The Future of House Black

By: Ryu Katanna

Beta:

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Twenty

Three weeks passed quickly after Andromeda and Teddy had moved in with Hardwin at Black Manor. The move had been made easy with the help of the house elves, and Andromeda had settled into a suite on the third floor while Teddy slept in the nursery on the second. Hardwin had noticed that Andromeda was starting to look more rested as the days passed. If that was because she wasn't surrounded by memories of the family she'd lost, or because she was now able to sleep through the night with Winky becoming the official nanny elf, Hardwin didn't know or ask.

He just appreciated both of their presence in the Manor.

They had fallen into an easy routine after the first few days. Monday through Thursday the two of them would have breakfast together in the informal dining room. Andromeda would then head up to the Nursery to take over Teddy's care from Winky, and Hardwin would head to the floo room to greet whichever tutor was arriving that morning. He studied proper wizarding etiquette, dance, penmanship, and table manners in the mornings until lunch when Draco would arrive to eat with Hardwin and Andromeda. After lunch, the two teens would greet one of three tutors every two hours to study for their N.E.W.T.S. until supper time.

Draco would leave to dine with his parents, and Hardwin would spend an hour after supper with Teddy and Andromeda before going to his study. There he would take care of any correspondence and learn estate management from Arcturus; the portrait helping him sort through the investments and properties that had remained stagnant for seven years. Arcturus may have made many mistakes in life when it came to their family, but one thing both Andromeda and Narcissa had told him, the man had a keen mind for business and politics. Hardwin was finding it a lot easier to sort through everything with the help of his great-grandfather's portrait.

Hardwin could tell that the man must have been a hard taskmaster in life. Arcturus still gave off the feel of pure-blood aristocracy, but it was obvious that the deaths of Melania, Orion, and Regulus, as well as Sirius's hatred for the family, and facing the fact that it had been his decisions that had almost led to the end of the family line, had left their marks on the man. His portrait still held himself with pride, but that was tempered but the mistakes he'd acknowledged. He was firm with Hardwin while teaching him, but also didn't argue with him when the teen made the final decision about the investments. He was already starting to see a return after the first week of sorting the investments with Arcturus's help; much to SilverClaw's pleasure.

Fridays Hardwin would floo to Malfoy Manor after breakfast where he learned how to ride and care for the Abraxians that Lucius took pride in. He would eat lunch with them before spending an hour or two learning about politics from Lucius for when he took his seat on the Wizengmont. Hardwin would return from Malfoy Manor and spend time alone with Teddy to give Andromeda some time to herself until supper. After supper, Hardwin would go up to the conservatory to read and spend time with Depili as well as the other three who had been named Malina, Adamani, and Larimar.

Saturday nights Hardwin would meet with Mina at Freedom, but his day was spent in the library as he researched anything and everything he could about his family line. Hardwin researched not only the Black and Potter lines, but also his relations to the Gaunt, Montague, Prewett, and Peverell lines. He wanted to understand his history better. Unsurprisingly, he found a lot of information there though he concentrated more on the Black, Potter, Peverell, and Gaunt lines. Hardwin truly wanted to know if there were any other descendants of the Gaunt line, but couldn't find that he could trace that were still living.

He also worked to sort the Dark Arts and other books banned by the Ministry when he needed a distraction. Those books were then relocated to an empty storage room which he was making into a library similar to the restricted section at Hogwarts. He planned to put the room under a fidelius that would only be shared with those within the family over seventeen. That way they would be kept safe if the Ministry ever decided to raid the Manor, and any children of House Black would have to wait the access them until they were of age. He also planned to put a portrait over the entryway to further protect it with a guardian who would keep anyone underage out even if they knew the secret.

Sunday mornings he would spend with Teddy and Andromeda until the afternoon. Then Hardwin would head upstairs to continue the two projects he was working on. The main one being his proposal for Lord Scamander. He was almost done, but he wanted to have all of the information for a cooperative rehabilitation and sanctuary between Houses Black and Scamander. Hardwin already had two plans from a goblin architect for a magical serpentarium to be built on the grounds at Black Manor, and a separate plan that he was working on to replace the hedge maze.

