He Is Not One of Us
Disclaimer/Plot/Challenge Information/Author's Note: SEE FIRST CHAPTER
Recommended Reads: Who Dares Wins by OlegGunnarsson, Xenogenous Souls by Quatermass, Apex by JustBored21, When Daylight Dies by BloodyRose90, Harry Potter and the Hidden Truth by KingFatMan25, Midnight Sun and Darkest Before Dawn by Herald-MageAnduli, Dark Prince Rises and Argent Knight of Pendragon by Ronin2106, Beautiful, Broken, Deadly by ifYouDieInCanada, Small Changes by KnightCarter007, Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin by The Sinister Man, Harry Potter and the Shadowed Light by itshanniee and Antithesis by Oceanbreeze7
Key Pairing: Harry/Gabrielle;
Other Pairings: Neville/Ginny; Lily/James; Others TBD
Normal Speech
'Thoughts'
/Parseltongue/
Review Answers:
Winged Seer Wolf: As a wise man once said, dear brother: let the games begin!
Nagiten: I had to think about what you meant there, friend, but Sirius was basically saying Harry is first and last on the list of most-important people; sort of like when you say me, myself and I, only Sirius said it twice instead of three times;
"You okay?"
"I will be," replied Harry, looking to his Father with a stern, but amused glint in his eyes as he added, "Once you help me put one final piece of the puzzle into place, Dad; then, as far as I'm concerned, the therapy sessions can serve tea and cakes in frilly dresses."
"How can I help with that?" asked Sirius.
Once again, Harry smiled with a pure air of Slytherin-born slyness and dark pride that only a true Black, or someone who'd endured what he had endured, could manage as he answered his Father's question;
"Oh, nothing much…just help me cast a little spell, really; that's all."
Chapter 5: Magic's Game of Thrones
If home is where the heart is, then Harry's home was ever-beating fresh blood through the walls for him.
As far as he was concerned, Grimmauld Place was a place so welcoming to the Black Scion that he actually felt more-comfortable in the confines of the dark house than he'd ever felt during his four years at Hogwarts. And, for perhaps the first time since they'd shown their true colours, it was amusing for Harry to realise that the Potters had nothing to do with him changing his mind about Hogwarts being home for him either.
Well, not directly, but even so, he wouldn't allow his home to be besmirched by the foul and false belief of control that Albus Dumbledore thought he had over him. And as for the scarlet woman – in more ways than one, he was sure – known as Molly Weasley, she was walking on the thinnest of thin ice with him, even before she'd foolishly thought treating him like she did her own children would silence him.
So, in his mind, getting the drop on the Order as he had done was good.
Ensuring the safety and sanctity of his home in the way he'd done it was great.
Working quickly to ensure neither Dumbledore, Weasley nor Potter – any of the Potters – could seize control over powers they had no right to control, or lives and freedoms that had nothing to do with them; and then by cutting them off at the knees by seizing control himself, using Magic they would never think to use and methods that would leave them holding their Snitches as they crawled at his feet?
It was a move worthy of Salazar himself.
However, unbeknownst to the speechless party standing before him, Harry was fighting every urge not to laugh at how the act of him being able to actually succeed in playing the ultimate prank, and getting the ultimate revenge over his traitors was more than just plain good.
It was freaking GENIUS!
Not that they needed to know about it, not yet anyway.
As he looked to each one of them in turn, Harry cleared his throat before he told them, "Now, since we're all set for a nice, quiet summer, and since you've already gotten Father's seal of approval on this therapeutic getaway of yours, I think we should come to terms."
"Good idea, Harry," remarked Dumbledore, looking now to Jason as he added, "I'm sure we can come to some agreement that benefits both of you and, once Jason is…"
"Excuse me," interrupted Harry, holding up a hand as he snorted in disbelief before, pointing to his mouth, he told the old man, "Lips moving…still fucking talking, Dumbledore."
"Professor Dumbledore," argued Hermione instantly.
In response, Harry applauded her before he drawled, "Very good, Hermione; that's right, he is Professor Dumbledore; you'll be getting a sweetie later…now, for two, why don't you tell me who the fuck is talking to you?"
"Don't speak to her like that, traitor!" sneered Jason, earning a roll of the eyes from Harry.
"Kettle, Pot, come in Pot," muttered the Black Scion, earning a snigger from Sirius while Harry drew himself to his full height as he added, "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, we should come to terms and, for the benefit of everyone who isn't a friend of mine, as well as to ensure the safety of those who are, I think the first term should be…for the duration of your visit to our retreat, all wands held by those whom are of age shall be in the hands of Lord Sirius Orion Black or, failing that, the former Lady Narcissa Black!"
"WHAT IS THAT WHORE DOING…"
"Stupefy!" exclaimed Harry suddenly, earning a shocked cry from Hermione as the hex hit Molly square in the chest.
Seeing the shocked, accusing glares from the others, Harry shrugged ruefully while he returned his wand to his cane as he explained, "To quote a friend of mine: never…insult…any member of my family…in front of me, no matter who they used to be."
