CHAPTER FOUR
The day that Rodolphus Lestrange, Evan Rosier and Barty Crouch Junior were to come for tea and lunch started off for Harry as any other day. He would review Magical and Muggle History before breakfast, and then after breakfast spent time on Potions, Charms and Transfiguration. Following this were usually lessons in archery, sword fighting and magical duelling. Then Lily and Harry would have a late lunch, and would spend time in the garden and with their magical creatures.
Harry had always loved animals. Humans were always so overly complicated; Harry was happiest tending to the dygfri in the nearby stream or the kelpie that resided in the lake. His Runespoor – Clarisse, Nesrin and Vanya, for each of the heads – was a much better conversationalist than many of the Lords and Heirs Harry was forced to socialise with. On this particular day, though, Harry had a different schedule in mind than his usual lessons on Potions, Charms and Transfiguration, thanks to an urgent message from the dragon sanctuary he was working at.
Harry had changed into his usual clothes that he wore for whenever he was going to help out at the dragon reserve nearby after breakfast and headed straight for the reserve. The resident Antipodean Opaleye had just given birth to a nest of eggs and there had been an intruder the night before, which had spooked the new mother. The family of Hebridean Black dragons were also a little extra volatile that day and Harry was called into help as part of his application as an apprentice Dragonologist.
Ever since he was little, Harry had an affinity for dragons – big, small, young, old, hoarder or hider, red or black; it didn't matter. If it was a dragon, Harry went bananas for it. When he met Charlie Weasley after saving Norberta (Harry had informed Hagrid of the mistake in assuming the dragon was a boy), it was like finding a kindred spirit. Since that evening, Harry had been in regular correspondence with Charlie – it was Charlie who had informed Harry of the reserve near his home and had been the one to write to the wizard in charge of the reserve to let Harry help out. Harry owed Charlie for that favour alone.
Harry could tell the wizards at the reserve had been nervous, taking on a young Heir as a Dragonologist. But Harry found his ability to speak to snakes, also somehow extended to dragons as well, much to the shock of the other Dragonologists and could communicate with their charges better than most of them. A few of them had fainted when they first heard Harry speaking Parseltongue, which had made him laugh. Fortunately, they had all been sworn to secrecy about their work, which meant they were sworn to keep his ability a secret too. Over the years, they had gotten used to it and no longer looked at Harry as though he would turn into yet another Dark Lord.
Harry was accosted by three very tired and singed dragon keepers the moment he stepped onto the reserve. The unfortunates that were hit by the mother Opaleye's ire had been Finch, Llewelyn and Aneirin, some of the new keepers assigned to Inyala, the Opaleye in question.
"Harry, thank Morgana's unwashed petticoats you are here," Finch stated breathlessly. "We were trying to clean out her den but she's still extremely hostile. Could you … talk to her?"
Harry rolled his eyes, smirked and then promptly rolled up his sleeves. "Don't worry, Finch. That's what I am here for."
Harry found himself singing as he made his way up to the lair of the Opaleye and her eggs. The dragon had chosen a rather scenic lair, if Harry had to say so. Perfect view of the lake; Mossbridge Hall could even be seen, despite the fact it was a dot in the distance. Plus, it was located close to all the best hunting spots, for you could hear deer, birds and foxes in the distance. For dragon real estate, it was a solid five stars.
The young Lord turned to the matter at hand almost as soon as he heard the first warning growl emanate from the cave. *Come on, Inyala, it is only little old me,* Harry greeted amiably. *I understand there was a bad person who came here last night.*
*They are after my eggs,* Inyala answered with a growl. *They want to take my children from me.*
*They probably did,* Harry agreed. *But you know the difference between a human who is trying to help and one that means to do you harm. Otherwise I am sure I would be fried to a crisp right about now.*
Inyala sniffed, clearly offended. *You are a Speaker and my friend. I would never hurt you.*
*Good. Because I consider you my friend as well.* Harry beamed when he saw the Opaleye relax a little more. *Now, will you allow your wizard caretakers to clean your den? Otherwise you will stink up the whole reserve.*
Inyala huffed at this but eventually relented to allow Finch, Llewelyn and Aneirin to do their jobs, hissing instructions at them that Harry had to translate. Satisfied that Inyala was not going to harm her caretakers, Harry went to deal with Hebridean Blacks.
The family of dragons – Bartok, Syros, Layna and Rocla – were a bunch of different characters with very different needs and wants. Usually Hebridean Blacks were extremely territorial, even when it came to their family, but the four siblings had never wanted to be parted. Bartok was shy and modest and preferred to be left alone; Syros was incredibly haughty and aloof; Layna was a prankster and enjoyed scaring the heebies out of the new magizoologists; and Rocla was slightly bossy and absolutely loved to challenge her caretakers. The four of them had been brought to the reserve as eggs and were absolutely considered to be part of the family by all the Dragonologists at the reserve.
Harry had been there when the four of them hatched, so he was one of the honorary parents, along with Lila Rookwood and Anya Davies. Due to Harry still being at school, Lila and Anya bore the brunt of the duty of raising the four dragons but whenever Harry was home for the holidays, he was very likely to be called into help.
Bartok, Syros, Layna and Rocla were at present the size of good sized motorcycles and scouring their territory for something, which was relatively small for Hebridean Blacks. However, that didn't make them any less dangerous. Lila, Anya and a team of dragon experts were on standby, ready to intervene. When they saw Harry approach, relief was clear to see in their eyes.
"Harry, thank Merlin!" Lila beckoned him to her. Despite being only twenty four, Lila had quickly risen through the ranks to be one of the top Dragonologists at the reserve, mostly because of her articles on dragon care and the new book she was publishing. She was the niece of Augustus Rookwood, the Unspeakable. Her uncle was one of Lord Slytherin's allies, though Harry wasn't quite sure if Lila shared in her uncle's views. Politics was left outside the reserve at all times. The dragons were their focus, not petty disagreements regarding ideology.
"At least you didn't invoke Morgana's petticoats," Harry teased. "So, what kind of damage are they creating? Their behaviour, what is it like?"
"Erratic and suspicious," Anya answered immediately. "They are searching every inch of their territory for a scent they do not recognise. So far, they have been unable to find what they are looking for, which is making them angrier and more suspicious. They haven't attacked us yet, but we are all on standby just in case."
"Just in case they will attack the very people they see as parents?" Harry scoffed. "Anya, you're thirty. You're supposed to be a clever adult. Leave it to me."
"Ah, yes. Parseltongue. I never thought I'd be thankful for the day to meet a Parselmouth," Lila grinned. "We will be here to make sure nothing happens to you."
"I am so glad you have this much confidence in me," Harry drawled but stepped out from behind the trees and approached the dragons who saw him as a father.
Syros spotted him first and hollered towards him in an instant, hissing rapidly. *Papa Harry, the intruders came for us – there were three at least. One smells like cabbage, another of Pendragon dung and the third smelled like a giant sweat sock.*
*Sweat sock? It stunk almost as bad as your wind!* Layna protested a she poked her head out of the hedge she had been inspecting.
*So you saw them?* Harry asked carefully.
