DISCLAIMER: That part of this world and those characters you've seen before belong to their Creator: JKR. The rest is mine - although I cannot quit my day job as I make no $$$ from this…
A/N: I was going to do this one later, but I decided to do it now so I won't have to. It might actually shorten this tome by a chapter in the end. (Target: no more than 50, I hope.)
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR: LORD BLACK
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13th, 1989 – POTTER HOUSE, LONDON, U.K.
Sirius Black paced nervously before the front door of the house awaiting his guest. He did not know what made him more nervous, his wedding which was only two days away or this guest. No, that was not true. He knew it was this guest. As much as he admired the man in a way, the man was more than a little enigmatic. The man had the uncanny ability to seem invisible and quite visible at the same time and to appear to be on both sides and no sides at the same time. While Sirius doubted there were many who considered the man a friend, there were none who truly saw him as an enemy, which might explain why the man was still alive at eighty-nine having lived longer than any male in his family in centuries. All the others had died untimely and in most cases unnatural deaths.
The doorbell rang promptly at nine in the morning and after letting out his breath, Sirius opened the door revealing the old man.
"Grandfather," Sirius said with an attempt at a smile.
"Sirius, it is good to see you."
"I – I'm rather surprised…"
"If you think I was going to miss watching some young woman make an honest man out of you…"
"Ah! Actually, I thought you never left the Manor."
"Yes, well there is that. Generally safer there than anywhere else, although I have it on good authority that no enemies will be present. And it's not like I never leave, I just need a really good reason to and this reason ranks way up there, lad."
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me. Thank the lovely lass who finally settled you down. So, are you going to invite me in?"
Sirius looked around nervously before nodding and standing aside. He let out a breath as his grandfather crossed the threshold unmolested by magic or anything else.
"Thought the wards would do a number on me, did you?" Lord Arcturus Black said.
"Erm … well, there are family blood wards on this place," Sirius said.
"Really?" Lord Black asked in genuine surprise. "Exceedingly rare, illegal and dangerous, yes?"
Sirius nodded.
"Dumbledore's doing no doubt," Lord Black mused. "That bastard never saw the law as binding on him. Well then, I am still alive – although had I met an unfortunate end, I would still be the oldest Lord Black in over three centuries," he added with a chuckle. "Obviously, as eccentric as many believe I am, I am no threat to those who reside beneath this roof. And I can remember Harry, Clarice and Hermione! Wonderful!"
"How?"
"The Wards let me in, Sirius my Lad! That means they've lifted for me. And that means neither Harry nor Clarice consider me a threat and I am not one. Ergo, like you and some other adult witches and wizards, I can now remember one Harry Potter. Wonderful!"
"It is?"
"Do you know how annoying it is to be reintroduced all the time?"
"Er – can't say that I do."
"Well it is. My, my! I see they've done some redecorating at some point."
"Excuse me?"
"Surprised? Yes I have been here before."
"I didn't know…"
"Never came up. Yes. It's been a while though. The first and last time I was here at Potter House was when Cousin Dorea married Charlus. Around 1940 or so, but then again, never been up on dates. I do remember the Muggles were at war at the time. Now, where is the lovely blushing bride, or are you hiding her from the mean old man?"
"This way," Sirius said nervously. Lord Black had yet to meet his Sophie.
Sirius led his grandfather to a large parlor at the back of the house that had huge windows overlooking the gardens beyond. As the elderly gentleman entered the modestly appointed room, he spied a young woman staring out one of the windows, no doubt this Sophie that had stolen the affections of the Heir Apparent. Lord Black smiled momentarily at the thought as he felt his grandson had earned the right to be happy the hard way. He seldom smiled, certainly when anyone was watching as it would ruin the stern image he had built up around himself. But, this vision might be entitled to see the real Arcturus Black – provided she was not some society denizen, which he doubted as Sirius had never been into that, or a brainless bint who was all looks and no substance, which he feared as Sirius had dated more than a few of those in his youth.
Lord Black cleared his throat and the young woman turned around. In the older man's opinion, she was a stunning woman, but lacked the vapid expression common among Sirius's former girlfriends. This one had a mind. He silently chuckled as he was not sure his grandson could handle an intelligent woman, then again, the lad probably needed to be handled and not the other way around.
"You must be Sophie," Lord Black said kindly. "And my grandson was most remiss, I'm afraid.