He'd also exchanged several floo calls with Lucius as they discussed any laws and regulations that were in place for Magical Britain that would or could impact his plans. Luckily, Hardwin was exempt from needing certain permits when it came to serpents because he was a parselmouth though he could still be sentenced to serve a few years in Azkaban if he was found to be breeding a basilisk. It wasn't something Hardwin was worried about as he had no plans on ever doing so though he would apply for a permit to house one in case it was ever needed.

Lucius had looked ready to faint when he'd told him about it.

Hardwin hadn't noticed how quickly the time passed, and the students had soon returned to Hogwarts. He hadn't had the opportunity to see Luna before she returned to school, but he'd managed to give her a written interview that Xenophilius would be publishing once all the contracts were signed with his solicitor within the week. He'd regretted the lost opportunity to talk with her and Nevile, but he had been writing to both of them at least twice a week. He'd explained what he'd discovered over the summer. Neville and Luna had both assured him that understood. Neville especially because he would soon be Lord of House Longbottom, and carry responsibilities for his House. Luna had commented several times about the wrackspurts infesting his brain finally being known.

He'd also received another letter from George. He had been setting the frequent letters from Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Molly into the folder for his solicitor unopened but he hadn't been able to bring himself to do the same with George's. George had set the date for the reopening of the shop for the end of September. Until then he was still filling owl orders, but restocking the shop was proving to take some time without Fred.

George had expressed his concern for Hardwin's 'disappearance' from their lives but had also said that he understood if Hardwin wanted time to himself after everything. That it was long past due for Hardwin to be able to live his life. He only asked that he write to him to let the redhead know he was still alive. That had prompted Hardwin to respond to him, and write that he was alright. That he'd learned a few things recently, and he just needed time to sort himself out. George had responded with only a few words saying 'Thanks. Let me know if you can make it for the reopening or not when you're ready.'

Hardwin shook his head to get his mind back onto what he was doing as he sat down in his study to look through the letters that had arrived that day. He wasn't surprised to see letters from Ron, Ginny, and Hermione as he sorted through them. They had continued writing to him though he hadn't read a single one in weeks; just putting them into the file that sent copies to his solicitor. He knew they had expected to corner him upon returning to school. Instead, they had been left to discover that he wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts when they couldn't find him on the train or at the feast the night before.

They had apparently gone to Headmistress McGonagall who had already known but refused to tell them anything; she'd been informed by Kingsley about what Hardwin had learned and was dealing with. She'd written to Hardwin after that offering her support, and also offering to meet with Aberforth to inform him personally. She'd worked more closely with him than most during the war, and felt it would be better coming from her before he got the details from Hardwin.

Hardwin had agreed and thanked her for her support before writing that he would set up a meeting between Aberforth, himself, their solicitors, and account managers at Gringotts if he was agreeable. Needless to say, Aberforth had been angry with his brother and had agreed to the meeting set for the beginning of October. Aberforth had also written to Gringotts for an audit on the Dumbledore vaults and had them frozen in the meantime. He had refused to have anything to do with them before, but by freezing the account he had stopped all outgoing transactions his brother may have set up.

"Is something wrong, Hardwin?" Arcturus asked as the teen paused on the next letter.

"The writing is unfamiliar, but it's properly addressed." Hardwin replied as he looked at it.

Hardwin Potter-Black

Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

Scion of the Noble House of Potter

Black Manor, Wychwood Forest

"Well open it to see who it's from." Arcturus prompted knowing that the elves would have checked it for any curses or hexes even as Hardwin checked for himself.

Flipping the letter over, Hardwin paused again as he reached for his letter opener. The letter was sealed with wax displaying a House seal. The letter P in a triangle. He looked up at the portrait even as he moved to break the seal and open the letter.

"I think it's from Lord Potter." He told Arcturus and set down the opener.

"A response at last? You only wrote to him three weeks ago." Arcturus drawled scathingly at how long it had taken; a proper Lord would have responded more quickly.

"He's in America. Perhaps that's why it took so long. It doesn't look like it was sent by the goblins. That poor bird must be exhausted." Hardwin said as he looked at the return address included under the signature and then looked back at the envelope to see that there wasn't anything else other than his name and location.

