Ashes in your mouth
Chapter Ten. Under Legal advice.In which our hero buys stationary, hires staff and makes a splash.
Harry left the staircase beside the silversmith's onto Diagon Alley, and headed towards the Daily Prophet offices, to be seized, firmly by some witch and kissed firmly on the cheek. It was not, Harry thought, looking at shiny blue eyes, pink lips and brown hair, an entirely unpleasant experience, but the witch let him go, as someone, who sounded horribly like Malfoy said "Astoria!"
Harry recovered his balance and looked around. He'd been seized by Astoria Malfoy, who was looking at him with a smile in her face, and she looked… perfectly healthy.
"Astoria, Kissing Potter, of all people!" complained a red-faced Draco Malfoy, with a cane.
"He saved me, Drakey pooh" said Astoria "And I love only you." she said, with a air-kiss and winked at Draco in a way, that had Harry had a photo of the wink, he'd have burnt it as indecent. Draco Malfoy shifted uncomfortably. "Er, Potter. Um… Thank you. You certainly shook the Greengrasses down for it. Father would be impressed."
Harry's stomach twisted into knots. "Er, well" said Harry "Can she not do that again."
"Oh I certainly won't" said Astoria "You acted like a bit of a blushing virgin though. We all understood you had a case of the Weasleys."
Harry eyed Draco who, he was pretty sure was wincing in embarrassment. Harry felt… sympathy for Malfoy. 'Ew. And he wanted to wash. And those lips had kissed Malfoy. Probably wash his face very carefully, with, perhaps some strong acid' Harry mused.
"Potter?" asked Malfoy "Having a fugue?"
Harry's hand tensed into fists. Malfoy was being an arsehole again. Part of Harry felt better, and he scowled at Malfoy "Treatment for injuries from the war. Like yours, only a mind-torture old Tom Riddle could do." said Harry. Blaming Voldemort was quicker that telling his life story, and besides, it was Malfoy.
Malfoy paled. "Mind torture?" he croaked.
"History of Magic exam, fifth year?" said Harry "Torture at a distance. Such fun" he ground out.
Draco Malfoy looked at Harry Potter slightly sympathetically. "You've had a lot of treatment, and you're not done?" he asked.
"Are you?" asked Harry nodding to the cane.
"You know the answer" said Malfoy grumpily. Harry smiled. He'd won, again.
"Thank you Potter-Black" said Astoria "We are in your debt." Harry felt a growing sense of discomfort, of … feeling like an arsehole.
"I, uh, have to go. Hiring some temporary staff." said Harry, moving off.
He ducked into Weasley Wheezes, used his disguise comb and left as someone else, going to the Prophet and collecting a pile of applications. He apparated home.
Harry sorted the pile by neatness of the address, and took the first ten, and checked the applications for neatness and correct spelling. It was tiresomely like… being a teacher he thought. Perhaps being a teacher would not be much fun.
The best three letters he kept, and looked at the next ten applications, and picked out the seven best, and put the rest in the burn box.
Which was getting full, so he emptied it into the fireplace and burnt it.
He wrote out letters to the ten 'lucky' candidates, and realised he recognised some names. Lily Moon, Sally-Anne Perks, and, annoyingly Tracey Davis. She did have lovely handwriting though.
"Congratulations. Floo to Black Manor Monday first of July. You will be writing thank-you cards to people who sent Harry Potter gifts and letters. Pay is a galleon a day, lunch provided."
Harry looked at the ballroom. He needed more desks, chairs, and of course, the cards.
Harry did the obvious thing, as a well qualified wizard and went outside, and looked for fallen trees. Sadly, the builders had already done that. He apparated off to Stinchcombe. The old family manor, quite derelict and a bit burnt out sat like a gigantic children's block house. But there were a lot of trees and bushes around the house. Some of which were dead. Harry cutting cursed two trees down, and with a lot of effort, transfigured the trees into blobby gigantic wooden blocks, that he then slowly shrank to finger sized, and put in his pocket. He had all the wood. He stepped closer to the manor. It was… it had been quite pretty, he realised. Now… it made the awful rotten bits of Black Manor look good. All the timbers were burnt black and the plaster bits all gone.
Harry sighed and apparated back to Black Manor, and walked into the ballroom. There was a faint smell of mildew. Harry put the two blocks on the floor, un-shrank them and cut them into ten equal pieces each with cutting charms.
Each wooden block he then transfigured into either a trestle table, or a wooden chair.
Ten tables and ten chairs made, he felt quite proud of himself. The tables didn't wobble and the chairs were… well they were chair-ish shaped anyway.
He went to Diagon Alley, to Teemer and Spools, and enquired to the clerk at the service counter about thank-you cards and envelopes.
"How many?" asked the clerk. Harry frowned, and guessed. "A thousand."
"Gold leaf, embossing, gold edging?" asked the clerk.
"A simple thank-you card" said Harry.
"Ten galleons." said the clerk.
A box with a thousand cards is quite big, Harry discovered. He shrank it and left.
He put the box of cards on one table, and went to the ledger and started counting.
It was lined, sixty per page. Eighty pages. Some calculations on parchment, and he discovered he needed nearly five thousand cards. Another even more expensive trip to Teemer and Spools, and he had five unwieldy boxes.
Harry put one on each desk, and looked at the letters' ledger. 'He had a 'letters' ledger. Bugger', thought Harry. He counted that up, multiplied, and went back to the increasingly sarcastic Teemer and Spools clerk and got seven more boxes of a thousand.
A box on every desk, and two ledgers. Harry looked at the ledgers. He needed a spell to copy pages. That didn't vanish too quickly. The Gemino curse was right out.
Harry checked the seventh year charms textbook quickly, and found the Gemino curse, and a note about xerographia, which copied documents, mostly.
Harry went to Flourish and Blotts, and asked a clerk "I want a book about charms like xerographia" They looked at him like he'd said something dirty, but sold him a book called 'Elementary documentary charms' by Selene Lightfoot.
Harry went home, ate dinner distractedly, and settled into his couch to learn a charm.
Xerographia took Harry all night, and most of the next day to learn, and needed blank parchment. There was a warning about not using it on re-used parchments are results could be...distorted, or a jumble of what had been on the parchment and what you were copying.
The footnote about not copying books had Harry realising why the book-shop clerk had looked at him like he'd been very rude. The spell could copy books. Not that Harry was going to copy a book. He'd need a blank book for that, for starters.
Harry apparated off to Tomers and Scrolls at Hogsmeade to buy a fat sheaf of parchment and a pile of blotters.
Then Scrivenshafts for a pile of quills, and inkwells and a lot of ink. Xerographia needed ink to work.
Harry set up to copy the first page of his parcels ledger, and after a few false starts and wasted sheets, had a copy. One down, eighty to go.
It was past lunchtime before he was done, and Kreacher brought him the egg and cress sandwich of doom.
Fortified by lunch, he remembered to tell Kreacher about the temporary staff. And lunches.
"Master will not be letting them off the ground floor?" asked Kreacher.
"No" said Harry "you can sort that."
Kreacher nodded "And the snake?"
"Well, she can jolly well do what she likes" said Harry.
"Snake has been exploring the outbuildings" said Kreacher "Very fat now."
Harry found Sunny on the terrace, with a couple of large rat-sized bulges in her middle.
Harry picked up the snake, which eyed him sleepily. He put her in the drawing room, in a pool of sunlight by the windows. Harry left his bloated snake and went back to copying ledger pages.
He finished before dinner, and looked at the desks. With a bit of setting out, they all had quills, ink, cards and ledger entries to address. And the rest of the pile of letters for Harry to look through. 'Still, no hurry' he thought. And remembered the staff started on the first of July, and his birthday was on the thirty-first. And friends would want to have a party… in the ballroom… which was full of mildewed mail. Harry sat down and levitated over a pile of mail to deal with.
Time passed. His eyes were drooping, and he'd struck mail from nearly his time at school. The pile seemed to have vaguely gone in date order, oldest on top, from being on the bottom and being tipped out, perhaps.
He'd filled new pages of the mail ledger, and his small pile of shrunken presents included some woven friendship bracelets, and assorted things, and he'd stuck another Ginny Weasley letter. No wonder she couldn't speak to him when he met her before second year.
Harry went to sleep and dreamed of kisses. But the from Malfoy's wife bit had him waking up sweating. Harry sat in bed, having had a nightmare about… something nightmarish, and not death-related. He smiled. This kind of horror, he could deal with. And hopefully he'd get an appointment soon.
The next day he got the appointment at breakfast. The Twenty-first of June, at an apparation coordinate, for treatment. The date rang a faint bell. It was, after all, that Friday.
Harry went to the … empty field, except for Healer Lowry and a couple of people who wouldn't meet Harry's eye. "Ah the last one's here" said Lowry, handing Harry a potion bottle. "Drink up when I tell you, there's a good chap" he said. "The circle's centred here, so don't go too far away."
When turned out to be noon, exactly. Harry sat on the grass as indicated, drank the entire bottle of disgusting electric tasting potion, and fell over unconscious.
Harry woke up lying on his back in a field, with the sun setting. It was, he thought, a pretty sunset.