Only Sirius chuckled as he had a feeling which friend Harry was talking about, while Harry kept himself in a state of apathy even as he lifted a finger while he added, "Also, I hope you're not expecting an owl warning me about using magic outside the Nuthouse, everybody: the Minister himself told me that, as a Triwizard Champion, whether I was disqualified or not at the end of it, I am now recognised as being of age and an adult in the eyes of Magical Britain and the Powers That Be, which means, as a certain puppet once said, there are no strings on me…"
"Translation: no Trace to stop him doing things like that," said Sirius, smirking to himself as he patted Harry's shoulder while he added, "Personally, I'd have gone for a Full Body Bind or something with a little kick, son; nice restraint."
"I don't have time to polish the ego of those who have way too much already, Dad," argued Harry, looking now to Dumbledore with a stern, if not icy glare that made him look like a true Black, if nothing else, as he asked, "Well, Dumbledore: will you and your rehab inmates surrender your wands in return for the safety you thought you could dictate?"
"And when we say wands," added Sirius, smirking softly as he told the old man, "We do mean everyone's wands, Albus, especially yours and any illegally-made or secondary wands you might have let him create for the brat over there."
"Don't talk about my son like that, Black!" snapped James, earning a scoff from Sirius.
"I won't if you won't, Potter," sneered Sirius, looking once to Harry before he asked, "So that's term one: what's next, my son?"
"Second," said Harry, indicating the downed Molly as he went on, "She keeps her eyes open and her mouth shut around me, my friends, my guests and anyone and everyone not under her care, which, right now, since those handsome Devils are also of age and no longer required to be tied to her apron-strings, adds up to a total of two: Ron and Ginny. Now, since she is out for the count, you'll have to give me your word, Arthur…and I warn you: the wrong word will cost you…how is Ginny, these days?"
Looking once to his wife, Arthur swallowed before, returning his attention to Harry, he visibly trembled with pained sorrow as he explained in a low voice, "No matter what you…you call yourself now, Harry, the…the fact remains you…you have a life-debt owed to you from my family."
"Yes," said Harry, clenching the head of his cane, as though he was fighting some inner turmoil, as he growled, "I do…and quite a few other markers on your family too, which I don't want to call in, but I will if…anything forces my hand."
"I…" Arthur continued, pausing for a moment as he glanced towards Lily and James, the latter of whom looked beyond horrified, if not outraged that his ex-son still had some semblance of power in the world, regardless of whether James had disowned him or not.
As he returned his attention to Harry, Arthur gulped as he continued, "I know you've pulled Ron's behind out of the fire on…on many different occasions, so much so that, if you wished, you could claim that as a second owed debt, if not a mercy-debt…"
"And, again, I would," agreed Harry, though as he did so, he folded his arms, staring Arthur down with the same impure-grey-tinged glare in his green eyes while he continued, "However, unlike you, your wife and even Ginny, Ron has made it abundantly clear, as she will tell you, that no matter my name or the House emblem on my chest, he will always consider me a friend and someone he stands with, no matter what."
"Only because you probably put him under a Confundus or the Imperius," scoffed Hermione, earning a curious look from Harry that turned into a hint of bewilderment as he drew his wand from his cane once more.
"Excuse me for a moment," reasoned Harry, aiming his wand at Hermione before, giving it a sharp twist, he commanded, "Surgito!"
A few sparks flew from the tip of Harry's wand, but nothing else, much to his curiosity as he mused, "That didn't work, let's try bigger: Finite."
Again, sparks flew from his wand, but when nothing happened, Harry frowned, "Wow, you're not under anyone's influence, Granger; I guess this means, behind the façade of my friend, you've always been a loud-mouthed, insufferable know-it-all who is everything Ron and Draco always said you were, and a whole lot more besides."
While Hermione went white with rage, Harry smiled wolfishly as he continued, "In any event, do stop being such a silly little girl and let the grownups keep talking: if we need a book quote or some figure of authority's ass needs worshipping, we'll let you know."
"How dare…" Jason began, going for his wand, but as soon as he did so, James stepped in, stopping him with a stern, if not urgent look.
"Thank you," said Harry, returning his wand to his cane as he explained, "At least now we know you have given your precious brat a wand he can use outside school, Potter. Shame he won't get to use it in my house: now then, back to the terms and, really, the third one is fairly simple."
Once again, he drew himself to his full height before he looked to Albus as he told him, "Stay away from me and I'll stay away from you, old man. I don't give a flying fuck what Snake Face might be up to; I couldn't care less about your noble wisdom and I don't even want to hear a word about your war-mongering and how you're basically ensuring Fudge loses his marbles. In fact, it won't surprise me if, before the next year is out, I don't hear rumours of Dumbledore's Army being formed."
