The Future of House Black

By: Ryu Katanna

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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Six

Hardwin looked around him with a small smile of approval. Andromeda had been right. The grounds of Black Manor were gorgeous from what he could see as he looked out over them from behind the building. Black Manor itself was an impressive structure as well, standing three floors high, and he knew there would be plenty of space to entertain as well as to raise children who would have a lot of space to play and explore.

The main floor of the manor held two portrait halls to either side of the grand entrance foyer. Already he had seen that the main floor had a music room, a Ladies Tea Room with a connected Morning Room and a Veranda around the outside, and a floo room which was connected to a grand formal dining room that held a long table that could seat up to thirty-two people. There was also a Smoking and Bar room that connected to the first floor of the huge Black library which had stairs leading up to the second floor while the third floor was only accessible from that floor. There was also a large sitting room that held an even more extensive and decorative family tapestry along its walls, a parlor/game room, four half bathrooms, and an enclosed sunroom filled with colorful flowers and greenery located on the east side of the manor.

On the main floor, in the middle back of the manor was also a Ballroom that accounted for a third of the size of the entire main floor. Its black diamond-accented floor-to-ceiling windows and doors, that looked out onto the back of the property, stretched up to the second floor where anyone upstairs could view out unto the ballroom floor. The panes of the windows throughout the building appeared to be made out of crystal rather than glass, but the ones in the ballroom had been made even more decadent, with black diamonds making up the family crest on the doors leading out to an open terrace that took up the length of the back of the manor.

The second floor contained two wings separated by the upper ballroom and upper foyer. The family wing contained the second floor of the library, the master bedroom, a boudoir off the master bedroom, and a large master bathroom. There was also a nursery and four bedrooms, each with its own connected bathrooms, and the only staircase that led to the third floor. A study and eight bedrooms, also with their connected bathrooms made up the guest wing on the west side.

On the third floor, accessible only from the family wing on the east side, was a tower room used for the study of astronomy. A connection the Black family was known for as they named children, mostly the males of the line, after the stars. Also on that floor was another portrait gallery, a conservatory, a half bath, lounge, an aviary, and ten bedrooms. Four of these bedrooms were spacious enough for married couples and all ten of them had connected bathrooms. He guessed these rooms were for married family members who chose to continue living in the main home rather than move out or for when they returned to visit overnight, and Andromeda confirmed this.

There was also a basement level to the manor which contained the kitchens, an informal dining area, living quarters spacious enough for twelve house-elves to have their nests, a pantry, a larder, a potions lab with ingredient cupboards, and several storage rooms that held boxes of decorations used for different events. He had been surprised to find that there were still two house-elves remaining at the property.

Saros was an older elf, though not as old as Kreacher, who had served at the Black Manor his entire life. He had remained at the manor with his son Nanna when Arcturus had departed for France; taking the other two elves who had been there. Saros and Nanna had both appeared happy to know that they would have a Master living in the house once again and that they now had help with the expansive property and grounds with the addition of Kreacher and Winky into the household.

It hadn't taken long to get the four elves sorted with Winky getting started on making uniforms for Saros and Nanna while Kreacher took over as head elf since he had the most seniority. Hardwin had given them the same orders, reinforced through the family magic within the signet ring, that he had given to Winky and Kreacher. The elves had looked ready to have heart attacks. It was only after explaining about the treatment Winky, Kreacher, and Dobby had experienced that they seemed to understand why he would give them such orders. Hardwin had explained how he wanted them to feel safe, and never have to worry about being forced to tolerate mistreatment.

"So, what do you think Hardwin?" Andromeda asked as she brought Teddy outside to the back terrace where he had been looking over the grounds to where the edge of the Wychwood forest started.

"I think this place is huge and I have no idea how I will live with so much space." Hardwin replied with a tone of exasperation as he looked back through crystal windows into the ballroom at the back of the manor and leaned against the rail made of thick, polished black marble.

"You will find plenty of use for it, I'm sure. You will not remain alone here forever, after all. Black Manor was the seat of both power and influence since the time our family moved over from France over two thousand years ago. Before the name changed to Black from Noir. It is only in the last two generations that it changed." Andromeda said as he reached out for Teddy, and she let him take the baby.

"What happened?" Hardwin asked; swaying side to side and pointing at different colored flowers that caught Teddy's attention as he murmured the colors to him while the babe's hair slowly shifted color to match the color that interested him.

