This story is based on characters and developed from some situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter 16
The Threads of Society
20th July. Day 23.
Lucius was confident that his trial would either end before it had begun, or completely exonerate him, as they had before. He was positive his fellows in the Wizangamot would release him, that all the charges would be dropped. He knew the charges were in fact correct, but he was Lucius Malfoy, not once had his word not been believed, not once had his money not talked, he saw no reason that this would be any different. Walking proudly into the courtroom to answer the charges ahead of the Auror escort, his face was schooled in an expression of confident contrition. He took his seat in the centre of the floor, the Aurors taking position on either side of him, he looked up at the seat where the person officiating was sitting. It was then that he realised this was no usual trial, instead of Fudge or the old fool Dumbledore, who he presumed was still suspended, he was staring into the face of Amelia Bones, who looked down on him disdainfully. The door behind him opened again, and another individual was brought through it, to take a seat to his right. He knew that she too was a Death eater, one he had introduced and like himself had avoided prosecution last time. This process continued for the next few minutes, until he was just one of thirty accused facing the court. He knew each one of them, he had seen them at Death eater meetings, small doubts entered his mind, any one of them could crack, or be dosed with Veritaserum, and they were all done for. Suddenly chains slid out from the back of their seats, fixing each of them into their chair, but leaving their arms free.
Amelia nodded and another Auror went to the man sat furthest from Lucius, to his right. The Auror simply rolled up the man's sleeve, revealing the dark mark engraved in the flesh of the left arm. The moment the Auror moved on, the chains wound round the man's arms, fixing them in place with the mark clearly visible to all in the room. This was repeated along the row, until it was Lucius turn. Fudge chose that moment to enter and join Amelia.
"My apologies for being late, my meeting over ran. I see those new wards have worked Amelia." He said proudly, as if they had been his idea, his eyes scanning the row of Dark Marks before him until they rested on Lucius. "Amelia what on earth is Lucius doing there?" He demanded.
"He is under arrest, having triggered the new wards Minister." She replied calmly.
"Don't be ridiculous, that is not possible, he was under the imperious charm." He exclaimed then turned to Lucius. "Don't worry my friend we shall soon have this sorted, obviously an error in the wards. I shall find out who caused it and have them disciplined."
Lucius nodded at the ministers assurance and the Auror who had been exposing the arms of the accused looked to Amelia for guidance as to how to proceed.
"Minister I'm sorry, I realise Lucius was exonerated in the past and is a friend of yours, but there is no fault in the wards." Amelia replied. "All those before us were caught by the wards on this very building, on the day the new law was passed and the protections erected. As you can see all the accused so far have the dark mark, we were about to confirm that Lucius too has one for the court."
The Minister smiled as if dealing with a child who did not understand a simple concept. "Now Amelia dear, as I said Lucius was proven not to be a Death eater, you yourself have acknowledged that, now stop this nonsense before it becomes embarrassing to the ministry."
"Minister we can resolve this very simply." Amelia smiled. "As you are aware some time ago it was discovered that the recipient of the Dark Mark must take it willingly, it cannot be forced on anyone, not even under the Imperious Curse. They must actively and willingly chose to undertake what is necessary to have it applied, which also must have the unreserved willingness of the recipient for the spell to take. The last Wizangamot session passed legislation that included a clause directing this should now be included in any Death eater trials, and removing any such excuses for having the mark. This was after numerous delays in allowing the law to be passed, of course."
Fudge flushed with embarrassment, he was well aware the legislation had included that and that it had been delayed for several years. He could not deny the truth of it, but had helped ensure the fact the mark had to be accepted willingly was suppressed. Too many pure blood families would be affected if that knowledge was widely known, now Amelia had announced it in public court. It was bound to be picked up by the press who would discover the delay was caused by his office. He said nothing, but his silence spoke volumes to those in the court.
Amelia nodded to the Auror, who waved his wand, Lucius felt the mark burn, his master was calling him at the worst possible moment. His sleeve was hoist up his arm, revealing the angry dark mark, black and throbbing on his arm.
"Ah, I see Lucius does indeed bear the Dark Mark." Amelia stated grimly. "It would also seem that all of them are reacting to something, perhaps they are being summoned." She observed as all the marks had become darker and were writhing on the arms of all the accused.
Fudge tried one desperate last time to save the man all knew had been his friend and advisor. "That could just be a tattoo."
"Don't be silly Cornelius." Dowager Longbottom called out sharply, before any other could. "Your friend is a Death eater, we all have known it, but now the proof is in front of you. Now shut up and sit down before you make even more of a fool of yourself than you already have."
The laughter from all present rang in the ministers ears, his pride evaporating, he meekly took his seat knowing he could do nothing more than allow the trial to continue and hope something turned up to save his biggest benefactor. He watched helpless as vials of Veritaserum were brought out ready for each of the defendants testimony, the result of another long delayed clause that was now law. He glared up at the Longbottom seat, at the woman he knew was favourite to become Chief Warlock. An appointment he hoped she would not gain, she was too adept at seeing through him, a prospect as scary as any he could think of. He knew that if she were to take that post, it was likely his remaining time as Minister would be limited.
Amelia left the courtroom an hour later, tired, but satisfied. She had presided over the cases of over One Hundred death eaters including Malfoy's little group. Listening to their testimony's under Veritaserum had been as draining as it had been horrific. The number of victims of these people, continued to grow. Malfoy had taken sickening pride in the murders he had committed and witnessed, the rapes of Muggles he had taken a lead in or participated in, with no regret or remorse, had horrified everyone present. Even Fudge had been utterly appalled by what his friend and the other accused had done, he even voted in favour of the sentencing of the senior Malfoy. She may not like the Minister in many ways, but she knew he would never support such actions by anyone.
All the marked Death eaters who had appeared before them today, had been found guilty, now Aurors and Unspeakables were poring over the records of the confessions made under Veritaserum. These records had revealed the identities of others and of any they had kidnapped and murdered, tortured and demeaned in every possible way. At least their families of those victims, might be able to get some closure. The severity of their offences had decided their individual sentences, although most, including Malfoy were receiving the kiss from Dementors. Legally, from the moment they had been sentenced to be kissed, their Heirs had inherited any titles or positions held by the convict. It was the only sentence where this was the case, but seeing how many heads of family had been caught so far, Amelia hoped that this meant a different outlook within the community than had been the case under their predecessors.
