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 Twelve

A few days had passed since Hardwin had returned home after having dinner at Malfoy Manor. He had kept himself busy getting settled into and exploring both the manor as well as the grounds since then. He was feeling a little leery of exploring the vast portion of Wychwood forest that was within the wards of the property on his own. He knew that the wards kept out the muggles and provided a large area where magical creatures could live and be safe from the discovery of muggles. The problem was that Hardwin, all too familiar with the creatures that could be found in the depths of the Forbidden Forest, didn't know what creatures called the Wychwood their home.

The last thing he wanted was to run into an acromantula nest when he was alone.

While exploring the forest had been put on hold, Hardwin had taken advantageof the good weather to wander and explore the grounds. He had ventured around the six greenhouses, the empty stables, the quidditch pitch, the three different beautiful floral gardens, and the orchard as he familiarized himself with everything each area offered. Even with all of that, there was yet more land that could still be put to use as he thought about the best location for him to build the sanctuary he had discussed with his cousins.

The only area of the grounds he was avoiding like the plague was the hedge maze. He could see the layout of the maze from the windows on the second floor, and though it looked beautiful, the sight of it brought up bad memories. That was one area he was determined to have repurposed once he figured out what he could put there to replace it. He couldn't stand to look at it without seeing Cedric dying or the horror that was the ritual that had been performed that night.

When he wasn't wandering the grounds, he busied himself either in the study going over paperwork for the family investments or in the library studying everything he could to help him with the position he was in now. He did as much research as he could to learn more about his responsibilities. He knew he would have to ask Narcissa for the names of one or more tutors to improve his etiquette, dancing, finances, politics, and more. There was so much for him to catch up on that he could still feel his anger and resentment at being left ignorant burning in the back of his mind. He knew that there was nothing that could change the past, and so he tried to let those emotions go.

At night, Hardwin often wandered into the vast library looking for information on magical serpents. He'd made notes about their natural environments, dietary needs, common medical problems, and care needs. The only problem was that there hadn't been very many books on the subject that were helpful. Even Newt Scamander's book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, didn't give him as much information as he would have expected. Oh, it had plenty of information on all kinds of magical animals and beasts, but it didn't give a lot of detail when it came to habitats and care for the serpents. Most of the other books he had found on the subject told of their best uses in potions.

While that would be helpful for any shed skins, eggs, or venom the snakes were willing to give, it wasn't the information he needed. Though it also made sense as many magical creatures had only been considered important for what a witch or wizard could use them for until Newt Scamander had written his book. The man had done a lot to promote understanding and conservation, and that had only continued with his son and now grandson. From what Hardwin could find, at least.

Frustrated, Hardwin had decided to send Siddra, the white crow he had purchased, with an order form for books he may not have yet. He'd included a list of all the titles he did own on the subject matter he was looking for to be sure he wouldn't get any duplicates he didn't need. While he was at it he'd made a list of subjects to look for in the muggle world. The Black library was expansive, but all the books were from the wizarding world and not the muggle world. His ancestors from the Blacks may have written off the muggles, but Hardwin had grown up in the muggle world. He knew they had a lot of knowledge about mundane subjects that the wizards and witches tended to ignore. He wouldn't be such a fool as to blindly follow that bias.

The Black library would need major expantion by the time he was done.

His Hogwarts letter inviting him for his final year had also arrived the morning after the dinner with his cousins, and though the school year would be starting a little later, it was apparent that the school board deamed the repairs far enough along for classes to resume. Professor McGonagall, or he guessed it was Headmistress McGonagall now, had replied to the letter he had sent to withdraw his attendance. It was only after he had explained that he would not be neglecting his education but had chosen to self-study and maybe hire a few tutors instead due to accepting his Lordship, that she had accepted his decision. Something he was thankful for as he didn't feel like alienating the witch. Not when being on good terms with the Headmistress could be beneficial at some point later on.

He had also received a few other letters during this time. The one from Lucius with the names of the two best solicitors in the UK came around lunch time the same day as the letter from the Headmistress. Hardwin had hired Ms. Darcia Deverill, a scion of the Deverill family, after meeting with both of those recommended to him. He had done so just in time, as the prophet ran the story of his trip ito Diagon Alley in a special evening addition. The article had been the first since the battle in which they had attempted to slander him, and it was then that Hardwin had seen why Ms. Deverill had been so highly recommended by Lucius.

