Chapter 19: Playing for Keeps

Longview Manor, Winchester, Hampshire, South East, England

November 10, 1980

Sixty-two-year-old Marius Black sighed with relief as the sleek black car finally pulled through the gate of Longview Manor. The manor had been his home since the age of eleven when he had failed to gain an invitation letter to attend any of the Magical Schools of Europe. His worried parents, at long last, took him to a healer who confirmed that yes their youngest son was indeed a Squib. His mother, Violetta Black nee Bulstrode, had reacted as though the healer had declared him dead. She had cried and whimpered his name repeatedly but would not let him touch her, would not let him near her. Meanwhile his father, Cygnus Black II, had swiftly disinherited him. He closed Marius's trust vault and expelled Marius from the family.

It was by the grace of his elder brother Pollux, who was then twenty-seven-years-old that he did not starve on the streets. Pollux had seen the signs that Marius was a Squib at least a year before the official verdict was in, and Pollux had prepared for the chance that their parents would cast him out. Pollux had ordered one of his House-Elves to watch over Marius and warn him if Cygnus disinherited the boy. When the House-Elf reported that Marius had been thrown from the home of Cyngus Black II with only the clothes on his back, Pollux had apparated to the family home and had taken Marius home with him.

It was the idea of their cousin Arcturus Black III that Pollux and he seek audience with his father, Sirius Black II, the Lord Black. Pollux and Arcturus beseeched the Lord Black to not allow him to be cast completely from the family. Despite the fact that he was a Squib they did not want to see him completely disinherited. Marius thought his situation was truly hopeless. He feared he would end up in some Muggle Orphanage or living on the streets, but the Lord Black surprised him. Though he had no magic, his blood was still that of a Black and Sirius would not see a Black cast from the family for any reason other than the worst of crimes. Being born as he was, Sirius decided, was not a crime of his own but rather a punishment to Cygnus and Violetta.

The Lord Black had then had vaults opened at Gringott's for him and he and his wife Lady Hesper, swiftly arranged for staff to inhabit one of the Black's lesser known properties, Longview Manor. The staff were specially picked Squibs and Witches and Wizards. The Witches and Wizards were there to protect him against other magic wielders such as his own parents if they should come looking for him in order to harm him. Pollux had seemed especially worried that their father would decide that killing Marius would be the best option for the sake of his foolish pride.

Marius was still a Black, still a member of the family, and the rest of the family was forced to accept that he was a ward of Lord Black and that he was not to be harmed. He came to enjoy life at Longview Manor even though he missed his sisters Cassiopeia and Dorea a great deal. Pollux visited him from time to time. Marius had been given an excellent education first with tutors to teach him about the Muggle world and how to comport himself and to catch him up on muggle educational subjects. Then he had attended University. When he was thirteen he began attendance at Winchester College. He graduated at the age of eighteen and from there he learned business management and obtained a mastery in Executive Master of Business. He then went on to law and became a Solicitor.

It was then that Sirius truly put him to work, capitalizing on his investment in Marius's future. He set Marius to work as a Solicitor for the Black family. He handled the drawing up of contracts for the many Muggle businesses that the Black family owned. It was a job that had made him a vast fortune. Marius was now considered one of the handsomest millionaire's over fifty in Europe.

In fact, Marius had just returned from a trip to France where he had dealt with negotiating a merger between Flores Winery and Noir Beverages. It had been a hard contract to wrangle since the owners of Flores kept attempting to gain more money from the merger. Only when they had pushed Marius past his limit did they sign the contract, mostly out of fear that Marius would depart and inform his boss that the merger was a failed deal.

It was good to be home. Though his accommodations had been splendid, he did prefer the comforts of home. He much preferred the tingle of the wards around Longview to the sense of loss he felt at the Muggle Hotel. No matter how opulent it was, the hotel did not have the gentle hum of magic. Marius had grown up surrounded by magic. Just because he could not wield it, did not mean that he could not feel it.

He smiled as the car pulled to a stop before the grand steps of the manor. He waited as his Chauffeur opened the door for him. Then he all too willingly removed himself from the confines of the car. "Thank you Mr. Dalton." He said to his trusted Chauffeur. Sean Dalton was a Muggle-born wizard whom had been hired many decades ago to be both his Chauffeur but also one of several body guards.

"You are welcome Mr. Black." Dalton said with a slight smile. "It is good to be home once more sir."

Marius smiled. "Yes, it really is." He wholeheartedly agreed. "Get some rest Sean, you have certainly earned it."

