Black Truth
Chapter Thirty-Five: Trial by Heart
Of all the things Professor Severus Snape expected to hear Draco ask him during his entire lifetime, this was not one of them.
"Why in Merlin's name would you ask such a question?" he asked, partly in shock, and partly hoping that Draco was not serious in having an answer. "And why, also, would you ask my opinion?"
"It's very simple, Godfather. Legally, you're my guardian, and that makes you my Auctor, so I have to have your approval."
Snape sighed. "Draco, this kind of a question puts me in a very bad position. Please find someone else to act as your Auctor and ask them. Do not ask me to give permission to such a thing."
"And who would you have me ask? Dumbledore? I think not. I did not choose who my Auctor would be, it just happened, and you are my Auctor. I can't change that."
"Then do not ask me for permission to propose an engagement between yourself and Harry-Bloody-Potter!" Snape snapped. His voice lowered to a calmer tone. "Do not forget my status with the Dark Lord. As such, there is no way I could give my consent. Again, I beg you Draco, do not ask this of me."
"You're lying to me. I don't care what you say, you're not a Death Eater, not really."
"And how would you know this?"
"I just do. And I can't get permission from anyone other than you. But I will ask you a different question instead. As my Godfather and my Auctor, would you do everything in your power to allow me to propose an engagement to someone I felt worthy of myself?"
Snape looked at Draco for a long moment before replying. "If the occasion arose where you found someone whom you deemed worthy of engagement to yourself, as your Godfather, I would happily give you permission to propose to that person. However, as your Auctor, I would only allow you to marry someone whom you not only deem worthy of yourself, but also deem worthy of sharing your very heart and soul with as per your Veriae blood."
Draco nodded, turning to leave. "Don't worry, Godfather. If I do say the vows, they will mean more than just words do."
Harry couldn't eat breakfast, just pushed his food around on his plate for a few minutes before finally giving up all hope of eating any of it and excusing himself from the table. Hermione and Ron watched him leave the Great Hall worriedly, but they had not bothered to ask him what was on his mind today. They already knew: today was Monday.
Draco was just leaving the bedroom when Harry entered the portrait. The blond was dressed in clothing that Harry awkwardly realized were probably three times more than all his clothing put together. He had again deviated from the Hogwarts uniform to appear in clothing similar to what Harry had first seen him wearing in Diagon ally before he had started his first year at Hogwarts.
"I noticed you weren't at breakfast," Harry muttered.
"I wasn't planning on having any," was the crisp reply.
Harry shrugged. Now that he was in their rooms and in Draco's presence, he had nowhere to focus his anxiety.
"Harry." Harry looked up at Draco's almost hesitant tone. "How serious were you on Wednesday?"
There was a question in the blonde's silver eyes, one that Harry was not sure he understood. "I wouldn't have said anything if I wasn't serious." Somehow he hoped that he'd said the right answer.
Wordlessly, Draco crossed the room to where Harry was standing, picking up a small, nondescript box from the mantle as he did so. He stopped in front of Harry for a moment, looking down the few inches that separated their heights, as if searching for some truth in Harry's own gaze. Gently, Draco dropped to one knee, his hand holding out the box toward Harry.
"Where I am Gaius, there you are Gaia?"
Harry's breath caught in his throat and he blinked in astonishment. "Where I am Gaia, there you are Gaius," he managed to say, using his own hand to open the box.
Two rings sat side by side on a white pillow inside the box. They were golden bands, encrusted in diamonds and opals and carved with the Malfoy family crest. Engraved on the inside of one were the traditional words for engagement rings, "Ubi tu Gaius", and other the other "Ubi tu Gaia". As Draco slipped the first onto Harry's finger, it shifted in size to fit; the same with the ring that Harry placed on Draco's finger.
Draco stood again and they stood there for a moment, both unsure of what to do.
"Er – I suppose we should kiss now," Harry muttered, suddenly finding his shoes very interesting.
Draco did not respond, but a moment later two fingers rested under Harry's chin, pushing his face to an upward angle. Draco's mouth descended to meet his own, like molten silver on magma Draco's lips danced over his own. Draco's arms encircled Harry's waist to pull him closer, and Harry groaned as the kiss became more needful.
Draco, Harry and Snape walked through the door that Harry himself had walked through the summer before, when he had been charged with violation of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy.
The room had changed very little since Harry's last visit. Instead of the fifty or so members of the Wizengamot there were seven, including one Cornelius Fudge who frowned slightly at Harry's presence. The chair that he had sat in the year before was gone, and standing almost exactly in it's place was a short and chubby man. His face was round like a bowling ball, his hair salt and pepper gray, and he smiled broadly at Draco as the blond crossed the room towards him. Draco nodded to him, his eyes focused on another occupant of the room, as if wary of her very presence.
Narcissa Black stood regally off to the side of the room, dressed in clothing as rich as Draco's. She smiled coldly at her son, who ignored her gesture completely except to mark her presence as a threat in the room. Her smile seemed to wane when Harry stepped up next to Draco, as if she was unsure as to the reason of his presence in the room.
