Thank everyone for their support and reviews, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
In response to the review from Fast Frank: It does, doesn't it? For this story, it will be because he didn't want his muggle ancestry out in the open, because it would cripple his numbers. He sacrificed personal wealth and personal political power for his ability to control the pureblood fanatics from the shadows, all loyal supporters who had both and more.
Thank you Guest for pointing out one of the typos that slipped past me. Funniest part is I read that section multiple times, knew something wasn't right, and couldn't figure it out. I wrote this essentially non-stop from the previous chapter, and I have no beta. I doubt this will be the last typo to get by me (it definitely wasn't the first), so thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!
I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, the undertones of JK Rowling's prejudices would not be present.
Harry was not particularly a morning person, and certainly not at the crack of dawn. Definitely not when he was being literally pulled out of bed by a drill sergeant-of-a Hogwarts house elf named Floofy.
"Mr. Potter needs to be waking up now, he does. The Headmaster be saying yous have a meeting in fifteen minutes."
Harry groaned as he barely caught himself before his face hit the floor, landing on his forearms. He got to his feet and was immediately grabbed by his wrist and pulled toward his wardrobe that opened on its own as he approached.
Blinking away the fog over his sleepy mind, Harry browsed through his collection of new robes. Harry removed three robes, the first being his black Potter robes, second was his black robes with all five House crests, and finally his dragonhide robes that also had all five crests.
He quickly changed out of his pajamas and into his dragonhide robes and over them his Potter robes, while keeping the final robe shrunk down and in his pocket to change into just before presenting himself to claim his Lordships.
First, Harry wanted to get Sirius out of Azkaban. Once that was done, he would get emancipated along with Hermione. All he would have to do is ask Dumbledore to call a recess at that time, and come back ready to take his lordships.
Once again Floofy grabbed Harry by the wrist while his mind was otherwise occupied.
"Off we pop!"
Harry got a nasty sinking feeling in his gut.
"What?"
As soon as he spoke Harry found himself being squashed through a hole smaller than a galleon, and he landed in Dumbledore's office gasping for breath and struggling not to vomit.
"Ah, finally. Good morning, Harry. We don't have long before the trial, but the Minister has kindly allowed us to Floo directly into his office just this once."
Harry just groaned. But then something clicked.
"Wait. Whose trial? Sirius?"
"Your relatives, my boy. They were transferred to the DMLE from a muggle holding facility last night. Their trial will be our first order of business, and Peter will be on trial after that. Now, quickly, the password is 'Merlin" and you must say this before 'Minister's Office'. I will go first."
Harry gave the Headmaster a weak nod, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath trying to push down the sick feeling in his gut. When he opened his eyes, Dumbledore was gone.
He took another breath, threw the floo powder into the fire, and the flames exploded with green light.
"Merlin, Minister's Office!"
Harry closed his eyes and braced himself for his inevitable disastrous entrance as he stepped into the green flames, and as expected he lost his footing on the other end and came sliding out of the Minister's fireplace and into his desk chair, which thankfully was not occupied.
Harry grumbled and sighed as he stood up, glaring at the Headmaster who just looked down at him with an amused smile.
The Minister was already gone, and Dumbledore began to make his way out of the office as well.
"Come along quickly, Harry. We haven't got long."
Harry managed to keep up as he followed Dumbledore, and suddenly remembered Hermione.
"Sir, what about Hermione?"
Albus smiled faintly, which Harry could not see.
"Ms. Dagworth-Granger arrived nearly thirty minutes ago, my boy."
Harry blinked and shook his head.
"Of course she did."
Albus chuckled and put up a sound dampening charm around them. The remainder of the walk to the Wizengamot chambers was full of explaining a new development in 'the plan', something that could give them an early advantage against the Death Eaters.
Dumbledore began to go over everything on the agenda in his mind and explained the essentials to Harry, and soon enough they stood in front of the door to the chamber and at least a dozen aurors spread out in the hall.
"Here we are, Harry. Brace yourself. Do not show them any weakness."
Harry nodded and took a final settling breath, before stepping through the doorway after Albus. Harry immediately saw Hermione and surprisingly her father, who were clearly waiting for him.