"I don't know everything, but I do remember that Walburga wanted to take over the Manor as Lady of the House upon her marriage to Orion before Melania had even passed. Melania never approved of Orion's marriage to Walburga, but Arcturus had been adamant on the arrangment. It created tensions in the Manor and led to Arcturus giving them Grimmauld Place after their marriage rather than having them continue to live here as was tradition for the heir and his spouse. Melania and Arcturus had an arranged marriage, but it is said that they fell in love after a few years. Their arguments over Orion's marriage contract to Walburga led to an estrangement between Melania and Arcturus, however." Andromeda told him with a small sigh and a smile at Teddy's baby giggles.

"That was when things started to fall apart. Usually, the Lordship is handed down once the heir has married and sired an heir of their own, but Arcturus never passed on the Lordship to Orion when Sirius was born. Melania's death wasn't natural and due to the tensions within the family at the time, the suspicion fell upon Walburga. It didn't help matters when she started claiming disownment of members of the family and blasting them off the tapestry in her home when Arcturus hadn't formally disowned them as Lord Black. I don't know everything that happened as I left the family around that time, but Narcissa should be able to tell you more of that time if you wish to know." Andromeda replied with a far-away look in her eyes.

"I hope so. I do want to know as much as I can about our family's history, and what appened was a part of what led us to things as they are now. I need to know where things went wrong so it cannot happen again. I know more about my heritage from the Blacks than I know about the Potters, but it's still not a lot." Hardwin admitted sullenly only to look back at the woman when she reached to take Teddy back as she spoke.

"You have time, Hardwin. You have a lot of big decisions to make now, and some things can wait. Give yourself time to think things over. The war is over. You have time now to learn what you want to learn as well as what you need to learn. To do what you want to do. Don't take that for granted, but don't push yourself too hard either." Andromeda said soothingly as she adjusted the baby in her arms.

"I know. I do. I just… I want to know where it all went wrong. Was it something that could have been prevented or was it unavoidable? I thought it was too much pride and the fanatical belief in blood-purity, but was that all it was?" Hardwin asked; not expecting an answer he knew she likely couldn't give.

"I think it was a lot of things that brought our family to this point. It's not something that can be fixed now, in any case. The only thing you can do is build again from the ashes and learn from the mistakes of those who came before us. In the end, the future of our House is what you will make of it, Hardwin. In any case, what do you think of the manor? Is it suitable?" She asked, and Hardwin looked around again for a moment in thought before speaking.

"Yes. I still don't know what I'll do with so much space, but I imagine I'll figure it out. There's also the fact that the library and most of the family portraits are here. It will make it easier to learn about our family, and who better to learn from than the portraits. If I can stand them anyway." Hardwin replied with a small mischievous quirk of his lips.

"A few may be a bit… prejudiced. Still, you are the Lord now. They should find it more beneficial to teach you than to leave you ignorant. Especially if you inform them of how far the Black names has fallen. I'm going to take Teddy home to lie him down for a nap. Will you be returning tonight or are you moving into the Manor today?" Andromeda asked as Hardwin looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I think I should get things arranged here. I'll send Winky to get my things from your place. Thank you for having me last night. I'm going to take some time to look around and explore a bit more as well as get myself set up here. I can come back over tomorrow morning before we leave for Diagon Alley." Hardwin decided after a moment, and Andromeda nodded in understanding.

"That is fine, dear. If I could ask that one of your elves look after Teddy while we run our errands tomorrow? It is traditional that the young children and babies not to be out and about in public so often. They are more vulnerable to the untrustworthy. It's an old-fashioned notion, but one I find is in good sense. Especially so soon after the war has ended." She explained, and it didn't take him long to think about it.

"I can see the concern. I know I'm a bit paranoid after everything I've been through, but I have to agree. I don't want to take any risks with his safety especially when we don't know if there are still any Death Eaters or sympathizers who are unaccounted for. I'll speak to my elves and see who has the most experience with babies. I think it'll be Winky though." He replied with a worried look toward Teddy as he thought about what she had said.

She was right that Teddy was the most vulnerable. As he remembered back to his trips to Diagon and Hogsmeade he didn't remember seeing many children younger than nine or ten running around. If the older families abided by the thinking Andromeda spoke of then he couldn't blame them. It would be dangerous for a younger child or a baby if a duel broke out. Leaving Teddy at home with a trusted elf would be better and less worrisome this soon after the war.

"Thank you, Hardwin. I will see you in the morning then." Andromeda said with a nod before turning to enter through the crystal doors to retrieve Teddy's bag and leave.

Hardwin turned back to look out toward the forest in the distance. It took a few moments, but he felt when his cousin left through the floo when the wards on the property signaled her departure with a pinging of his magic. That was one thing he had noticed when they had arrived at Black Manor. He could feel the magic of the property as he walked through the gates and his blood sang as his magic connected and claimed control of the wards.

