Author's Note: The details will be at the bottom, I don't want to give anything away. Enjoy!


The Scribe of the Wizengamot chambers, a wizard named Henry Higgs, hit the gavel on the podium in the center of the room, gathering the chatting occupant's attention. "The meeting room will come to order. We are now holding the December Wizengamot meeting. The date is the twenty-seventh of December at half past nine in the morning. Chief Warlock Gladys Cresswell, are all appointed Lords and Ladies at their seats?" The Wizengamot Scribe stated loudly once the Chamber doors sealed behind the last person to enter the room.

Chief Warlock Cresswell cleared her throat, standing up from her seat, "All the nobility are at their stations, Scribe."

"Are all elected officials at their seats?"

"All Ministry workers are at their stations."

"Are all guests in the appointed viewing section, Chief Warlock Cresswell?" The Scribe asked.

"All guests are seated, Scribe. Do you have a record of any previous business which should now be transacted?"

"I do not, Chief Warlock." The Scribe answered, banging once more with the gavel before moving to the left of the chambers and sitting in the special desk designated for the scribe.

Cresswell walked to the podium before tapping the gavel. "Welcome Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot as well as the Regents and Proxies, Department Heads of the British Ministry of Magic and guests. First order of business, are there any House Business that needs to be declared at this moment?"

Harry, sitting in the middle of the room with the other Heads of the Most Ancient and Most Noble houses, took a moment to glance around before movement to her right had her drawing her attention to Most Ancient houses where Lord Greengrass raised his wand. Chief Warlock nodded her head before speaking, "The Wizengamot recognizes Lord Greengrass."

Lord Reginald Greengrass stood up, his plum Wizengamot robes settling around him as his lowered his wand before speaking. "House of Greengrass removes Heir Cygnus Greengrass as Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass. The House of Greengrass is appointing Scion Cyril Greengrass as Heir Apparent, so I have sworn, so mote it be."

"The Wizengamot recognizes that Cygnus Greengrass is no longer the Heir of House Greengrass. The Wizengamot recognizes that Scion Cyril Greengrass is now Heir Apparent Cyril Greengrass." Cresswell took a moment for silence before asking again, "Are there any other House business?"

Harry waited a breath before raising her wand, instantly gathering the rooms attention.

"The Wizengamot recognizes Lady Peverell."

"The House of Peverell formally inducted a lost member of the house. The House of Peverell is no longer considered an endangered house, so I have sworn, so mote it be." There was immediately gasps as the various people in the stands discussed with their neighbors what it meant. An endangered House was when the population of those considered members of the house dwindled down to one - as the case had been when she had been Hariel Potter. Upon the death of her parents, the house of Potter was considered an endangered house.

"The Wizengamot recognizes that The House of Peverell is no longer endangered."

"The House of Peverell appoints Thomas Peverell as Heir so I have sworn, so mote it be."

The Wizengamot had always been interestingly divided. There were four houses considered Royalty: Peverell, Tudor, Windsor and Wessex. Tudor remained the only house of the four that was dormant with Harry rebuilding the House of Peverell. From there, it went to Most Ancient and Most Noble of which there were eight houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Ollivander, Ambrosius, Rothschilde, Anjou. Of those houses, only Ollivander and Rothschilde were active and Slytherin would be awaken soon when Tom turned seventeen, old enough to rebuild the House. The Most Ancient and Noble houses came next: Black, Malfoy, Longbottom, Flamel, Nott, Zabini, Greengrass, Capet, Lancester and York with the last two being inactive houses. From there, the Ancient and Most Noble Houses were MacNair, Parkinson, Burke, Lestrange, Potter, Boot, Cattermole, Montague, Goyle, Crabbe, Patil, Dolohov and Warrington. The last houses included in the Wizengamot were Slewyn, Slughorn, Bones, Avery, Flint, Fawley, Prewett, Rosier, Prince, Bagshot, Bletchy, Buchanan, Davies, Dawlish, Fortescue, Kettleburn, McLaggen, Scamander, Tremelett, Merrythought, Entwhistle, and Hopkirk. From there, Noble houses, which numbered twenty were allowed to attend meetings but were unable to cast a deciding vote on anything. Elder houses, the next step below on the ladder, were unable to attend Wizengamot meetings and common houses - those of no nobility at all, were the general masses.

