Chapter 21 - An Unforeseen Consequence

Harry pulled out a new set of soft, quilted blocks in bright prints, and settled down on the floor in the family parlor with Evan and Jamie to show his young son how they worked.

"See, me-lad, it's just like this," Harry said, demonstrating by putting one block on top of the other. Evan, seated behind Jamie for stability, the baby resting in the vee of his legs, gently grasped one of Jamie's hands and placed it on one of the blocks, showing him how to move it as Harry demonstrated.

Playing with Jamie had become a part of their routine when all three were home. Harry firmly believed in play as learning and bonding time, and each of the family rooms contained a stash of age-appropriate toys. Though the trio spent most of their time in the family parlor, family time also was found in Harry's office and in Jamie's suite of rooms.

Their play time this morning, however, was cut short-as they knew it would be-when the first of the unexpected/expected visitors arrived.

The "who," however, was a surprise.

Rissa appeared at the archway to the family parlor and announced, "Lord Lucius Malfoy."

As the aristocrat stepped into the cozy space, he looked keenly at the couple on the floor with the baby. "Harry. I hope you are well."

"And you, Lucius." Harry set the blocks down and rose, straightening his spine as he'd been taught by the main before him. "This is an unexpected pleasure."

"I thought perhaps you might be in need of counsel this morning, after I saw the unauthorized story in the Prophet," Lucius explained.

"Thank you." Harry turned. "May I present Mr. Evan Prince?"

Evan remained seated, holding Jamie. "Please, excuse my not standing. Jamie's a bit wobbly when he's playing."

"Of course," Lucius intoned.

"Evan, this is Lord Lucius Malfoy, my adviser and counsel." Harry gestured to the deep, soft, plum-colored sofa to his right. "Please, Lucius, have a seat."

"I will, then," Lucius answered, easing himself onto the sofa with grace. "Busy weekend, I take it?"

Harry seated himself opposite. "In fact, it was. Though I didn't expect that to be common knowledge this morning."

Lucius inclined his head. "I suspected as much. Further to your queries of a few weeks ago, I thought perhaps some preparations might be in order soon, but this was a surprise."

Harry shrugged. "Magic bonded us before we were ready to publicly bond. We'll do so on my birthday. It's a bit sooner than six months, but with the publicity there's no need to delay, as far as I can tell."

"None that I can see, either," Lucius agreed. "The backlash here can be minimal if you choose to control the information."

It was an old argument for the pair of them; Harry refused to work with the press and Lucius continued to press for an active partnership with them.

"In what way would you choose to control the information?" Evan asked, observing from his position on the floor.

"You could release a statement about the magical bonding taking you by surprise. It could be paired with a bit of a biography of you, Mr. Prince, to prepare the general public for the formal bonding. At any rate, there should be a response of some sort here," Lucius said.

"Please, call me Evan."

"Lucius."

Harry cleared his throat. "While normally I would ignore the press, Lucius, as you very well know, I think, perhaps, in this case, you might, possibly, have a point."

"Do my ears deceive me?" Lucius beamed slyly at his young protege. "Conceding I'm right?"

"I take it that's not usual?" Evan asked drily.

"Not at all," Lucius said. "Your young man can be extraordinarily stubborn about some things."

"I'm not surprised," Evan said, with a sly wink in Harry's direction.

"Now, gentlemen," Harry gestured, palms flat out. "I can certainly be reasonable. A short statement to the Prophet and the Quibbler is certainly in order."

"Shall I write something up, then?" Lucius asked. "I've got the experience for such things."

"You do," Harry said. "With my approval of course."

"Of course. So that means I need to know a bit about you, Mr. Prince." Lucius pulled out a parchment and quill.

Evan and Harry exchanged a look, and Harry nodded to him. Evan cleared his throat. "I'm an old childhood friend of Harry's mother. I looked in on him when his wife passed away, we had dinner to catch up, and magic drew us together. The bonding took us by surprise, but I'm very happy with it."

"As am I," Harry added.

"I see," Lucius looked up from the parchment. "And can you tell me a bit about your family and your work?"

"I'm the last of the Prince family. Severus Snape was my cousin, and it's through him that I met Lily Evans Potter. He also inspired me to become a potions master. I work in that capacity out of my cottage in Wales, fulfilling orders for St. Mungo's and for private clients," Evan explained.

Lucius' eyes sharpened at the mention of Severus Snape. "And your side on the war? That will be asked, with such a connection, and with your bonding to young Harry, here."

"I remained neutral," Evan said.

"That would have been a challenge in and of itself," Lucius commented. "Your cousin was Death Eater."

"And a spy." Harry interjected.

"I'm aware," Evan said. "He sheltered me from the worst of it, cautioned me against joining Voldemort. Or staying out of it altogether. I did my best."

"Where were you educated?"

"I was home-schooled, and took my OWLS and NEWTS through the Ministry."

Lucius finished his note-taking, then leaned forward, steepling his fingers under his chin. "There are holes in this story that I could ride a broom through."

"Well, that's blunt," Harry muttered. "Where, Lucius?"

"The Prince line had only one heir, Severus, who was disinherited when he acquired the Dark Mark. I'm not sure even he knew of that," Lucius explained, eyes razor-sharp on Evan's. "At that point, the Prince seat became dormant, until such time as a new heir was identified. I checked the lineage books before I came here today, and, to my astonishment, a new heir has been identified-Evan Emrys Prince. Why now, and not then? Because, clearly, the new heir didn't exist until recently. Care to clarify?"

