Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and would never dream of making any money off it. It all belongs solely to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Three – Re-Meetings
By Shadow of the Blue Moon
Five days later, Harry emerged from his trunk feeling happy. So far, his past week had been rather tedious, because he'd been studying for most of the day – he'd changed his schedule to studying Hogwarts materials in the mornings and other things in the afternoons – but finally, he had managed to learn enough to solve one of his dilemmas. That was re-introducing himself through letters to the Heads of Houses Longbottom, Bones, Greengrass and Black, as well as getting himself introduced to his betrothed.
Finally, after a bit of research – talking to people like Tom and Stoneclaw – he now knew who the Heads of each of the Houses were. The rightful Head of House Longbottom was currently unable to attend to his duties, so his widowed mother, Dowager Lady Augusta Longbottom, was the current Head and Regent. That was because Lord Franklin and Lady Alice Longbottom were apparently in St. Mungo's and their Heir, Neville Longbottom, was the same age as Harry – merely a day older – so he was not yet of age.
The rightful Head of the Noble and Ancient House of Bones was Susan Bones, as the last remaining member of the 'main' Bones line, but she, too, was the same age as Harry and not yet of age. Therefore, her aunt and closest relative, Amelia Bones, was the current Head and Regent of the House of Bones. The title 'Regent' meant, as Harry learnt, that Amelia Bones was merely standing in for her niece until her niece was either of-age or was emancipated earlier due to something life-changing happening.
The Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Greengrass was still Lord Cygnus Greengrass, as it had been ten years earlier. He was also the father of Harry's betrothed, Miss Daphne Greengrass, so Harry knew that he would have to be especially careful with that letter. Surprisingly, his House was the only one of all four Houses that were allied with the House of Potter that was 'complete', with a Lord, Lady and children. However, Harry knew that the 'problem' was that he didn't have any male Heirs.
Last was the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. According to Stoneclaw, Sirius Black was currently residing in Azkaban, the wizard prison, and wasn't allowed any visitors not on official business. Stoneclaw also informed Harry that Albus Dumbledore was currently the Black proxy, though it was an illegal position. That was because Sirius Black had never named Dumbledore as his proxy, and there were members alive and free that were more closely related to the Blacks than Dumbledore, such as Narcissa Malfoy.
As Harry had no desire to speak to or have any contact with Dumbledore, he decided to scratch 'Contact the Head of the House of Black' off his to-do list. He had decided that he would have no contact with Dumbledore until absolutely necessary, so the alliance would be 'suspended' for now, as Sirius Black was in Azkaban for life. By now, he had finished his letters to Regents Augusta Longbottom and Amelia Bones, but was still in the middle of writing to Lord Cygnus Greengrass.
Lord Greengrass' letter, for Harry, was the most difficult to write out of the three. That was because the letter required him to basically say 'I'm the representative and sole remaining member of an allied House, and I'd like to re-introduce me even though you haven't seen me for a decade', as well as 'I'm your eldest daughter and Heiress' betrothed, as we're betrothed through an ancient contract, and I'd like to re-introduce myself to you and your eldest daughter, my betrothed'. But finally, he was finished.
"Hedwig," Harry called, and she quickly flew from her perch to sit on Harry's arm. "Help me take these three letters, please. The one on your left leg is for Lady Amelia Bones, at Bones Manor. The one at the top of your right leg is for Lord Cygnus Greengrass, at Greengrass Manor, and the one at the 'bottom' of your right leg is for Dowager Lady Augusta Longbottom, who lives at Longbottom Manor. Got that?" Harry took her 'hoot' as a 'yes', so fastened the letters onto her legs before letting her fly out of the window.
.
.
The next day was July 31st, Harry's eleventh birthday. As it was his eleventh birthday today, he would be allowed to take up his Headship for the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter today. He didn't know whether or not he would be allowed to have a certified copy of his parents' will to look over in his spare time, but he still had to go to Gringotts anyway to claim his Headship. He also wanted to pick up some more money from his vault, as well as have a little chat with Stoneclaw about the betrothal and the family.
So early that morning, as he woke up early, he quietly dressed and slipped out of the Leaky Cauldron, careful not to disturb anyone. After getting to Gringotts – Harry was the first customer of the day, as the goblin behind the counter informed him – he asked to speak to Stoneclaw. "I'm the Heir of House Potter, here to claim my Headship," Harry explained to the goblin, who nodded and wrote something on parchment before dropping it in a box, as tellers seemed to communicate with other goblins from their 'posts'.