When he saw a glint of inspiration fill Hermione's eyes, Harry scoffed, hiding his smile as he asked, "Them's the terms, old man: accept and you get to ensure the safety of my friends…oh, and your puppy-dog there as well as his bootlicker…yes, I mean you, Granger. Decline, and you can go and take a long walk off the shortest edge of the Astronomy Tower…and be sure to take the trash with you, meaning you again, Granger, as well as the backstabbing blood traitor and his hopefully-dried-up husk of a bitch."
"Don't talk about your Mother like that!" snarled James, earning a scoff from Harry as he looked the elder Potter square in the eyes.
"My Mother is not here, Potter…you saw to that, remember?"
He jabbed the scar on his cheek as he said the last part, earning a red-faced expression from James while Harry took a few steps back, spreading his arms for dramatic effect with a look of mocking curiosity on his own face.
"Now, what's it to be, kids? Safety…or Screw You?"
For several minutes, silence filled the park before Dumbledore drew in a slow breath as he told the others, "Molly, Arthur, Lily, James, Remus: would you mind handing your wands over? And Jason, if you do have any spares you intend on using outside Hogwarts, hand them over too."
"But Headmaster," cried Jason, his eyes wide with shock as he asked, "You aren't seriously accepting this…this blood traitor's terms? You're Albus Dumbledore and he…he's nothing more than a little freak…"
"Oscausi," said Harry, again having to draw his wand from his cane, though this time, he made sure the mouth was shut…because his charm, a particularly-dark, but funny one, sealed it shut.
"Leta would be proud of that one, pup," chuckled Sirius, looking to a shocked Lily and a barely-restrained James with a smug air, "What can I say? Once a Marauder, always a Marauder, though I think you of all people would know not to say that word around him, wouldn't you, Lily? All the times Tuney called you that name…and then she did the same to Harry, of course, but that's in the past."
"As is my patience," growled Harry, waving his wand in an arc as he added, "Accio ALL wands!"
To Sirius' amusement, not only did both Dumbledore's wands fly from his hand and robe, but so did two wands from both Hermione and Jason, as well as three wands from James, one from Lily, one from Remus and one from both Molly and Arthur.
As Dumbledore's flew through the air, however, Harry felt a surge of sudden heat rise up inside of him, coupled with an urge that made him leap up into the air before he knew what he was doing.
"Harry, no!" gasped Dumbledore, as did James, but before either of them could say anything more, Harry grabbed Dumbledore's wand, causing a wave of magic to fly out of Harry's body, dissipating the mist for only a second before, weirdly, it gathered once again, keeping the magicals within the mist concealed in the shadows.
Holding the wand firmly in his hand – while Sirius retrieved each one of the other wands – Harry looked down before, letting out a low sigh of awe and wonder, he whispered, "I feel…different…"
"Good different or bad different?" asked Sirius, earning a soft snigger from his son as he looked up at his Father.
"I feel…whole, Dad," answered Harry, earning a warm, proud smile from Sirius while, as he returned his attention to Dumbledore, Harry told the old man, "Not like you have a choice, given it's all that's keeping you in-house for now, Albus, but, out of what little respect I have left for you, I'll say it anyway: if you don't mind, I think I'll hold onto this wand for a while."
To James' alarm, Dumbledore didn't even bother arguing, let alone show any signs, save for a look of intense worry, that might have suggested he wanted to argue the point.
Instead, he cleared his throat as he asked, "Would you kindly share the secret with us now, Harry?"
"Oh sure," said Harry, shrugging ruefully before, smiling wolfishly, he flashed his ex-brother a wink as he reversed his Oscausi - as a sign of what little good faith he had left, but since he held their wands, and they were left holding their Gobstones, he took that chance regardless - before he declared in a loud voice. /The Homestead of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, Temporary Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, can be found at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London./
Before he could stop himself, Sirius let out a barking laugh at the sound of Parseltongue rolling off of Harry's lips, though when he looked to the others, he saw blank looks on each and every one of their faces, save for Hermione, who looked to Jason as she asked, "You…you must speak that language too, right, Jason? What did…what did he…he say?"
"He…" Jason began, though as he did so, his lower lip trembled while his eyes widened as he looked to his parents before, in a pained, if not fearful tone of voice, the redhead explained, "I…I…I don't know what he said…even though he said it in Parseltongue, I didn't…I don't know what he said."
"How…how's that possible?" asked James, though even as he asked it, he gasped in disbelief when he saw the Black Family townhouse still appear behind Harry and Sirius, the lesser of whom smiled like the cat that ate the canary as he beckoned them inside;
"I told you, Potter…there's more than one way to keep a secret."
Not One of Us
With Molly revived, and the terms and conditions apparently-agreed upon by Dumbledore's fellow group therapy attendees – at least those who'd be there on an indefinitely-long basis – Harry took the lead as he walked into the house, though not before intentionally wiping his shoes on the doormat in such a way that his actions kicked mud in his visitors' faces.
Once that was done, Harry moved towards the bottom of the stairs where, not to his surprise, Ron, Ginny and the Twins were waiting for him.
"Have you met the others yet?" asked Harry, earning shakes of the head from the Weasleys before the Black Scion frowned, "How come?"
