Chapter 13
Persephone waited until she had walked Harry out to the nearly abandoned stables that had a magnificent carriage in it. There was room for two dozen flying beasts. She wanted to give Ares some space, emotionally and physically before confronting her husband.
Depending on his answers, she would be ready to flee to Australia, file for separation from her the man. But only if he had lied to her. She would of course offer to take Hadrian. She could no more abandon him than Cassiopia. That would be a different problem. She took a deep breath and centered herself.
She walked back to the central living room. There was a grand piano and harp in the upper left, three wide elegant stairs led to the elevated platform of polished marble. The family clearly had one time been blessed with talented musicians.
Now, Persephone had to hire them. It was a crime what had had happened to the magical society of Britain.
She looked at the landscape whose frame was magically expanded to match the missing art's space, but wasn't a portrait of Charlus and Dorea Potter. She could use their advice. Her husband had been formally adopted into the House of Potter. One of the reasons that Ares and Hadrian could share the responsibilities of the wards.
The House of Potter was not known to be pureblood all the time. The heirs had married half-blood and muggleborn witches, strengthening the family. Harry's grandmother was a Black who had met Lily's parents. They clearly had not been so blind, so ignorant.
So racist.
Dorea had run away from a marriage contract in order to marry Charlus for love. He refused to consider such a contract for their only son James. James wouldn't even think of doing so for Harry. Nor would he deny his son the right to marry for love, even if the love interest were a muggleborn.
She hadn't heard of anyone marrying an outright muggle, but there were no family rules against it. Maybe siblings had in the past. If the children were non-magical, they might have lost touch.
She was lost in her own thoughts about the subject when Ares returned to the house from his own walk. He looked calmer.
"Did I ever tell you about the date I had with Lily's cousin Andrea?" the former Sirius Black asked. At her head shake, he continued. "She was very funny, good looking, educated, smart. Smart dresser too. Loved my motorcycle. We only dated a few months, she could tell I was keeping secrets. But I really liked her."
"Wait, I thought Lily was the only magical in her family."
"She is. Was." Ares added sadly. "Until Harry, of course."
"You dated a muggle! And you couldn't tell her about magic, unless she already knew from Lily, who wouldn't have told a cousin she wasn't living with! And you liked her! You really liked her!"
"Yep."
"Would you have married her?"
Ares thought about it, and shook his head. "She wasn't really my type. She had no interest in my music, and she was too involved in politics. It really wasn't a good match. I needed to wait to meet you."
He pulled his wife's hand to his lips, kissed the knuckles, then turned it slightly to kiss the inside of her wrist. She shivered.
That answered all of Persephone's questions. He wasn't hiding his pureblood prejudice. He didn't have them.
"It's only a little early love, but why don't you sleep in my room tonight. My bed has been terribly cold.
"But the healer said…" The man tried to object. He really did. She was mending from the loss of their child.
"A couple of weeks won't make a difference. You tell Cassiopia a story tonight. I'm going to make sure that Hadrian gets to his room and gets to sleep. Then we turn up our privacy charms."
"That little pleated skirt?" was asked with hope in his voice.
"If you wish."
Padfoot bounded out of the room, the Grim startling more than one elf.
At least something good was coming out of this terrible fight.
-00-00-00-
Lord Black hadn't stayed in the middle of the marsh he wound up in for long. He apparated to Grimmauld Place. He barely remembered that Walburga was dead. His son Orion had passed away many years before. Dead of verbal poison, administered slowly, listening to his wife's vitriol over the years.
He couldn't seem to remember any other place to go at the moment.
"Kreacher!"
"How may Kreacher serve the great Lord Black." the house-elf bowed. "Great Lord of the Light, lover of muggles and mudbloods." He added in what was meant to be silent, his own thoughts, but was spoken aloud.
"Why did you not come to Jexter, the head elf of the Potter House for help with this place?" Lord Black demanded. "It's filthy!"
"Kreature not needing help from house-elfs who bow and scrape before lowly half-blood master. Everybody loving hims. Everybody wanting to bes his friends. And he's nothing but the son of a mudblood and a blood traitor! Now, he treats the Lord of the family like dirt! Kicking him out! Putting him in a bog! A stinky, slimy one."
Arcturus swore violently. He couldn't help it. He had just been through so much. He needed a proper elf. He needed clean clothes, and a clean place to sleep.
Why couldn't he remember where the main Black home was right now?
