Now I know I promised to have a new chapter out yesterday but I have the best reason for not doing so. I spent the day at the WB Harry Potter Studios just outside of London. It was amazing. First time I had been and I loved every second. If you haven't gone yet... GO!
Here is the chapter I promised!
Harry stepped through the floo into Grimmauld Place and looked around with a heavy sigh.
It was the first time he had been back to Grimmauld Place since Sirius' death and it made the loss of Sirius all the more real once again. Being at Hogwarts had been a good distraction, but knowing that he wasn't about to enter the room and give him a big hug hurt more than he could express.
He felt Remus' hand on his shoulder as he too passed through the floo.
'It gets easier.' He said, noticing the young man's body language. Harry didn't respond.
'And don't worry about Molly. She didn't mean it. You know how she gets sometimes.' He added as Harry sighed deeply.
They had just left the Burrow and Mrs. Weasley had not taken Harry's plans very well.
- flashback -
The train ride back to London had been pretty uneventful. Ron had left their compartment to go and be with Lavender doing, who knows what, so Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna sat and chatted together. Hermione thought that Luna and Neville were the cutest couple she had ever seen. Luna had leant against Neville the whole ride home and he hadn't moved once, such was his contentment. Ginny had come by, but as soon as she saw Hermione, she turned red and stormed off. That hadn't bode well to Harry for his stay at the Weasley's.
Harry had written ahead of time to Remus to let him know that he was going to join him at Grimmauld Place for the first few days, before spending Christmas and New years with the Weasley's. They had continued to keep up their correspondence, always using the marauders trick to hide their messages. He had asked Remus to meet him at the platform to help him with the Weasley's, to which the werewolf happily agreed.
After a round of hugs and goodbyes to friends and Hermione, Harry joined Mrs Weasley, Ron, Ginny and Remus and set off to the Burrow. Mrs Weasley kept shooting suspicious looks towards Remus who simply smiled back at her. Mr Weasley was still at the ministry and everyone else would be joining later for dinner.
It was when they got back to the Burrow that the arguments started almost straight away.
Ginny made a big fuss when she was told that Fleur would be staying in her room when her and Bill arrived in a few days. She pouted and moaned and when saw Harry looking at her like she was two years old, Hermione's words came rushing back to her and she burst into tears and ran upstairs. Molly looked completely bewildered at her youngest's behaviour and stammered an apology to Harry and Remus.
Her tone changed, however, once she told Harry that he would be sharing his normal room with Ron.
'Actually Mrs. Weasley, for the first few days of the holidays I will be staying at Grimmauld Place with Remus.'
Molly had looked even more shocked by that comment then she had about Ginny's behaviour.
'I'm sorry but that's just not possible. The Headmaster said that you would be staying with us for Christmas Harry dear.'
She turned to leave as if that had ended the conversation. Ron looked at Harry as if to say "good luck" and went up the stairs to drop off his things.
'I will be spending Christmas with you Mrs. Weasley, but as I said I will be spending the first few days at Grimmauld Place with Remus.' He said again, this time with more authority in his voice.
She turned around and gave him a look full of sympathy.
'I understand that you want to be near a place that reminds you of Sirius at this time Harry, but unfortunately I cannot allow you to do that.'
Harry sighed deeply. He knew this wasn't going to be easy and he was glad that Remus was letting him handle it, but Molly's stubbornness never ceased to amaze him.
'Mrs Weasley, while I appreciate the fact that you are just trying to look out for me. The fact is that I WILL be staying at Grimmauld Place for the next few days.' He said strongly, willing Mrs Weasley to listen and not cause a problem, but he knew it wasn't going to work.
Her face changed from sympathy to annoyance. 'Harry Potter, stop this at once. You are not an adult and therefore cannot decide where you want to stay. The Headmaster has made it clear you are to spend the Christmas holidays with us and that is what is going to happen.' she then turned her eye onto Remus, 'And you Remus, I expected better from you. It is not good for you to encourage this type of behaviour, he is still only a boy.' She finished with disappointment.
'Mrs Weasley, I am emancipated. In the eyes of the law I am an adult. And as such I am letting you know that I am very much looking forward to spending Christmas and New years together at your home. But for the next few days, I will be at MY home.' He stated firmly, hopefully emphasizing his point enough for her to finally understand.
