by the Blacks, who had done this to several notable businesses like Zonko's, meant that the Twins now had to fear Harry as much as admire him.

Kingsley was in the prime of his life. He didn't like to admit it, but he had always felt that joining the Order of the Phoenix had been a mistake. He was still a young gun back during the first war, but he had been a very late addition. So late that he didn't count towards the final roster. So he was counted as a new member in this latest installation. The obvious extra danger didn't go much to make him feel better, but he was a man of duty. He knew that Dumbledore's way of doing things wasn't saving lives. It was only losing them and wasting them. He felt deeply for Nymphadora, the youngest member of the Order, who had been suckered in by promises of money and glory in the name of the Greater Good. He had no sympathy for her after the Will Stunt, though ,and he was more than willing to abandon his Auror partner to her fate with the Order of the Phoenix.

Certain Order of the Phoenix members had tried to make passes on him, though Dumbledore could have picked less obvious members like Elphias Doge, who had known Dumbledore practically his whole life. Others, like Mundungus Fletcher, seemed interested, but Lupin didn't even bother to consider them, knowing they would probably sell him out as soon as they found out what he was offering.

Something that always bothered Remus, was that he couldn't reach the younger members of the Order, like Nymphadora, Emmeline Vance, Hestia Jones. It seemed like the younger members were so deeply ingrained in Dumbledore's philosophy, that Remus could only convert the older ones who had the sense to realize what was going on.

Remus' recruiting hadn't gone unnoticed. He knew this for a fact, for Hermione Granger had asked him about it one day after a meeting. Her exact words were, " Who are you recruiting for?"

Remus was caught off guard, but he knew better than to assume anything around Granger. She, like Harry, had a knack for knowing things she shouldn't, and this was one more to add to the list. Remus had been tempted to at least partially reveal the truth, but he had to remind himself that, knowingly or otherwise, she had cheated her best friend for a bunch of books. So he was able to easily redirect her by toying with the idea that he was looking for people to form a defense group to better defend certain locations. He even threw in House Elves, remembering the girl's unhealthy obsession with House Elves and civil rights. He had breathed a sigh of relief when she got off his case. To pay her back, he slipped some love potion antidote into her meal that night, and noted that she and Ron had a magnificent row a couple of hours later. Remus kept a good eye on everyone, but Harry wouldn't be likely to care if Hermione or anyone else was under a Love Potion. According to Sirius, Harry already had a plan in the motion that relied on him actually allowing things to run their course, at least for now.

Whatever Harry's plan was, he seemed to be exerting some sort of control over his ex best friends. Something Remus had noticed about BOTH Ron and Hermione, and especially Ginny, was that when Harry was exceptionally madly moody ( pun intended), they would be rather surly and not like each other very much. When Harry went off to France and was being taught by Cassiopeia, the two Weasleys were really settled and mellow, and Hermione was extremely jittery. And, at the meeting just before Harry left, and the meeting that Remus had found out that Dumbledore knew about the Bones attack, but wasn't doing anything about it, all three of them seemed to be extremely nervous. It was very bad, because it looked like Hermione was about to burst out in tears during the meeting, and Ginny didn't look much better. Ron was taking sharp intakes of breathe like he was fearing for his life. It had been distracting to say the least, but Remus had still been able to get the tactical information that enabled Sirius to escape after saving Madame Bones.

Narcissa said that the Order Plan had gone exactly as Remus had said. Dumbledore and his best units apparated in as soon as Voldemort cut out and the Containment wards went down. Sirius had had just enough time to get Harry out before the curses had started firing. Snape had been there with the Dark Lord, and after the Dark Lord left, he was just spray and praying to save position.

Remus took Kingsley and Flitwick to Grimmauld place that night. There, they destroyed their Amulets, and swore allegiance to the Black Order.

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( James Black/Harry Potter)

" Heir Black, this is Messer Abil Thibodeaux , Master Wandsmaker and Crafter extraordinaire!"

The man at the counter smiled a salesman smile, " Yes, you always flatter me, Messer Royeaux. Is this Lord Siri's son? James Black?"

" Indeed it is, Master Thibodeaux."

Thibodeaux wiped a tear from his eye, speaking to James, " Your father helped me get the loan to start this business. His money was the life's blood of my craft shop! I am guessing you will need a new wand?"

James smiled, " I most certainly am, Master Thibodeaux. My old wand was Phoenix with holly, around eleven inches or so."

" Ah, your wand must have been very similar to Harry Potter's wand! Yes, we do so wish he would come to France instead of staying with those ungrateful English. But I digress. You are right handed?"

James held both hands up, " Ambidextrous actually. I recently discovered that I can write rather well with my left hand as well as my right."

The wand crafter smiled, and pulled out several large gemstones. He handed James a potion, " Drink that, and place your hands over these boxes. It is this way that we shall determine the shell crystal, and whether you can use two wands or not."

