Rhea Black and the Raven's Dilemma
The auburn-haired young witch paused in front of the barrier as a boy wearing overly large muggle attire approached herself and her great uncle. He was short, skinny, and troubled. He fidgeted for a moment before asking how to get onto the platform, eyes flickering up only briefly. Her ears strained to catch his words.
"Of course, not a problem. Just walk through the wall between platforms nine and ten. Most people floo, of course, or apparate – less conflict with muggles. Say, where are your parents? Will you be alright on your own?" Her uncle gave the boy a concerned look, who flushed slightly.
"Er, they died when I was a baby. And I think so, thank you so much." He nodded gratefully to them before moving to head towards the wall.
"Do you want to join us?" The man asked kindly.
"I, well, if you don't mind..." He flushed a deeper red.
"We don't mind at all." The girl spoke up. "In fact, it would be nice to already have someone I know to share a compartment with on the train. I'm a first year too. Rhea Black and this is my uncle, Ignatius. It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled and held out her hand. With a shaky smile, he accepted the handshake.
"Harry Potter, it's nice to meet you too."
"Are you really? My, we'd best get you onto the train quickly then, no point causing a scene should others recognising you." Ignatius patted his shoulder. He barely restrained a flinch. Rhea's brows furrowed infinitesimally.
"Thank you, I ended up swarmed when I went into Diagon Alley." The boy, Harry, grimaced.
"Must be rather irritating, do you get that often?" Rhea wrinkled her nose at the idea.
"Er, thankfully not, no. I live with muggles, you see. They don't really care if I apparently killed some genocidal maniac when I was a baby." He gave a wry half smile.
"Is that so? Well then, we'd best hurry either way. Rhea, you go ahead first." She nodded and strode forward, disappearing through the barrier. "Go ahead, Harry, I'll be right behind you." The boy nodded, pushed his glasses further up his nose and cautiously pushed his trolley through the wall. As he had promised, Ignatius followed immediately after.
"It's incredible..." Rhea breathed. She spun on her heel and smiled at Harry. "Come on, let's get on board. Uncle Ignatius, would you please lighten Harry's luggage?"
"Of course, dear." He tapped the trunk with his wand before taking a miniature trunk out of his pocket and enlarging it. "Why don't you two go put your trunks on the train and go find yourself a compartment?" He patted Rhea's head. "I'll see you during the winter break, Rhea. Take care of yourselves, both of you." He smiled and waved as they left to drop off their luggage.
They wandered along the train until they came across an empty compartment. They had only been seated for a moment before a bushy haired brunette poked her head around the door.
"Are you two first years too? Would you mind too badly if I sat with you?" She gave a shy, bucktoothed smile.
"It's fine, take a seat. I'm Rhea Black and this is Harry Potter." Rhea gestured to the boy across from her as the girl sat beside her.
"Really? I'm Hermione Granger. Is it true what I read about? That you defeated Lord Voldemort as a baby? Seemed a bit farfetched to me, but I thought the same about magic until I received my Hogwarts letter."
"Honestly, I thought so too. I only recently found out about magic as well – my relatives are muggles. I mean, I was, what, fifteen months old at the time, right? It doesn't really make sense." Harry raised a sceptical eyebrow.
"My uncle is a scholar of all sorts of magic. After the Dark Lord was defeated he researched types of magic which could possibly rebound the Killing Curse. All he found were different kinds of rituals and the like that might be able to block it, as well as some extremely illegal blood rituals that could do the trick. Either way, I very much doubt that it was some kind of feat of accidental magic that saved you. We think it was likely something your parents did before that night. They were in hiding under the Fidelius Charm, which concealed the secret of their location in their secret keeper's soul, so they knew they were a target and most likely took measures to ensure you would survive if they didn't." Rhea gave him an apologetic look.
"So my parents are most likely the real heroes?" He smiled.
"Yeah, probably at least. Unless you have some as yet undiscovered bloodline ability that grants immunity to the Killing Curse. Either way, let's not test that theory."
"Perhaps not." Hermione raised an eyebrow as the corner of her lips quirked. "What houses are you two hoping to be in? I've read about them, but Hogwarts: A History doesn't really say much about the common rooms or what heads of houses are like."