She had gone after both the Daily Prophet as well as Miss Eton, who had been the one to give an interview, like a pitbull as she tore them both to shreds. The Daily Prophet had been forced to print both an apology as they retracted the article and were currently facing large fines for slander and defamation. Miss Eton had already been on thin ice with Mr. Stretton and had found herself promptly fired from the Magical Menagerie. She would be lucky to be hired by any shop that wanted his patronage after that.

Now, Hardwin stared down at one of several letters he had received that morning as he ate breakfast. He could recognize Luna's handwriting any day. He smiled as he read the letter in which she was asking him to give the Quibbler an interview about his acceptance of his title. The Prophet's article had only mentioned his claiming to be Lord Black briefly before slandering him over his parselmouth ability, and how he was going dark now that he had defeated Voldemort and eliminated the competition.

However, Luna hadn't believed it for a moment, loyal friend that she was. She said she would like to visit him as well since it had been some time since they had seen each other, and this would be their last chance to do so since she would be returning to school this year while he wasn't. How she knew he wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts was something he brushed off as just Luna being Luna. She had some quirks, but she was one of only two of those he'd called friends who he still felt he could trust.

Three of the letters he had received that morning didn't receive more than a glance before he placed them off to the side for Ms. Deverill to add to her growing file. He had spoken to her at length about the theft, providing copies of the paperwork from Gringotts, and she was now putting together cases against those involved as she also did some digging to see if she could find any other illegal activity. Ms. Deverill had discouraged Hardwin from having any contact with the Weasleys or Granger until the investigation was complete. Once they knew who had been involved then they would meet with the family to serve the paperwork and file a lawsuit. Though they would also need to contact Lord Potter about the theft to see if he would be pursuing a case as Lord of House. It wasn't nessacerily needed, but he had the lawful right it was a Potter account and money that had been stolen.

He paused at the next letter as he recognized George's handwriting. Hardwin had a sinking feeling in his chest as he looked at it. This wasn't the first time George had written to him since Fred's death, but it was still painful to be reminded of the loss. He didn't want to believe that the twins had been part of whatever scheme their mother and sister had been involved in. Hardwin had always had a good relationship with Fred and George.

They had played quidditch together for years. The twins had broken him out of his Aunt's before his second year with Ron. He knew they had told their mum about what they had seen, but when nothing had been done it had been Fred and George who had sent him food during the summers. They had been a bright spot in dark times with their pranks and laughter. They had helped him more than most where it had mattered. Hardwin had given them the winnings from the Triwizard Tournament because he knew that they would do something to bring that brightness and laughter to others who needed it. It had been the best use he could think of for the money after what had happened.

Hardwin dearly hoped that they hadn't known about what their mother and sister had been doing. Even if they hadn't, he didn't know how things would be between them now. George hadn't been the same since Fred had died. He was still healing from the loss, and the coming confrontation may spell the end of their friendship. Hardwin would understand if George didn't take his side. It was his family, after all.

Even still, Hardwin couldn't bring himself to ignore the letter from George and so he opened it. It didn't take him long to read through what was written there. From the way it looked, George was just writing to ask him for his input in WWW as the silent partner. This wasn't the first time Hardwin had received a letter about the shop. No matter how many times he had told them that he didn't expect anything for the money he had given them, Fred and George had insisted he be a partner in their business even if he wasn't sharing in the work that was put in. Since then, he had been getting reports like this one from the twins though it had been a while since communication had been cut off when the war really heated up.

Hardwin read through the report with little surprise at the lack of information. The shop had been closed for months now after Fred's death. George was letting him know that he would be reopening next month and was asking for Hardwin to be there. He knew that it would be hard for George, but he also knew the ones he had been avoiding would probably be there. He decided to speak to Ms. Deverill about the situation with George and the shop. If she cleared him then Hardwin would invite him over so they could talk privately about the situation.