"We thought it'd be better…" Ron began.
"Meaning safer," chorused the Twins, earning a laugh from Harry while Ron scowled as he went on.
"…if we waited for you, Harry: this is your home, after all. The last thing we want to do is go somewhere we might not be allowed to go or where we might find something we shouldn't."
"Which is why you'll be responsible for cleaning the rooms, so…" Molly began, but, once again, before she could make a challenge for the White House or some other seat of authority, Harry did the world a favour by casting the same Oscausi Hex he'd cast on Jason on the Banshee, who squealed behind her sealed mouth.
"Morgana's tits, even with her lips fused together, she's loud and squealing!" scoffed Harry, earning an outraged glare from James.
"We had a deal, traitor!"
"And the minute she opened her mouth and decided she made the rules in this house, you broke the deal," argued Harry, turning to James with a dark, but powerful glare in his eyes as he asked, "When are you going to get it through your arrogantly-overinflated, pampered-princely-and-pathetic excuse for a pea-sized-brain, Potter? The little sheep of a sidekick you thought I would become never existed: four years of dangerous trials at a school, not to mention constant near-death experiences, the care of the Dursleys and, of course, your betrayal made sure of that."
Here, Harry drove the knife in deeper than it already was as he turned to Sirius before he asked, "You know, I have to ask this, Dad: are you sure Peter was Wormtail? All this talk of betrayal and willingly going against your own…maybe he was Prongs, after all, though I can't imagine why!"
For perhaps the first time since his comeback, James was stunned into silence while Sirius snorted as he looked past his son as he went on, "As for you, Molly; I know you were counting the chicks flying around your head when Harry gave the terms of your welcome stay here, so listen up: first and foremost, nobody is to touch or otherwise remove anything from this house without permission from Harry or me! Any attempt to do otherwise will be labelled a crime of theft and, if I have to, I'll leave taking care of the perpetrator to the less-merciful and patient members of our community, who would have the stones to do what must be done to light-fingered freaks of nature…"
"In short," said Harry, his lips twitching in amusement as he exclaimed, "You'll be sent to the goblins!"
This time, everyone, sans Harry and the Weasley Children, went whiter than white at the threat while Sirius kept his eyes on Molly as he addressed her directly.
"As for what you're to do while you're here, Molly, you're going to sit there and look as ugly and quiet as we all wish you would be. The only ones you speak out against are your children, meaning Ron, Ginny, Fred and George. Nobody else and especially not the boy who is my son, meaning Harry: Arthur's already dropped a hint about life-and-mercy-debts owed to him, so, be warned: if I have to, I will use them!"
"As will I," added Harry, though not before he glanced in the direction of a worried-looking Ginny as he added, "Just for the record, I don't want to, Ginny; I want to believe that your decision to stay a friend of mine, despite the fact my surname's now Black and I'm clearly no longer, and never was, the Brat-Who-Can't-Die, is genuine, but if she gives me a reason, I'll take it…and all I can promise is I won't kill you."
"You won't have to," said Ginny coolly, earning a chorus of shudders from the Twins – whether out of jest or seriousness, Harry didn't know, but the message was clear – while Ginny drew herself to her full height as she faced her still-silenced Mother. "You give either Harry or Sirius a reason, Mummy, and the only thing you'll lose, apart from whatever dignity you have left, is a daughter! After all, back when Sirius escaped Azkaban and we thought he wanted to kill Harry, Bill told me our families, both the Weasleys and the Prewetts, used to be related to the Blacks, so if you force their hands, I'd rather be a Black than a Weasley or a Prewett any day."
"Hear, hear," chorused Ron and the Twins, earning something that could only be described as a look of shock and pride from Arthur while Molly looked more like a flashing light with how she turned red, then white and back to red.
"Seems fair, if you ask me," agreed Sirius, folding his arms smugly while he added, "Now, while the rest of us go and talk about the other do's and don'ts in our house, son, why don't you take the kids upstairs and introduce them to our other guests?"
"Sure Dad," agreed Harry.
"Great," insisted Hermione, earning a roll of the eyes from Ron as she told the others, "I've heard about the Black Library and I've always…"
"Over my dead body!" growled Harry, earning an alarmed look from Hermione as he went on, "For your information, Granger, access to the Black Archive, as it's really known, is restricted to the Head of the Family, meaning Dad, and the Heir Apparent, meaning me. Anyone else who gets to go in there only does so with our permission and, fortunately for my already-forming headache, the only ones who are allowed in there right now do not bear the name rhyming with Gramione Hernger."
"However," added Sirius, hiding his smile as best as he could as he saw Jason's face turning red with the realisation, as was James, while Molly was still squealing like a muffled hostage as he explained, "If my son deems you trustworthy enough, Ronald, Ginevra, Frederick and George, I'm sure you'll be given unrestricted access to as many of the books, learning materials and even the hidden practice chamber in the Archive."
Molly's shrieks were now so loud and frenzied, she might as well have been surrounded by bloodthirsty Nundus and Horntails, but nobody noticed.
