The train left the station with a clatter of sharp hoot of steam, building speed quickly as it drew away from the station.

Harry and Ron were at one end of the compartment, muttering conspiratorially about something, whilst Hermione and Theo sat near the door, sharing their own muttered conversation. This one in particular had been trodden many, many times.

'I don't understand why you need him. He's lazy, uneducated and completely boring.' Theo moaned, once more glaring balefully at the red-head near the window.

'He is, but he's also brave and even if his family isn't influential, they're a link to that political bloc and he did save my life. Besides, I'm not asking you to be his friend, I just want you to stop being nasty to him.'

'I'm not nasty. I just think he's useless.' Theo protested.

'He's not useless. If we can influence him, thats one more person supporting us instead of Dumbledore.'

'Half a person. You'd be better off cultivating the prefect, at least he's intelligent and ambitious.'

'Oh come off it!' She scoffed, 'he's ambitious, but he's so rigid.'

Theo laughed at her wrinkled nose, as if someone had put dirty socks in her face.

'Fine. He's not coming to mine though.'

'Of course not.' She soothed. Theo shuffled, still clearly unhappy with the situation and she knew that they would have the same argument again, probably on the train home again once he'd formulated some new points.

'What do you think they're talking about?' Theo asked after a moment. Hermione glanced at the two boys. She'd asked much the same question after seeing Ron in the library, sans sandwich and reading an unusually dry, heavy looking book.

'Some philosopher. Flamel, I think.'

'The name sounds familiar, what do they want him for?'

'No idea.' She shrugged, reaching down and pulling out her Potions homework. Theo nodded and did the same. Unlike the Gryffindors, the two Slytherins had no intention of doing their homework in a hurry on the train back to school.

They had aching hands by the time the train pulled into London, however both of them had completed two of their three assignments. Ron and Harry had played chess, gobstones and discussed their philosopher for several hours. They had left all of their uniforms at school, but both Theo and Harry had left their robes off until the last possible moment in the warmth of the carriage. Ron sneered at the wizarding clothing and slouched out in his jeans and jersey to meet his brothers on the platform.

The remaining trio gathered their trunks and with a bit of advanced wand work well beyond their years, levitated them off the train with only a couple of bumps. There was a slight pause on the platform as Theo got his bearings, then he headed straight for the large fireplace at the end of the platform. Hermione followed quickly with Harry trailing just behind her.

'Have you ever used floo powder before?' She asked, realising that there was a very high chance he hadn't.

'No?' Harry answered quickly, looking slightly nervous.

'It's pretty easy. You can go with me.' She assured him as Theo stopped. They were the first ones to reach the floos and Hermione realised that Theo's father probably wasn't coming to meet them on the platform. It was rather sad, to not have someone to greet them but hardly unusual when someone considered that he was pureblood.

'It's Nott Manor.' Theo told them as he pulled a handful of floo powder from the bowl near the fireplace. Hermione nodded and watched as he lined himself and his trunk up in the fireplace, then he was gone in a roar of green flame.

Harry looked very pale.

'Make sure you tuck your elbows in nice and tight.' Hermione advised, positioning him in the fireplace, then squeezing in next to him with her own trunk. She raised her hand, shouted out their destination and chucked down the powder.

She was lucky to land rather elegantly, her trunk propping her up. The unfortunate consequence was that Harry was sent sprawling across the polished floor and his trunk skidded out after him. He jumped up, cheeks flaming and bowed in the direction of the polished shoes.

'Harry Potter.' A cool, aristocratic voice remarked. Hermione's eyes darted over to take in Lord Nott for the first time. He was very old, his beard and moustache trimmed to fall in a long, pointed tail which brushed his belt. He wore battlerobes, cut in a different style to any Hermione had ever seen - an embroidered fabric vest over black, otherwise plain, long sleeved robes. His head was bare and his dark, beady eyes took in every detail of her in the same way she looked at him.

'Lord Nott,' Hermione greeted with a slight incline of her head.

'High Priestess.' Lord Nott greeted in return, dropping to bended knee in a deep bow. Hermione's eyes widened, taken aback. A small bow was more than appropriate from a Patriarch, especially whilst he was hosting her and she was still underage. This complete prostration was more than unusual.