The young woman suddenly looked very nervous. "Sir?"
"He utterly failed to do your beauty justice," Lord Black added with a smile as he took her right hand and bent to kiss it stopping just short. As he stood up he added, "Then again, Sirius was never known as the loquacious sort, much less for having a well developed sense of vocabulary. A poet he most certainly is not, less you count his inane limericks."
"Hey!" Sirius protested. "I said she was beautiful!"
"Roses are beautiful Lad. But there are roses and then there are roses. There are beautiful women and then there are those whose beauty and elegance might inspire poets and artists for generations to come."
Sophie blushed furiously. "Surely you exaggerate, sir."
"Perhaps," Lord Black said, "but only a little.
"Is there a reason why you did not kiss her hand?" another voice asked and Lord Black saw they had been joined by two children. For the first time, he recognized them immediately.
"Ah! Harry and Hermione," he said with a slight grin. "And a most intelligent question – fitting given what Sirius has asked me to teach you and Clarice this year. And where is she by the way? I've never seen you except together."
"Working," Harry replied.
"Really?"
Harry nodded. "And Hermione's question? You are aware that the reputation of certain members of your family precedes you and Sophie is a Muggle Born."
"So you think it was a slight on my part?" Lord Black asked.
"I don't know."
"In polite society it is considered rude in the least to kiss the hand of an unmarried woman. Although, it seems that rule of etiquette has been forgotten. I can't recall the reason for it although I seem to recall it had something to do with her virtue. Duels have been fought over the implied sight when some simpleton kissed the hand of a maiden thereby implying her virtue was in question."
"Wizard thing?" Hermione asked.
"Actually no. That particular archaic rule of etiquette comes from the Muggles of old and was adopted by wizards. Fair few of the Pureblood Traditionalists seem to know that many of their traditions in society are actually derived from the court etiquettes of Muggle Europe."
"So what you did is a sign of respect?" Hermione asked.
"And proper courtesy and decorum," Lord Black replied. "Sirius has told me that young Sophie here is quite the accomplished young witch. That more than birthrights should determine one's place in society. A healer, am I correct?" he added looking at Sophie.
She nodded. "I completed my basic certification last spring. This summer in Japan, I obtained my specialization in Internal Healing."
"Really? And that is…?"
"The diagnosis and treatment of both magical and physical disease for the most part," Sophie added. "My major paper was an initial analysis on the effects of 'Pureblood' culture on subsequent generations."
"Let me guess," Lord Black said, "progressive reduction in magical potential leading to increased non-magical births until said line loses its magic?"
"Not in all cases," Sophie said. "But if they marry too close to their own bloodline for long enough, that is the end result. The why aside from the obvious answer of inbreeding is a more complex question begging for further study. Unfortunately, Britain is one of the few places were this phenomenon can be studied."
"Because Britain is one of the few magical cultures where the notion of magical heritage has been perverted into the notion of 'Pureblood,'" Lord Black added with a nod.
"Really?" Hermione asked.
"We're not the only one. There are other European cultures that are similar, but none I fear as much so as here. Disgusting when one considers it. Never understood that notion at all as most of the most ardent supporters of such nonsense are only of recent magical decent. Harry? I know you've checked. How far back can you trace your magic?"
"I'm not a Pureblood," Harry replied.
"That's not what I asked," Lord Black said. "How many generations can you go back where at least one of your ancestors was magical?"
"Depending upon the line, between forty-three and over fifty. Clarice and I have lines dating back to the tenth century although the Potter line can be traced back to the seventh for certain. My father was a pureblood only because the Potters married that way within the last seven generations or so."
"Indeed," Lord Black said with a nod. "We Blacks can trace our magic back to the Ninth Century for certain. Now, if you look at the majority of the Pureblood Elitists and families that produced the bulk of the Death Eaters, most cannot trace their magic back more than fifteen generations and almost all are purebloods only by the strictest meaning of the word – all Great-great Grandparents were magical. My Grandfather falls into that category as his Great Grandfather was technically a Half Blood, the son of a Black and a Muggle Born witch."
"So all this Pureblood stuff is rubbish?" Sophie asked.
"Falsehoods built upon falsehoods," Lord Black agreed. "It's been around for centuries, but its importance in society has waxed and waned. The most recent rise in this false world view can be, unfortunately, traced to my Grandfather who discovered the then popular Muggle fixation with a similar notion called Eugenics."