"Thank you, sir and you get some rest as well." He said even as Marius began to walk up the steps to the front door of Longview Manor. The door was swiftly opened before he could reach for the handle and there stood his trusty Butler Timothy Stanley.

"Good day Mr. Stanley." Marius greeted the man as he entered the hall and promptly began to remove his gloves, then his scarf and finally he was divested of his long black coat. He was particularly fond of his Belstaff coat as it had magical charms on it to help keep him dry in the wet weather of his beloved England.

"It is good to see you home safe and sound, Mr. Black." Stanley supplied in greeting.

"Sound is debatable." Marius murmured as he began to stride toward the stairs.

"Mr. Black sir you have an important visitor." Stanley supplied then forcing Marius to stop his ascent.

"Oh?" Marius asked cautiously. He was tired. Bone weary from his trip. He did not want to deal with any visitors important or otherwise.

"Yes. In the green parlor sir." Stanley directed.

Marius sighed. "Very well." Best to get it over with. The sooner he dealt with the irritant and what they wanted of him the sooner he could go upstairs and crawl into his bed.

He strode into the green parlor with purpose but faltered when he found his cousin, Arcturus Black the Lord of the Black family sitting in a chair before the fireplace sipping a glass of firefly cognac. "My Lord Black, I did not expect you." He admitted.

Arcturus raised an elegant eyebrow at that. "Am I to take your statement of the obvious to mean that I am not welcome?" He asked of Marius.

"Morgana forbid!" Marius declared. "It is my pleasure to see you again cousin."

Arcturus nodded with a tight smile. "I fear you will not feel this way once I have said my piece."

"Oh?" Marius asked. He felt a hesitation to move closer to his cousin and a deep concern filled him. What could Arcturus have to tell him that would cause him distress?

"On Samhain night, Dorea's son was murdered." Arcturus began.

Marius felt as though he had been kicked in the gut. He slowly sank into the chair across from Arcturus. "James, little Jamie." He whispered.

Arcturus nodded. "Voldemort enacted a plan that involved killing children. No one is sure why he chose these particular children or why. He personally chose to go after James and Lily. Only Harry was left alive. He somehow defeated that madman and now he is being hailed as 'The Boy Who Lived'." He explained to Marius.

"Dorea's little boy is dead at the hands of a madman and his son somehow survived." Marius said softly allowing his mind to muse over just how the child could have survived.

"He survived the killing curse." Arcturus said simply.

"Impossible!" Marius said. He was no Wizard but he had studied the magical books in the library at Longview. He knew things that most Squibs did not and he knew that one could not survive the Killing Curse.

"It was. Young Harry somehow survived." Arcturus said and then waved an impatient hand. "This is not the point." He said after a moment of allowing Marius to mull over how Harry might have survived. "That twit Dumbledore overstepped his bounds and placed Harry with his muggle relative, a relative from his mother's side of the family."

Marius stiffened then. "But, with James dead that means the last adult Potter is dead so the courts should have looked to the House of Black to award custody of Harry unto." He said and he felt a rage flow within him. The idea of a stranger raising Dorea's grandchild was unacceptable to him. He had adored his little sister and had doted upon her. He had been devastated when she and her husband, Charlus Potter, had died. They had died too young, far too young. And now his sweet Dorea's grandson was being raised away from the bosom of the family. "Has the child performed any acts of accidental magic yet?"

"Yes," was Arcturus answer.

"That is grounds alone to see him removed from the care of this muggle relation and placed in a wizards home." Marius argued knowing the laws of the Wizarding world quite well.

"Dumbledore has convinced many powerful people in Ministry that the Blood Wards surrounding his aunt's home will protect Harry from Death Eaters wishing him harm. He has also convinced them that Harry shall be better raised to be a polite and proper young man if he is kept away from his newfound fame." Arcturus scoffed at the last.

Marius frowned at that. Dumbledore was a problem. He was a hard man to circumvent. "What of Harry's God-Parents? Why would he not have been placed with one of them?"

"His God-Parents are all dead save for Sirius Black, and he might as well be since Dumbledore declared that he had betrayed the Potter's to their deaths." Arcturus said with a frown.

Marius shook his head in bewilderment. "He threw everything away for James Potter. For him he was sorted into Gryffindor, that and to spite his mother. They were as brothers. He disowned himself from our family, refuting any claim to become Lord Black one day for James Potter. Yet I am to believe he betrayed him to his death? No. Arcturus no. You know that Sirius could not, would not have done such a thing."