Soon, a goblin came up to him and took him to Stoneclaw's office. Even though it was rather early, Stoneclaw was already dressed in a three-piece suit and was sitting behind his desk, doing 'parchmentwork' – the wizarding world's word for 'paperwork'. As soon as the goblin had 'delivered' Harry to Stoneclaw, Stoneclaw looked up, and upon seeing Harry, capped his bottle of ink and set his quill and parchmentwork aside. "Good morning, Mr. Potter," Stoneclaw said. "I must say, you're very early today."
"I had a feeling that it might take a while, and I have other things to be getting on with," Harry replied. "Time is money, is it not?"
Stoneclaw grinned, showing all his sharp white teeth. "Well, you're certainly correct," he said. "Well, we should start with the Headship, as that is more important." He held out a ring-box with the Potter family crest on it, with 'Potter Heir Ring' underneath the crest. "This is your Heir's ring, which you can only receive when you're eleven and which you need to have before you can get your Headship. It only allows the rightful heir of the House of Potter to wear it, and will resize to your finger once you put it on."
After Harry had donned the ring – which, like Stoneclaw had said, resized to fit his finger – Stoneclaw held out a stone bowl, with a sharp spike at the bottom and runes engraved around the edges. "Press your finger to the spike, and let seven drops of blood drip out into the bowl. Your finger will heal itself after the required blood has been produced from it." Harry did so, and Stoneclaw withdrew the bowl and led Harry onto a cart, still carrying the bowl of blood.
The cart, once Stoneclaw tapped a few runes with one of his long fingers, drove itself deep into the bank. Here, the air was much colder, and Harry thought he could hear dragons roaring. Here, the cart tracks became much more rickety, often suspended by magic alone hundreds of feet from the ground, and hardly any other carts sped by on the few tracks that he could see. But eventually, the cart slowed to a stop in front of a pair of large double doors, with the simple word 'Headship' written in gold across them.
The room, as Harry could see once the pair stepped in, was black on two walls and white on the other two, painted so that a black wall was facing a black and white was facing white. All four walls had runes carved into them, as did the ceiling and the floor. On the floor, runes were carved in a circle, and in the centre of this 'rune circle' was a small altar with several markings. Once they stepped into the room, Stoneclaw carefully stepped into the middle of the 'rune circle' and poured the blood into a particular carving.
Then, stepping out of the circle, Stoneclaw said to Harry, "This is for you to claim your Headship, and fully activate the Potter magics in you. You should kneel within the circle, before the altar, and press your Heir ring into that marking." Stoneclaw pointed at an indentation that was about halfway up the altar. "Then, say, 'I, Harrison James Potter, rightful Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, hereby claim the Headship and reactivate all that has lay dormant since the previous Lord passed away.'"
"'I, Harrison James Potter, Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, hereby claim the Headship and reactivate all that has lay dormant since the previous Lord passed away?" Harry repeated. "Wait no, rightful Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter. Right?"
"Right," Stoneclaw said. "Once you have done that, there will be a flash of magic. Then, say, 'I, Harrison James Potter, rightful Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, accept the family Headship and the family magics that have been newly unlocked in me.' Then, the House of Potter's Headship ring should appear on your finger and merge with your Heir ring to form a new ring. Don't worry, you will be able to separate them again if necessary. Got that?"
Harry nodded and 'got on' with it. After following Stoneclaw's instructions and completing the 'ritual', he felt the Potter magics accept him. Then, another ring appeared on his finger, and he somehow felt lighter, but also more full with magic at the same time. "Congratulations, Mr. Potter," Stoneclaw said, grinning. "Now, would you like to come back to my office so you can receive a certified copy of your parents' will? Then, Griphook can take you to your trust vault so you can pick more money up."
Harry agreed, and the pair stepped back out of the room and into a waiting cart. This cart took them back the way they had come, back to Stoneclaw's office. Then, once they were there, Stoneclaw told Harry to sit and wait as he wrote a letter to the 'Keeper of Wills', who would then send a certified copy of James and Lily Potters' will. Once Stoneclaw had finished, he dropped it into the nearby box and waited for a reply. Soon, a long piece of parchment popped out, which Stoneclaw signed and then handed to Harry.
'The Last Will and Testament of James Charles Potter and Lily Jane Potter (neé Evans)', the title read. Below it, 'Certified Copy of the Will from the British Branch of the Bank of Gringotts' was written in bold letters, and signed by both the 'Keeper of Wills' and Stoneclaw. "This is your copy of your parents' will, which you can keep," Stoneclaw explained. "As you've taken up your Headship, this is going to be unsealed again, and activated. You will receive the bequeathments of those who are mentioned, but have since died."