He set the letter aside for the moment as he picked up the last envelope. The writing was unfamiliar, so he cast a few spells to scan it. Hardwin picked it up curiously when it came back clean of anything harmful. Opening it, he pulled out and unfolded the parchment, his gaze falling to the signature before widening.

Marcus Alaric Flint

Scion of House Flint

Hardwin felt the flutter in his stomach return as he read the letter and was reminded once again of his encounter with the man. He had never spoken to Marcus Flint as much as he had the other day at the Menagerie. Truthfully, he knew very little about the man aside from what kind of quidditch player he had been while in school. He could count on one hand the number of times they had ever interacted, and they hadn't spoken to each other any of those times. Those had been encounters between groups.

Sure, Marcellous and Andromeda had both been there, but it had been different. Neither of them were the same as people now that they had been during those years at school. The situations they were in had changed. They weren't kids in rival Houses in school anymore. No, they were both young adults just coming out of a war.

Hardwin didn't know what Marcus or his family had been through during the war, but he was sure it hadn't been easy for them either. The Flints were one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Voldemort would have wanted them on his side. Yet, their family had made it through the war without any of them taking the Dark Mark or being brought up on charges for crimes committed during that time. They may have been made to act like supporters, or they might have truly been supporters. The fact was that none of them had been marked, and so in the eye of the public, their name and reputation hadn't been tarnished. Hardwin didn't even know if they had been in the UK or if they had left, but whatever the case may be, the Flint name remained clean of any accusation.

It was one point that the Flints had in their favor when he had reviewed his options for a marriage contract. The other families, apart from the Scamanders, all had at least one member who had been marked. The trials were still ongoing, but just having the mark was enough to be arrested. Hardwin's goal was to drag the Black name back into good standing after the war, and he was sure Narcissa understood that better than most.

Another point now in their favor was that Marcus had sparked Hardwin's interest.

"Tomorrow…" Hardwin murmured thoughtfully as he read.

It seemed that House Flint had decided to accept his offer to help find the youngest son a snake. Marcus was asking to meet with him tomorrow to make the trip into the muggle world if he had time available. Hardwin still had many things to do, but he'd not made many plans just yet, even leaving his home visit from the healer until next week in order to get things done before being bed-bound for a few days. A part of him knew he'd left his week open for the most part in the hopes that his offer would be accepted. That he would get to see Marcus Flint again to assuage a bit of his curiosity about the man.

"Saros. Please make sure one of my muggle outfits are set out for me tomorrow morning. Something tasteful, but not overly formal." Hardwin said as he wrote his reply agreeing to floo over to Flint Manor to meet with Marcus at the suggested time.

123

Hardwin stumbled out of the floo into the receiving room of Flint Manor the next morning with a small sigh of mixed relief and displeasure. He had practiced traveling through the floo network between his and Andromeda's homes for a while the day before after receiving the letter from Marcus. He hadn't wanted to make a fool of himself in front of the man by being launched out of the floo like a cannonball or falling on his face. Yet, even with that practice, Hardwin still hadn't mastered that particular method of travel. He would still need to work on it more, but at least his exit from the floo network didn't leave him picking himself up from the floor any longer.

"Good Morning, Lord Black. Welcome to Flint Manor." A voice drew his attention to the fact that he was not alone, and Hardwin straightened and got rid of the soot from his clothes with a small flick of his wand before slipping it back into the holster on his arm.

He felt a little inadequate standing in front of whom he assumed were Marcus, his parents, and both of his brothers while dressed in muggle clothing. They were all dressed impeccably in robes he knew must have been expensive from the cut and look of the cloth. Meanwhile, Hardwin himself was dressed in designer denims, a green button-down shirt, and a light jacket to fit in with the muggles. His gaze traveled to Marcus to see the man's eyes trailing down his body before lingering on his legs in the skin-tight denim before moving up to connect with his own green ones.

"Good Morning, Scion Flint. Thank you for welcoming me into your home." Hardwin straightened stiffly, having not expected to be greeted with the sight of Marcus's parents, as he spoke the words formally to Marcus and they both gave small tilts of their heads in greeting.

"I would like to introduce you to my father Lord Maddox Flint and my mother Lady Evangeliya Flint. You have already met my brother, Marcellus, but this is my younger brother Mardyn." Marcus said as he introduced Hardwin to his parents first, as propriety dictated, before moving on to his brothers.

