Chapter 8: The In-Laws

"Humans have families don't they? Where are yours Master?"

"Great men do not have families. They have dreams, destinies, and demons to achieve them all."

"I can't believe she slipped me a love potion!"

"Don't be too hard on yourself my lord. Emperors of old have fallen for less." Stevens said lightly, indicating how little he thinks of the tea room fiasco. Feeling mischievous, he added. 'Then again its rather stupid of you to accept drinks from strangers."

Harry scowled at Stevens, a habit that he couldn't seem to break. It's not his fault anyways; these days the genie had been snarkier than usual. He sat down on one of the intricately craved chairs scattered around the Gringotts vault and twiddled his thumb. "Lets just get what we need and go. This place makes me uneasy."

Stevens looked up from the book and stared at his master with his eyebrows raised. "Sir. You are standing in one of the thirteen great vaults of the Black family. It contains artifacts that won wars, toppled kingdoms, and established empires. It should make you uneasy. Touch the wrong item and your fate will be forever changed." He said ominously.

Harry stood up from his chair in alarm, worried that he just activated some ancient magic or some sort. "Just kidding!" Steven added playfully, averting his eyes back to the book he was studying. "Relax sir, you're too tense. Take a look around. All of these are yours. Enjoy it!" The genie couldn't help but to tease his young lord. He's quite endearing when he's angry.

"And if I touch one of these they wont 'change my fate'?" Harry drew air quotes sarcastically.

"I cant promise you that." Steven chuckled, teasing him again.

Harry sighed, unsure what to make of his butler. For a while he wanted to keep Steven at arms length. After all, its hard to trust the same person that lead Sirius to his death. He told himself that Kreacher and Steven is a completely different person, but he couldn't help but felt … awkward around the genie. So he did his best to avoid him.

Despite his attempts to distance himself, the genie kept coming at him with abandon. In the morning, Steven would wake him up with a smile and a copy of the Prophet. At lunch, he would drag him into the kitchen so they could cook the things that he liked. No matter how many times he lock himself in his room, Stevens will always find a way in, offering him tea or soup. It's like he was forcing him out of the comfortable malaise he had accepted as normalcy.

'You don't have to be alone master.' Steven said every time he has to coax Harry out of his room. 'You always get so sad when you're alone. Let me keep you company.' And Harry would always come out, and he'll be greeted with those kind golden eyes and warm smile that looked so much like his godfather's.

Harry eyes strayed to the genie. As much as he hates to admit it, he has come to need his butler. He needed Steven like he needed Ron and Hermione. Without friends or family, he underwater mansion is a big and lonely place. With Stevens beside him, he fells quite at home. It's a nice feeling.

"You're staring out into space again sir." Steven called out, his eyes never quite leaving the book that he's studying. "What's on your mind?"

Harry smiled at him, and shook his head. "I just… I just realized that I never really thanked your for helping me… recover. From everything I mean, not just the love potion."

Steven gave him a confused look. "Well of course I'll help you with anything sir. You're my master. All I ever wish for is your happiness." He said lightly, unaware of how his words touch his master.

"Yeah that's what I mean. Not a lot of people would wish for my happiness like that." Harry smiled sadly, his thoughts drifting back to his so called family and friends. Reality is a hard pill to swallow.

Steven felt his stomach stir. It only ever feel like this when his master isn't wishing enough wishes or when he's distressed in any way. "Enough of this gloom and doom talk. It isn't becoming for the head of the Black family." He quickly changed the subject. It simply wouldn't do to have his master fall into that blasted a malaise once more. "If you have time to stare at walls then you have time to look for the basilisk eggs."

"Right." Harry coughed, happy that he was stopped before he said something that he could regret. "Where should I start?"

Steven frowned at the vault inventory, flipping the last of it's pages. "To be honest with you I'm not sure sir. I know that we had about a crate of Basilisk eggs five centuries ago. Master Bushwick Black was an avid potion master you see, and he fancied himself a pioneer for future potions. So he wished himself for a nest of Basilisk eggs so he could harvest them for potions ingredient. Sadly a few dozen of them went loose and killed off a portion of the ancient Mesopotamia population, so the master wished for another nest of eggs. If I'm not mistaken some of them should still be in stasis somewhere."

Harry gave the genie a look and laughed. "What is it sir?" Steven asked curiously.