'Emancipated!' She all but shrieked, 'But how is that -' and then it dawned her. With wide eyes she began to yell, 'That Sirius Black! He was always irresponsible, how could he be so-'
'MOLLY!' Remus shouted loudly. 'I beg of you, do not finish that sentence.'
Molly had begun ranting and not really looking at anything in particular. When she had heard Remus shout she turned and what she saw frightened her. There staring back at her was a very angry werewolf and a teenage boy whose eyes were burning with a fury she did not think possible. She realised she had gone too far, but before she got a chance to say another word Harry had turned on his heel and disappeared through the floo.
'Oh Remus! I didn't- I didn't think- I'm so sorry!' she said through some tears. 'Will he be okay? Will he forgive me?'
'He'll be alright, just give him some time.' He responded with a disappointed sigh. 'I'll let you know about Christmas.' and with that he turned and left a broken Molly Weasley alone in her living room.
- end flashback -
'But that's the problem Remus. I know how she gets, and I'm tired of it. I appreciate all that she has done for me but I hate how controlling she is. I'm not sure I want to stay at the Burrow now. I might just go for Christmas day and then come back.' Harry said, a bit morosely.,
'Don't make any decisions now.' Remus offered gently. 'See how you go over the next few days and then we can figure out what you want to do. In the meantime, why don't you go and choose a bedroom and I'll get dinner sorted.' Harry nodded and left to find a place to settle in.
He initially thought about sleeping in the same room that he and Ron had shared previously, but that didn't feel right. He wasn't a guest anymore, he was the owner of the house and should therefore have his own bedroom.
He went to the family floor of the house and had a choice to make. There was too much of Sirius' parents in the main bedroom that it made him uncomfortable. He would need to burn everything in there and buy his own things before he could use the main bedroom. Instead he decided to sleep in Sirius' old room. It made him feel closer to his Godfather, despite the pain in his heart. He enjoyed looking around the room, the blatant obvious Gryffindor pride that practically assaulted his eyes brought him bittersweet comfort. Sirius's defiance of his family gave a source of pride and inspiration to the young man who bore so much on his shoulders.
He put his things down and sat on the bed and let some fresh tears fall.
Once he regained his composure he started to walk back down the stairs to have dinner with Remus, but bumped into Kreacher, who was as polite as always.
'Nasty blood traitor master, despoiling Misses house.'
Harry wanted to snap at the elf, but decided against it. He knew that Sirius had horrible memories of the elf, but even Harry had found the way Sirius spoke to him a bit off putting.
'Kreacher, I am the new Head of House Black and it is my intention of bringing this house back to its former glory.' He said as formally, yet kindly as he could.
Kreacher looked at him sceptically as Harry continued, 'I know that you are a trusted servant of House Black and I thank you for your services.' He was hoping that opting for flattery towards House Black might make life easier at Grimmauld. 'Mr Lupin explained that you helped keep that thief from stealing House Black's possessions and for that, again, I am thankful. You have done House Black Proud.'
Harry could tell that his words were having an effect, as the elf stood a little taller and seemed ever so slightly less surly.
'Nasty thief trying to steal missesses things. Kreacher could not let him.' The decrepit elf said proudly.
'Yes well done Kreacher. I want you to continue to look after this house and stop all those who might try to take something of House Black. I want you to also listen in to the conversations of those in this house and if anyone speaks ill of House Black or of its Master, you are to come and tell me at once. Finally, you must work on making this house liveable for more people. I aim to have more people from the House Black living here soon. Can you do that?'
Kreacher really perked up at this last statement and nodded that he understood. 'Yes half-blood master. Kreacher can do that. Kreacher will be honoured to wash away the filth of blood traitors and mudbloods from these walls and regain the glory of House Black' and with that he popped away.
'Well, better than nothing I suppose.' Harry mumbled and made his way into the kitchen. He was going to ask him about the grimoire, but decided to take it one step at a time.
Harry and Remus settled down into a rather subdued dinner. Both had things they wanted to discuss, but neither much felt like it tonight. In the end they decided to have a couple of glasses of firewhiskey and swap some stories about Sirius. They had a few laughs and few tears before wishing each other well and going to bed.