"The Wizengamot recognizes Scion Thomas Peverell is now Heir Thomas Peverell." There was a pause as Harry gingerly sat herself down, while whispers continued to spread throughout the hall. After a moment, the Chief Warlock raised her voice before asking, "Is there any other House Business which should be discussed?" The Chief Warlock continued after the silence that answered her before hitting the gavel once more and continuing, "Our first order of business is the proposal that arrived on my desk last week concerning the regulation of common potion ingredients from outside the country. You've had several days to go over the information, who wishes to speak first?"

Harry tuned out most of the meeting as several different proposals were discussed, none of which she needed to give an opinion on as it wasn't anything she particularly interested in any of the topics. Most were extremely mundane topics designed to save the author of the propsed bill some galleons. The meeting grew to a close closer to two hours later. Cresswell addressed the room, "Scribe, do you have a record of any further business which should now be transacted?"

"I have none, Chief Warlock." The Scribe stated from his seat.

The Chief Warlock nodded, "Does any member know of any new or unfinished business which should properly come before this meeting?" Silence was her answer. "We are about to adjourn this meeting of the December Wizengamot meeting. The next meeting will be held January twentieth of the new year. I now declare this meeting adjourned." She hit the gavel one more time, officially ending the meeting.

Harry sat up, brushing off imaginary lint from the plum-colored Wizengamot robes. She took her time descended down the steps from the section of seating where she and the other four Heads of the Most Ancient and Most Noble families were located. With only the Peverell, Wessex, Windsor, Rothschild, and Ollivander seats being active and Ollivander never participating in anything despite his mandatory appearance, it had been the lower houses who had ruled the Wizengamot. Split between Dark, Neutral and Light-leaning it meant that the neutral houses had significant sway in each decision.

By the next session, Harry with Tom by her side, would effectively destroy any and all partial alliances that had been created. Ollivander was neutral along with Windsor while Rothschild typically held sway with the Dark factions and Wessex with the Light factions. With the Peverell seat in a state of neutral as Harry hasn't made any moves on her views yet and Tom about to become Lord of Slytherin, it was two more seats that would change the tide of everything. After Tom's party, when they announced his acceptance of the Lord Ring, she knew she would be receiving multiple requests for meetings of other houses who would wish to align under her. With Tom being her Heir, despite the fact that he would become a Lord in his own right, everyone would look to her for answers when she would allow Tom to be calling most of the shots. Taking a moment to glance around the adjourned meeting room, Harry took notice of several small groups of Lords and Ladies who stood chatting. She could see the small pockets of alliance that were taking place.

Taking a moment, Harry slowly strolled her way towards a group of four: Lord Black, Lord Nott, Lord Malfoy and Lady MacNair. The four stood talking quietly off to the side with Lord Malfoy halting his words as he noticed her approaching. "Lady Peverell, is there something to which I can help you with?"

Harry smiled as politely as she could manage, "My Heir was hoping to host Heir Malfoy after his Welcoming Ceremony. I figured I should ask in person rather than wait for an owl."

"I shall think on it and send you a reply later today." Lord Malfoy nodded back.

"Thank you, Lord Malfoy. If you will excuse me," she nodded to each of them before being stopped by Lord Nott.

"Lady Peverell, may I walk with you?"

Harry paused for a moment before giving a single nod, "Of course, Lord Nott. I would be most delighted for your presence. I was about to head to Diagon Alley for some lunch if you would care to join me."

"It would be my honor to escort you, Lady Peverell." He sent her a soft smile and nod before saying his goodbyes to the three others and walking with her out of the room.

The duo exchanged small talk as they walked through the ministry, heading up the elevator's before making their way through the atrium to the floo network. Anything more personal or serious would wait until they have the privacy of their own booth to sit at while having lunch. After stepping through the floo and ending up in the floo landing of Diagon Alley, an alcove that was specifically designed with the left side for floo and the right for apparition. Harry stepped out of the way once she landed, watching as Lord Nott appeared only moments later.