The effectiveness of the wards that had now been placed on all major public buildings in the Magical side of Britain had been proven beyond doubt, the roll-out to other properties had begun. Amelia and Amos had even quietly used their contacts to ensure that the Ward could be placed on significant Muggle buildings if requested. Already the houses of Parliament, and major Government buildings were scheduled to be protected, as was Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, which already benefited from some wards, as did all the royal residences. It may not be acknowledged often, especially by the Minister, but Her Majesty was the Monarch of the nation, including the magical realm and received official reports twice a year from it.
Now as she returned to her office, through the corridors of the Ministry, Amelia was beginning to feel more confident that they had a fighting chance against he who must not be named. They had at the very least, severely crippled his forces today, and they had more to try tomorrow. She knew, though, that his defeat was only part of the task which they had, in order to bring their society back to where it should be. She knew the path was long, and that it would not be easy, but with what they had achieved against the Dark Lord and the rebuilding of the Alliance it was already much more achievable.
At that moment, the self same dark Lord that Amelia was not naming in her thoughts, had returned from visiting the library he had amassed in his fathers home during his last rise to power. He had been desperately looking for methods to quickly recover his followers, even though he had no idea where they had gone. Snape was now the most senior of them left, but he did not really trust the spy, he worked too closely with that fool Dumbledore, and could rarely answer his summons immediately. He could shield his mind to well for his liking, but he was useful as a spy and a Potion maker, so had, had his uses before now. Now though, he was almost all he had left, and the Dark Lord did not like having to rely so much on one person, especially one who brought such a small tithe. Severus suffered from the usual problem that most natural Slytherin's did, he would act for his own preservation ahead of the cause, and if he felt he was no longer on the winning side, he would betray him. He knew that for certain, after all Voldemort would sacrifice any one of his followers to save himself, if it came to it. To that extent, he and Severus were the same, he understood the Potion Master fully in that way, which meant he knew the spy could not be entirely trusted.
Voldemort arrived outside the gates of his headquarters at Malfoy Manor, knowing it was empty, except for the family House Elves, who were his only company in the property. They acknowledged him, maintained the house and cooked for him, but were not good companions, they did not belong to him, they were not bound to obey him. He was a guest of the Master of the house, who had disappeared as had his wife and child, so they were only required to care for him as a guest, they would not betray their owners. He was utterly alone in that house, but he was safe here, it was hidden and Magically protected by its owner. He reached out for the gate, when it disappeared, as did the view of the house and gardens beyond. He could not remember why he was here or what had been there to attract his presence. Had he been able to recall it, then he would have known his chief source of funds had just died.
Lucius Malfoy had, at that very moment, literally died of fright. As the Dementor had closed on him, after he had been strapped in a chair in a room deep in Azkaban. He had been so terrified that his heart had stopped just as the last kiss he would receive in this life had begun, ending his connection to the wards on his properties. Which meant that the estate had become invisible to anyone outside his Heirs family. Any occupants who were not part of that group would have been ejected outside the perimeter, their memories of the place completely wiped, until the new Lord Malfoy invited them to return. Unfortunately for Tom Riddle, he had no idea that any of this had happened.
The Dark Lord paused for a moment, confused that he should find himself in this place with no idea where he was. After a moment of confusion, he decided he would return to his fathers house in Little Hangleton, from where he would summon his remaining Death eaters again, as he had this morning receiving little response. He knew that his resources were shrinking fast, the only senior Death eater he seemed to have left was Snape, who was useful as a potion maker, but not for recruitment, so he preferred the man to brew. Voldemort had no idea if this was anything more than a temporary set back or more serious, he didn't bother asking Snape for news. He had his doubts if any he could get from him was particularly up-to-date, the man barely left his laboratory and rarely knew what was going on out of it. The man had even run out of information about the Order. Certainly, he had told him of Dumbledore being ousted as leader and that it was looking to change direction, but it seemed Snape was not being called to meetings by them yet. Outside the school Severus had become a useless source of information, it could only be hoped that would improve in September.
Voldemort had some clues about what was happening, sparse nuggets of information, from the few others of his followers who did turn up, the four had done as instructed and brought others of similar mind to his presence. Each of them had been given his mark once they had brought in others, rather than killing any of his enemies, he needed them and their Gold. That would be the last he saw of them, though. They received his mark, went back to their homes, presumably got on with their day, but never returned, despite his summons. He had no clue why that would be. None of the new recruits had known, none had brought him a copy of the paper, he knew they were frightened to do so, those he had ordered to do had not returned. He supposed it must be that the ministry had captured his Death eaters, probably placed them in Azkaban. At first, he had planned to let them stew for a while for their carelessness in allowing themselves to be caught, then he would free them. He could not do that now, he even lacked his senior Death eaters to train the new recruits, or even to find any, his new followers were certainly not up to the standards he was used to relying on. Most were barely fit to be foot soldiers, and even they were growing fewer in number, they were proving ineffective in recruiting others. He had never been this poorly off for followers, but he had to persevere, he could not be defeated like this, he was still the most powerful Wizard alive, he would prevail.
He arrived at Riddle manor and summoned his followers, those that came were not the highest calibre. He gave instructions to make the house habitable, then once more set them the task of gathering new followers, preferably with money. Each of them must bring at least one new follower with at least a thousand Galleons as initial tithe. This was all to the good, but he lacked information, all his spy's had been captured, except Severus who he was uncertain was reliable, he needed a better source than that, but currently had none. He was, for now, isolated with only a Muggle radio to tell him anything, what use was that to him or his purpose. He was sure it was the fault, somehow, of Potter, who else's could it be.
23rd July. Day 26.
Dumbledore, having rid himself of the stench of the gas from that cow, He pondered on what he remembered of his day and matters he needed to resolve. He knew he needed to regain control of something, apart from Harry, but was having trouble recalling precisely what. It was as if he had fallen foul of a ward or something somewhere, though if he had done so, he had no clue when or where that might have happened. Deciding rest was the best policy, he had gone to bed early and slept soundly from the moment he had settled beneath the covers.