Harry quickly scanned through the will, noting down some of those who were mentioned, and taking note of the bequeathments forf, as the will put it, 'The Order of Phoenix, a group led by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore' and Dumbledore himself. "Please, activate the will, but withhold Dumbledore's and his Order of Phoenix's bequeathments. Dumbledore still owes me money, and any group led by him can't be that good if he's willing to steal money from me."
"Very well," Stoneclaw said, nodding. "Now, Griphook will take you down to your trust vault again, to pick more money up. But, while he's getting here, I'll give you a quick update about your family's investments. They are, actually, very good investments. There are several which I'd advise you to lose as soon as possible, and several which aren't brilliant investments, just doing okay, but the majority of them are brilliant. You can choose what to do for those that are 'middling', but some might be worth keeping.
"Looking over them, I have to say your parents were simply brilliant investors. They had a lot of foresight, and often purchased businesses that owned land if they were in the wizarding world. That way, if the business collapsed due to the war, they still had the land, which was usually worth quite a bit. They also invested in businesses that were in other countries, especially those where they had a property nearby or were doing particularly well and didn't look like they were going to be in a war anytime soon.
"However, they also invested in the Muggle world. You own part of several Muggle businesses, as well as owning some others outright. Your parents also purchased several properties in areas such as New York City and France, which are all either in stasis or currently being rented out to others. All of them, bar one, are still standing. And as for the one that has since been destroyed, which happened in the war, you still own the land on which it was built, which is worth a decent amount."
"Well, that seems quite good," Harry said. "When can I get a copy of my full financial holdings?"
"In a month," Stoneclaw replied. Just then, Griphook arrived to take Harry down to his trust vault. This time, he took out about five hundred Galleons, as he didn't think he needed much for school. Then, Griphook took him back to the 'surface' of Gringotts, and the two parted ways for the time being.
Next was Harry's trip to the nearest magazine/newspaper stall. After hearing things about Diagon Alley, as well as reading his books, he realised he was very behind on the wizarding world's news – for example, what was so special about this Ministry press release that he had heard several people mentioning? Magazines and newspapers were also far cheaper than books, as well as being more up-to-date. According to the sales assistant, Britain's main newspaper was the Daily Prophet, whose 'rival' was the Quibbler.
"I suggest you subscribe to the Daily Prophet, rather than the Quibbler," the sales assistant said. "The Daily Prophet is, as the name suggests, a daily newspaper, while the Quibbler is a monthly tabloid. The Quibbler also tends to print fanciful stories about creatures like the 'Crumple-Horned Snorcack'. There are also scholarly journals such as Transfiguration Today, but they might be a bit too difficult for you, if you're just starting at Hogwarts. There are also things like Witch Weekly, which you might not like."
"Um, I'll have to pass on the latter," Harry said. "But, I'll subscribe to the Daily Prophet. Can I buy today's copy, as well as a subscription form?"
"Of course," the sales assistant replied, pulling a copy of today's Daily Prophet off the racks and producing a subscription form from below the counter. Then, upon Harry's request, lent him a quill to fill the form out with. It was a simple form: his full name, including diminutives if you were better known by a diminutive; where he wanted to get his newspaper delivered to, and a signature that he had given the sales assistant the ten Galleons required for a yearly subscription, and the sales assistant's signature.
Once he had completed the form, he handed it to the sales assistant, and exited the shop with his copy of the Daily Prophet. Then, he found a small café to eat breakfast in, and ordered a typical breakfast before opening the Daily Prophet and scanning through it: a new book release by a woman named Rita Skeeter, an interview with the Minister about something going on in the Ministry and several more, less interesting, articles. Harry finished his breakfast, before returning to the Leaky Cauldron.
.
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At exactly five twenty-five in the late afternoon on the first of August, Harry was standing in front of the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron, preparing to step into it. The reason for doing so wasn't because he wished to burn himself or die, it was because he had an appointment he had to keep, and this fireplace would take him to that meeting point using the 'Floo network', one of the wizarding world's communication and traveling methods, and one which was quite popular and used every day.
Through much observation, Harry had learnt that with the aid of Floo powder – a glittery green powder that turned fires in fireplaces into harmless, tall, emerald-green fires – which allowed people to use the network, people could stick their heads in the fireplaces and 'call' people. It was like the wizarding world's version of a phone call, known as a 'Floo call'. However, that wasn't the only purpose: people could also travel through it to another fireplace that was connected through the Floo network, using Floo powder.