"Is there somewhere in particular that you wished to dine at, my lady?" Lord Nott asked as they stepped away from the alcove and into the busy streets of Diagon Alley.

"I was thinking the Jade Palace or the Faerie Gardens. Is there one you prefer, my lord?"

Lord Nott smiled, showing off his straight and clean teeth. "Faerie Gardens is always an excellent choice for a relaxing luncheon." He held out his arm, which she accepted by resting her hand in the crook of his elbow. It took only a few moments for them to wade through the crowds of witches and wizards who passed by them. Harry glanced up at the entrance of the restaurant. Two tall pillars stood as the doorway with the beginnings of vines wrapped around them that lead inside the building. The witch and wizard walked in, taking note of how the vines immediately seemed to cover every inch of the wall and ceiling, with small buds of colorful blooming flowers decorated the vines.

A young wizard stood at a podium at the end of the hallway, smiling politely at the two of them. The hallway had blossomed into what appeared to be a secret garden. Vines and bushes and greenery was everywhere Harry looked. From her current view, she could see that different private open doorways lead to the secluded booths. In the center of the restaurant laid a small, waist-high maze with several benches scattered throughout it. Harry knew that if she stood in the maze, she would be able to look around and see who was in each booth but would be unable to hear any conversation due to the secrecy runes that were carved into every booth. Floating lights strung up among the tree branches that made up the ceiling set the mood for a relaxing, romantic view. "For two?" The garcon asked, picking up two menus.

Lord Nott simply nodded before they followed the young wizard to a private booth. Harry sat down, smoothing out her robes before accepting the menu from the wizard and glancing at Lord Nott who sat across from her. Lord Nott smiled at her before asking, "May I choose the wine?"

Harry nodded in deferment, having never been one to be choosy with her wine, simply allowing the waiters to choose for her. Lord Nott smiled before looking at the waiter, "1811 Chateau d'Yguem."

"Bottle or glasses sir?" The young wizard asked.

"The bottle."

Harry took a moment to look over her menu as the garcon bowed and stepped away, giving them their privacy. "Thank you for accompanying me for lunch, Lord Nott."

"Please, while it is just the two of us, call me Nicholas. It is an honor for a moment of your company."

The Master of Death took a moment before replying, if she called him so personally, and allowed him to do the same, it was a very large step towards building a potential relationship - where it was romantic, business or simply platonic. One she hadn't yet with any other of her peers besides the darling Tom and Newt. However as Tom was her Heir, that level of closeness was expected while she had met Newt before becoming a Lady, and he certainly had no cares towards Nobles or Lords and Ladies. "Call me Hariel then, Nicolas."

The garcon came back with the bottle of wine, two glasses and a chilled bowl for the bottle to rest in. Without a word, he poured the duo a glass of wine before placing the bottle at the end of the table. "May I have your orders, my Lord and Lady?"

"A spring mix with peaches, walnuts and feta for myself." Harry stated, handing the menu off to the waiter who graciously accepted it.

"For yourself, my lord?"

"A pear salad with glazed walnuts." Nicholas stated, having the waiter his menu.

"Your food will be with you shortly." The waiter bowed once before leaving.

"How is your Heir, Hariel?" Nicholas asked, taking a sip of his wine.

"He has been well, he is most excited for his upcoming birthday as well as visiting Gringotts for his inheritance test." Harry answered with a smile. Tom had been fidgety as the days passed as he couldn't wait to be a legal adult in the wizarding community.

Nicholas chuckled, "I remember being that age, so eager to be considered an adult."

"If you don't mind me asking, Nicholas, who is your Heir?" Harry asked before picking up her glass and tasting the wine.

"My younger brother is at the moment unless I have children later on. I'm the oldest of three, with one brother and a sister who is younger than both of us. She graduated Hogwarts two years ago in fact. Since Nott is from a patriarchal line, it would pass from my younger brother to my uncle and then his children."