He woke with bright sunlight flooding through the window, it was clearly already past midday, but he did not feel refreshed at all. In fact, he felt quite the opposite, weak indeed, both physically, mentally and magically. Perhaps he was becoming ill, he thought, or had he simply been over doing things recently. He couldn't deny that he had been quite busy with various things, especially since he had returned from the conference, even though some of his duties had been forcibly removed from him in the last couple of weeks. He groaned and rolled over, to raise himself to sit at the edge of his bed. Retrieving his wand from the bedside table, he transfigured his night dress into a comfortable robe. Having done so, he felt, if possible, even more exhausted. Drained as if the simple act had been some mammoth task, something was definitely not right. Eventually his pondering on the problem was overwhelmed by necessity, he stood and went to the bathroom.
On his return he again sat on the edge of his bed, catching his breath, not something he usually had to do, he felt as if he had run for miles. He summoned a set of his day robes from his wardrobe, as he would normally, but instead of flying confidently into his hand, they fell unceremoniously on to the floor before they reached him. Casting the spell again, they simply flopped over, to land at his feet. He then had to catch his breath again, before he reached down to pick them up and slipping them on. He stood, unsteadily, then slowly made his was out to his lounge behind his office, holding onto anything he could to aid his passage until, tiredly, he called an elf and ordered a breakfast for himself.
He made his way to a chair and sat at a table in the Oriel at the corner of the lounge in his quarters. This position projected out from the walls of the castle, which meant that the window, which covered most of the outer wall, with thin stone pillars between each of the lanterns of glass, offered an incredible view. He was high over the grounds and could see over almost half of the grounds and over towards the rooftops of the houses in Hogsmeade. From here, he watched the arrival route of the students each year, including the passage of the lights on the boats crossing the lake as well as the lamps on the Carriages carrying the older students from the station. Often, he sat here to see what the students and staff were up to over a large part of the grounds at any other time. It was not often that the view was the last thing on his mind when he sat here, but this was one such occasion, as he pondered his new weakness whilst eating a full English breakfast. He decided he had better have Poppy perform a complete medical examination of him, try to pinpoint what might be wrong with him. Albus knew he could rely on her to keep his confidence, on top of her oath as a healer, he had ensured her loyalty long ago. He finished his breakfast, opened a drawer on the side of the table and retrieved, Parchment, Quill, and Ink from it, he quickly wrote a note to the school healer.
"Fawkes!" He called in the hope of a response.
He was saddened when a few moments later the avian had failed to appear, he tried again. "Fawkes I need you." He called more urgently.
Still, the Phoenix did not appear, just as had been the case whenever he had called for the bird recently. Albus rose from his chair, feeling fortified by his meal. Taking the note for Poppy with him, he walked carefully into his office, he sat heavily in his chair behind his desk. He looked towards the stand on which his Phoenix, the strongest symbol to the outside world that he was a light Wizard, could usually be found, it remained as empty as it had for the last couple of days.
"Odd, he hunted the other day, where can he have got to?" Albus muttered to himself.
The sound of laughter drew his attention. "You find something particularly amusing Phineas?" He asked without looking at the portrait, he didn't need to, he had recently become familiar enough with that laugh to know where it came from.
"Naturally, after all the great Dumbledore failing to get his own way, while rare to witness, is usually a source of entertainment. Thankfully, it is one that is becoming more frequent this summer." The Portrait chuckled. "Even with your ego in the way, given the evidence it should be obvious to you what has happened."
Albus scowled, his predecessors' portrait had always been condescending towards him. "Really?" He responded, his tone lathered liberally with sarcasm. "In that case, perhaps you would be so kind as to enlighten me."
The portrait shook its head. "Look at the evidence you bearded wonder, it should be obvious, even to one as delusional as you. First, you are weaker than usual."
"I'm probably just ailing from something minor, I am sure Poppy or Severus will have something to perk me up." Albus shrugged.
Phineas snorted. "Your magical strength is also the weakest it's been and your Phoenix not responding to your summons, it is gone, out of your influence old man."
"He's merely off somewhere, too busy to respond." The current headmaster waved off the symptoms.
"Additionally, you no longer command the wards here, go on try it." Phineas smirked.
"Hat respond." Albus ordered, knowing the hat to be connected to Hogwarts magic. The hat sat there ignoring him. "Cantankerous old rag, just sulking. Hogwarts, emergency lock down."
Dumbledore glanced at the portrait that was tormenting him with a smug expression, positive the castle would respond to the emergency order he had delivered. His expression fell, the noise of the doors slamming shut and alarms sounding should have been heard by now. They should have seen the flash of additional wards springing to life as the statues and suits of armour sprang to life and moved to take up defensive positions on the perimeter. The sight of the guardians should be accompanied by their heavy footsteps reverberating through the corridors, but they weren't. The only sound was that of the birds singing and the thud of an axe chopping wood, he could see Hagrid swinging the axe and the usual sights of a quiet summers day during the long holiday. Apart from the entirely usual, nothing happened, Dumbledore slumped into a chair. "Impossible, I am Headmaster."
"As many of us have told you since you attained that lofty position, you, like the rest of us, are merely the caretaker of this castle until the heir bonds. The castle knows the bonded heirs will come back to this school soon, and unless they say otherwise, you will not regain control of the wards. Hogwarts is preparing to welcome the founders true successors, only they, as owners, can command her. As for your Phoenix, the bond you placed on her is finally gone, she has broken it and left you, the power you drained from her has been taken back. How typical of your arrogance, that you could not even decipher her gender correctly." Phineas gloated.
Albus paused thinking before his face lit. "Don't be ridiculous Phineas, it's impossible that the Heirs are bonded, Riddle is the Heir of Slytherin, but there are no others, he believes love to be a weakness, so he cannot bond to another in any case. It stands to reason, therefore, it is obvious that he cannot become the Bonded heir no matter how hard he would desire it. Furthermore, I know of no Heir of more than one house, so the founders lines cannot be united, two could be, but that is insufficient for what you say has happened. Finally, once a Phoenix bonds it cannot break it, or be freed from those it chose except by death." He said smugly.