"Oh there you are! Honestly Harry, I shouldn't be surprised. Come on, I saved us space in the gallery."
Harry looked to Dumbledore who nodded and went another direction, so he quickly fell into step behind Hermione and Dan. The gallery was unusually full considering the early hour, but little did he know most of them were aurors.
Once they made it to the spot Hermione saved, he realized he recognized the face and voice of the witch who kept it for them, he believed her name was Bones, but remembered little else.
Amelia hadn't been able to smile for hours, she simply couldn't bring herself to. Her expression was tight with fury and her lips curled in displeasure. Normally she would be taking her seat on the Wizengamot, but today she was focusing on her duties as Director of the DMLE while a proxy sat in her place.
When a young girl who looked to be barely of Hogwarts age entered the gallery accompanied by her father, her look gained a hint of life and curiosity. She introduced herself as Hermione Dagworth-Granger, and that certainly came as a shock to Amelia.
Potions was a required subject to become an Auror, and so very few wouldn't recognize her family name. Amelia managed to force a smile to greet the young witch, who then asked if they could leave the spot they were in open so that they could guide her friend to the gallery when he 'finally' arrived.
Amelia agreed, and received another surprise when the girl returned almost thirty minutes later, with a boy her age right beside her. Harry Potter, bearing the Potter crest upon his robes, looked at her with a spark of recognition, but she introduced herself anyway.
"Greetings Mr. Potter, allow me to introduce myself. I am Amelia Bones, Director of the DMLE. I am glad to see you here this morning. I was not sure what condition you might be in after what you endured, but clearly it did not break you. You have my word, justice will be served."
"Thank you, and pleased to meet you Madam Bones. I am sorry about all the trouble."
Amelia waved him off.
"Please, Mr. Potter, it was no trouble at all. A terrible thing has been done to you, and it is my sworn duty to ensure monsters like them are brought to justice."
Harry smiled in gratitude. He tried not to think about his time at the Dursleys, but knowing they were finally going to face consequences for their treatment of him brought him some satisfaction.
"As bad as living with them was, they are the least of my concerns at the moment."
Amelia's eyes narrowed, she did not like being in the dark and it was clear something big was going to happen soon.
"So I've heard. The Chief Warlock skimped on the details, however."
Harry looked a bit surprised that Dumbledore had said anything to her, but he supposed he had to tell her something if she demanded answers.
"Oh, well, I would hate to ruin the surprise in that case. It's sure to be quite a revelation."
Amelia frowned but hadn't really expected to worm out any information. She sighed and resigned herself to being out of the loop.
"Wonderful. I abhor surprises."
Harry couldn't help but chuckle.
"I don't expect you will like me very much, then."
Amelia sighed again but she was faintly smiling, until their idle discussion was cut off by the Minister's gavel.
"Attention, Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot. We have gathered here today with many events on the agenda. As the one who called this session, Chief Warlock, the floor is yours."
Albus Dumbledore cleared his throat and proved once again his experience with magic to wandlessly project his voice across the entire chamber.
"Thank you, Minister, and good morning my fellow members of the Wizengamot. I am sure you are all wondering what has brought us here today."
Dumbledore paused a moment, which Harry thought was overdramatic.
"As the Minister mentioned, the agenda has a number of items that must be addressed. The first of which, it pains me to say, is the criminal trial of two muggles, and then we must decide where to place their ten year old son."
No sooner than the first yell of outrage at the presence of muggles within the 'sacred chambers of the Wizengamot' was Albus beating his gavel.
"Silence, honored members of the Wizengamot. It is true that holding a trial for muggles is highly irregular, however, this case is by no means ordinary."
While he started out speaking over those who had spoken out of turn, silence had fallen by the time he finished.
"Vernon Moore Dursley stands accused of 1,726 counts of First through Fourth Degree abuse of a magical child."
Nearly every person in the chamber gasped, horrified at the sheer number of charges.
"Petunia Hyacinth Dursley née Evans stands accused of 493 counts of the same."
Angry muttering could be heard throughout the chamber, and Albus gave them all a moment to calm themselves.
"Their son and another muggle relative who is unaware of magic also participated in the abuses against this magical child, and while the adult relative has been taken into muggle custody, their child cannot be held responsible for his actions. Instead, both parents will also be charged with the 638 criminal acts committed by Dudley Donovan Dursley."