"What's that?" Sirius asked.
"A fake science popular in the nineteenth century," Hermione said. "It postulated that Western Europeans were a superior race of humans and was then used to justify their global empires and right to rule over and dominate all other 'lesser' cultures. It was eventually further perverted in Germany and used to justify the extermination of other cultures by the Nazis in the 1940's. It too has no basis in reality."
"Exterminate?" the Blacks asked.
Hermione nodded. "The Nazis killed over eleven million men, women and children whom they considered inferior. They had factories set up to execute them, thousands per day. Over six million were Jews. The rest were Slavs, gypsies and others."
"A fate that would have awaited the Muggle Borns and a fair few others had Voldemort and his Death Eaters gained power," Lord Black said darkly.
Sirius nodded. "The nutters locked up in Azkaban said as much adding all but select Purebloods would be and should be slaves."
"That's horrible," Hermione said.
"And foolish," Lord Black added. "Such a society has been tried at least once before and it failed miserably in the end."
"Who? When?"
"An ancient city state in Greece called Sparta. At their height, they were the most powerful state in that part of the world with an army their neighbors both near and distant feared. In the late Fifth Century B.C., they led a coalition in a protracted war with their most powerful political and military adversary in the region, Athens. They won the war in the end.
"Now the Spartans were unique amongst the numerous Greek city states. Only about twenty percent of their population were Spartans. The rest were Helots, slaves taken in their numerous wars throughout Greece. Needless to say, the slaves were not happy as while Sparta was ruled by and for the Spartans, it was for all practical purposes run by the Helot slaves.
"When a Spartan child was born, an elder evaluated that child's fitness to be a Spartan. Those deemed unfit as either potential soldiers or potential mothers of soldiers were abandoned as newborns and left to die. The survivors became Spartans.
"The boys entered a brutal military school around the age of seven and remained there for at least ten years. Many died in the school. To graduate, the boy had to kill a slave and get away with it. Needless to say, the slaves were not happy and revolts against their lords common and bloody, hence Sparta's need for all Spartan men to serve for decades in their Army.
"As I said, the Spartans won a war and found themselves in control of much of Greece. While great warriors, they were terrible at running Greece and succeeded in angering their former enemies and allies alike. A great alliance of city states rose up against them and threatened to invade in 371 B.C. The Spartan Army marched out and met their enemies in battle at a place called Leuctra. While outnumbered, the Spartans won, but at terrible cost.
"In the aftermath of the battle, the Helots rose up. This time the revolt could not be contained and what was left of Sparta the military state was overthrown by its own slaves. While Sparta remained, it was never the feared power or any kind of power again.
"This is precisely the kind of society my Grandfather envisioned – a society led by a small elite of 'acceptable' wizards with all other serving as slaves. Sparta was able to maintain such a state so long as its army remained intact and in control. Once it was decimated, Sparta was no more. Voldemort and his ilk would have failed even more spectacularly in the end for as brutal as they were; they were not a professional warrior class. The Death Eaters wanted to rule over all, but did not want to defend all, which is what they would one day have been faced with. Throw in the Muggles whom they failed to consider at all, and the result would have been a disaster for our world. The scary part is just how close they came to succeeding in bringing us to the brink."
"And which side were you on, Lord Black? If I may be so bold," Sophie said.
"May I assume that the reputation of the House of Black – or at least certain members of the Clan – precedes me?"
Sophie nodded.
"For lack of a more definite definition, I was on no side except arguably that of the long term interests of my House, which I can assure you are economic and not political. I saw the Pureblood cause as bad for business and what was bad for business was bad for House Black. On the other hand, as the modern Pureblood Supremacist movement in Britain was at least in part a creation of my Grandfather and was spread amongst the dissatisfied Pureblood families during his tenure as a professor and later Headmaster at Hogwarts, I was expected to continue to carry that unpalatable torch. Not to do so would have set me up for assassination, just as doing so had seen my father assassinated in 1952, nearly two decades before Voldemort and his Death Eaters began making trouble.