James took the bitter potion, and placed both hands near the boxes. The white one began to shine brightly, as did the ruby one. Thibodeaux smiled, " Two it is then. Ruby and Diamond. Now, drink this potion. It will negate the other and allow us to choose your cores."

James drank the blue potion, which tasted much better than the first. Thibodeaux gestured for him to move his hands over the boxes on his shelves with his eyes closed. James did so, and felt eight vibrations. Thibodeaux commented to Cheval, " I should hope money is not a problem to you, Messer Royeaux?"

He turned to James, " For the Ruby Wand, the cores of Basilisk Venom, blood of Nundu, Tears of the Damned, and Balefire. For the Diamond wand, the cores of Tears of the Phoenix, Liquid Star, Essence of Novae, and Solar Flare. Wands of almost completely opposite formation. The Ruby Wand, is a Wand of Destruction, potent, powerful, and a blood drinker. It is best used for offensive work. The Diamond Wand is a wand of Light. Powerful, dazzling, yet demonstrative and destructive in its own right, it is best used for defense, but has perhaps more power than the Blood Drinker."

Cheval shivered nervously, glad that he hadn't brought Guillaume and Lenore with them into the wand shop. He asked, " Do you know what a Blood Drinker is?"

" Nope."

Thibodeaux answered, " A blood drinker wand is a wand that grows more powerful with each successive kill or injury. Draw blood, and it gains power. It will heal you in battle using the power of the enemy against them. It is a potent, yet forbidden weapon. I am amazed that you would require such a wand."

James was surprised too, but then again, he should have been used to having unique equipment by now. Thibodeaux told them to be back in a day or two, so James and Cheval left to find Guillaume and Lenore. Surprisingly, Lenore was at a French branch of Quality Quidditch Supplies, which James owned. She practically leaped when he said that he was good at Quidditch too. She told him, " I've been told that I'm almost as good a flier as Harry Potter. This coming from Madame Maxime herself!"

James, being Harry Potter, felt his heart leap into his throat when she practically shouted that to the store, but kept himself under control. He knew she knew he was good, and just wanted him to admit it, as well as a standard to compare herself to. James was aware of the fact that the only person in Europe who was a better flyer than he was, was Viktor Krum. And even Viktor had been impressed with that Dragon stunt….

He decided to pick up the newest broom, called Starfall. According to Lenore, it was the newest broom, and while it wasn't quite as fast as a Firebolt, it left it far behind in terms of maneuverability. Something James quickly learned, was that while Quidditch was still popular in France, they weren't ready to kill themselves if the Season was stopped. James chuckled at when Ron had practically declared that the world was ending because a lockout had cancelled the season. Most of this was because the French National Teams, well, they weren't that good. Scratch that, the Chudley Cannons would be undefeated if they played in France. In short, they all sucked. The French were so used to being utterly embarrassed by Powerhouse teams like Ireland and Bulgaria, they just didn't pay that much attention to it anymore. There was even talk of not fielding a National Team in the World Cup Qualifiers.

Lenore chuckled sweetly at that notion, " Not likely though. Hey, we'll be old enough to try out for it though, so maybe we can help get our nation back to respectability?"

" Did you forget that I'm English? Oh well, I do live in France, so I guess I can help. Not that Britain as a whole has ever done much for me."

Lenore giggled, but didn't say anything else until they found Guillaume, who was at the local Bookstore. Guillaume tossed a large spellbook at James, " We're in the same year, me and you, so I went ahead and picked up all the books for us while you and father were getting your wand. It appears you also ran across my wayward sister. Enjoying the pain of French Quidditch? Lenore still holds delusions that she can fly."

" You shouldn't put your sister down like that." James said a little too harshly. He hadn't meant too, but it reminded him of the Weasleys, and he, well, he was still pissed about that. Lenore beamed at his remark. James decided to lighten the mood, " Well, I'm pretty good myself. Maybe I could help when they hold tryouts for the National Team next year?"

Guillaume chuckled, " Given the state of French Quidditch, you're probably the best player in the country right now. All the good players leave to play in other countries. Amazing how little patriotism there is amongst the professionals isn't it? Except Krum. He plays on a shitty team just because he's from Bulgaria."

James sighed, " Yeah, I saw them at the World Cup two years ago. Krum's the only player on the whole team. Ireland beat the piss out of them. The only reason it was close was because Krum was vastly superior to Lynch."

Lenore laughed at James, " That's about right. I was there, father took me as a birthday present. We had luxury seats, but not Top Box. Where were you?"

" Top Box. The father of a bunch of old friends of mine called in some favors with the British Head of Sports, Ludo Bagman."

" That's nice. What happened to them?"

James hesitated, " You don't want to know."

" Oh, ok."

At least they can take no for an answer. My old friends would have been trying to tear me apart to find out what. It's also nice to not be the Boy Who Lived to them either, James thought with disdain. He was starting to like this new life of his. Maybe he wouldn't go back to Britain….