Dumbledore waved his wand and a list of the charges appeared in front of every member of the Wizengamot to look over, as well as a transcript of their interviews and notations of all the physical evidence. It only took moments for the chamber to erupt into chaos. Shouts of fury and disbelief filled the room the moment they read the name of the victim, Harry James Potter.
"No, it can't be!"
"How dare they!"
"Merlin's beard!"
"Throw them through the Veil!"
"No, the Veil would be a mercy upon them! To Azkaban!"
"Azkaban!"
"Let the Dementors have them!"
Albus felt he'd given them enough time to express their outrage, and finally called for silence as he skipped the gavel and produced a loud 'crack' with a wave of his wand.
"Order, please. As you can see, the documents you all possess have been certified by a written magical oath given by Director Bones of the DMLE to be completely true and unedited descriptions of the crimes committed, confessed to by the Dursleys under the influence of veritaserum. Their guilt is established and clear. All that remains is to pass a sentence."
Every member of the Wizengamot had their wands out, ready to vote and none looking particularly merciful.
"Those in favor of sending Vernon and Petunia Dursley back into the muggle criminal justice system, raise your wands."
Half a dozen wands went up, and Albus noted they were all half-blood witches and wizards who likely knew that they would suffer greatly in prison.
"Those in favor of sentencing Vernon and Petunia Dursley to Azkaban Prison, for the remainder of their lives?"
Less than two dozen wands stayed down.
"So it shall be. Vernon and Petunia Dursley, you have been found guilty of the most disturbing case of child abuse this body has seen in quite some time. You will live out the rest of your days in Azkaban."
Dumbledore slammed the gavel, and then cleared his throat once again. The Dursley's struggled against their chains while attempting to scream, but could not break the silencing charm wisely placed upon them.
"Now, this leaves us to decide the fate of their child. Director Bones has suggested the boy be placed in an orphanage in the absence of willing relatives. Furthermore, she also believes the boy should spend the next six months in a muggle correctional facility and receive a minimum of one year in what muggles call 'therapy' and is best compared to seeing mind healers."
Quiet murmurs spread across the room, and after a few moments subsided.
"Those in favor of Director Bones' proposal?"
A clear majority raised their wands.
"It is decided, then. Dudley Donovan Dursley, you will be released from magical custody this evening and placed in a secure correctional facility for the next six months. Once you are released, we will arrange for your care in an orphanage in London if no family claims you, and then you will attend therapy for a year afterwards and until you are determined 'recovered' by this body. Aurors, please return the Dursleys to their holding cells, and arrange the transfer to Azkaban immediately."
Amelia nodded to one of the aurors, who stepped out of the gallery and onto the floor to collect and move the Dursley's.
Once that was finished, they moved on to the next item on the agenda.
"Attention, Lords and Ladies. As disturbing as that case was, we must now address a gross miscarriage of justice. I bring before the Wizengamot a case first brought to the chamber nearly a decade ago."
Albus spared a glance to Cornelius, who quickly turned pale and slightly green.
"I am speaking of the case against Sirius Orion Black, who never received a trial."
Another round of surprised gasps could be heard, but none spoke.
"At the time, we of course had just been through a brutal war. Minister Bagnold, and even myself, had sent many Death Eaters to Azkaban without a trial when the evidence was abundant and clear. However, an innocent man fell through the cracks."
As widespread confusion emerged from the Wizengamot, Albus nodded to Amelia who turned and nodded to the Auror closest to the chamber door. That Auror slipped out of the chamber.
"It has been brought to the attention of myself and the DMLE that Sirius Orion Black is indeed innocent of all charges filed against him. We have all believed for ten years that Lord Black, as he is recognized by Magic and Gringotts following the death of Lord Arcturus Black due to the lack of trial, betrayed James and Lily Potter to Lord Voldemort."
Nearly every member of the Wizengamot flinched at his name, while those affiliated with the Dark Lord had to fight glaring at the Chief Warlock. Albus paid them no mind, merely glancing down to Amelia who looked to the door and received a nod from another auror before nodding back to Albus.
"We have all been gravely mistaken. Honored members of the Wizengamot, I present to you the man who truly betrayed the Potters that tragic night."