"I found myself standing upon a most uncomfortable razor's edge in our recent history. To support the Pureblood agenda would lead to the economic ruin of a fortune and maybe my death, to oppose it would lead to my death and the use of my family's fortune to fund what I saw and still see as a suicidal cause. The only way to reserve the real thousand year legacy of what had at one time been a highly reputable House was to do nothing that would cast suspicion. The Pureblood Elites considered me one of theirs, even though I never once supported their cause in word, deed, galleon or thought. Their opponents viewed me as a misguided yet harmless supporter of the Elites, even though I never was. As a member of the Wizengamot from one of the last remaining Ancient and Noble Houses, the Magical Government was sure I was in their camp, even though I only attended a handful of sessions prior to 1970 and none thereafter. Basically, everyone thought I was either for them or not really against them."
"Sounds like you hid under a rock, so to speak," Sophie said.
"As far as the wizarding world is concerned, I most certainly did," Lord Black said with a smile. "But, there's more to this world than wizards, isn't there?"
"Muggles?"
Lord Black nodded. "As Head of one of the remaining Ancient and Noble Houses, I am bound by an oath and Treaty my distant ancestor signed with King Richard the First. My first and primary loyalty must be to the sitting British Monarch and her Government, particularly where the other witches and wizards pose a threat to Her Majesty."
"Okay, you lost me."
"Prior to the reign of Richard the First, magic was not unknown to Muggles in the British Isles. While there most certainly were tensions between the two peoples – mostly instigated by the foreign Church to which we refused to bow, hence our being declared heretics and such – we mostly fell under the King's protection. That means no cleric, lord or commoner could take action against us or our lands without the King's leave.
"The King was under great pressure both within this Country and from without to lift his protection. At that time, Western Europe was sending armies to the East to fight the Saracens, also considered heretics. The foreign Church wanted all heretics dealt with both within the lands under its dominion and without. The local nobility wanted magic for their wars. We wizards wanted none of it.
"My distant ancestor was then a member of the King's Court and proposed a compromise. If the leaders of the Magical Clans – the forerunner to today's Wizengamot - agreed to hide magic from the Muggles, keep the King's peace within our lands and amongst our people and remain forever loyal to the Crown, then we would be granted the right to rule ourselves as we saw fit.
"The treaty bound the signatories and their heirs in perpetuity. At the time there were three hundred magical Clans throughout the British Isles."
"There are three hundred votes in the Wizengamot today," Sirius noted.
"Indeed," Lord Black said. "One vote for each Clan. The seats are hereditary and generally pass from father to son. Should a Clan leader die without a son to succeed him, that Clan lost its vote and the vote either went to a surviving Clan or to the highest bidder. In later generations, surviving clans sold their seats to cover debts or left their seat to a witch, ending that Clan's claims forever, as well as ending it's oath to the reigning Monarch."
"How many remain?" Harry asked.
"Twelve of the original Clans survive: The Ancient and Noble Houses of Abbott, Black, Bones, Diggory, Fawcett, Longbottom, Lovegood, Mercer, Potter, Prewett and Weasley. However, of those only the Blacks, Bones, Longbottoms, and Potters retained their hereditary seats."
"And what happens if a Clan Head violates the oath? Did it happen to your Grandfather or any other Black?" Hermione asked.
"As to your first question, it was a magical oath."
"They and their descendants would lose their magic?"
Lord Black nodded. "And their lands and estates. As to the second, you must engage in acts of treason or war against the Crown to violate the oath. Being a bigoted idiot does not count. Unfortunately, from my standpoint, my Son and many of the heirs at law to the Clan Head were openly engaged in or supporting war or treasonous acts back in the 1970's. My son supported such acts, although if you ask me that was mostly his wife's doing."
"Mother was a real piece of work," Sirius said.
"Anyway, I knew that the Head of House could not pass to my son without all Blacks losing their magic. In my opinion, many of them deserved such a fate, but not all. By law, I could skip him altogether and leave the Clan to one of his sons or, if they proved unworthy, to any worthy male descendant of any of my father's siblings."
"Why not a witch?" Sophie asked.
"Leaving it to a witch would break the oath. We would not lose our magic, but we would be free to be Death Eaters and bigots without immediate magical repercussions. Another of my concerns was the Black fortune. The Death Eaters wanted it, but as Head of House I control it. Unless a member of the House has their own independent wealth, they live on an allowance – one which I determine and one which I made sure was too little for them to support Voldemort and live the life they expected. The Death Eaters knew this and made at least four attempts at my life believing that if I died, my son would inherit and they would get our fortune to fund their war.