The next morning Harry woke feeling much better, the conversation with Remus proving to be very therapeutic. After breakfast he decided it would be best if he tried to get his hand on the grimoire. Remus had so far been unable to find it, but he had the suspicion that it was in the study on the second floor. The room had been magically locked since the order first entered the house and no one had been able to open it. Sirius had always seemed to know what was in there and refused to open it, telling everyone "it was better to be left unopened."
'Kreacher.' Harry called.
And with a pop he arrived in the kitchen. 'Half-blood master calls Kreacher.' Clearly the talk the night before had worked more than he had thought.
'I am looking for the Black Family grimoire. I wish to bring more control to House Black and need it to do so. Do you know where it is?' Harry figured if he kept phrasing things in such a way to honour House Black then Kreacher might be more inclined to be less aggressive.
'Yes Half-blood master, follow Kreacher.' Remus and Harry followed the aging elf and as Remus had suggested he led them to the door.
'It is in there, half-blood master. Room was sealed by Master Black many years ago, only the Head of House may open it. Misses Black was not happy when she could not open it. Punished Kreacher for not being able to break the spells on the door. Kreacher was a bad elf for not being able to get in.' He said in a manner very similar to Dobby when he was about to injure himself.
'So it will only open for the Head of House?' Harry said thoughtfully. 'What do you think, Remus? How is that possible?'
Remus thought for a moment before replying, 'Magic is a truly wonderful thing Harry, while we understand large parts of it, there are many aspects of it that are still a mystery to us. Plus, many families have held onto their secrets for hundreds of years. The Black's are one such family. They have always been a secretive bunch. I can make a guess that this door is magically tied to the Head of House and that the will Sirius created, likewise. How they did this? I cannot say.'
'Well here it goes.' Harry said and reached towards the door. To his surprise the door opened easily enough to his touch and he walked in.
'Half-blood master is truly Head of House Black. Kreacher is pleased to have a true master again.' Kreacher spoke with a reverence in his voice that neither Harry or Remus had ever heard before.
Inside the room was an impressive study. The walls were covered in bookshelves and directly in front of Harry was a large oak desk with a high backed chair pushed in. The table had various quill pots and quills and a stack of empty parchment on it. Behind the desk was a large fireplace and above it sat a portrait of a surly looking old man. He looked to Harry what Sirius would have looked like if he had lived that long.
'Who are you boy, that you are entering my study? Where is my grandson Sirius? He is the only one able to open this door as Head of my House!' came the booming and gruff voice of the portrait.
'My name is Harry Potter sir, Sirius is dead. He has made me his heir.'
Harry said, walking further into the room while Remus and Kreacher remained at the door.
'So he has died in that godforsaken prison then. What a waste, the boy had so much potential.' The portrait said sadly.
'He managed to escape Azkaban.' Harry replied. 'He died only a few months ago fighting the Dark Lord Voldemort and his followers in the Ministry of Magic. He died protecting me.' Harry said, doing his best to keep his emotions even by using his occlumency, but even then he choked up a little.
'I can see that you cared for him and clearly he for you. You must be James Potter's boy then, I am Arcturus Black, the last Head of House Black, it seems we have much to discuss. Come, sit and tell me everything.' The portrait said and gestured to the chair. 'Leave us.' he said to the door. Harry turned to look at Remus who looked to him to make sure he was okay. Harry nodded and so Remus closed the door and left Harry alone with the portrait.
For the next hour Harry explained everything that was going on in the magical world at the moment, Sirius' escape, death and now Harry being made the Head of House Black.
Arcturus sighed at the end of his story and shook his head. 'So the half-blood pretender is back. Why my family decided to follow his nonsense, I will never know.'
'You know he is a half-blood? You didn't support him?' Harry asked surprised.
'Of course I knew! I knew the boy Tom Riddle and I saw what he became. While I may have agreed with some of his ideals, much of it was just an excuse to be violent and cruel and I would not stand for that. However, my family were much more extreme in their views and followed him willingly. All except Sirius. He thought for himself and could see the folly in all the violence. He may have been reckless, impetuous and a pain in my arse, but he was smarter than the rest of that lot. It was why I made him my heir instead of anyone else in the family. I made this portrait for him. Most heirs of House Black are trained to take on the mantle of their responsibilities. Sirius never got that chance after he was kicked out by his hag of a mother. Once I heard he had ended up in prison, for a crime I never believed him capable of, I made this portrait and locked down the room in the hope he would come back one day and restore some honour to House Black. I am disappointed he never came to see me.'