As for Hermione, she turned to Dumbledore as she asked, "You…you aren't going to let them do this, are you, Headmaster? This is your business, after all, not theirs…"
"His business, it may be, you nightmare," growled Ron, using a word that, as Harry and Ron had both expected, got a reaction – namely, a look of hurt, if not alarmed reminisce – from Hermione while the redhead indicated Harry as he added, "But it's Harry's house and Sirius' too: what they say goes, not you, not the Potters and definitely not the Headmaster."
"Now," added Harry, indicating the stairs as he asked, "If we're all done measuring our dicks, though Potter might need a microscope to find his, can we please get this over with? I've got more important things to do than listen to Granger parrot more useless facts, not to mention I'm starting to get sick of Molly's squealing, so can we go before I become confused and enough of a headache-sufferer to decide to undo my spell?"
Suffice to say, even the Twins practically flew up the stairs at that threat, though when Hermione and Jason made to follow, Sirius cut them off as he explained, "Oh, I don't think so: you've proven where your loyalties lie, so you can lie with them…your room is through here."
Had Harry been looking back, he would have laughed at the fact that Sirius had set up a room for the Brat-Who-Lived and the Brown-Haired Nightmare in the last place he would have expected to see again.
A cupboard under the stairs, albeit one with a couple of Extension Charms – much like the tent from the Quidditch World Cup – so both of them could fit reasonably-comfortably.
Hey, it was a hell of a lot more than Heir Black got from his cupboard, so, as far as Harry and Sirius were concerned, the two should be grateful.
Not One of Us
To the surprise, though not much, of the Weasleys, Harry led them right to the top floor where, to Ron's amusement, they had to then climb a ladder that appeared from a door in the ceiling to access the attic of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.
When they did so, however, even the Twins gasped in awe and slight fear at the sight that they saw in front of them.
Instead of a normal looking attic, the topmost room of the house had been converted into a place that reminded some of its occupants – namely Harry and Ron – of the design of the Slytherin Common Room: black, green and silver covered the walls and floors while, to Ginny's amusement, there was a ring of comfortable-looking leather chairs set around a table, each one red with gold highlights while the table had a lion and a serpent engraved into the wood.
Off to one side, an ornate black-marble fireplace was filled with a low-burning flame while, over the fireplace, the same lion-and-snake insignia from the table was mounted upon a circular shield, a second shield bearing the Black Family Coat of Arms positioned next to it.
"You…you couldn't have picked some better colours?" asked Fred nervously, tugging at his collar before he drawled, "I feel sick."
"Stop with the theatrics, for once, will you, Weasley?" asked a familiar drawling voice, earning more gasps from the newcomers as they saw several others appear from the far end of the attic.
How they even managed to make an appearance in the first place, when the attic of the townhouse seemed so small by comparison, none of the Weasleys knew. Or rather, they didn't know the how and why until Harry later explained about how his Father had performed a similar series of Expansion Charms on the attic as the ones that were on their tents at the World Cup – and the cupboard under the stairs.
Regardless, Fred and George's hackles were instantly raised when they saw none other than Draco Malfoy – or Draco Black, as he was now – as well as a dark-skinned figure whom Ron recognised as Blaise Zabini, as well as two particularly-attractive blondes of different ages, whom Ginny recognised as Daphne and Astoria Greengrass all making their way towards the table in the centre.
With them was a fair-haired girl whom Harry knew to be Tracey Davis, an honorary sister and best friend to the Greengrass sisters before, finally, all the Weasleys were put on high alert at the sight of none other than Pansy Parkinson joining them.
As the Slytherin students made their way to the table, Harry smiled when Ginny asked, "What…what is she doing here, Harry? If anyone is as in deep in Tom's pockets as his Dad, it's…it's her family!"
"Not quite, Weasley," argued Pansy, her voice devoid of its usual scathing, prissy tone, though the Weasleys had a sneaking suspicion that the big bad wolf in the room – Harry – had a lot to do with that. "As Harry's about to prove, I want to see that snake-faced bastard fall just as much as any of you: I just don't have to pretend otherwise now, thanks to Draco no longer being bound to Malfoy's whims!"
"She's right," added Harry, moving to a seat that seemed to be the largest of the circle's number – much to Ron and Ginny's amusement, as well as the Slytherins – as he explained. "Ron, Ginny, Fred and George Weasley, allow me to officially introduce you to the rest of our little group: Pansy Parkinson, Daphne and Astoria Greengrass, Tracey Davis, Blaise Zabini and, of course, my cousin, Draco Black, not Malfoy. Ladies…gentlemen: well, you know who these four are…and don't worry, Pansy: I've already laid down the law about them being here."
"Thank Mab," grumbled Pansy, looking to Harry with a mixture of gratitude and smug amusement as she explained, "I'm willing to show civility and unity with these people, but if she came up here, you might have confiscated our wands, Harry, but I wouldn't need them to deal with her. Also, who won the office pool?"