*Not clearly but we had their scent for a good few hours; now, not so much,* Rocla growled in frustration, trudging out of the undergrowth. *I can't wait to fry them up and serve them with a side of chips!*
*Now, now, Rocla, we both know human food isn't good for you,* Harry laughed. *Did you see how big the intruders were?*
*Humans all look the same,* Bartok complained with a hint of anger as he dejectedly joined his siblings in front of Harry, wings and tail drooping. *Sorry Papa. We failed. Did they get to Inyala's eggs?*
*No, they didn't. All the eggs are accounted for,* Harry reassured. *But from now on, all of you will come to find us the moment you see something or smell something strange. Wizards can deal with wizards. It is not worth risking your lives over. You're too precious for that. We also need you to help the new Welsh Greens settle in next week, OK?*
*OK, papa,* the four of them chorused glumly. Rocla had a defiant look in her eye that told Harry she was going to be the least likely to follow that order. Lila and Anya were definitely going to have their hands full with Rocla, more than usual.
Harry withdrew and immediately informed Lila, Anya and the others of what they had said.
"Cabbage, Pendragon dung and a giant sweat sock," Anya sighed in disappointment, folding her arms and then pinching the bridge of her nose. "That is not much to go on."
"Please! That is nothing to go on," Lila contradicted, shaking her head.
"No, not to us. But a scent to a dragon is like getting a person's fingerprint," Harry pointed out. "Bartok, Syros, Layna and Rocla will not be able to forget their scent now, so if they come back – which I suspect they might – our children will be the first to hunt them down."
"Seems like we have a busy few months ahead of us," Anya stated, looking resigned as she looked to the young Hebridean Blacks, who had decided to challenge each other to a game of Pull Each Other into the Mud with a Branch.
"It would seem so," Harry agreed with a dry chuckle.
"Don't you have exams this year?" one of the caretakers teased Harry.
"I do, but I also want my apprenticeship. I wish to study abroad, probably in Romania but I am not sure yet," Harry answered with a small smile. "I will do my job as long as I am here, no matter what."
Suddenly, Harry heard a roaring from Inyala's territory that caused everyone, including the young dragons, to freeze to the spot. *INTRUDERS!*
Harry cast a quick Tempus – 12.30. He was late to lunch by half an hour, and had missed tea with … oh no.
No. They would not be that stupid! Surely they could not be that stupid!
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Rodolphus, Evan and Barty had never been to a dragon reserve before, not even the one in England. The image of the Dragonologists and the caretakers was that they were nothing more than manual labourers and thus of very little standing. When Lily had told them about Harry's favourite passion, it had taken them by surprise. Surprise … and more than a healthy dosage of fear. The idea of the fifteen-year-old Lord standing before an angry Horntail or ill Ironbelly really did not sit well with Rodolphus at all.
All three had initially shown up to Mossbridge Hall nervous and apprehensive. They had no idea how Lady Potter would react to them in person, nor how Harry would treat them, given the fact that they were all there to win a contract with him in marriage. Nipsy the house elf of Mossbridge Hall had been at the entrance to the property to greet them, and had led them straight to the parlour, where they were greeted by Lily Potter.
It had been years since the two Slytherins and the Ravenclaw had seen the Muggleborn Gryffindor and the sight that had met them, made them halt in their tracks almost. Gone was the poorly dressed girl with the ponytail and before them sat a Matriarch of a Noble House, dressed in cloth of bronze. The dress had a shine to it that made it look like she was wearing battle armour. Of course, in a way, she was going into battle.
Lily Potter greeted them with a smile and had immediately called for tea and cakes. Rodolphus didn't mind admitting that he was nervous; there was a coldness behind those deep emerald eyes that had captured the heart of James Potter and Severus Snape, at one point. The deep red curls fell in waves past her shoulders, like lava. There was no denying that the Lady Regent was stunning.
Lily had started her interrogation almost as soon as they had poured the tea. A little bit about their pasts, their professions and naturally, their designs on her son.
"Why did you agree to it?" she had bluntly asked them.
"My Lady?" Evan blinked.
"Why did you agree to woo my son? All three of you." Lily chuckled as she stirred her tea. "Were you threatened with death?"
"Not at all," Barty gulped a little. "I will admit, I was shocked to have been nominated. I agreed to it because I thought, why not? Even if he doesn't want me, I guess I can safely say I am on the market myself. Because I want to be."
"You want to be here?" Lily questioned further.
Barty smiled for the first time he got there. "Yes."
"And what about the two of you?" Lily had rounded on Evan and Rodolphus.
Evan shifted nervously in his seat. "I have been unmarried for too long. My father has been pressuring me into matrimony for some time and beseeched Lord Slytherin to intercede on his behalf. I am here to do my family proud – as I should have already done."
Lily regarded the handsome young man she knew from school carefully for a moment with her stoic mask on. Despite the fact Evan Rosier had been among the first to align with the Dark at school, Lily had known him well enough to know when the mask of the Slytherin fell ever so slightly. After all, when Evan wasn't dabbling in the Dark Arts, he could be quite fun and opened up once or twice. "At least you're being honest with me."
It was Rodolphus' turn. He knew if he lied to her, he would stand no chance of trying to win Harry. Rodolphus had resolved over the past days to at least try and do his best to gain the trust – if not affection – from Lord Potter. Rodolphus was tired of being self-piteous and gloomy and wanted to have at least some chance of winning over Lily and Harry. He owed it to himself to have some kind of happiness in his life.
"At first it was because I have to do my duty to my House," Rodolphus answered with a small smile. "But over the last days I realised I want to be here for myself, and not just because I am ordered to be here. I want to get to know you and your son better; I want to gain your trust."
Lily had smiled with satisfaction. Evan and Barty had blinked at Rodolphus in disbelief. They clearly had not expected that answer, which made Rodolphus a little triumphant.
When Harry did not arrive for tea, Lily dismissed his absence – he was simply running late; when Harry was busy, he often lost track of time. However, when he didn't arrive for lunch, Lily had become worried, and began pacing up and down like a lioness. It was when she paced for the third time that Barty dared to ask if all was well. That was when she admitted to Rodolphus, Evan and Barty where Harry was.
The three of them, after making sure the colour had restored to their cheeks, had left almost immediately and had Apparated straight to the reserve. Rodolphus had found himself feeling worried – worried about Harry. Worried that something had happened to him. He noticed the same worry in Evan and Barty, and didn't know whether or not to be happy about this.
"Why would he want to work with dragons of all things?" Barty grumbled anxiously. "Why not an Abraxan breeder or something? Something less bloody dangerous."
"They did say Harry is a peculiar child," Evan pointed out, his hand ready to unsheathe his wand.
"Yes but being peculiar is one thing. An interest in working with dragons is another," Barty argued. "He could get hurt so easily. There is a reason why this kind of work is usually done after some hardened training."
"Are you going to try and stop him from doing what he loves?" Rodolphus sneered at him.
Barty flushed in embarrassment. "No, of course not, but it's … so dangerous. He could so easily …"
Die.
The unspoken word did not need to be said by the three suitors. They were stepping into the dragons' lair, for a boy who they barely knew. A boy their Lord had assigned for them to woo and gain the alliance of. Now they were stepping into mortal danger just to find him, like three knights sent on a quest. The irony was not lost on these three Death Eaters as they travelled through the wooded reserve, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of the youngest Potter Lord in recent history.
A low growling made them stop once they reached the area of the reserve that overlooked the lake. Rodolphus, Evan and Barty halted in their tracks, exchanging alarmed looks before the carefully moved to draw their wands. The air around them had suddenly turned icy cold. They felt something huff behind them and the hot breath of something big blew past them.
Carefully, they turned around and they came face to face with a 40 foot beautiful dragon with pearly scales and glittering multicoloured eyes with zero pupils. The dragon's mouth was curled into a snarl and she roared to the sky in fury. She was going to rain down hell upon them, that much was clear.