The chamber doors opened and an auror led a short round man with wild unwashed hair and the terrified expression of a cowardly rat into the chamber.
The Wizengamot craned their necks trying to get a good look. At first, nobody recognized him. By the time he was chained to the chair in the center of the room someone made the connection.
"Merlin's beard, it's Peter Pettigrew!"
Many of the Wizengamot members were too shocked to speak. Albus beat his gavel before they fully recovered to avoid any delays.
"Peter Fergus Pettigrew, you stand accused of treason, two counts of being an accomplice to first degree murder and a third of being an accomplice to attempted murder. Additionally you are being charged with twelve counts of murdering muggles, and the framing of Sirius Black for all previous charges. This, however, is not all. You are also facing charges for being an unregistered animagus, the illegal occupation of a wizarding home for ten years, and 10,395 cases of petty theft for stealing food from the home you illegally occupied."
Albus took a glance over the interrogation transcript, noticing it had not finished before Pettigrew had been summoned for the trial.
"Furthermore, you may be subject to further charges pending investigation. Knowing this, how do you plead?"
Pettigrew shook in fear and rattled his chains as he fruitlessly tried to escape. He shook his head in terror as he whimpered, his eyes darting across the courtroom and suddenly they fell upon a boy who was the spitting image of James when he started Hogwarts.
He stopped fighting his bonds and his wide eyes quivered as he stared into Harry's eyes, Lily's eyes. They stared back at him not with a heated fury, but an icy chill. Peter regretted many things in his life. He was a coward who ran from most challenges placed before him, hid from the consequences, and fell apart at the seams. His biggest regret, in that moment, was surely his betrayal of his friends. His resistance crumbled and he closed his eyes. He could run no longer.
"Guilty…"
Many eyes widened in surprise, and murmurs spread across the chamber.
"Very well. Peter Fergus Pettigrew, you are hereby found guilty of all charges and stripped of your Order of Merlin. Those in favor of sentencing Peter Fergus Pettigrew to life in Azkaban?"
A quiet internal deliberation occurred in the majority of the Wizengamot, with the exception of Death Eater affiliates who would probably vote to send him through the veil immediately. Eventually, more than half of the wands in the room went up.
"So be it. Peter Fergus Pettigrew will live out the remainder of his days in Azkaban. Furthermore, Sirius Black will be compensated for his wrongful imprisonment with 20 years worth of salary as an Auror, and be awarded an Order of Merlin First Class, that should rightly have been his and not Peter Pettigrew's. Aurors, please escort him to a secure holding cell and keep him under guard until his transfer is complete."
A dozen aurors left the gallery and brought Peter out of the chamber without incident. The members of the Wizengamot began to quietly speak amongst themselves and a few even stood up as if to leave, but then the Chief Warlock banged his gavel again.
"Attention please, Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot. There will be a fifteen minute recess, and then we must reconvene for our last piece of business."
Confusion and irritation began to spread among the Wizengamot as Albus rose from his seat and made his way down to the gallery, leaving them to wonder amongst themselves about what was coming next.
Amelia and many of her Aurors remained in the courtroom as security, while the others filed out of the chamber to keep an eye on the Wizengamot during recess.
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances and nodded to Dr. Granger, who opted to remain in the chamber during the recess, and he let them go as he knew they needed to prepare for the main event of the session. The pair heard Dan and Amelia begin a discussion with Dumbledore as they left, and Dan soon found that Amelia Bones and the Chief Warlock were the perfect witch and wizard to explain magical government to him.
As soon as Harry and Hermione left the chamber, Kingsley Shacklebolt was standing there waiting for them.
"Mr. Potter, a moment if you please."
Harry and Hermione paused and made their way over to him.
"Auror Shacklebolt, sir, is there something I can do for you?"
Kingsley lightly shook his head.
"Actually, if you'd come with me, I do believe there is a man fresh out of Azkaban who would like to see you."
Harry's eyes lit up immediately.
"Sirius! He's here?"
Kingsley nodded.
"Indeed he is. We must hurry in order to be back when the session resumes."
Harry nodded and followed behind him, along with Hermione. Originally he intended to change and wait in the bathroom until the last minute to avoid attention, but this worked just as well. It would only take a few moments to change before returning.