Phineas laughed. "Yet again you show that you believe your own delusions, listen to yourself. Let us take your points in reverse order shall we." He spoke as if teaching a small child. "You bonded the Phoenix to you, not the other way round, such a forced bonding can be broken by either one, given the correct circumstances. You forced the bonding, otherwise how could Hogwarts herself help break all the bonds the bird had from you."
Albus flared angrily. "How dare you, Fawkes bonded to me willingly, as I am the paragon of the light."
"Fine then you explain her absence and your loss of power and strength." Phineas replied coolly.
"Fawkes will return, he is loyal and bonded to me, despite your ridiculous assertions." Albus replied.
Phineas grinned. "And your weakness?" He asked mockingly.
"Old age!" The headmaster snapped.
Phineas laughed loud and long, most of the other portraits showed their amusement as well, not that Dumbledore took any notice of their reaction. After a few minutes the portraits calmed and Phineas looking at the Headmaster sternly in the face. "I am a portrait of a headmaster, as are all my colleagues here on your office walls. We are here to advise the current incumbent, honestly and to the best of our knowledge and ability, not pander to their own ego. As such I will point out again, you are weak because you can no longer drain Fawkes magic to support your own, nor are you being given any from Hogwarts now your automatic connection has gone. Yes you are old, you are now discovering what that means with the withdrawal of the two sources of Magic which masked the effects of your age. Soon the physical problems you have may well increase, depending on how your Magical core recovers from the sudden loss. To answer your reasoning on the Heirs of Hogwarts, Riddle is a descendant of the Gaunt family, who were descended from Salazar, but not directly. Their delusions of grandeur ensured that eventually no one questioned it, especially when the Slytherin name itself disappeared as the daughters of the line married and there were no sons to carry it forward. You failed to do the research properly in your inherited arrogance, you simply accepted the tale, as did Riddle. The true Heirs, now bonded, have been here for a few years, right under your nose, but in your delusions of the Greater good. You have missed the nuances in the stirrings of Hogwarts, ignored her excited expectation. Both were, thanks to you, ignorant of their true lineage, but they are the Heirs of all four founders between them. With their bonding Hogwarts recognises her new masters, she has withdrawn her magic from you as well, the loss of that and Fawkes caused you to sleep, without stirring for the last four days. It is only thanks to the house Elves that you did not wet the bed at all whilst your body adjusted, gained the strength enough for you to wake."
Albus' head snapped up at that piece of information, but the portrait coolly continued before he could interject.
"Yes Albus, it is a few days since you arrived reeking of manure. That long, just to recuperate enough to wake, in a week your strength may have recovered enough for you to reach the Great Hall, in a month it and your core will be at its natural strength. Some time between that you may be able to perform Magic some more complex magic, such as Apparition again, but it will be risky. For the next few weeks, you would be well advised to rest and refrain from using magic, conserving energy. That way, you can soon be up to the strength you need to live with in order to carry out your responsibilities to this school, its staff and students. The Heirs are both already far stronger than they were and than you are, at least from what I have seen of them anyway."
A horrible feeling of realisation began to creep over Dumbledore, the answer to his next question would tell him if that feeling was justified or not, he dreaded the answer, but had to ask. "Just how is it that I am unaware of them yet, you know so much about them Phineas?"
"I know all that goes on in the noble house of Black, including your inelegant flights from the hall to the basement. Young Harry really impressed with that one, I must say. Speaking of him, I always thought there was more to him than met the eye, a very impressive young man indeed. Through his mother, and therefore the Black line he is in fact a direct descendant of Salazar, in fact his lineage is both directly and indirectly from all the founders and more. The Ashmole line is direct from those the Black and Potter lines are not, for the first time the four lines are united with their bonding. They are the Hogwarts Heirs, your plans to control them have failed, your interference with the ancient magics has ended, you have meddled with forces you could neither understand nor control and have lost." Phineas warned.
Dumbledore sat back, thinking, his fears seemingly confirmed. He sought a glimmer of hope, a twinkling of light that he could fan to ignite and spread to recover his plan. He could not fail, to do so would be to lose all, he had to preserve faith in himself, it was for the greater good. "Yet I am still headmaster am I not?"
"For now at least." Phineas agreed. "Perhaps you should now accept your lot and attempt to apologise to Harry and Ginny and for once simply do your job."
Albus smirked. "I agree, it is time I did my job, that's the only thing you have said that makes sense. We need a new defence teacher after all."
Note to Poppy forgotten and discarded, he picked up parchment and quill, he wrote a letter and sealed it. He summoned an elf and handed it to the small creature. "Deliver this to her hand, you will find her at the ministry, I believe she still works there at least."
Bowing the elf disappeared, three minutes later the fire ignited and green flames flared, and a figure appeared in the fireplace. The flames died down to reveal a vision in pink, clutching the letter he had sent her in her hand. "Good day headmaster, it seems we have a common purpose, Potter must be brought to heel. I accept your kind offer." She smiled sweetly.
Phineas rolled his eyes. "Yet another error in judgement Albus." He muttered and left the frame as Albus finally noticed that Phineas had not been the only headmaster in his frame, but all now turned from him in disgust and left. He could not recall a time he had not had the company of at least one of them. For the first time he could recall, he was without their company, but still he had no doubt that they would come to see his actions was right in the end.
26th July. Day 29.
When he looked back at it, Harry wished he had stayed longer at the Grangers that evening. Once he had returned to Grimmauld Place with Bill and walked into the family Lounge. It seemed that Narcissa and Bella had been reminded that the summer season was beginning soon. Apparently something the Dowager Lady Longbottom had said at the lunch, that had not properly registered at the time, had fallen into place while he had been out. There was something about the look of amusement on Sirius face that worried Harry, so he looked a little apprehensive when he asked. "What do you mean by entering society Bella?" Fearing the response he was about to get.
Bella had smiled brightly, settling back in the chair in the family sitting room, where they had all settled once Neville had joined them after breakfast. "Well, you and Ginny are now important figures in the Wizarding world, the season is due to start shortly, and you are expected to be part of it." She had said breezily, trying not to laugh at the expression of horror on the couples faces and how accurately Remus had predicted this.
"Which means?" Harry had worriedly prompted, now recognising that may well have been a mistake.