"Pool?" asked the Twins, a note of personal offence in their voices as though they didn't like how they'd been kept out of a little wager.
"Just a Slytherin-only bet on who'd suffer first," drawled Harry, reaching into his pocket before he withdrew a small sack, which jingled with its metallic contents, as he explained, "And the winner was Draco, for guessing correctly with Molly Weasley: hit with a lovely Stunning Jinx, though I also win the second pool on who I'd have to make an example of…thanks to my ex-sibling, Jason."
"And did you use Great-Great-Aunt Leta's spell?" asked Draco.
"Yep," laughed Harry, popping the p cheekily while he smiled broadly at the laughs that rose up around the table. "Twice, in fact: once on Potter and the second time on Madam Weasley…so, care to split the winnings, dear cousin?"
"Fine," sighed Draco, earning a snigger from Harry as he poured out the small pile of Galleons inside.
Once the two were perfectly-divided, Harry passed Draco his half before he returned the remaining half to the bag, setting it down under the table.
"Four years as his rival and you still never learn, Draco," argued Daphne Greengrass, chuckling softly as she indicated Harry while she told him, "In the end, Harry always finds a way to win…and are you four going to stand there like a bunch of blue-assed flies all day or are you going to swallow that damn leonine pride of yours and join us?"
After only a few minutes, during which the Twins silently applauded their honorary brother's way of knowing enough about the future to make a bit of money off it, the Weasleys joined the Slytherin Circle, thus breaking years' worth of tradition in the process. While Harry took his seat, Draco sat on his left and Ron on his right, the others took random seats around the table, including Ginny sat between Astoria and Pansy, who gave her a curt nod, while the rest of them took their own seats.
"If anyone makes a King Arthur joke, I reserve the right to fuse their lips together next," drawled Harry suddenly, resting one hand on the table, which also revealed to the Slytherins how he'd claimed Dumbledore's wand.
When she saw said wand, Daphne's eyes widened before, looking to Harry, she asked, "When did you…"
"While I was laying down the law," answered Harry, taking a breath before he added, "Now, before we get started, I have a few more visitors yet to join us, so while we wait for…"
The words were no sooner out of his mouth before a soft pop announced the arrival of a very familiar House Elf, who bowed low to Harry as he appeared on the table, before he explained, "Great Master Harry Black, Dobby is here to tell Great Master his guests await his approval, sir."
"Take their wands and bring them straight in here, Dobby," explained Harry, earning an obedient bow from the elf before he vanished.
At the same time, Draco scoffed before he asked, "How in the name of Anne Boleyn did you manage to tame him, Harry?"
"What can I say?" asked Harry, drumming the fingers of his wand hand on the table, "Being me has its privileges, Draco, which reminds me, when one of our guests arrives, I don't want a single crass word out of any of you…especially you, Pansy, given how much you loathe this one."
As Pansy nodded, she had to clamp her lips together when Dobby returned, accompanied by the familiar forms of none other than Fleur Delacour and Neville Longbottom, the latter of whom looked alarmed at the sight of the Slytherins. However, when he saw Harry sat there, at the head of the table as though he ruled over all, the underdog of Gryffindor swallowed hard as he nodded in unspoken understanding.
Seconds later, Dobby returned again, having vanished once Fleur and Neville were gone.
This time, when he returned, he was accompanied by Cho Chang, the sight of whom made Draco surprised, as well as a newcomer whom none of them had seen before. She was a very beautiful, if slightly-cold-looking young girl with pale, silvery-blue eyes and bright, platinum-blonde hair; she was dressed in a set of attractive, pale-blue robes that seemed oddly-familiar and, when she appeared, the girl smiled at Harry before she bowed as she addressed him in a soft, musically-tinged voice.
"My Sovereign, as promised, my sister and I have returned to fulfil our obligations to you."
"Gabrielle," gasped Harry, rising from his seat.
To his bewilderment, and slight amusement, as soon as he did so, the others followed suit, though none of them moved as Harry walked around to the newcomer, his eyes drinking in her beauty and the air of grace and strength she carried about her.
Stopping before her, Harry gently lifted a hand before, hesitating for only a moment, he asked, "Sorry…would you mind if I…"
"Of course," replied the new Gabrielle Delacour, cocking her head to one side before she told him, "Like my sister, I am yours, remember? You may touch, feel, say and do whatever you wish with me, my lord…and may I say, it's a pleasure to meet the chevaliers of my lord and maître."
"I'm going to pretend to understand what's going on here," muttered Draco, swallowing hard as he looked to the other newcomers before he asked them, "In the meantime, I can guess what you're doing here, Longbottom, but what about you, Miss Chang? And you, Other Miss Delacour?"
"I am here to honour the memory of a brave man," replied Cho, looking once to Harry, who nodded before he turned to the others at the table.
