What If Series: The Black Prince
by Miss Mysteria
Chapter Seven
Lorcan had never really minded apparation. Yes, it felt like you were being squeezed through a very small keyhole, but still, he didn't mind it. He thought it might be because Sirius and Remus had apparated everywhere when he was younger, not wanting to risk the Knight Bus or other methods of transportation, incase someone recognised him or them. Maybe his body and brain had gotten used to the uncomfortable sensation. He felt his feet hit the ground, his grandfather's hand release his tight grip on his shoulder and quickly opened his eyes.
They were stood at one end of the very long and splendid hall with highly polished, dark wood floor. Peacock-blue ceiling which inlaid with gleaming golden symbols that continually moved and changed like some enormous heavenly notice board. The walls on each side were panelled in shiny dark wood and had many gilded fireplaces set into them. Every few seconds a witch or wizard would emerge from one of the left-hand fireplaces with a soft whoosh; on the right-hand side, short queues of wizards were forming before each fireplace, waiting to depart.
Halfway down the hall was the golden fountain. The group of golden statues, larger than life-size, stood in the middle of a circular pool. Tallest of them all was a noble-looking wizard with his wand pointing straight up in the air. Grouped around him were beautiful witches, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf. The last three were all looking adoringly up at the witch and wizard. Glittering jets of water were flying from the end wand, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and each of the house-elf's ears, so that the tinkling hiss of falling water was added to the pops and cracks of apparaters and the clatter of footsteps as hundreds of witches and wizards, most of whom were wearing glum, early-morning looks, strode toward a set of golden gates at the far end of the hall.
Sirius cleared his throat, trying to ignore the stares the three of them had already garnered and clasped Lorcan's shoulder tightly, right where his grandfather had moments before. Lorcan held out his hand and Sirius placed a dark black twisted wooden wand that buzzed gently in his hand. It was the wand that he had picked from a selection when he was six, as was custom for a pureblood child. To pick a wand from a selection in the family vault and begin to learn simple spells and theories. He slipped the wand into his holster and then pulled his cloak sleeve over the top of it again.
Arcturus inspected them both, before nodding firmly and walking ahead of them. Sirius smiled down at him and they followed the man who was striding, at speed over to one of the nearby desks. Lorcan supposed that it might've taken them longer to get to the desk, and even longer to stand in the queue, if not for the fact that the people who were walking in the same direction or nearby them literally walked in the other direction or stopped dead in the middle of the hall when they spotted Lord Black, and then Sirius, and then himself, who looked just like Sirius, if not for the slight curl to his hair and his bright, startling green eyes. The people who had already been queueing up stepped aside quickly so that the three of them could be first served, their eyes moving from his grandfather, to Sirius, and then locking onto Lorcan and staying there.
Standing in front of the desk, guarded in between Arcturus and Sirius, Lorcan looked over the desk. There was a badly shaven wizard in peacock-blue robes who was reading a Daily Prophet that was on his desk. The man didn't look up as he held out his hand for something. After a moment, he looked up, opened his mouth perhaps to say something derogatory but paled considerably when he saw who it was standing there.
His grandfather raised an eyebrow and the man instantly closed his newspaper ignoring it when it fell onto the floor and turning pink at the snickers coming from the line behind them. "L-Lord Black, sir, you...you don't have to sign in, sir. I already have your-your notes on file." The man tried to smile as he patted a draw in his desk but it came out more like a grimace.
Arcturus leaned forwards, "I am aware of that, Mister...?"
"Downey, sir. Elias Downey. Sir."
"Yes, Downey," his grandfather sneered, the act making the man in front of him look down and subtly wipe his brow before looking back up again, nervously wringing his hands. Arcturus gestured to Lorcan, who the man evidently hadn't spotted yet as his pale green eyes rapidly darted from Arcturus, to Sirius, to Lorcan and back again. "My grandson is coming in for his introduction today. So obviously he hasn't had his wand checked yet. Do check it now, Downey. And be quick about it, we were supposed to be meeting Lady Longbottom and her Heir five minutes ago."
