I do not own the characters, locations, nor situations described herein, those remain the sole property of J.K. Rowling.
Author's Note: This came much quicker than the last one, obviously. I've a Resolution this year, to write at least a scene a day. While I messed up on the first, I've made up for it with two scenes today. The second scene is inspired by a review-lead PM exchange I had with Red Phoenix Dragon, so that's to them for reminding me that Albus is supposed to be manipulative in this one. Also, I'm not sure which story it was from, but I liked the idea of a magical College of Arms to administer the peerage, rather than letting the fanfic favorite Gringots take care of it.
Chapter 7
-=aPBR=-
"A Wizard?" asked Harry. "But, I'm nothing special."
Narcissa chuckled, "You're more special than you know, Harry, but right now you're a little too young to understand just how special you are."
Harry looked dejected.
"Now, don't be sad, unlike Petunia, I'm not going to work you in the kitchen," said Narcissa. "You're a member of my family, and as such, you'll be treated well."
"Will I be sleeping here?" asked Harry, looking around at the couch and the living room. "It's really nice and big, and during the day I can fold up my blanket and you'll not notice me at all."
Narcissa closed and eyes and took a deep breath, wondering what exactly Petunia had done to this boy, "Harry, you'll get your own room, with a bed and wardrobe and everything. And when you're old enough, you'll get a trunk and go to Hogwarts like your mother and father."
"And like you, Aunt Narcissa?" asked Harry, wondering if this Hogwarts was the school his Aunt had mentioned.
"And like me," said Narcissa. She then looked to Harry's side, "Do you mind if I sit next to you, there's some people I want to introduce to you."
"Of course," said Harry.
Naricssa smiled and, her hand still sitting in a comforting way on Harry's shoulder, stood up slightly, turned, and sat down on her couch next to Harry. "Now, don't be alarmed, all of these women are here to help you."
"Help me?" asked Harry, "What do I need help for?"
"That's a long story, and hopefully, one day I'll be able to explain it well enough that you'll understand. Until then, just know that they are here for you, just as I will be here for you."
"Okay," said Harry shyly.
"Andi, Selene, could you come in here please," said Narcissa.
The first of the two women had long black hair, and was still wearing the slightly ruffled suit she'd worn before meeting Petunia earlier in the day, "Hello Harry."
The second of the two women wore a long, loose dress, and her white-blonde hair shown in opposition to that of the two Black sisters, "Hello Harry."
"Harry, these are Andromeda and Selene," said Narcissa, pointing first to her sister and then to her old friend. "Andromeda is my sister, while Selene is one of my oldest friends."
"Hello," said Harry meekly. He then looked to Narcissa, "Are they witches too?"
"Yes, yes they are," said Narcissa.
"Are they good witches, or bad witches?" asked Harry. He then scrunched up his face, "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"
Narcissa looked confused, and then looked to her sister for clarification.
Andromeda smiled, "I'm a good witch Harry, all of us are good Witches. You are wise to ask, because there are bad witches and wizards out there, and they wish to do you harm."
"Why?" asked Harry.
"You're famous," said Selene.
"Me?"
"Yes, you," said Narcissa. She then traced the outline of Harry's lightning-bolt scar, "This scar is why you are famous."
"But that's from when my parents crashed," said Harry.
"Crashed?" asked Selene.
"Didn't they die in a car crash?" asked Harry.
"Is that what Petunia told you?" asked Narcissa. She then shook her head, "No, Harry, they didn't die in a car crash. They died protecting you."
"Me?"
"Yes, they did what any good parent would do, sacrifice themselves for their children," said Selene. "I only hope that, if I was in their position, that I'd be as brave as they wore in protecting you."
"What happened?" asked Harry.
"Years ago, before you were born, a bad wizard tried to gain power. He attacked all the good witches and wizards across the land," explained Andromeda, moving over and then kneeling down before Harry. "This man was so bad, and so powerful, that even now, years after his defeat, many are still afraid to say his name."
"What was his name?" asked Harry.