Harry blinked in surprise, she forgotten that some Houses were patriarchal and matriarchal. Peverell was one of the few Houses that didn't care about gender, but rather who would be best suited for leading the family. Some of the families had family magic that could only be used by the males or females, depending on the houses. MacNair, Zabini, Tudor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were the top five matriarchal Houses that she could name off the top of her head. Potter was a patriarchal line as was Black. There was simply one case where it didn't matter and that was when the line had only one person surviving, such was the case with her and Potter. If she had stayed in her original time, her first born son would have inherited the Potter name and she would have become Regent until he became of age. "It must be nice, then, knowing that your line will continue."

"I hope of course, to have children of my own but until then, yes, it is a relief to not be pressured into marrying again."

"My condolences for your loss, Nicholas."

He smiled softly, "Ashlynn and I had a few years together. We were married right out of Hogwarts. I was finishing my Apprenticeship of Ancient Runes when she passed." A shadow fell over his face at the memory. "That was six years ago." The man visibly shook the negative air away from him before sending her a look that was mixed with emotion. "I also offer my condolences for your father's passing. He was most interesting to hold a conversation with, especially being as well traveled as he was."

Harry smiled tightly, "He most certainly was - I believe we visited almost every single magical community and almost all of the mundane countries as well. It has certainly led to an interesting aspect when comparing our Ministry to others."

"Oh?" He asked.

Harry gave a small laugh before spending the next hour discussing the different ways other communities governed the people and how it was either effective or simply a recipe for disaster. By the time Harry made her way home to Sheffield House, she felt she had begun a new friendship with someone who treated her as an equal.


The muggle world had always fascinated her, Harry thought as she strolled down the sidewalk of some street in Brixton the next day. She had decided to go shopping for some books on medical procedures and terminology as a gift for Tom for his birthday. The young man was always researching new topics and she figured that he would enjoy the challenge of learning human anatomy. She had browsed three bookstores so far without much luck but wasn't willing to give up yet. Harry had the entire afternoon to browse the other shops to see if she could find anything - Tom had gone to Diagon Alley with two of his acquaintances to spend the day browsing so she had time to waste before going home for dinner. Her eyes drifted further down the sidewalk before her steps slowed to a stop as she gazed at the most peculiar sight of a little girl playing with a ball on the sidewalk while her parents were talking to a cart vendor on the street, only paying half-attention to their child while they argued over something. Harry frowned lightly, taking note of the sudden cramping in her stomach when she realized that her gut feeling was telling her something was about to happen.

The red ball, bounced out of her hands and into the street, sending the young child racing after it with her parents none the wiser. The witch's eyes widened as she lurched forward in a dead sprint, watching as a vehicle sped down the road in direct path of the young girl. Oh Merlin, she wasn't going to be quick enough. Death's Master felt her wand slide out of the arm holster and into her open hand, getting ready to cast a spell, damn the statue if it meant the little girl's life when all of a sudden the little girl simply disappeared just in time to miss being hit by the car. Harry skidded to a stop, eyes wide as the child appeared back where she had been originally, looking just as scared and awe-filled as Harry had been the time she had accidentally apparated to the roof of her school when running away from Dudley and his gang. Her brown curls bounced around the child's face, showing just how young and scared she really was.

Well, looks like someone was a muggleborn witch, Harry thought as she watched the parents realize that they could have lost their daughter while not paying attention. The little girl definitely took after her father more than her mother - the father had the same brown hair that was lightly curled while the mother had more of a tan colored skin with black hair. The witch took a moment to gaze at the scene before deciding that the family deserved to know what just happened rather than waiting for several years to finally being introduced to the Wizarding World. "Excuse me," she called out gaining the attention of the hysterical parents, as she walked forward towards the mother and father, who had swept their daughter up into their arms, in a more sedate pace than her previous sprint. "I couldn't help but notice what just happened."

Panic lit in their eyes as they shared a glance and Harry came to the realization that this wasn't the first incident of accidental magic happening. "You don't have to be afraid, your daughter isn't possessed or anything of the sort." Harry waved her hand as if pushing those kind of thoughts away. "Your daughter happens to have magic, something she was born with, the same as myself. If you would like, we can sit down at this little cafe here and I can explain it all to you."

