Chapter Nine
Becoming a Lord
When Remus and Snuffles arrived, Griphook was waiting for them in the foyer, his permanently pinched looking face even more severe in appearance as he greeted them.
"If you'll both follow me please." He said, and headed off towards the boardroom where Harry, Hermione, and Lucius were waiting with Ragnok.
As soon as the door shut behind the Marauders Sirius changed back to his human form and eyed Lucius with distaste before pulling Harry into a hug, turning his body slightly to keep himself between the Death Eater and his godson.
"Prongslet, I can actually feel our bond. What happened?"
Harry pulled back and grinned at his godfather before motioning for him and Remus to sit.
"It's good to see you too, Pads, Moony."
He sobered quickly as he retook his seat next to Hermione, who Remus had been staring at.
She smiled at the two Marauders, as she greeted them, "Hello Sirius, Professor."
Remus shook his head at the girl and smiled.
"It's Remus or Moony, Hermione. I'm not your professor anymore."
"Old habits die hard sir."
He shook his head again, knowing full well she continued to use the title to establish him to others as something more than his shabby appearance would suggest.
"Kitten, I understand you being here but what is he doing here?" Sirius pointedly looked at Lucius as he asked the question.
"Adhara, why is he calling you kitten?" Lucius asked with no small amount of disgust.
Adhara laid a hand on her father's arm to calm him as she gently explained, "Papa he isn't being derogatory. It's his nickname for me, just like he calls Harry, Prongslet or pup, and we call him Padfoot."
"Ad… Adhara? ADHARA!" Sirius shouted, standing so fast his chair slid back.
She was on her feet in an instant, facing him head on.
"Sirius Orion Black you sit down this instant and allow me to explain before you stick your foot in your mouth as you are so prone to do. Don't play a game where you don't know all the rules, cousin," She said the familial term with such derision that he immediately shut his mouth and looked hurt.
Remus yanked him back onto a chair with a warning growl. Moony was not happy with this revelation but his pack mate making a scene was even more bothersome to the wolf within.
"But…. But the Malfoys are…. are known to be…." Sirius stuttered only for Harry to cut him off.
"So are the Blacks," Harry reminded.
He had never used such a harsh tone with his godfather before, and Sirius just stared at him, the truth of his statement making Sirius look further chastised as he shrank back. Harry glared at the older man for a moment before pushing a piece of parchment forward. Hermione did the same and the two older wizards read each in silence, seamlessly switching off without a word or a look.
When both men had read the copies of the children's Inheritance Tests, Remus's eyes glowed amber, his wolf growling in his mindscape at the mistreatment of his pups. Albus Dumbledore had lied to them all and Moony was salivating at the chance to rip him apart.
Sirius sat at the table grinding his teeth, his fists clenched in rage as fire burned in his grey eyes. He had no qualms about taking up his rightful place in the family now. He would see Albus Dumbledore burn and enjoy every fucking moment of the old man's agony. Lucius, Adhara, and Harry watched the two men in silence, all three familiar with the rage currently on both faces. Adhara finally broke the silence, choosing to calm the werewolf first.
"Moony," She crooned softly, making the bright amber eyes snap to her face. "Moony, I know you're angry and you have every right to be. He messed with our family and there will be a time for this anger later. For now, we need Remus back with us but don't go too far so you can discuss a way to move forward with Remus after you go home tonight. Please Alpha, trust my instincts like you have before."
Her intentional use of his station as head of their little pack shocked Lucius, not knowing that it was possible to communicate with the wolf as she was doing now, nor that a pack dynamic could exist without each member being a werewolf. He watched in awe as the amber in Remus Lupin's eyes dimmed until it was gone and the normal forest green of his eyes was clear. They shone with gratitude at the young girl who both Moony and Remus trusted without question. She had made the effort to help Remus accept his wolf and show them that harmony was possible, and Moony respected her for taking that time as no one else had. She was his Beta and he trusted her word implicitly.
Sirius relaxed as Hermione talked the wolf down, his shoulders no longer tense and his hands flat on the table.
"Now you're caught up to where we are, I've arranged for you both to come to Malfoy Manor after we're finished here so that we can discuss our plans moving forward. Professors McGonagall and Snape will also be there and I expect you both to treat Uncle Severus with respect," she said, looking wholly at Sirius as she spoke. "Whatever petty reason you have deemed as valid in order to keep your schoolyard bullying tactics usable on Severus Snape is null and void. Your feud with him ends tonight. You're grown men and I expect you to act like it. Are we in agreement?"