Rodolphus, Evan and Barty had to dodge for their life as the female Opaleye began slashing out at them with her claws and her tail, and attempting to fry them into shish kebab by spitting fire. Several times the three of them almost had not been fast enough with erecting shields for the ferocious fire. The bombarding put the three Death Eaters under an enormous amount of strain. There was a lot that the three of them could take, but the ire of an angry mother dragon was not one of them. It was when the sweat broke on their foreheads that Rodolphus, Evan and Barty broke their shields and dodged out of the way from the flames. As a final coups de grâce, the Opaleye had used her glistening tail to fling the three of them like rag dolls into the air and across the clearing. Rodolphus landed with a sickening crunch – he knew whatever it was, it was going to bruise, and not be a pretty sight to behold. His head was throbbing and he needed to blink several times to regain his proper sight – then there was the buzzing in his ears.
All the while, the Opaleye prowled towards them, intent on finishing them off, snarling and hissing, an angry, almost fearful look in her eye. Rodolphus kept his eyes trained on the dragon, a steely look in his eyes. If he was going to die, he was not going to cower.
"INYALA! STOP!"
Out of nowhere, barrelling towards them and stepping in between the angry mama dragon and the three Death Eaters, looking like a self-sacrificing idiot and an avenging angel, was none other than Harry Potter. Much to the shock of Rodolphus, Evan and Barty Harry stared the dragon down into her eyes and was smiling at the creature. What was most shocking, was that Harry began talking to the dragon. In bloody Parseltongue! The only one they knew who had that rare and precious gift, was the Dark Lord. How many people knew about this? Did Lily know? Severus? Why had he not said anything?
Rodolphus, slowly sitting up, watched the exchange between Harry and the Opaleye – what had he called the creature? Inala? – with utter fascination. They spoke to each other almost as though they were speaking to equals. No, more than equals; there was an affection between the boy and the dragon that was almost familial. Like a mother and son, or brother and sister. After the lengthy discussion, the Opaleye, now a lot more relaxed, glared at the three Dark wizards a few more times but eventually went back to her nest.
As soon as the Opaleye was safely back with her eggs, Harry then turned to them, an unreadable expression on his face, but a very tense body posture. The boy was shaking. Rodolphus drank the sight of the boy in with a thirst that he didn't know he had. The boy's raven hair was dishevelled but not too messy; James Potter had untameable hair as well. It seemed Harry didn't inherit his mother's orderly locks, but there was a curl to his hair that did resemble Lily Potter's. His eyes, brighter than his mother's but the same shade of green, was imbued with worry and fear. Rodolphus thought Harry looked ethereal, almost otherworldly. The boy's forehead was slightly beaded with sweat, from running. Rodolphus noted that the boy looked very handsome in a shirt, well-cut trousers and some out of place working boots. Harry was more than pleasing to the eye.
"What are you doing here?" Harry demanded, trying to keep his tone in check. "Have you any idea how close you came to being dragon chow?"
"We are on the ground," Evan pointed out snarkily. "I think we have some idea."
"Do you think this is funny?" the young wizard seethed. "I thought the lot of you were Slytherins in your time, with the exception of Barty. What I just saw was Gryffindor brazenness and foolishness!"
Rodolphus took slight offence to that. "Now see here-"
"YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!" Harry's magic flared up around him, his eyes glowing brighter than the green of the Killing Curse. All three men in front of him were startled by how powerful the outburst felt. The fire laced within was scalding, and Rodolphus had no problems in admitting that he basked in it. After a moment or two, Harry calmed down a little. "There have been intruders in the reserve. The dragons are on high alert, which means they are at their most volatile! Someone is trying to steal Inyala's eggs and Inyala, as you probably have noticed, will attack anything and anyone she sees as a threat, now more than ever."
"Inyala?" Rodolphus repeated, frowning. His eyes drifted to the den where the dragon had retreated to. "The Opaleye? I was wondering why she was aggressive. Opaleyes usually only kill when they are hunting; aggression is not in their nature."
Harry relaxed a little and regarded Rodolphus for a moment. Eventually a ghost of a smile grew on the boy's face. Harry began fishing his suitors off the ground. "You know your dragon lore."
"A little," Rodolphus said with a small modest smile, trying not to look smugly at Evan and Barty, who both looked incredibly sulky. He then turned his attention to the rest of the information. "Has the intruder been caught?"
"No, but our Hebridean Black dragons say there was at least three of them," Harry answered, picking the three of them up off the ground. "They apparently came in through their territory in order to get to Inyala's den, which woke Bartok, Syros, Layna and Rocla, who decided to chase them. Apparently we are looking for three men who stink of cabbage, Pendragon dung and smelly socks."
"That is nothing to go on," Rodolphus deadpanned.
"Oh don't you start as well. The very fact the dragons caught a scent is already a miracle," Harry rolled his eyes.
"And is that important, the fact they went through their territory?" Evan asked carefully.
"It could suggest that whoever it was knows the way," Barty pointed out. "But not well enough, it seems, to know the dragons who live there. By the way, why do you call them by almost human names?"
"Because dragons have their own naming traditions as well," Harry answered curtly, beginning to guide them out of Inyala's territory. "Once they were out of the eggs, they began telling us their names. Only because I know Parseltongue did I understand they were doing so. Bartok, Syros, Layna and Rocla are a one-off, though – they see me as their father."
"Why?" Evan voiced his surprise, but Barty and Rodolphus kept their shock to their widened eyes.
"I was one of the people to be there for their hatching," Harry answered nonchalantly. "Along with two female colleagues, so they have two mothers. You see, they came to us as eggs. Their mother had been killed by men sent by a cold-hearted black market dealer who wanted to sell her horns for wand cores. We couldn't save her, despite the fact we called in Aurors to assist us on this matter. All that was left her eggs. They adopted us – we had to prove ourselves, though."
Harry grinned at the memory.
"And how did you do that?" Rodolphus asked curiously.
"We gave them a display of magical strength," Harry answered gleefully. "We ended up with a couple of people in the infirmary but it was worth it."
Rodolphus, Evan and Barty didn't really have an appropriate response to that, so they decided to tactfully not to pry into it. Something told them they wouldn't like the answer that Harry gave them to any questions on that matter.
Lila, who had been watching the whole situation like a hawk in case she needed to intervene, spoke up. "Harry, get these three idiots out of here. We can take it from here; if we need you, we'll Fire Call."
Harry turned back and nodded in confirmation before he gestured with his head to the three Death Eaters to follow him, which they readily complied to. They did not want to be near a volatile Opaleye longer than it was necessary to be! As Harry led them out and the group made their way back to Mossbridge Hall, the young Lord spoke up.
"I am sorry I missed lunch," Harry apologised, steering the conversation onto a much safer topic. "I lost track of time. I hope my mother didn't give you too much of an inquisition."
"Well, she does scare the crap out of me but it has nothing to do with the questions she asked," Barty replied with a smirk. "She asked questions that are perfectly reasonable for a mother worried about her son."
"Gaining her approval will be difficult," Harry warned them. "There is a reason why I never dared to date. I love my mother to pieces, but once she becomes over-protective, she is nigh on impossible. By the way, what are the three of you doing for dinner?"
"I have no plans," Evan responded, looking slightly confused.
"Me neither," Barty added quickly.
"I am free as well," Rodolphus answered almost at the same time as Barty.
Harry's grin grew. "Good. The three of you can keep me company tonight. Mama has business attend to in London on my behalf as Regent, which means I find myself alone in the house for the rest of the evening, and since you three are trying to court me, it will give me a chance to get to know you myself."
The three Death Eaters almost blanched.
"Without a chaperone?" Evan spluttered.