They shared a glance again, clutching their daughter tightly, before the father nodded once, looking wary. It took only a moment for the group to sit down at a little table in the corner with Harry ordered a round of hot chocolate for everyone which had the parents eyes widen in surprise. With the war efforts, the prices of simple things like hot chocolate had skyrocketed and it was a pretty penny for one cup let alone four. The group waited in silence until the waitress placed all four cups on the table and Harry handed the young woman a ten bob note before waving away the change, telling her to keep it. "My name is Harry, and I'm a witch." The witch stated as she discreetly pulled out her wand once the waitress was away and casting several privacy spells. With a wink to the frightened family, she charmed the cream on the hot chocolates to form a dragon which roared before jumping into the drink and disappearing. Their exclamations of surprise had a soft smile drawing on her face. "I have cast a few privacy spells over our table so we can talk freely without anyone being the wiser. So feel free to ask any questions you like, no one will overhear us. If I may, what are your names?"

"I'm Joseph, this is Shirley and our daughter Catherine." Joseph, the father introduced the family.

"A witch you say?" Shirley asked, clutching her daughter to her side.

"Not evil like what the Bible says, ma'am." She smiled softly, "Merely, I was born with magic just like your daughter. Usually, when she reaches eleven years old, she is visited by someone from the Magical community who come to explain everything but I decided that with the evidence of her accidental magic, you should probably know sooner."

"Magical community?" Joseph asked, appearing conflicted.

"Yes," Harry smiled in response, "around the time of the witch trials, the magical community got together and decided that the best way to stay alive would be to hide ourselves from the rest of the world - so using special spells and charms, they were able to do just that. Now, there are magical communities in almost every country of the world, hidden away. However, sometimes, there are witches and wizards born to parents such as yourselves, who are born with magic. At eleven, they are given an invitation to join the wizarding world and go to one of the schools. There are twelve renowned schools in the world but there are smaller ones in different parts. The school she will be invited to is Hogwarts, where she will learn how to control her magic, get a wand, etcetera."

"Why eleven?" The mother asked, seemingly confused.

"Eleven is when kids are able to start controlling their magic; when practiced too young, it could cause potential damage to their magical core, which is located by their heart. However, not learning control over it can cause incidents such as earlier to happen depending on her emotions. Every witch or wizard has a magical core and it begins to really develop at the age of eleven. Though, when in a stressed environment or under extreme circumstances, young witches and wizards are able to perform what we call accidental magic, where they are too young to control it."

Harry paused for a moment before deciding to share her own experiences. "When I was a child, I grew up with my uncle and aunt who were both muggles, what we call people without magic, though I personally prefer the term No-Maj as that doesn't sound as demeaning. I was running away from some bullies and disappeared, only to reappear on top of the roof of the school, very similarly to young Catherine here. That is called apparition, the ability to disappear and reappear somewhere else. I believe the other term for it is teleportation. Once you reach the age of maturity, seventeen for wizards and witches, you are able to learn how to apparate without accidentally hurting yourself in the process."

"You can do that?" Shirley asked, her eyes wide at the thought.

"Yes, any witch or wizard has the ability to do so. They even provide a class for it in your last year of schooling if you are of age."

"What type of schooling is it? What classes do they provide? How much does it cost?" Joseph asked.

"Hogwarts is a boarding school, where Catherine will be invited to join and spend seven years learning magic. They teach her how to control her magic, transform objects, cast spells and charms like how to make dishes clean themselves, make potions where you can heal a cut or a wound. There is a class where you can learn about magical creatures like unicorns and dragons and all sorts. A class on the stars and one on horticulture. Unfortunately, they don't provide classes similar to a normal secondary school however they do allow you to study it in your own time. At year five there are the OWLS, which are the Ordinary Wizarding Levels to test on how much you have learned, getting good OWLS scores correlate to getting a good job after you graduate. However, NEWTS, which you take year seven, help you get into apprenticeships or jobs above standard ones. Hogwarts has a scholarship for muggleborn children who can't afford to pay the fees." Harry paused for a moment before deciding to throw out her offer.