'He came back from Azkaban with many demons. I don't think he was able to confront many of the ones from his past' Harry explained softly.
Arcturus just sighed and shook his head. 'So what is your role in all of this then young Potter? Why are you so involved in this fight?'
Harry hesitated for a moment, unsure of how much to tell the portrait in front of him. Arcturus saw the hesitation and mistrust in Harry's eyes and sought to calm him.
'Fear not young Potter, this is the only Portrait I have and I was created for the sole purpose of helping the Head of House Black, so let me ask again. What is your role in all this? I will do whatever it is in my power to aid you in your goals.'
Harry contemplated the portrait for a few seconds before deciding to trust him. He then spent the next hour explaining about the prophecy, about his meetings with Dumbledore and all the work he was doing in the room with Hermione, Malfoy and Parkinson.
'Gryffindors and Slytherins working together. I am pleased to see this. My sister was a Slytherin, as was I, but she married a Gryffindor. A Potter in fact.' He said, his eyes showing a hint of amusement.
'Wait? What? Which Potter?' Harry asked bewildered.
'Your grandfather in fact, Charlus Potter, my dear sister Dorea Black married him straight after school. Charlus and I were great friends despite the Houses and I was most pleased when he married my sister.'
'So that means I also have Black blood in me?' Harry asked.
'Indeed you do. Sirius made a good choice to have you as his heir. It also pleases me to hear that there is another son of House Black working with you. I hope that once Narcissa is brought here safely I will get to see Draco again. He was only a baby when I made this portrait.' He then suddenly looked a bit sad.
'What is it?' Harry asked.
'Narcissa. She was always such a smart, brilliant and capable young witch. I had made the decision that I would not interfere too much in my children's lives and this unfortunately led to many troubles. My sons married women who wanted nothing more than power and prestige and my sons were weak willed. Narcissa and Bellatrix were married off for status, only Andromeda was able to get out. It is a daily regret that I let things get so bad. It was another reason why I made this portrait, to fix the mistakes of my past. I do hope you can get Narcissa here, I would like to speak to her and apologise. Now, how can I help, you clearly came here for a reason.'
'I was looking for the grimoire. I need to take control of the wards before I am able to keep Mrs Malfoy safe.'
'It is located in the third draw on the right of the desk. I will walk you through how to take full control of the wards. It would also be good of you to spend some time here over the rest of these holidays. I can teach you much you may need to service this upcoming confrontation. I do not wish to see my family line die out, so I will do all I can to help you.'
'Thank you Arcturus.' Harry replied sincerely. He turned and took the grimoire out of the desk and began to read through it. 'There is so much in this, debts, promises, secrets, spells and so much more.'
'Yes Harry, each Head of House has added to this book for centuries.'
'Some of these spells I have never seen before. Can I take this with me to Hogwrats so I can learn them all?' He asked hopefully.
'I do not think that would be wise. It is better for this book to stay here where it cannot be seen by others. However, during my life I decided to make a separate book for the most effective spells we as a family have used over the years. It is in the draw above where you found the grimoire. It is a diary and so will be easily carried around with you. I have also placed a family blood spell on the book so it can only be read by those with Black blood in them.'
Harry found the book and despite a small shiver of dejavu as he remembered the last time he held a magical diary, Harry took it from the desk and opened it.
'Its empty.' He said simply.
'Prick your finger and let a drop of your blood fall onto it. With the blood of your grandmother in you, as well as Sirius making you his heir you will be able to read it.'
And so Harry pricked his finger with a pen he found in one of the drawers and let his blood fall on the first page. The blood was absorbed and suddenly spells appeared on the page. Arcturus was clearly a meticulous man, he had separated out the spells into alphabetical order and placed little hints for each one, including a difficulty scale of some of the spells as well as which spells would work best in a chain as their casting movements flowed well into each other. There was a spell that conjured a murder of crows with steel sharp beaks that would swam an enemy until called off, a spell that created a thick black smoke that when wrapped around an opponent would cause them to experience their greatest fear, as well as spell that caused the bones of an opponent to splinter outwards causing them to pierce the body from the inside and the opponent would bleed to death internally. There were also spells about how to track an opponent without being seen, how to dissolution oneself, how to bind someone to a secret when they refuse to take a vow and many more. While some of the spells made Harry feel a bit uneasy, he knew that many of them would come in very handy in the battles to come.