Bella had schooled her face and replied as nonchalantly as she could. "Well at one time it was where the young ladies of society came out, came of age if you like. It was always held in the summer, and it was where they could socialise with suitable young men under the watchful eye of their families and arrangements for marriages might be made. That side of it has kind of stopped, although one of the reasons for the Hogwarts express taking students to Hogwarts is to allow families to give the friends of their children the once over to check they are suitable. That is one of the reasons the season changed, removing the pairing up nature of it, though I expect it still goes on more quietly than before. Some families formally arranged partners for the daughters until very recently, I doubt many still do though. Now it means we will be simply attending society dinners, Suarez, balls, garden parties, throughout August, that kind of thing. It's nothing to worry about, though I expect invitations shall begin arriving for you and Ginny soon Harry, along with ones for all of us." She took a deep breath, seeing the look of horror on her Nephews face, she controlled her laughter, barely, before continuing. "We have a week to get you both up to speed. Draco and Neville will help, they have been attending such events since they were children and will be accompanying you with their partners too."
Harry groaned. "The Yule ball was bad enough!" He had muttered despondently.
That stopped Bella's desire to laugh.
"Ah, yes, I heard about that." Narcissa had assured them. "We shall have dance lessons for you all, you included Draco, by all accounts your skills could do with brushing up, in fact from what I hear Neville could teach you boy's much in this area."
Harry and Draco looked horrified, both looked pleadingly at Sirius, who was trying and failing not to laugh. "Don't look at me guy's, I can't help you."
"To right you can't, you old dog." Bella had said. "Your skills are rusty too, you will be joining them, as will I. We both have a good impression to make, and we need to brush up on this after the gap we have had."
That had instantly stopped Sirius laughter. "What? Oh, bugger!" He exclaimed.
The others burst into laughter.
Narcissa, still laughing then added. "Oh yes Sirius and as I shall be attending for the first time in years and as a single lady I shall need to accompany you too. I expect you, Neville, will be taking Hermione, Yes?"
Neville had nodded. "Once she is back from her holiday, yes. She already knows about it all and is already a good dancer, Grandma ensured I talked to her about it before she left."
"Well I am glad she can dance, I actually heard about it from the Yule Ball, but you will need to brief her about the season and how many invites you receive. Now Draco, will you be taking anyone?" Narcissa asked.
"I'll ask Susan or Daphne, they are part of the alliance. There is no way I'm asking Parkinson, she is fathers choice not mine, and they are outside us." He replied.
"Good!" His mother replied. "Both of them are fully aware of the requirements of the season. That's all settled, Tonks and Remus will be coming with us to the Ministry Ball too, I hope to persuade Andy and Ted to join us as well. It would be a good re introduction for them, and to have the Black sisters together publicly would be fun."
Now, a week since the dancing practice had been added to their training routine and had taken place every evening after dinner, Harry looked back on that fateful day. They had all improved, even Harry who simply would not embarrass either Ginny or himself with a repeat of his performance at the Yule Ball, but it had been exhausting all the same. They had not spoken much about the season since the evening when he had left Hermione with her parents. Today, though, the first invitation had arrived, from a family in the Alliance to a Ball on the first evening of the season.
After Dance practice that evening they sat in the family lounge with a drink, as they had taken to doing and Ginny, looking at the invitation, asked. "So, who else hosts during the season? The Weasley's never did anything, and apart from Ministry events I don't recall any of us attending any." Ginny asked.
"Well no, they wouldn't any more, not since their fortune was used bailing out the Prewitt's." Sirius said. "There are events at quite a number of houses during the season, the wealthy of our society all host something. The richest hold grand balls for example or even large formal dinners."
"Oh Damn!" Bella exclaimed. "I forgot about that."
She turned to Narcissa a shocked look on her face, her sister took one look and the Knut dropped. "Bloody hell I had forgotten that too. We have to organise events for the Blacks, Potters and Ashmoles." They said together.
"It's expected!" Bella added.
Narcissa fell back in her chair. "There is no way we can hold anything here, not with the band of the purple pigeon downstairs."
"We are so screwed." Bella joined her sister. "We need to think round this."
"So what do we need to hold, Ball or Banquet?" Harry asked.
"Well the Potter's and Ashmole's held a Ball, the Blacks a lesser event, usually a dinner." Sirius told them.
"What about the Malfoy's" Ginny asked thoughtfully,
Narcissa gave a look that said she had forgotten that the Malfoy's would need to resume holding an event now too. "Just a garden party." She answered. "Though not since Lucius Father died, and he inherited."
Just as she finished speaking a pair of Ministry Owls arrived with letters for Draco and the other for his Mother.
The conversation stopped while the two read, Draco finished first, he looked up.
"As we know, my Father was convicted last week and sentenced to be kissed, This is the official notice that the Ministry recognise that I am now Lord Malfoy according to law." He told them.
"In Law?" Asked Harry, noticing the distinction.
"It simply means that at the time of my accession, my predecessor still lived, but has had all privileges and responsibilities stripped from him by the Wizangamot." Draco said bluntly.
"That letter is out of date Draco." His Mother said having finished her letter. "This was to inform me, as Lucius wife, that he died of terror just before the Kiss was administered, though his soul was devoured. You are Lord Malfoy in every way now, not just in law. They want to know if we want the body for burial. If we do, we need to let them know by tomorrow, typical Ministry speed, this is dated a week ago too."
Draco went to stand by his mother as did Bella and Sirius "You alright, Cissy?" Sirius asked.
"Yes, it is just very sudden, that's all. What about you Draco?" She asked.
Draco shrugged. "I'm fine Mum, he cannot harm either of us any more, we are free."
His Mother nodded, she looked at Sirius. "May we remain here please Cousin, that house, holds too many memories, I am not sure if I can return yet."
"Not a problem, you are family, you stay as long as you need to. Draco do you need to secure the Manor? We can ensure it is done if need be."
Draco called one of the Malfoy House Elves, who arrived with a pop and bowed low to his new Master. "Lord Malfoy, we sensed the change a week ago and have waited your orders since then, what do you require of us?"
"First, are the house and grounds secure?" Draco asked.
"They is, and old Masters house guest has been barred from entry, no one can enter except with you, and it is hidden." The Elf responded.