The boy simply shook his head and waved him off. "Sometimes I wonder whether you're a genius or just plain stupid. I'll just wish ourselves another batch of Basilisk eggs then."

"You can't sir."

"And why the hell not?"

"It's… its complicated." Steven sighed. "I have magic yes, great magic beyond the grasp of a mortal. However I can't create something out of nothing. See," he settled himself next to his ward, pulling a plain paper and a quill and started drawing a diagram. "As a demon I have the resourcefulness to make any wish come true. So for example, if you want to be rich, then I will make you rich by helping you accumulate wealth. I can't give you the money myself per se, because it's impossible to make things out of nothing. In this case of the eggs, if you wish for them, we would be spending the next six months trying to recreate Bushwick's methods."

"Oh.. that's rather inconvenient isn't it?" Harry asked dryly.

"Well no, that's the beauty of it! Your goals become my raison d'tre, literary. I feed of your desire. What a wonderful co existence! Don't you think so? There is no ulterior motives, no agenda. Nothing. Just two entities surviving off each other's spirit. The things we can do my Lord… I have built castles and toppled empires with these hands." He looked down, his eyes focusing on his tense fist. "I've created romance, smashed dreams, carried kings and murdered them too. All for my masters. And I regret not a single moment."

Enraptured by the passionate monologue his butler just gave, Harry gave him a slow clap. "I didn't asked about all of that but okay Stevens." He laughed, flipping the inventory book open again.

"You really didn't take any of that seriously did you? I've just told you that we can take over the world."

"Sorry, the world doesn't really interest me. I tuned you out after you said you cant bring me the eggs. So does that mean if I wish for a basilisk eggs, we would have to make a basilisk egg? "

"Correct."

Harry rested his chin on his fist and sighed wistfully. "That's too much work. Lets search the other Vault then." The boy then got up and stretched out like a recently napping cat. And like a lazy feline, he began to stroll along the shelves of artifacts.

At that moment it finally clicked on the genie's mind. His master have zero, absolutely zero, ambition.

No wonder he was sorted into Gryffindor.

Stevens silently laments the future of the great House of Black, his mind wandering back to the old sadistic bastards that got things done. While whispering curses under his breath, he traced an entry in the inventory log and stopped.

Steven tried to stop biting his lips nervously, but he couldn't help to think that he's acting suspicious. He already knew where the eggs were. They are in the very place where he know he shouldn't send his master to; the Grindelwald family mansion. The question is whether he would convey this information to his new master.

Steven sighed and cocked his head while he considered the weight of this new information. He could pop in quickly to the coven and steal the eggs himself, and the master wouldn't even have to know. It would be safer for Harry since the Grindelwald does not necessarily held the Blacks dear in their heart.

On the other hand, a short visit to a murderous witch coven might light up the fire of adventure back in his master's stomach. The best way to break ennui is to add a spark of danger into the mix. Maybe then he would get up before noon and start doing what rich young Lords does around the manor.

"I'm tired Stevens, can you hurry up and help me?" Harry asked in this whiny voice, slumping against a priceless golden statue.

Stevens put on his best smile and gritted his teeth. "Coming!" It took all that he had to not hit his master with the inventory log.

It's a long shot, but what the hell. He's sick of serving an unmotivated complacent master, so why not test him to see what he is made of?

"Sir…?" He called out, his eyes still affixed on the inventory log. "Wish for the story of of the Grindelwald family. It would be worth your while."

"… After the Great Gellert Grindelwald was defeated, the fear of dark magic increased exponentially. Old families like ours withdrew from public office and recanted their celebrity status, fearing prosecution from simple-minded-anti-dark commoners."

"Stevens, stop making it sound like light wizards are dirty commoners."

"When I am done with this story I'm sure you will share the sentiment." Steven said, his familiar teasing tone replace by a much more somber one.

"Oh god." Harry rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time.

"As I was saying, those wretched light wizards, as you fondly call them, began to develop an irrational fear towards dark pureblood families."

"A fear towards an elitist group of xenophobic wizards who practices dark magic? Gee, I wonder what caused it…" Harry drawled out, getting tired of his butler badmouthing everybody who hated the purebloods.

The genie walked behind his master leaning down to whisper a foreboding message into his ear. "This fear resulted in the slaughter of every male descendant of the Grindelwald clan." He said gently, his soft voice only magnifying the horrors of the story.