A short walk and a few minutes later, Kingsley stopped outside the holding cell Sirius was in, where Moody and Tonks still stood guard. Moody looked like, well, Moody, and Tonks was visibly exhausted from guarding Sirius all night. Her hair was almost it's natural color, which was a rare sight.
Moody immediately recognized Harry as his magical eye swiveled to stare straight at his scar, though Tonks was hardly paying close attention to him or Hermione. Shacklebolt just gave Moody a pointed nod.
"It's time. Lord Black has been cleared of all charges."
Moody nodded and stepped aside from the door, pulling Tonks along with him as she nearly stumbled, and her hair quickly turned red.
"Hey!"
Moody didn't so much as twitch in response as he ignored his Auror Trainee. Kingsley opened the door and entered in front of Harry and Hermione.
Sirius black sat at a table without any restraints, feet propped up as he leaned back in his chair staring at the ceiling. When he turned to look at who entered the cell, he fell backwards in his chair and slammed into the floor.
"Bloody hell…."
He groaned as he stood, swearing he heard a chuckle from mini-James, only to realize it could be none other than the son of his best friend, it was Prongslet. Their eyes locked and it was as though he was staring back at James and Lily. Tears threatened to fall but Sirius fought them off, instead stepping forward and pulling his godson into a hug.
"Oh, Harry. You've certainly grown… but you look… Merlin, Harry what happened to you? You look like you haven't eaten in weeks…"
Harry returned the embrace but just shrugged off Sirius' concern.
"It's okay now, Padfoot. It's been handled."
Sirius frowned and suppressed a rising anger to accept Harry's words, ultimately smiling at his nickname, though he made a note to himself to ask how Harry knew about Padfoot at all.
"If you say so, Harry."
Harry smiled and nodded, and so Sirius dropped the issue for the time being.
"Who do you live with, Harry? Now that I'm free, I could… you know. You'd be welcome to stay with me, if you'd like."
Last time Sirius told Harry those words, Pettigrew's escape made it impossible. This time, Harry would do his best to make it happen.
"I am staying at Hogwarts for the moment. It's been a busy 24 hours, Sirius. You wouldn't believe all that's happened. I would very much like to come and live with you once things settle down, though. As it stands, I think I'll be in St. Mungos for a while getting set up with nutrient potions, and I still have a few vaults to visit."
Sirius smiled and nodded. He was going to be getting the same treatment as his body was in a similar state.
"Great! Oh, we're going to have loads of fun Harry, 10 years worth and so much more."
Harry grinned.
"I look forward to it."
Kingsley cleared his throat, and Harry looked over as the Auror nodded pointedly to the door. Harry nodded back to him and turned to Sirius.
"Alright, looks like we're out of time. Let's head back to the Wizengamot chamber."
Kingsley led them all out of the cell quickly as Sirius tried to figure out what was going on.
"Why are we going to the Wizengamot?"
Harry grinned as he turned and glanced at his godfather.
"Just to have a little bit of fun. Think of it as your first prank out of Azkaban, and the Death Eaters won't like it."
Sirius' eyes went wide as he grinned, showing more life than he had in the last decade all together.
"Oh, this I have to see."
Harry nodded and smiled.
"Don't worry, you can do more than that. You'll be taking up the Black Lordship, with Malfoy unable to do a thing. Anyway, I have to change into my other robes first. It'll be just a moment."
Harry quickly slipped into the bathroom and switched robes, which was as easy as pulling one pair over his head and pulling the other on, and shrinking his Potter robes to put in his pocket.
He came out of the bathroom and Sirius got a good look at his robes, and started sputtering incoherently.
"Wha- No- You- I- what!? You can't be serious…"
Harry grinned.
"No, you're Sirius. I'm Harry Potter-Peverell-Black-Gryffindor-Slytherin, soon to be Lord."
Sirius numbly chuckled as they came upon the door to the chamber with little more than a minute until the session reconvened.
"Alright Sirius, you might want to see if you can get yourself in some formal Black robes within a few minutes since you are Lord Black now, but otherwise wait out here until it's time. You'll know when."
Sirius paled and shook his head.