Sirius glared at her before playfully snapping his teeth, "Yes, kitten."
"Good. Now, let's get some titles accepted and go home. I am starving and mother is probably worried sick wondering what's gone on here today."
Ragnok produced five boxes from under the chair next to him and set them atop the table. Each had the family crest of their respective houses ornately engraved on the top with the banner colors decorating the sides.
"Master Potter, we shall start with you since you have four Lordships to accept. Decide the order in which you want the house names to be and that will be the order you accept the Lordships."
Harry thought for a moment before stating, "Slytherin, Gryffindor, Peverell and then Potter."
Ragnok opened the green and silver box that was adorned with the familiar Serpent crest from school. There were three rings inside the box, each labeled clearly for the Lord, Lady, and Heir of the house. Harry picked up the Lord's ring, a thick silver band with a raised snake coiled around it with a large fire emerald set within a dragon's claw. Engraved around the outer part of the band was, Non ducor duco, I am not led; I lead.
Once the boy had finished examining the ancient ring, Lucius moved to stand next to Harry and walk him through the process of title acceptance.
"Slide this onto the middle finger of your right hand, Mister Potter. Once it has been resized to your finger, you must state the following: 'I, Harrison James Potter, hereby claim Lordship over the Most Ancient and Noble House of Slytherin, though the right of conquest.'"
Harry repeated the phrase, stumbling in the beginning with nerves. As he spoke the final word, the magic of the ring hummed through his veins, weaving itself into his core. Heating to a luminescent silver, the right of Familial Magic passed into him, accepting him in turn as the new Master of Slytherin's line.
Following the order he had selected, Harry proceeded with the ring for Gryffindor. Similar in size and craftsmanship to Slytherin's, the Gryffindor ring showcased a substantial sized pigeon blood ruby, clasped within the gold jaw of a lion. And where the motto for Slyherin was engraved on the outer band, Gryffindor had elected to engrave, Si vis pacem, para bellum, inside the band.
If you want peace, prepare for war.
"Now, the claiming oath of this and your other two titles will be different with you earning the titles by right of birth. Again if you would, repeat after me, 'I, Harrison James Potter, claim Lordship of The Most Ancient and Noble House of Gryffindor which is mine by right of birth.'"
Sliding the ring into place opposite the house of Slytherin, he repeated the oath and once more felt the hum of magic and rather warmth of the heating gold.
Next came the Peverell ring, an all black ring with an onyx center stone and sharp geometric pattern, that predated the styles of Art Deco by nearly a millennia. Reading the Latin inscription, 'Death is certain, the hour uncertain,' gave Harry pause. Dumbledore had been trying to force the hour of Harry's death to a time that suited him. The man had been playing God, and he disliked that he had essentially been raised as little more than a lamb for slaughter. That thought made him equal parts disgusted and enraged. Harry took a deep breath before sliding the ring on his right middle finger to join the Slytherin House ring.
Upon repeating the words Lucius had instructed him with again, the two rings began to shift, the geometric pattern of the Peverell ring surrounding the emerald of Slytherin, as the onyx stone split and became the eyes of the serpent on the band. It created a striking and threatening effect that drew the eye in.
"What if I need a specific house ring to show?" Harry asked, confused by the magic that blended the family rings together.
Lucius, not knowing the answer, looked to Ragnok for explanation.
"If you want to have only one ring show, push some of the family magic for the chosen house into your ring and that house will be the only one visible," the goblin stated as though it was an obvious solution.
Harry nodded in thanks at Ragnok's explanation before reaching for the Potter ring. While not as ornate as the other three, there was an added beauty with its simplicity. The gold band was almost entirely unadorned, save for the filigree at the top surrounding a large emerald cut ruby and the four small diamonds flanking the center stone. With a continued trend of understatement, the ring was plainly engraved with neat, unfussy letters, virtute fortuna comes, fortune is the companion of virtue
Harry paused for a moment, his hand shaking as he looked at the ring last worn by his father. He looked over at Sirius and Remus, their eyes reflecting his own emotions.