If it had come through the goblins then it would have 'Care of Gringotts, Goblin Nation' stamped on the envelope by one of the goblin clerks. Hardwin knew this because he'd needed to take his letter to Gringotts and watched as they did it when they took the letter and payment. However, the return letter didn't have that same stamp. Which meant it hadn't been sent through the goblins, but owled directly.

"Nanna!" Hardwin called for his elf who was in charge of taking care of the animals.

"Yes, Master Black?" Nanna asked as he appeared; concerned about the tone in his Master's voice.

"Is the owl that delivered this letter still here?" Hardwin ask as he showed Nanna the envelope.

"Yes, Master Black. Nanna tells owlsies to rest in Aviarys. It collapses when it arrives. Very tired it is." Nanna informed him and Hardwin almost cringed in sympathy for the poor bird.

"Make sure it is well taken care of and rests for a few days. Give it plenty of water, fresh rats, and some treats. I doubt it'll be able to hunt for itself for at least a few days. If the owl is not looking any better in three days, or its condition gets worse in those three days, I want you to take it to Hagrid at Hogwarts. Give him this letter if you do; if it is not needed then just dispose of it later." Hardwin instructed as he laid the letter from Lord Potter down, pulled out a sheet of parchment, and wrote a short letter to Hagrid explaining the situation in case the bird was in really poor condition and his help was needed.

"Nanna bes doing as Master tells him." Nanna replied with a nod as Hardwin put the letter in an envelope and sealed it before handing it to the elf so he wouldn't forget.

"Has Andromeda returned? Please tell her that I've requested her presence and that I've received the letter we've been waiting for." Hardwin requested when Nanna nodded before turning back to the letter he'd laid down on the desk, and Nanna popped out of the room to do as he'd been instructed.

"The letter doesn't look to be very long. I wonder what Lord Potter has to say. It certainly took him long enough to respond." Arcturus said curiously as Hardwin picked it up.

"A single sheet of parchment... Hopefully, we'll get a few answers from it." Hardwin said as he unfolded it and started reading; a crease knitting his brow the more he read.

"Is something wrong?" Arcturus asked as Andromeda entered the study and Hardwin guessed she must have only been in the nursery down the hall to have arrived so quickly.

"I'm not sure what to think. Lord Potter says he is relieved to hear from me and has requested a meeting at his home in America." Hardwin informed him as he handed the letter to Andromeda.

"Well that's good isn't it?" She asked before pausing as she read to look up at him.

"Read a bit further. He's asked for a meeting that was set for four days ago. The letter wasn't sent through Gringotts. We have an owl in the aviary who has made a very long trip across the ocean." He told her with a small frown.

"Oh dear. Is Nanna taking care of it?" Andromeda asked before skimming through the rest of the letter.

"He is; with instructions to take it to Hagrid if it gets worse or doesn't get better in a few days." Hardwin reassured her before turning to the portrait of his grandfather as he spoke again.

"What will you do? If the meeting was set for four days ago then Lord Potter likely thinks you've wasted his time." Arcturus said with a small scowl knowing that Hardwin would have been able to make the meeting time if it had arrived on time.

"Well, if he won't or can't come to Britain to meet with me then I'll just have to go to America. The only problem is that I've never traveled internationally. MACUSA may have different laws when it comes to visitors from other countries, and who knows how long it'll take to arrange a meeting. Andromeda, do you think you could write to my tutors and cancel my lessons until I return? I'll also need you to take over things here until I return if there's a need. Grandfather knows everything I've been working on though there shouldn't be much since I've been so busy with my tutors." Hardwin said knowing that he would need her to do so if there was anything pressing since he was not married.

Usually, if the Lord of the House was unreachable, which he would be so far away, then the Lady or Lord Consort would be the one to take over correspondence and the business side of things until the Lord's return. Since Hardwin was still unmarried and had no heir of an appropriate age then a scion of the house who is trusted could do so if it was needed. Even if it was to reply that he would be unreachable and would be in contact upon his return so that meetings and such could be rescheduled. It was because of this reason that holidays were planned so far ahead of time.