He called several house-elves. Jexter, Binks, Tobby, Slim, Tobius. None would come.
"Dobby!
"You tried to hurt the Great Master Harry Potter Sir!" Dobby cried, pulling a cast iron pan from his kitchen apron. He started to come at Lord Black waving a cooking implement, but found he held a hissing snake instead and dropped it quickly.
Arcturus knew how to handle out of control elves though, and pulled a glove from a pocket.
Dobby popped away.
Lord Black still was wet, slimy, smelly and tired. And he didn't want to listen to Walburga's vitriol coming from a house-elf.
"Nasty half-blood master should be drowned for treating the pureblood master so poorly. Kreacher would be happy to kill the mudblood and her awful muggle parents who caused all this trouble. Yes he would."
Arcturus stopped as if hit with a heavy cast iron fry pan.
Hadn't his original intent to get away from the killing?
He sat down in a nearby chair, unsure if the chair or he were dirtier at the time. He sat near Walburga's portrait, and woke his daughter-in-law up.
Lord Black desperately needed a drink and information.
He would settle for information at the moment.
-00-00-00-
Persephone couldn't find Harry anywhere in the stables at first. Then she found him in the old office at the end.
Someone had left a few old enchanted toys. Obviously entertaining little ones while working, a common thing in a big place like theirs.
Harry was trying to fix a pure black winged horse. It wasn't working.
"I wish I knew what to do!" Hadrian said.
"I'm sorry love. I never took enchanting. You can ask Ares tomorrow. I know he and your father did some projects together."
Harry snorted. "Pranks."
"Mostly, no doubt. I'm not saying you did anything wrong. But now that we are all calmer, is there anything you would have done differently?
Auntie had the most amazing voice. He loved to listen to her read to him.
"I should not ever kick anyone out of the wards without warning them. The house-elves are frantic. I'm trying just to hide from Grandfather for a time, but they are going crazy."
"Okay, that's one thing."
"I should have waited until everyone was calmer. We can't solve problems when we are upset or angry. Unless we want to start a war."
"I'm so pleased that you listen to me, young man. I was worried." Persephone said with a laugh.
He blew her a very uppercrust raspberry.
"Anything else?"
"I have a big decision to make. I either back up what I said by offering to step down as Heir to the House of Black. Or I accept a liege lord who will use an imperious curse to get what he wants."
"And?"
"I'm disinclined to acquiesce to his request. Imperiused or commanded, I won't be giving up Hermione as a friend just because of her parentage."
Persephone applauded.
"You were worried." Harry added.
"My grandparents house isn't all that big. I wasn't for leaving you behind, regardless of laws. Comes from having a bunch of criminal ancestors, I suppose."
"That was like 250 years ago! And there was only the one - and he was falsely accused! Just like Sirius Black."
"Which is why I don't consider my husband to be a criminal, love, and why I was willing to listen to him. And believe him. But bless you for your kind heart."
"Grandfather won't think of me as kind. I kinda threw him in a bog. And he won't be able to go to his old house."
She laughed at the thought of Arcturus in a bog. "Why can't he just apparate?" Persephone asked.
"I had all of this extra magic the day he had Mad-Eye try to spell me. I needed to do a big spell.I did the fidelius on the house. I didn't want him hiding there. I told you and Ares the secret right away."
The lady tried not to laugh, but it was hard. And it did serve the man right. She offered a hand to Harry to help him up, and took the Tulpar with them. Lovely beasty. She hoped that she could get Ares to fix it.
Tomorrow.
-00-00-00-
Arcturus sat and talked with Walburga for a time. Asked her opinion on how muggleborns should be treated. And their parents.
The economic impact of having more goods and gold flowing rather than less did not change the woman's mind.
Gold. It had been enough to change some of the hardliners. Yes, it had taken time. And yes, there was a fight to keep the shops owned only by the elite and employ the 'lesser beings', but the economy was growing.
Goblins bowed to him. Ragnok had named him and Hadrian friends for the improvements. The gold was increasing in goblin coffers as well.
It wasn't a small change either, it was noticeable growth.
Hadn't his original plans been an integration of muggleborns into society? To be sure, as servants and shopkeepers. Keep gold flowing into the pockets of the masters.
This was a defining moment in his life and he knew it.
When had he turned into his daughter-in-law? Into Bellatrix? Into Voldemort?