Arcturus frowned then. "Yes. But I can prove nothing." He said softly. "I will fight the battles I can win at the moment Marius. Sirius disowned himself from us, he sealed his own fate a long time ago."

He frowned not at all liking the tone of Arcturus's voice but he did not argue the point of Sirius Black further. His cousin was right. They should see to the battles they could potentially win first. Sirius would have to be a matter for another day. "Very well." He relented. "What do you want done about Harry?"

"Ideally, I would have taken custody of Harry and then given him into the care of your sister." Arcturus admitted. "She is already doing an impressive job in raising my great-grandson."

"It is appealing the idea of the Lord Potter and the Heir Black growing up together." Marius agreed. "Cassiopeia was always firm but fair with Dorea and I when we were little. I cannot imagine that has changed much over the long years. It would do Leonis and Harry some good to have each other to lean on as they grow up. Both are Heirs to great estates and the world has great expectations for both of them."

Arcturus nodded. "We cannot fight this in court Marius. Dumbledore has bought all the right people. Instead we must remove the key piece on Dumbledore's chessboard."

"The muggle aunt." Marius said softly. "You want her somehow removed from the equation."

"Yes." Arcturus admitted easily. "I want you to go to her home. My intelligence at the Ministry said it was a number 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey. I expect that Dumbledore shall have wards around the home to alert him if a Wizard comes to call upon the Dursley's, but not one that would alert him of someone who cannot access their magical core."

"I see." Marius said with a soft sigh. "I will pay this woman a visit soon. What do you want me to offer her in order for her to sign away her rights to Harry?"

"Money is no object when it comes to our own." Arcturus proclaimed. "Offer her stocks and bonds in a few of our more lucrative companies. Offer her money and jewels. Just get her to sign."

Marius nodded. "Very well. I will draw up the papers in the morning and then I will go to Surrey to visit this woman." He promised Arcturus. "I will get her to give us Harry one way or another." He promised Arcturus.

"It must be done in such a way that Dumbledore's protests would fall upon deaf ears. It must be legal." Arcturus warned Marius.

"Of course it must, that is why you came to me in the first place." He reminded his cousin even as a smug smile curved his lips. "Dumbledore tried to outwit us but he has failed cousin. Do not fear. I will not fail to return Harry to the family fold."

It was with that promise that Arcturus bid him goodnight, taking his leave of him. Marius chose to turn in as soon as his guest had departed. He knew that he would need to be up early in the morning in order to draw up the various papers that he would need to present to Mrs. Dursley to buy Harry back from the muggles. As he drifted off to sleep it was with the hope that all would go smoothly and that Mrs. Dursley would be a truly greedy soul willing to give up her own kin for the promise of gold.


4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, England

November 11, 1980

The houses were disgustingly uniform in just how alike each house looked. The lawns were well manicured, the bushes properly clipped. Everything was far too structured. Generally, he preferred structure. He liked rules, if only so he knew where boundaries were that he could twist to his advantage. This did not feel like the structure that he found so pleasant. Instead it felt like the structures of a cage. Living here must force people to act a certain way, must slowly strip their souls of a freedom of expression.

He stared out the car window at Number 4 Privet Drive as Dalton came to a stop outside of the house. He would be the gossip of this little neighborhood, of that he had very little doubt. Dalton opened his car door and he gave the man a polite nod even as he carried his briefcase to the front door of the house. He rang the doorbell and then frowned as he heard crying within.

It was several moments before the crying ceased and then several more before the door opened. "I am so sorry." The woman apologized. She was taller than he had expected. For some reason he had insisted on picturing Petunia Dursley nee Evans as a short woman. Instead he found that she was at least 5'9. "I was tending to the baby when you rang the bell." She said lightly. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"My name is Marius Black and I am a solicitor representing the Black Family. May I please come in?" He asked politely.

She looked taken aback at his introduction. "Solicitor for the Black Family?" She questioned with a frown and then put up a false smile. "Of course you may come in. I am sorry to keep you on the doorstep like this." She said and then permitted the man to enter her home. "Would you like a cup of tea?" She asked politely.

"Yes, thank you." He said as he was led into the parlour. It was a hideously decorated room full of floral print patterns upon the walls. He sincerely hoped that this woman had not chosen the pattern herself. He noticed the cot in the corner and he gravitated toward it. He frowned in confusion when he noticed not one baby but two infants sleeping in the cot together. The two infants seemed to cling together in sleep. Arcturus had only spoken of Harry so was this other babe the offspring of Petunia Dursley?