"Of course, Hardwin. You should speak to Lucius before you go to the international port-key office at the Ministry. He's traveled a lot for both business and pleasure so I'm sure he could tell you anything you need to know about MACUSA's policies. I don't know much as it's been some years since I've traveled outside the country. I can have Kreacher pack a bag for you while you meet with him." Andromeda offered, and Hardwin frowned thoughtfully.

"Please make sure he packs the file I have set aside for Lord Poter as well. Oh, we have a cabin in America if I remember correctly. Could you include the property documents?" Hardwin asked as he tidied his appearance to go the Malfoy Manor.

"Of course. I'll handle things here just fine until you return; don't worry." Andromeda replied with bemusement as she watched Hardwin fuss with his hair and robes.

"How about we take a holiday when things settle down? It'll be a while with everything going on, but Teddy may be old enough to have some fun as well by then. He's already starting to roll over and sit up a bit." Hardwin said with a small smile as he thought about his godson.

"Oh, yes. He should start trying to crawl within the next month or so. Perhaps next summer we can make a trip, but we'll see. Narcissa still wants you to go to Paris with her and Draco to get you both winter wardrobe in a few weeks, but that's more of a day trip." Andromeda replied, chuckling at the look of horror she received.

"I suppose there's no way out of it?" He asked with a grimace that caused her to laugh.

"I'm afraid not. Now, you go speak with Lucius and call for Kreacher before you leave for the Ministry. I'll make sure he's packed everything you'll need." Andromeda said as she prompted him to go, and turned to look at Arcturus's portrait as Hardwin quickly stepped out of the room.

"I do hope he takes some time to explore and enjoy this little trip. He hasn't taken much of a break for himself after ending the war, has he?" Arcturus asked with a pensive expression as he looked toward the doorway where Hardwin had left.

"No, he hasn't. Truthfully, I'm getting a bit worried. I'm not saying it's a bad thing that he's so dedicated, but the healers gave him a list of things he needs to do so he can properly recover from what he's been through. Part of that includes seeing a mind healer and bedrest for a few days as they vanish and regrow bones, but he keeps putting it off.

"I see. He does appear to be the type to hate to remain idle. A good thing for a Lord, but not for his health. He has asked you to take over things here. Perhaps you should schedule the appointments while he is away?" Arcturus suggested, and Andromeda smirked a bit.

"Yes, perhaps I should." She replied before calling for Kreacher to pack a bag for Hardwin and gathering the documents he needed from the files.

123

Hardwin stopped to look in on Teddy where he was sleeping in the nursery before heading to the floo room. Throwing the powder into the flame he called his destination. He stepped into the floo room at Malfoy Manor to be greeted by a familiar little elf. She was dressed proudly in a clean dress in the Malfoy colors and the family crest on a sash across her waist.

"Good evening, Mipsy. Please tell Lucius I have arrived and am requesting to speak to him." He said before the little elf nodded vigorously and popped away; returning quickly.

"Master bes in the blue sitting room, and tells Mipsy Lord Black is beings welcome to be joining them." Mipsy told him, and Hardwin nodded.

"Thank you, Mipsy." He said before leaving; always making an effort to be more gentle with the Malfoy elves.

Lucius had been improving in Hardwin's estimation of him over the weeks as Hardwin got to know him. One thing that he noticed was that Lucius was trying to be kinder to his elves, at least in front of him, but the man did have a temper. The Malfoy elves were now properly dressed, and Narcissa was making strides to gain their loyalty. She'd taken his words to heart from the day he'd spoken with her about the issue, and had started to request them to carry out whichever task she needed instead of demanding. Orders were still orders, but the elves loved feeling like their tasks were appreciated. Draco, seeing the eagerness with which the elves had started serving his mother, was also making the effort to be kinder in his treatment of them. The elves were still a bit jumpy with the changes, but Hardwin was noticing the improvement in how they presented themselves when he visited.

"Hardwin, please come in. Is something wrong? Andy just left not long ago." Narcissa said with worried tension in her eyes as he entered the sitting room; looking to see they had guests and cursing mentally that he'd forgotten about it.