'Lord Nott, such deference is not necessary. I am a guest in your home.' She reminded him, feeling very awkward and more than glad for the hours of etiquette she'd been put though by both Anneken and Lady Grindelwald. This exact situation hadn't been covered, but there were enough similar scenarios that she could borrow from one of them.

'You honour me with your words, High Priestess.' Lord Nott replied, then seemed to almost jump in surprise when he noticed that she'd offered a hand to help him stand. Had he expected her to be so set in her superiority that she wouldn't respect his own rank? Not to mention the kneeling position must be agonising to his elderly frame.

He did take her hand, but he didn't pull to heavily on it and a moment later he was standing again and shaking down his robes. With his greeting made to Hermione, who was the highest ranking, he then turned to Harry, who was a Patriarch yet underage, so ranked under Lord Nott.

'Mister Potter.' He dipped his head and Harry, still red in the face and looking flustered from his tumble bowed in reply. It was an awkward and unfamiliar move, but the boy managed to pull it off without causing offence, so Hermione considered that a win on Harry's part. 'Theodore tells me you were sent to be raised by Muggles.'

Harry glanced back at Hermione uncertainly and she nodded at him encouragingly.

'Yes, Sir.' He answered. 'He... Er, the High Priestess has been teaching me.' Lord Nott shook his head disapprovingly.

'That never should have happened. If your parents somehow failed to assign a guardian, you should have gone to the Black family; Walburga and Cygnus were still around then, or even Narcissa...'

'I'm sorry Sir, I don't know the Black family.' Harry said apologetically and Hermione hastily concealed a wince.

'Don't know the Blacks? They're the most ancient house in the country, perhaps with the exception of your own, High Priestess.' Lord Nott amended, dipping his head quickly in Hermione's direction.

'Forgive his ignorance, Lord Nott. We have not yet covered genealogy, I have been focusing on the fundamental errors in magical understanding taught at Hogwarts.' She interrupted before Harry could dig himself deeper.

'Oh?' Lord Nott asked, turning back to face her.

'Perhaps your son might demonstrate?' She waved Theo forwards. Like Gellert once had when facing up to his mother, Theo had gone very pale and when his father turned to him, he bowed deeply, remaining bent over until he was told to rise. 'The candlestick would work, Hermione instructed.'

There was a moment of tense silence as Theo readied himself, his father watching on curiously. Then, he reached out his hand and Hermione felt his magic wrap around the candlestick and jerk it into his waiting hand. Perhaps he hadn't been convinced it would work this time, with his father watching because Theo's eyes went almost as wide as his father's.

'Very impressive, High Priestess. A useful party trick, I'm sure.'

'Oh, It's much more than a party trick, I assure you.' She said darkly. Perhaps, by defending Harry and offering him a hand up, she'd accidentally portrayed herself as weak. That was easily rectified, she held out her hands to either side of her and poured out her magic. There wasn't much to work with - they were deep within the manor and the air was very dry, but she had been doing this for months and she knew how to take advantage of whatever she was presented with. She twisted her magic, spinning the air around the room, faster and faster until it was whipping at their robes. She sparked static through the air and lightning snapped in unison. Moisture was more tricky, but she could fabricate that on such a small scale so she took a risk and let her magic stir the air without guidance. With her right hand still casting little bursts of lightning, she added a fine mist of steam with her right. It billowed up into clouds and she stopped, allowing the winds to settle. With a slight nudge, she cooled the air near the ceiling and the clouds cooled, dissolving into a light spattering of rain.

It was one of the most complex pieces of spellwork she'd ever attempted, insofar as having several different pieces of magic happening at the same time. She loved it.

She wasn't the only one, Harry was grinning whilst Theo watched with contentment. Lord Nott just gaped. With a final, particularly bright flash of lightning, she allowed the weather pattern to disperse and waved her hand to vanish the damp film across the polished marble floor.

'My my, the blood of Gorlois does run true.' His face lit up with a grin that completely transformed him. 'I doubted you, My Lady but your gift is something to behold. Yet it is borne behind benevolence and honour like nothing I have seen in a revolutionary before. Theodore, I envy you; to be the peer of such a witch.'