"I wouldn't be Lord Black if you paid me, Harry. I didn't even know my grandfather had passed, and that's the only way the Lordship could fall to me."
Harry looked a bit surprised, but on second thought he couldn't really picture Sirius settling down enough to get into politics. He was more likely to show up at their home as Padfoot and piss on their welcome mat.
"Are you sure?"
Sirius nodded vehemently.
"Very. On my magic as Lord Black I formally declare you Harry James Potter as my heir and proxy, so mote it be."
Harry blinked in surprise, but smiled at Sirius.
"Thanks. Now, let's get this show on the road."
Harry, Hermione, and Sirius entered the chamber and stepped into the gallery to wait for the session to resume, which it did only moments later as Albus beat his gavel.
"Welcome back, honored members of the Wizengamot. You will be glad to know that our next order of business will be one to celebrate. I will begin by calling for the emancipation of two individuals, each the sole magical heir to their respective families."
Surprised gasps and murmurs of confusion and excitement spread through the chamber before the hammering gavel of the Chief Warlock silenced them.
"May I present to you Heiress Hermione Jean Dagworth-Granger. As most of you are surely aware, the House of Dagworth-Granger lost its magic in the generation following Hector Dagworth-Granger. Now, magic has returned to them in this young witch. As our laws state, she is eligible for emancipation in order to take leadership of her House."
Albus made copies of the documents confirming her position and spread them around the chamber with a wave of his wand. Heated discussion broke out as Hermione stepped out of the gallery and stood in the middle of the chamber, mostly in excitement at the return of a well-known magical family, but was cut short by Albus and his gavel.
"If any wish to speak against the emancipation, now is the time to do so."
Not entirely unexpectedly, one of the Lords of a dark family sitting near Lucius stood.
"These laws were put in place so that our heirs could take control of the family if the worst were to occur and the family reduced to its last member. A Dagworth-Granger she may be, but she is also a muggleborn! She does not understand our ways, our world. How can she take a seat as a Lady of the Wizengamot without such crucial knowledge?"
Albus frowned internally, but didn't let it show.
"Lord Nott, while it is true she may not know everything about the magical world, it is still her right to claim leadership of the family. If you doubt her ability to do so, you may present your case and evidence before the Wizengamot at a later time where a vote will be held, as is policy."
Lord Cadeus Nott scowled and sat back down without another word. After giving anyone else a moment to speak if they wished, Albus moved on.
"Very well. As of this moment, Lady Hermione is the head of the House of Dagworth-Granger and a Lady of the Wizengamot, and the trace upon her removed. If an Auror would please guide Lady Dagworth-Granger to an open seat, we have one more Heir to address."
Amelia nodded to a nearby Auror after a brief round of applause, and they guided Hermione to a seat of her choosing, beside Augusta Longbottom, who served as Regent of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom in place of her incapacitated son.
Once she was safely in her seat, Albus smiled and cleared his throat.
"And now, Lords and Ladies, I present to you Heir Harry James Potter."
Gasps and the sliding and banging of chairs erupted in the chamber as members of the Wizengamot jumped out of their seats to look for him as he stepped out of the gallery. Harry approached the center of the chamber with a tight expression, forcing a faint smile as his eyes roamed the seats above.
"It's him!"
"Dear Merlin, look at what those muggles have done to him. He's so thin, even his robes can't hide it..."
Albus beat his gavel to stop any further disruption. In the silence that followed, many of the Lords and Ladies realized Harry had more than once crest on his robes, but could not make out what they were at a distance.
"Harry James Potter stands before us as the sole magical heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter. By law, it is his right to take his place as Lord Potter. Are there any objections to this appointment?"
Murmurs broke out once again, but none dared speak against him after knowing what he'd endured over the last decade. Even if they wanted to speak, doing so would only assure that the majority of magical families and the wizarding public would crucify them.
"Then Harry James Potter will henceforth take his place as Lord Potter and Lord of the Wizengamot and the trace upon him removed."
Applause shook the air of the chamber as the majority cheered for Harry, who managed to smile more naturally. Once it died down and the Chief Warlock had not sent Lord Potter to a seat, confusion set in.
"Lord Potter is further entitled to the Lordships of other families of which he is also the sole heir, or heir primary of a family with no acting Lord."