"I'm sad to say, but I'm among those too afraid to speak it," said Andromeda. "But we called him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He attacked, as I said, many good witches and wizards, and surrounded himself with many bad witches and wizards. Your parents were among those that fought him, two of the bravest that fought him. Before you were born they had fought him and lived three times." Andromeda held up three fingers.
"And then, you were born, and because they loved you so much, they went into hiding," continued Andromeda. "For fifteen months they hid, safe behind wards, magical walls of a sort, that hid them from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Then, on Halloween, he found a way through the wards, and attacked them. Nobody knows what really happened that night, but in the end, three lay dead and one survived, you. That is why you are famous, for on the night when the most evil wizard in our lifetimes was defeated, you were the lone survivor. Many know you as the Boy-Who-Lived."
"Oh," said Harry, surprised at the story. "How did I survive?"
"Nobody knows," explained Selene, stepped forward and kneeling down next to Andromeda to look at Harry eye-to-eye. "Some say that your mother invoked ancient magics to protect you. She was smart enough to do so. Others say that a prophecy protected you, though nobody knows what it might be. Still others say that your mother and father fought him to a standstill, and rather than let them escape a fourth time, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named trapped them, and your mother and father defeated him, but paid a terrible price."
"Who betrayed them?" asked Harry.
Both Andromeda and Selene looked to Narcissa, as she was the one now responsible for Harry's wellbeing.
"Nobody knows for sure," said Narcissa. Both Andromeda and Selene looked surprised at Narcissa's defense of Sirius Black. "But our cousin, yours through your father's mother, as he was through my father, is rumored to have betrayed them, but I do not believe it."
"Why?" asked Harry.
"Would he have left everything to you if he had betrayed your parents?" asked Narcissa. At this both Andromeda and Selene were taken aback, they'd not thought of that. When he died earlier in the month, his will left everything to you, including his name."
"His name?" asked Harry. "But don't I have a name already?"
Narcissa chuckled, "Not like that. You see, our cousin was Sirius Black, but he was also Lord Black, Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. He was the last surviving son of his parents. His father was the only son of his father, the former Lord Black. Lord Arcturus Black was the eldest and only one of his father's children to have children of his own. Lord Sirus Black, Lord Arcturus Black's father and the recently Late Lord Sirius Black's great-grandfather, was the eldest son of his father, Lord Phineas Nigellus Black. Lord Phineas Nigellus Black had three sons who had children, Lord Sirius Black the Elder, Cygnus Black, and Arcturus Black the Elder. Cygnus Black was your Great-Grandfather, as well as my own. My grandfather, Pollux Black, was your grandmother's, Dorea Potter née Black's, elder brother. Since you are the last surviving male relative of Cygnus Black, you are the next in line to be Lord Black."
"Wow," said Harry, though whether it was because he couldn't believe that he was a Lord, or that he didn't understand what his Aunt Cissy had explained, Narcissa couldn't tell.
"You're also Lord Potter, Lord of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter, as your father was before you, and his father, Lord Charlus Potter, wife of Dorea Potter née Black," added Andromeda.
"I'm Lord Potter and Lord Black?" asked Harry.
All three women nodded.
"So, even if I wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived, I'd be famous because I was Lord Potter and Lord Black, right?" asked Harry.
"Well, perhaps, but there's something else," said Andromeda.
"Andi, is now the right time?" asked Narcissa.
"If not now, Cissy, when?" asked Andromeda.
Narcissa sighed, knowing that by not telling Harry now, he'd just ask about it until they did, "Okay." She then turned to Harry, "Your grandfather, your mother's father, was Lord Marcus Rosier. When he had no sons of his own, his younger brother became Lord Julius Rosier when Lord Marcus died shortly before your mother was born. Lord Julius had one son, Evan Rosier, who was killed shortly after your were born. Lord Julius died two days ago, with no male heirs, which means, much like it did through your grandmother Dorea, you inherited the Rosier Lordship through your mother."
"So, three Lords?" asked Harry.
"Yes," said Narcissa with a nod, "Lord Black, Lord Potter, and Lord Rosier, as well as the famous Boy-Who-Lived."
"Is there anything else?" asked Harry.
"For now, that is all, though when you get older we'll discuss it again," said Narcissa. "For now, we will have supper, and after supper, we'll send you to bed."