Andromeda had been right when she had said the grounds of the property had been spelled with blood. Hardwin could feel it as soon as he had stepped foot past the gates. Like called to like, and his blood sang with the family magic in his veins before settling to a low hum. It had felt right to be there at the manor. Like coming home.

He hadn't even seen inside the manor before he had known he wanted to live there.

Now, as he stared out over the grounds he felt relaxed for the first time in years. It was such a different feeling from Hogwarts or Grimmauld Place. The heavy feeling that he had felt every time he had stepped into that place was nonexistent here. The manor was well lit from the sunlight coming in the many windows even as the light was refracted in the crystal panes; creating a rainbow of colors that scattered across the ballroom floor. There was no sign of the lingering shadows of Grimmauld Place, but Hardwin would wait for nightfall to get a better feeling for the manor after dark.

"Kreacher." He called as he turned away from the sight of the grounds and back to the doors to make his way inside.

"Master Black calls for Kreacher?" The old elf asked as he popped into the ballroom after Hardwin had stepped inside.

"Yes, Kreacher. Have you gotten things settled with Winky, Saros, and Nanna for who is responsible for what? I don't want there to be any fighting over chores. The manor and gounds are plenty big enough for you all to have enough to do without stepping on each other's toes." Hardwin sad lightly so the elf would know he was teasing.

"Yes, Master Black. Elves of House Black will be on rotation except for the chores we like to be doing most." Kreacher said proudly when Hardwin smiled.

"Good. Have you and Winky gotten your nests and precious items set up in your new spaces?" He asked as he thought about what he had seen of the house-elf quarters when he had done a walk-through of the basement level.

"We have finished, Master. Is there anything master needs doing?" Kreacher asked and Hardwin took a moment to think before nodding.

"One of you will need to sort through the pantry and the larder. Get rid of anything that is unusable and make a list of everything that either needs to be stocked or replenished. Then have one of the other elves go shopping before dinner. I will also need the potion ingredient cupboards to be sorted and organized. Have a list made of anything I will need to pick up tomorrow ready for me and discard any ingrediants that have gone bad." Hardwin replied knowing that the old elf would not have any trouble remembering what he'd instructed before continuing.

"I want every room in the manor looked through for any cursed objects and a list made of the objects and which rooms they are in. I want you to do this task personally, Kreacher. We will go over the list later to decide what is to be done with the items. I will look over the library and call you when I've decided what is to be done there. Until then, have Saros help mark the cursed books with a spell for them to glow. I'll have to get a curse-breaker in here, but that will do for now. This manor is where I plan on having a family. I don't want any children of House Black to be at risk in our home." Hardwin explained as he thought about Grimmauld Place.

What kind of childhood did Sirius and Regulus have while surrounded by things that would have hurt them badly had they even touched them? They hadn't been free to play or express themselves from what he could guess. He couldn't help but feel that the dark objects around them would also have affected them. The multitude of dark magic that had been contained there may have even been a part of the reason for the curse upon that place.

It was not a risk he was willing to take for the sake of the family he hoped to have.

"Kreacher will be getting that done right away, Master Black." Kreacher replied seriously before popping away again to get started on everything that needed to be done.

Now with those tasks being handled by the house-elves, Hardwin took a moment to think about what he should do. He had some free time on his hands today, but tomorrow would be very busy, and who knew when he would have time like this again. He knew that after things were sorted the next day that he would need to have another meeting with Narcissa and possibly Draco. The health scan he would be having tomorrow afternoon was just the first step toward finding a marriage partner.

Hardwin took a moment to think on that topic again as he made his way out of the ballroom and up the curving stairs to the second floor and turning toward the family wing. The master bedroom was larger here at the manor than it had been at Grimmauld or anywhere else Hardwin had ever stayed. The crystal windows let in and refracted the light of the sun in a rainbow array of colors that seemed to dance across the rich dark brown wooden floor. Soft green rugs were placed in strategic places next to each side of the bed, in front of the settee near the ornate fireplace, and on the floor in front of the cove of windows where two chairs faced out overlooking the grounds. The walls were done in a nice shade of silver/grey that left the room feeling lighter as it contrasted the ebony wood of the furniture in the room. The bed looked like it could fit five adults to sleep comfortably with its plush mattress, forest green silk sheets, black and forest green silk pillowcases on the many pillows, and the thick and soft duvet that was black as night with a scattering of silver/white stars in which he could make out vague shapes of the constellations. The headboard of the bed was a dense ebony wood that had the Black Crest elegantly carved prominently in the center.