Nobody was quite sure how to react. It wasn't unheard of for one person to hold two Lordships. More than that however, was questionable. There was certainly no other case in living memory.
For the first time, Lucius Malfoy stood and spoke. His eyes were wide with barely contained fury as he realized his son would not be inheriting the Black Lordship as he'd long expected. He knew the boy was related to Dorea Black, but Arcturus was supposed to name Draco as the heir.
"What other Lordships is Lord Potter entitled to?"
The Chief Warlock fought back a smile as he gazed down at Lucius, waving his wand and creating copies of a set of documents for each member of the Wizengamot.
"As this document shows, Lord Potter is also the Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient Houses of Peverell, Black, Gryffindor, and Slytherin."
Lucius' eyes narrowed as his shock was overpowered by his rage. He remained silent and read the documents for how he became Heir Black. Magic had recognized Sirius Black as Lord, which meant Arcturus never named Draco the heir, and thus when he passed away, Sirius became Lord Black and Harry Potter became the heir primary. To top it off, Sirius ceded all rights of the Lordship to Harry James Potter mere minutes ago. Lucius could do nothing to overturn the appointment.
"Hold on, Chief Warlock. It says here that Lord Potter is Heir Secondary to Slytherin House. He has no right to that Lordship!"
Albus idly stroked his beard, smiling down at Lucius.
"The Lordship of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Slytherin is a bit tricky, and most irregular. You see, we know who the Heir Primary is, and they are not physically capable of taking the Lordship."
Surprise erupted in the chamber and Lucius scowled.
"Speak plainly, Chief Warlock."
Albus leaned forward in his chair, all smile gone from his expression.
"Very well. The Heir Primary of Slytherin House is a man named Tom Marvolo Riddle, a half-blood descendant of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Gaunt, who were direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin. However, he has not been seen since the earliest days of the last Wizarding War. I propose that Lord Potter be allowed to take the Lordship of Slytherin House, and give Tom Riddle a month to show himself. If he cannot do so, he forfeits his rights to the Lordship."
Lucius paled as the Dark Lord's birth name, which should have been buried deep in history and forgotten, filled the Wizengamot chamber. But then, he realized something.
Magic recognized his Master as the Heir of Slytherin. The Dark Lord yet lived, and he had been abandoned by his followers. He was out there somewhere, somehow, waiting for someone to find him. Lucius glanced at Lord Nott, who clearly realized the same thing. Even with their experience at hiding their emotions, fear of the Dark Lord's retribution was evident upon their faces.
The rest of the Wizengamot quietly discussed amongst themselves, some heated and some awestruck. After Albus felt that he gave them enough time, he banged his gavel.
"Those in favor of allowing Lord Potter to take up the Lordships of the Noble and Most Ancient Houses of Peverell, Black, Gryffindor, and Slytherin?"
It ended up being a much closer vote than Harry expected, but he was happy to see Hermione raise her wand.
"A narrow majority has voted in favor. Therefore, as of this moment on June 21st 1991, at 5:53am, Harry James Potter is named Lord Potter-Peverell-Black-Gryffindor-Slytherin. That brings this session of the Wizengamot to an end. We will next convene on the 1st of July as scheduled."
There was very little applause this time, as most of the Wizengamot was still in shock and coming to realize the power his title held. Soon, people would be flocking to him, and there were some who would be less than friendly in their attempts to manipulate him.
While many of the Wizengamot members had begun to leave, Harry made his way up to the seats to find Hermione, and to speak with Regent Longbottom and the other 'Light' leaders.
He found Hermione speaking with Augusta Longbottom, Griselda Marchbanks, and a younger blonde woman he didn't recognize. Thankfully, Hermione got right to introducing them the moment she spotted him.
"Harry, please meet Regent Augusta Longbottom, Lady Griselda Marchbanks, and Lady Morgan Abbot. They were just telling me that we are invited to attend a festival today to celebrate the Summer Solstice, hosted by the Longbottoms."
Harry smiled wide as he thought that was a brilliant idea, and he reached out to shake each of their hands in turn.
"I would love to attend, thank you for the invitation on such short notice. I have to stop by St. Mungos for a bit, but you can be sure that I will be there. Do you think Sirius Black could attend as well?"