Harry panicked, "Supper? I didn't help Aunt Petunia make supper."
Narcissa wrapped her arm around Harry and hugged him to her side, "Don't worry Harry. You won't have to ever much supper again."
He looked up into her face, "I won't?"
Narcissa shook her head, "No, you won't. Now, let's get you cleaned up." She then stood and then held Harry's hand as he got up off the couch. "Andi, make sure Dobby has supper ready." She then turned to Selene, "Will you be joining us?"
Selene shook her head, "No, I've got to return home. Xeno wouldn't know what to do with himself if I wasn't there, he's so wrapped up in his work. And Harry here is barely older than my Luna, so I'll need to make sure she's fine as well."
"I'll floo you tomorrow?" asked Narcissa.
Selene nodded, "Tomorrow." She then turned to Andromeda and gave the eldest Black sister a hug, "Andi, will you be joining us?"
"I've work on the morrow, but perhaps on the weekend. We can all get together and talk things over on the weekend. I've got to explain this to Ted as well."
"Andi, will you be staying for supper?" asked Narcissa.
"I'd love to Cissy, but as I just said, I've got to explain this to Ted. He'll be able to help with the complications, though."
"Two lawyers are better than one," said Narcissa. Andromeda gave her, and then Harry, a goodbye hug, then followed Selene to the fireplace. Harry watched, enraptured, and the women tossed a pinch of dust into the fireplace, and then stepped into the green flames before disappearing.
"Come Harry, let's get you cleaned up for supper, I guess it's just the two of us tonight."
-=aPBR=-
After a delightful supper, and a grateful Dobby surprising Harry, and all the complex explanations that that entailed, Narcissa finally got her young charge, her cousin, and already more of a son than Lucius' bastard ever hoped to be, into bed. Narcissa had to insist to harry that, yes, the room was his, and yes, the bed, which was the same size as her own, what Andromeda had called a "standard double", though Naricssa didn't quite understand how something could be both "standard" and "double" at the same time, though muggles were quite amazing, was his as well. She'd duplicated her own bedding, though she'd changed the black satin to a cheerful green with another spell, and it would have to do until she'd purchased some bedding, and a real rather than conjured, bed for Harry. While she was confident that her conjuration would last a couple of days, she'd rather get it taken care of as soon as possible. Yet another thing to add to her list now that she found herself suddenly a parent again.
Unfortunately Harry couldn't sleep, and so, in the middle of the night, Naricssa had, for the first time in her life, welcomed a member of the opposite sex into her bed, as she let Harry sleep next to her.
Much earlier than either Harry or Narcissa would have wanted, a bell woke them both up. Narcissa was momentarily confused, as she'd not set an alarm for herself or Harry the previous night, before she realized that it was somebody at the floo. With a gentle, "Go back to sleep Harry, it's just the floo," she slipped out of her bed, wrapped her night robe around her, and made her way out of her bedroom and into the living room, where the floo resided.
"Oh, there you are," said the face of Andromeda in the green flames of the floo, her voice tinged with panic.
"What are you doing calling this early in the morning?" asked Naricssa with a yawn.
"He's got Nymphadora," declared Andromeda.
"Who's…" began Narcissa, her brain still struggling to process things so soon after waking.
"Albus, he has my daughter," said Andromeda in a panic. "Can Ted and I come through?"
Narcissa, still not connecting the obvious fact that Nymphadora Tonks was at Hogwarts under the care of Headmaster Dumbledore with her elder sister's panic, acquiesced, "Come on through. I'll have Dobby put on a kettle."
The hyperactive house elf, who was overjoyed at serving both his Mistress and his new Master, Harry Potter, popped in, "Right away Mistress Cissy."
"Thank you Dobby," said Narticssa absent mindedly as she stepped back and watched first her sister and then her brother-in-law step out of the fireplace. Ted, as was expected of a muggleborn, was a little rough on his arrival, but he'd long since been told the secret of floo travel, to step "out" of the floo upon arrival. "Now," demanded Naricssa, "Tell my what's got you in a panic about your daughter being at Hogwarts."
"Cissy, what did we do yesterday?" asked Andromeda.