Draco nodded. "Good, I shall visit soon to reset the wards, and draw up plans for refurbishment and redecoration. In the meantime, could you ensure that the cellar is cleared and returned to its original use, dispose of what is not required for that purpose safely. My fathers belongings will need sorting, anything safe may be given away, anything not safe to be turned into the Ministry as appropriate."
"Yes my Lord, it shall be done, but even with our magic, restoring the cellars will take some time."
"That is fine, shall we say you have until the Christmas break to complete the tasks."
The Elf was wide-eyed. "Master is most generous, I believe we can do that easily."
"Very well, you may go now, I shall call one of you if I need to." Draco dismissed the Elf who bowed again then left.
Draco turned to the rest of them. "I think holding a Garden Party as the Malfoys should, would give a good impression and indicate that I intend house Malfoy to change."
"I agree!" Narcissa smiled. "A good idea to introduce you as the Lord as well, even if you attend other events earlier, your own would be the official introduction."
"That's just adding to the problem, we can't use Malfoy Manor as a venue either, not if the Elves are clearing anything dangerous from it." Bella observed.
"Any reason we couldn't hold a garden party followed by a dinner and a ball in one day at one venue?" Harry asked.
"None at all, each family hosting its own part, that kind of sharing is done sometimes, and most days there are usually two events at least. I suspect that most of the early dates are already filled, we could hold ours at the end of the month, but there is still the problem of where, we don't have a large enough venue though. The return of the three families events will be momentous enough, meaning everyone will want to attend, so it would be a good few hundred or more for the garden party, add in the interest your entry to society will raise and it could easily be more. Traditionally the garden parties are pretty much open door events, though we can of course restrict the number of dinner and ball attendees more easily, though they won't be small events. So if we were to hold them together we need somewhere with a large garden, as well as a house large enough for the Dinner and the Ball." Bella was getting frustrated.
"What about one of the places Ginny and I now own?" Harry suggested.
Bella's head shot up. "Are any of them big enough?"
Ginny laughed. "We own Hogwarts remember Bella."
Harry nodded. "Yes, but it would be a bit awkward holding it there, with Albus interfering. Perhaps one of the manors will do, can you remember what any of them were like, Sirius, or should I ask Griphook?"
Sirius looked thoughtful. "Of the ones I know about or have been to, Potter and Ashmole Manors are under heavy wards which I think we should keep intact for now, using them would mean opening them to anyone. You have Peverell Abbey though, behind the cottage at Godric's Hollow. Like Hogwarts it is warded and protected, but similarly it is accessible and would certainly be big enough. The grounds are massive and there is a system for getting people around them that, if memory serves, your grandparents put in while they lived there. Your parents alternated between there, and some of their other properties when they could."
"It won't have been used in a while, we'd better go and see the place." Draco grinned, then seeing Harry's puzzled face added. "Well there's no point holding a garden party if the garden is a jungle is there. Why not speak to Griphook, see what he can tell us about it before we go. In the meantime, unless you object Mother, I believe we should have Fathers body disposed of in the old way, since he was such a traditionalist about such things."
Narcissa looked up thoughtfully. "I believe that would be appropriate Draco, I shall make arrangements."
29th July. Day 32.
The Ministry had taken the whole of the first day after the Malfoys had received the letter to arrange for the body to be taken to the Ministry Mortuary from the one on Azkaban. So it had been the day after that when they and the Blacks held the ritual required to have the body passed to the department of mysteries official. They followed it into the department to witness it being transfigured into stone, before it was sent through the Veil of Death. This had been a traditional method of disposing of the dead, as well as a method of execution for centuries, but it had fallen out of favour with most in recent times. Lucius was the first to be disposed of in this way for almost three Hundred Years. Although it was the old way, the Veil's association with disposing of criminals had meant that it fell out of favour with respectable folk. It was a private event, and had warranted no mention in the press beyond the standard notice, which include the transfer of the title to Draco.
During the last three days, Griphook had found out very little about the current condition of the Abbey, so had recommended that they should visit it. Harry, Ginny, Sirius, Bella, Narcissa and Draco arrived at the outskirts of the small market town of Godric's Hollow. Too large to be described as a village, it still retained the charm of the smaller settlements. Its character, due in part to the fact that since an explosion in size, some centuries before. It had been then when it had grown from collection of a few roundhouses in an enclosure, to a village of several hundred souls. It had only grown steadily over the intervening years, to its present size and population of a few thousand. They could, in fact, see the entire expanse of the town from their vantage point on the side of a hill. They could also see a few of the outlying farms and one of the nearby villages that relied on the town. There were other such small settlements in the district, out of their sight, which also depended on the town, which was small enough to be friendly, but large enough to support its local traders. They had arrived close enough to the boundaries to walk in with ease, yet far enough away that their arrival would not be noticed by the Muggle residents or visitors.
The Market square in the town centre was clearly visible, from their vantage point, it was complete with church and churchyard to one side. Even from this distance they could see that it must be Market day, the colourful canopies over the stalls stood out in the square. It formed a hub from which the streets radiated, lined with houses filling the valley beneath them, even from here it was clear that the square was the centre of the community. The rooftops forming a deep purple sea of slate tiles, dotted with bright discs of lichen, and a few of thatch pierced by grey stone chimneys, topped with red pots, some of which spewed smoke into the atmosphere. The hill on the opposite side of the valley appeared to be surrounded by a high wall of the same stone of the chimney's topped by battlements, it retained a walkway close to the top and circular towers at intervals. A green lawn was just visible within, and a large gentrified building sat proudly on the summit of the hill. Its walls were topped by turrets at each corner and between, pierced with windows and arrow slits, each one had a roof of stone tiles, that resembled a witches hat. The visible wall of the building was broken by large, elegant windows topped with elaborate stone decoration giving the appearance of a converted, and much expanded castle keep.
Harry, Ginny, Sirius, Bella, Narcissa, and Draco walked down to the road and into the town, Neville had elected to remain at Grimmauld Place to wait for Tonks and Remus. The group had decided to take the opportunity to pay some visits, on the way to their eventual destination.