"Before you worry about the fees, I have an offer I would like to share. I have recently adopted my younger cousin as my family line has been diminishing over the years until just he and I remained. It is common for a family of higher standing in the community to become the magical guardian of a child coming into the wizarding world."

"Magical guardian?" Shirley asked, frowning and sharing a look with Joseph.

"A Magical Guardian provides for their charge in any way - monetary, mentorship, or anything needed. In the event of an emergency or if she ended up in the hospital wing for something, the magical guardian is notified. Non-magicals are unable to come to the school as it has special wards and magic casted on the property to protect all of the students from possible harm from non-magicals, as it has been attempted before without any success. Upon being notified I can immediately make a suggestion upon hearing the situation if it warrants being sent home, to the hospital or even just staying in school. Occasionally an accident will happen and someone may accidentally be hit by a fly away spell that will cause then to turn their skin different colors or even grow a tail! Most are completely harmless and it's usually a result of two children attempting to practice their magic where they aren't supposed too.

"Largely, one of the main benefits of a Magical Guardian, is being able to help their charge find a good job after graduation rather than a muggleborn student without a Magical Guardian. For instance, I hold a title in the community, one of the highest in fact, and I would be able to help her get a career in any field she wished without any hassle that other young graduates have to go through in order to get a job. "

The witch paused for a moment to find the words for the next part. She had no wish to frighten them away before they even began discovering the Magical World but she did not wish to mislead them. "Unfortunately, there is a stigma in the community, one I think is baseless and ridiculous. There are those, whose parents and grandparents and beyond, who have all been witches and wizards - they consider themselves to be Purebloods and are often rude and disrespectful towards anyone who isn't. Then, there are those who are considered halfblood - having one magical parent and one non-magical parents, or even having two magical parents but one or both are halfbloods or muggleborn. Then there are muggleborns, who are born to two parents without magic. Unfortunately, purebloods tend to make it exceedingly difficult for young muggleborns to have good jobs right off the back. One of the best ways to get around this, is by having a magical guardian, who can provide for them and enable the children to have a future that would otherwise be harder to achieve."

"What would you expect from Catherine, in exchange of your help?" Shirley asked nervously, obviously expecting something along the lines of an indentured servant.

"While some may ask for other things, the only thing I would require is her to succeed academically and to stay out of trouble such as no detentions or bullying of any sort. There is a grading system of six marks. Outstanding, Exceeds Expectations, Acceptable, Poor, Dreadful and Troll. The first three are passing whilst the last three are not. I would require her to pass all of her classes with at least an acceptable. If she struggles with any subject, I require her to seek help by way of her Head of House, a Prefect, an older student or even sending me a letter so I can help her, whether by giving her books on the subject she requires or by arranging a personal tutor for herself. By doing poorly in class, it reflects upon myself and should she repeatedly receive failing classes, I would be within my rights to revoke my Guardianship of her. However, that would be after numerous chances to fix the errors. I am an understanding woman, I do believe one class in particular will be exceptionally more difficult than most because of the teacher so I shall already plan ahead for that so she won't fail the class."

"What classes do they provide there?" Joseph asked.

"Hogwarts currently provides the basic classes of Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defense, History of Magic, Herbology, Astronomy, a Magical Culture class and Flying lessons. The electives are Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, Art, Orchestra, Choir, Arithmancy, Magical Theory, Divination, and after her fifth year, she has the options of adding Alchemy, Medical Training, Apparition (which she just demonstrated earlier but in a more controlled way), and Ancient Studies."

"What about normal classes? Mathematics, literature, calligraphy, those kind." Shirley inquired with a questioning tone.

"While Hogwarts doesn't teach those classes, it is possible for her to self-study. Something we most assuredly can discuss. If you wish for her to study classes and subjects she would take in a secondary school, we can absolutely make a schedule with a tutor so she would have the knowledge by graduation at seventeen.