"We rescued Harry from his 'Aunt' Petunia, brought him back here, and did a little bit of explaining on how complex his life was going to be," said Narcissa.
"Yes, but how exactly did we rescue Harry, and whom exactly did we rescue him from?" asked Andromeda.
Naricssa scrunched up her face, "We took him away from his Aunt, who was abusing him. We barely got away because… Dumbledore… oh. I see."
Andromeda and Ted both nodded, "Now you see out problem."
"What we did was entirely legal," explained Naricssa. She then looked concerned, "Right?"
"From what Andi explained to me, it seems so," confirmed Ted. He was surprised at the change that had happened to his sister-in-law since the annulment of her marriage. For one thing, she was being surprisingly civil to him.
"But he still hold much too much power for us to get on his bad side," worried Andromeda.
"He came into Petunia's house, uninvited I might add, unlike us, and when we were disinclined to acquiesce to his request, instead of be civil, he cast a bombarda," explained Narcissa.
"It's still our word against his, and while he's not done anything to my Nymphadora yet, I'd rather we strengthen out position so that he'll not be tempted to do so," said Andromeda.
"We're daughters of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, our blood is as pure as the driven snow, while he's a half-blood, his mother a muggleborn, when it gets to the Wizengamot, fi it gets that far, he'll not stand a chance," declared Narcissa.
"We're daughters of a House without a Lord, at least, not a recognized one. Harry's a minor, he's not even five years old, what strength does being a Black, at least now that I am one again…"
Narcissa interrupted her sister, "You never weren't."
"If you insist, but as I was saying, What strength does begin a Black give us without a Lord to tell the Wizengamot what to do?"
Narcissa thought, "Well, I was hoping to put it off for a few years, but I guess we should go to the College of Arms," declared Narcissa.
"The College of Arms?" asked Ted.
"Ted, I know you're a muggleborn, but even you should know that the College of Arms is the authority in which pedigree is established, and through pedigree, Lordship," explained Narcissa.
"I thought, with the Statute of Secrecy," stuttered Ted.
"Which was established in 1692, after being signed in 1689," explained Narcissa, her passion for History showing. While most of her classmates had fallen asleep in Professor Binns' class, as had most of his students since even before his death in the 18th Century, over two hundred years ago, Narcissa had actually enjoyed History of Magic, and had received her NEWT in it. "The College of Arms, though, predates the Statute by over two hundred years, having been established by King Richard the Third in 1484. While the office within the Ministry is staffed by wizards rather than muggles, they still provide the same services. Harry will easily be able to claim the Potter Lordship, and had a Regent established for him, but for the Black and Rosier Lordships, we need to get a pedigree from the College of Arms."
"Ah," said Ted, properly chastised.
"Do you think having Regents will help?" asked Andromeda.
"Albus votes the Potter seat on the Wizengamot, as the designated magical guardian of Harry, though he is not Regent Potter, since he is head of the Dumbledore family instead," explained Narcissa. "The Late Lord Julian Rosier voted his own seat, and Aunt Walburga still votes the Black seat as Sirius' mother, though she's not long for the world, I'd not be surprised if she doesn't last the year. No, without the pedigree from the College of Arms we can't take control of the Rosier and Black seats, and thus exert our own influence over the Wizengamot."
"Do you think it is too early?" asked Andromeda.
Narcissa glanced at the clock above the mantle, and in the candlelight of her flat's living room she saw that it was barely a quarter past five in the morning, "Yes, it's not yet half five. We all know that the Ministry opens at eight and starts to do business by nine. Albus has had barely twelve hours with your daughter and against us, and he's constrained by the role he plays as Headmaster. We'll make sure that Nymphadora is safe, but it'll have to wait until later in the morning."
"Later in the morning?" asked Ted. "But won't it take time for the College of Arms to assemble the pedigree?"
Narcissa shook her head, "Shan't take more than a few minutes. All they need is a drop of Harry's blood and with a wave of their wand the pedigree with assemble itself."
"Ah," said Ted, looking ashamed, "Something I'm still amazed at what can be done with magic."
-=aPBR=-
Updated September 25, 2014