"It's dinner. It is harmless enough," Harry pointed out nonchalantly. "We are not breaking protocol, because I have not chosen any of you yet. Once I make a choice, we can start worrying about the rules." Harry chuckled at this. "Damn stupid pureblood rules. I enjoy breaking them. Mama scolds me a lot for it. You would have thought my mother was the pureblood sometimes!"
"How strict is your mother with you?" Barty asked curiously. "Mine is rather relaxed and only ever makes a fuss when there is a pureblood gathering, or a gala, or if it is Yule, a birthday or a charity banquet."
"My mother is strict with me when it comes to education, my friends and my hobbies. She even approves any and all outfits I wear, unless I head out to meet friends or go to the reserve," Harry answered amicably. "Gel in the hair is non-negotiable because I have inherited my father's unruly hair. Oh and I have to get a certain grade for each of my subjects each year or a loose a privilege for each one I don't achieve."
"OK, so what does she expect from you exactly?" Evan quickly asked when he saw Rodolphus open his mouth.
"Well, this year I am taking Transfigurations, Potions, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, History of Magic, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology and Ancient Runes for my O.W.L.s," Harry informed them, "and Mama has said if I don't get an O in Transfigurations, Charms, DADA, Care and Herbology, and an EE in Potions, History, Astronomy and Ancient Runes, she is going to stop me from going to the reserve and said she will send me to visit Aunt Petunia for a week. I would rather take a field trip to Azkaban!"
"Why? What is your aunt like?" Rodolphus was pleased he got the question out before Evan or Barty this time.
The bright green orbs suddenly turned rather hard and serious.
"You don't want to know," Harry answered darkly. "Aunt Petunia, her husband Vernon and my cousin Dudley are Muggles, as you probably could have guessed, but they absolutely despise Mama, me and magic. All in equal measure. When I was younger and became a little too … boisterous, Mama would threaten to send me to visit Aunt Petunia for a certain amount of time, and it worked because I am not an idiot. I will only ever visit my mother's sister if I have a death wish."
"Did they ever visit you?" Evan wanted to know, his eyes suddenly losing all their amusement and becoming quite dark.
"Yes, Petunia and Dudley did. Vernon refuses to have anything to do with us outright," Harry replied coolly. "Dudley and I were seven, I believe. He tried to beat me up but I had managed to get up a tree and used my magic to scare him off. Petunia screamed like a banshee and a cat-fight ensued with Mama. They never came back. We are lucky if they send us a mint for Yule."
"Good. You don't need those mongrels in your life," Barty hissed.
"And even if your mother does send you to that hell beast," Rodolphus' own eyes had grown quite stormy, "we will find a way to rescue you. Where does your aunt live?"
"Oh, no! I am not giving you their address so you three can go there and hex them whenever you feel remotely bored!" Harry thundered.
"You think we'd do that?" Barty asked innocently. Harry had to almost roll his eyes at this expression; Barty Crouch Junior couldn't do innocent well at all.
"I know you'd that," Harry backfired. "You forget I know who you three are loyal to. If I know anything about Lord Slytherin, it is that he has a bad temper. And when he gets mad, he gets a little too Cruciatus happy. A bad habit those who follow him have also picked up."
"You really are too smart for your own good," Rodolphus growled, but could not put any irritation behind it.
"Not really. I just keep my eyes and ears open," Harry replied brightly. "Mama thinks her meetings are private, or thinks I don't know the goings-on in the Wizengamot until she tells me. Often I know before she even gets home. I do enjoy giving her the shock of her life now and again!"
The three Death Eaters exchanged a covert glance of amusement.
"What House were you Sorted in again?" Barty wanted to know, frowning slightly.
He wasn't going to admit to anyone, but Barty had been expecting a carbon copy of James Potter. A loud, obnoxious, slightly spoilt Heir, with a propensity for trouble and little to no thought for everyone else. Instead, what he, Evan and Rodolphus were met with, was a precocious young Lord in the training, with a passion for dragons, a cunning spirit and the ability to speak bloody buggering Parseltongue!
"Awww, Uncle Severus didn't tell you? I would have thought you would have been told already. I would have thought that it's obvious that I wear green in my robes," Harry teased.
Rodolphus barked a laugh. "Of course you're a Slytherin!"
"Hey, he could have been a Ravenclaw!" Barty protested.
Harry chuckled. "The Hat thought I would do well there too. When there is new knowledge to be found, I simply can't help myself but research it. I was a Hat Stall because of the amount of options the Hat saw in my mind. In the end, blood won out."
"What do you mean?" Evan inquired curiously.
"Well, it turns out Mama is a descendant from Salazar Slytherin through a Squib line, and I am a descendant from the Peverells through my father, who are also descendants of Slytherin. I am basically related to the man through both my parents," Harry shrugged flippantly. "I am thus Lord Slytherin's distant cousin."
All three Death Eaters almost walked into trees at this point. "WHAT?!"
Harry's amusement at their shock was almost obnoxious. "What, he didn't tell you? Why else do you think he is so determined one of his own should woo me? I am aware of my power in the Wizengamot; I am also his family and His Lordship doesn't like putting his Yuletide invites from Mama in jeopardy. He doesn't want us tainted by a Light family, since almost all of them are loyal to Dumbledore."
The shock had drained most of the colour from the three Death Eaters at this knowledge. So that is why their Lord was not going to be dissuaded from this scheme! Lily Potter and her son were the Dark Lord's last living family!
"Who else knows about this?" Rodolphus managed to recover from this revelation first.
"Oh, none of the Light families if that is what you're worried about. Mama and Papa kept it a very closely guarded secret. I only happened to find out because there was a day during the Yule holidays when I was eleven that I got bored and decided to explore our attic. We have some cool crap up there, you wouldn't believe!" Harry blabbered enthusiastically. "I found the Potter Family Tapestry. It also traced Mama's line – from my grandmother Susan Evans all the way to Salazar Slytherin himself. When I asked Mama about it, she almost flipped her lid and told me that she was going to tell me when I was a little older because if anyone ever found out, it would put us on Dumbledore's radar." Harry let out a humourless laugh. "A child with Slytherin's blood via two parents! The bastard would declare me the third Dark Lord in the making! Not to mention that I am also a descendent from the same Peverells from The Tale of the Three Brothers. A possible Master of Death is not what that meddling codger wants."
By now, Harry and his three suitors had arrived at the mossy fairy bridge from which the Potter residence got its name. Rodolphus felt his stomach turn as he listened to Harry – the lengths that Lily, and later James and Harry, had gone to protect their family secrets was indeed extensive! Lily had the foresight of a Slytherin and had twice the amount of usual cunning. It wouldn't surprise Rodolphus if Lily purposefully … chose to go to Gryffindor.
"Your mother chose Gryffindor," he stated with confidence. "She knew that her bloodline could put her in danger."
"She did," Harry confirmed, momentarily stopping to allow a family of foxes cross the path in front of him. "Luckily, the Hat agreed. Grandmother had discovered her family's ties to the wizards of old through records kept by Helen Pevensie, her mother. Unfortunately their line was full of Squibs, with only a few witches and wizards scattered about, and all of them were born from seemingly two ordinary Muggle parents. Grandmother, her two brothers and her sister were born ordinary, but carried the magical gene. Hence, why Mama was born a witch. Grandmother told Mama the truth about their family quite early on so Mama could prepare herself for when the time came she had to enter the wizarding world."
"How did we not see it?!" Evan was kicking himself. "We went to school with her, and we never got an inkling that something was amiss."