At the mention of the foreboding Lady Longbottom, as if he wasn't scared enough, the man picked up a long golden rod, thin and flexible as a car aerial, at the same time that Lorcan removed his wand from his holster and held it out in front of him. He glanced up at Lorcan, finding the boy already staring at him and then quickly averted eye contact and passed the rod up and down his front and back. He then took the outstretched wand and dropped it it onto a strange brass instrument, which looked something like a set of scales with only one dish, with a clang that made him wince and turn even redder. It began to vibrate. A narrow strip of parchment came speeding out of a slit in the base. He tore this off and read, shakily, the writing upon it.
"Um- twelve inches, dragon heartstring core, been in use for one year. Is that right?" he peered nervously up at Lorcan through his glasses and almost sagged in relief when Lorcan nodded once and took his wand back from the wizard.
Lorcan gave the man a tight-lipped smile before he felt a hand on his shoulder, his grandfather this time, and was steered away from the desk, back in-between the stalled witches and wizards, through the golden gates and into a smaller hall beyond, where at least twenty lifts stood behind wrought golden grilles.
With a great jangling and clattering a lift descended in front of them; the golden grille slid back and Lorcan, Sirius and Arcturus moved inside it with the rest of the crowd. The three of them found themselvess with a lot of room, compared to the rest of the lift, who were squeezed into a corner. He tried his hardest to not laugh, but could feel a smile pull at his lips. He only hoped he didnt look too smug and posh. He tried to keep his eyes on the golden grilles as several witches and wizards were looking at him curiously. The grilles slid shut with a crash and the life ascended slowly, chains rattling all the while and a cool female rang out.
"Level seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, incorporating the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, Official Gobstones Club, and Ludicrous Patents Office."
The lift doors opened; Lorcan glimpsed an untidy-looking corridor, with various posters of Quidditch teams tacked lopsidedly on the walls; one of the wizards in the lift, who was carrying an armful of broomsticks, extricated himself with difficulty as he tried to not jostle Arcturus, who pretended he didn't even see the wizard, and disappeared down the corridor. Lorcan watched out of the corner of his eye as his dad tried very hard not to burst out laughing.
The doors closed, the lift juddered upward again, and the woman's voice said, "Level six, Department of Magical Transport, incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office, and Apparation Test Centre."
Once again the lift doors opened and two or three witches and wizards got out; at the same time, several paper airplanes swooped into the lift.
Lorcan didn't ask about the planes, but did watch as one of them kept batting a woman in the face as she tried to push it away. He felt his grandfather squeeze his shoulder and snapped his head back to face the doors.
As they clattered upward again, the memos flapped around the swaying lamp in the lift's ceiling.
"Level five, Department of International Magical Cooperation, incorporating the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Office of Law, and the International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats."
When the doors opened, two of the memos zoomed out with a few more witches and wizards, but several more memos zoomed in, so that the light from the lamp in the ceiling flickered and flashed as they darted around it.
"Level four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office, and Pest Advisory Bureau."
Some people left, but not all. Sirius couldn't help himself and snorted as a wizard carrying a fire-breathing chicken sprinted out of the doors just as the bird spat out a large breath of purple flames. Arcturus glared at him through side eyes as Lorcan allowed a small smile to play at the corner of his lips.
"Level three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters, and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee."
Most people left the lift on this floor except Arcturus, Sirius, Lorcan, and a witch who was reading an extremely long piece of parchment that was trailing on the ground. The remaining memos continued to soar around the lamp as the lift juddered upward again, and then the doors opened and the voice said, "Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."
The lift doors rattled open.
Arcturus cleared his throat. "Boys." Sirius nodded, and left the lift, followed closely by both Arcturus and Lorcan. They strode onto the floor, Lorcan's eyes flickering over their surroundings; golden walls with accents of peacock blue - seemingly the Ministry's colour - doors to numerous offices open left and right, people jogging, walking, sprinting through the hallway, making sure to not hit any of the three of them, eyes going slightly wide at how close some of them came.