"Lord and Lady Flint, Scion Flint; a pleasure to meet you all. Greetings to you as well, Heir Flint." Hardwin said as he tilted his head in greeting to them and they returned the gesture before Maddox spoke.

"It is a pleasure to meet the new head of House Black. My sons have spoken well of you for your assistance a few days ago. I wanted to thank you on behalf of my family for your time today as well." The man said as Hardwin forced himself not to fidget from the stoic hazel-green eyes that he knew were assessing him.

He had always been watched by others over the years he had been in the Wizarding World. Hardwin knew that he would never be comfortable with it, but he also knew that he would never be able to escape it. Not unless he became a hermit, at any rate, and that was something he refused to do. No, it wasn't that there were five sets of eyes on him at that moment.

Hardwin was interested in Marcus. Even though Andromeda had commented on the possibility of that interest being returned; he couldn't help his doubts. He had never felt that there was anything attractive about himself. It was one of the things that made him feel so awkward under the man's gaze. At the same time, Hardwin tried to push away any thoughts of inadequacy or doubt as he knew they were due to the conditioning he had grown up with. He was Lord of House Black now. He had responsibilities, and he refused to let the lies and manipulations of a dead old man and his sycophants win.

"It is my pleasure to help locate a suitable serpent, Lord Flint. Fortunately, I have found a shop in the muggle world that carries a more diverse selection." Hardwin replied; having looked for a few stores in the muggle world the day before so that he had been able to be sure they wouldn't be running around blindly.

"Does that mean I can go with them, Father? If they are only going into the muggle world?" A young voice asked pleadingly, and Hardwin's attention was drawn to the youngest of the Flints standing in the room.

"They will still need to travel through wizarding areas, Mardyn." Lady Flint said softly, and Hardwin was reminded of what Andromeda had told him about how many of the old families protected their young children.

"I had planned on going through the Leaky Cauldron to get to muggle London and taking the knight bus from there. However, I may have a solution to allow Scion Mardyn to travel with us unseen if you agree to these measures Lord and Lady Flint." Hardwin suggested upon seeing the disappointment on the child's face.

"What would you suggest, Lord Black?" Lady Flint asked at seeing the hopeful glance her youngest gave both her and her husband.

"Winky!" Hardwin called only to frown in confusion when Kreacher appeared a few seconds later instead of Winky.

"Kreacher is sorry to be answering Winky's summons, Master Hardwin. Winky be taking care of young Master Edward and not leaving him alone." Kreacher said with a low bow, and Hardwin felt some of the tension leave his shoulders with his reasoning.

"Very well. I need you to retrieve my father's cloak and bring it to me. Then tell Winky to take Teddy to the Manor, and let my cousin know I ordered it. The wards at the Manor are far stronger than those on Andromeda's home." He said before the elf popped out, returning quickly with what he had asked for and handing it to Hardwin, and popping back out again.

"An invisibility cloak?" Lord Flint asked with a note of surprise and a raised brow.

"I was thinking, with your permission, Lord and Lady Flint, that Scion Mardyn could use the cloak until we reach the muggle world. It is an heirloom that is bonded to my line. I would still be able to see him while others would not." Hardwin said as he let the slinky material slide between his fingers with an iridescent shimmer to brush the floor before he used his other hand to spread it out.

He knew that he was stretching the truth a bit, but he couldn't tell the truth in full. Hermione and Ron might suspect, but only Hardwin knew the truth about the Hallows. He had never told them that his cloak was one of them. Nor had he told them of the change that had occurred after he had walked to his death that night. He would be the last owner of all three items for he would never tell anyone the truth of their existence.

He had snapped the Elder Wand in front of both Ron and Hermione after the battle before throwing it into the ravine, and the stone had been dropped in the Forbidden Forest as he'd walked to his death. The cloak was the only one that Hardwin had kept, and yet both the wand and the stone had appeared next to him the next day when he awoke. He had tried to get rid of them several times before giving up when they would just appear again.