Did he really try to use the imperius curse on family? In order to prevent another muggleborn like Theodore or Lily from joining the family?
Had they been that horrible?
Hadn't he kept Andromeda from Hadrian's home because of Ted?
Would he have welcomed Lily Potter to his table if she had lived?
Arcturus desperately wanted a drink, a warm fire. A quiet place to think. He called for the elves again, all except Dobby. Finally he commanded Kreacher to start a fire and clean up an area around it after he was brought a dry robe. He removed the outer layers, and tried his best to clean up with a spell. He donned his son's old robes, and took a chair by the fire.
Lord Black didn't like himself much at the moment.
-00-00-00-
Perspehone made sure that Emily knew she was on baby watch duty. She loved having the girl living there. It was a blessing to be sure.
She had offered a rare sleeping draught to Hadrian. It had been such a trying day for him! He had accepted it. The son of her heart was asleep before she had finished the first page of the Turkic myth that talked about the black winged horse.
She kissed him good-night, and put the toy on the table next to him.
And left quietly to go change.
-00-00-00-
Lord Black flooed Alastor Moody from the hastily cleaned living room at Grimmauld. He quickly agreed to come over and they talked.
Moody was over the moon about Potter's ability to fight off his Imperious curse. Since he was a Master Auror, and trained others in resisting it, he had been casting it on auror trainees for forty plus years.
Only Dumbledore had been the only magical person he knew able to fight his curse off first go, and that was when Albus was a fully grown man!
Moody also waxed rhapsodic over his new protege. Rare metamorphmagus. Was going to be an amazing agent once her training was done. He walked over to the floo.
"Too bad her mother is no longer in the family. That girl is going to be amazing. Would have brought honor to your house."
"What?" Black demanded.
"Didn't I tell you her name? No first name, hates it. Last name Tonks. Mother's name is Andi something or other." He gave a cheeky wink, and left.
Horrible man! Why had Arcturus called him again? And he hadn't even offered to share his flask!
-00-00-00-
Cordelia Greengrass gasped. She couldn't share this information! It would get to the press and ruin everything!
She couldn't tell Daphne anything either. Both of them were very angry at Cynus. He wanted Daphne to have a good match in a younger son of a less prestigious house so that he could be trained to take over the business. And take Greengrass for his surname.
The woman plotted. How best to do this to throw it all in her husband's face? Show him that Hadrian, a kind and loving boy was a far better choice than any that Lord Greengrass would make.
This would take cunning and skill. And she dared not be caught!
-00-00-00-
Another call that went unanswered by all of the other elves. He called Kreather who muttered loudly about mudbloods and blood traitors and all of the muggle filth in the world.
Lord Black so desperately needed a drink right then!
This was his own fault. He needed to make amends. He sighed. The man looked down at himself, and walked to the floo. In disgust, not of what he was doing, but in how long he had taken to do so, he flooed to Andromeda's house.
"Grandfather?"
"My child. I have made a terrible mistake. Many terrible mistakes. I beg for shelter for the night, and perhaps some clean clothes. I need to make amends. With you. With Hadrian."
"The floo is open. Please, come. Once you're here, I'll set up the guest room. Ted and I were just sitting down for a late dinner. Please join us."
The man couldn't reply. The kindness and love on offer more than anything else what he needed to hear after the messages of intolerance and violence.
"Kreacher! Listen to me. You are not to harm any man, woman or child. Wizard or muggle. You are to start cleaning this place. Once I make amends with Harry Potter, I will ask some of his elves to help here. And Kreacher, know this. If you cannot change your ways, it will mean clothes."
Kreacher started sniveling before Lord Black had left the floo.
It was all that half-blood's fault! The one every other house-elf in the world adored.
-00-00-00-
Hadrian woke dreading the upcoming meeting with muggles that night, but he really hadn't needed to.
Ares had requested that they put aside the horrors of the previous day, and just try to enjoy their time with Hermione and her parents. Harry was certainly all in for the first part of that request.
Dinner with the Granger's had been a lot of fun. Harry had never had Chinese food before, or tried holding chopsticks. He was a quick study, and didn't even resort to cheating as Ares did. Persephone wasn't willing to even try.
"I prefer to eat my food, not wear it. Thank you." She had said, making everyone laugh.
The group had walked to and from the restaurant and were now back enjoying after dinner beverages.
"Dan, you really must take Harry downstairs, and show him your playroom." Emma said.