"Now if everyone can put their empty potion bottles in the bag, I will take you back to St Mungos for a few days for observation" said Lowry, walking around the group. Harry tried to sit up and discovered someone had made his waist all wobbly. His arms didn't exactly work either.
Lowry wrapped a long green bandage around everyone's arms and port-keyed them to St Mungos. Harry landed, oddly, on an actual hospital bed. Which, if the bed hadn't had a wizard with several large bandages on his limbs, would have been really convenient.
A Nurse levitated Harry into an empty bed and the chap who'd been coughing pigs ages ago looked at him from a bed opposite in the ward, and coughed up a small pig.
Harry vaguely remembered drinking something that wasn't a potion, but was green.
The next day was a blur, and the next, and finally, after three days, Harry was let out of bed, went to the bathroom, then was led to the fireplace and flooed home.
Kreacher popped into view "Master returned" croaked Kreacher.
"St Mungos, treatment" said Harry "Tired" he managed, and fell down face first.
Harry woke in bed, feeling well rested. He got up, washed, and went to the dining room and had a perfectly decent breakfast interrupted by mail.
Kreacher just dumped a silver tray covered in mail on the table.
Hermione had apparently come back to the UK and didn't know where he was.
Ron had added a p.s. 'I'm fine, Her parents memories came back ok.'
Harry sent a patronus. Prongs dashed off through the wall.
Davis had sent a list of Black properties. There was just Black Manor in England. A lot of rental properties had apparently been owned by the Blacks, and lost to adverse possession. Davis had helpfully written out an explanation of what that was. Harry read it, and discovered that the Blacks' had lost land by… being in prison or dead, basically, the tenants had taken it. Quite legally too.
Offshore, though, there was an island, near the Isle of Wight, and one in the Caribbean. Cool. He owned a Caribbean island. Harry felt excited. All he needed now was a girl in a bikini. Which was a bit of a mood killer, he had nobody to do that.
And a château in France, and a gite, whatever that was, in France somewhere else.
Harry wondered… was it possible that any of his property was rentable or didn't need a fortune spent on it to make it rentable.
Harry was puzzling over that when Hermione clomped into the dining room, looking really tanned, or even a bit sunburnt on her cheeks, with her hair a bit lighter on top.
"Harry!" she said "Where were you?" she asked. Ron sloped in after her, looking reddish, and smiling "Mate" he said.
"Don't overreact" said Harry "St Mungos, for another treatment for er… bad temper. I've been having these… bouts of rage."
"Rage?" asked Hermione.
"Didn't happen to coincide with meeting people in dark cloaks and masks?" asked Ron casually.
"Just… talking to people" admitted Harry "Slightly irritating people. But I think I'm much better now. I slept amazingly well last night."
Hermione frowned and Ron looked awkwardly at Harry."Harry?" Hermione asked "You got treatment ages ago."
"This is the third time, and it was at the solstice." said Harry evenly "I think Lowry's got it finally."
Hermione asked about the method and Harry explained as best he could.
"What have you been doing since the end of term?" asked Ron.
"Ron!" said Hermione sharply , "How did your NEWTs go?" she asked.
"I think I did well" said Harry "I had a very good defence Practical and Charms practicals."
"Well, of course you had a good defence practical" said Ron, grinning.
"And since coming home, I've been going through my mail backlog" said Harry "A lot of people sent me mail, and it all went somewhere. Bill and Gringotts worked it out, and I've been going through it, and making records of who wrote to me, and who sent me gifts. I've already taken a ton of stuff to St Mungos for the orphans there.
"I could help with that" said Hermione.
"Er" said Harry "It's just… some people sent stuff I don't want other people seeing. Like all Ginny's letters."
Hermione looked smug, and Ron shook his head. "She was your biggest fan." Ron added.
"And for a few years, I've been getting photos in the letters. I can't have anyone see them, and I put them straight into a burn box."
"Photos?" asked Ron.
"Of witches… and sometimes wizards in the nude" said Harry, shaking his head.
"Harry!" said Hermione.
"I don't look" said Harry "Especially if it's someone like Fleur's little sister."
Ron went a bit red in the face "She still fancies you."
"I sent her a please stop letter" said Harry "And burnt without looking at it; she's only sixteen."
Hermione smiled at Harry "That's very responsible." she said, nodding.
Ron frowned "Harry… you said a bloke sent photos" he said, and grimaced.
"Burned it" said Harry "Try not to look, or at this one middle-aged witch that keeps sending photos."
"Middle aged?" asked Ron, with a grimace.
Harry shook his head "It's best to just not look."
"Well it's not like your girlfriend was offered a deal with American Play-Witch" said Ron smugly. Hermione shook her head "He told Mum and Dad. Honestly."
"How did that go?" asked Harry.
"They were really cross, then Auror Weasley explained about the camps...the muggleborn families." said Hermione "Mum and Dad were totally convinced I did the right thing. Then, he told them about that bloody offer from American Play-Witch."
Ron grinned "Hermione's mum went absolutely ballistic."
"You berk" said Hermione fondly.
"Harry" asked Ron "You um, seeing anyone?"
Harry took a deep breath "Come on, follow me." he said, stood up and went to the ballroom.
"What's this all about?" asked Hermione, eyeing the pile of letters, the desks.
"The desks are for the temporary staff to fill in the thank-you-notes." said Harry.
"Harry" said Ron eyeing all the letters "There's tons of them"
"This is mostly done" said Harry firmly "It was chest high with parcels."
Hermione had picked out a thank-you-card, and looked at Harry's lists.
"How many thank-you cards?" asked Hermione.
"I've got eight thousand." said Harry "But I may need some more."
"Harry" said Ron carefully "You um, need a job?"
"I was offered a job" said Harry "But the more I think about it… I inherited a job from the Blacks. Property management apparently, we um, have some rentals, and I do enjoy setting off fireworks displays."
"What was the job offer?" asked Hermione.
"Professor McGonagall offered me Defence Against the Dark Arts" admitted Harry "But… that would mean reading a lot of assignments, marking… and that sounds awful. Fireworks and rental properties. That, I think will do, with a bit of gardening."
"Harry?" asked Hermione "Have you got old?"
"I think" admitted Harry, not rising to her bait "That I might have risked death enough times, and maybe I should live a quiet life."
"Well" said Ron "Dawlish was complaining about you. Apparently you put the wind up your NEWT Defence practical assessor."
"Dawlish wanted me to duel him, so I er… beat him in about six seconds" admitted Harry "Not by being good, just… not doing what he expected me to."
"Not a disarming charm then?" asked Hermione.
"I transfigured his robes into chains then charmed them to shrink" said Harry "I did learn something in seventh year, after all."
Ron giggled "Robes into chains, and then shrunk. He must have figured you for..."
"Someone who either disarms or blasts" said Harry blandly "And I did neither in either practical duel."
"I'm very proud of you Harry" said Hermione. "You're… a lot calmer than I remember."
"Weirdly calm" admitted Ron "You using calming draughts?"
"Not recently" said Harry "But I have got a lot of paperwork to do. I need all this done by the end of July." Omitting to mention the ritual.
"You could pack it into your study" said Hermione "After your temps have done all the notes."
Harry looked at his desk. At the 'Hell no' list. "Bugger" he said "Need to get some more cards for all the No, thank-you's."
"Well" said Hermione "If we can't help with this, can we have lunch, or something, catch up?"
"Australia was mental" said Ron "Everything tries to kill you."
Harry led them back to the dining room and looked at his xerographia'ed property listing.
"I just got this list of places the Blacks own" said Harry "How long before you two get back to work?"
"We've got a week more" said Hermione "And some money left over, you can have back."
"Keep enough to keep going" said Harry distractedly "I've got two places I can rent out." he said optimistically.
The Ministry portkey office charged five galleons for a portkey to France, and Harry bought a return for ten.
Harry, Ron and Hermione portkeyed to France, and submitted to identity checks by serious looking French Aurors.
Half a day later, with a newly purchased apparation atlas, and lots of nice french bread and coffee, they apparated to the gîte the Black's owned.
Which was a little stone cottage in a forest, that had a fallen tree leaning against it.
Ron levitated the tree off, and Harry carefully repair-charmed the roof. It mended itself at that corner with a cracking sound.
Hermione opened the door with a spell, and the trio entered. The word gîte was apparently french for a little holiday cottage. After some cleaning charms, Harry mended a window-pane with a tooth-grating crunch.
Ron was vanishing dirt, and Hermione repair-charmed the steps to the attic rooms.
Harry repair-charmed all the furniture, and two loaves of bread eaten later, the place was clean, if a little rustic.
"So this is a rental then?" asked Ron "Nice enough I suppose."
"It's for holidays Ron, not a full-time house" said Hermione "That's what gîte means."
"So how much does it cost?" asked Ron.
Hermione took a newspaper out of her beaded bag and flicked through it for a while "A gîte with two bedrooms would be about ten galleons a week" said Hermione after some reading.
"Ten it is then" said Harry "I suppose there's some agent in the Rue Magiqiue I can use for this."