"Welcome gentlemen," Fudge's smile oozed of forced politeness. "Shall we begin?"
"By all means," Draco replied, nodding serenely to the members of the Wizengamot seated before him.
"Minister, if may ask one thing. Before we start I would like it made clear why Harry Potter is present. He was not mentioned in my late ex-husband's will and is not a part of the family. His presence here is completely irrelevant." Narcissa's voice was low and lilted, as if it was beneath her to even use the words "Harry Potter" in a sentence.
"Harry Potter is family. He is my Veriae bonded and has every right to be here," Draco drawled.
The witch to the right of Fudge, a shallow, stick-like woman with graying auburn hair cocked an eyebrow at that declaration. "Then are we to believe that you are indeed a Veraie, Mr. Malfoy?"
"I am."
"And a magical creature cannot inherit in a wizard's will," Narcissa stated primly.
"Miss Black, let us begin by stating exactly what is at stake," Fudge smiled at her indulgently. "And then you may bring up such motions."
The chubby man cleared his throat and unrolled a parchment that he had been holding. "This is the latest will of the deceased Lucius Sergius Malfoy. It was signed three days before his death."
The man handed the parchment to Fudge who began to read it as he continued speaking.
"Proper authenticity charms have been placed upon it as you will see. In the will, Lucius Malfoy left the entire property of Malfoy Manor here in England, the entire property of the Malfoy estate in France, and the entire property of the Malfoy villa in Capua, along with anything found within those properties to his son Draco Lucius Malfoy. He stated that all of his monetary vaults in Gringotts should be transferred to his son's possession. Familiar guardianship of his son until his son has completed his seventh year of Hogwarts, Mr. Malfoy stated, was given to Professor Severus Snape."
"Thank you Mr. Archeron for your assistance, you may leave now." The chubby man nodded to Fudge and waddled out of the room.
"Now, Miss Black," Fudge set the will down before him and turned to look at Narcissa. "You have challenged the right of Draco Malfoy-" he nodded in Draco's direction, "to accept this inheritance on many charges. Would you please state them now?"
"Certainly Minister." Narcissa smiled sweetly at the Wizengamot and began to speak. "My son, Draco Malfoy, inherited the complete dominance of the Veriae blood in my late ex-husband, Lucius Malfoy. As such, he is considered under the Ordiance of Magical Creatures, to be outside of the wizarding race and therefore unable to legally inherit anything from a wizard. Also we must question the use of a 'familial guardian', if Lucius intended for my son to inherit immediately after his death. Which brings me to my last point, that if my son were to inherit under wizarding law, he is not over the legal age. Thus he cannot manage property or anything that is on that property."
The smile Narcissa Black sent at her son was venomous. Draco, however was unfazed, calmly twirling the Malfoy signet ring on his finger.
"Well, Mr. Malfoy, we first shall see if we can quell Miss Black's qualms." Fudge's voice dripped honey but Harry could almost see the laughter in Fudge's eyes, as if he already wished Draco to fail. "Now, you have already stated that you are a full blooded Veriae?"
"I am a pure blood Veriae, Minister. However that has no bearing on my inheritance since, under the amendment of 1869 to the Ordinace of Magical Creatures, pure blood Veriae are to be treated as pure blood wizards in all legal matters."
Fudge blinked, the wizard two seats to his left nodding approvingly at Draco's statement.
"Well… then that is one problem solved." Fudge tried to look cheerful and failed. "Now, Mr. Malfoy your birthday is?"
"June fifth."
"And how old are you?"
"Sixteen."
Fudge's smile was one of a child in a candy store. "So you are not considered of legal status in-"
"No."
Harry's voice cut off Fudge's statement before the minister could continue in that self-assured tone.
"Draco is considered of legal status."
"And why is that?" Fudge asked, turning a look upon Harry that was somewhere between loathing and satisfaction.
"Because Harry and I are engaged," Draco's calm voice cut into the tension of the room.
The members of the Wizengamot began to whisper to each other as Fudge stared at Draco as if the blond had just done something very abnormal.
"Well, then… er-"
"Minister, we must be sure that, since this is a legal case, they did not pantomime an engagement in order that Draco be considered legal for this moment alone," Narcissa's voice dripped poison. "Now, Harry Potter has no wizarding blood relatives, but as stated by late ex-husband in his will, Draco has a familial guardian. Professor Snape, did you give your permission for Draco to propose engagement to Harry?"
Harry realized why she sounded so smug. She thought that Snape would have refused to allow Draco to propose engagement to him because she thought him a loyal Death Eater.
"I gave Draco permission to propose engagement to anyone he felt worthy of himself," Snape stated coldly, staring down the blond woman across the room.
"Well then," the little witch on Fudge's right cleared her throat for attention. "Since Draco Malfoy is engaged, by law he is considered legal to hold property, thus there is no reason why he should not inherit what was written by Lucius Malfoy in his will. All in favor?"
Six members of seven raised their hands immediately, Fudge raising his a moment or so after the others.