Harry knew what that meant at Black Manor. It was usually a euphemism that Grandfather had caught another death eater and was going to be torturing him for information soon. Not that Harry was supposed to know about it. Or that Grandfather could get into the house right now.
Harry had put it under fidelius, which as Heir he had rights to do. It was petty, but fun.
"You have a dungeon? Your house doesn't seem big enough."
All of the adults choked at once. Coffee, tea, and a bit of Irish Whiskey went everywhere. Jexter soon had everything to rights, though.
Harry stood and bowed. He waited for Ares to look at him. Which he wasn't doing!
"I apologize if I said something wrong." Harry said simply.
"We all have to go look at it now!" Emma declared, pulling her husband to his feet.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "But we'll never get him out of there! And I wanted to play a game!"
Harry looked at his friend; he had never heard her whine like that before. Was her father secretly a torturer? Was he about to see something awful?
Part of him was excited and part scared, but he had to know what kind of dungeon dentists kept. He just had to know!
Harry's eyes grew wide as the stairs down ended, and opened up into a comfortable warm environment. Lots warmer than any dungeon Harry had ever heard of. The room was not overly large. About 5 meters by 9 meters or so, but the middle held a table. And what the table contained! It was a huge oval donut shape, with several train tracks. All in miniature. Dan flipped a switch on the table. Little trains passed each other, and even blew whistles! There was a tunnel, and overpasses, and little people on a bridge waving hello.
It was the most amazing thing Harry had ever seen!
Even if the people waving didn't move much that Harry could tell. Maybe the enchantments were wearing off. Well, Hermione was only 12 after all.
On the far right was a workbench with a variety of tools just hanging on the side.
"Hermione? How did you get away with magic here? I thought that the security net would catch muggleborns doing magic at home?" He queried. "They call it the trace, as though a wand could be tracked."
She laughed, and picked up what Harry would later find out was a repurposed old dental tool.
"Magnetism." She showed him how several tools were held there at a convenient height. A large lit magnifying glass for creating and painting miniatures was bolted on a pivot that allowed it to be moved into the desired place.
"You mean that you didn't do this?" He asked his friend.
"Oh, not at all! My father did. And the trains are running on electricity not magic." She replied.
Muggle! All of it was muggle! And made by the man behind him.
"I want to learn how to do this sir! Please, can I watch you sometime?" Harry asked. "I would be more than willing to pay for my lessons, of course. I understand that healers like you make very good money. Oh, please sir!"
Persephone beamed at Emma. Mission accomplished! Harry had met a decent muggle at last, and connected through a common interest. The ladies shared a secret smile. The train set really was quite something.
Dan invited Harry to crawl with him under the table to the middle where there was the cutout. He pointed out several critical systems while talking.
Dan laughed. "I would love to teach you, Harry. Never could get either of the ladies of the house interested. I also belong to a hobby group that meets every once in a while. Now, we couldn't talk about magic in front of them. But you could see some of the other scales of model trains, learn a bit from other people."
Harry's eyes were wide.
"I love your dungeon sir. Very much." He turned to Ares. "Can we build a playroom in the dungeon at Potter Manor?"
Why were all of the adults acting so weird?
-00-00-00-
Andromeda was so happy! One of her few living relatives had flooed out of the blue, and was now staying in her home!
Arcturus had used his time wisely in getting to know Ted better. Andromeda and Ted's daughter Dora was in and out, as she was training to be an auror. Theodore had accepted a spot at Hogwarts after the upset Muggle Studies teacher decided to retire rather than be under probation.
Burbage was upset when she was told she wasn't following ICW standards, and needed to start. Dumbledore had never required it! In fact, it wouldn't surprise her if it wasn't the same curriculum that he TOOK! And if it was good enough for the great man, it should be good enough for the governors.
Lord Black and the others had disagreed. "The muggles are the greatest threat to our world. We need a current view of them. Not what happened a hundred years ago."
He also got to know his granddaughter. He hadn't spent much time with her since she was a child.
Andromeda was rather at loose ends right now. She had been staying home to take care of her daughter. Then chaperone her as she grew older. When Arcturus asked if she would like a job, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
She was one of the few that recognized his potential pranking prowess.
"I need a manager over a pair of twin devils. They are wonderfully creative. I want to give them shop space to develop pranks. But they are young. I don't want them just wasting gold or time. And no fourteen year old boys should be left unsupervised. You may of course hire additional help for product development, or anything else needed." Arcturus explained.