"Andy and Teddy are just fine, Cissa. I just need to speak to Lucius. This arrived for me tonight." Hardwin said as he handed the letter from Lord Potter to him before turning to face their guests.

"Good evening, Lord and Lady Flint. I apologize for interrupting your meeting." He said with an internal cringe that he'd forgotten about the meeting Narcissa had arranged tonight on his behalf.

"Not at all, Lord Black." Lord Flint said as Lucius raised a brow as he read.

"This arrived only today? Did the goblins delay the delivery by more than a week? The meeting was set days ago." He asked a bit incredulously; seeing the proposed meeting was four days before.

"No. This arrived via a very exhausted owl from America." Hardwin's expression fell flat as he said it, still irritated on behalf of the poor owl.

"Who sends post across the ocean requesting a meeting less than a month in advance?" Narcissa asked as she stood to take the letter from her husband.

"Lord Potter, apparently. What do you plan to do?" Lucius asked; knowing that Hardwin wouldn't have come over without notice if he didn't need something.

"I don't know if the delayed delivery was deliberate, but I won't let that stop me. He's asked me to meet him in America, and so I'll go there and request another meeting. I've never traveled outside of the country though. Andy suggested I ask you since MACUSA may have different laws or policies for visitors that I would be unaware of." Hardwin explained, knowing their conversation had the full attention of Lord and Lady Flint.

"You plan to leave tonight?" Narcissa asked as she handed the letter back and he folded it to put it in the pocket of his robes.

"Yes. Normally I would wait, but if the late delivery was deliberate then I don't want to initiate contact again only to have the same problem. If it wasn't then I don't want him to think I'm playing games with him to waste his time." Hardwin replied knowing that Narcissa would understand how important it was for him to know what had happened to give Dumbledore so much control over his life.

"You would need to get the Minister's signature to have the paperwork expedited. Otherwise, it can take a day or two. You'll also need to apply for a wand permit, and register it with MACUSA. Have you already applied for your Ministry Identification card and registered with the Beast Division?" Lucius asked knowing that he would need one for the project he had been working on before proposing the idea to Lord Scamander.

"I received the approval through the Beast Division yesterday as a consultant specializing in serpents. I just need to submit to the fingerprinting and have my photo taken." Hardwin replied knowing Lucius wouldn't have asked without a reason.

"Very good. Be sure to get that done before you leave. It will provide a secondary form of identification. Just do not forget that things are done a bit differently over there. The social structure in America differs from the UK as well. American wizards often consider the old Houses and Lordships to be an outdated system. This is mainly because their country was founded on different precepts. Don't forget that Rapparport's Law may have been repealed, but you should still be careful if you go into muggle areas. There may still be muggle descendants of scowlers who remain." Lucius warned even though he knew Hardwin was already very careful whenever he went into muggle areas.

He had been surprised to learn about Hardwin's views about muggles from Draco and had asked Hardwin about it one day. Hardwin had explained that while he had no love for muggles he also didn't hate them either. He understood more than most about the need for the Statute of Secrecy having grown up with his squib aunt and her muggle husband. To an extent, Hardwin even agreed with Rappaport's Law, in that muggles and magicals shouldn't mix. He'd explained his theory about where he thought muggle-borns may come from, but Lucius agreed that it would need thorough testing before Hardwin made that theory public. Hardwin had also told Lucius why he believed muggles could become dangerous with their advances in technology, and that one thing he wanted to do was to have magicals properly informed so that they could strive to remain hidden.

"How long do you think you'll be away? We are almost finished with our negotiations over the terms of the contract, and we'll need you here to sign it. You and your intended will also need to decide on a date for the bonding with the time constraint being what it is. Bonding ceremonies are usually planned for a few years once the contract is signed. A party will also need to be planned for the betrothal announcement. We don't have that much time." Narcissa informed him and Hardwin felt his stomach clench pleasantly at the knowledge that the marriage negotiations had been going well.