Gobsmacked at the praise, Theo's eyes darted between Hermione and his father.

'Forgive an old man's ramblings, welcome to Nott Manor. Theodore will show you around and I will see you for dinner.' Lord Nott bowed his way backwards out of the room and the three of them finally relaxed.

'Blimey, I don't think I'll ever be stiff enough for all this stuff.' Harry slumped exaggeratedly and adjusted his robes. Theo laughed, plucking at his own robes. Unlike Harry, he was completely at ease in his robes and he looked very dashing in the smokey grey. There was something about Harry's messy hair that made him look perpetually out of place in smart clothing.

'That was amazing magic, Hermione.' Theo applauded and she smiled demurely.

'I've done bigger enchantments, but it was tricky with so little to work with. Now, lets get out of here, I've never been to a manor before.' She shooed him out of the room, leaving their trunks for the elves to deal with.

They exited the floo room into a massive corridor that looked almost like it had been carved from a single tree. Parquet floors, polished to a high shine swept up into exquisitely finished timber walls, the grains of the timbers all aligned to form pretty patterns. Harry's mouth had dropped open but neither Slytherin noticed, hardly phased by the opulence.

'So, if you've never seen a manor, what property does the Grindelwald family own? I was under the impression that they were titled.' Theo asked conversationally.

'There was a castle, Blau Berg. It was massive with an underground cavern system that housed the entire magical population of Germany in times of danger. There was a muggle repelling charm which reached over the entire mountain range, full of magical beasts. Gellert brought back a Roc from Iran once, but I think it ended up going wild after the Revolution.' She sighed heavily. 'After the castle was brought down in the final battle of the revolution, the family moved to Fort Stark, it was another castle... very different though; more like a British one.'

They passed through a wide doorway and crossed a towering balcony which looked over a great hall, old stone had been panelled over and a massive over mantle towered up to the ceiling, proudly displaying an exquisitely carved rendition of the Nott crest.

'And the Gorlois family? They must have some holding left?'

'Yes, the Barrows. Its got the biggest ritual circle in the world and the most powerful set of protective enchantments I've ever seen. It's very old though - it was built long before my family took the name of Gorlois.'

'Well, er... the tour. That's the hall, but we don't usually hold balls anymore, the library is just down those stairs and on the right. This is the oak room, we can use this room. Father rarely leaves the North Wing. Hermione, you can have the White room, just through here. Harry and I will be on the next floor.'

Hermione opened the door that Theo had shown her, and stepped into a room like nothing she'd ever seen. The castles that she spent most of her wizarding time in were all old, draughty and and that meant the private rooms were relatively small, usually only a single room and there were instead a large number of common rooms. This Manor House was very different; the White Room was actually a whole series of rooms; there was a living room, painted predictably white and decorated with beautifully embroidered tapestries depicting trees against a creamy background. They matched the furniture which was upholstered in the same minty green colour and a massive pair of windows soared up to the six meter high ceiling, allowing in the purple hued evening light.

There was a bedroom in the same colour scheme, with a huge double four poster bed and another tall window. Her trunk was already unpacked, her belongings spread over the vanity table where the mirror was inspecting her beauty products critically.

Hermione ignored it and ventured into one of the two doors on the far wall; the first was a massive dressing room where her belonging had been hung, taking up a small fraction of the space. There were also a couple of spare cloaks and hats, but the room looked very barren. The other room was a bathroom. This too was themed around white and green and was a gallery of the finest marble, from the floor to the walls and the gold trimmed bath. The shelves above the sink and around the bath were laden with products and potions, some medicinal and others clearly meant to make the bath, which had thirteen taps, even more luxurious.

She left the bathroom and returned to the sitting room, making a beeline to the bookshelf. The texts here were somewhat random and certainly nothing was of particular depth or complexity, but there was a copy of the fashion magazine that she often saw Pansy and Daphne giggling over. Out of interest she picked it up and headed over to the window seat.

It was a rather wonderful seat, she decided quickly. Blau Berg had offered a spectacular view of the castle itself; white spears with dark blue roofs against the deep emerald and dark stone of the mountain range behind it. Fort Stark was lower and looked out over idyllic rolling parkland but Nott Manor offered an aerial view of the meticulously cultivated gardens. Even in winter, white blossoms seemed to glow in the fading light, trained over trellises and dotting exquisitely trimmed topiaries.