"I wish we could recruit Nyphadora for this. She loved to pull little pranks. Many of her pranks were blamed on the twins after they came to Hogwarts. They are Charlie's little brothers. She and Charlie are dating, though now with the distance, and international portkeys being so dear…"
Arcturus nodded at everything said. Andromeda approved the courtship. Arcturus did too, actually.
"Charlie's working in Romania with dragons." She told him.
"How would he like to work closer? Still live away from home? House Potter has a private reserve of Welsh Greens that could use help."
"That solves many issues. And he still doesn't have to live under his mother's roof. I love Molly, I do, but sometimes. Well. Yes, I have met the twins. Where did you want to set up shop?"
"Eventually Hogsmeade, but Harry owes two empty shops right now that could be used to develop the products. They can't be used to sell things until Harry is at least 15, but the timing really is ideal. That gives the twins time to get inventory built up. There are separate storage areas as well."
"Just in case a product, what, explodes?" Ted asked.
"Goes BOOM in a bad way would be one concern yes." Lord Black's eyes were twinkling. "Maybe the twins could help me with a gift idea for Harry to make amends as well."
"Andromeda and I will have to talk about it, but I like it. We plan on living at the castle. Dromeda can help me do patrols, and has agreed to be my unpaid assistant at times, but you need her at the shop during school holidays."
"Actually Ted, if we could find an empty classroom that we could take over, make into a workshop, we might be able to keep the twins in line at school as well." The mother of a prankster offered.
The three beamed at each other.
Family connecting over shared common interests. And making people laugh.
-00-00-00-
Arcturus spent the week doing research, reflecting, buying gifts.
And formally reinstating Andromeda to the family.
Through intermediaries, he also set up an apology for the Grangers.
The muggleborns who had shops in Diagon were doing alright, but truly, it would be nice if something could be done to encourage the average witch and wizard to frequent those stores more. Just give them a try. He had a few ideas he wanted to talk to Harry about.
Arcturus had gold 'MC' elegant pins made. Any pureblood who owned a shop that was willing to hire a muggleborn was to be given one.
If there was one thing Lord Black knew about it was snobbery. If Lady X saw Lady Y wearing a fancy pin, and she was of a certain elite, then Lady X would do what it took to get it.
Especially if it were free.
Wealthy purebloods loved that word.
-00-00-00-
It wasn't hard convincing Harry to floo over to the Burrow to let Ares and Persephone meet Molly and the twins. The boys were supposed to go to Hermione's today for something. Harry was unsure of what.
Molly didn't want to let her underage children go to the muggle world without her and her wand.
So they all went together by portkey.
No offense to Molly, but Harry was not allowing any Weasley with unfettered access to Potter Manor by adding them to the ward book. Who knew what would happen next. They would not be using his floo.
As it was a weekend, Dan was home, ready to greet them. Just over a week had passed since the huge family fight.
And Arcturus still didn't know where Black Manor was at the moment. Good thing he had no guests staying over.
"Are you alright there, Harry?" Mr. Granger asked, concerned about the boy clutching his stomach.
"Just breakfast settling after the portkey. I wish you good morrow, sir." The Heir of House Black said, with a formal bow.
And while bowing, loudly breaking wind. Twice.
Red faced, Harry apologized, and started to ask if he may use the loo. That's when the harangue started. Another loud noise erupted as well.
"You boys! You did this! I know it! You gave him a potion before the portkey!"
"It was just a stomach soother sent with the portkey." Fred explained.
"We wouldn't prank the boy - not today!" George added.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley then got to see a Weasley Howler up close and personal. It didn't end until Harry got back either.
"Maybe we could all have a soothing cup of tea, and find out what's going on. Shall we?" Mrs. Granger invited.
The twins kept looking at each other, silently accusing the other.
The guilty party in the room remained silent.
-00-00-00-
The twins were formal vassals to House Black. As such, they were sent to the Granger's with a gift and an apology.
Someone had done research. The gift to Mr. Granger was an unopened classic railroad set that was in mint condition that Dan had always wanted. But was unwilling to sell the house in order to afford it comfortably.
The gift for Mrs. Granger was a little kitten figurine from the 1930's that was just as rare and just as expensive. It completed a set that she had inherited from her Grandmother Dagworth.