To any, who took any notice, the six gave the appearance of well off tourists walking into town, which was not unusual. Though they knew that any members of the magical community were highly likely to recognise at least one of them, they hoped to at least blend in well enough to avoid a fuss. This was Harry's first opportunity to visit what had been the town of refuge for his parents, so a visit with little attention was what they wanted.
The main street into town from their arrival point was not wide, though two muggle cars could easily pass each other on it. There was a footpath along each side, the front doors of the terraces of this part of town led straight off it into the houses. This street of brick built terraced houses were out of character with most of the other buildings in the town, which were stone built, but had been built to house railway workers when that had reached the town. The men of these houses had been employed in the now long closed maintenance depot, goods yard and station that had served the town, the tracks had now gone from the route at the edge of the town. The workshop and station were now houses, even the old signal box and water tower had new uses, but were now memories of the once busy line.
Soon the red brick and tile roofed terrace gave way to slate or thatch, topping stone walled cottages with gardens in front of them, behind white painted fences or green tightly clipped hedges, some with roses growing round the doorway. Only a few minutes later they emerged into the square, which bustled with activity. So far, although they had passed some people, none had shown any sign of recognising them, giving them the private visit they wanted, though now they would be part of the crowd.
The church on one side of the busy square and shops with a pub on the other three, enclosed the lines of stalls that had been set up for the day. As they had seen from the hill, they had unknowingly timed their visit on Market Day, the place was very busy, and the crowds should help them maintain their anonymity. There was a good range of independent traders, mixed with one or two larger chains amongst the permanent shops. The bank still bore it's former name as well as the one of the current large, company that owned it, the fact it was still open testament to the vibrancy of the community and surrounding farms. That not one of the other shops, ranging from grocers and butchers to newsagents and card shop as well as the three pubs and four cafés, was empty, showed that this town was thriving. As well as the Chip shop attached to the fishmongers, there was also a Pizza shop and both an Indian and a Chinese takeaway as well as a small restaurant in the square. They noticed that the last shop next to the church hall was a florist, making it very convenient for those tending any of the graves.
The Market itself was clearly the main attraction in town today, a number of stalls had been erected, and each one was occupied. The traders selling all manner of items from Meat, fish, fruit, and veg to hardware and toys. There were stalls full of books, crockery and tableware, another laden with jars of Jam, Honey, pickles and preserves. Loaves of bread of a multitude of shapes, together with other breads filled a stall next to another with cakes, tarts, and Biscuits. One stall held a multitude of rounds of local cheeses, which the trader cut to the weight that was required by the customer. A van sold ice cream from the local dairy, both to eat now in cones, or to take home in tubs, there were a number of flavours available. The pie stall was popular, selling every variety from meat to vegetable and fruit, even pasties and sausage rolls were on offer. Pet food, as well as wild bird food and accessories were sold from a stall close to the pens of animals. There was even a stall selling locally made baskets and another that sold gemstones and fossils. The stalls were a cornucopia of goods, sellers and customers, a busy, lively and cheerful event in the town.
Half of the square was given over to pens holding livestock, the floor of each was strewn with straw. A circular auction space had been formed to one side, where the auctioneer conducted his trade, with fast efficiency and seemingly in a language only those in the know could understand. Farmers arrived regularly with trailers full of Sheep, pigs, cattle, even deer ducks, chickens, geese and Turkeys for sale. Once the hammer fell, the animals were taken to one of the pens on the other side of the circle, a label placed on the gate. The buyer would pay for them, at a hut, before loading them on their own trailer, to take them away. Anyone could walk round the pens, or stand in the bidding area around the circle where the animals were shown, though it was clear that if you stood there you must remain still, unless you wanted to bid. Any slight twitch or movement seemed to count as a bid, so care had to be taken, if you did not want to end up buying one of the lots. An area behind the ring held a small amount of farming equipment and tools, including some which would only be decorative rather than useful on a modern farm, which was to be sold later in the day.
A stone memorial stood close to one of the pubs on one side of the square, in a respectful space left by the arrangement of the stalls, so people could spend time their if they wished. Closest to the churchyard gate though, was a stall selling, towels, sheets, dolls, ornaments, and a multitude of other items, the stallholder attracting a crowd with typical market banter. On the other side of the gate was a small carousel, cranked round by hand, giving children a ride, being operated by the church scout group, under the watchful eyes of their leaders. They were gathering the fares for each rider, to raise money for new tents and equipment for the troop.
They walked into the square, first looking round the pens at the animals, but not lingering near the auction ring before making their way to the stalls. It was more crowded among the stalls, and although there was space between each row, it was slower going if they tried to move as a group, so almost imperceptibly they moved to walk in couples. Each of them were taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the lively country market, full of men talking, children playing and women getting on with the reason they had come as quickly as they could.
The tourists, who had chosen today to visit, stood out in the crowd from the residents, not just in their attire or the cameras round their necks, but also in the way they moved round the market. The residents mostly rushed round, carrying bags, getting whatever they needed to get, perhaps stopping to chat with stallholders who knew them by name, or even briefly speaking with other residents they knew. While those from outside the community, simply perused the stalls soaking in the atmosphere at a far more leisurely pace. It was a marked a contrast to those who knew where to find what they wanted and where the stall was that they could get it from. It was interesting to observe the different behaviours of the individuals in the crowd as the family walked through, casually observing those around them, watching for any signs of recognition from those they passed. The fact that the locals were so familiar with where the stalls were, indicated that the market stalls were arranged in the same way each time it was held. Narcissa said that it was usually once a week in the town nearest to Malfoy Manor, a pattern they thought likely to be followed here.
Harry noticed that while he had some difficulty separating local Witches and Wizards from the Muggles who lived here, the visiting Magical folk not only stood out as tourists, but did so from the rest of the visitors as well. The visiting Witches and Wizards had dressed how they thought Muggles did, and although they were somewhat successful, there was always something that was out of place. Whether it was a hat that most no longer wore, miss matched suit, or as in one case a Wizard wearing a pink cardigan with fluffy bunnies on it, there was something that betrayed the fact the wearer was not used to being outside the Magical community. It was clear, though, they had made an effort, and were more successful than the man in a dress he had seen in the campsite at the Quidditch World cup last summer.