He moved away from the cot and settled himself on sofa. It was there that Petunia found him when she reentered the room carrying a tea service. She sat the tray upon the coffee table and then she went about pouring a cup of tea. She surprised him by simply making his tea instead of asking him how he liked it. She slipped in a dollop of milk and two small cubes of sugar and stirred it four times just as he liked it. She offered him the tea cup and then blushed. "Oh, I am sorry. I am afraid I was running on autopilot. That is how I like my tea."

"It is how I take mine as well." Marius said taking the offered cup from her.

Petunia blinked in surprise and a smile curved her lips. "I am glad I did not offend then." She said as she went about making her own cup. "I hope you don't mind if we speak quietly in here, but I like to be close to the boys. My nephew has only been in my care for a short time and he still has nightmares about what happened to him and his parents."

"Of course not." Marius said seizing the opening. "In fact it is young Harry that I am here to speak about."

She frowned then. "I did not tell you his name."

"I am aware of who he is. You see, his grandmother was my little sister." Marius explained to Petunia.

She shook her head. "I know nothing of the Potter side of the family. I only know that James and Harry were the last and now it is Harry."

He decided that it could do no harm to educate her on Harry's genealogy. "Harry's grandparents were Charlus Potter and Dorea Black. Dorea was my little sister. When Dumbledore chose to place Harry here in your care he ruthlessly went against the usual protocols."

Petunia frowned and glanced toward the sleeping babies. "The usual protocols. Am I to understand then that the Black family should have been given custody of Harry?" She asked of him.

"Yes." Marius told her with a charming smile. "So if you will just sign these papers to give up your rights to Harry and grant us custody of him I will take him away to his Great-Aunt Cassiopeia who will raise him. You will be compensated quite extravagantly of course."

Petunia stared at him as if he had grown a second head. "You, am I to understand that you are offering me monetary compensation if I give up custody of my nephew?"

"That is correct." Marius said feeling pleased that Mrs. Dursley understood the situation. "If you will just sign these at the x." He said handing over the papers.

Petunia took the papers in a trembling hand. She stared at them for a few minutes before she arose and walked to the fireplace. A moment later she opened the protective grate and threw the papers within before once more closing the grate.

Marius scowled at that. He had worked hard on the wording and clauses of the agreements. "Mrs. Dursley!" He began to protest but she raised a hand and for some reason he chose to obey her and he fell silent.

"Mr. Black, I find it despicable that you and those you represent think that you can come into my house and make some sort of deal to take Harry away. Money for my Harry? Well he's not for sale. If your client wants a child I recommend they go through more traditional channels."

Marius frowned at her. "Let me be blunt with you Mrs. Dursley. My family is a very powerful one. They will not let this go. They will not rest until Harry Potter is returned to the family fold. Family is everything to us."

"Harry is with family." Petunia argued. "I am his aunt." She reminded him primly.

"Yes, but by family I meant Black. They do not care about you. The offer you just destroyed was a generous one. It was arranged only because the Lord Black would like this done as swiftly as possible. He will eventually take Harry from you. You don't want to be his enemy." Marius warned.

He watched as Petunia paled slightly and for a moment he felt sympathy for the woman. Then she shook her head and there was a stubborn set to her jaw as she spoke once more. "Harry is my nephew. He was placed in my care. Lily was my sister and she would expect me to take care of Harry."

Ah so that was it. Devotion to the dead sibling. Marius inwardly winced at that. It would make this far more difficult than it needed to be. Perhaps he should let her know what she was truly in for if she continued with her persistence to raise Harry.

"My dear Mrs. Dursley," he began, "I know that you have put some faith in Dumbledore, but let me assure you that he cares nothing for you and nothing for Harry. He gains more if Harry is left in your care, out of the public eye and nearly forgotten. He will declare himself Harry's Magical Guardian and have access to his estates and his seat in the Wizengamot."

"Wizengamot?" She asked with some confusion.

"It is the Legislative and Judicial body of the Wizarding World. In some ways it is similar to your House of Lord or the House of Commons and in others very different." Marius explained.

"So you are saying that Harry has estates, vaults full of money or other heirlooms and a seat upon this Wizengamot?" She asked.

Marius nodded his head in the affirmative.

"Would I be able to access these as his Guardian?" She asked.

Marius shook his head in the negative. "You would have been able to access the properties and the vaults due to being his Guardian if Dumbledore had not declared himself the Magical Guardian of Harry Potter first. However, you do have the power to at least change that since you are the one who has legal bodily custody of Harry. It is something I meant to change about Harry as soon as you let me depart with him."