"I'd prefer to be a Ravenclaw. Most will expect me to be in Slytherin because I'm a Black and a Pureblood, but it sounds exhausting. My great aunt Lucretia, Ignatius' late wife," She nodded to Harry before continuing, "she was in Slytherin and told me all about this strict hierarchy in place. Most have to earn their way to the top as they get older, but others with particularly successful and influential families tend to skip ahead. Either way, the Slytherin Court is the top of the hierarchy with the King reigning over the house. Lots of politics and networking." She waved her hand dismissively. "Not for me, really."
"That's fair. Hagrid told me that Slytherins were evil, but I doubt a quarter of the school could be awful, otherwise it would have been removed already, right?" Harry tilted his head.
"Even the magical world has its prejudices. Honestly, to think that blood status apparently matters enough that it was one of the first things Professor McGonagall explained to my parents, really. It sounds awful."
"Er, by the way, what's a pureblood?" Harry gave an awkward half smile.
"By the strictest definition, a Pureblood is someone with at least three magical grandparents. A Halfblood has one or two magical grandparents or is born of two Muggleborns. Muggleborns have no magical grandparents. However, certain Pureblood families like to take this a step further and make the already vague terms even murkier by claiming that there can be a degree to which one may be considered Pureblood. I myself would rank the very highest among these circles as I am descended from the Blacks and the French Delacour family. I have not had a single non-magical ancestor for centuries, or even millennia, considering that the Blacks were around for the Roman Invasion of Britain. There is also a degree to which one may be Muggleborn. This is decided by their approach to the Wizarding World. If they accept our culture and revoke their own, undertaking their recently uncovered identity as a witch or wizard with the grace expected of their new society, they will be called simply that – Muggleborn witches or wizards. And then there are those who revoke wizarding traditions, mock our culture, and return to the muggle world to seek their fortune with their newly acquired abilities. These are known as Mudbloods. This is as it is believed that their 'filthy muggle blood' pollutes their magical veins and poisons their minds against their own culture. You must understand that the word 'Mudblood' is considered to be one of the worst insults to a witch or wizard. I myself proscribe to the stricter definition, but there are those who truly believe that muggle blood pollutes the minds of young witches and wizards, making them lesser." Rhea pursed her lips.
"But that's ridiculous! We aren't told anything about the magical world until Hogwarts! How are we supposed to embrace an entire culture within a month?" Harry clenched his fists.
"Well said." A platinum blond boy with strikingly grey eyes waltzed into their compartment and claimed the seat beside Harry. "You made an excellent point. So why then are Muggleborns only told of the Wizarding World only a month before they attend Hogwarts?"
"I don't know, it makes no sense!" Hermione scowled.
"Because their parents are viewed as a risk." The blond boy explained. "When the Muggleborns are younger, they cannot be without their muggle parents while exploring the magical world, which risks exposure before threat that their child's education is put at risk if they fail to keep quiet becomes more urgent."
Rhea nodded. "Likewise, the magical world is a dangerous place for muggles. Diseases that may prove fatal for muggles do not affect us, but the most common of our ailments may kill them in hours. It is why most witches and wizards do not marry muggles, and if they do they move far away from the wizarding world."
"Indeed. It is dangerous for them to do otherwise. It is another reason why Muggleborns separate themselves from their parents after completing their education. If they skip between the magical and muggle worlds they risk giving their parents deadly diseases that they would have no chance of surviving."
"The magical world is also full of magical creatures and beings that can be deadly if not handled appropriately. Unfortunately, said appropriate measures call for a wand. Most muggles would be defenceless against them. Even Gnomes and Pixies could be dangerous in the wrong circumstances."
"I see... It's unfortunate, but it makes sense. Maybe there's a spell to prevent the spread of disease? Like a shield or bubble separating people so I could still visit my parents after Hogwarts. Of course, I love the magical world and I wouldn't give it up for anything, but I love my parents too and I'd hate to abandon them when they've tried so hard to be understanding about all of this." Hermione sighed.
"You're Muggleborn? That's a good mindset to have. Perhaps the bubblehead charm would work. My parents showed me it when we went swimming abroad." The blond nodded to her, acknowledging her grateful smile. "Ah, I seem to have forgotten my manners. My name is Draco Malfoy."
"Hermione Granger."
"Harry Potter" Draco raised a pale eyebrow but didn't comment.
"Rhea Black. I believe we are cousins, correct?" She smiled at him.