Then, a female voice shouted his other name, " Harry Potter?"

James turned to see a girl with solid black hair, obsidian colored, so dark that you could see glints of sapphire blue in it, and amethyst purple eyes walking his way. James hadn't even thought about this girl until a few weeks ago when Sirius told him about that ancient contract. He hissed in English, " Daphne, don't call me Harry in public. I'm kinda hiding."

She muttered, " Sorry."

" Why are you here?" he asked as he led her towards a more secluded part of the store. She answered, " My family always takes holidays in France. My father said I should keep a lookout for you. Tracey was upset she couldn't come this year, but I hear that her father was really upset when your godfather brought up the contract."

" That's because Sirius was supposed to marry Lord Davis' sister, but he put it off too long. When he got sent to Azkaban, the contract was defaulted and it was passed on to me. According to Sirius, he and Maria were old friends, and when Sirius was forced to quit his job as an Unspeakable, she had decided to marry him to help him. A typical love story. When he was sent to Azkaban, it tore her up so bad that she killed herself three days later."

Daphne cut her eyes, " I am sorry Potter. I guess that is why Tracey wouldn't be happy to see you. My father spoke lovingly of you though, which is strange, given your Gryffindor History."

" Did he now?"

Daphne nodded, " He even told me to stop calling you just Potter. He told me that the versions of all the stories I heard in Slytherin were basically only half truths. When your Godfather told us the real versions….well, I almost pissed myself at the basilisk part. But you did it to save a Weasley! I know that you likely won't want to be questioned about your past, but why?"

" The basilisk was a menace that had to be stopped. Remember that I was friends with them at the time. I did it because Hogwarts was my home back then. It was the only thing that kept me alive. I don't know how much longer I would have lasted with those curs the Dursleys."

Daphne fiddled with one of her emerald earrings, " Your godfather said something about the Dursleys. He didn't say much, only enough to make anyone with sense want to kill them a thousand times over."

" The real Dursleys were so much worse than I actually tell anyone. And to think that Dumbledore left me there! I should have known that he was playing me like a deck of cards earlier."

Daphne looked at the man she had once considered the Gryffindor Golden Boy, and pondered his real life story. How he had been manipulated his whole life. How he had spent his childhood with Muggles that made the Inquisition look tame. How he never had public opinion on his side…. " Well, Harry. You know this one thing. Even if I could get out of this contract, I won't. Not just because, well, my father wasn't able to produce sons so he wants one of your younger sons to have the name Greengrass-Potter. I hate Malfoy like you do. If it doesn't favor his point of view, then he makes it look really bad. You would be surprised how many times I heard one of your 'friends' telling your stories. They weren't exactly hailing you as the messiah you know."

" I wouldn't have wanted them to. But I also realize that those people weren't really my friends. I don't know if it is true or not, but everyone involved tells me that my theory is correct. That Dumbledore set me up so that I would meet the Weasleys. A seemingly happy family despite being dirt poor. Something I never had. He knew I would gladly have traded all the gold in all of my vaults just to have my parents back. Then he sends Hagrid of all fucking people to explain the Wizarding World to me. Hell, the oaf was expelled when he was in third year! How the hell was he supposed to teach me anything? Then I magically make friends with Ron, am in position to save Hermione from the troll. You know. It just seems too damn suspicious."

Daphne performed a Time charm with her wand. She smiled sweetly at James, " I'm sorry I never got to know you at Hogwarts, but understand that me, Tracey, and Blaise didn't exactly have it easy in Slytherin either. We do have survivalist natures."

" Then you're engaged to the wrong person."

Daphne hit him with a Stinging hex, " Shut it Potter. I didn't have a choice, and neither do you. I, however, would suggest getting to know that girl you were hanging out with back at that store. I think that even though you already have three wives, she might come to accept you for what you really are. One thing you must get through that Gryffindor skull of yours, is that not everyone around you is going to die just by association with the man who's going to be the Greatest Wizard of all time, well, if you read the Prophet these days."

James nodded. She gave him a chaste kiss to depart with, leaving James flushed red. Despite all his 'Sirius Way of Love' lessons, his bad memories of Cho always surfaced when he was near girls. He returned back to Lenore and Guillaume, who were now with Cheval. He smiled a real smile.

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( Hogwarts)

" Albus?"

" Yes Minerva?" Dumbledore answered his lieutenant. He immediately frowned when he saw the look on McGonagall's face. It was never a good sign when Minerva was upset or nervous. She had been his second in command for years, and he knew this wasn't good. He muttered, " Lemon Drop for the nerves?"

" No thank you Albus. It appears that Mr. Potter has transferred schools."

Dumbledore spit out the Lemon Drop he had been sucking on, " WHAT?"

" You heard me. His target school is not listed. I expect he fled to America."

