Chapter 14: The Reading
Harry woke up naked the next morning next to his equally naked wife. The previous night had been one of the best of his entire life. He couldn't help but grin at his thoughts strayed to the previous evening.
They had made love three times. He had definitely been up for more but Nym couldn't. After the first round she was rather sore since it was her first time. By the end of the third she was too sore to continue on. That, however, did not stop her from falling asleep with a smile on her face. Harry stayed up and watched her sleep for about half an hour before deciding it best to get some rest at about 3:00 a.m.
He and Nym had decided that she would use the birth control potion for now. It wasn't so much that they were worried about Voldemort as much as Harry wasn't sure that he was ready for a kid quite yet. After all, he had only found out he was getting married a month ago. They also decided that since the potion only lasted for a month at a time, that once a month, they would have a discussion as to whether or not to continue its use.
Nym started to stir next to him and he tightened his grip around her waist. She woke up and tried to roll over only to be stopped by his firm grip. She wiggled up against him in retaliation. Once she got the desired response he loosened up his grip and she rolled over in the bed to face him. Ignoring his problem poking her in the stomach she leaned in and kissed him.
"Good morning love."
"Morning Nym. Feeling better yet?"
"Still a little sore but I'm sure I can get a muscle relaxing potion from downstairs."
"You know I didn't mean to hurt you, right?"
"Don't be ridiculous Harry. If I didn't want to keep going then we wouldn't have. And believe me when I say that there is nothing to complain about over last night's activities." She said with a grin
"And what do you plan on doing now that you have me all worked up?"
"I figured I would take a shower and get dressed. Whatever you wanted to do about it is your choice. You shouldn't have held me captive when I woke up. This is the penalty."
"Is that so?" He asked with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
"I believe it is. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to take a shower. The last thing I need is a repeat of yesterday morning."
"What about yesterday morning?" He asked getting out of bed with her.
"Hermione and Ginny were awake when I got back to my mum's house after your bachelor party. I didn't take a shower before I got there and well…..to put it bluntly, I smelled like sex." The only response she got was a raised eyebrow so she continued. "I'm sure you smelled it last night, but, I had to dodge questions from my mum and the two of them and I would rather not have to do that again this morning. Not to mention the hot shower may help with the soreness."
"Would you like some help?" Harry wasn't totally naïve. He had heard stories from other boys about having sex in showers. He wasn't going to push her into it but it didn't mean he wouldn't try for it either.
"I doubt either one of us will end up clean if that happens" She responded wryly.
"Never know until you try" Harry quipped.
"I guess it won't hurt to try. We still have about five hours before the reading, so we aren't exactly in a hurry."
Harry followed Nym as they walked around their floor at Grimmauld Place. They needed to find the bathroom so they opted for a quick tour of their living area so they would know where everything was at.
It wasn't much to look at, all considered. It was a standard one house layout. None of the rooms were huge but they were moderately sized. It was more functional than for show and both Harry and Nym appreciated it. They had a small living room that had a couch, loveseat, and two armchairs. There was a small coffee table and fireplace too. The dining room and kitchen were in one room that was slightly bigger than the living room. There was a full cooking area as well as a table for four set in the corner.
The kitchen was stocked with the items that Harry had purchased earlier that summer in Diagon Alley. It was apparent that Remus, and whoever else helped him, had packed up and moved their belongings into the area for them.
Apparently their bedroom was the largest room of them all. It appeared that they had knocked down one wall between two rooms to make it the size it is now. It was a welcome change from the cramped living quarters they had at Privet Drive.
The last room they found was the one they had started their search looking for. The restroom was right next to the living room. It had a larger than average bathtub in it and was more than large enough for both of them to get ready in at the same time.
The only remarkable thing to point out about their living area was that it looked absolutely nothing like Grimmauld Place. The walls were painted and shining in an off-white color and the floors were all carpeted in dark blue. The area looked like it could have been a brand new house, and that was saying something considering the amount of time that all of them had spent cleaning last summer and they hardly made a dent in making the house look nice.
