Chapter 10: The Beginning of the End
"Alright I think you're ready" Sirius declared. They had spent the last day going over the proper way to forge alliances between houses, etiquette and other 'pureblood nonsense,' as Tonks described it, in preparation for the meeting today. Harry, Sirius and Remus were all sitting in the dining room at the ridiculously long table courtesy of the Weasley matriarch. Pouring over dusty tomes about pureblood social life was mind numbing but Harry was determined to see this succeed. With the Greengrass wealth and political prowess, Harry would be set up with a solid powerbase early on.
"I agree" replied Remus. "There isn't much else you could learn now that relates to today. Just speak clearly and confidently, don't let them walk all over you and don't agree to anything that seems dishonest."
"I know Remus, I know. I'm going to go get ready I'll see you guys down here in twenty" Harry said dismissing himself.
The apprehension he was feeling about today was growing with each passing moment. 'I can't back down now though. If I want a happy ending for myself and my family, then this is the first step. Even if things go well with the Greengrass' I'm going to have to find other allies. Dumbledore, despite his emerging faults, knows the value of having people loyal to you.' Harry thought as he walked up to his room. After a quick shower and several unsuccessful attempts to tame his hair with spells and products, Harry got dressed in some plain black robes and decided he was ready. He did his last-minute checks of wand, vault key and invisibility cloak. Harry had decided carrying around the cloak from now on would be beneficial, especially with the illusionary magic he had been learning as it would confuse enemies even further if he were to completely disappear. He descended the stairs quietly cautious of awakening any of the Weasley occupants still sleeping. Harry felt slightly guilty about not including his two best friends in his plans however the events he could set into motion would put them in serious danger if they were a part of it, he'd essentially be declaring himself and those who followed him as an unofficial militia which the Ministry, Voldemort and Dumbledore would seek to stop.
His self-training in Occlumency via the grimoire was going well enough that he could protect these thoughts against the average legilimens but not Dumbledore or Voldemort. Dumbledore's plan involving Snape was a disaster waiting to happen, especially knowing what he knew now. Snape's plan was akin to hitting a wall with a sledgehammer until the wall holds or breaks, and considering his mind is the wall in this metaphor the implications were not pretty.
Harry's confidence in Dumbledore was slowly failing. There was no doubt that the man was a great wizard and man but the proportions of his failures were synonymous to his reputation. Where no man is infallible the damage the average person could do to the world was fairly minimal however Dumbledore held the positions of Headmaster, representative to the ICW and leader of the light faction meaning the mistakes he made affected the wizarding world as a whole and those mistakes have been piling up. 'Not taking a proactive role in the war against Voldemort, not rooting out Pettigrew as a spy, not giving Sirius a trial, putting his students in danger constantly and the entire tri wizard tournament fiasco is a list of his most recent failures which are unacceptable when done by anyone else but when Dumbledore's name is thrown in all he needs is a grandfatherly smile and a twinkle in his eye to get away with it' Harry thought, frustrated at Dumbledore's failings. His musing finished by the time he made it back to the dining room and he was greeted by a tense staring match between Mrs Weasley and Sirius with Remus and Tonks standing off to the side.
"Dumbledore was quite clear Sirius he is not to leave without good cause" Mrs Weasley said tersely daring Sirius to respond.
"Molly there is no way you can stop us from going where we want to go today, if you want to report this to Dumbledore be my guest but know you'd be betraying Harry's trust in doing so" Sirius replied using her maternal nature against her, it wasn't ethical but if they were late to this meeting it would be a terrible start to an alliance.
"He's right" Harry piped up from the door. "Mrs Weasley, I respect you a lot and I'm grateful for what you've done for me but neither you or Dumbledore have a say in what I can or cannot do in my free time. I'm just going to Gringotts and Remus and Tonks will be there to escort me. We've got portkeys to send us back to the drawing room and I've got my invisibility cloak to hide should I get separated. I'm hoping for the best but, as you can tell, I've prepared for the worst" he reasoned. Sirius and Molly had been arguing about him often and it irked Harry to no end, they both want what's best for me but at least Sirius asked him what he wanted for himself, Mrs Weasley is great but she's not his mum.
"Oh, well I guess if it's just Gringotts and you've got an escort. I can see you've thought it through but please be careful, I couldn't bear it if I lost one of my boys" she said sincerely, invoking a burst of happiness from Harry.
"Thanks Mrs Weasley, we'll be back before lunch" he said walking towards the drawing room with Sirius, Remus and Tonks following him. They gathered in front of the fireplace preparing to floo to the Leaky Cauldron.
"Well done, Harry. I don't think I've seen anyone defuse her quite so well besides Dumbledore." Remus said humorously.