The newspaper advertisements for gîtes clearly showed that one agent handled many gîtes.
Harry and Ron cut the fallen tree and stacked it for firewood while Hermione wrote out an advertisement for Harry "This way people can read it" said Hermione. Harry couldn't read what she'd written as it was in French.
The trio apparated back to the Rue Magique and easily found the gîte agent, in a bookstore, with a sign that advertised 'gîte'.
For a galleon per rental the agent would handle everything, and remit payment to Harry's vault.
Harry felt that had gone well, as they left the bookstore.
"Now" said Harry "To see the château."
"Château?" asked Ron. "What's that?"
"A sort of pretty castle" said Hermione.
Harry perked up at that, and the trio apparated to the Château.
Which...was a long three-storey L-shaped building with a few small round towers with conical roofs dotted along the sides, and a single large rectangular tower in the middle of the L. One end had a chimney trailing smoke.
The windows all had shutters, some of which were hanging a little crookedly, and some had fallen off, or something.
"Harry" said Hermione breathily "I think someone's using your Château."
"Not" said Harry sharply "For long. I lost all the tenancies in England to adverse possession, I'm not losing this place."
Hermione took out the newspaper and looked through it.
"What are you doing?" asked Ron.
"Looking to see if there are any large houses for rent" said Hermione "I wanted to know how much money Harry might make."
Harry knocked on the door of the bit with a fireplace and the door was opened by a wizard in dark robes with a pencil-moustache and his hair slickly combed sideways. "Ouis?" he said.
"Hermione, ask him if he owns the place?" said Harry.
Hermione said something slowly, and the man replied quickly.
"He says it's his family's." said Hermione.
Harry smiled "Hi" said Harry "I'm the Black of Black. Who are you?"
The wizard smiled and sort of froze "Sorry" he squeaked with a French accent.
"My name is Lois" he said "My father was the caretaker here. We haven't seen a Black in… not since the seventies." His accent was fairly understandable, thought Harry.
Harry nodded "Well, we're going to rent it out, so you'll be um caretaker" said Harry.
"Sorry I don't understand" said Louis. "Francais?"
"What" asked Harry.
Hermione said something in French. Louis nodded and rattled away. Hermione sighed.
"Harry Louis can sort of speak English." said Hermione "He doesn't do so well on understanding it spoken quickly."
It transpired Louis came from a long line of… underemployed caretakers at the château, and he'd be ecstatic to be paid to work. He was currently selling hay for money, and living, as his family had, off food grown the garden of the château.
He took them on a tour of the huge house , in much better condition than Black Manor, with foreign… french looking furniture. There were a few wizarding portraits of Blacks in the château, most significantly an older couple, the heavyset man in a chair, his vastly more attractive brown-haired wife standing next to him, one hand on his shoulder. Harry peered at the brass nameplate. Arcturus and Melania Black.
"Who are you?" asked Arcturus, who had grey eyes, black hair with a few strokes of white paint in it. He sounded like he'd been painted having got out of bed on the wrong side.
"Harry Potter-Black. Current Black of Black. Order or Merlin, first class for defeating Vodlemort." said Harry "You're a painting."
"Potter-Black!" spat Arcturus. Melania put her hands together in front of her.
"Sirius Black, previous Black of Black adopted me. I was his godson, and an orphan" said Harry, glossing over so very much.
"Orion's dead then?" asked Arcturus.
"In the seventies" said Harry. "It's easier to list living Blacks. Me, Andromeda Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy, Andromeda's grandson, Edward Lupin, Draco Malfoy- Narcissa's son if you're being generous." Melanaia's hand went back to Arcturus's shoulder, but it looked to Harry a lot like this time she was comforting a rigid old man.
"Oh dear" said Melania softly.
"My Gran was Cedrilla Black" said Ron. "She died in the eighties. I think… I was four. Eighty five."
"Lucretia?" asked Arcturus, his painted eyes turning whiter.
Harry put his hands on his hips "Paintings can be a bit simple, I told you… there are four living Blacks by blood and me."
"We're nearly extinct" said Arturus, sounding confused "There was a bloody ballroom full of us ,you couldn't get across the drawing room at birthdays. Where did they all go?"
"Died, Azkaban, died." said Harry. "It's the year two thousand."
"Oh dear" said Melania "Only two of Druella's girls left."
"I always said that girl would come to a bad end" said Arcturus.
"Mum killed her" said Ron "She was a death eater."
"Well" said Arcturus "Are there newer copies of us?"
"All but the Grimmauld place paintings were lost. The roof of Black Manor fell in" said Harry. "Cost a fortune to restore."
"Well take us home then" said Arcturus. "Ore are you mocing here?"
"This is going to be rented out" said Harry "Need the income, all the rentals in England are gone."
"Arcturus" cried Melania "All your work, gone."
"Bloody Sirius" said Arcturus. "He always was irresponsible"
"He died saving my life, so I like him" said Harry.
Loius helped crate the painting. Harry planned to put it in the portrait gallery, at one end, somewhere he didn't walk past often.
-==0==-
Harry went to Gringotts on the last day of June and withdrew a hundred galleons, and got a balance. What with legal fees, he was erm, not as rich as he'd been... but there was still some money from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. And a few dozen from France. Gite rentals.
And a hundred galleons in rental for the château. Harry smiled. He had a real source of money. And no risk of losing it to adverse possession. Lois was… being helpful.
Harry looked at the balance, and back at the goblin "And a promissory note for ten thousand" said Harry, and the clerk raised their eyebrows, and filled one out, and stamped it.
"We will recover the fees for a dishonoured note" said the goblin, and smiled, showing pointy teeth.
Harry went home with the money to pay the staff, and got out an envelope, and put in the promissory note, and Daphne Greengrass's three letters. He addressed the letter to her, and using the Hogsmeade owl-post, sent her back her letters. And the money he'd extorted for a cure. When the letter was tied to an owl and flew off, Harry's stomach un-knotted, and he felt like a great weight was off his shoulders.
"Sending letters to an Heiress, Mister Potter" said the witch behind the counter with a smile. "How romantic."
Harry stared at her, wondering, wondering why would she think that. "Just returning old letters. I only got my backlog of mail a month ago. People wrote me, and I never replied. In that case, I felt I needed to send all the letters back.
"Shame" said the old witch "Daphne Greengrass is the heiress, I've seen her in the Prophet. Pretty witch."
"I do know her" said Harry "But no."
Harry went home and had dinner, and recorded letters.
The pile of marriage offers was growing disturbingly tall.
There were enough marriage contracts to paper a room with the pages from the blasted things.
Harry kept at it, making records so people could get a card.
He went to bed tired, and slept peacefully, waking with morning wood.
Harry got up washed, dressed in comfortable clothes and ate breakfast in kitchen. Kreacher was fussing around making lunches.
Harry drank some Earl Grey, for a change, and decided after two cups that he didn't really like it that much, and went to the front hall and conjured up a sign pointing to the ballroom 'New Staff induction this way'
And sat down and started on the letter backlog again. Time passed, and someone walked into the ballroom. "Hello?" said a young woman. Harry turned "And you are?"
And it was one of the staff. Miss Rogers, In orange robes. Harry gave her a desk, and explained the process.
"And you can't do this?" asked the brunette witch, frowning "Who wrote this list, it's nearly illegible"
"That was me" admitted Harry "You'll have to puzzle it out."
A second witch arrived, and Harry started marking names off on the list.
"Erm… Rogers, can you explain to Perdita?" asked Harry.
"Potter's almost illegible list shows who sent what, and you fill in the card, and put it in an envelope" said Miss Rogers. Perdita ( no last name) nodded along "Great" said Harry "You two get started and show the other eight how to do it."
"Ten of us?" asked Rogers?
"Well, the list is about eight thousand names, and I'm not done yet" said Harry, pointing at the pile of letters, the size of one of Hagrid's pumpkins
"What about duplicates?" asked Perdita.
"A card every time for now" said Harry "Once I'm done, I'll probably check the list before sending a card."
"So the job lasts till we're done with this?" asked Perdita.
"Or till the twenty-ninth, whichever is sooner" said Harry, seeing Perdiata thinking about taking her time.
"I still get paid twenty-nine galleons no matter what "said Perdita. Inspiration struck Harry "If you get done early, you get all twenty-nine galleons" said Harry.
"But" said Perdita, looking at the list "A thousand cards."
"twenty-nine galleons" said Harry.
Harry sat down and got back to work, summoning letters, writing summaries in his letters ledger.
It was past nine thirty by the time everyone, arrived, with Tracey, Lily and Sally-Anne arriving.
"Rogers, explain to the late-comers" said Harry.
"This cuts into my profits" said Rogers bitterly.
"Fine" said Harry "I'll do it."
Harry repeated his briefing "Of course, by arriving later, you finish later and risk missing out on money."
Tracey looked at the list "What wrote this?" she asked "A spider dipped in ink?"
"Which is why I hired you lot to fill in cards" said Harry.
The witches set to filling in cards, and Harry to letters. He quickly found another marriage contract, for Fay Dunbar, of all people. He shook his head. Gobstones was so not a sport. He added it to the pile and wrote her name on the hell-no card list, with marriage contract as the reason.