He knew that they were meeting Neville and his grandmother just outside something that his dad and grandfather had called 'the side chamber', where he, Neville and the other Heir's would wait until their names were called out individually and asking them to present themselves to the Wizengamot and the Wizarding World of Politics. His eyes scanned the corridors as they walked through, ignoring the questions and chatter around them of "who is that with Lord Black?".
Finally, as they reached a large entrance hall that held a multitude of Lords and Lady's with their own Heir's giving last minute advice and hopeful expectations, Lorcan spotted them. Stood in the far corner, the farthest away from the Wizengamot Chamber large mahogany doors, was Neville and his grandmother, who was looking down her nose at any who came too close to them. Throughout his childhood he had heard lots of story's about Madam Longbottom; that she was a force to be reckoned with, mastermind of politics only rivalled, of course, by his grandfather. By the way people seemed ot be giving them a wide berth, Lorcan knew that these story's hadn't been exaggerated. As they approached he let out a sigh of relief; he was dressed similarly to Neville so he wouldn't stand out too much before the ceremony when stood by himself.
Neville was wearing a light grey button-up shirt with a black tie imprinted with the Longbottom crest (two bears on their hind legs facing each other), dark grey trousers and smart shoes. His short hair was gelled back and matched in a strange way with his black silk over-cloak. Madam Longbottom wore a long silver wrap dress that reached the floor, a dark grey robe over the top and high heeled shoes. Lorcan thought they looked incredibly uncomfortable and that might of even been the reason she looked like she had a bad smell under her nose.
Neville's face lit up in relief when he spotted them and only his grandmother's warning hands on his shoulders stopped him from running over and hugging Sirius and Lorcan. When they got closer, they shared a mutual look of disdain and boredom before putting on over the top posh faces on and bowing to each other. Sirius choked over Augusta's hand at their faces but Arcturus and Augusta merely tilted their noses up at them, ignoring their mockery.
Lorcan moved to stand next to his friend. He nudged him subtly with his elbow to catch his attention as they looked out over the hall, "You nervous for this?"
"Nope. Obviously not; why would I be nervous about walking out in front of all the Lord's and Lady's and then tripping and embarrassing myself. Ridiculous suggestion." Neville said, eyes moving out, stopping on some of the Heir's, seeing if he could recognise them before deciding he couldn't and moving on. Lorcan snorted.
"You're not going to trip, Nev'. How many times has your grandmother made you practice your walk?"
Neville winced, "At least ten. She doesn't want me to embarrass her."
Lorcan nodded, "Mimi made me do it for her for hours. I was just walking around the parlour as she and Moony watched me and made notes," he pulled a face, "It's just walking. Who cares?"
"Everyone. I bet the Malfoy's made their son practice it non-stop." Sirius whispered loudly from behind them where he was stood with their grandparents, "They're such posh tossers they probably think that their son scuffing his shoes a bit on the floor in the Chamber will force them to bribe another Department in the Ministry." Sirius and the two boys chortled before yelping as their respective Head's of Houses elbowed them in their sides.
Lorcan cleared his throat after a few seconds of silence surrounded the group. He turned to face Neville slightly, "Heard about the new chaser on the Tornadoes?"
Neville rolled eyes, "Who hasn't? Did you see his shot on Sunday made the Daily Prophet it was that bad!"
"Not really surprised; what was his transfer fee again from the Cannons? Something low, wasn't it?"
"Around ten thousand galleons."
"Whoah! I didn't think it was that low!"
Arcturus placed hands on both of their shoulders, making them both snap their heads up to look at him, "Well, we can deduce that his performance certainly reflects the amount. However, now we must discuss more important matters. We have three minutes before it is acceptable for myself, Augusta and Sirius to be in our seats." He cast a stern eye over them both and they tried their best to look innocent. Sirius tried to hide a chuckle at their wide eyes. "I trust you both know that you are representing the next generation of our Houses. You both understand what you have to do?" They both nodded at teh same time and Arcturus squeezed their shoulders before handing them off to their respective guardians. Augusta merely patted Neville on the head and whispered some last words of advice as Sirius pulled his son in for a hug and whispered against his ear.