"She just needed to know we'd be safe, she's definitely overbearing but she does care." He said, handing the invisibility cloak to Sirius. "You remember how to use this grandpa?"
"Cheeky brat, I'll have you know many of my conquests wouldn't have been possible without this old thing" Sirius replied.
"Sirius!"
"Ew!"
"Haha I'm just kidding James found out I was planning to do that and threatened to shave my head in my sleep. Needless to say I protected my magnificent locks" Sirius confessed.
"Consider the threat to be generational" Harry declared. Before turning to the floo and reaching for the powder, stepping in with a handful of it he shouted "Diagon Alley!" And disappeared in a burst of green flame.
"Father it is nearly time to leave, we must get there early." Daphne urged her father. It was important to make good impressions to those you wished to do business with and thus being tardy was not an option.
"Of course, Daphne. I wish to speak with you first it won't take a moment" he replied.
Intrigued, Daphne sat down in a lush green chaise in their entrance room. They had already gone over everything they wanted to talk about in the meeting so whatever her father wanted to say was a mystery to her.
Damien Greengrass took the armchair opposite the chaise and spoke softly. "Your mother and sister do not, and will not, know what I'm about to tell you. Is that understood?" At her nod he continued. "The Malfoys and Avery's have also requested a meeting this afternoon just after our first meeting. As such it will just be you and I attending the meeting with Heir Black."
"Father, why have you agreed to meet with someone who will soon be our enemy?" Daphne said, suspicious of his intentions.
"Think about it for a moment. We are Slytherin are we not? What could we gain from such a meeting?" he said, testing her instead of just handing her the answer. He would often do this to keep her mind working analytically as if he just handed her everything, she would never learn anything.
"Well if you're trying to maintain our neutrality then that would be reason enough however I don't believe that's the case. We're looking to pick a side, as such this meeting with Lord Malfoy and his companion could be a fall back plan in case the meeting with Heir Black goes poorly. Or you could be trying to gain some information for Potter to prove your worth in terms of contacts and intel." Daphne deduced, the mental exercise wasn't too difficult when approached logically and cold logic was the definition of her father's thought process.
"Well done daughter, you are correct. Your mother has no interest in the politics of today's meetings and as such the less she knows the better should things go bad quickly and Astoria is too young for what we are discussing. Potter is the best option right now but if he turns out to be ineffective then having another option is not unwise, even if the other option is the scum of our society." Damien revealed. The Malfoys had been a necessary evil in terms of the finance world which Damien practically lived, the import business' main customer is the Malfoy family for their apothecaries and the warehouses he bought were also from the Malfoy assets. As such he had more contact with Lucius Malfoy then he would have liked, thankfully Damien had amassed enough wealth to be independent of Lucius unlike Avery, Goyle and Crabbe who were practically subservient.
"Of course, shall we take our leave then?" Daphne suggested.
"Yes, let us go" he acquiesced. Standing up from his chair he walked to the fireplace and took the floo to the Leaky Cauldron with Daphne following close behind.
Daphne and Damien walked briskly down Diagon Alley. The bustling of the people not sitting right with either of them, both becoming slightly anxious at how bunched up you could become if you didn't calculate how to navigate the crowd. Eventually they reached the towering structure that was Gringotts bank. Sculpted pillars, high ceilings and fierce goblin guards characterised the entrance to the centre of Wizarding Britain's wealth.
Entering the bronze doors, the pair were met with a narrow stone corridor leading to a pair of silver doors which had an engraved message on them. It read:
Enter stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn,
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there
'Goblins, brave warriors and ruthless businessmen. They still fall prey to the superiority complex of every intelligent species thinking they're better than the other. They're propensity to underestimate other species leads to many rude awakenings I'm sure' Daphne thought, thinking about their warning.
As they crossed the threshold of the thief's downfall on the doors to the inner chamber they were greeted by a goblin in a red and gold uniform.
"Good Morning Sir, Madame, how can Gringotts assist you today?" The goblin spoke in a way that suggested he would rather do anything but assist them.
"We have a meeting in the conference rooms with Heir Black" Damien replied diplomatically. There was no need to cause disruption over a goblin being rude by human standards.
"Right this way" the goblin said beckoning them to follow. He led them past the line of people waiting to see account managers behind the ironically high counters that spanned the length of the hall. Taking a right into a side room the goblin stopped at the beginning of a long hallway. "Four doors down and to the left, you're looking for conference room eight. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"
"No. Thank you for your help" Damien said simply and the goblin took off back the way they came.