A bit later, Harry's stomach grumbled and he looked up, the witches were working away. Harry checked his watch. Lunchtime, or early.
"Ahem" he said standing "Lunch will be served in the dining room."
Kreacher had done soup and cheese on toast. Harry ate it cheerfully.
The witches sat at the table, along both side, talking.
"Potter?" asked Tracey Davis "What's the big plan here?"
"I have a mail backlog, and I'm sending everyone that sent a parcel or letter a card." said Harry 'That's all."
Kreacher appeared bowing "Master?" croaked Kreacher "A hit-wizard is asking for master."
Harry left his soup and toast, and went the hall, where an old blue-robed wizard wearing a black curiass over it and a badge that said "Purcell" was standing looking at the wall.
"Mister Harry Potter-Black?" asked Purcell "We've got a situation at St Mungos."
Harry's heart went into freefall "What?" he croaked, his mouth suddenly dry. Was Ron injured? He wondered.
"An Infant's come in for vaccinations, and a routine blood test has rumbled the 'aunt.'" said Purcell "You're the next of kin, not a Mrs Rowle."
"I don't know any Rowles." said Harry.
"Sympathisers in the war" said Prurcell "Child's coming up as er… your niece. Sort of tangled family tree. Healers wouldn't say exactly how."
Harry thought about that. Dudley' wasn't that old, and surely… no woman would shag his cousin.
"Need you to come along" said Purcell "We're holding Mrs Rowle, and the child, well, St Mungos won't release her to anyone but you."
Harry sighed. 'Fucking Dudley.' he thought.
Harry followed the Hit-Wizard to St Mungos and upstairs to the first floor, to an office, where Purcell knocked, and the door opened after a bit, and a Green-Robed healer looked out "Mr Potter-Black" they said. "Please come in."
Harry went in, and Purcell took up guard outside the door, which was odd.
A small blond child in a dreadful little stained grey-white cloth cone of a robe sat in a play-pen, with some toys. She looked confused, but did have the tell-tale marks around her mouth of having been fed something that left sticky mess on her face. There was a serious looking healers desk, with a skull covered in a dribbly candle.
"Please sit?" asked the Healer, a woman in green robes, with a lined face. "This is most unusual."
"Some Rowle woman?" asked Harry.
"I'm Healer Sanderson, the head of Children's diseases" said the healer.
"Mr Potter-Black, this is your niece, Mrs Rowle called her Delphini Rowle, but the blood test we gave her proves she's not. She's a Black by blood, and we, er, used the family tree checker to find a relative. She's your niece on the er… Peverell side. And on the ahem - Slytherin side too. The odd part is that she also tests as a direct blood relation of yours." said Sanderson.
Harry thought about this for a moment. Harry shrugged "That's weird." he said, glossing over the details of resurrection rituals he didn't want to talk about, "Who are her parents?"
"She comes up as a child of your uncle, Tom Riddle, who we believe you told us died in the war, and er… she's a bastard. Her mother was Bellatrix LeStrange née Black. Her father not being a LeStrange… but your relative. He was quite a bit older than her mother." said the Healer.
Harry blinked in the chair, and looked at the little girl, who was sitting next to some used looking toys, not doing anything but look unhappy.
"Oh" said Harry "A ritual to heal her father used my blood." The healer's eyebrows went up.
"How was… Delphini living?" asked Harry, an ember of anger starting in his heart.
"Mrs Rowle was being paid to keep her, and it appears she was a bit neglected." said the Healer "Delphini still needs her Dragonpox and Vanishing sickness vaccinations."
Harry nodded "I understand there's no need to vaccinate for muggle diseases?" Harry asked, trying to take his mind off this Delphini's parentage, and concentrate on her being neglected. Like he had, he thought bitterly.
"No" said Sanderson "She is clearly a young witch, so she should be resistant to muggle illnesses."
"Has she done accidental magic?" asked Harry.
"Her ahem… hair changes colour a little" said Sanderson "A partial metamorphmagus."
"Well" said Harry "If she's a Black and Riddle's daughter, I am her um… cousin or uncle I suppose."
"Mrs Rowle" said Sanderson "Will be given to the Hit-Wizards. Keeping a child from their family is a crime, after all."
"Tom and I weren't close" said Harry, gazing at the little girl. She had dark eyes… a bit like Andromeda or her sister, or even young Tom, he supposed. Delphini sighed quietly.
Harry got out of the chair, stepped over the playpen railing and squatted by Delphini "Delphini?" asked Harry "How are you?
Delphini looked up at Harry, her eyes huge and dark. And her face was pinched and she looked miserable. Harry's chest tightened "I'm your uncle Harry." he said.
"Unca?" asked Delphini.
"Uncle Harry" said Harry carefully "Have you met any of your family before?" he asked.
Delphini shook her head. "Father died. Mother died." she said, clearly by rote.
"Well" said Harry "Your Mother's sister Andromeda is my aunt, and you have a … cousin Teddy. She's Andromeda's grandson. He's about your age."
"Teddy?" asked Delphini "Silly name." she said dismissively in echoes of a pure-blood accent.
"Well" said Harry "His real name's Edward, but we call him Teddy, after his grandfather Edward, who was called Ted."
"Mrs Rowles" asked Delphini glumly. Harry mentally joined the dots as to what that meant.
"You aren't going back there, young lady" said Sanderson "Mister Harry Potter-Black, who's your closest living relation will be taking care of you."
"Family?" asked Delphini "You didn' come."
"I didn't know you were born" admitted Harry "Your mum didn't like me. From the war."
"Mudblood or halfblood?" asked Delphini pompously.
"I'm a wizard" said Harry "Like your father, and he was my uncle."
"You din't come" said Delphini, again, with a sniffle.
"I'm here now" said Harry, and held out his hands "Do you do hugs?" he asked.
Delphini shook her head "What's a hug?" she asked. Harry's ember of anger in his chest flared into a flame.
Harry wrapped his arms around the surprising frail little girl "This is a hug" said Harry "I've got the Black Manor, which Teddy will inherit, when he's of age. You'll get something, Aunt Andromeda will find you something."
"So now I go back?" asked Delphini glumly.
"You will er, be going with Mr Potter-Black" said Sanderson. "Or Mr Slytherin, technically."
"I don't use that name" said Harry quickly. "Delphini, you're a Black. Wanna be Delphini Black?" he asked.
Sanderson nodded "You will have to sign adoption paperwork. As nearest living relative, you get priority."
"Andromeda Tonks is her aunt" said Harry.
"And you're on record as young Edward's next of kin" said Sanderson. "You'll need to hold her for her vaccination."
Harry let Delphini go and stood "Well" said Harry "We need to go sit on the chair and get a couple of vaccinations. It's a medicine to stop you getting very sick later."
"Don't wanna" said Delphini. Harry picked her up, and she squirmed "Don't Wanna!" she cried loudly. The tips of her hair went red.
Harry eyed the angry little girl, and there in her face was a glimpse of Tom Riddle's fury, of Bellatrix's madness. Harry tried something that worked on Teddy, and held her and kissed the top of her head. For an instant, Harry felt something strange in his skull, like a tendril of magic entering it.
Delphini stopped squirming, Harry lifted his head and looked down. She was glaring instead.
"You're not my father" she said.
Harry lifted the quite heavy little girl, for all that she was a thin pinched-faced little girl "I'm not" admitted Harry, looking her in the eyes "But, I'm your nearest relative and I already look after Teddy sometimes, and he's your cousin."
"It's just a story" said Delphini, and she scratched the top of her head.
Harry held grumpy little Delphini Riddle, daughter of his two worst enemies in his arms "It's a true story. But, I could tell you a story." Harry offered.
"Don't wanna. Stories are stupid" said Delphini, glaring at Harry.
"Well" said Harry, walking over to the desk and sitting at the visitor's chair "I'll tell you about a creature instead. Do you want to hear about a real one, or one that might not exist."
"A real one" said Delphini.
"Well" said Harry "Bowtruckles" nodding his head to Sanderson, who started getting a needle ready.
"What's a bowtruckle?" asked Delphini.
"They're insects about as long as your nose" said Harry, and as he'd expected, Delphini stared at her own nose, going cross-eyed, then held out a hand, fingers spread "This long? She asked. She had long elegant fingers…. Like her father's Harry thought, and tried to ignore that thought.
"That long" agreed Harry "They are brown and green and look like a twig with leaves on it. They like magic, and live in trees. If you find a lot of bowtruckles in a tree, that means the tree would be a good one to take a small branch from to make a magic wand from."
Delphini's brow furrowed "Do they bite?" she asked.
"They're quite safe if you don't harm their tree" said Harry "When I learnt about them at school, we put them on our hands, and sketched them."
"Show me?" asked Delphini.
"I lost the picture, just before you were born" admitted Harry "I had to move and lost all my things. Have you got things at Mrs Rowle's house?"
Delphini shook her head "I don't like her. She's mean."
Harry nodded, and Sanderson slid Delphini's terrible robe sleeve up and injected pink stuff into her arm.