"At least a week, but two at the absolute most. It depends on Lord Potter. I was thinking I would look into a few investments while I'm there as well. We have a cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. I think I'll check on its condition and see if it needs anything done to make it livable. If things go well with Lord Potter then I may need to travel to the states again at some point. It does have a floo connection though. Ask Andy for the address if you need to contact me." Hardwin said though he honestly didn't know what to think of what was going through the mind of his dad's second cousin at the moment.

"As for the betrothal party... Do you think you, Andy, and Lady Flint could begin the preparations? That is if you're agreeable to assisting my cousin; Lady Flint. Andy has control over my schedule at the moment so I'm sure you could find an appropriate date for the signing at Gringotts and the party." Hardwin said; receiving nods of pleased agreement from both women.

"I'd be delighted to help, Lord Black. Usually, the Lord's family would be in charge of any preparations with minimal input from the intended's family as a show of the wealth and status they will be marrying into. I had not thought I would get to assist when Marcus asked his father to pursue the contract with House Black." Lady Evangeliya Flint smiled at the offer.

"Traditionally that is correct. However, I believe that the wealth and status of both myself and my House are not in question. The speed with which we will need to proceed through the negotiations, betrothal, and bonding is also unusual. While I agree with most of our traditions I also know that a few are either outdated or are almost rendered obsolete in these modern times. This is one of them." Hardwin replied knowing that while he agreed with some traditions that there were others he honestly felt were anachronistic.

They deserved to know this about him before they signed their son into a permanent bond with someone whose views they either disagreed with or abhorred.

"You are Marcus's parents. If you would like to provide input in any of the planning then I believe it is your rite to do so. I feel it is better to show respect toward the parents of my intended and the place you will have in our lives; rather than putting on a display of wealth and status you already know about." He explained; relaxing a bit when Lady Flint smiled and Lord Flint tilted his head in an approving gesture.

"If you plan to be gone for that long then you may like to see about writing to the Headmaster of Ilvermorny to request a visit. It's said that Morrigan Stewart, the witch who founded the school, was also a descendant of Salazar Slytherin." Lord Flint commented as he guided the conversation back to the trip Hardwin would be taking; catching the teen's attention with the information he provided.

"Stewart? I have found a Stewart connected to the Gaunt line, but her name wasn't Morrigan. Isolt Stewart nee Sayre was the only child of Rionach Sayre nee Gaunt. Perhaps she changed her name..." Hardwin said as he started thinking about what he'd been able to find, but there hadn't been much information.

"She may have. The school was founded just over three hundred years ago. If she lived in the early sixteen-hundreds then they may be the same." Maddox said as he watched the teen's mind spin curiously; gaining a better understanding of him after interacting with him twice than the trash the papers had reported over the years.

"If I'm remembering correctly... Isolt was born in the early sixteen-hundreds and died in the early seventeen-hundreds. Thank you for the suggestion, Lord Flint. It might be worth looking into. I haven't been able to find much about that branch of the Gaunts or what happened to them." Hardwin admitted, mentally making a note to look into it while he was there.

"Lady Malfoy told us that you were doing extensive research on your bloodline. Most young men your age would only care about their direct line; if they bother at all beyond what they are made to learn. If you don't mind my asking, is there a deeper reason you are interested, or is it only curiosity about your lineage?" Evangeliya asked as she thought about her children.

Merlin knew she'd had trouble getting her two older boys to sit down to learn about their family line before they attended Hogwarts though her youngest had been doing well so far.

"I'm doing it for a few reasons. I'm mainly tracking which families I'm more closely related to that have a direct connection to me. My House has gone so far as to marry cousins as we know from my grandparents, Orion and Walburga Black, to keep the line pure. All three of my parents were also related to varying degrees within the Black bloodline. My mother was also distantly related to House Gaunt who went so far as intermarrying siblings. Still, that bloodline has proved to be strong enough for me to have inherited the talent for parseltongue, which presumably skipped my mother." He explained his reasoning before continuing as he knew he had their attention.