"As her magical guardian, I would also provide a small trust fund for her to use as she wished, for school supplies or even for fun like buying sweets and toys. I understand however, that this is something you as parents must discuss. If you would like, there is a shopping area we call Diagon Alley, which is where students go to get their school supplies. We can plan for a trip there, so that you may learn more about the wizarding world. They have bookstores which hold information and introductions which explain everything. We can set up a time so you can explore the entire Alley. "

The couple traded another look before glancing down at their daughter, "What do you think, Catherine? Would you be interested in exploring this Diagon Alley?" Shirley asked, raising her hand to lightly brush a brunette curl out of the girls face.

Catherine glanced up at Harry with wide eyes before turning her head to look at her mom before nodding once.

Pulling a small business card out of her pocket, Harry placed it on the small coffee table between them before tapping it with her wand and incanting, "Portus Sheffield House." The card glowed blue for a moment before it disappeared. Placing her wand on her lap, Harry picked the card up before passing it to Joseph who glanced at it warily in his hand. "Simply say Sheffield House and the card will transport you and everyone touching it to my home, where I can give you further examples of the wonders of magic - as well as the potential dangers of being untrained. Shall we say tomorrow around noon? It gives you time to think about it as well as allow me to prepare my cousin."

"Thank-thank you." Joseph replied, sending a look filled with so many questions to his wife, who looked just as overwhelmed with everything that had happened. Harry filled the conversation with small talk, learning about the family - what the couple did for a job (Joseph was factory worker while Shirley was a seamstress), what school Catherine currently went to, what she aspired to be when she grew older (a nurse, she proudly exclaimed). Harry went on to explain more about herself and Tom, as well as her adventures around the world. The older witch talked briefly of the different medical fields that were options. She excitedly told the little girl about dragons and unicorns and hippogriffs as well as ghosts and moving paintings earning gasps and giggles from the young child. The overwhelmed parents watched as their little girl became delighted with each story.


Harry sighed softly, taking a moment to soak in the warmth from the fireplace before she turned her attention to the young wizard currently seated opposite of her in the sitting room, with several tomes open around him as he researched some topic that had interested him. "Tom, I have something to discuss with you."

He raised a finger to show he heard her before finishing the paragraph he had been reading. Harry smiled at the gesture, it had been one that she found infinitely amusing as he always made it a point to make sure that she was never ignored if she had something to say. She also recognized it for the subtle manipulation that it was - one that she allowed him to have. "Yes?" He responded after placing a bookmark and placing the book to the side.

"Tomorrow, we will be having some guests." Harry paused for a moment as she gathered the words she wanted to say without imparting too much information, "Earlier, I was shopping in Muggle Brixton and happened to witness a young child performing wandless magic. I decided to take a chance and I approached her parents and introduced them to the Wizarding World." She could see the beginnings of annoyance flash across his face as if wondering why she was informing him of it. "I decided that I would offer to be her Magical Guardian."

Tom frowned at the term as he searched his memory for any mention of it. The witch waited a moment, knowing better than to interrupt his thought process before he finally scowled and asked, "What is a Magical Guardian?"

Harry smiled patiently before replying, " A Magical Guardian is typically a Pureblood Lord or Lady who decide to symbolically adopt a muggleborn child. They essentially become their magical parent. Magical Guardians provide for their charges whether it is financially or helping them acquire a job after graduating. In essence it is a way for Pureblood nobility to show off their wealth and stature by becoming the patrons of these children. The Peverell family has been out of the politics game for far too long. By providing for this child who would become essential become a vessel for our House. As we are one of the Twelve - and recently have come back into proper society; we must show that the gap in our presence has done nothing to stop how powerful we happen to be."

Tom sat back in the armchair for a moment as he processed what she had stated. The witch simply waited as he logically thought through the entire process. "What would it mean for me?"

Harry smiled softly, "You are my Heir and nothing can change that, never fear. You would simply be receiving another member of the family. One who would look to you for guidance and tutelage. We would aid her to best represent our house both academically and socially. Her achievements would become ours and ours would become hers. It would simply be adding another person to the family - one with new blood who could help further our goals." Harry smiled mischievously, "By finding the child so young, we can better prepare her for Hogwarts as well as impart whatever knowledge we wished. With the oath that she would take, she would keep our confidences and secrets as House secrets. It is a common way of bringing fresh blood into a House. We would perform a similar oath to the one you took, without the ritual, where Magic herself would give her access to family magic and she would take on the Peverell name after hers."