Delpini looked down "Ow" she said quietly "What's that?" she asked.
"Your vaccination" said Sanderson, smiling slightly "You won't get Dragonpox or vanishing sickness now" she said.
"Dragonpox" said Harry, remembering "Is very dangerous. My grandparents died from it. A year before my parents had me."
"The vaccine was invented a year later" said Sanderson "So no more witches or wizards will get Dragonpox ever again." she said to Delphini. "Now, because you've been good" lied Sanderson "I'll give you a lollipop."
"What's that?" asked Delphini. Sanderson stilled, and eyed Harry pointedly "A sweet?" she asked, and Sanderson lifted the skull by the candle, and the top of skull came off with it, revealing a stash of sweets, and Sanderson spoke "Mr Black, a lollipop, probably not a blood pop or acid pop."
Harry fished out a lollipop and unwrapped it and handed it to Delphini "Here" said Harry, as Sanderson put the lid back on her grisly lolly jar "You suck the yellow bit."
Delphini's hand took the lollipop and she put it in her mouth. Her eyes widened and her cheeks hollowed; she sat still then gave the lollipop an exploratory suck. Her head came down and she stopped scowling.
"You're fairly good with children, Mister Black" said Sanderson "We will be checking up on Delphini in two weeks. See that she has better clothes, and more to eat."
Harry nodded "Of course. Nobody should go hungry" he said. Delphini frowned at him through enormous eyelashes. She looked almost cute.
"Did she have a coat?" asked Harry.
"She was wrapped in a blanket, and we vanished it." said Sanderson "It was unhygienic. I'll issue one to you, we owe you for your donations."
Harry drew his wand and conjured a small red cloak, lined with brown fur, and got Delphini into it. She looked at the cloak sideways. Harry conjured up some red gumboots lined with fur and pulled Deplhini's little socked feet into them. She struggled a bit but then looked more comfortable.
Sanderson slid a parchment over "Sign here, Mr Black" said Sanderson "This is your acknowledgement of responsibility for Delphini."
"An adoption form?" asked Harry.
"The Ministry, Family Services, next to the Department of Magical Games and Sports" said Sanderson, handing over a scroll.
"Hmm" said Harry, and signed with the quill Sanderson provided. "Can you cut out some of the bits I'd rather keep quiet?"
"Which parts?" asked Sanderson.
"Her parent's names, my Slytherin family" said Harry. "People would make a big deal of it."
"Well, good luck, Mr Black" said Sanderson, using some spell she seemed to know well enough to cast silently on the parchment that made sections fall out. "Though you seem quite lucky enough."
Harry looked at the parchment. Delphini's middle name was apparently Druella, after her grandmother. That would have to change, Harry thought, anyone could work out who she was from that. Harry drew his wand and tapped 'Druella' spitting a silver spark that burnt a hole in the parchment.
Healer Sanderson lifted her eyebrows.
"With a middle name as uncommon as that" said Harry "Anyone could work out who her mother was."
Harry carried Delphini on one hip to the floo. "We're going to floo" said Harry looking her in the face "Hold on carefully, and shut your mouth."
Delphini nodded "I'm not a baby" she said.
Harry flooed them to the 'Ministry of Magic' and set off across the atrium. As usual, the withces and Wizards stared ant Harry , and more tha na few withces were pointing and discussing Harry's appearance with a child.
Delphini shrank into Harry's shoulder. "Don't worry" said Harry quietly "They're just staring at me."
"Why" asked Delphini.
"I'm famous from the war" said Harry, and queued at the security checkpoint, and had his wand weighed "Eleven inches, Holly and phoenix feather" said the guard and handed it back over.
Harry pocketed his wand and the Guard said "And who's this ?"
"Delphini Black" said Harry "War orphan from my Black family. I'm off to sign an adoption form."
The guard nodded and Delphini wriggled uncomfortably and Harry went over to the lifts.
Harry took the lift with Delphini down to level three, and found the Family Services office, where a harassed looking thirty-something witch with messy dirty blonde hair was surrounded by paperwork.
"Sylvia Fawkes-Smudgely" she said.
"Delphini's a Black by blood" said Harry, handing over the scroll from St Mungos.
Sylivia unrolled the scroll, which had large sections cut out.
"Why are parts of this scroll missing?" asked Sylvia.
"We're related in other ways, but we're not publicising what family that is" said Harry "Other side in the war" Sylvia's eyes widened, but she nodded, and read some more of the scroll.
"You're related to her mother and her father?" asked Sylvia.
Harry nodded "So, adopting her as Delphini Black?" asked Harry.
"Middle name?" asked Sylvia.
"We need a star name, for the Black family" said Harry.
Sylvia thought "Andromeda?" she asked.
"My Aunt" said Harry.
"Cassiopeia?" asked Sylvia.
" Delphini Cassiopeia Black" said Harry "I think it's a traditional family name too."
"I've heard of a Cassiopeia Black, she died fifty years ago, I think" said Sylvia.
Harry signed when indicated and took a xerographia of the form.
"What's that?" asked Delphi as Harry rolled up the two scrolls.
"An adoption form" said Harry "You're my daughter now, Delphini."
Delphini looked at Harry oddly "Do I get a lollipop?" she asked.
"Maybe after we've got some more clothes and stuff" said Harry.
"But you can just magic up things" said Delphini "Like my cloak"
"I conjured it" said Harry to Sylvia "She only had a grey-white robe and socks."
Sylvia wrote something down "I'll be pressing DMLE to press for a harsher penalty" said Sylvia tightly.
Harry stood up.
"No lollypop" said Delphini and Sylvia laughed.
"Come on" said Harry "Lets got you some clothes."
As Harry walked down the corridor to the lift Delphini asked "Are you my father now?"
"Yeah" said Harry.
"Who's my mother now" asked Delphini.
"Um" said Harry "I don't have a wife yet."
"How do you get a wife?" asked Delphini, as Harry got into the crowded lift.
"We'll talk about that later" said Harry "First we need to get you clothes."
Harry floo-ed with Delphini to the Leaky, and old Tom's forehead wrinkled like a walnut.
"Who's this, Mister Potter" asked Tom.
"My adoptive daughter, Delphini Black, war orphan" said Harry.
"Oh" said Tom "I heard you was helping the orphans at St Mungos. I'm Tom."
Delphini looked at old Tom shyly. "Delphini" she said quietly.
"Well, no daughter of yours will be a quiet little mouse for too long, eh, Mister Potter-Black" said Tom, getting Harry's name right for once.
"Well, we're going shopping" said Harry "Delphini?" Harry asked "Do you want some food or to use the loo?"
Delphini shook her head. "I'm not a baby" she said firmly.
"Come on, we're going to Diagon Alley. Have you been?" asked Harry.
"No" said Delphini quietly.
"Well, said Harry, going out into the back alleyway "This is the door to Diagon Alley, London's best shopping street for wizards and witches."
Delphini looked left and right. "There's nothing" she said.
Harry drew his wand and tapped the bricks as Hagrid had shown him and the wall rearranged, into an arch.
"Diagon Alley, Delphini" said Harry "Welcome to Diagon Alley." he said, like Hagrid had. And picked her up and carried her in. There was no way he was losing a child in the Alley.
Delphini went quiet as Harry walked along towards Madame Malkin's.
Harry stopped and looked at Delphini, whose eyes were like saucers.
"Are you okay" he whispered.
"There's so much" said Delphini. Harry kissed her hair gently "We'll spend ages here, but today, just clothes, and visiting some friends."
"Friends?" asked Delphini.
"They own a shop here" said Harry. "Lots of fun things."
Harry pressed through crowds who were being more than usually staring and obstructive, finally getting to Madame Malkin's Robe for all occasions.
"This" said Harry "Is Madame Malkin's. The sign says 'Madame Makins' robes for all occasions.'"
"How do you know?" asked Delphini.
"It's writing, we've got lots of children's books to read, I'll help you learn, then you can read them." said Harry.
"Mrs Rowle would read me stories from a book" said Delphini "She only had one book."
"Well" said Harry "We've got dozens, and I'll read them to you, till you can read them for yourself."
"One a night?" she asked, as Harry opened the door.
"Well" said Harry "I've got a lot to do, but I think we can probably have a story after breakfast, and another after lunch most days."
Delphini went quiet in Malkin's. Harry went over to the proprietress, who was looking quite… imposing in a grey and green robe.
"Mister Potter" she said.
"Potter Black" said Harry, "This is my adopted daughter, Delphini Black. She has nothing, and needs everything. Robes, sleepwear, shoes, socks, boots, hats…. Dresses… everything."
"Does she like red?" asked Madame Malkin.
Delphini shook her head.
"Sorry" said Harry "What colours do you like?"
Delphini looked annoyed and made fists. Harry walked casually along a row of robes "Point to colours you like?" asked Harry quietly.
Delphini pointed out purple and orange and pink and bright blue.
"Purple, Orange, Pink, and Bright blue, apparently" said Harry "And one black and green set for formal occasions."
"Hardly dignified" said Madame Malkin.
"She's four" said Harry "Delphini, Madame Malkin will need to measure you. We'll take off your cloak for a little bit."