"Indeed, my mother was your father's first cousin. It's a shame we have only just met, especially as we are two of the few remaining members of the Black Family." He turned to Harry. "You are another, I believe. Your grandmother Dorea was a Black before she married Charlus Potter. She was one of my mother's favourite aunts, even if your father was her least favourite cousin."
"I have other relatives? I never knew. I wish I could've lived with them instead of the Dursleys." Harry scowled slightly.
"Dursleys? Are they the muggles who raised you? It is rather strange, you know. Your Grandmother's sister, Cassiopeia, helped raise me. She always wanted a family but an incident prevented her from having children. She would have loved to have raised you. She's wonderful, a bit crazy but absolutely devoted to family. You should write to her. She's been trying to find out what happened to you after your parents died for years but the Ministry sealed up all records of you pretty tight." Rhea sighed.
"Yes, Aunt Cassie is rather brilliant. She taught me about runes whenever she visited and always brought some new enchanted item as a gift." Draco smiled slightly.
"Does she set you homework too? Last time I saw her she panicked about me going off to Hogwarts and dropped a massive stack of papers in my lap."
"Of course she did, ranting about how Hogwarts would be far more difficult than anything we'd faced before and we needed to be ready." They rolled their eyes and shared a smile.
"So, is this Cassiopeia Black? I'll write a letter to her when we're settled in at Hogwarts. If I have other family then I'd like to get to know them." Harry smiled.
"It's rather odd though. You may be famous, sure, but why would the Ministry seal off everything about you? And why would you be given to muggles in the first place if you have magical relatives?" Hermione traced her lips with her thumb pensively.
"That's... Illegal, actually. Magical relatives always have priority. Only once all magical relations within immediate relation are proven inadequate or deceased can a child be placed with muggles. Even my mother would have been eligible as your grandmother's great niece." Draco frowned slightly. "I'll ask my father. I know it will burn him to ask, but my mother's Muggleborn brother-in-law runs an excellent law firm who would be able to sort all this out."
"Could you tell me more about the Blacks, please?" Harry almost pleaded.
Draco smiled. "Of course, there are very few of us now, but there's your Grandmother's squib brother Marius, who lives in the muggle world. He's a historian, I believe. Highly intelligent, but I've never met him. And their other sibling was Pollux, who married very young and had Walburga when he was only 13. Scandalous, but technically legal due to the betrothal contract between himself and his wife Irma. They also had Alphard, a quiet but kind man who died just before we were born, and Cygnus, my grandfather. He was very sly and a very influential businessman. His wife Druella was just as brilliant. They died within months of each other when I was five. They had my mother, Narcissa, who was the youngest of three sisters. Bellatrix was the oldest, but she was a Death Eater and ended up in Azkaban – that's the wizard prison guarded by Dementors, horrible things." Draco expanded, seeing Hermione move to interrupt, who then smiled and sat back once more. "Then there's Andromeda, who married a Muggleborn, Ted Tonks. Only issue was that Walburga was slowly taking over as Lady Black and was an absolutely awful woman. Horribly bigoted. She blasted Andromeda from the family tree when after an argument about her choice of fiancé she cursed the hag's hair to fall out and spelled curse words into the wallpaper. Took them months to figure out how to remove them. Ted and Andromeda then had Nymphadora, who's actually a metamorphmagus, meaning that she can change her appearance at will. She's still in Hogwarts, I believe, in Hufflepuff. I think she's starting her 5th year. That's all of our branch. Rhea would probably know more about the main branch, being Heiress Black."
Rhea nodded. "Well, Walburga somehow ended up married to Orion Black, despite his previous engagement to Irene Spencer-Moon, daughter of the Minister for Magic at the time. Orion was born to Arcturus Black and Melania Mcmillan. Quite the power couple in their time, Arcturus was Lord of the Black Family for twenty-three years and invested his fortune very wisely. Melania was the politician in their relationship and used their seats on the Wizengamot to push forward many important bills. She was also childhood friends with the Minister for Magic, Leonard Spencer-Moon. They were as close as siblings. Orion's sister was Lucretia, who married Ignatius Prewett. Ignatius' older brother Amadeus was rather idiotic in terms of finances and handling the family investments, so their father passed the Lordship onto him instead. As he raised me, I have been named his heiress as well. Walburga and Orion Black had Sirius and Regulus. Sirius was a year older and as such was Heir Black, until he was put in Azkaban. Sorry, Harry, but he was your parents' best friend. He was believed to have been the one to tell the Dark Lord their hiding place, as who else would they have made their secret keeper?"