"Good, then Mama's training paid off," Harry grinned.
"So when did James find out?" Barty asked eagerly. "Did he find out for himself, or..?"
"Mama told him the truth on the eve of their wedding," Harry replied, mirth still embedded in his voice. "She and her family were going to be recorded onto the Potter Tapestry, so she knew that the game was up."
"How did your father react?" Rodolphus had a suspicion James Potter had perhaps not taken it too well at first. The Death Eater had witnessed a few times how the young Potter Heir, as he was back then, reacted when he discovered someone had kept a secret from him. It was never a pretty sight to behold.
Harry saw Rodolphus' expression and gave him a wry smile. "According to Mama, to say he was shocked, would be an understatement. On the first night of their honeymoon, he refused to even look at her. They talked it out the next day, though."
"Does Severus know?" Evan wanted to know.
The young Lord smiled wryly. "He does now, but not back then. Mama only told him after Papa's death. She wanted someone on her side to help protect me, and Uncle Sev was the closest thing she had to a brother. He had apparently been in a stupor for a good ten minutes before returning to normal. Uncle Severus has been protecting me from Dumbledore for years."
"Why don't you ask to be home-schooled?" Barty simply couldn't get his head around the amount of planning that had gone into protecting these secrets. "Why put yourself in danger every single year?"
"Because home-schooled wizards are rare, and it would make us more suspicious," Harry explained readily. "By going into the lion's den, I can hide in plain sight. Mama and I have been playing a dangerous game for years, and until I turn seventeen, we will continue to do so. Dumbledore has already tried to meddle in our affairs and we have thwarted him so far, but we can only do so much. He needs to believe he still has a winning hand, or he becomes a bigger threat than necessary."
"So, how can we help?" Rodolphus asked.
Now it was Harry's turn to look taken aback, which made Rodolphus rather smug that he got this reaction out of him.
"Sorry, what?"
"You heard me perfectly, Lord Potter-Black-Peverell. We are your suitors; it would be stupid for us to not want to help you. Besides, we three are in positions to help you. Evan's family have contacts, Barty has a powerful Ministry position and I scare people into an early grave. So, how can we help?"
Harry grinned at Rodolphus. "I am glad the three of you aren't boring."
Lily was still at the Manor when they returned, going through the most important paperwork for the meeting – after giving her son a firm lecture about leaving quick messages so his poor mama doesn't almost get a heart attack. She had then made herself comfortable at the round table at the back of the parlour while Harry and the three suitors sat on the sofas, going through photo albums that Lily had taken out to show Rodolphus, Barty and Evan but never got round to showing due to Harry's strange absence.
Harry had secretly been worried that his mother had deliberately picked the most embarrassing ones to show them, but was pleasantly surprised when he saw she had picked out the photo albums filled with Harry's Magizoologist photos, his photos from duelling club, photos with his friends – Quidditch, duelling competitions and a few society photos – and a few family photos with Lily, Severus, Sirius and Remus.
Harry had opted to watch Rodolphus, Barty and Evan dive into the albums eagerly. He watched all three of them very closely in order to gauge their reactions. Evan showed little interest in the photos of Harry with his family or his creatures, but studied each photo centred on Quidditch, duelling and society galas. Barty focused on the photos of Harry with his friends and dragons as well as the duelling ones. As for Rodolphus, the man couldn't get enough of every single one. While Evan and Barty had no problem ignoring the fast majority, Rodolphus wanted to see every single one.
Then came the questions from the Lestrange Heir.
"Sirius and Lupin are not in any recent ones. Why is that?"
"How did you manage to convince your mother to buy you a Runespoor?!"
"I see that you have barely any Gryffindor friends, save the Longbottom Heir. Do they give you a hard time, or something?"
"Awwww. You made the dragons Yule gifts. Were they particularly difficult to make?"
Harry was happy to answer each one. Sirius and Remus were away; emotional blackmail; apparently all of Gryffindor believed that Harry should have been Gryffindor and make his life hell for being Slytherin; and, no – Harry enjoys making gifts. Barty and Evan looked quite put-out by the fact Rodolphus was hungrily gathering information, and tried to not let the fact that Harry answered every single question with a smile on his face bothered them register on their faces. However, Harry – Seeker-eyed as ever – did notice and asked them if they had any questions they wanted to ask.
Barty and Evan had clearly not expected the young wizard to include them at all, but then again it was pretty well known that Harry Potter had a propensity for playing fair, and it seemed the boy wanted them to have a fair chance in this courting game as well.
Barty's questions centred on the dragon sanctuary; Inyala, the young Hebridean Blacks, the other dragons and what made Lily agree to the informal internship in the first place, while Evan inquired after Harry's penchant for combining Muggle duelling tactics with magical ones and why Harry was averse to attending society gatherings.
Harry was more than happy to answer those questions as well.
"That dragon sanctuary is one of the least funded places in wizarding Britain. Like in the cases of museums and zoos, the sanctuaries rely on donations and money allocated to them yearly by the Ministry. They are seen as the midgets amongst the sanctuaries, despite being quite large in the land they own. The fact we have Inyala and the young Hebridean Blacks does help, but we have also recently required a young Pendragon and her eggs as well as three wyverns. Currently there are negotiations for female Welsh Greens to breed with our male. Poor Owain hasn't had any luck with any of the other Welsh Greens we introduced – he is cripplingly shy. It's adorable! So yeah it didn't take my mother much convincing to help fund the sanctuary and well I did get a favour from a respected dragon handler on my side."
As Harry spoke, Rodolphus, Barty and Evan watched him closely. The moment that the boy addressed the subject of the dragon sanctuary, those stunning green eyes lit up even more than usual and literally sparkled with passion. The sight was rather hypnotic. When Harry spoke about Inyala and the other dragons, there was a loving tone in his voice and spoke with such reverence it was almost as though the boy was talking about a member of his family.
However, when he answered Evan's questions, it was almost as though they were sitting in front of a completely different person.
"The Muggles have had weapons and tactics that far outnumber and defeat our own for centuries. Why should I not combine the two? To combine medieval combat, the 17th century rapier and sorcery not only provides a unique duelling method, and thus throwing one's opponent off, but also gives ample opportunity to be a little more creative. As you can probably tell from the photographs, nine times out of ten it worked. But then again, I was facing off against a bunch of Weasleys, a Smith and Draco Malfoy. As if they have any inclination to learn anything beyond the standard wizarding and/or pureblood methods! As for society gatherings, I cannot imagine anything more tedious than to spend hours in company of people who will only kiss your arse then, and then to have a dagger stabbed in your back later."
"So …" Barty said nervously. "If we were to ask you to – perhaps – meet us or accompany us to galas and gatherings, it would be an out-right negative?"
"Ah, not necessarily," Harry answered with a mischievous grin. "I object to tedious company, as I just said. I doubt the three of you are tedious in any way, shape or form."
Harry had deliberately purred the latter word, which had caused all three men to react quite … passionately. Evan's eyes turned dark with dilation, Barty flushed bright pink and Rodolphus looked torn between low-key turned on and embarrassed. Oh yes, it was a good thing Lily was not in the room to see this. This was most definitely not within the code of courting, but then again Harry Potter wasn't all that conventional.
Rodolphus quietly wondered to himself how he would be able to survive dinner with that tempting young man sitting there. Everything about Harry was … pure with an impish charm that was becoming slowly addictive. He had been studying the young Lord for a while now and found that Harry moved with such fluid and easy elegance, Rodolphus really found himself lacking in comparison. Harry was young, handsome, powerful and desirable – Rodolphus was old, had lost many of his good looks, had some power of his own and was anything but desirable, physical or otherwise. He needed to tear his eyes away from the boy before he was completely blinded.