The duo walked down the hall and stopped in front of the door labelled 'CR8.' Damien turned to his daughter and noticed an apprehensive look on her face which she quickly masked. 'Good girl' he thought proudly. He was going to give her a pep talk but it was clear she was ready, any doubts she had would be quashed by the understanding of how important the next few minutes were. He reached for the doorknob and turned it, the familiar feeling of a privacy ward washing over him as he entered.
Sitting at the conference table were three people. A shabby looking middle-aged man with a kind face, his hair a sandy brown and the remnants of facial hair could be seen faintly under his nose. The man looked weary, but his eyes suggested an intense wisdom the way he snapped to Damien and started analysing him. The only woman there was practically the opposite of the man, she was sporting a black leather jacket and bright blue hair. She had a heart shaped face, but it was twisted into a hostile stare toward Damien and Daphne and it was clear the woman was keeping a hand close to her wand.
The final occupant was the man of the hour. Harry Potter was staring Damien down with an inquisitive look on his face. When the pair of them walked in it was clear that Potter had mustered his confidence as he stood first to greet them. Stretching out his hand, Potter got the first word in.
"Lord Greengrass, it is a pleasure to meet you, we have much to discuss."
"It is an honour Heir Black, you have met my daughter I believe?" Lord Greengrass responded.
"You are correct, Heir Greengrass and I are well acquainted. It is good to see you again in more tame circumstances" Harry said humorously. Considering they blew up a classroom last time they spoke it was certainly an understatement.
"I agree, although I wouldn't oppose a rematch" Daphne challenged.
Smiling at the challenge Harry moved on. "These are my companions for today, the man on my right is my advisor, Mr Lupin and the woman to my left is my bodyguard, Miss Tonks."
"Nice to meet both of you, now that pleasantries are out of the way I must insist that you call me Damien from here on out. The title is important but unnecessarily invasive in normal conversation."
"I agree, Harry will do fine as well. Now, I believe I'm going to jump straight into it as I think small talk will be a waste of time considering the matter we are here to discuss"
"And what in particular would you like to start with?" Damien asked
"Your intentions. Daphne gave me a brief introduction; however, I'd like to hear it from you as well." Harry said.
Sighing Damien knew what he was about to say was highly irregular however he also knew it was necessary information to formulate this alliance. "How much do you know of what I do for work?"
"Not a lot, I know you control some kind of import business but no specifics." Harry confessed.
"Well I suppose it's time for a history lesson. Voldemort's first rise was spoken of well before he became public, especially in the circles that my father introduced me to. However due to our family being quite small and death being a key characteristic of war I decided it was best for us to remain neutral in the arising conflict. You see, I didn't want to go to war with no heirs and have the Greengrass line die out for Voldemort's dream to come true. However, when you struck him down all of my work to build an import empire was crumbling as all the people I would do business with either lost a war or were losing a war and didn't appreciate that I didn't help. It forced me to shift my perspective towards muggles and muggleborns as I had to work with many of them to build the substantial portfolio I have currently. I recognise that I am considered quite wealthy and that alone draws the interest of both Voldemort and the Ministry, however neither of them are worth my time or money as you probably agree"
"And I am? Why?
"Because you're young, powerful and handsome enough. You are strong willed, courageous and people respect you. These qualities alone are enough to inspire some people to follow you, with our power base behind you, you will become a player in this war other than Dumbledore's poster boy" Daphne said bluntly, just watching him interact with others made her realise he prefers getting straight to the point so there was no need to beat around the bush with her declaration.
"It is uncharacteristic of you to offer so much and expect nothing in return. What's your angle?" Remus asked, his eyebrows down turned and a contemplative look adorned his face.
"A seat at the table, you will of course have advisors and all that we ask is a permanent position in your decision-making circle." Damien revealed. "The road ahead will be treacherous and we want to be sure that the hands on the reins are the right ones.
"Sure, you wouldn't rather be an anonymous supporter, be in no danger but reap all the rewards?" Tonks cut in.
"The thought crossed my mind and we did discuss it, but a more active effort will be more effective in stopping the Dark Lord. I am a traditionalist, however the Dark Lord is not someone who will respect those who weren't with him from the start, I would likely lose my life and my family would be bled dry of all our wealth and then married off to dusty old pure bloods. For us to thrive, the Dark Lord must die and I believe I can help bring about that outcome." He said the last part focussing on Harry who had been listening intently.
'I want to believe him, his arguments aren't logically flawed and I can sense no dishonesty in his voice. I need to know more before I make a decision,' Harry thought.