'Thank you Arcturus. This will be most helpful. May I share them with my allies?' Harry asked.
'As Head of House it is for you to choose to whom you share these spells, but Harry, a word of caution. The more people who know of these spells the more likely they are to be countered and it will mean the loss of a great advantage in battle. Many of these spells helped me fight and defeat many of Grindelwald's followers during that terrible war. I would ask that instead you only share them with those under the vow with you.'
Harry nodded, it made sense and he would honour the request of Arcturus.
'Thank you Harry. Now, let us help you take control of the wards.'
'With that, I have been thinking that while I want to take full control of my house, I am not yet ready to take this place fully from the control of Dumbledore and the Order. I do not want Dumbledore to have a reason to look more closely at what I am doing. Is there a way that I can control the house, but leave him as secret keeper?'
Arcturus pondered on this for a moment before nodding. 'Yes, that will be possible. What you will need to do is go to the ward stone of the house. It is located in the basement in the back right hand corner. You will see the symbol of House Black, a Black Crow, etched into the stone. Let a small drop of your blood fall on the crow and it will reveal the ward stone below. Once available to you, you will need to place one hand on the stone and with the other, you must utter the words found in the grimoire, however, before you utter the House Motto, say "The secret of this house, that lies in the soul of Albus Dumbledore can remain there until I, as Head of House Black, call it home." and it should provide you with what you wish. When you decide to take full control of the secret, you will not need to come back here, you will just need to call on your magic as the Head of House Black and command the secret to come home to you. All those who had been given the secret by Dumbeldore will no longer have the knowledge in their heads. You will be the only one who will be able to let people know where this manor is.'
'Thank you Arcturus. You have been incredibly helpful. If you don't mind I would like to do that now.' Harry said, eager to begin and happy that this morning had gone far better than he had imagined.
'It is my pleasure to serve Harry. I can see that you are exactly what my House needs. Come and see me anytime, I look forward to seeing you restore this house to what is once was.'
And with that Harry left the room. Grimoire under one arm and the diary under the other. He checked in on Remus who was in the library reading.
'Everything go alright Harry?' He asked when he saw Harry enter the room.
'Went really well. Got much more than I expected. Turns out my grandmother was a Black and was the sister to Arcturus, the portrait in there. He gave me this diary full of spells and the Grimiore here so I can take control of the wards. Would you like to come with me while I do that?'
'Absolutely!'
They descended to the basement and Harry called for Kreacher. He thought it would be good for the elf to witness this as a way to prove he was true to his word about protecting the house. He found the page in the grimoire Arcturus had spoken about, cut his hand and let the blood fall on the crow. Once the ward stone appeared, Harry placed his left hand on it and pointed his wand towards it as well. He then spoke, reading from the grimoire. 'I, Harry Potter, the Head of House Black, do hereby call on the magic of the House Black to recognise and respond to my call. This house that holds the secrets and histories of the Noble family of Black is in need of my protection. Bind these wards to my soul, bind these walls to my body, bind these secrets to my heart. I will honour and protect them all with my life, let them reside in me. The secret of this house, that lies in the soul of Albus Dumbledore can remain there until I, as Head of House Black, call it home. Toujours Pur.' When Harry finished speaking he felt a rush of magic leave his wand, while a rush of magic entered his body through his left hand. As this happened he suddenly became aware of the wards over the house and he could suddenly name all those who had access to his house. Instinctively he knew what to do and said aloud 'I, as Head of House Black, do hereby revoke the ability of one Mundungus Fletcher from entering this home.' Another rush of magic left his body and he knew it was done.
'How do you feel Harry?' Remus asked, his voice full of concern. He had seen the flashes of magic occurring and wanted to make sure Harry was okay. Blood magic wasn't something that came without a cost.
'I'm fine, just tired and a bit hungry now.' Harry said quietly as he gathered himself.
'Half-blood master is good for getting rid of nasty thief, Kreacher will make food so half-blood master can recover his strength.' and he popped away.
'Never thought I would see it.' Remus chuckled, 'Whatever you have done in the past two days have changed that elf. He might actually be somewhat tolerable to be around soon.'
Harry gave a small laugh. 'I need to return the Grimoire and then I would like to talk to you about Snape.