"He was their friend and he betrayed them?! He's the reason I'm an orphan? I hope he rots in Azkaban. He deserves it." Harry scowled, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles were white. With a slow nod and sad smile, Rhea continued.
"Well, after his incarceration, my father, Regulus, would have become Lord Black, but he disappeared in 1979, not long before I was born. As such, I will inherit the title when I turn seventeen. There are also a few other branch families from Arcturus' aunts and uncles. His Father was Sirius Black, who married Hesper Gamp and had Arcturus, Lycoris and Regulus, but neither of the latter had children themselves. Sirius' father was Phineas Nigellus Black, who was actually a Headmaster of Hogwarts despite hating children, and married Ursula Flint, having Sirius, Arcturus, Cygnus, Phineas and Belvina with her. Arcturus married Lysandra Yaxley and had Callidora, Cedrella and Charis, who married Harfang Longbottom, Septimus Weasley and Caspar Crouch respectively. Callidora and Harfang had Augusta and Algernon Longbottom, but Algernon was considered a liability to House Longbottom after he continuously proved that he could not be trusted with the family wealth. As such, Augusta took up the post of Lady Longbottom until her son Frank was of age, as she never wanted the position. Frank married Alice and had Neville, who will be in our year at Hogwarts. Frank and Alice are unfortunately in St Mungo's. They were attacked and tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange, alongside her husband and brother in law. The moment I turn seventeen I intend to dissolve their marriage contract and disown Bellatrix, as this is not only a horrific act of cruelty, but also a display of disloyalty towards the blood of the Black Family. Caspar and Charis Crouch had Bartemius Crouch, who married Meryl Selwyn, last of her line bar a great uncle who died just before her death in 1982, after her son Bartemius Crouch Jr was sent to Azkaban for participating in the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom. From what I have seen though, it seems as though Bartemius was indeed a Death Eater but never participated in the act itself. My Aunt Cassie showed me the memories of his trial. The last spells his wand cast were Reparo and Scourgify of all things. Cedrella and Septimus had Muriel, Lancelot and Arthur. Neither Muriel nor Lancelot married, but Lancelot is Lord Weasley and works as a Healer in St Mungo's. Arthur married Molly Prewett, the only daughter of Amadeus Prewett. They had William, Charlie, Percival, Fred, George, Ronald and Ginevra, who are around our age. William, or Bill, is a Cursebreaker for Gringotts and breaks enchantments on Pyramids and tombs and such like in Egypt. He is also Heir Weasley. Charlie is a Dragonologist, working in Romania at their Dragon Sanctuary. Extremely talented from what I've heard from Aunt Cassie. Percival, or Percy, is a 5th year Prefect at Hogwarts and an intellectual. Fred and George are the 3rd year twin pranksters but manage to perform some really quite impressive magic in the process. They are also careful to only cause amusement with their pranks and rarely ever target a specific house or group. Ronald will be in our year and Ginevra the year below. All of them so far are Gryffindors."
"That's a lie!" A nasally voice cut in. A boy with watery blue eyes, bright red hair and innumerable freckles stepped into the compartment. "I am not a Dark Wizard like you, Black! My dad isn't a member of the Black family! As if we'd be related to you, you're all blood supremacists!" He stumbled at the last word but managed to force it out. "My family are light, and Gryffindors! In fact, we're so light that I'm gonna be Harry Potter's Best Friend." He glared down his pointed nose at them.
"And just who do you think you are to declare that?" Harry's jaw was clenched.
Draco sniggered. "Red hair and hand me down robes? You must be a Weasley. Ronald, I presume?"
"Shut up!" His face reddened, clashing with his hair. "My family's better than yours any day, I'd bet. Who are you then? Some slimy Slytherin?"
"Draco Malfoy, Heir of the Noble House of Malfoy. As yet unsorted, I'm afraid." Draco smirked.
"I'd bet you and your little cronies are all gonna be stinking Slytherins, disgusting." He whirled to face Rhea. "And you're even worse. Blacks are evil, everyone knows that. Even Slytherins don't deserve to be corrupted by your nastiness. You'll turn us all into Dark Wizards just being close to you. Not to mention your uncle." His eyes glinted spitefully. "Who'd want to be friends with the girl whose uncle sold Harry Potter's parents to You-Know-Who?" Rhea stared him down.