"But, the law allows me to disown a natural heir, which I did. In my will, the next Head of House must be a male descendant of either myself or one of my Black Aunts or Uncles, but may not have been sorted into Slytherin House or have ever taken the Dark Mark of a Death Eater and must be willing to swear on his magic never to support any Pureblood agenda however benign it might seem. When I made that amendment to my Will, there were only three males in the Black Clan who qualified as my successor: Sirius, Harry's Grandfather Charles (who is descended from my Uncle Cygnus's daughter Dorea Potter nee Black), and Arthur Weasley (who is descended from my Uncle Arcturus's daughter Cedrella Weasley nee Black). (Interestingly enough, Arthur married one Molly Prewett whose Uncle Ingnatius Prewett is my son-in-law.) I ruled out Arthur Weasley, though."
"Why?" Harry asked. "I mean we know some of his kids and they seem alright."
"He works for the Ministry for Magic," Lord Black said. "Ignoring the fact that the Magical Government is a major reason why the War happened in the first place, the requirement for the next Lord Black is loyalty to the Queen. As the Ministry does not recognize her sovereignty over them, that would be a problem."
"They don't?" both Sophie and Hermione asked.
Lord Black shook his head. "The signatories did or were supposed to. The rest of their Clans did not and, of course, most magical in Britain today – including most of the Purebloods – had no magical roots dating back that far.
"As for being a reason for the last War, let's just say I have no respect for the Ministry and by extension little for any who choose to work there."
"I was an Auror, you know," Sirius said.
"In their combat arm," Lord Black replied. "By the time you were certified, the climate had changed. By then, however, it was too little too late. And might I add, you don't work for them anymore?"
"No."
"While what I am about to say does not apply to all Ministry employees, it does apply to that organization as an institution. The Ministry is not about governing, per se. It is about protecting the interests of the members of the Wizengamot, Purebloods and its senior officials in that order. The rest of the Wizarding World is to be placated and kept quiet. The Ministry controls the Press, stifles education and free expression, bans 'subversive' books and outlaws certain magic. In my opinion, the laws exist to keep the vast majority of witches and wizards ignorant and weak. Should the average witch or wizard achieve their full magical protection, the Ministry would be unable to maintain control and would lose its monopolies on power.
"If you want an example, you need not look any further than the Death Eaters who all but took over during the last War. The total number of Death Eaters and their supporters might have numbered 2,000 at their height. There were at least that many at the Ministry and over 60,000 'fully qualified' witches and wizards, most of whom would have known enough magic to resist had they been educated elsewhere. Yet, with less than 200 active Death Eaters, they almost won the War in no small part because the magical government refused to give up its monopoly on information, magic and control until it was too late. And, once the threat had passed, they went back to business as before.
"I take it you have a low opinion of our government," Sophie said.
"Any sane person would," Lord Black replied. "At least anyone who actually knows what is going on. A government is supposed to serve its people. Our magical government serves itself and maybe the fifteen percent of the population who can claim Pureblood status. The remaining eight-five percent of the population – over fifty-five thousand people excluding children – are of no consequence. For years during the last war the magical government ignored all attacks on Muggles by magical, be they Death Eaters or just idiots. They also ignored most attacks on Muggle Borns as many lived in the Muggle world and were therefore 'outside of our protection.' Rubbish! They were and are quick to send reaction teams out into the Muggle world to obliviate Muggles who might have seen magic, but can't spare trained personnel to help Muggle Borns in danger of magical attack?"
"Yet by your own admission, you didn't do anything either," Sophie said. "You're head of and Ancient and Noble House and while much of your family ran amok…"
"I would have been killed and the Head of House would have been a Voldemort supporter had I taken a stand one way or the other. Lesser of two evils really. Besides, it's not as if I did nothing. Both the Death Eaters and their supporters and the government thought I was someone they could talk to. They did, and I listened. They all trusted me and told me things that they most certainly should not have when you consider that anything they told me was in the hands of the Muggle government within a day or less."
"You were a spy?" Sirius asked.
"I was hardly sneaking around stealing secrets," Lord Black said. "I merely told others what they told me. Call me a targeted gossip," he added with a smirk. "Besides, you're one to talk, Sirius considering you are going to work for the people I used to talk to about what I or my wife heard at a party or tea…"
"So you were upholding the oath of your ancestor?" Sophie asked, "The oath to King Richard the Lion Heart?"