Dumbledore sank back in his chair, " Unbelievable. That boy has played us like fools again. First Sirius Black interrupts a Death Eater Raid I had Snape manufacture, not mention that he's still alive for that matter. I can't believe that Black and Potter are single handedly giving me my ass on a platter."

" The Blacks are well known for their espionage, Albus. You should know this by now. You've seen two generations of them!"

Albus sighed, " I guess you're right. The Blacks live for this type of behind the door, under the cellar type of double dealing. Then Fudge threw Potter's case out too. That sorry asshole, just trying to save face, because it is obvious he's done as Minister. The people want him dead, and they want ME dead too. Can't they see all of this is for the Greater Good?"

" Albus, that reasoning gets old sometimes. Surely you have another more justifiable reason? "

" Minerva, I don't need you against me right now. I'm losing followers like crazy. Fillius resigned this morning."

Minerva's eyes went wide, " He did what?"

" Flitwick announced his retirement this morning. He disappeared near where Grimmauld Place 12 is. I can only surmise that he has joined the Order of the Blacks. Same with Kingsley. The Weasley Twins left the Order of the Phoenix as well. We're losing everything we've built! Those twins were a valuable source of capital for our Order! What are we going to do?"

Minerva hung her head, giving Dumbledore another sheet of parchment, " I apologize for being the bearer of bad news, but it also appears that Severus has also resigned. While I say good riddance, to do so with only two weeks left before classes is an insult!"

Dumbledore frowned, " Then Sirius found a way to break Severus' mind charms then. As you know, he and Sirius were mortal enemies when they were in school, but when Sirius joined the Unspeakables, something changed between the two…."

Flashback…

Dumbledore strode into the Department of Mysteries to see Sirius Black and Severus Snape chatting it up like old friends. Like so many others before him, he had to make sure his glasses hadn't been pranked, and he made sure to pinch himself too. Sirius saw Dumbledore's reaction, and laughed at him. He explained, " Severus was assigned to be my Potions Master. Hard to work together if you let an old school rivalry get in the way."

Snape chuckled, " Yeah, Potter was pissed when you told him about that, remember? The look on his and Lily's faces were priceless."

Sirius tapped his goblet, and it filled with wine, " That was awesome. Nice to see no hard feelings between you and Lily about that little incident a few years ago."

Snape faked being surprised, " Feelings? Hard feelings? Pssh, I doubt Lily's felt anything other than anger at me since then. Oh well, we weren't exactly on the fast track to being a couple now were we? I'm sure you recall that most of Gryffindor hated her for hanging out with me."

Sirius added, " Me, James, Remus, and Peter included. Things had been icy between you two anyway hadn't it?"

Snape sighed, " Yeah… I guess that back when me and Lily first met, it was just me, her, and her sister Petunia. Then she got all these other friends, and they all hated me. Couldn't understand why she would hang out with the 'trashy son of that mad wife beater Tobias'. When your father is a well known wife and child abuser, you aren't in for a good social life. The fact that I was in Slytherin, which was a Death Eater whore house at the time, still is for that matter, didn't help either. So glad I didn't take that Mark. I may have doomed myself, but nonetheless, I have good paying job, and I put food on the table. All I can really ask for."

Sirius cuffed Snape on the shoulder, " Now all we have to do is get you laid!"

Dumbledore walked away from the scene that he was still sure was a result of a prank. But things began to pop in his mind. If he could somehow wipe Snape's mind, and get him to join the Death Eaters….

End Flashback….

" I always thought something was odd about Severus during those last few meetings. He didn't seem to be nearly as…reclusive and self absorbed. I guess I should have noticed something was up when he complimented Harry for baiting Hermione into breaking him free."

Albus chuckled, " Yes, we all should have. I put some pretty nasty, not Dark mind you, but definitely borderline, mind charms on Severus to amplify his feelings of jealousy and anger towards James. That memory shows that Severus was pretty much over everything that had happened in school, and hell, he seemed to be friends with the man who almost got him killed! So I felt the need to change him some. With the new charms on his mind, he was 'compelled' to join the Death Eaters."

Minerva's jaw dropped, " Albus! You ruined a man's life! For what, gold, power? And you had better not say the Greater Good. No wonder he was so surly!"

Albus laughed bitterly, " I imagine I could have done things better. But what's done is done. We need to find a way to get Harry back here though."

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( Beaubatons)

James' reaction to seeing Beaubatons was far more pronounced than the one he had felt when he had first seen Hogwarts. The school was a palace made of crystal! James walked next to Gabrielle, who was a First Year at Beaubatons, " James? I know who you really are, but why are you here?"

" I had some trouble back home. Let us just say that Fleur knows the family I speak of."

Gabrielle spat at her sister's name, " I can't believe Fleur decided to marry that foul man Bill. He didn't seem that nice when she showed him to father."

" Because he isn't. A good portion of his family received payment of some sort to be my friends. I couldn't believe it myself, but it all made sense."