The three ladies smiled back, Regent Longbottom gave a light nod to Harry.
"Of course, Sirius is more than welcome. I'm sure even with his time in Azkaban, he knows not to get up to any funny business on the grounds of Longbottom Manor."
Harry and Hermione couldn't help but laugh along with the others, who were clearly aware of Sirius' reputation as a prankster. From Regent Longbottom's wording, he had to wonder what exactly Sirius had already done there, and what Regent Longbottom did to tame him.
Hermione stood with a wide smile, and stepped beside Harry as she bade farewell to their new acquaintances.
"Thank you so much for your time and invitation, Regent Longbottom, and you as well Lady Marchbanks and Lady Abbot. Lord Potter and I must be going, however. I look forward to the festival, and I know we'll have plenty of time to sit and talk tonight."
The three ladies all smiled and Lady Abbot waved goodbye excitedly as Harry and Hermione turned towards the gallery exit. Dumbledore stood by the door with Amelia and Dan.
"Let us not linger here any longer my boy. I do believe it is time for you and your godfather to visit St. Mungos. Lady Dagworth-Granger, Director Bones has offered to escort you and your father home."
Hermione frowned slightly and gave an apologetic bow of her head to Amelia.
"I appreciate the offer, but we've made arrangements to attend Regent Longbottom's Summer Solstice Festival after we visit St. Mungos."
Surprisingly, Amelia actually seemed to brighten upon hearing their plans.
"Oh, my niece and I will be attending as well. I will see you both there, then. I should be-"
Dan stepped forward, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Actually Director Bones, I think I've had enough excitement for one day. Besides, I really ought to fill my wife in on everything. If the offer is still on the table…"
Amelia waved him off with a smile.
"It's no trouble Dr. Granger, worry not."
Dan smiled weakly and nodded appreciatively as Amelia gestured for him to to follow her through the doors of the Wizengamot chamber.
"Thanks."
Dan gave his daughter a quick hug before he slipped through the open door. Albus nodded to the young pair and they accompanied Albus out right after him. Sirius stood to the side of the doors waiting for them as they exited.
"Good show, Harry! Did you see Malfoy's face as he left the chamber? Priceless!"
Harry smirked as he nodded to Sirius, but as he spoke his smirk took on a much more mischievous curve. Albus led them to the Atrium as they conversed.
"Oh, I saw it. You missed a better one, though."
Sirius raised a brow, but a grin spread across his lips.
"I saw it all, Prongslet. He looked furious when he read those documents."
Harry just chuckled and wagged his finger at Sirius.
"Not that, Padfoot. The look on Malfoy and Nott's faces when they realized they left Voldemort high and dry for ten years, that was glorious. Pure and utter terror, Sirius."
Sirius jumped in shock at both Voldemort's name and the revelation that somehow he was alive, and Lucius and Cadeus became aware of it.
"What?"
Albus gave Harry a stern look and shook his head at Sirius.
"Not here. All will be made clear soon, Sirius."
Sirius frowned but nodded, and he found his thoughts running wild until suddenly they stood in front of an unoccupied fireplace.
"Alright, you three go on ahead. I'll meet up with you momentarily."
Harry cocked his head at Albus who merely glanced around the Atrium critically, so Harry just shrugged and stepped up the fireplace. Before he could throw in a handful of floo powder, Hermione stepped up and stopped him.
"Actually Harry, I think I should go first and… clear the path. A hospital is no place to go diving in feet first."
Harry frowned and gave his best friend a mock glare.
"Ha Ha, 'Mione."
He paused for a long moment as Hermione raised an eyebrow with an amused smirk. She crossed her arms as if daring him to object. Harry couldn't keep himself from chuckling, however.
"As much as I hate to admit it, that's probably a good idea…"
Hermione just giggled and threw her powder into the fire, roaring with green flames. She stepped into the fire as she said "St. Mungos", and was gone after the fire exploded around her.
Harry sighed and gave her a moment to 'clear the path' before he followed suit along with Sirius right after him.
Albus kept an eye on their surroundings until everyone was through, ensuring no unsavory characters had been lurking or attempting to follow them. Once he was sure they were clear, Dumbledore stepped into the rising green flames.