"So far I've been lucky to have no ill effects from the inbreeding. I've been evaluated by a healer and have been found to be fertile. I am also not displaying symptoms of the madness a few in both the Black and Gaunt lines have been known for. The only medical problems I have are from the life I've lived, but that doesn't mean that the healer won't find anything as I get older. I want to stop my family from marrying close relations for the continued prosperity of House Black, so I need to track my bloodlines for the future. I will also be doing the same with my spouse, and any prospective marriage candidate of any children we are blessed with." Hardwin informed them as he knew Lord and Lady Flint deserved to know that much and had probably already seen the results of his health scan and heritage test since both had been needed for these negotiations.

It had not been finalized yet as the contract hadn't been signed, but Hardwin knew that they would likely be his in-laws within the next two years, and Marcus his intended within the month. He'd already discussed the distance of his blood relation to Marcus with Arcturus and was pretty sure that the relation between the two families was distant enough. Ursula Flint, who had married Phineas Nigellus Black, had been a second or third cousin to the main line at the time. That was the reason the meeting between Narcissa and Lord and Lady Flint had taken almost a week to be set for that day.

His cousin had been happy when he had easily agreed with her approval and decision to start negotiating the marriage contract. Narcissa believed that Hardwin might be able to be happy, or at least content, with Marcus given how he'd admitted to feeling anything for the young man because it would be something to build on. Hardwin honestly just believed she and Andromeda were having fun getting to play matchmakers. He'd seen some of the girls at school exchange the same conspiring looks. That, or they were looking forward to planning the bonding ceremony as he'd told them he wanted no part in the planning. It was likely a bit of both.

"Understandable for you to be concerned. House Flint does much the same thing when it comes to marriage prospects though we've only considered going as far back as four generations. I must admit that when my son came to me and asked for me to write to Lady Malfoy and begin negotiations, I was quite surprised. Marcus rarely shows any interest in people, but I think I'm starting to understand why you've caught his eye. Shall we set a date for a meeting to go over the contract between our families for the end of the month? That should give you enough time to catch up on things you've missed after you return." Maddox inquired, and Hardwin felt his cheeks flush at the subtle praise.

"Of course, Lord Flint. If you would like to settle on a date with Narcissa, I'm sure she'll let Andromeda know to put it on my schedule. It was a pleasure meeting you and Lady Flint again, but I must be going if I want to make it to the Ministry before the Minister leaves his office.

"Will you be able to make it in time?" Narcissa asked as it was almost nine.

"I have it on good authority that Kingsley has been staying late for the last week. He keeps getting interrupted at work by you-know-who looking for me or expressing concern that I've been unreachable. That's another matter I'll need to address when I return. I believe my solicitor should have enough rope for them to hang themselves with soon enough. A good thing too. The wards at Andy's family home have been attacked twice in the last week. I'm adding every knut I've had the pay the ward master from Gringotts to repair them to the total." Hardwin told her with a small smirk of pleasure as he thought about how a certain redhead was digging the hole deeper, and also satisfied that he had Teddy and Andromeda safely living in his home that the woman knew nothing about.

"Yes, I imagine you will." Narcissa replied even as Hardwin saw the look of pleasure in Lucius's expression.

"That woman certainly knows cause tension with all the right people, and to dig the pit she'll fall into even deeper." Lucius said as he stepped over to pour himself a glass of elf-made wine and he offered one to Lord and Lady Flint in celebration.

"If it makes you that happy, Lucius, just wait. I'm pretty sure the written interview I gave Heiress Lovegood will be published within the week while I'm away. Reading about my true name and heritage will push them even harder to find me, I'm sure. Greedy little things that they are. Well, now that I've given you some good gossip, I'll be on my way. Have a pleasant evening, and thank you for the information." He said with a tilt of the head goodbye before he turned and left for the floo room.

He had a long night ahead of him.

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Four chapters posted in a month. I'm on a bit of a roll, am I not? Might be a bit longer for the next chapter. I'm not as familiar with Wizarding America so I have a bit more research to do for some ideas though I've made it about halfway through the initial draft. I know a lot of you have been waiting to know what is going on with Lord Potter, and it's coming. I know what I have planned, but I'll still need to look through my notes to be sure I remember everything. I take notes on most key points for a story before I've even started writing so it's been a while. Doesn't help that I have at least thirty or more different files with notes and references for the wizarding world, creatures, historical events, and such.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts!

~Ryu

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