Harry recoiled back in shock, his eyes reflecting disbelief. "You are kidding right? Dumbledore never allow such a thing. He was alive when Grindelwald was defeated. He would've protected his family!" He stared pointedly at his demon servant, waiting for an answer. Steven merely looked up at his charge with sad golden eyes, his silence was enough to answer the question.

"No…" Harry mouthed silently. He wanted so badly to believe in the lie he had been fed all of those years. It would be so much simpler to act the fool, but the truth compels him to believe.

Steven rested his hand on Harry's head, caressing it like he always do when his master are plagued with night terrors. Harry swatted the hand away as if Steven was the one responsible for all of the murders. "No. Do not comfort me." Harry said sharply. "Not after you told me that my mentor used to slaughtered and entire family."

"No," Steven shook his head. "He didn't. Albus Dumbledore never stained his hand with blood."

"He stood by and let those things happened when he could've stopped them! He is a s responsible as the executioner!" Harry spat out the words executioner, his mind flashing back to Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange.

Steven nodded, his face as placid as ever. Deep inside he is smiling. His master is turning away from Dumbledore. He will begin to hate those who he had once called friends, and once he finally let them go, there will only be him waiting there with a shoulder to lean on.

Harry was still furious. His usually placid eyes were burning with anger and injustice. He paced up and down the vault's hallway, coming dangerously close to knocking off some off the most precious and irreplaceable items. He took an angry breath and glared at his servant. The bull is turning it's head and it saw red.

"Why did you tell me this? Do you enjoy making me miserable?! Or haven't you noticed me locking myself in my room because I found out my best friends are nothing more than figureheads placed there by the only father figure in my life. The figure who you just told me, is as bad as the Germans who gave up their Jewish neighbors during the fucking holocaust!"

Steven stood there and took the verbal beating with his hand clasped behind him and his head bowed low. Harry was getting too worked up again, and that was never part of the plan. All he wanted was to destroy his lingering attachments towards Hogwarts, but he didn't expect this overwhelming rage from the gentle boy.

To Harry, his servant's silence only enraged him further. Stevens clam and even breath was like a bellow to his blazing rage. Like fire, his anger hunger for more fuel, so he asked the question he knows would only add to his wrath. Throughout his questioning, his servants stayed silent, his eyes firmly affixed to the ground. His calm breath mocking him in it's evenness.

After a dozen unanswered questions, his angry fire dwindled down to glowing embers of ire. Harry gave up and sat on the floor of the vaults, letting the coolness of the marble seeps into his bones. "Why did you tell me that? What's the point?" He asked exhausted and confused.

Like a statue come to live, Steven turned his gaze towards his master and answered, "Because Master Bushwick fell in love with one of the witches and gave those eggs away."

"… and let me just straighten the cuffs. There. You look very stately."

Harry huffed and tapped his shoes impatiently, shoving his guardian's hand away from his wrist. Steven is hovering again. "Even a troll would look stately in this suit and robes. Leave it Stevens, it's just a bloody cuff."

"Yes, but you would look even more marvelous if you had your hair trimmed back." Steven said, bussing himself with a defiant piece of hair.

Harry shot his genie a look, unconsciously smoothing out the bangs on his hair. "My hair is fine. I like it long."

"You looks disheveled."

"Because you cajoled me out of the bed at 7 am!"

"…and because your hair is disheveled. It's getting out of hand sir, let me just snip the bangs off." Steven insisted.

"No."

"Just an inch off the back?"

"No!"

"Then at least would you let me braid them? They would look somewhat neater that way."

Harry stopped walking and gave his genie a deathly glare. Even since their trip to the Vaults his master has been in a foul mood. Even with that knowledge Stevens didn't back down. Instead he pulled out an elastic band from his pocket and presented it to his master with a smile.

"NO." Harry said, enforcing his will like a wish. For a second, Steven was petrified by his master's will. A genie could never disobey his master's order. Blind to Harry's annoyance, Steven persisted.

"At least tie them up sir. It's your first meeting with another ancient house and we wouldn't want your hair as the first topic of conversation."

Harry groaned for what it seemed to be the umpteenth time today and yielded. He grabbed the hairband and pulled his hair back, careful to let his bangs cover his scar. "Sometimes the only way to placate a hungry animal is to cut off your limbs and let them eat it." He said, intoning all the right words to his butler.