Before Gabrielle could respond, Madame Maxime pulled him away from the student body, and into the Administrative building, which was a small crystal spire hardly noticeable in the shadow of the actual school. The half-giantess put some privacy wards up, and asked James, " 'Arry, it is good to see you alive and well. I am sorry to say zis, but you are healthier now zan you were in ze Tournament."

James laughed, " Well, I had a lot to worry about in that Tournament, not to mention that I grew up in an abusive home. My relatives wouldn't feed me for days sometimes. They hated magic a lot, but I rightly don't care about them anymore."

" And Dumblydor was ok with zis?"

James laughed even louder, " Ok with it? He left me there!"

The Headmistress simply shook her head, " I am sorry it 'as come to zis, 'Arry Potter. Had I known, I would have sent you an invitation to Beaubatons a long time ago."

James smiled, " I survived didn't I?"

" Based on what Siri said, zat is an amazing feat all in its own."

" I'm sure he embellished it a little."

Madame Maxime scowled, " You can't embellish memories, 'Arry. Now, move along. We don't have houses here in Beaubatons, but we do have teams and the such to promote intramural rivalry. I know for a fact zat you are a premier Quidditch Player, and zat you know Lenore. I 'ope she 'as told you about her own talent?"

James shrugged, " Not really. Since she knows who I am, she gets really nervous when we actually try to talk about her skill. Doesn't help her brother has a superiority complex rather like Hermione Granger's. She did tell me that one time you compared her to me though. "

" Oui, she is most magnific on a broom! She 'as professional Chaser stamped all over her."

James raised his eyebrows, " Hmm, she did seem to be pretty good when we had a pickup game. Her brother isn't too bad, but he's nothing compared to the guy who gets compared to Krum and the girl who gets compared to Harry Potter."

" Messer Royeaux is a much better duelist. He uses both sword and wand."

James was surprised, " Then he must be as nervous about his own skills as Lenore was. Because he never said anything about being a fencer and a duelist."

The doors to the Main Hall swung open, and James could see that Fleur had not exaggerated when she said that Beaubatons was magnificent. Unlike Hogwarts, the Great Hall wasn't draped with tapestries bearing the colors of the houses. Instead, the walls were decorated with certain ancient sigils that demonstrated the core values that Beaubatons enforced. James chuckled as he thought that Hogwarts' Core Values included a theme song about letting your brain rot. A glance at the students, and their pristine uniforms told him that he wouldn't be finding the French version of the Weasleys in this school.

Sirius had told him that while Hogwarts was considered a private school, being a boarding school for wizards and all, it still had its doors open to any wizard who could afford the tuition. Beaubatons, on the other hand, was a much more private institution. Only the privileged elite could afford the high tuition rates. Not like Hogwarts' rate of twenty thousand galleons was cheap, but the Beaubatons rate of two hundred thousand was enough to make James pass out, because of Dumbledore. He had just barely enough money to pay for it himself. Not that Sirius wouldn't have helped, but James felt better paying his own bills. He still felt numb whenever he ran his hands over his two wands. The diamond one had cost over a million galleons, and to think that Cheval could shove that out without even thinking was unreal. That kind of cost for a wand would make Malfoy shit himself.

James sat himself down at the table designated for Sixth years. He was next to Guillaume, who was talking anxiously to his friends. James jumped considerably when he saw two red heads with the exact same shade of red as the Weasleys. Didn't I just get through thinking I would never find the French versions of the Weasleys? he thought with a jolt. Guillaume noticed, " I know you have spoken of Weasleys before, James, but I assure you, these two are of a much different sort."

He wasn't wrong. Though the fact that they were Weasleys wasn't lost to James, he noticed that the boy didn't have the freckles that Weasley men were famous for, and that the girl didn't have the infamous 'Molly Weasley Hawk Attack' stare. The girl's hair was a deep, crimson, almost blood like, red, deeper than Ginny's. The Male had lighter red hair, that looked more like orange flames. The male said in a proud voice, " Viscount Martin Weasley at your service, Lord Black. I know you are English, so I must say that you probably know my unsavory cousin Ronald then?"

" Unsavory may be mistaken as an honorific for him, Viscount Weasley. "

The sneer on the girl's face would make Snape proud, " They live in a hovel! I have seen it one time. It was most despicable to look upon. Makes the noble Weasley name dirt. No wonder we are only looked well upon here in France."

James chuckled, " This will take some getting used to I am afraid. I will be honest, I shall advise you not to sneak up on me at night, or period. I have a history with the British Weasleys, and let me just say that it still burns in my mind."

Martin laughed, his laugh was far different from Ron's, " You will have to tell us one day. By the way, this is my sister, Simone Weasley. "

James kissed her outstretched hand with apprehension. Would it be madness to think that he would be kissing the hand of a Weasley? It certainly would have been a few weeks ago. Simone was joking about Fleur Delacour, " Why on Earth would the eldest daughter of one of the most respectable Veelas, and a very respectable French Lord, agree to marry one of our good for nothing cousins? She has no tastes that one does."