Evan and Harry shared a long look, and only Jamie's babbling between them broke the silence. Evan gave a slight nod, and Harry raised his wand to cast privacy wards around the room in the event another visitor showed up before the conversation could be finished.

"Severus did not know that he'd been identified as an heir to the Prince estate and title," Evan said softly. "Nor that he'd been disinherited. Had he known, that hole you mention in the documentation would not now exist. I can only speculate that I've been now identified as the true heir because Severus only magically 'died' two days ago, when I was magically adopted and renamed."

Lucius sat back, a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. "You look very much like Severus. But you don't bear the Dark Mark?"

Evan hadn't thought of that. The Mark had faded with the death of Voldemort, leaving only a gray shadow on his skin that he rarely paid attention to. He sat back now, allowing Jamie to lean against one of his long legs as he rolled up his left sleeve and stared at his arm. Hard.

Not even the shadow adorned it.

"Huh." Harry moved to Evan to look at the arm, too. "Not a trace. Do you suppose?"

"Must be," Evan said. He rolled up his other sleeve, and left his forearms bared.

"With the magical adoption, the Mark disappeared entirely, as if you'd never worn it, and magic recognized you again as the Prince heir," Lucius explained. "We'll have to come up with a reason why magic recognized you now. That headline ensures I'm not the only one who will be looking toward the lineage books."

"Lucius," Harry said softly. "I hold you to your oath."

Lucius sat back as if slapped. "That's why I'm here, Harry. I knew there was more to this. I'm going to help you."

"What do you gain?" Evan asked quietly.

Lucius leaned forward again, looking into Evan's deep grey eyes. "Once, those eyes were black, and I trusted them with my son's life. I trusted the man who ran Slytherin house and kept its children safe even while under enormous pressure. I respected and admired the man who spied for the Light, so perfectly, that none knew he'd done it. I've missed that man these past five years. I thought him gone."

"He IS gone," Evan said firmly.

"And I would very much like to know that man who has taken his place as my young friend's bonded," Lucius said quietly. "Please."

Harry and Evan exchanged another long look, and Harry picked Jamie up. "It seems," Harry said, "we have more to do."

Evan stood up to pace in front of the fireplace while Harry set Jamie in his warded corner with his toys. "I did not want to be under your-or anyone else's-thumb, Lucius. I did not want this to be a means by which you could control me. I will not be anyone's tool, ever again."

Lucius stood, too, extending his right hand to Evan. "What help I offer, I do so out of my own free will, and expecting nothing in return. My oath on it."

Evan eyed him speculatively, then took Lucius' hand. "I accept your oath."

Light flashed, and it was done.

"Now that's out of the way," Harry said. "How do we explain the lineage thing without folks taking the same train of thought you did?"

"That's going to require some thought," Lucius admitted. "And perhaps some backdating of documentation. But I think your overall story will hold, if Evan is willing to file some paperwork."

"What kind of paperwork?" Evan asked.

"Asking that you be recognized and installed as the Prince heir. Your grandfather's will stated only that Severus would not be recognized as heir so long as he bore the Dark Mark. With your magical adoption, both your name-Severus-and your Dark Mark status were changed, so magic recognized you as heir. We could file paperwork tomorrow morning asking that you, Severus' cousin Evan, be recognized as heir. We can explain that you didn't know you could claim the heirship until recently, and once you recognized it, magic did the work."

Harry scoffed. "How flimsy is that?"

"You'd be surprised," Lucius said. "Magic has done stranger things. I think we can get away with this, since a blood test will still show you as a Prince descendant, though, perhaps, an illegitimate one."

"Illegitimacy would also help explain why the heirship didn't shift until the potential heir recognized the possibility, too," Harry speculated.

"Your adoptive magical parent could remain private under the lineage laws if we claim illegitimacy," Lucius explained to Evan. "Or, you could be Severus' illegitimate brother, hidden from view in the interests of protecting the Prince line." Lucius paused. "Actually, that might be better. You do look remarkably like Severus did, even with the new coloring and slightly altered facial structure."

"It helps, Lucius, that Evan Prince has existed on paper since the late 1970s," Harry added.

"Oh, good," Lucius said. "That was clever, friend. And creates much less work now."

"An illegitimate brother," Evan mused. "That would make more sense. My mother would never willingly bring another child into that household, if she could help it."

"And the information already out there about you, that you're Lily's childhood friend, also fits," Harry said. "Hidden in the neighborhood, perhaps, until you were taken in by a foster family and homeschooled."

"Much tighter," Lucius said approvingly.

An exasperated Rissa popped into the room. "Master Harry, Mrs. Weasley is here."

The sudden headache behind his eyes made Harry whimper slightly before he shook it off. "Neither of you heard that."

Lucius smirked. "I'll pretend I didn't, for your sake. Let me go and draw up what paperwork I can. I'll owl you a draft of the statement for the press, and we'll go from there." He paused, then looked each of them in the eye. "I'm on your side and in your corner."

"Thank you, Lucius," Harry said, picking Jamie up and handing him to Rissa.

"Yes, thanks, old friend," Evan said quietly.

"Anytime," Lucius replied, then picked up his cane and strode for the door.

"Rissa, please take Jamie to his room and ward it," Harry requested. "I don't want him to hear the yelling."

"Yes, Master Harry."

"And let Tibby know he can show the Weasleys in."