That day, Harry was going to be using it to travel to Longbottom Manor, the residence of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom – one of the House of Potter's allies, as well as the family of his godmother, Lady Alice Longbottom. However, as Lord Frank and Lady Alice were 'unable to be present due to their health', Harry would only be meeting with Dowager Lady and Regent Augusta Longbottom, as well as Heir Apparent Neville Longbottom.
Handing a silver Sickle to Tom, who stood nearby, Harry was given a handful of Floo powder, which he immediately threw into the fireplace. He then watched as the flames turned green and rose higher than he was, which he was told was normal and would be harmless. Then, when Tom told him that the connection was now through, Harry stepped into the fireplace and said clearly, "Longbottom Manor" and the one-time-only password he had been given, "Longbottoms rule".
It felt as though he was being sucked down a giant drain, although much warmer and brighter. He seemed to be spinning very fast, with a deafening roar in his ears and green flames whirling about him, dragging him somewhere. He could see a blurry stream of fireplaces and the rooms they were connected to – a pink one, a cozy and overstuffed one, a formal one, one full of books – and then finally, he landed with a bump on a smooth marble floor in a beautiful, if a little too formal, room.
"Are you okay?" Harry looked up to see a sandy-haired boy, who was dressed in formal Heir's robes, holding out his hand to him. "That was quite a bump, I should know as I'm also pretty clumsy and I'm useless with the Floo, too..." He sounded like he was about to go off into a ramble once Harry had gotten up, before suddenly stopping. "Sorry, forgot myself just then. I, Neville Franklin Longbottom, Heir Apparent of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom, formally welcome you to Longbottom Manor."
As his books had taught him, Harry immediately replied, "I, Harrison James Potter, Heir Apparent of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, thank you for your kind welcome." The two shook hands, as was correct, and then Neville led Harry to another room, which was decorated in the Longbottom colours: red and bronze. This, according to Neville – as he had allowed Harry to call him – was where they should wait. Neville then directed Harry to a comfy-looking armchair, and both sat down.
Not long after, a woman who appeared to be in her late forties to fifties appeared, dressed in deep purple robes and a hat with a stuffed vulture on it. Once she entered, Neville immediately stood up and went over to the woman, offering his arm to her and leading her to a seat. "Heir Potter," Neville said when the woman had sat down. "I would like to formally introduce you to my grandmother, Dowager Lady Augusta Longbottom of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom."
"It's nice to finally meet you, Heir Potter," she said, nodding, before addressing both Harry and Neville. "I'm sorry for being late. I hope you haven't been waiting too long?"
"No, Gran," Neville said. "We just sat down a couple minutes ago."
"Hello, Dowager Lady Longbottom," Harry replied. "It's nice to meet you, too. You may call me 'Harrison', or 'Harry', if you wish."
"And you're comfortable with 'Harry'?" she asked. Upon seeing Harry nod and agree, she said, "Then, thank you for letting me call you 'Harry'. You may call me 'Augusta', as I think 'Dowager Lady Longbottom' is a bit of a mouthful and rather formal anyway, or 'Gran' like Neville does." She paused, then continued, "Now that the formalities are over, though, how have you been these past ten years? All Albus Dumbledore has said was that you were in a 'safe' place."
"Yes, Augusta," Harry said. "I've been with my mother's sister and her husband, Petunia and Vernon Dursley."
"But wasn't your mother a Muggleborn?" Augusta asked, frowning. When Harry nodded, her eyes slowly grew larger and larger as realisation dawned on her. "You mean, Albus bloody Dumbledore placed you in the Muggle world, with a pair of Muggles who could not possibly protect you from people like the Death Eaters?"
"And their son," Harry said. "I only re-entered the wizarding world a week or so ago, when I got my Hogwarts letter and found out about the wizarding world. Then, using my memories, I managed to make my way to the Leaky Cauldron, and, of course, Diagon Alley. I've been staying at the Leaky Cauldron ever since, by myself. Surprisingly, no one's ever questioned that, not even Tom. I've bought my school supplies and so on, and even taken several trips to Gringotts, so I'm fine.
"Of course, Flourish & Blotts and my textbooks aren't the only places where I've learnt things," Harry went on. "Gringotts has taught me a lot, as has my parents' letters. For example, it told me that Lord and Lady Longbottom, and subsequently, you, were meant to be my guardians. Could you possibly explain that, and how I ended up at the Dursleys' instead?" He turned to face Augusta, who was then taken aback by the fierceness in those eyes that were so similar to Lily's.