"Indeed," Lord Black replied with a smile. "Subtly, I will admit, but I was indeed upholding said oath."
"I still don't see how that is possible," Hermione said. "We had to study English and British History in school. Richard the First was a Plantagenet of the Angevin Dynasty. Since then there have been several other families on the English and later the British throne: The Houses of Lancaster, York, Tudor, Stuart, Hanover, Saxe-Coburg-Gothe and most recently Windsor. Different families! How could the oath continue? Was it to the King, whomever he may be?"
"It was a magical oath," Lord Black replied. "It cannot be so open ended. It is always between one person and another or one family and another."
"My point! There have been different families!"
"Along paternal lines, this is true but…"
"But," Harry said, "magic is not restricted to paternal or maternal lines only."
"Exactly!"
"So, all the Kings and Queens of England and Britain were related along maternal lines?" Sophie asked before Hermione could open her mouth with a similar question.
Lord Black nodded. "Since William of Normandy…"
"Who?" Harry asked.
"William the Conqueror," Hermione said.
"Oh."
"Since then, every king or queen who has ruled England or Britain as Monarch has been descended from the same mother: Matilda."
"Who?" Harry asked again.
"Not William's wife," Hermione added.
"Indeed," Lord Black said. "Matilda, the wife of William of Normandy is the mother of all the monarchs of England and Britain since. So…"
"So the oath your ancestor took still holds since the blood of Matilda still flows in the veins of Queen Elizabeth?" Sophie said.
"Exactly."
"Okay, now I'm confused," Harry said. "Grandfather, if you are bound by a magic oath of loyalty to Her Majesty, one which if broken would cause your line to lose its magic, why is it then that the actions of members of your Clan during the last War have not triggered the penalty?"
"Good and valid question," Lord Black replied. "It is possible that their actions did not rise to the level of treason or a direct threat to Her Majesty and her people, although the latter is not likely. Killing Muggles for sport is a threat. My understanding from my ancestors' journals is that the oath is particular to me. So long as I or any of the other heirs abide by the Oath, our magic is safe. Although I do assume that an implied expectation was and is to keep the Clan in line. Although they may not know it yet and if not shall not until I pass on, I have in my will disowned all who supported Voldemort and his cause."
"Why not do it now," Sirius asked.
"To prevent any subsequent Lord Black from undoing it – not that I think you would, Sirius. Were I to do it in life, it can be undone by me or by others. If, on the other hand, I do it in my Will as a condition of inheritance, it cannot be undone legally or magically. That is a major reason why I have never disowned a Black nor recognized any such disenfranchisement by any of my relations. If I do it, when I do it, it will be irrevocable."
"And who's on your list, if I may ask?" Sirius asked.
"Let me think – it's not like I keep my Will on me, you know," Lord Black replied. "My daughter and her husband – your Aunt Lucretia and Uncle Ignatius are not. She was an elitist in her youth but married into the Prewetts who are under the Oath. Ignatius is the last of that line, regrettably as they had no children and are not likely to have any. Lucretia is 69, you see," he explained. "Even for a witch, that's way too old.
"Your parents did me the great favor of dying, so no need to disinherit them. Same's true for your brother Regulus. Never saw him as a Death Eater."
"That was Mother's doing," Sirius said.
"No surprise there. She was Uncle Cygnus's granddaughter and that line was mostly dark. Your Grandfather Pollux and Grandmother Irma will be disowned as well as your Grand Aunt Cassie. Harry's Great-grandmother Dorea would not have been and neither will Harry. Your Uncle Alphard won't be. He never met a Pureblood elitist he liked. He hated your mother. Pity he never married. Your Uncle Cygnus did me the favor of dying years ago, pity his wife and some of their vile spawn did not. Bella is out as is Cissy…"
"As far as I know she's not marked."
"She married a known Death Eater and he still lives. Had she killed the git in his sleep, I might feel more accommodating, but alas she bore his demon spawn for a son. I will NOT have a Malfoy with even a remote claim for my House! Now Andromeda is the exception. She and her daughter are not to be disowned."
"Why not?" Hermione asked.
"You know her daughter," Sirius said. "It's Dora Tonks."
"Okay, I can see that," Harry said. "I mean her not being a Pureblood elitist…"
"Her Dad's a Muggle Born," Hermione began.
"I know. She's also too nice," Harry added.