Now that the mini-tour was complete, they walked over to tub and Nym turned on the taps. She wanted to take a bath that morning instead of a shower, so they could relax and not waste all of the hot water in the house while they 'washed' each other.
Apparently Nym wasn't as sore as she thought. It was almost two and a half hours later that they exited the bathroom cleaned up and ready to go for the day. It was now 2:00 and they had two more hours before the reading of the will would take place.
They decided to go and see what everyone else was doing for now and left through the password protected door.
They tried to find everyone else and it seemed that they were all congregated in the sitting room. Harry and Nym walked in hand in hand and took a seat on the loveseat before looking up at the rest of the room.
"What's up guys?" Harry asked
"We didn't expect to see either of you down here until it was time to go to the reading. We decided it best not to bother you for the day." Remus answered.
"Why is everybody in here?" Nym asked.
"Something interesting happened last night. Apparently when you two…um…consummated your marriage," Remus paused to admire the shade of red they both turned. Most of the other people in the room laughed or blushes slightly too, except Ron, who didn't quite catch the meaning of the term. "Well….after that happened, the tapestry in here updated."
"That isn't possible." Nym stated still fighting the redness of her face. "My mum was disowned so I was never apart of the original tapestry and Harry isn't a blood relative or we wouldn't have had to do this to begin with."
"I agree with both of those statements; however, it does not change the fact that both you and Harry are on the tapestry right now."
"Can I see the tapestry?" Harry interrupted the proceedings.
"Sure, come on over here and take a look."
Harry and Nym walked over and observed the tapestry. The tapestry looked identical to the last time Harry has seen it with one small exception. At the bottom of the tapestry, beneath everything else on the tree, and attached to nothing above it, were their names. Nymphadora Tonks Potter-Black 1974- and Harry James Potter-Black 1980-
It was almost as though they were a new tree separate from the old one. "This almost looks like a new tree, but how" Harry asked.
"I think I can answer that Mr. Potter." Everybody in the room turned to face Dumbledore as he stood in the doorway. "I had not necessarily expected this to happen but it is for the best that it did.
"It is indeed a new Black Family tree. The magic embedded into these tapestries will not allow the removal of the head of the family. In this case, Harry, this house, and the tapestry, recognize you as the new head of the Black family. Any record of the Black family will now be updated with your names on it.
"This actually works in our favor since Gringotts has a scroll for every family in the Wizarding world. These scrolls contain the most updated lists of the heads and heirs of all of the families. They are technically identical to the family trees except they are in list format instead of an actual tree format."
"Excuse me, sir, but how exactly does this help us" Nym asked.
"With those scrolls in place, the Malfoy's will be unable to contest the decision. The magic of the Black family has accepted the two of you as Blacks and Harry as the Head of the family." This statement was met with nods of understanding from everyone in the room.
Hermione broke the silence with a question of her own. "What do we call you now, Mrs. Potter?"
Nym looked pensive as she thought it through. Harry had chosen a new name for her since she wasn't a Tonks any longer, but she liked having a name that only he called her. "Keep calling me Tonks for now. I have grown accustomed to it so it will be easier for now."
"Well then, Tonks, and Harry, we must be on our way. Remus you should be there as well. I am not sure who all is receiving anything but I assume it is safe to say that Sirius would have wanted you there."
"We still have an hour before the reading. It is necessary to go just yet" Remus asked.
"Unfortunately it is. There is some other business that must be brought to the goblins attention once we are there." He took out his wand and made a portkey from a book that took them to the Leaky Cauldron. "I didn't think you would want to make such a dramatic appearance in the middle of the alley. I know that you and Tonks have been here a few times over the summer and have been relatively unbothered but with the news of your wedding, I think it is for the best." He said the last to Harry.
They headed off towards Gringotts together. Harry and Nym held hands and were in the middle of Dumbledore and Remus. They drew a lot of stares from the patrons of the alley and ignored them all. Around five minutes later they arrived at the front doors of Gringotts and approached a teller.