Augusta sighed. "We were never given a choice. The first we heard of the attack, we thought all three of you died. The morning after, the Daily Prophet proclaimed you the 'Boy-Who-Lived', and that was the first time we heard that you were alive. Immediately, Frank and Alice headed to the Ministry to claim you, only to find out that Dumbledore had taken you somewhere, sealed James' and Lily's wills, and had claimed magical guardianship of you. Then, four days later, they were... attacked." She looked down and sighed.
"Why didn't you ask Dumbledore, Gran?" Neville piped up. "I'd have loved to have had a brother growing up."
"I tried, Frank and Alice tried, the Wizengamot tried," Augusta answered. "All he would say was 'Young Harry is in a safe and happy home, and will remain there until it is time for him to go to Hogwarts'. Then, when Death Eaters started claiming they were under the Imperius Curse and walked free, he declared that revealing the address of your 'safe place' would be even more dangerous and just refused to say anything when asked. 'Just send any messages to 'Harry Potter', and I'll make sure he gets them', he said."
"Well, clearly he lied, since I didn't get anything," Harry said.
"Nothing? Not even your Gringotts letters?" Augusta asked in concern. When Harry nodded, she exclaimed, "But it's illegal to intercept Gringotts mail!"
"Well, Dumbledore did it," Harry said. "And another point that I should bring up about my mail: I'm the supposedly famous 'Boy-Who-Lived', right?" Augusta and Neville nodded at this. "Well, in the Muggle world, famous people usually get many, many pieces of fan mail: letters, gifts, cards, whatever. But if that's the case here in the wizarding world as well, why didn't I get anything? My Hogwarts letter was the first thing that I got from the wizarding world."
Augusta shook her head. "Sorry, but I don't know the answer to that, either," she said. "Anyway, you'll see Dumbledore when you go to Hogwarts in a month's time. Even though I'm not too fond about you having much contact with Dumbledore, especially after everything he did to you, I think it would be best if you asked him for the answers to those questions you have regarding your time spent with the Dursleys, as well as asking for your mail back, and slowly going through all that mail."
"Good idea," Harry said. "But, in the meantime, I would like to ask for some help regarding my first meeting with Lord Greengrass and his eldest daughter, Heir Presumptive Daphne, who is also my betrothed, even if I haven't seen her in nearly ten years, if I ever met her at all when I was a baby and still lived with my parents."
"Well, we'd be happy to help you," Augusta said. "I didn't know that Heir Greengrass was your betrothed, though. Where did that come from?"
"Several decades ago, as a sort of 'safety net' between our families," Harry replied. "If you've ever learnt about Muggle history, you'll know that in the mid- to late-1910s, there was a Muggle war that is now known as 'World War I' and was known as the 'Great War' back then. Back then, the two Lords of House Potter and Greengrass were Henry Potter and Samuel Greengrass, respectively. Both were heavily involved with the Muggle world, and as a result both Houses were nearly wiped out.
"Then, they decided that they would set up a betrothal contract," Harry went on. "If a House didn't have a male Heir, the Heir Apparent of the House – the son – would become betrothed to the daughter of the other House that was closest in age. This was, of course, more of a safety net than anything else, and both apparently never thought it would come into play. However, it has, and as a result Heir Greengrass and I are betrothed to each other."
"I'm happy the House of Longbottom doesn't have anything to do with these betrothals – betrothing future members of our House to others," Neville said.
"Neville!" Augusta said sharply to her grandson, before turning to speak to Harry in a softer tone, "And you're okay with this?"
"Well, it's not like I have much of a choice, is it?" Harry said, and sighed. "I need some help, though. None of the books I've read have situations like this, as the two people that are betrothed have usually met each other before, or at least haven't been separated for a decade." Augusta and Neville nodded, and by the end of the night, Harry had learnt a lot. He also had answers to some of his questions, such as what to do when he 're-met' the girl again, and what to do about the betrothal.
By the time Harry bid the Longbottoms goodbye and good night, he had managed to re-establish the alliance with House Longbottom. He has also agreed to meet up with Neville on the Hogwarts Express, although saying that he would most likely be sitting with Daphne, as he would be using Augusta's suggestion to befriend the girl first. The two boys also agreed that whoever got to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, and the Hogwarts Express, first would be finding them a compartment.