"That will not be happening." Petunia said with a glare that was actually far cuter than it was threatening to him.

"Perhaps not today." He acceded. "But it will happen eventually Petunia Dursley." He said with a firm tone to his voice. "The Black's will not stop until they have custody of Harry and they will destroy anyone who stands in their way, even Harry's well-meaning Squib of an Aunt."

"Squib?" She asked with a frown.

Marius frowned and wondered at how little Petunia knew of the Wizarding World. Her sister had been a Witch. Had Lily Potter nee Evans told her sister nothing of the Wizarding World? "Squib, a person who cannot access their magical core but can feel magic." He informed her.

Petunia blinked. "Cannot access my magical core." She murmured. "So if I had been able to then I would have been a Witch?" She asked.

"Yes." He agreed. "Now if we can get back to the matter at hand. It really is in your best interest to give Harry up to us."

She shook her head in the negative. "No. While I have already realized that it is my best interest to divorce Vernon and leave with the boys I have no intention of Harry being raised anywhere with Dudley and I." She said firmly. "I promised that I would watch over Harry as though he were my own son. That is what I intend to do. So you and your family will just have to do their worst." She said with a subtle stubborn lifting of her chin.

Marius really wished that she was not so stubborn. "Do not say that Mrs. Dursley. My families worst would give you a lifetime of nightmares," he warned her.

He slowly sat back down upon the sofa and took a sip of his now cool tea. He frowned as his mind went over their conversation. He watched her idly as she went to the baby cot and looked down on her charges. The woman was determined to keep Harry with her. She knew little of the world and would need protecting. She had decided to divorce her husband for reasons unknown to him and wanted to raise Harry and her son in peace. Dumbledore had ensured that Blood Wards were erected on whatever house Petunia Dursley nee Evans called home provided ensuring the protection of Harry.

"Mrs. Dursley," he began and then frowned due to his words. "Petunia," he tried again causing her to look upon him. He was caught for a moment by her features. She was not a traditionally beautiful woman but she did have striking features. With a little bit more care and pampering she could be rather pretty. Her best feature was her blue eyes, the seemed to spark when she stood up to him with righteous indignant anger. "Marry me." Petunia's eyes widened in shock and he pushed on. "You said it yourself that you know you must leave Vernon. Agree to marry me, let me take you and your boys away from here. Put your faith and trust in me to see you through your divorce and you will wed me. Then you will be a member of the Black family and under their protection. Then Harry will be raised by a Black and you will likewise be there."

Petunia continued to stare at him taking in his words, mulling them over carefully. "You wish to marry me in order to gain Harry?" She asked.

"Yes, I do." Marius admitted as he assessed her. He had thought she would appreciate the honesty even if she did not like his reasons.

"You will protect us, Dudley, Harry, and I from your family and all other harm?" She asked tentatively.

"Yes, I will." Marius told her.

She licked her lips and he could practically feel her whole body vibrating with nerves. It was thick and palpable in the air around them. "I must think on this."

Marius nodded and arose once more from the sofa. He walked toward the parlour door but then paused and looked back on Petunia. "Three days is all I am going to give you Petunia." He told her. "I will return in three days." He then paused and withdrew a simple card from his pocket. He placed it on the table beside the parlor door. "In case you need to reach me sooner." He said before he turned away. A few moments later he had let himself out of number 4 Privet Drive. He walked was grateful to get into his car and he sighed as he told Dalton to drive on.

He had been rash when he proposed to Petunia, but he had also been right to do it. Petunia could try the patience of a saint he was sure, but she was devoted to Harry. That sort of devotion was to be admired. The boy's parents had been that devoted to him. The Black's were just as devoted to seeing Harry returned to the family fold. Should Petunia's devotion be so easily cast aside simply because she was not a witch? Many in his family would say yes and it hurt him that they would. Maybe that was part of why he had proposed. It was an elegant answer to all of their problems. Petunia would get to keep Harry and Marius would get to raise Harry as well as ensure that Petunia and her son were taken care of. The more he thought about it the more he liked the idea of getting to take care of Petunia, Harry, and Dudley.

A ready-made family.

Maybe that was just what an old bachelor like him needed.


This is the first of the three chapters that will resolve where Harry Potter shall be living. Then we shall have a time jump people so that we can see a young Leonis Black. Please bear with me while I resolve the issue of Harry's living conditions. Thanks everyone!