"I disowned all of my Aunt Belvina's line. There wasn't a decent one among them. Six Death Eaters! Six!
"Uncle Arcturus was a real piece of work and his wife's entire family should be put out of our misery. But their three daughters married well. Callidora married Harfang Longbottom…"
"Any relation to Neville Longbottom?" Harry asked.
"Grand Uncle, I believe," Lord Black said. "That whole line died in the War – Harfang's that is – although Callidora is still alive somewhere. I'm told she left the county about ten years ago. Cedrella married a Weasley and her only surviving child – Arthur – is the opposite of a Pureblood elitist. I guess you could call him a Pureblood apologist."
"I thought you didn't like him," Harry said.
"Never met him. All I've said today is he will not be named as my successor because as Lord Black he cannot work for the Ministry for Magic and serve the Crown at the same time. But from what I've heard, he gives the Elitists in the Ministry fits. They've tried to sack him several times. It would seem he knows more people than they do. I wonder if he's kept track of the number of Ministry pricks careers he's had a hand in ending… So no, I won't cast him out of the Clan nor his family.
"Finally there's Charis. She married a Crouch, which was an acceptable Pureblood family in my opinion. Her daughter is dead, but her granddaughter is a Bones – the last of that line and they are bound by the Oath so they are safe. Her son and his son, however, are out. The son was the Ministry bastard who locked Sirius away without a trial. That rotter's son was a Death Eater, so they are out."
"That's most of the Clan that's out," Sirius said with some surprise.
"Embarrassments the lot of them," Lord Black said. "I always have wondered what things might have been like if my Grand Uncle Sirius had not died at age eight. He was the oldest and with his death, my Grandfather became the heir apparent. Even though the vile git was only six at the time, it would not surprise me to learn that he murdered his older brother. I believe Great-granddad suspected that, if the hints in his journals say what I think they do."
"Lovely family," Sophie said. "I hope you're not trying to scare me away."
"Is it working?" Lord Black said with a mischievous smile.
"Nope." She smiled.
"Oh my," Lord Black said with a laugh. "All this time I've been talking about nonsensical things…"
"Actually, I found it quite interesting," Sophie said.
Sirius looked worried. "You're still going to marry me, aren't you?"
"Don't be silly! Of course."
"I still wish to apologize for monopolizing the conversation," Lord Black said. "In my humble defense, I submit I keep myself cooped up in my Manor and seldom entertain. Far rarer is mixing with company I enjoy such as now."
"Well, we'll just have to see about changing that, won't we?" Sophie said.
"Thank you, Sophie. And for what it's worth, may I welcome you to the family?"
"Thank you, er – what should I call you?"
"Grandfather works for me," Lord Black says. "Everyone I like calls me that – and oddly aside from Remus Lupin and little Clarice, they're all in this room."
"Grandfather then," Sophie said with a smile.
"Hopefully, there will be more people you can add to that list when this weekend is out," Harry added. "Oh no!"
"What?" several voices asked.
"Well, there will be loads of witches and wizards here on Saturday," Harry replied. "You remember us now, don't you Grandfather?"
"Indeed I do. I am so glad I won't have to make your acquaintance every time we meet."
"Well, doesn't that mean the wards have failed?"
"No Harry. It does not. What it means is I am now admitted through your wards. Only those admitted can recall you and Clarice and what they may have known before. But I can also assure you, I recall each of our meetings which were all outside of the context of your fabled past and the real Harry I find is a much more interesting young lad than the one of the former fables."
"But even if they didn't fail," Harry said, "there will still be loads who know of me! We know there are people out there who have an 'unnatural' interest in me, even if they cannot remember it right now. What if one of the guests accidently says something to the wrong person?"
"Won't happen," Sirius said.
"You seem to have a lot of faith in people, Sirius," Lord Black said.
"Only one of my ancestors, Grandfather," Sirius replied. "One of the journals describes these wards in some detail. Sophie knows about Harry in part because he told her and mostly because he trusts her. She knew about Harry before coming here. The same was true for Remus, Minerva and I and, to a lesser extent David Greengrass who will be one of my bosses. I cannot betray Harry because I'm his magical Godfather. Remus is bound by an oath he took to help protect James and Lily's children. Minerva is Hermione's blood relation, so that family thing is going on there and Harry has trusted Hermione and her family from the first. Sophie loves me and I love her and I dare say Harry may have seen that before either of us. Implicitly, we all know Harry's predicament and the need to keep quiet, not than anyone else would believe us if we didn't.