The twins flipped a coin, Merlin, so George got to read the letter aloud.
'Mr. and Mrs. Granger. I insulted your daughter in the worst possible way. I will not hold my parents, my family, or even the society in which I was raised responsible for my prejudice. My views as an adult are my own responsibility. I humbly ask forgiveness. It may take time to truly let go of all of the negative feelings that I have towards muggles. I won't be able to change overnight.
'I will however strive to become a better person. Your daughter has the top marks of their year. Advantages of being on the board of governors that I know this. She has been a good friend to my heir. I want her to know that she is welcome in any Black property for as long as she lives. If she is ever in need, she has only to go to Gringotts and ask for aid if she cannot contact a member of the family.
'For Miss Granger, I have prepaid the rest of her tuition at Hogwarts, and told all of the school suppliers that House Black will be paying for her books, robes, etc. The only limitation is at the bookstore. School books for the year, and G50 extra per term. I cannot allow Miss Granger's love of books to bankrupt the house after all.
'Lily Potter was a powerful witch, smart and full of love. Hermione comes from a loving home, and has been a faithful friend. Ted Tonks is a loving husband, kind and good to my granddaughter Andromeda. Being from a muggle home does not mean that that person should not be allowed to be a member of House Black.
'I would welcome either of these magicals at my table. I do hope to one day host Hermione Granger there as well.
'Please forgive this prejudiced old man.
Arcturus, Lord Black'
The twins bowed together, and stood to the side to wait for the response.
Harry sat there in their lounge, poleaxed. He never expected Grandfather to do this! Talking about Ted Tonks as though he knew him!
"Lord Black spent this week with Ted and Andromeda Tonks. He's hired her to be our store manager while we work on pranks together. He sent us here today with these gifts and apologies." George stated.
"We have asked Heir Black to be here to witness this. And be able to testify that we didn't prank anyone in doing so." Fred added.
Dan looked to his wife, and they communicated silently. "We accept his apology. The gifts are wonderful, but he doesn't need to pay for Hermione's school!"
Harry looked at the family. "Please don't refuse this offer sir. By House Black sponsoring Hermione like this, it will add to her protection. There are some wizards out there who are wisely keeping their prejudice silent. Anyone coming after my friend wouldn't just face her wand. They would know that House Black would protect her as well."
Harry looked to the twins. "Please convey to Lord Black that I am glad to hear that he enjoyed his visit to his family, and look forward to talking with him after dinner tonight at home."
Heir Potter-Black didn't know what happened, but clearly something had changed. Sponsoring Hermione! He might as well take out an ad in the Daily Prophet that said that he hoped that Hadrian and Hermione married someday.
Harry beamed at Hermione who looked confused. Right. She didn't have a scorecard yet. That's okay. He could explain it before going home. But first, he had something important to do. No two important things.
First, Harry pulled out parchment and scribbled a quick note. He asked Fred to give it to Lord Black for him.
For the second item. Harry took a deep breath. "Dan, can we show the twins the trains? Please?"
-00-00-00-
Potter Manor settled back into a new routine quickly. Just one that had the Tonks coming over for dinner now and then. All three of them.
And Hermione and Neville alternating visits. On days Hermione wasn't there, she was likely at Susie's house. Sometimes, if he and Neville finished early, Harry would join them there.
Daphne was acting a little odd. She would visit some of the time that Neville was there, but leave if Hermione came over. Was Lady or Lord Greengrass prejudiced too? Or just showing family support for Neville?
Arcturus asked Harry what he wanted as an apology gift. Hadrian said he got it when Lord Black was so accepting of Hermione.
When pushed, Harry asked for a pony. Well, technically he asked for a pair of Pegasi that he could keep at Hogwarts. Or the black variety called Tulpars. Either one. Or one of each.
Arcturus promised to look into it.
Lesander Bulstrode refused to sell any of his Pegasi. He did however promise to keep his eyes open if he heard of anyone selling any. He had never heard of Tulpars, but agreed that they sounded amazing. He did allow Hadrian a pair of the white variety on lease so he could ride several times a week.
That gave him and Draco some great bonding time. Daphne accepted invitations too, disappointed that she couldn't go every time. Harry didn't like how pushy she was about it.
Draco complained about his mother leaving more and more. Harry invited him to the manor, but Heir Malfoy didn't want to appear as a baby too young to be left home alone.
The dinner came as a surprise to only the boys.
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