"And those bizarre boots" said Madam Malkin.
Delphini stood looking a little cold, and Madame Malkin measured her with several floating tape measures.
Put your boots and cloak back on" said Madame Malkin and looked Harry in the eyes "What sort of robe is that?" she asked quietly.
"All she had" said Harry tightly "Fix that." Madam Malkin nodded minutely.
Harry sat on a chair and Madame Malkin found small girl clothes, which she charmed to just the right size, and colour-changed to a variety of purples, oranges, pinks and bright blues. Delphini held the bright blue dress in her arms and the very tips of her hair changed colour to blue.
"Oh Merlin!, she's a metamorphmagus" said Madame Malkin in shock.
"Partial. Just her hair" said Harry "She's going to need boots to go outside, and a coat if it's cold. And something to sleep in, and a dressing gown and slippers."
Delphini eyed Harry, head down, over her bright blue robe.
Quite a bit later, Delphini had a large pile of clothes, mostly in bright colours, and Delphini was wearing an eye-watering orange robe and matching socks. The old robe Harry vanished.
Harry, after paying helped Madame Malkin wrap up all the clothes into four large parcels, and called for Kreacher.
Kreacher appeared with a pop.
"Master?" croaked Kreacher.
"This, Kreacher, is Delphini. She's my adoptive daughter, and a Black. These are her things, put them in the nearest bedroom to mine." Harry pointed to the parcels.
"The resizing charms should keep them fitting her for at least two years" said Madame Malkin "She will likely need new socks before then. Small children wear them out very quickly."
Kreacher picked up all the parcels and vanished with a pop.
Delphini stared at the space the elf had just left.
Harry picked up her cloak, and held it out "Come on, we're going to see some friends" said Harry.
Delphini slowly got into her cloak, but quickly pulled on her boots.
"So you've adopted her?" asked Madame Malkin.
"She's a Black and a war orphan. I'm her closest living relative." said Harry "Delphini, should I make your cloak and boots blue?"
Delphini nodded. Harry colorvaria'ed the cloak and boots, and Delphini spun like a top.
"Well" said Madame Malkin "I hope you get her home before your conjuration fails."
Harry took Delphini down Diagon Alley, she felt up to walking, and Harry held her hand. It felt odd, her hand was so very small.
They passed Twilfitt and Tattings and Harry saw in the window a white fur coat.
"Delphini?" asked Harry "Would you like a fur coat?" he asked.
Delphini pressed her face against the glass and peered in "Mine?" she asked.
"Why not" said Harry. Eight hundred galleons poorer, he understood why not. Delphini, however had dropped the conjured cloak on the floor, and put the shrunken fur coat on swiftly and hugged herself.
Harry discreetly vanished the cloak. Delphini… strode more confidently from Twilfitt and Tattings looking like a little heiress in her white fur coat and bright blue boots. Harry led her down to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, and the brightly coloured shop had Delphini peering in the windows.
"My friends own the shop" said Harry, and he opened the door with a tinkle and Delphini stepped in and gazed about, spellbound.
Harry followed her in, and gently pushed her along to a shelf holding brightly coloured boxes of prank items.
George came over in his bright purple suit and top hat.
"Harry" said George grinning "She's a bit young for you, isn't she?"
"This" said Harry, picking Delphini up and holding her on one hip before she dived into the animated puking display in the front window, "Is Delphini Black. She's a war orphan ..." Harry explained.
"And you adopted her. She's your child now?" asked George. Delphini looked at George and the tips of her hair went slowly orange.
"Brilliant!" said George smiling broadly "Her and Teddy in the same room will be a riot. You going to get mum to look after her?"
"Er, no" said Harry "Andromeda with Teddy, she's a Black by blood and your mum er… might not appreciate Delphini, specially as her parents were on the side that didn't win."
George looked at Delphini who was staring at all the colourful, whizzing things, her hands tucked into her coat sleeves.
"She's a bit quiet" said George.
"Not a very good nurse" said Harry euphemistically, and turned to Delphini "See anything nice?" he asked.
"The fluffy thing" said Delphini, pointing to a row of caged pygmy puffs.
"A Pygmy Puff" said Harry.
"Let's go see it" said Harry, and he carried Delphini over, and she stared at the pygmy puff, and took her hands out of her sleeves "Can I touch it?"
"Gently" said Harry, and Delphini reached out and stroked a purple pygmy puff with one hand.
"Soft" said Delphini. The puff squeaked and rolled away, then rolled back closer.
"Well it seems to like you" said George quietly "Probably have to keep it."
"Well, a carry-box for the pygmy puff" said Harry. "Delphini, it'll need a name."
"Fluffy" said Delphini.
"Fluffy it is" said Harry with a smile "Fluffy is an excellent name for a pygmy puff." He raised his eyebrows to George "And a lousy name for a Cerberus" he added sotto voce.
George got a carry-cage from under the counter and put fluffy in the cage, which he helpfully put into Delpini's fur coat's pocket.
"Harry" said George quietly "This little puff collector of yours. You're not her actual dad?"
"I've adopted her." said Harry "She was being raised… by nobody good."
"Lollypop?" asked Delphini.
George's face took on a manic grin "Oh, I've got sooo many sweets for you, Delphini Black."
Delphini looked a bit surprised by this.
"Harry, your dad, he's a part owner of the shop, and that means you get anything from the shop for free" said George.
"Rabbit?" asked Delphini. George's brow furrowed "I don't have any rabbits." he admitted "But pygmy puffs are better really."
"Rabbit" said Delphini firmly.
"I'll just go out the back" said George, raising an eyebrow.
"A plush bunny" suggested Harry.
George returned a minute later, Harry entertaining Delphini with the prank wands.
Delphini giggled every time the wand turned into a rubber chicken. The tips of her hair eventually went pink and she started to blush. "Again!" said Delphini.
"A few prank wands" said Harry.
George presented Delphini with a plush brown rabbit with brown eyes, and a dark nose, and a white fluffy tail.
She grabbed it with both arms and held it extremely firmly "Bunny!" she said excitedly.
"Best present so far" said Harry "Better than the fur coat."
"Is that real" muttered George.
"A lesson for me to never take a witch to Twilfitt and Tattings" said Harry quietly.
Harry, Bunny and Delphini left Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes, with Verity saying that Delphini was very cute. Though she then looked at Harry like Snape looking at Hermione.
Harry took her home by floo, rather than apparate.
Harry stopped in the front hall "Delphini, this is Black Manor, the home of the Black family. I live here, and you do too.
Delphini sniffed "Funny smell" she said. Harry sniffed and smelt perfumes, and a hint of mildew.
Kreacher appeared with a pop "Master" he croaked. "Miss Delphini."
"Is her room set up?" asked Harry.
"Yes master" said Kreacher.
"Well, you seem quite tired" said Harry.
"Hungry" Delphini whispered.
"Kreacher… food for Delphini. What do little witches eat?"
"Toastanegg" said Delphini.
"Toast and egg for Delphini" said Harry, and Kreacher vanished.
Harry led Delphini along the hallway, past the big sign for the staff, into the dining room where the sideboard had tea and coffee set out, and a basket with crumbs that looked like they'd been scones.
Harry went to the end of the table and pulled the chair out. Delphini climbed onto the chair and looked dwarfed by the table.
"You need a bigger chair" said Harry.
"I'm not a baby" said Delphini stoutly.
Harry drew his wand and transfigured the chair, which grew upwards, lifting Delphini and growing more and more like Professor Dumbledore's throne-like chair. Harry stopped the spell once she could reach the table properly, and transfigured the back to have a golden D on it. "Delphini" said Harry "That's your chair, it has a D on it. D is the first letter of your name. Delphini. D makes a Duh sound. Well, a De sound in this case."
Delphini squirmed around in her child-sized throne and ran her finger across the D.
"Dee" she said. "My chair has a Dee on it."
"Hopefully Kreacher has some toast and an egg for you soon" said Harry. "Would you like some water?"
Delphini nodded quietly. Harry conjured up a golden coloured goblet and filled it with water.
Delphini held the goblet in both hands and sipped carefully.
She put the goblet back on the table with a clonk, and pushed it back a little.
Harry got some tea, and sat at the head of the table, sipping it.
Kreacher appeared with a pop, holding a tray, and with click of his finger, a place-setting for Delphini floated over, a small white plate with toast soldiers, and an eggcup with an egg.
"Egg and Toast, Miss Delphini" croaked Kreacher, and with click of his fingers, Harry's goblet vanished.
"Master should use the proper goblets" Kreacher croaked "Children's magic vanishes conjured things."
Delphini reached into her coat pocket and took out her carrier cage with the purple pygmy puff,and put it on the table. The pygmy puff squeaked and bounced up and down.
"A pet" croaked Kreacher, eyes narrowed.
"A pygmy puff" said Harry "Miniature puffskein, one or two scone crumbs will feed it."
Kreacher nodded and clicked his fingers; the scone basket floated over and Kreachers long grey fingers picked up a crumb and fed the pygmy puff, which settled contentedly.
"Or one crumb" admitted Harry.