Barty was unsure of how to react to this young man shamelessly teasing them. He knew he was more than twice the boy's age, but it seemed Harry Potter was indeed a precocious child with an attraction to danger. No wonder there were so many people determined to snap him up! Barty was a little daunted by the age difference between himself and the young Lord but the very fact Harry was acting so bloody devilish made Barty almost regret the sinful thoughts that had entered his head.
As for Evan, Harry's words got to him and Evan was not shy in letting the boy see it in his eyes. The new Lord Rosier might not actively seek to break the code of courting himself, but when a young angelic sorcerer with a powerful lineage teased him, yes – Evan felt his resolve slip and was not afraid to show it. He knew that Barty and Rodolphus were conducting themselves more appropriately but to Evan, the propriety had flown out of the window for a single moment and he was more than willing to take it.
Harry was rather gleeful with each reaction. Each of his suitors were exactly his cup of tea in terms of looks; Rodolphus was rugged but sinful in his good looks, Barty was boyish and had an almost permanent smirk that heightened his good-looks and Evan – with those jade eyes and dark curls, he looked like he came from a pre-Raphaelite portrait. Oh yes, Harry knew they would not be tedious in form!
At dinner, Harry decided to have some more fun with them.
Fortunately, Lily and the house elves had prepared a full meal – at least, three courses. Which gave Harry three rounds for questioning.
Round one: Evan Rosier.
Harry watched his suitors busy themselves with focusing on their starters, trying not to shift in their chairs, quite clearly nervous. Evan Rosier poured himself some wine, his eyes glued firmly on his glass. Harry poured himself some pumpkin juice.
"Tell me something about your family, Evan," Harry said amicably.
"Well, what would you like to know?" Evan asked carefully.
"Whatever you wish to tell. I have naturally heard some reports and rumours about your father and your grandfather, but those tend to be over-exaggerated. Unlike many, I want the info from the horse's mouth. So," Harry bowed his head a little theatrically, "the floor is yours."
Evan Rosier frowned a little, trying to ponder on what motive the young Lord could have to ask him such a question. But – no matter what Harry was up to – the boy was still his host and it was rude to not oblige the host with an answer.
And Evan knew exactly what would win Harry over to his side a little. Unfortunately, it meant opening up about something he had been burying away for a very long time. Something that not even his closest friends knew about.
"My family is actually quite cold. I grew up with a sister; she died very young," Evan eventually confessed. "She was always quite sickly from birth, and as she grew older, her illness got worse. Father and Mother hid her from the public and Grandfather would pretend she did not exist. Every single time he looked at her, he got this haunted look in his eye. As though some old spectre had come back to haunt him.
Evan took a deep breath as he swigged his Firewhiskey. "She was eventually put into one of our houses in Europe and I was told to forget her. I did write to her a lot, but it wasn't enough. My sister succumbed to her illness during my O.W.L year. I wasn't even allowed to attend her funeral."
No one had expected this answer. Rodolphus and Barty blinked at him, as though this was the first time they truly saw the man they had called a friend for so long.
"Why did you not tell us?" Barty whispered.
"I was forbidden from ever mentioning her name to anyone ever again," Evan admitted angrily. The memories of his callous father's order came flooding back. "Father believed that her illness was a stain on the family name. Something the Rosier line did not need, especially with our past members supporting Grindelwald and our fall from grace."
"Your grandfather doesn't sound as though he was ashamed of her," Harry pointed out. "Haunted is not the same as shame."
"True, but it still hurt to see him like that with her," Evan answered coolly. "I suppose he thought the past had come back to haunt him in some way. Grandfather went to school with Lord Slytherin, you see, and they had a friend. A friend who had been ill since childhood. When his parents died, he was forced to come to Hogwarts and was Sorted into Slytherin. He was taken in by Grandfather's friends and he quickly became one of their closest friends. Then one day, during the summer holiday of 1945 their friend died very suddenly. That is all Grandfather was willing to say."
"What was his name?" Harry asked carefully, sipping another spoonful of oxtail soup.
"Hadrian Darrow," Evan answered in a tone that was almost a whisper. "Every single time Grandfather almost mentions him, he looks like he is set to weep."
"Your grandfather?" Rodolphus said incredulously. He had met the former Lord Rosier before; that man exemplified everything that it was to be pureblood and Slytherin. The man was icy cold and had an unbending manner that unnerved many who met him. Evan's grandfather was an imposing figure. "I find that hard to believe."
"He is a Rosier. That is what he wants you to believe." Harry noted a tone of bitterness in Evan's voice.
"What about your parents?" Harry asked. "Mama says your mother has never failed to entertain her at tedious social gatherings."
Evan smirked a little. "Mother is probably the jewel in the crown of the Rosier family. She is a tough lady and will not fail to let you know if she disagrees with you. She was raised by my battle-axe of a grandmother so I suppose nurture won out."
"Lady Rosier is utterly terrifying," Barty agreed. "I remember when I wanted to get some extra cake at Evan's nineth birthday, she gave me such a deadly basilisk stare that if looks could kill, I'd be dead three times over."
"You got off easily. My mother's music studio is sacred ground; I snuck in there once when I was seven to play the piano. Mother caught me and punished me with the cane and an essay on asking permission," Evan scoffed. "It almost put me off learning an instrument for life."
"Do you play an instrument?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Piano and harp," Evan answered with a grin. "I tried violin at one point but I never had the patience or the dedication."
"Pity," Harry said, his lips curled up into a smirk. "I would love to have played a duet."
"You play violin?" Barty said, looking impressed.
"A little. Mama insisted I learn three instruments, because music is the soul of life. Or something. I don't know – I sometimes don't get my mother and her philosophical mind," Harry chuckled. "So I picked piano, violin and guitar." Harry sipped his juice. "How about you, Barty, Rodolphus? Any instruments in your repertoire?"
"None," Barty flushed in embarrassment. "Father didn't find musical education important enough for a future Ministry worker to consider." Barty's grip on his goblet tightened with each word. "Mother begged him to relent, but he wouldn't."
"I only play the piano," Rodolphus admitted, his eyes looking down towards the table. "It was the only instrument accepted in our house because of my father."
Harry lit up. "At least piano duets are not out of the question!" He then turned to the down-trodden Barty. "Would you like to learn?"
Barty's head snapped up in shock. "You … want to teach me?"
Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "Of course. If you still want to learn."
"Yes!" Barty exclaimed in a most uncharacteristically enthusiastic tone. "I'd love to!"
"Good." Harry then turned his attention back to Evan. "Though, I wasn't kidding about wanting to play a duet."
Evan smirked. "I would love to. Me on the piano and you on the violin?"
"You read my mind."
As the finished plates were taken away and the main course was brought into the room by the house elves, Harry was smirking internally to himself. He had gotten all three of them to relax a little, Evan Rosier to open up a tad and had an excuse to get some alone time with Barty. After all, piano lessons were innocent enough. No one could possibly misconstrue that! Oh yes, his plans were going swimmingly.
Speaking of Barty …
Harry began cutting up his sirloin. "Tell me something, Barty."
Barty almost dropped the gravy in surprise but fortunately he tightened his grip on the ear of the antique gravy jug just in time. He flushed a little in embarrassment. "Erm … what would you like to know?"
"Anything. Hobbies, interests. Any new projects at work," Harry listed with a smile.