"I know we said to keep your tongue quiet until your name is called, but I've spotted some of the Heir's giving you some looks, probably their parents asking about it. I give you permission to do what you do best. Just...don't tell your grandfather or Remus. They might castrate me."
Lorcan smiled up at his dad as they pulled apart, "Understood. I'll see you in there, yeah?" Sirius nodded, pride in his eyes as he watched his son and Neville make their way through the small doors and into the side chamber.
As soon as they entered, the doors closed shut behind them magically. The chamber most likely sensing their magics as the last ones to enter the room. All eyes of the gorup turned to them. There were six kids their age inside the room in a big group and Lorcan and Neville shared a look before walking towards them.
They were greeted by someone who appeared to have claimed the spot as 'leader' who had stark blonde hair and blue eyes. A Malfoy no doubt. His dad had explained the snooty look all too well.
"Who are you?" the Malfoy Heir demanded, voice high and squeaky. Lorcan winced at it before straightening his back, revelling in the fact that he was the tallest in the group.
"What a rude way to start a conversation," he turned to Neville beside him who was wearing a smirk, "wouldn't you agree?"
Neville inclined his head slowly, "Desperately trying to prove himself to the others, clearly. It's an interesting thing to watch. Like primates in a zoo."
The Malfoy Heir's white complexion instantly turned a blotchy red and before he could shout at them, as he appeared to be about to do, they both turned to the others in room and held out their hands, not introducing themselves but waiting for them to do so first. They knew they only had a few moments before the first name would be called and Lorcan would be second.
The other Heir's in the room they found out were Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Ernest Macmillan, Daphne Greengrass and Susan Bones. The Malfoy was named Draco and both boys had to stifle grins when Theodore Nott introduced him, it wasn't quite a slight to Draco, but it made them all aware that Draco was not the little leader of their group. If anything this made Draco's face go more red. Lorcan wondered how he would get his face back to a normal colour in time for his walk out into the Wizengamot.
"So, Bones, you're first aren't you?" Nott asked the girl, who nodded meekly in response before turning to look at the large analogue clock that was ticking away on the wall behind them. Nott grinned, "Nervous?"
She shook her head, opened her mouth to speak but before she could get any words out, a loud ringing gong echoed throughout the room. They all held their breath as a booming male voice sounded.
"The Chamber of The Wizengamot calls Susan Bones, Heir Apparent to House Bones."
Susan's face lost all colour and Daphne shared a sympathetic look with her before, like Lorcan had earlier, straightening her shoulders, sucking in a deep breath and striding to the double doors at the other end of the little hall. She quietly opened the doors, glanced back and smiled nervously before finally stepping out, the doors shutting slowly behind her.
Silence resounded in the room. Maybe it was because the whole thing seemed more real now. Since their birth they had been waiting for this moment, training for it. The magic had already accepted them on a familial level, but to be actually lawfully inputted as an Heir to a Most Noble and Ancient House was a whole other deal. Your official title for any announcement would be Heir to whatever House you were with and you held status over people of lesser value. It was something that most pureblood and half-blood children wished and hoped for, but once the day came it was probably the most nerve wracking thing ever.
After around five or six minutes, Blaise cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him, "Who's next?"
His question was answered before Lorcan could announce that he was by the same booming voice.
"The Chamber of The Wizengamot calls Lorcan Black, Heir Apparent to House Potter, Third in Line Heir Apparent to House Black."
The shock on their faces was the best thing he and Neville had ever seen. Wide eyes, gaping mouths and silence once again until Neville grabbed him into a quick hug before releasing him and then they clasped hands and shook once, smiled pulling at the corners of their mouths. He ignored the looks from the other Heirs, especially Malfoy's vicious glare cutting into his face like knives and sped quickly over to the doors.
He took a deep breath. This was it.
Make or break time.
He placed his hands on the handles.
Today was the day that Harry Potter died and Lorcan Black was born into the Wizarding World. Today was the day to see if they could trick not only the higher-ups of their world, but a man who had been looking for Harry Potter for a long time.
Albus Dumbledore.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to review and favourite!
PS: Sorry for taking so long!
Nothing but love,
MM xx