.
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At six o'clock in the evening on the second of August, the fireplace in the 'Floo room' of Bones Manor flashed with green flames. Just like he had twenty-four hours ago, Harry tumbled out of the fireplace and landed on the floor, but this time in front of a red-haired girl. This was Susan Bones, the Heiress Apparent of the Noble and Ancient House of Bones. She, too, held out her hand to assist Harry in getting up off the floor, although she giggled quite a bit as she did so and when Harry tumbled out with a bump.
Then, after the two of them had gone through the welcoming formalities just like he and Neville had yesterday, Harry offered his arm to Susan and asked, "May I?" She giggled again, before accepting and thanking him. However, unlike Neville, she didn't take him to the sitting room, instead directing him to the dining room, where three places were already laid out around a small, three-person table. The larger table stood in the middle of the room, unused, while the table that was set out was at the side.
At one of the places around the three-person table, a woman that appeared to be in her late thirties sat. She was a square-jawed witch, with close-cropped hair and a monocle, making her look quite serious. When the pair approached her, Susan let go of Harry, cleared her throat, and turned to him. "Heir Potter," Susan said, "I would like to formally introduce you to my aunt, Regent Amelia Bones of the Noble and Ancient House of Bones. Regent Bones, I would like to introduce you to Heir Potter."
"Good evening, Mister Potter," Regent Bones said. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, after these ten years. I am Amelia Bones, the current Regent for the Noble and Most Ancient House of Bones. You may call me 'Amelia', or 'Aunt Amelia', as Susan does, if you want to. 'Regent Bones' is rather formal, and as you're not one of my employees or work in the Ministry, 'Madam Bones' seems quite odd, especially coming from an eleven year old."
"Then, call me 'Harry'... Amelia," Harry replied.
Amelia smiled at that. "Well, it's nice to finally meet you, anyway. Where have you been these past ten years? I've been discreetly searching for you as you were with none of your named guardians in your parents' will, and I wanted to see whether or not you were in a happy place. All Dumbledore would say was that you were in a 'safe' place."
"Well..." Harry then told Amelia what he had told Augusta yesterday evening about the Dursleys, and re-entering the wizarding world a week ago, although he left out the part about the mail being intercepted, as that didn't have anything to do with the question that she had asked, 'Where have you been these past ten years?'. As the Head of the DMLE – Magical Britain's police department – she might go and try to do something to Dumbledore, leading him to know that the 'jig was up'.
After Harry had finished speaking, Amelia nodded. "Thank you for telling me all this," she said. "No, thank you for telling us all this. But tell me this: have you ever considered prosecuting a case against Dumbledore?" At seeing Harry's face, she said, "No, this won't be for a while, though. Your testimony isn't enough to do much, apart from let him know that you're definitely not on his side, nor are you one of those people who bow down to Dumbledore."
"I can't say I haven't, but, I'm also a little curious about your intentions. Why are you so keen for me to help you take down Dumbledore?" Harry asked.
"That's easy," Amelia replied. "First of all, no matter what he says, he rarely does something for the Greater Good of the wizarding population of Magical Britain. He's managed to push through laws and motions that benefit him, both through inaction and through action. Secondly, he tends to be optimistic to the point of foolishness, supporting Death Eaters such as Severus Snape, claiming he was a spy for the Light. Another reason is that he's basically in charge of the Ministry, through backroom shenanigans."
"Basically, bribing people," Susan supplied helpfully. "He's also quite good at manipulating people and laws to suit his needs. For example, since he was offered the position of Minister of Magic so many times, before they appointed Cornelius Fudge, Fudge has come to depend on him quite a lot. And Fudge is one of those people that are easily manipulated, so through suggestions from Dumbledore and 'donations' from Lucius Malfoy, those two men basically control the whole country."
Then, Harry asked them for advice regarding what to do with his meeting with the Greengrasses. At first, they asked why he was meeting with them and needed help, but when he told them that Daphne was his betrothed, both looked very shocked. "The Potters weren't fond of betrothal contracts, as I recall," Amelia said. "They stopped using them several generations back, longbefore most families even thought of stopping to use them, let alone actually not using them."
"As far as I know, the one I'm currently 'locked' into was only meant to be a 'safety net'," Harry replied. "It was never meant to actually happen, but it clearly did."
By the end of the night, however, Harry knew that he had re-established the alliance with House Bones. He had also arranged to meet up with Susan on the Hogwarts Express, but saying that he would be sitting with Neville and most likely, his betrothed, Daphne. "I have no problem with them," Susan said. "I've met them both and they're quite nice. However, my friends Hannah Abbott and Luna Lovegood might join us as well, if they're of a mind to."