James caught the tone of Simone's voice, and it didn't sound like this was her real opinion. Martin added, " She deserved to be kicked out of her family. James? What's the noble system like in Britain?"

" I'm not too sure. My father was locked up in Azkaban for most of my life, and even then, he was still a fugitive until a couple of months or so ago. Most of that time was spent by my Aunt, Cassiopeia, trying to keep the Malfoys from claiming House Black, because of my other cousin, Narcissa, being married to Lucius Malfoy."

Martin frowned, " That would never have happened here in France. He would never have been put away with no trial."

James chuckled at Martin, considering that his cousins were blood traitors and Dumbledore's right hand followers. James asked, " How about some family history, Viscount Weasley?"

Martin was thrilled, for a split second, he almost looked like Ron when talking about Quidditch. " Why not? The Weasley family is descended of Godric Gryffindor, as you probably know. But, a few hundred years ago, our family splintered. My great-great grandfather got into a tremendous feud with the man who became the Father of the British Weasleys. Antonius Weasley was angry because his father wanted him to marry Kendra Flint, but he refused. He ran off, and married a Royeaux instead. He moved to France, and here we are. Magical French Nobility, whereas Antonius' brother ended up squandering his money on gambling. "

" So why are you Viscount?"

" My father was killed by runaway Death Eaters from Britain after the war. I became Viscount when I was old enough to do so."

James looked at the noble cautiously. These Weasleys were still Weasleys, they just played a far different game than the ones back in Britain. Here, the stakes were much higher. The British Weasleys played with the only chip they had, an attractive daughter. They played a game to snare the Boy-Who-Lived, and in the end, all they lost really was his trust. If anything, they came out on the positive side.

The French Weasleys, on the other hand, played the Great Game. At any given moment, all their fortune, their power, and their nobility was at stake. James knew that Martin was what the Brits called the Head of his family. In Britain, setting up a Marriage contract was frowned upon. To these Game playing Nobles, it was seen as a necessary evil to achieve your goals. James knew he would have to keep a good eye on them.

Madame Maxime gave her beginning of the Year speech, complete with a welcoming that would have made Dumbledore proud. Guillaume showed James where the dorms that the Sixth years were. Unlike Hogwarts, students were allowed to roam at night at Beaubatons. James remembered Fleur saying something about how constricting the Hogwarts curfew was during the Tournament.

James was wandering one of the corridors, when he felt a presence behind him. He shook his wrists, and both wands fell into his hands. He stood stock still, shouting, " Whoever is behind me, show yourselves, or the consequences will be dire."

Simone's voice responded, " I know who you are James."

James' eyes went wide immediately, he was in trouble. His eyes quickly darted around the room, looking for a tactical advantage. He found none, so his tongue was going to have to do the work, " And exactly who is that, Simone?"

The noble replied, " Cut the act Harry Potter. I don't know what glamour you had on the scar, but you should have put some on the rest of your body as well. Maybe changed your eye color?"

" How did you know that I am Harry Potter?" James replied, putting up some privacy wards to make sure no one else came by.

She smirked," My brother may hate the British Weasleys, but I have at least the decency to communicate with them. A Ginevra Weasley spoke highly of you in a letter."

" I don't know what you are playing at, Simone Weasley, but if you have told those fools my whereabouts, then there will be problems."

Simone curled her lips in an angry sneer, " And what do you think you can do to my family? Until the ending of the business quarter in a few weeks, you're broke. You have no money because your fool of a father trusted Dumbledore too much."

Harry dropped all pretenses, not even referring to himself as James anymore. His emerald eyes flashed in deadly flame. " You shouldn't insinuate that I knew about that and had something to do with it. My father was an honorable man, Dumbledore wasn't."

" I'm only telling the truth, Potter. You have no money, you have no standing here in France. You're in my house. You had better learn the rules."

Harry smiled, " Then you should learn my number one rule then. No rules ever apply to me."

The scarlet haired woman raised a suspicious eyebrow, causing Harry to scoff, " Did you think I came here just out of desperation? That I had nothing? You're making the same mistake that Ginny and the rest of the British Weasleys made. You are underestimating me."

Harry crossed the distance between him and the noblewoman in a flash, is wand pointed at her chest, " I want you to know that when the time comes for me to strike, that I will strike without hesitation. Without remorse. I will not listen to you trying to beg for me to have mercy on them. I won't."

Simone narrowed her eyes, " I wasn't going to plead mercy for them. If they want mercy, then they had better do it themselves. I came to ask you about the Black Order."

Harry let a small smile creep into his face, " That isn't the only thing you came to ask about is it?"

The Harry that everyone thought they knew and loved wouldn't have picked up on her hesitation, but the new and improved one did, " Of course not. That is the only thing I came here for."