"Like Draco guessed, Neville is here because, like the rest of you, he believes in me and not them downstairs: it's also no secret, as Draco will know, how much he hates Riddle and his forces and how and why he would sooner see them burn. But, as we know, they won't let him get that and, if given the chance, the act of doing away with a certain someone would probably be done by some lucky shot, unworthy little bitch…like, and sorry to say it guys, but like your Mother, no offence!"
"None taken," chorused the Twins while Draco just nodded.
"As for Cho," added Harry, leading Gabrielle to the seat next to his, which caused Ron to move down one seat without even being asked to do so, as the emerald-eyed scion went on. "Cedric risked his life for my sake and, as futile as it was, I refuse to let my rage against them downstairs make me forget that, especially since I wouldn't let myself take the Cup without him, so, in a way, I feel responsible for what happened to him."
"And this isn't you trying to get into her pants or something?" joked Ron, but he was silenced by the stern, AK-worthy glare from Harry.
"Whatever my feelings for Cho…or anyone here, for that matter, we're here for one thing and one thing only," explained Harry, watching as the others took their own seats, with Neville joining Ginny while, to his amusement, the Twins found Fleur sandwiched between them, which seemed to cause both tricksters some discomfort.
As for Gabrielle, she sat faithfully on Harry's right-hand side while Cho took a seat with Blaise and Tracey as Harry went on, "We are here to show them all that this war won't be won with second chances being given. We also want to remind everyone what real magic can do and, more than anything, each and every one of us…yes, Ginny, including Pansy, we're all here because we refuse, point-blank, to take sides, but we refuse to let them think they can just push us aside."
Extending a hand, Harry traced the heads of the lion and the snake on the table in front of them as he went on, "I know we have a Ravenclaw here with us, as well as two from Beauxbatons, but what you see in the centre of the table before you is a symbol of that purpose. Gryffindor, the House of the Brave and yet full of morons who'd believe Fudge or want to fight for Dumbledore and his goodness and love bullshit…and then we have the House of Slytherin, House of the Cunning, founded by the same wizard that founded my family, the Blacks…"
"Many of whom here among us are distantly, if not somehow related to, Harry," added Draco, earning a nod from Harry as the blonde looked around the table before he added, "In fact, with the exception of Blaise, the Greengrass Sisters, the Delacours and Miss Chang, everyone here is related to the Blacks in one form or another."
"Even me?" asked Neville, earning a nod from Harry.
"Callidora Black married Harfang Longbottom back in the early 1900's," explained the Black Heir, earning a surprised look from Neville while Harry glanced to the Weasley kids as he added, "Her sister, Cedrella, is the one who brought the Weasleys into the fold too, though she was disowned for marrying Septimus Weasley while Lucretia Black married into the Prewett Family; both of them are also descendants of one of the former Hogwarts Headmasters, Phineas Nigellus Black, as is Callidora."
"Wow," gasped Ginny, earning a small smile from Harry before she looked around the table with a questioning air as she asked, "So…is that why you also made this a more Slytherin-oriented group, Harry? Because of the Black Connections?"
"Unfortunately not, otherwise Draco's former bookends would also be here," answered Harry, earning a snigger from Draco as he went on, "The fact that Slytherins outnumber Gryffindor here is because, before the rest of you came here, I asked Draco if he knew of any others who wanted to keep themselves off the radar of one Tom Marvolo Riddle and his ass-kissing pure-blood sycophants."
"Pardon me?" asked Gabrielle suddenly, earning a curious look from the others as she asked, "But who is this Mr Riddle, Harry? You've mentioned him a few times, but we do not know that name."
Nodding once, Harry lifted his wand before he did the same thing as the spectre of Tom from two years prior.
Carving the man's name in bright, blue-coloured flames, Harry waved his wand once, rearranging them into the truth of his identity.
"An anagram?" asked Daphne, earning a nod from Harry before she asked, "You mean to tell me the most-feared wizard in history, one whom is said to be worse than Grindelwald ever was, is nothing more than an anagram of some…some child's name?"
"A child with a Muggle Father, I might add," added Harry, earning alarmed looks from everyone, save Ginny, who he guessed knew this from her experiences with the diary, and Ron, whom Harry had shared the truth with after the Chamber encounter.
Once he was sure he had their attention again, Harry cleared his throat as he continued, "But this is my point: once the Golden Brat downstairs told everyone else the truth, rifts started to form in the world. Rifts that will change everything for everyone; people will be divided, lives will be shortened and put up as collateral in Faustian deals and, worse still, to use an old phrase, brother will be turned against brother. The very nature of magic itself will be at risk and, sooner or later, this divide will even spill into the Muggle world…and then…who knows what will happen."
Again, Harry rose from his seat, as though emphasising how serious this was for him, as he explained, "I refuse to let this divide infect a world that, bad parts aside, has been my home for as long as I care to remember. I also refuse to let myself become just some tool in their game; nothing more than a spare who they think they can sacrifice and claim it was for the Greater Good. That's why I willingly abandoned my former name and identity, though Potter Senior helped there. That's also why I became the Black Heir I am…and that's why I refused to let this be healed!"