"That's fine by me," Harry said, nodding. Then, Harry bid the Boneses 'goodnight and goodbye', before leaving them via Floo, yet again. When he got back to the Leaky Cauldron, it was nearly eleven, so he quickly got ready for bed. He was so tired that the moment he 'flopped' down onto his bed, he fell fast asleep.
.
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The next evening, at six in the evening again, a fireplace flashed with green flames and Harry tumbled out. However, instead of landing on the floor of Longbottom Manor or Bones Manor, it was Greengrass Manor that he had arrived at. This time, instead of landing at the feet of a sandy-haired boy or a red-haired girl, both about his age, he landed at the feet of a blond-haired girl with blue eyes, who looked a few years younger than him, around nine or ten. This must be the Greengrasses' youngest daughter.
After they had gone through the formalities – her name was Astoria, as it turned out, not Astrid – Astoria led him to the lounge in Greengrass Manor, this time. Clearly, they weren't going to be having dinner yet. On the way there, she explained why she had been sent to welcome him. "Well, you're meant to be meeting my parents, aren't you?" she said. "So, they can't welcome you. And as Daphne's your betrothed and you haven't been formally introduced, she can't do it. And I'm the only one left, so I have to."
Once they arrived at the lounge, they immediately saw a man and woman that looked like they were in their early to mid-thirties. The man was dark-haired, with blue eyes, while the woman was blond like Astoria, with similar blue eyes. These two could only be Lord Cygnus and Lady Isabel Greengrass, as Astoria looked so much like the woman, but with the man's face shape. Both were seated on a sofa together, drinking cups of tea. Once they spotted Astoria and Harry, they stopped and turned to face them.
"Heir Potter," Astoria said, standing slightly apart from Harry, so she could face both her parents and him. "I would like to formally introduce you to my parents, Lord and Lady Greengrass of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Greengrass. Lord and Lady Greengrass, this is Heir Potter of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Greengrass."
Lady Greengrass smiled. "Good evening, Heir Potter," she said. "It's a pleasure to see you again."
"Thank you for inviting me to your beautiful home, Lord and Lady Greengrass," Harry said. "I'm sorry for not having contacted you earlier than this, but I only 're-entered' the wizarding world a little under two weeks ago, and I've been rather busy, learning everything I can. Also, please, do call me 'Harry'. If we're going to be family sometime in the coming several years, I think it would be easier if we became comfortable with each other, starting out with a small step like not calling each other by our formal titles."
"Thank you for allowing us to call you 'Harry'," Lord Greengrass said. "If that is so, you must call me 'Cygnus'."
"And me, 'Isabel'," Isabel said, setting down her cup of tea. "But, now that you've formally met us, I think it would be best if you met your betrothed, Daphne. Excuse me, please." She rose from the sofa gracefully and left the room, leaving Cygnus, Astoria and Harry, who sat in silence until Isabel returned, with a pretty blond girl. She had long, blond hair, blue eyes like Isabel's, and looked like an older version of Astoria and a younger version of Isabel, about Harry's age.
"Heir Potter," Isabel said, "I would like to formally introduce to you your betrothed, Miss Daphne Greengrass of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Greengrass." Isabel then sat back down next to Cygnus, while Daphne and Astoria shared a sofa nearby and Harry sat in a nearby armchair. "So, now that we all know each other and have all been introduced, do you mind telling us about where you've been these past ten years, Harry?" Isabel asked. "We've written to you multiple times, but have never gotten a reply."
Harry sighed. "Well, Dumbledore has been the main cause of it. Through a little research, as well as a talk with Dowager Lady Longbottom, I've come to realise that he set up a mail redirection ward on me, without my permission. The only way that I've found that gets around it is mailing it to another name that isn't 'Harry Potter', 'Harry J. Potter', 'Harry James Potter', 'The Boy-Who-Lived' and similar names. That's why I could receive your answer when you mailed it to 'Harrison Potter', not 'Harry Potter'.
"Believe me, the only piece of mail from the wizarding world I've received is my Hogwarts letter," Harry continued. "I've also come to realise that Dumbledore, my supposed magical guardian, is the cause of almost everything bad that's happened in my life: me being dumped on my Muggle aunt, her husband and her son; me being forced to spend ten years there; everything. The first time I ever even learnt of my heritage and rightful position in wizarding society was when I entered Gringotts on the twenty-fourth of July."