An elf appeared after an hour or so, drawing her a bath to her exact specifications and helping her wash her hair with strong, confident fingers that left her scalp tingling in delight. Then she was helped out and into a fresh set of sapphire robes and the elf braided her hair. She missed the gossip with Flighty; although this elf was equally as efficient, she didn't even know its name, let alone hear all about the day's dramas among the staff. She was done at the exact moment the boys knocked on her door, also washed and dressed in fresh robes.

'You look great, Hermione.' Harry told her and she poked him teasingly.

'I look exactly the same as normal.' She pointed out and Harry shrugged.

'I've been trying to teach him more etiquette, Hermione.' Theo exclaimed in exasperation. 'It would help if you responded like you should to a compliment.'

'Fine.' She rolled her eyes and curtsied with mocking depth. 'You look dashing as well, Mister Potter. Those robes complement your hair wonderfully.'

Laughing and making up ridiculous complements, they trailed Theo down the maze of polished wooden corridors. Decorations had appeared in the hour that they were in their rooms, garlands of holly, and pine cones decorated every door whilst emerald and silver streamers draped across the architraves and framed the portraits. Pomanders and fir boughs filled the corridors with a warm, festive scent.

The dining room was far too large for four people. A table that could easily have sat twenty was laid at only one end with silver, goblin forged plates and cutlery. Candelabras lit the glittering array and gas lights flickered warmly against dark panelled walls. Lord Nott was already there, seated unconventionally to the side of the head seat, which remained unlaid. He had changed into maroon robes and he jumped up to guide Hermione to her seat opposite his own. He had Harry seated at her side and Theo at his own right hand. There was significance to the place settings, but Hermione couldn't quite place what it was exactly.

Dinner was a spectacular affair; roast duck with a thick plum sauce and crispy salad, golden roast potatoes and rich, creamy carrots still sticky with the caramelised juices from the duck. The conversation mostly concerned her upcoming visit to the Goblins but as dessert was served - rich sticky toffee pudding with vanilla custard and sweet fresh strawberries, conversation turned to the Yule plans.

'There is the unfortunate matter of the Winter Ball.' Lord Nott speared a strawberry with unnecessary aggression.

'I must admit, I have never heard of it. Lady Grindelwald believes in the traditional Yule ritual celebrations on the solstace.' Hermione admitted, garnering some measure of interest from the patriarch.

'Fascinating. Perhaps at some point you would humour an old man and talk me through the ritual. There is very little written information of them, from what I can tell they were usually passed on by word of mouth. Very few accounts survive.'

'Certainly.' Hermione agreed, 'but what about the Winter Ball.'

'It's hosted by the Malfoys each year. It is, in essence, a pretentious display of wealth and opulence designed to wow those who are lesser. However, failure to attend would have unfortunate repercussions on all of your reputations.'

'Draco Malfoy does not believe me to be anything more than a new blood with some archaic agreement with the Grindelwald family.'

'Lucius has instructed him, I imagine.' Lord Nott sneered. 'He came to me, I imagine as soon as he received word of your name to ask if it was possible. I told him, of course, of your line and that I believed you to be of more ancient magic than all of us. Theodore had already confirmed your seal.'

'So Lord Malfoy didn't believe you?' Harry confirmed curiously.

'Oh, I believe he did, but the idea that a line might have been reborn from muggles repulses him. He does not wish to bow to a Mudblood. If he can quash you quickly, he will never have to acknowledge the respect you deserve.'

'Father!' Theo pleaded quietly and his father shot him an exasperated look.

'However, as my guest he can not refuse you.' Lord Nott finished father smugly. 'If only I could introduce you to Abraxas too, but unfortunately he's now chained down with dragon pox.'

He didn't sound very sorry at all, in fact Hermione thought he might be quite happy about the affliction that had struck down his peer. In fact he seemed rather smug about being the one to introduce her to society, which she found very reassuring. It meant that the Lord Nott fully believed she would be as great as she intended to be, and his faith would go a long way to making that happen.