" Like I said, don't underestimate me Simone. My godfather's Aunt, Cassiopeia Black was a French Diplomat for sixty years. I know the tricks. If you want to fuck, then I'm ready and willing, just not on the first day. Being a loner myself, I know a fellow lone wolf when I see one. But I warn you, I'm already contracted for three wives."

Simone snorted, " Well, until you get married to them, which won't be quickly, because Gabrielle is only eleven now, you unfaithfulness won't matter. I've seen you making eyes at Guillaume's sister."

" I'm not at liberty to talk about my disenchanted love life. Just remember Simone, outside of this room, you must call me James Black. Under no circumstance will you tell your brother I am Harry Potter either."

Simone blushed, " I imagine he already knows. Just remember, we aren't as stupid as the Weasleys you know either. Now, I must go. Wouldn't do to miss the first day of classes because you stayed up all night would it?"

Harry, reverting himself back to James Black, left the room. He really hoped that the classes were better at Beaubatons than Hogwarts.

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(Back in Britain, Hogwarts)

" Sure is different without Harry here."

Ron scowled, " I know, but at least we don't have to worry about him leading us off into some do or die situation this year. Don't get your hair any more curly than it already is Hermione. If Harry comes back, well, it will be just like old times."

Ginny scowled as she looked up from the letter she was writing, " Except that he hates all of us now, and would probably kill us just as quickly as Voldemort would."

Ron glared at his sister, " I don't know about that. I mean, he was pissed, but I don't think he would kill us. Who are you writing to anyway?"

Ginny hit Ron with the Molly hawk stare, " My cousin, what's wrong with it?"

" You mean that French slag Simone?"

Ginny flushed redder than Ron, " She isn't that bad Ron. She may be a little stuck up, but she comes from noble stock, unlike us. It is to be expected that she look down upon us a little."

" Ginny, you know what Mum, and especially Dad, said about writing to her. They may as well not even have the last name Weasley."

Ginny seethed in anger, " Maybe if we didn't treat each other like the other was the scum on our boots, the sides of the family would get along better?"

Hermione asked, " I didn't know you two had French relatives."

Ron glared at Hermione, " The French Weasleys, or the Viscounts, came from the Weasley family just like ours. We are true descendents of Godric Gryffindor, as you recall, we found that out at Gringotts the day of the Will Reading. Well, apparently, our great-great grandfather, Garret Weasley, had a big argument with his brother, Antonius Weasley. His father then decided to settle their differences by giving them wives that they both had shown interest in. Antonius got really pissed because great-great-great grandfather contracted him to Kendra Flint. He ran off, and met this Erin Royeaux woman. They got married, and he inherited all this money from her side of the family. They became the Viscounts of Dunkirk, so yes, my relatives were the magical lords of Dunkirk during the Second World War. They treat us like scum."

Hermione wasn't satisfied, " Well, what happened to Garret?"

Ginny signed her letter, looked up at Hermione, " He got a bad case of Ludo Bagman syndrome. He gambled all of the Weasley estate away, until all we had left was the land that the Burrow is on. We still owe the debts, which is why Father never has any money. The Goblins put huge liens and garnishes on our family's wages for years. Our Accountant of a cousin got lucky, he was a Squib. Now he lives in some fancy house after his most recent promotion. All the Weasleys except us seem to get all the money."

Ron finished the story, " There's still a lot of bad blood between our line, which is the main line, the French Line, and the Squib's line. The squib had a magical daughter, and he sent her to Beaubatons too. "

Hermione frowned still, " Who are these Royeauxs?"

" French noble family. Purest of the Purebloods you might say. Not supremacists or anything, but they can trace their family line all the way back to a cousin of Louis the Sun King, who was the Magical Version of the Sun King. You might say they are French royalty, or they would be, if the Magical French Government hadn't gone with the same as the regular French government." Ron answered with a scowl on his face that scared Malfoy, who was trying to listen in from the Slytherin table. Ginny frowned, and put her letter away, despite a disapproving look from her brother.

Ron continued to explain what he knew about the Royeauxs, ignoring his sister's withering looks, " They have enough money to probably own the Malfoys as slaves. Not exaggerating either, I heard that during the French Revolution, the new French Ministry of Magic gave them all this money and land as a concession for killing all their cousins.

You see, the Magic Nobility took the revolution a lot worse than the Muggle ones did. So they fought back, and hard. They almost won it all back, but in the end, the Magic Ministry ended up giving the Nobility all these concessions and grants as a bribe to keep them quiet. The Royeauxs, being the heirs of the French throne, got all the money and jewels that they would have gotten had they taken the throne back, as well as the concessions granted to normal nobles. This was the cause of the Reign of Terror, because the Muggles found out about it, and thought the Magical Ministry was trying to reinstate the Monarchy, so they got really pissed, and started hunting Wizards so much that their leader, Robespierre, decided to hunt everyone. I hear that noble families like the Delacours still laugh about how Robespierre never caught any magicals, and ended up getting hunted by his own people."