He jabbed his three-pronged scar as he said the last part, earning a few worried looks from the others, especially Ron, Ginny, Neville and the Twins, none of whom could recall ever seeing this fierce, forceful, Lion-King-of-the-Pride side of Harry – not even when Ron had seen Harry threaten to kill and, later, charge Sirius back in their third year.
Harry, meanwhile, seemed to take a moment to compose himself before he continued in a firm, fierce tone of voice, "If they want a war, we'll fight that war, but we do it on our terms, with the means, tools and weapons we know can work. And there won't be any talk of pure-blood supremacy, good or evil, right or wrong or even good people and Death Eaters. With this…this fourth side, against the Order, the Death Eaters and, Merlin be damned, if we must, against the Ministry of Morons who think they can dig their heads into the sand and hide, we will be the ones to do what they seem to forget is the long-term goal."
Letting his words sink in for a moment, Harry looked around the table, at each and every one of his friends and allies, all of whom were listening to him as though he was their general and they were his army, even though, to Harry, they were also people he would fight for, fight alongside and, unlike others who thought their pawns disposable, Harry would even defend them to the hilt, like a King defending his Knights.
After the moment passed, Harry drew himself up before he explained, "We will…survive! We will…endure and, if somewhere down the line, we get to rid the world of Tom Riddle and stick it to all those ignorant, corrupt and deranged old fools, madmen and betrayers that we are not expendable, then that is what will be for the Greater Good. But we are not Order sheep, nor are we Death Eater mongrels who worship a child; we are more…we are warriors, revolutionaries…"
"Knights," finished Neville, earning a scoff from Harry.
"What did I say about King Arthur jokes?"
"He's right, though," argued Ginny, looking around the table as she picked up the conversation, "Like Neville, Harry and, yes, quite possibly even you, Draco, I've felt what happens when you stand between that pathetic little boy, Tom Riddle, and his goals. I've seen and heard his propaganda and I very nearly became a tool in his grand scheme…but thanks to Harry, I was saved."
"As was I," agreed Draco.
While Ginny nodded, she looked to Harry as she told him, "And you're right, Harry: I do owe you my life, but so do a lot of people, even though they wouldn't admit it. If you hadn't vanquished him all those years ago…"
"You, not that Jackass downstairs," added Ron, earning a smile from Harry as his honorary brother once again showed how strongly he believed in his emerald-eyed friend and companion.
Ginny, meanwhile, nodded in unspoken agreement before she continued, "As I was saying, if not for that night, however it happened, many lives would have been lost and our world along with it. So, if like Neville says, we're knights, even in mere reference, then we're knights…and I, for one, know which King Arthur I would rather bend the knee to…and he's sitting right there."
She indicated Harry as she said the last part, earning a faint smile from her friend as he saw her look to each and every one of the others as she explained, "Like Harry and Draco said, many of us here represent his family, the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, so, to me, we should make that our moniker, as the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters have theirs."
Rising up, Ginny smiled proudly before, putting a hand to her heart, she told a bemused Harry, "Here and now, I pledge my wand and my way to you, Harrison Regulus Black, leader of the true warriors of this world…the Black Knights!"
Silence followed her words and, for a brief moment, even Harry was worried that one of the others would laugh; however, after only a moment, Neville rose up before, moving around to Harry, he mirrored Ginny's pose.
"I pledge myself to the Black Knights…and to Harrison Black, the Black King who leads them!"
"The Black King," agreed Ron, rising up and mirroring his friends' gestures.
"The Black King," chorused the Delacours, again mirroring the gestures.
Soon, every single one of them was on their feet, their hands on their hearts, each one making the choice clear, and the declaration as concrete as concrete could be.
Looking to each of his friends, Harry felt a smile touch his lips before he asked, "You're not going to let me decline this, are you?"
As one, wolfish smiles filled the faces of the Black Knights before, as one, they let out a final, deciding cry;
"Nope!"
Drawing himself to his full height, Harry held up the wand in his hand before, clicking his tongue, he held the wand high, almost like a sword leading a charge, before he sighed dramatically;
"In that case…let the games begin!"
Chapter 5 and I think it's safe to say that the battle lines have been well-and-truly drawn: welcome to the Game of Thrones, Harrison Black – alias the Black King – but now the King sets foot on the board, can he lead his enemies into checkmate?
Also, how will Sirius, Harry's allies and even his enemies handle this war cry of friends, allies and unexpected associates allied under one banner in ways even Dumbledore couldn't have managed when he was Harry's age?
Keep Reading to Find Out
Next Chapter: The Black Knights ready themselves for war, though not before Harry shares a little secret with them that shows them exactly why he's not only the Black Heir/King, but also a willing member of the House of his family's Founder;
Please Read and Review
AN: Portrayals
Daphne Greengrass: Dove Cameron
Astoria Greengrass: Chloe-Grace Moretz
Tracey Davis: Sophie Turner
Pansy Parkinson: Scarlett Byrne
The new and improved Gabrielle Delacour – in case you forgot: Elle Fanning