Barty pondered for a moment, his eyes boring straight into his plate. Unlike Evan and Rodolphus, who loved their families more than anything and had good relationships with most of the members, Barty wished to be anything but the son of Bartemius Crouch, a man who has long coveted the position of Minister of Magic. Everything in Barty's life had revolved around him following in that odious man's footsteps; to hell with what Barty might want. His desires came second to those of his father's. Barty already considered himself lucky if he could spend a day alone with his books or his mother without his father dragging him into his study to learn the dirty business of politics.
"Barty?" the concerned tone of young Lord Potter knocked Barty out of his thoughts and back onto planet Earth.
Barty gave a small smile. "Forgive me. I was lost in thought."
The Potter Lord's brow furrowed slightly. "I can see that. Is anything the matter? Did I speak out of turn?"
Barty shook his head. "No, no, you didn't. It's just that …" Barty paused for a moment and winced internally. "I don't exactly work at the Ministry because I want to. I barely have a life outside of working."
Harry frowned at this. "Your father?" he took a pretty decent stab in the dark.
He hit it right on the mark, judging from the dark look on Barty's face.
"Yes," Barty confirmed coolly. "Ever since I was born, he dictated what I would be. Who I could have as friends, what I wear, how much time I could spend with my mother and my friends. He even controlled what books I could and couldn't read." Barty scoffed and then barked out a humourless laugh. "I can still remember when I was seven and I wanted to get this beautiful book on dragons. My father gave me a lecture for around an hour how buying me a book on dragons was not going to help me get a job in the Ministry that was going to secure our family's 'rightful place' in the upper echelons of government. I have no hobbies to tell you about or interesting projects because I hate my job."
Harry regarded him closely; Barty almost flushed bright red at the scrutinising gaze in those bright eyes that resembled the Avada Kedavra green so very closely. After what felt like an eternity to Barty, Harry lowered his eyes back to his plate and began eating his dinner. Barty had noticed the boy took measly portion sizes. He had no idea why; the young Lord was already lanky and lithe as it was.
"Then tell me about what you actually want to do with your life," Harry urged after finishing a piece of sirloin.
Barty blinked. "Why? What good will it do? I can never dream of doing it."
"Why not?" Harry asked simply. "Does your father have that much hold over you?"
Barty bristled for a moment before he remembered that Harry hadn't meant it antagonistically. The young Crouch twirled a piece of carrot around his fork. "Even now that I am in my thirties, I am continuously threatened with banishment if I set one foot wrong."
Harry wasn't going to let the matter go; no matter what Barty said. "Tell me what it is you want to do."
Barty turned to look directly into the steely, determined viridescent eyes of the fifteen-year-old Lord. "My passion has always been Ancient Runes. I have always wanted to design wards and improve the current ones we have, especially since they have been lacking in some areas. I wanted to be a Wardmaster." Barty smiled a small but genuine smile. "I used to escape to my room a lot to practise my Rune work. I once warded by desk because my father would try to spy on me. He got a nasty surprise when he couldn't get even close to enough to reach my Rune grimoires let alone read them!"
Harry grinned. "What happened?"
"Nothing too spectacular. He got knocked onto his arse."
Laughter rippled around the room at this. Rodolphus had found that he had to put his goblet down; had he drunk his wine he was sure that it would have come straight out of his nose. Served that meddling old buffoon right!
"Father was furious," Barty reminisced gleefully. "He ordered me to take them down, and when I refused … he put me under a Body-Bind Hex for around five hours." His hands curled into fists around his cutlery. "I couldn't do a single thing – I was at his mercy. At one point I needed the toilet badly; I held it in but … it was Mother who released me from the hex."
"Your father sounds like his very popular at parties," Harry commented sarcastically, his eyes bathed in righteous fury.
Barty barked out a laugh. "No one wants to willingly converse with him, it's great to witness!"
"Do you still practise your warding?" Harry asked curiously before chomping on one of his boiled potatoes.
Barty shrugged a little. "Rarely. Father knows how to keep me busy."
Harry leant back in his chair a bit with a calculating and impish expression quickly dawning on his countenance. "Do you take commissions?"
Barty shook his head as if to knock himself out of a stupor. "Sorry? Come again?"
A mischievous gleam had entered those peridot eyes and a smirk had formed on the young Lord's face. "Oh, you heard me perfectly fine. Do you take commissions?"
"Well that depends," Barty replied cautiously, "who would be the client?"
"Two clients," Harry corrected. "The Potters and the local dragon reserve."
Barty could feel his heart beat faster and flutter. He had no idea if it had to do with the prospect of working with wards again, or if it was because of the way the fire of the candles danced in those stunning green eyes. Perhaps it was a bit of both. "How may I be of assistance?"
"Well, Mossbridge Hall has some outdated wards that – frankly – I am surprised have held for as long as they have," Harry answered. "Mama plans to update them every year but never gets around to doing it." The young Lord swirled his goblet of juice. "We will pay you for your efforts, if that is an issue."
"No, no, it is no issue," Barty insisted quickly. "I just … didn't expect this. And will your friends at the reserve agree to let me have a look at their wards?"
"There has been an attack on our Opaleye – no one messes with Inyala and gets away with it," Harry answered in a dark tone. "They will not object. We also have a Pendragon to protect, and several other residents who probably will be refusing to sleep tonight." Harry sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I am pretty certain I will not be getting any sleep tonight."
"I will see what I can do," Barty reassured gently. "Give me a week or so."
Harry nodded. "Thank you."
"You really love those dragons, don't you?" Rodolphus spoke up properly for the first time during dinner; Harry had been rather disappointed that the older gentleman decided to keep his silence for so long.
"Some of them are like my own children," Harry admitted. "Others like Inyala, Owain and Metis – our Pendragon – are like siblings to me. Others see me as one of their hatchlings." Harry chuckled at this last admission. "If anything ever happens to those dragons I will never be able to forgive myself."
"Nothing will happen to them," Barty promised firmly. "I will do whatever I can to help."
"Me too," Evan agreed immediately.
"As will I," Rodolphus added.
Harry smiled at them gratefully. "Thank you."
He promptly turned the conversation back onto Barty, asking about his mother specifically this time. Barty obliged Harry, launching into several stories of his mother giving him etiquette lessons, studying Runes with him and using her wiles to win people over to her husband's side since Bartemius Crouch had not an announce of charisma that could have won anyone over. Rodolphus and Evan both noticed that the pep seemed to have left the young Lord ever since he admitted just how much those dragons truly meant to him.
Rodolphus couldn't understand how this precocious fifteen-year-old could consider those wild beasts family, but then again he wasn't interested in magical creatures anyway. But that was of little importance. Rodolphus knew if he was to win Harry, he would need to put all personal feelings aside and keep his promise to help protect those dragons.
However, he couldn't ignore the nagging question in the back of his head. What if Harry got hurt?
Rodolphus pushed the thought away for the moment and ran through the list of people he could ask a favour from. Maybe he could ask Amelia Bones if she was willing to help? She was Light aligned but she was unbiased in doing her duty. Perhaps Amos Diggory was also willing to help…?
Dessert was treacle tart. All three Death Eaters had expected this; Severus had warned them beforehand that the young Lord had an obsession with the pudding to the point his friends had to watch the treacle tart platter at Hogwarts to make sure Harry didn't sneak another one above his two tarts per dinner limit.
Harry had been looking forward to this, not only because his favourite dessert had been prepared.
Round three: Rodolphus Lestrange. Harry had been saving his current favourite for last.