"I suppose that could be most useful." Tom reluctantly replied.

"She had already indicated that she aspires to be a nurse. I have no doubt that upon learning she can easily become a Medi-Witch as well, it will greatly endear her drive to learn. One can always use a Healer in the family you know." Harry imparted the last bit of knowledge with a knowing smile.

With that said, she left him back to his thoughts and studies before making her way to her own room for a lie down.


The young Lady bounced on the balls of her feet as she eagerly waited outside of Tom's chambers the next day for him to finish getting dressed. She was most excited for the opportunity to celebrate his birthday with him as she had spent months gathering all the necessary items she needed to make it a success. It look a lot of effort not to simply drag the young man to the living room upon him leaving his room. She still grabbed hold of his hand and happily skipped to the living room, followed by a bemused young man. Harry stopped right before the doorway, turning towards Tom and placing her hands on his shoulders. "Tom, I wish you to know how much you mean to me and I hope, that today will help you realize it."

With that said, Harry lightly guided Tom to the doorway of the living room which was surprisingly dark despite the rest of the house being lit. Tom raised an eyebrow at her before humoring his older cousin and taking a step over the threshold. Immediately, lights popped up and confetti exploded throughout the room, showing the two humans as their extended family of House Elves seemed to pop up out of the woodwork, shouting, "Surprise Master Tom! Happy birthday!"

Harry let out a loud, obnoxious laugh at his expression. He seemed to be both amused and startled. The young wizard sent her a look that spoke volumes before he looked over the sea of eager House Elves, complete with each wearing a birthday party hat. "Thank you." Tom addressed the group before turning towards Harry with a cocked eyebrow.

Harry merely smiled softly in return. "Once I mentioned that your birthday was approaching, they asked if they could throw you a surprise party. Who am I to say no to such eager faces?" The woman laughed as she made her way to a large banquet table that was covered in presents. "The presents from your friends have also been included and most of the Elves have gifts for you as well."

Tom heaved a sigh before making his way to the maroon sette in the centre of the room. Harry sat across from him in her own armchair while the hoard of House Elves made themselves comfy around the room. They would spend close to an hour with Tom opening presents from everyone. The highlights of his gifts included the Slytherin locket that had cost a pretty penny to buy off of Hepzibah Smith, who was a reporter. On top of the sack of gallons, Harry had made a deal that got her exclusive rights to photograph and write an article on Tom's party that would be occurring later in the evening. Several other gifts he received included multiple books and tomes from his classmates, a solid gold pocket watch with the Peverell coat of arms from Malfoy junior and a subscription to Wizards Weekly, a young gentleman's magazine that discussed various topics of Pureblood etiquette and culture from Eli MacNair.

The Elves had crafted handmade amulets, with elvish runes carved into the wood. Each one symbolized protection, strength and hope. Harry had never heard of House Elves ever providing personal protection for a wizard or witch (barring Dobby who was an oddity among Elves). The amulets were placed on several different pieces of jewelry - a bracelet and a necklace that Tom placed upon himself with a nod of thanks.

It was several hours later that Tom's party was in full swing with both Harry and Tom walking around, greeting guests and being generally good hosts. Harry was pleased with the progress with the night by the time that most of the guests departed from Peverell Manor and only the select few of Tom's personal guests remained for the private party. Harry made herself scarce, allowing the teenagers to have privacy by making her way to her own chambers to retire for the night. She had a feeling that Tom would have a fun night. She herself, had to get up early for a long day of business meetings.

Author's Note: So I struggled really hard with trying to include Tom's party in massive deal and it. would. not. write. For the life of me, I couldn't do it. I finally decided after two weeks to just say screw it and move on. If I ever get the inspiration for it, I'll add it in but until then, moving on with the story! Let me know what you think!

Hint for the next chapter: Harry gets political, Death makes a new friend and we learn more about Charlotte.