Hermione was disgusted, " They got rich because the French Ministry of Magic failed in a revolution? That's disgusting!"

" No it isn't. It's just how it works. In history, there are winners and losers. The Royeaux won, so they got the spoils."

Dumbledore stood up, and declared that it was time for bed.

The next day, Simone got the letter from Ginny. She almost laughed at the letter, especially since Harry Potter was sitting next to her.

" Dear Simone,

How's life been treating you? It's been pretty bad out here in Britain. That psychopath of a Dark Lord Voldemort is back, and he's been terrorizing Britain ever since Harry Potter led us into the Department of Mysteries. Harry got arrested for using an Unforgivable. The good news is that Harry got off of the charges, though no one seems to know where he is. Then there was the farce of a Will Reading. I still can't believe the Goblins declared it to be false! Well, at least I know why now. I wasn't left anything anyway, but I still have to help pay off the debt when I got to work after Hogwarts! I didn't even get anything out of it! Fred and George were pissed too, they ended up losing a lot of their business and money from that Will too. And then we find out that Sirius wasn't even dead…..

Oh well, enough of my own troubles, always seems like most of these letters are full of my troubles. How is Beaubatons this year? Any new students you worried about? I know it's a lot different there than at Hogwarts, but what is it really like? Anyway, write back soon!

Ginevra Weasley"

James muttered, " You should let me write the reply."

Simone chuckled at the notion, but declined his offer, " No, I don't think so. But should I tell her that there is one James Black here?"

" Go right ahead. I doubt she could make the connection."

It was just then that James noticed he had a letter from Daphne, telling him that she was being pestered by Draco Malfoy ( again).

"James Black,

Well, another year at Hogwarts, and it sure is boring here without having to worry about what a Gryffindor fool like you might be plotting. Well, Dumbledore seemed really subdued without you here. Did you know that he's having to teach DADA himself this year? Snape and Flitwick both resigned just two weeks before term! They even had to resend the admissions letters, because the new guy, Slughorn, had a different Potions Textbook, and the new Charms teacher, Fleur Marie, had different texts too. I definitely remember her as being the Beaubatons Champion, but why isn't her last name Delacour anymore? She hasn't gotten married, yet, though I did hear that she was interested in Bill Weasley ( why I can only guess). Slughorn's a talking walrus. Although he definitely is more cunning than he looks, I still don't think he is worthy to be head of house for Slytherin.

Well, Draco's being a real ass. He heard about that contract, and he's really pissed now. He tried to pull the whole, ' You Aren't technically Married Yet! That means screw everything in existence!' routine on me. Sorry, but he apparently doesn't realize that only applies to the guy right? I mean, if I do it, then I'm going to look like a whore ( not that most of Gryffindor doesn't already think that) , and it would really, really bad on you if I do it. Double standard yes, but something we deal with. But by no means let that hold you down. I still can't believe that I've been Draco's secret crush all these years. If you ever thought he was bad, then he was ten times worse to the Slytherins who didn't care about his opinions. Now all the sudden, he's coming clean. Did you feel like this when you found out Weasley and Granger were together? I mean, it is kind of strange.

Tracey said she would write you tomorrow, so do me a favor and reply to this one. She probably won't be as nice as I am, so keep that in mind. She really didn't take kindly to your father coming in and pulling the whole contract that was originally for him, but was now passed down to you. I must confess, I've always been a little interested in you, at least for a Slytherin. But Tracey holds no such feelings.

Yours in spirit and faith,

Daphen Greengrass"

James smiled softly to himself as he read the letter. At least one of his betrothed wasn't either way too young for his tastes, or hated him.

A/N: Next Chapter: Harry plays on one of Beaubatons' Quidditch Teams with Lenore, Sirius is back in Black at the Wizengamot, The Black Order gains more members, and Ginny receives a letter from her cousin Simone.

Comparison to look out for: Martin Weasley compared to Ron Weasley. Simone Weasley compared to Ginny.

Information Section:

Dragon Age references: Cheval ( Chevalier), Royeaux ( Val Royeaux), and the title Viscount come from Dragon Age, as well as the previous chapter's Serah.

( French) Noble Weasley VS ( British) Pauper Weasley: This is the idea that I got from Nightwing27's review. Well, the most we are ever told about the Weasley family, is that they've been poor for generations, Ginny is the first girl for generations, that Molly's maiden name is Prewitt, and that they have a Squib for a cousin. Since there is no adequately explained reason for their poverty, then I came up with a suitable one. As the reader may recall, the Goblins said in Chapter 1 ( Marauder For the Ages) that they knew the Weasley family history very well.

Viscount Weasley's Powers: Before anyone asks, Martin doesn't have a lot of powers over the Weasley family outside of France.

Other Related notes

French Names:

Guillaume: French equivalent of the Spanish Guillermo, which is William in English.

Thibodeaux: A name I ran across while playing NHL 2010 for a Montreal Canadian All-Pro.