The Elder Wand was now hidden in a holster on his leg. The Cloak had been placed carefully into his wardrobe. The Resurrection Stone had been placed in his nightstand until he could decide what to do with it. Hardwin didn't believe the hogwash about being the Master of Death. He refused to believe that it was for any other reason than that he carried the Peverell blood that the three items now seemed to be bonded to him as they were.

"It would allow Mardyn to help choose his new pet, Father. As well as help Lord Black to match him with a snake suited to him if he were there with us." Marcus supplied; his voice bringing Hardwin out of his thoughts about the Hallows.

"Marcus will be able to look after him as well, dear. I'm sure Lord Black can navigate the muggle world well enough that they will be fine during their outing." Lady Flint said softly to her husband as she looked between the three of them.

"The shop we will be going to is in Farnborough. I'm not familiar with the area, but I could apparate us to Little Whinging from Diagon, and we could take a muggle cab from there to the shop. I know a squib in the area, and can ask to use her telephone to call for one as the muggles do." Hardwin suggested.

"That sounds like a fine idea." Lord Flint finally said much to Mardyn's delight as the boy smiled at his parents.

"Do either of you have any muggle attire?" Hardwin asked now that they had Lord Flint's approval for Mardyn to join them.

"We don't go into the muggle world often enough to need them. I was going to transfigure what I'm already wearing." Marcus answered and Hardwin nodded in agreement.

"Alright." He said and watched quietly as Marcus transfigured his and Mardyns pants, shirts, and robes before biting his lip and clearing his throat at seeing what he had done.

"Do you mind if I make a few changes? The spellwork is good, but style is a bit out of date to what muggles our age are wearing right now." Hardwin said knowing they would attract attention with Marcus and Mardyn dressed like they'd stepped out of a wormhole from the fifties.

"You would know better than I." Marcus admitted as he made a gesture for him to go ahead, and it didn't take Hardwin long to change their outfits to be similar to what he had seen in the stores he had visited when he went shopping.

"Just the three of us, I take it?" He asked as he stepped back from the detail work and swung his invisibility cloak around Mardyn's shoulders; the eight-year-old laughing as he disappeared from the neck down when Hardwin closed the clasp.

"Yes. We just wanted to see Marcus off. It was delightful to meet you, Lord Black." Lady Flint said with a smile as she glanced at her sons.

"Behave for both Lord Black and your brother, Mardyn. Thank you once again for your assistance, Lord Black. I look forward to our interactions in the future." Lord Flint said stiffly before turning to lead his wife out of the room once he'd received a nod of compliance to his order from Mardyn.

"It was good to see you again, Lord Black. Have fun Mardyn. I will see both you and Marcus tomorrow." Marcellus said before Mardyn looked at him curiously.

"Do you have a date with Adriana tonight?" He asked curiously, and Hardwin assumed that must be his betrothed as he knew Marcellus had his own marriage contract from Narcissa.

"I do." Marcellus affirmed before nodding to both Marcus and Hardwin and following his parents out of the room.

"Alright. We will be going into the muggle world so please feel free to call me Hardwin. Muggles tend to be a lot less formal than we do unless the situation calls for it." Hardwin said as he straightened his jacket and Marcus nodded.

"I would prefer it if you could use my name as well. Mardyn?" He asked his brother who smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

"Please call me Mardyn." He said as he shuffled around a bit under the cloak.

"Very well. Marcus, could you follow me through the floo with Mardyn? I'll put up a notice-me-not when I arrive in case the cloak shifts so he's not revealed." Hardwin explained as he turned to the fireplace and took a pinch of powder from the bowl on the mantel.

"Of course." Marcus responded as Mardyn stepped closer to his brother and pulled up the hood of the invisibility cloak.

"I'll see you both in a moment then. The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley!" He said before stepping into the floo in a flash of green fire.

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Well, that's it for this chapter. I had a harder time with this one than I had thought I would. I almost completely forgot about Hardwin's trip into the muggle world with Marcus. Mardyn joining them and Hardwin meeting Lord and Lady Flint hadn't been planned either. Anyway, I've got a few ideas for the next chapter. Don't know how long it will take though. My attention has been drawn to reading Queer As Folk fanfiction at the moment so it depends on how well I can concentrate on this.

Ryu

Edited: 11/18/2022