Harry had been reading the books on Healing magic and medical textbooks written by Rodolphus since he was quite young but didn't know much about the enigmatic man himself. The few glimpses Harry got of the Lestrange Heir when he was younger had painted Rodolphus as quite menacing and imposing, but what Harry observed almost shattered that image entirely. Rodolphus was polite, quiet and cautious – nothing like the Healer or follower of Lord Slytherin that Harry had imagined. Perhaps Bellatrix Black really had done a number on this man.
"How is your grandfather's new law coming along, Rodolphus?" Harry asked civilly. "Mama says it is one of her current favourites to back at present, and I must say I have to agree. It proposes to reform magical education, does it not? To open the first magical primary school for any magical child and to found a magical university?"
"Yes," Rodolphus poked his treacle tart with his fork. "He took inspiration from a speech your mother gave in the Wizengamot about how Muggleborn students are expected to know how to act in the wizarding world without knowing anything about the etiquette or culture, and how compromises have to be made on both sides. He also doesn't approve of how pureblood children are taught at home before they go to Hogwarts and how there is little opportunity to follow further education."
"Well it is certainly quite popular," Harry praised. "I hear that Lord Longbottom is definitely in favour of it, which is saying a lot, as well as the Bones family and the Macmillans. Mama has assured me she is going to vote in favour of it as soon as it is officially presented."
"Grandfather will be pleased to know that," Rodolphus replied with a genuine smile. "Just out of curiosity, did … did you ever meet your own grandparents?"
Harry shook his head. "My father's parents died before I was born, as I am sure you are aware. As for Mama's parents, grandpa died of a heart attack and grandma died when I was one in her sleep quite unexpectedly."
"I am sorry," Evan offered carefully.
"So am I. Grandpa and Grandma Evans tried to learn everything they could about our world to try and help her where they could; after all, knowing that your ancestors come from our world and not being able to enter it yourself is sort of difficult. Uncle Sev helped where could too," Harry smiled brightly.
"They sound … nice," Barty commented carefully.
"Mama barely talks about them, though. I don't know why. Must be too painful or something," Harry sighed deeply. He decided to quickly switch the subject before he could show too much emotion. He had already shown enough for one evening. "So, Rodolphus – how is your brother doing? Rabastan, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Rodolphus replied after taking a swig of wine. "He is doing very well. He is currently writing a book on the history of duelling. Basti has taken some leave from his Ministry job to follow is true passion – research."
"I always thought Basti would be a Ravenclaw," Barty commented with a grin. "He came first in everything in our year. His record was only matched by Severus, Narcissa Malfoy and your mother – those four were always trying to outdo each other for the position."
"Mama spoke highly of Rabastan's spell work," Harry responded after finishing his mouthful of treacle tart. "Says there was no one who could quite weave a Charm or Conjure quite in the way he could."
"I have always been a little jealous at how easily Basti took to spells," Barty admitted sheepishly. "It just always seemed to come naturally to him, like he was living and breathing magic constantly."
"My favourite piece of magic Basti did was turning a feather into a falcon while the feather was still in mid-air," Rodolphus added with a grin. "It was amazing; wandless and nonverbal as well!"
"Basti taught a bunch of us how to do it," Evan informed. "Lily Evans included. Potter and his friends had not been too happy about that but Evans never really listened to anything those idiots said unless Remus Lupin was the voice of reason."
Harry poured himself some more juice. "This may be out of the blue, but may I ask you something, Rodolphus?"
"About what?" Rodolphus asked carefully.
"My father."
For a moment, there was a silence where one could have heard a pin drop. Rodolphus felt his heart skip a beat. Everyone knew James Potter's life was taken as the result of Ministry incompetence; Dumbledore had naturally tried to blame the whole nasty business on Lord Slytherin. Yes, it was true Lord Slytherin had arranged to meet James Potter but neither the Dark Lord nor any of his followers were anywhere near the attack when it happened. Rodolphus had witnessed first-hand the look of devastation on his Lord's countenance when the news reached him that Lord Potter had been slain in an act of stupidity. Lord Slytherin had refused to meet any of his followers that evening. Rodolphus and Rabastan along with Bellatrix and Barty had been sent to see Lily Potter to offer her their Lord's assistance with anything she could need. Rodolphus remembered her tear-stained face as though it were yesterday. Rodolphus had quietly theorised that perhaps Lord Slytherin had held some secret affection for the young Lord or his wife, but now the Death Eater knew it was because James Potter was family.
"What would you like to know?" It was Evan who had the courage to speak up.
"Anything," Harry answered simply. "Everything I have been told has come from my mother, his old friends, Uncle Severus and, on occasion, Lucius Malfoy. All three of you went to school with him and even worked with him. You also serve Lord Slytherin, who wasn't always his biggest fan so I suspect I may get a more truthful picture of my father than Sirius or Remus could ever give me."
"Harry, we do not wish to influence your image of your father," Barty said quietly, clearing his throat.
"The stories that Severus told me of what he did – you couldn't taint him even if you tried, because he is already tainted," Harry informed coolly. "This man is a total stranger to me; I have never met him. Everything I know of him is told to me second hand. I have no memories of him. Someone robbed me off that."
"You must believe us when we say, we are so very sorry for what happened," Rodolphus whispered. "Had we known what would have happened, I am sure Lord Slytherin would have sent us sooner."
"You came to see my mother," Harry's tone was a mere whisper but sounded like a shout in the eerily quiet room. "You offered your assistance."
"We did," Barty agreed. "We … stayed with her until morning."
"She never did thank you for that," Harry pointed out in an almost dazed tone. "But I will. You have no idea how much that means to me."
"What happened to your father was appalling," Evan answered firmly. "A gross injustice considering the fact that the Auror in charge was only given a bloody slap on the wrist. Your father was a good man, Harry. I may not have liked him at school – he was irritating and a prolific bully – but as he grew older, he grew into a worthy Lord. He matured a lot. He could at least look us fellow purebloods in the eye without looking at us with disgust. A brilliant orator, too. James Potter knew how to command a room."
"He was super dedicated," Barty added. "I remember one time I caught him training at the Quidditch pitch when it was raining buckets and buckets. He caught a cold for the rest of the week but … he was glowing with happiness when he helped win Gryffindor the Quidditch Cup at the end of the year because of his extra training. I remember thinking, 'if only he put this much energy into anything else than those childish pranks, he could truly make something of himself'."
Rodolphus soon realised he had barely said anything about James Potter. In truth, the young Lord Potter had irritated him to no end and Rodolphus had never once thought well of him. He had frankly nothing nice to say about Potter at all, and didn't want to lay anything on the newest and youngest Lord Potter in centuries.
Harry seemed to sense this. "You don't need to say anything, Rodolphus, if you don't want to. I just want to know if I can rely on – should I choose one of you – you to help me protect my family against our enemies, no matter your personal history with its members."
Rodolphus looked up at the boy quite sharply. "You have my word on it."
"And mine," Evan added.
"Mine as well," Barty agreed. "You would be our family; if we let anything happen to you, we'd be betraying ourselves."
The bright angelic smile returned quite quickly, making three icy hearts flutter quite madly. All three were in danger – they knew that. But this was the kind of danger they had no intention of running away from.
In fact, all three realised that, during Evan and Harry's promised musical duet, they had no intention of letting anyone have a chance to obtain Harry. No one else was going to win this stunning young man. Yes, all three of them were more determined than ever to win the hand of Harry James Potter.
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So these three idiots almost got themselves killed and Harry is pushing their buttons as he had promised to do. Something tells me that this is only the beginning of Harry's little trials for his suitors!
Once more, this world and characters are JK Rowling's product; I am just using pieces of her clay.
I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and reviews are appreciated!
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