"Kreacher laid out tea and coffee" croaked Kreacher "The staff have not strayed." He sounded disappointed, thought Harry.
"Well done Kreacher." said Harry.
"Master has more mail" croaked Kreacher.
"Anything dangerous" asked Harry.
"No Master" croaked Kreacher. Harry glanced over, and Delphini had clumsily whacked the top off her egg and was delicately dipping soldiers in her soft-boiled egg. She'd managed two toast soldiers already.
When it came time for Delphini to dig into the egg with her spoon, Harry got up and helped her out of her fur coat, and handed it to Kreacher "Miss Delphini's fur. Put it away clean and safe."
Kreacher nodded, and eyed Delphini's robe with a shudder.
"She's four" said Harry defensively.
"Mistress never allowed children to have brightly coloured clothes" grumbled Kreacher, and popped off.
Delphini managed her egg with only a little getting on her new dress. Harry vanished the mess, and made a mental note to get her an apron for meals.
"Are you sleepy now?" asked Harry.
Delphini shook her head, holding her plush rabbit under her arm and carrying her pygmy puff carrier.
Harry led her by the hand down the hallway into the library, over to the children's book section, which had three shelves full of small books.
Harry pulled out the first book. "Archiband Anteater's amazing Adventure" Harry read from the cover page.
"Want to read the book?" asked Harry.
"Explore?" asked Delphini quietly.
"Well, this is the library. We have books, some are old family books, so strangers can't touch them." said Harry "Don't try to read the books that growl or scream or hiss. They might try to eat you."
Delphini nodded.
"Mostly in that corner" said Harry, pointing to the really dark books section. Which, he realised would need a metal screen over it, really soon.
"The couches are quite good for naps" said Harry "I think we'll read books together by the fireplace later."
Delphini walked over to the door and turned, holding her plush rabbit and pygmy puff carrier. "Explore!"
"Okay" said Harry, and he showed the little witch the ground floor, except for the Ballroom.
"That's the ballroom" said Harry, pointing to the double doors "We use it for parties, and dancing. At the moment I've got a mess in there, and staff working on thank-you cards."
"Wanna" said Delphini.
"I don't wanna" said Harry "I'll have to explain about you and that will take ages and be awkward."
Delphini shrank in on herself and nodded, holding bunny with both arms. Harry took a deep breath.
"Sorry" said Harry "Come on, time to meet some employees."
"What's that" asked Delphini.
"People that work for me" said Harry.
"Like Red Man?" asked Delphini.
"George is a friend, we both own the shop." said Harry "like you and I live here."
Harry opened the door and took Delphni's hand and led her in.
"One moment please" said Harry, thought he needn't have bothered. All ten witches were staring at Harry and Delphini.
"This is Delphini Black" said Harry "She's a member of the Black family, and a war orphan. I was called away by the Hit Wizards to St Mungos where Delphini had been given a blood test before her vaccination for Dragonpox. I'm her nearest relative, and have adopted her. Witches, Delphini Black, Delphini, the mail staff."
Delphini stared at the group of witches, then noticed the pile of letters, and dragged him off.
She pointed at the pile.
"All the mail I ever got was kept in a room. One day, I got all the mail, and started sorting it." explained Harry.
Delphini picked up a letter and shook it.
Harry held out his hand "That's mine. You'll get mail tomorrow, I expect" he said "Witches, Delphini Black needs to get some mail tomorrow. A colourful card or two, I'm sure you can colour change a few cards."
"Who'd you knock up?" asked Tracey Davis.
"Delphini's mother and father were on the side that didn't win" said Harry, trying not to be irritated by the accusation. "But I'm her closest family."
"Oh" said Tracey Davis "So not your lovechild."
Harry gave Tracey a serious look "Back to work, Miss Davis" said Harry "I'll be back after I've taken Delphini on a tour of the manor."
With that, Harry led Delphini out of the Ballroom to the office.
"This is my office, where my desk is usually." said Harry "It's where I work on the family business. We own some houses, and people pay us every month to live in them. And I work with George at the shop."
Delphini frowned "Red man?" she asked.
"George" said Harry nodding.
"Come on, the first floor's more fun" said Harry, he led Delphini upstairs, and showed her along the hallway to the gallery, where there were some Black family portraits.
"This" said Harry pointing to the lemony old man in old black robes "Phineus Nigellus Black, he was headmaster of Hogwarts. Phineus, this is Delphini Black, who was being raised by a Mrs Rowle. I've adopted her; St Mungos have found I'm her closest living relative."
Phineus looked down at Delphini "Dreadful robes. What an awful colour. What were you thinking, Potter?"
"Delphini picked colours she likes" said Harry "We have Black and Green for formal occasions."
Phineus left the frame.
"He's an old grump" said Harry, by way of explanation.
The next painting was Arcturus and Melania, and Arcturus sat, stout and greying, and glared at Harry, though Melania walked closer to the frame to look at Delphini.
"So you've got a bastard" said Arcturus.
"War orphan, Delphini Cassiopia Black" said Harry. "She's a Black by blood and her father was my uncle or cousin or both."
"Arcturus" said Melania, taking her pose back at Arcturus' side "The boy may be telling the truth."
"Mother died, Father died, Mrs Rowle was mean" said Delphini.
"What was one of ours doing with the Rowle's ?" asked Arcturus bluntly.
"Narcissa hid her there so she could be brought up believing in pureblood superstitious." said Harry.
"Purebloods are better" said Delphini. "Mrs Rowle said so."
"That's Narcissa's?" asked Arcturus "I guess she looks a little bit like her."
"Harry shook his head silently "Used to be Delphini Druella" he said pointedly. Arcturus's painted eyes widened.
Melania's hands covered her lap "Well, hello Delphini, we're Arcturus Black, he's your … great-great-great-grandfather, and I'm Melania Black your great-great-grandmother."
"Not exactly" said Harry.
"How old are you, Delphini?" asked Melania, Arcturus smouldering in his chair.
"I'm nearly five" said Delphini "I'm not a baby."
Harry made a head-jerk motion over Delphini's head and Melania said "Well dear, you'll need to explore the whole manor, it's rather big." Arcturus grimaced. Melania made a smile, and if she hadn't just elbowed Arcturus, Harry was a donkey.
Harry led a wide-eyed Delphini (and rabbit and pygmy puff) down past the paintings, to the end of the Gallery, to a set of cupboard doors on the wall with a latch. Harry opened the latch and doors, revealing a painting of a woman all in black with grey hair, wearing a pillbox hat. A brass plaque read 'Walburga Black', The painting woke with a grunt "Potter!" she yelled "You cretin!"
"This" said Harry quietly "Is Walburga Black, the mother of Sirius Black, my godfather. She's your distant aunt. Walburga, this is Delphini Black, who was not being raised by family. She's one of Druella's daughter's children. I'm her closest living relative not in Azkaban, so I adopted her. I'm also her father's heir, so there's that."
Walburga looked down at Delphini, who had moved to hide behind Harry. "Dreadful robe. Are you colourblind, Potter?"
"Delphini chose the colours for her clothes. Rest assured we have green and black robes for formal occasions." said Harry.
"She's nasty" said Delphini, and Harry shut the padded cupboard doors, shutting out Walburga's yelling.
"She was a bit mad when the painting was made." said Harry. "The upstairs parlour's just here"
Harry opened the door, and went in, to see Sunny the snake lying by the fireplace.
Delphini stopped still, Harry pulled her along "This is Sunny" said Harry "She's my pet snake."
Sunny lifted her head and flicked her tongue out.
Sunny hissed.
"$She talks!$" hissed Delphini, sounding surprised.
Harry blinked. He'd definitely hear Delphini talk then, and… it hadn't been in English.
"Everyone in our family, your father was my distant uncle can talk to snakes" said Harry,
"Sunny's a good snake" he added.
Sunny hissed again. Harry didn't understand, but it didn't seem important.
Harry looked at Delphini, who had bright pink tips on her hair. "Sunny's not terribly clever" Harry said.
Delphini looked up at Harry "$Can all witches talk to snakes?$" she asked in a hiss.
"Delphini, don't look at Sunny" said Harry "Or you'll magically talk snake talk. Look out the window at the grounds, and you'll go back to English."
Delphini instead walked over and patted Sunny. "$Good Sunny$" she said.
Sunny nodded.
Harry turned back to Sunny "Sunny, Delphini has this pet pygmy puff. This purple fluffy pet that squeaks. Don't eat it. Don't eat anything in Delphini's … um nest."
Sunny hissed something. Harry couldn't understand, but Delphini turned to look at him
"$Father, where is my room?$" she asked, and by the way her tongue was magically inhuman, Harry suspected that was parseltounge.
"Next to mine" said Harry and oddly, Sunny nodded and hissed something. Fluffy wasn't moving, but shuddering. It was probably terrified.
"$Don't eat fluffy!$" scolded Delphini, waving her index finger at Sunny.
Sunny nodded.
"Come on, there's lots of rooms," said Harry, and took her on a tour of the first floor bedrooms.
"This is my room" explained Harry, opening the door.
He dragged Delphini to the next room "And this is yours" said Harry, opening the door.