It took over twenty minutes before the Potters, Blacks and Malfoys had passed through the stalls to the church side of the square, successfully managing it without bidding on any of the animals or buying from the stalls. They had a destination in mind which was the reason they had crossed the square rather than bypassing it and heading straight to Peverell Abbey, so for them the Market was a distraction from that, albeit an interesting one. Although he was entertaining, they ignored the friendly banter from the stallholder near the gate, who was trying to get their attention onto his goods. They went through the gate and entered the churchyard, Narcissa leading the way in, almost breathing a sigh of relief at having got there. Propped up, facing the gate, they noticed a sign with an arrow pointing to the entrance to the Church Hall, from the graveyard. It told them that they would find a display by the local history group in the hall, as well as light refreshments. In a way Harry wished they could visit it, but knew they probably would not have time on this occasion, besides he needed to go to where they were headed, that was far more important to him this time.
They had decided, before arriving, that as well as inspecting Peverell Abbey, they would use the visit as a pilgrimage of sorts. The family would visit the places of importance to, as well as to mourn at the grave of the woman who linked them. They knew it was her adoptive name carved on the stone that marked her resting place, with her husband, but that hardly mattered. It was their kin and Harry's first chance to see where his parents rested and the places they had been connected to in Godrics Hollow.
The Churchyard was well tended and cared for, by the look of a few of the stones it was also still in use. The church was mostly built of smooth cut stone in medieval Gothic style with a tower housing a belfry and clock, topped with a Union Flag fluttering in the breeze from its white painted pole. An earlier apse of rough stone was at the opposite end of the nave from the tower, contrasting with the rest of the building, a weather vane mounted on the peak of the roof of the nave above it. The Churches walls were pierced by large windows most of which appeared to contain stained-glass, at least from what they could tell. The doorway was under a porch and filled with a large, almost black, wooden door with heavy metal fittings. A smaller door on a small side room built out on this side of the nave, had a second path, leading to a gate to a garden and house behind the hall, presumably the vicarage.
As they walked past a large Yew tree, down the pathways between the gravestones, Harry spotted a few familiar names on the stones, Peverell and Dumbledore amongst them. A few people were wandering amongst the stones in the yard, occasionally stopping to read an inscription. Beyond a Yew hedge that stood near the furthest edge of the churchyard, there seemed to be a group queueing in a particular area of stones.
"I'll bet that is where we want to be." Sighed Bella.
The others silently nodded, and they made there way over towards the queue. As they approached it became clear that the people were indeed queueing to file past the grave they had come to visit, most pausing to gaze at the stone, some kneeling and touching the grass of the grave. The family's approach was soon noticed by some of those queuing, they saw several pairs of eyes momentarily widened, especially among the children stood with their parents. Recognising the family those in the queue stepped aside, indicating they should pass, many of them offering a sympathetic smile and nod to Harry as he passed, them. Bella and Sirius lead the way, nodding their gratitude to those who let them through. Harry held tight to Ginny's hand smiling nervously at the families they passed, one young girl squealed in excitement as the whisper went down the line ahead of them. "Harry Potter is here."
The couple who were stood in front of the grave, moved away as Sirius and Bella approached. Although they had intuitively known it already, they could see that Bella had been right, this was the grave of Harry's parents. They stopped and allowed Harry and Ginny in front of them, Narcissa and Draco took there place behind them as well, forming a protective wall around the couple, so that they could view the grave with some degree of privacy.
Harry didn't notice, but most of those in the queue dispersed to give them the time they wanted, though many did not go far, almost all were being respectful. Those with children who were puzzled, took the time to quietly explain what was going on. One man who had watched what had happened and saw the family stood at the grave, suddenly bellowed. "Oi you lot I saw you, followed you in and saw you push past all these good people, this is, or was a queue you know."
Bella turned to the man. "Please do as the rest have, have some respect, allow her brother and son to visit in peace."
"Her Brother?" He shouted. "She had no brother, just a muggle sister. Who on earth do you think you are? Harry Potter?"
Harry stepped round Bella, tears already in his eyes. "Yes!" He said with barely controlled calm. "Actually I am, now leave me in peace with my parents" Tears were now streaming down his cheeks as he turned back and fell to his knees in front of the grave.
The crowd had already moved away from the man, not wanting to be associated with him, many appalled at his behaviour, not that he noticed. The pompous man loudly complained about celebrities who think they own the place and having the cheek to believe they were more entitled than he. Some of those still close by him shook their heads, and tried to tell him to stop being such a fool, explaining this was a grave not just a tourist attraction. He huffed, and walked back towards the gate, though not out of it.
"Why was that man shouting at poor Harry?" They heard the little girl who had squealed ask.
"Some people are just rude I'm afraid dear." The family heard her mother reply.
"I just wanted to kick that man for shouting, but then when I saw Harry and how sad he was. It was all I could do, not to go give him a hug. That man was just mean and horrible!" The girl replied.
Harry looked at Ginny and smiled weakly at what the girl had said, comforted at the youngsters words.
Ginny held him, as for the first time he grieved for his parents, while Sirius, Narcissa, and Bella spoke to the grave, telling Carina and James all they had discovered and the events of the last couple of weeks. Draco knelt beside his new friends and tended the grave, as best he could by hand, removing the faded flowers left by visitors, moving fresher ones closer to the grave.
They had fifteen minutes of peace, quarter of an hour undisturbed grieving, a short period for the family's first visit, but that was all they got before a bright flash interrupted them.
"How Charming, the boy who lived grieves at the graves of his parents. I can see the headlines now." The unwelcome, but familiar voice rang out.
Authors Notes.
For those who missed my edit on the last Chapter, the day I posted it I was later rushed into hospital with severe chest pains. I added the note to the chapter some time later after I had been stabalised by the medics. The next day a had a major operation, from which I am steadily, slowly, recovering and am house bound for the time being and only able to cope with limited activity of any kind without falling asleep, including time writing. So along with my usual thanks, I would like to thank those of you who messaged me their good wishes both in reviews and in the messaging system on here, they have helped cheer me during this time. I need to take things steady for now, as I recover but I shall get chapters up as soon as I possibly can while I do. Meanwhile I really appreciate your support.
Until next time.
Tgfoy