"What do you mean when you say you're a traditionalist?" Harry asked addressing Damien
Damien looked uncomfortable for the briefest of moments before addressing Harry. "The wizarding world has had its own culture for Millenia. Holidays, customs, history and magic. I would preserve all that we could as it is an integral part of us and how we came to be today. I believe that muggle born and muggle raised witches and wizards lack the ability to integrate fully into our society because of dogmatic practices in the education and legislation elements of our society. Thus, pushing them to try to pull muggle culture into wizarding culture and label it as 'progress.'
"Could you expand on that?" Remus requested.
"Well, there is a muggle studies class at Hogwarts however not a wizarding tradition class which focuses on our customs and celebrations. I think with a class like that it would be easier for muggleborns to integrate into our society and share our celebrations like Samhain and the solstices. This doesn't happen however because the extreme traditionalist block in the Wizengamot shuts down any ideas that have to do with integration and tolerance. To be clear, I don't hate muggles or even dislike them. I have done much business in the muggle world and have found their countenance to be the same as any wizard, some bad some good. However, I do think that wizarding Britain and muggle Britain are completely different countries as our cultures are much too different to be considered the same." Damien explained honestly, it was an ingrained issue in the Wizengamot that he planned to deal with after war if Harry won. "Does that satisfy your question?"
Looking at Remus, Harry received a nod. "Yes I believe it does" he replied.
'He speaks true, that much is clear. It lines up with what we discussed before the meeting in regard to their political views and it's easy to tell when someone speaks from the heart. I think it's time to move on to operations'
"I'm sorry about the small interrogation, I needed to get a measure of you before we spoke about how this is going to work." Harry said sincerely.
"No worries Harry, it's a big responsibility what we're asking of you, caution is both expected and appreciated." Damien said with a small smile.
"I judge you to be of good character and thus I extend the hand of friendship to house Greengrass and initiate a formal alliance between our great houses should the offer of friendship be accepted" Harry said, extending his hand once more to Damien. The formalities would be appreciated by Damien, an admitted traditionalist.
"House Greengrass accepts the offer of friendship and looks forward to the mutual benefits of our alliance." Damien replied, standing and taking Harry's hand. A flash of dim light burst from where their hands connected before dispersing quickly. They both sat down again before Damien spoke once again. "The seat at the table that you promised, it will not be me who takes it. Instead, my daughter will be the Greengrass representative. It makes more sense for when you return to Hogwarts to have her be there, I trust her implicitly and her value is well above my own."
"That… is acceptable." Harry replied. So far Damien had proven to be more diplomatic than Daphne, but she was certainly more straightforward which he respected.
"I will discreetly integrate myself into your group and from now on I will pay close attention to the dungeons. Should any threats arise, I will warn you immediately and any correspondence we need to get out of Hogwarts will go through me because Umbridge is likely tampering with your mail." Daphne said all business.
"Sounds good. I have your first mission Damien but first you must swear a vow of secrecy regarding what I'm about to reveal, you too Daphne." Harry intoned seriously.
After the vows were said Harry nodded to a corner of the conference room where it would then split to reveal a man's head and then the rest of his body. The man was tall and wore expensive robes, his groomed facial hair adorned a cheekily smiling face which opened to say "Lord and heir Greengrass" before bowing dramatically.
"Cut it out Sirius" Remus said forcefully.
"Sirius…. Black?" Daphne inquired.
"At your service" Sirius replied.
"An interesting story accompanies this revelation, I'm sure." Damien said, turning to Harry.
"Long story short, he didn't betray my parents and the man that did, works for Voldemort. His name is Peter Pettigrew and he is a rat animagus which allows him to occasionally go on missions for Voldemort. I need you to either secure Sirius a retrial rigged in our favour or find Pettigrew and then get him a trial. Do you think you could do that?" Harry could already see the gears turning in the man's head and he nodded absentmindedly in response.
"Harry, we need to go, it's almost lunch time" Tonks said checking her watch.
"Alright, if we need to contact you before term starts, I'll send you an owl however the next time we see each other will be the express. Anything else you need to talk about before we end the meeting?" Harry asked.
"No, that will be all. I'm extremely pleased with how this meeting has gone, Harry. Thank you for giving this and us a chance." Damien said
"As am I, it was a pleasure to meet you and to see you again Daphne."
"And you Harry, as well as the rest of you. We've started something today and I am hopeful for the future of this coalition. Come Daphne we must go as well."
With that the Greengrass duo left the conference room. Once the door shut Harry sagged and leaned on the desk, the weight of what he had just begun just now becoming real.
"That went well." Tonks said happily.
"Indeed, you conducted yourself admirably Harry. You've done something marvellous for our side of the struggle." Remus congratulated.
Harry looked at Sirius who was pensive and he could tell that they were thinking the same thing. Today was certainly a win but it was only just the beginning.