Delphini looked into the large room with adult sized furniture and set Fluffy's cage on the dressing table.
"Where will I sleep?" asked Delphini.
"In the bed" said Harry.
Delphini strode in and tried very hard to climb into the bed, but failed.
Harry looked at the bed, and the four-year old.
"We'll get you some steps." said Harry "Till you're bigger. Kreacher!" Harry called.
Kreacher appeared with a pop.
"I'll need some wood to make steps for Delphini" said Harry. Kreacher popped off and came back with a wooden crate that had, Harry thought probably had food in it from the grocery store.
Harry carefully transfigured the crate into steps, and tried to make them look like her high-chair; gilded and ornate like Dumbledore's throne.
Delphini climbed up and flopped onto the bed.
"You probably need some pictures and toys" said Harry.
Delphini propped Bunny on the pillow "Bunny's sleepy" said Delphini.
"Are you sleepy?" asked Harry.
"No" said Delphini, getting off the bed, and coming back to Harry "Explore?"
After seeing all the bedrooms on the first floor, and the bathrooms, and the second parlour at the other end of the house, they went up to the second floor, and Harry explained "This is all bedrooms, but nobody lives here. It's for visiting friends."
"Like… Red Man?" asked Delphini perceptively.
"Like George, yes" said Harry, "There's a third and fourth floor. And Attics."
"The house is big" said Delphini seriously.
"It's huge" said Harry "Our Black family used to be a lot bigger, but in the first and second war, many of us died, and then older family members died of just being old."
"Like great-great-great-grandfather Taurus?" asked Delphini. Harry nodded; near enough.
Harry went up to the third floor, and showed Delphini the music room, the billiards room; which still lacked a billiard table, the third parlour, the equally large but extremely distant fourth parlour, and the bathrooms, Harry asked "The fourth floor?
Delphini, looking a bit tired, nodded.
"How about I carry you?" asked Harry. Delphini was quite heavy, and Harry climbed the stairs to the fourth floor, where there was at on end, the schoolroom, and the old nursery.
"This is the old school room." said Harry "When there were a lot of us, all the children in the house would come here to learn" Harry didn't mention what they learnt; he had no idea.
"And this room was for babies" said Harry, opening the nursery door. "The room next door was for the nurses to look after the babies."
"Mrs Rowle" said Delphini grimly.
"Mrs Rowle is going to be sent to a very bad place, locked in and left cold, in the dark and given nasty food" said Harry "Regular nurses for babies are hired for being nice, and good with babies."
Delphini pulled on Harry's shirt "Is she really going to a bad place?" asked Delphini intently, the tips of her hair black.
Harry looked her straight in her dark, almost black eyes "Yes" said Harry "I promise." Delphini nodded "She'd better." she said.
"Come on" said Harry, and showed all the … endless bedrooms, small parlours and bathrooms.
"This is for small bits of the family to live sort-of-apart" said Harry. "You might live up here once you're a grownup, for example."
Delphini shook her head "My room" she said firmly.
"Okay" said Harry "I'm sure you and Teddy will be good friends. Teddy's your cousin." Harry lied. Nephew, cousin, in the Black family sometimes one and the same. At least the family Tapestry was packed away into the attic.
Harry took Delphini to the stairs "Tired?" asked Harry, looking at Delphini, whose ears were pink. Delphini shook her head "But Bunny needs me" she said "Bunny's lonely."
"Well" said Harry "If you or Bunny get too lonely, I'm in the next room." he started descending the stairs. "If you need water, just call Kreacher. You know where the loo is?"
Delphini looked pensive "Show me ?" she asked.
Harry took Delphini to 'see' the loo, and led her back to her room, and got her little nightgown out from under the pillow "Sleep in this. Do you need help?"
Delphini shook her head.
"Well, I'll go do some more work." said Harry, getting out her dressing gown and slippers, and smiling at the little witch "I'm not a baby" she said firmly.
"Bunny needs help sleeping" said Harry, nodding, and Delphini wriggled out of her robes leaving a mess, which Harry picked up and draped over her chair, and she got into her nightgown, climbed the steps into her huge bed and curled up with bunny. She was asleep moments later.
Harry left, and cast a transfiguration on the door to carve gilded words into the surface of the top panel 'Delphini Cassiopeia Black.'
Then he took off downstairs, working his shoulders; he'd got stiff carrying Delphini about.
Harry came back into the Ballroom, cutting off conversation instantly.
"Where's the cute one?" asked Lily Moon.
"In bed, worn out from exploring" said Harry "We got to the fourth floor, but not the attics."
"This is a stupidly big building" said one witch.
Harry nodded "Two humans, one elf, two pets." he explained "Delphini's cousin Teddy and Aunt Andromeda visit."
"You need sheep to keep the lawn down" offered a witch.
"Or geese" suggested Tracey Davis.
"I need eight thousand thank-you cards filled in" said Harry, sitting down to check today's mail.
Many bills and fan letters later, Kreacher popped in "Miss Delphini is hungry, Master."
Harry checked his watch "An early dinner?" asked Harry.
"A snack for Miss Delphini?" asked Kreacher.
"A small meal. If she wakes again by dinner, or after, she can have some of that." said Harry.
Kreacher nodded. "Pumpkin soup and bread?" asked Kreacher.
"Fine" said Harry "But a sandwich might be less messy. She's four."
Kreacher vanished.
Harry had just started back to work when Kreacher reappeared "Miss Delphini is most insistent, Master is required" said Kreacher.
Harry got up and apparated to his room, then walked out, into the hall and into Delphini's room. She was tangled in her robe and looking peeved.
Harry helped her get her arms in, and do the buttons up.
"I'm hungry" she said.
Harry nodded "Kreacher's making you a meal."
"You're hungry too" said Delphini, and Harry blinked. "We'll go to the kitchen and have dinner there" said Harry.
Delphini put her boots on and toddled off with Harry, finally opening the kitchen door and interrupting Kreacher cooking.
"Master!" croaked Kreacher.
"We're having that meal here" said Harry "I'm hungry, and so is Delphini"
Harry ate soup and bread, switching charming the soup into Delphini's bowl, till she sat looking stuffed. Her eyelids were drooping.
Harry picked her up like sack of potatoes and carried her back to her room, and put her to bed in her dress. He looked in the wardrobe. Some of the dresses could pass for muggle. He was definitely taking her to a muggle shop and putting her in little kid's clothes. Clothes she could take off and put on by herself.
And she'd be warmer in some fleecy tops and pants in winter. The manor was frigid outside the well heated rooms.
Harry went back to the drawing room.
"What was wrong?" asked Lily Moon "Is she all right?"
"She tried to get dressed and got tangled in her robes" said Harry "Then we had dinner early, and she got tired… so I had to take her to bed again."
"Weasley is an idiot" said Tracey "Harry Potter's already house-trained and looks after a kid."
Harry tried to ignore that, and concentrate on all the remaining letters. He … needed a book for recording what he spent his money on, and there just wasn't much of it. Harry checked his watch. Just time to get a ledger from Tomes and Scrolls. Harry walked out of the ballroom to the front hall and vanished in a crack of high-speed disapparation.
The sun was already setting at Hogsmeade, and Harry, in just a shirt was a bit cold, but he walked quickly into the shop, and bought a ledger-book and a spare journal. At the last minute, at the counter he saw a to-do list and bought that, six self-inking quills and a lined blotter. Delphini needed to learn to write anyway.
Harry apparated back to the front hall, left the blotter on the banister, and the quills, and went back to the ballroom, putting the spare journal in a side drawer.
"You went out and came back?" asked Sally-Anne Perks over her glasses.
"I needed another ledger for expenses, and a spare ledger." said Harry.
"If you don't have a book for household accounts, you need one too" said Sally-Anne "Mother says it's a necessity."
"Not everyone's as frugal as your mother" said Tracey. Harry summoned and piled up a heap of discarded envelopes, and transfigured them into a loose-leaf booklet like he'd used at primary school. There was applause from the witches. Harry looked up.
"We'd been taking bets on when you'd decide to transfigure your used envelopes" said Tracey. "Most people do. Clearly you got sick of apparating around."
Harry summoned some more used envelopes, and transfigured them one at time into plain cards with 'No' printed on them, and two lines underneath. He was frankly sick of visiting Teemer and Spools.
After the two-hundredth used envelope, Harry went and got the spellbook on elementary document charms, and found one for removing ink. He summoned a huge ball of used envelopes, and banished it to his office.
Harry went to his office, locked the door and used the Elder wand to cast an ink-removing charm on all the used envelopes. As he expected, the spell worked, but the envelopes had gained faintly embossed Hallows symbols. Harry packed them into a neat pile, stowed the elder wand, and took the block of envelopes letters back to the ballroom, and put them with the pile of 'no' cards.
Harry set to on his new 'expenses' ledger, copying in Gringotts letters with the xerographia charm. The scrape of chairs stirred him from his work; all the witches were leaving. He checked the time. Nearly dinnertime.
"Goodnight" said Harry, and got a chorus of goodnights, and one 'sleep tight' with giggles.