"Albus Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, and Harry and Nymphadora Potter are here for the reading of Sirius Black's will. Albus Dumbledore also requests the reading of James and Lily Potter's wills today after the regular proceedings." He looked at Harry after saying this and was a little surprised that Harry showed no signs of shock at learning of his parents will.
Harry saw the look and spoke up. "I know about the Potter family vault. I found out about it earlier this summer when I came here. It was just one more mistake on your part for keeping it from me. It was something that I had the right to know about and you kept if from me like everything else. However, this is neither the time nor the place to have a conversation like this. I am not happy about it but in the end there is not a whole lot I can do about it now so I have accepted it. Just know that I am not happy with you, again."
Dumbledore nodded his head with a sad look on his face. He knew after telling him of the prophecy that the other secrets would come out too. He also knew that there was no way to make up for past mistakes, only to work on the future. He was just glad that Harry had not exploded in front of everyone at Gringotts. The last thing the Wizarding world needed was a public fight between the two most famous light wizards.
The small group walked into the conference room, being led by a goblin called Belhook. After leading them into the room Belhook left to arrange the reading of the Potter's wills. The small room was almost void of people. Narcissa and Draco Malfoy were present in addition to themselves and another goblin. The goblin introduced himself as Tenhook. Tenhook was the head of the inheritance department at Gringotts.
Once everyone was set at the table, the goblin began. "It has come to my knowledge that you, Mrs. Malfoy, wish to contest the contents of the written will. Is this correct?"
"It most certainly is. Based on the purity laws set forth by the Ministry of Magic centuries ago, he," she sneered and pointed her finger at Harry. "cannot inherit anything. He is not a blood relative and the law prevents the estate from being passed on to someone not related by blood."
"Your claim is noted. The will reading will proceed normally and at the end of the reading we will address your claim.
"The following is the last will and testament of one Sirius Orion Black:" Nym looked over at her husband and noticed that, despite putting up a strong front so far, he was close to losing his composure. She reached under the table and grabbed his hand, giving it a firm squeeze. He returned the gesture without even looking at her. His eyes were focused on Tenhook.
"I, Sirius Orion Black, being of sound mind and body, do hereby declare this to be my last will and testament.
"I am going to make this quick. I am sure that the only people that have shown up here today are my best friend Remus, my godson Harry, and my probably my cousin Narcissa to steal whatever she can.
"If anybody else showed up then I would guess it to be Andromeda and her family. If you are there, know that I have missed you and, even though I have been out of prison for two years, I could not contact you. I have met Nymphy though and if you are here then take that as a parting shot from your favorite cousin. I never could call you that without being chased around the house with curses flying.
"So, to make this as simple as possible, I am leaving Remus J Lupin, with 3,000,000 galleons from the Black family vault to do with as he wishes. My choice is for new robes, but, hey it's your money now.
"As far as the rest of the estate is concerned, I leave it to my heir, Harry James Potter. I am writing this will at the beginning of your fifth year at Hogwarts. I plan to update this every year in case something happens to you or Remus. Since you are hearing this version then obviously I did not live to see you turn 16.
"I am truly sorry for that. It may just be wishful thinking on my part, but I assume that you did not take my death very well. I am also equally sure that Remus did not either. Try and find some comfort from each other. If this is not possible then my suggestion is to get drunk and shag a pretty woman for me. I guess that whole being of sound my and body wasn't exactly true, but you know me, and this is something that I would have told you if I was alive anyways.
"I am not sure what exactly is in my estate so you will have to ask the goblins for a complete listing of what my family owned.
"If Narcissa, Bellatrix, or anyone else showed up in hopes of getting something, then I have a message for you. You have made your choices in life and I have made mine. My choice is leave you with nothing. You sold your soul to the devil and now you will live with it. I will never allow anything else of the Black Family to go to support the Dark Lord. If you are here on his orders then go back and tell him you failed and enjoy the consequences as my parting gift to you.
"I guess that concludes everything that I wish to say. Have wonderful lives, if I got along with you, if I didn't, then you probably serve Voldemort and deserve the life of hell he will surely provide you with.
"Signed, Sirius Orion Black. Dated September 3, 1995." Tenhook placed the signed copy of the will on the table for everyone to see.