"But we have also passed through these wards. Basically, one of the side effects is we cannot betray knowledge that is not known to the public at large regarding anyone who lives beneath these wards. So, the guests who manage to be admitted will be similarly affected."
"Besides," Hermione said, "you hardly seemed worried regarding the Club. There are almost 230 members who know about you."
"Er…" Sirius began.
"What?" several voices asked.
"Well, they've all passed through these wards as well. They are similarly affected. Almost like a House Elf, they cannot betray Harry or Clarice's secrets which is why they can attend their schools without us having to worry. No one who passes through the Wards can reveal anything to anyone who has not passed through these wards. Pretty useful that."
"What about the members that have never been here?" Harry asked.
"Er.."
"Sirius?" Harry asked with mild annoyance.
"In order to get to Camp W the first time, I had all of them come here first."
"Why?"
"Two reasons. The wards would have excluded any undesirables as in any who would be inclined to be a threat or reveal secrets. Secondly, those who made it through became bound by its protection."
"Brilliant," Hermione said.
"I wish you had told me," Harry added.
"I forgot?" Sirius replied.
"I doubt that."
"It was Remus's idea?"
"That I can believe. Why did you do it?"
"It was my job to protect you when your parents died and I failed you. When you helped get me out of Azkaban, I vowed that would never happen again. We all did: Minerva, Remus and I all felt we had failed you and Clarice."
"And," Sophie said, "if you think I would let him fail again, you're mistaken, Harry. You, Hermione and Clarice seem like younger brother and sisters to me and …"
"Thanks Sophie."
"What's this Club thing?" Lord Black asked.
Harry and Hermione explained about the Watanabe School and their Club that was preparing many others to attend.
"Bloody hell," Lord Black said sometime later. "You three children, who are all too young to buy a wand here much less attend one of our schools, already have your O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s and a Mastery?"
They nodded.
"And in a few years or so there will be hundreds like you here in Britain?"
They nodded again. "All will get a Mastery in Defense and at least one or two others," Harry said.
"Not to mention University Degrees," Hermione added.
"That'll turn the Ministry on its ear once it gets out," Lord Black chuckled. "A few hundred or more young people educated outside of their control, each more than capable of taking on an Auror, all educated in a system that would be illegal here since the Ministry does not want people to know what you're learning, I hope to live to see the day when they find out they're no longer the only show in town as it were. So you said Clarice is working?"
"She's a Basic Healer," Harry said.
"St. Mungo's?"
"That would be hard to explain," Hermione replied. "She's working two or three days a week at a Healing Clinic run by Her Majesty's government for the magical who work there and their families."
"In other words, her patients are witches and wizards who are not loyal to the Ministry and generally do not interact with the general wizarding population," Harry added.
"And you really are older?" Lord Black asked.
"Hermione's technically eighteen right now," Harry replied. "I am seventeen so we are both legally of age at least as far as the Statute of Secrecy and that Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery Statute are concerned as they are about age and not birthdays. But, biologically, we are as we appear."
"So you cannot claim your inheritance? Am I right?"
"That law specifies eleventh birthday, not age eleven. So I have to wait about two years."
"Interesting."
"I'm back," a new voice called and Clarice soon entered the Parlor plopping down on a couch. "Wow!"
"What?" Harry asked.
"Believe it or not, I delivered my first baby today! It was amazing! Maybe I'll do that for Advanced Specialization. Oh, and don't be surprised if we get more requests from families wanting their kids to join our Club, Harry."
"I kind of figured that might happen. Make sure they send the requests through the right – er – channels."
"They have our number," Clarice replied. "But I did tell any who asked to wait until next week or so to call. Little busy around here what with the wedding and all."
Harry nodded.
A silvery rabbit popped into the room surprising all. The children immediately recognized it. A scared voice of a young girl was then heard. "HELP!"
Clarice jumped up as Harry and Hermione looked at each other and paled slightly.
"I'll get my kit," Clarice said and she immediately vanished.
"Stave?" Harry asked Hermione.
"Shrunken and in its holster, you?"
Harry nodded. "Wands?"
Hermione nodded.
"Let's go!"
The two children also vanished from the room.
"What just happened?" Lord Black asked.
A/N: Yep! Cliffy! Did it to get me to update faster next time...