"That's my birthday," Daphne replied. "Call me Daphne, by the way." From the corner of his eye, Harry could see Cygnus and Isabel exchange glances and smile at that.
"After hearing that, I know now for sure that Dumbledore is a liar," Isabel said firmly. "Over the past ten years, he's been claiming that you're in a safe and happy place, you're taken care of, and he's been checking up on you. Clearly, he hasn't been."
"Where have you been staying, may I ask?" Cygnus asked.
"Oh, I've been staying at the Leaky Cauldron so far, and plan to until I go to Hogwarts," Harry said. "As I can stay at Hogwarts over the Christmas and Easter breaks, I plan to just stay at Hogwarts during those times. Then, next summer, I'm thinking on staying at the closest property to Hogwarts that I own, which if I recall correctly is a one-bedroom apartment in a place called Hogsmeade. Then, I'll just repeat that pattern until I graduate. Of course, I'm also hoping to spend time with friends, and Daphne, during breaks."
"Well, we can't have that," Cygnus said. "What do you feel about staying with us for the next month, until you and Daphne go to Hogwarts?"
"I'd like that very much," Harry said. "Thank you for the invitation."
At seven-thirty sharp, the Greengrasses and Harry headed to the dining room to have dinner, a very relaxed affair, especially compared to the dinners at Longbottom Manor and Bones Manor, which were both full of probing questions. Thankfully, the Greengrasses didn't seem to want to pry into Harry's life so far too much, and as a result everyone was relaxed and happy. Astoria, of course, spent quite a bit of time telling Daphne how lucky she was to be betrothed to Harry, until Isabel called a halt to it.
Over the dessert – a delicious chocolate cake made by the Greengrasses' cook, a house-elf named Pinky – the talk turned to Hogwarts houses. Daphne thought she might be sorted into either Slytherin or Ravenclaw, and after much thought, Harry found he was the same as well. "I think I'm smart enough to be in Ravenclaw, and I have a good memory, which might make Ravenclaw my 'main' house. But I think I'm also cunning enough and ambitions enough to be put into Slytherin, making it my second choice."
"I'm the same, but Slytherin is my 'main' house, as you put it," Daphne said. "I think I'm more ambitious than smart, so Ravenclaw's my second choice. However, I could be considered loyal, which could put me in Hufflepuff as well, but I don't think I'll be there. Another factor that might affect is is that my best friend is a 'Slytherpuff' – a person with a mix of Slytherin and Hufflepuff traits – and as Slytherin's the only House we share and we're planning on being together, I'll end up there."
"So I would be a 'Raverin', then, and you a 'Slytherclaw'," Harry said. "In other words, two sides of the same coin, as we share the same Houses but have different 'main' Houses: I'm more a Ravenclaw, and you're more a Slytherin, but we're still similar. Don't you agree?"
"I agree with you, Harry," Cygnus said. "That was very well said. Shall we retire into the lounge to allow Pinky to tidy up?" The Greengrasses and Harry then headed to the lounge, where they sat themselves down in the same seats they had as before dinner, and chatted for a while before Isabel sent Daphne and Astoria to bed. Once they had gone, Harry said, "I hope it wouldn't be too odd if I was to ask if I could be formally allowed to court Daphne until we marry."
"But why would you want, or need, to?" Isabel asked. "You two are already betrothed."
"Well, I don't want to deny either of us the experience," Harry said. "However, I don't intend to just start 'dating' her straight away. I want us to become friends first."
"I see what you're thinking," Cygnus said. "That's nice of you. And while we're on this topic of the betrothal, we need to make it 'official', which we can only do in a ceremony. Once you move in, we can start planning it, as it'll be quite a big deal as it concerns two Noble and Most Ancient Houses. This will also officially register it with the Ministry, so it's considered binding." The three of them then organised for Harry to return tomorrow at two in the afternoon with all his possessions, and then parted ways.
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Hey guys!
Thanks again for all the reviews, follows and favourites – I hope you'll stay and continue reading this, as well as reviewing, following and favouriting this story! What do you think about this fanfiction? Please review, and I'll probably have my new chapter out soon. And please review, follow and favourite my friend ttdbzgumball and her Fred-and-George fanfiction (don't worry, it's not a lemon or anything like that, just what happened in the years before Harry met them), Fred and George and the Reign of Chaos!
Shadow of the Blue Moon x
Chapter Word Count (rounded to nearest 100): 7,600