"Now, Mrs. Malfoy, I am aware of the laws so we will continue with your contestation of the will.
"Mr. Lupin, regardless of the outcome of these proceedings your inheritance remains intact. The law only applies to bequeathing the majority, fifty-one percent, of the estate to a non-blood relative.
"Mr. Potter, are you aware of the purity laws and Mrs. Malfoy's claim?"
"I am." He replied. His eyes were devoid of emotion but he held a firm grip on his wife's hand.
"Is there anything you have to say on your behalf?"
"Her claim is invalid and the written will stands correct."
"Liar. Just because your engaged to the half blood doesn't give you any right to my money" Draco shouted the first sound he had made since Harry entered the room.
"You are of course correct, Draco. My being engaged to Tonks does not entitle me to anything." Harry responded still devoid of emotion. Draco grinned in triumph but his grin faltered and his mother became outraged as Harry continued.
"You are not the only ones who know the laws. My engagement to Tonks does not grant me anything, that is true, but my marriage to her most certainly does. My wife and I were married yesterday afternoon. This means that any of our children will be Black's by blood and provides a loophole in these laws."
"I don't believe you. I want proof that this is the case. You could just be saying that you are married so that you can get all of this."
"Are you that stupid Malfoy? Do you really think I care about the money? I could care less about the money. I would rather have my godfather back than take a sickle of his money. I have no reason to lie here today." Harry's temper rose the more he had to hear from the blonde haired ferret.
"I think you will find that the Black family scroll has indeed updated and accepted Mr. Potter as the next Head of the Black family." Dumbledore interrupted.
"Tenhook, if you please…." Dumbledore motioned for him to retrieve the scroll.
Tenhook retrieved the scroll from his box of files concerning the Black family. "They are both correct, Mrs. Malfoy. The scroll has accepted him as the next Head of the family.
"I herby declare your contestation null and void."
"You won't get away with this, Potter. The Dark Lord will take what is rightfully his and I will be there to help him" Draco yelled as his mother kept trying to shut him up while dragging him from the room.
Harry turned to Dumbledore. "How much more proof do you need, Headmaster. He admits to supporting Voldemort. I will not go easy on him this year if he tries anything. If you will not suspend him then you sure as hell better not let him run around unchecked. That is one mistake I will never forgive you for as you have fair warning."
"Harry, you must under-"
"We will continue with the Potter's will now" Tenhook interrupted as Belhook arrived in the room.
"Would you like to do a formal reading or would you just like the will to be executed and then be provided with a copy" Tenhook asked Harry and Nym.
Harry looked at Nym and saw nothing but love and understanding in her eyes. "I think I would prefer it to be executed and then receive a copy. I would rather go over it some other day."
"Understandable Mr. Potter." Tenhook fished through the box he brought and the box that Belhook arrived with. "Here is the copy of the assets for the Black and Potter families. Everything listed therein is yours minus the 3,000,000 galleons that went to Mr. Lupin.
"Have a nice day." Tenhook and Belhook exited the room and left the small group alone together.
"Harry as I was saying." Dumbledore began.
"No, Headmaster. I gave you warning. This conversation is not for further discussion. You admitted your mistakes and that you didn't want to make any more of them. I am telling you now how to avoid one. I will not forgive you if something happens to one of my friends or Nym because you did not listen and put a leash on the ferret. If you'll excuse me." He deadpanned and both he and Nym left the room with Remus following shortly behind leaving Dumbledore to ponder his next course of action.
"I'm sorry about that Remus. I didn't mean to get up and leave you but I couldn't be in that room with Dumbledore any longer."
"No worries Harry. It's been an emotional day for all of us. If you want me there when you read your parents will just let me know."
"Thanks Remus."
"Come on love. I think you could use some sleep." Nym said almost dragging Harry towards the Leaky Cauldron. Once there they floo'd to Grimmauld Place and went up to their room, avoiding everyone's questions about how it went.
Harry and Nym undressed and went to bed naked. The just laid in each others arms, not saying anything before finally succumbing to sleep an hour later.