"He would be so proud of you Prongslet," Sirius murmured, laying a hand on his godson's shoulder. "They both would."
Harry took a deep breath and with no small amount of emotion accepted his final lordship, speaking more clearly and confidently than he had with the previous three, "I, Harrison James Potter, claim Lordship of The Ancient and Noble House of Potter, which is mine by right of birth."
There was a flare of gold as he slid the ring in place on his left middle finger, where the two rings melded together beautifully. Sirius squeezed his shoulder once before pulling his hand away and reaching for the black box on the table that held his own Lordship ring and Harry's Heir ring.
Sirius slowly opened the box, staring at the jewelry held within for a moment before cocking his head to the side in thought, "Ragnok, can there be two other Heir rings crafted for the House of Black?"
Ragnok's brow furrowed at the question.
"I believe in certain cases of twins that more than one Heir ring has been made, however I cannot think of a time when three were required. Why do you ask?"
"Harry is my godson and Heir by choice. However, Hermione and Draco have a claim by blood, and I wish to name all three joint Heirs to the family vaults and properties."
Lucius looked at his wife's cousin in shock. He had expected Black to want to include Adhara as an Heir, but his willingness to include Draco as well was wholly unexpected.
"Who would claim the title of Lord Black once you passed Sirius?" Lucius asked, always the pragmatist.
Harry jumped in quickly, "I'm out! I have more than enough to keep me busy. Draco, Hermione, you two can figure it out."
"I will talk to Draco about it when we get back to school," Adhara said, and the rest of the room nodded.
"I shall have our smiths create the other two rings. Shall we schedule for the children's holiday break to finalize things with House Black?"
"Yes," Sirius stated, and picked up his ring. "I, Sirius Orion Black, reclaim the title as head of The Ancient and Noble House of Black, which was mine by right of birth."
He slid the ring onto his right ring finger and shut the box.
"Ragnok, I would like a full accounting of all my vaults and the withdrawals that have been made since my parent's death. Any recurring withdrawals currently approved by Albus Dumbledore are to stop immediately and his access is to be revoked. I would also like to know what happened to my parents' Last Will and Testament," Harry requested, doing his best to sound calm and in control.
Ragnok looked fearfully amused at Harry's request.
"I shall have the account managers for each house audit everything by our next appointment. Would you like to keep them all separate or put one manager in charge of everything?"
"Keep them separate until the holidays. After we've gone over each House's accounts and holdings I'll consider having one account manager for it all."
"As you wish… Lord Potter."
Hermione slipped her hand into Harry's, squeezing it once. He looked down and smiled at her. She smiled back before looking at her father and the two Marauders.
"Well gentlemen, I think our business for today is concluded and I, for one, am starving."
Harry snickered as Moony and Padfoot grinned. Lucius smirked before saying,
"Well we can't let the Princess starve. Let's head home, I'm sure your mother is going crazy wondering what has taken so long. Ragnok, may we use your floo?"
"Of course Lord Malfoy. I look forward to seeing you all during the holidays."
The group made their way back to Ragnok's office where he opened the floo for them.
"Thank you Ragnok, you've been a wonderful help this last week. I look forward to working with you again soon." Hermione bowed slightly to the Goblin Chieftain in gratitude and smiled at him.
He grinned and bowed back at the young witch.
"Hermione, it's been my pleasure. You have shown kindness and respect to myself and my kin and have earned more than a fledgling trust. I look forward to seeing you during the holidays."
Hermione pulled Harry into the fireplace with her and whirled away, her cheeky grin the only indication of her knowledge of the tension between the three wizards still in the office.
"Black, Lupin, please go through," Lucius said, breaking the rising tension with a gallant wave towards the fireplace.
The Marauders eyed the blonde aristocrat with suspicion but walked into the fireplace one at a time and called out their destination. Lucius nodded at Ragnok before stepping into the fireplace and throwing down his floo powder to go home. He still had a long dinner to endure and host, and he needed a glass of Firewhisky before the meal started, maybe two.
A couple of notes.
1. I have messed with the Year 5 timeline. Harry's Occlumency lessons began at the start of September for the purposes of this work,
2. Sirius calling Harry 'Prongslet' is intentional. I am in no way referring to Sirius as 'Prongs'. The nickname is homage to James and is something I can hear James himself calling Harry and it just sticking when the boys come around and hear it.