"His blood runs in both my veins, and yours, and Harry's. The degree of relation does not matter. What matters is that I detest what he did to our own family. I will never sink to his level and treat my own family that way, not even you. While the motto of the Black Family may be Toujours Pur, the promise to always remain a fully magical family, we pride ourselves on always putting family first, no matter what. You are the Grandson of a Black and you disgrace your Grandmother by speaking of her family this way." Rhea's usually warm brown eyes were arctic.
"My Grandmother wasn't a Black! My family aren't evil like yours! Bunch of disgusting murderers is what they are!"
Harry flew to his feet and snarled in Ronald's face. "You are currently insulting the only real family I have ever known, Weasley." Harry's shoulders were shaking, his fists clenched. "Either shut up and leave or I'll make you."
"And who are you to threaten me? I'm gonna be Harry Potter's best mate, you'll pay for this!" Ron flushed, taking a half-step back.
"I'm Harry Potter, also the grandson of a Black." The ginger paled. With a glare, Ronald was sent flying out of the compartment and into the corridor, crashing into the wall and sliding down to slump on the floor. "You disgrace our family. I don't care what you think of Sirius Black, what has Rhea ever done to you? Moron." His voice held such derision that Ronald flinched and bowed his head. Harry stepped forward and slammed the compartment door shut.
"Well, that has to be the stupidest, rudest boy I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. Let's just hope we don't end up in the same house as him." Hermione shuddered.
Rhea huffed amusedly. "Definitely not. I would demand to be resorted if that was the case."
~Thank you for reading Chapter One~
Ps. This might seem a bit dry for eleven-year olds, but I compare purebloods to Hobbits: they love genealogy and take genuine pride on knowing every family member they are related to in the last however many centuries they can remember. They also appreciate the interest of others in their lineage and are more than delighted to share at the drop of a hat, barring any embarrassing family secrets. Likewise, Hemione is a knowledge hoarder, and is happy to learn about anything, especially a topic so fascinating as the purebloods family to top all purebloods, the Blacks. Harry is very much the opposite. Sitting and reading has never been an option and this much information is rather a bit too much for him all at once. On the other hand, he has never known family and to learn that this isn't some abstract link to himself, some far off connection, but his own grandmother's family history and a summary of the relatives he has alive to that day is like striking gold for him. Petunia may have been his aunt, but they were blood and little more; the Blacks represent the hope of being picked up by some far flung relative who would love and care for him as he had never known, that dream he had tried to repress for years because he knew in his heart of hearts that the Dursleys were most likely all he had – but apparently that isn't the case. And so, Harry eagerly, rapturously, absorbs every word of the two purebloods' lecture and enjoys every moment of it.
Pps. On the topic of one Ronald Weasley, I do not find him to be a reprehensible, irredeemable character. But at this time, he is little more than a child with his head filled with delusions of grandeur and adventure, dreaming of a story that would outshine those of every one of his siblings put together. He is not the most intelligent child, but his mind is geared for strategy, and he knows that sharing in Harry Potter's fame is better than trying to branch out alone, having already experienced how he had never been able to be better than his siblings in the past. There are also external elements gearing this idle fantasy into a full-scale delusion, but I would not disregard Ronald Weasley because of this. First and foremost, I would like to emphasise that this Ron is a sheltered, jealous child with very little to boost his superficial ego. Draco Malfoy, with his money and expensive clothes and lack of siblings, only exacerbates these traits. I do not, by any means, believe that this is all there is to Ronald Weasley, but due to his stance in this story it will be the majority of what we see of him: his fuse is short, and so his temper will blow frequently from the perspective of our main characters; he will also remain petty, keep grudges and do everything in his power to inconvenience them simply because he wants to prove to himself that he is better than them all, if only in this – I never said he was particularly reasonable after all.
Ppps. This may seem very childish and insubstantial, but they are children after all. This is only a taster, first and foremost. A pilot really. I can't promise that this is how they will always be portrayed, but I personally quite enjoy the idea of them arguing over adult topics that have very little to do with them in childish squabbles, parroting their parents and feeling so grown up and mature in the process, defending their stance so staunchly. This will, of course, gradually change over time, but I hope this will remain a little longer.