A flick of his wand had one of the chairs by the window floating over to rest in front of his old school trunk that had been placed in the room. Hardwin had been living out of the old trunk since the war ended while at Grimmauld Place. He hadn't even given a thought to unpacking it which should have been the first clue that he didn't see the place as home. Now, though, he sat down in the chair and opened the trunk to unpack. He let his mind wander as he sorted the contents of his trunk into different piles and banishing anything that wasn't usable.

Hardwin had never really given any thought to his sexuality, in all honesty. He had been so busy just trying to survive his entire life. He'd been too busy surviving the Dursleys, his years at Hogwarts, Voldemort's attempt on his life, and the war to consider who and what he might be attracted to.

He had thought Cho Chang to be very pretty in his fourth and fifth year with her long dark hark and asian features. He honestly hadn't known much about her as a person other than that she liked Quidditch, was a decent Seeker, and was sorted into Ravenclaw. Oh, and that she had shite taste in friends, but after discovering he may have been betrayed by at least one or more of his own friends he didn't think he had much room to speak when it came to choices in friendships.

His relationship with Cho had ended before it had even begun, in any case. He had made a mistake when he'd thought her interest in him genuine after she had blown him off in his fourth year. She had been dating Cedric at the time he had been killed, and Hardwin had been the one to witness his death. He had been the only one to know the details of what had happened. In the end, he felt more like Cho had used his lingering interest in her to try to glean the details from him about that hellish night that he refused to speak of. It was when he wouldn't bend on the issue that she had thrown a fit about him meeting a female friend, Hermione, after their date and stormed out in tears.

Bloody hell, the only thought he'd had toward the single kiss they had shared was that it was wet.

Ginny... Well he'd only noticed how pretty she was his sixth year, she liked Quidditch, and was a decent Seeker... Damn, had Hardwin's standards had been so ridiculously low when it came to what sort of girl to date? Truthfully, Ginny's family had been almost more important of a factor in Harry choosing to date her than Ginny herself had been. After all, if he'd eventually married Ginny, then he'd be a part of their family for real instead of just being Ron's best friend.

Hardwin soon came to the conclusion that when it came to his romantic involvements, he had never made any real effort to make a relationship work, and his interest in them had been pretty shallow to begin with. Nor had he been very picky about his options when it'd come to who he had dated. He'd merely settled for the easiest and most convenient person that he found physically attractive at the time. He'd never considered what he really wanted from the relationship or the individual themselves. Neither had he felt any real disappointment or heartache when the 'relationship' had ended. If either could be called a relationship at all.

He also hadn't felt any real passion or attraction towards either of them beyond the superficial. There hadn't been any real emotional connection on his end. Not like he had seen between other couples like Hermione and Ron or Remus and Tonks. Hardwin didn't think what he'd felt towards either girl was love. In fact, he was almost certain of it. He hadn't known Cho well enough, and if he'd loved Ginny then he didn't think it would have been as easy as it had been to end things when the war really heated up. He hadn't shared more than a few kisses with Ginny, even.

In all honesty, Hardwin thought that may be the reason he had no real issue with an arranged marriage. He wasn't worried about being in love with the person he would be married to because it was a form of love he had never experienced before. Maybe he and his future spouse would come to care for each other and maybe not. Hardwin found he didn't mind either way because, as much as falling in love might be nice, it was a luxury in life that he had never had before anyway. He could be content with his life even if he and his eventual spouse were only on good terms.

There were only a few questions that still needed to be answered before he made another decision. Was he attracted to men enough to consider a marriage with one? To have children with a man instead of a woman to continue the bloodline? If he did marry a man then would he be alright with the idea of carrying children, having his spouse carry them, or of sharing the responsibility? That last question would take some thought and research, but the other two he could figure out a little more easily.

'There is one way to figure some of this out. Though I'll have to do something about my clothes first.' Hardwin thought with a glance down at the worn hand-me-downs before he started getting the things from his trunk put away.

Luckily, he knew enough about the muggle world to know how to navigate the trip he would be taking.

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Well, that's it for this chapter. Was a bit stuck for a moment, but I still got it done within the week I'd said. I've had a few reviewers who had sarcastic comments about the mpreg and Harry being the one to choose to carry. Let me just say that if you don't like it then don't bother reading. I have said from the first chapter that that is not what this story is about anyway. It's about Harry/Hardwin and his journey of self-discovery, moving forward, and building a future along the way. (With Marcus 😉) That's the reason for the title.

Anyway, thanks to all for the feedback. I didn't see any questions so I will leave it here.

Ryu

Edited:11/16/2022