Stevens tutted and pulled the sloppy ponytail off to redo them himself. "If you think pulling your hair back is equivalent to cutting off you limbs then you either have been reading too much Thoreau or you are weaker than I suspected."

Harry growled and pushed away from Steven's meddling fingers. "Enough! We have been standing in front of this gate for twenty minutes now. Are you really that vain or do you have something to tell me? Because it seems like you wouldn't want me near this place."

Steven backed down at the explosion of will his master just showed him. "Forgive me. It seems that I am more anxious than I thought." He laughed nervously. Knowing that his master is going to walk into a coven of murderous witches makes him very uncomfortable.

"Yeah, well, you're not the only one that's for sure." Harry said quietly, turning his attention to the wasteland he had before him. The mansion was large enough, but all the splendor and glory was left to time to disintegrate. Windows are smashed and filled with dust. Paint had be stripped from the walls, and where the chimney was lay a pile of smashed rubble. It was a faded corpse of a great big house, and somehow the sight of it made him sad.

Putting all of his thoughts aside, Harry bravely walked towards the entrance and knocked on the large oak door. The panel around it wobbled unsteadily before giving up, sending centuries worth of dust up into the air as the great wooden don fell down with a bang. "It doesn't look like anybody had lived there for centuries. " Harry said out loud, trying hard to cover his embarrassment.

Stevens didn't replied, and instead kept close to his master. "Take your wand out." He said, moving forward to shield the boy. The coven is here. He could smell it. The stench of hopelessness was too overwhelming to ignore.

Seeing his usually confident and carefree butler stiffened made him realize the weight of the situation they are in. Harry carefully slid his wand and gripped it steadily. He would rather not alert the ministry about any underage magic. He rather not deal with Dumbledore, not yet, but if worst come to worst, he will be ready.

Out of the cornet of his eyes a rustle could be heard. A dry voice of an old lady tittered in the darkness. "Come now child, no need for that nonsense." The voice called out sinisterly, a hand coming out into the light to beckon him closer.

"Yes, yes, you are amongst friends!" a new voice chortled out from the other side of the room. Harry spun around, putting his back against Stevens'.

"Such a handsome young lord in such a dusty old place. You should take a seat so you don't dirty your precious robes." Another voice cooed out mockingly and a chair was pushed out of nowhere. The room reverberated with the cackles that sent shivers down Harry's spine.

Stevens held Harry's shoulder back, preventing him from moving anywhere. "We come as old friends from the Black family." He called out, his voice steady despite his anxiousness.

Just as he finished his sentence, hiss could be heard from the darkened corner of the foyer. Harry flinched back, all his instinct telling him to run out the door, but he held his ground. He was here for a purpose and he will not leave until he finished that purpose.

"The Blacks are no friends of ours!"

"They broke their vows!"

"They betrayed us!"

"They left us to die!"

"Oath breakers!"

"Blood traitors!"

"Murderers!"

The all too familiar jets of green began to fire at them. Stevens raised his arms, his golden eyes glowing as an ethereal shield protected them from a sure death. Harry gasped, his heart pounding against his ribcage They had planned this the night before, but no amount of planning could help him anticipate the gripping fear that he's in right now.

Steven kept his ground, his eyes steady and firm. He looked down to his master and nodded, signaling that it's time to speak. Harry nodded and walked out of his demon's shadow. "We have come to ask for help. I am the last of the Blacks, and I have come to take what is mine." Even with fear still coiling at his chest, his voice held authority.

The room was again filled with mocking laugher. "After all that happened, you expect us to help you?" One of the hags asked. "None of the families came to our aid! You, you are the descendant of cowards and traitors. Nothing you can say will make up help you!" She screeched Harry could almost make out the monstrous shapes from the shadows.

Steven stepped between his master and the snarling hag and threw a sack of coins clattering onto the floor. "Gold. You will help us for gold." He said in disgust.

In unison, about a dozen of old witches sprung from the shadows, their crooked claws grabbing at the shinny metal in feverish greed. They pushed and pulled against each other, forgetting their own blood as they clawed gold for themselves. One lone hag crooned maniacally at the small pile of gold she had accumulated, only to wailed as the hag beside her stole the gold by the handfuls.

Harry watched in horror as the witches were reduced to the basest of their animal instinct. It was as if the notion of family and love was erased from their mind. Steven could feel his master's discomfort and stepped in front of him, blocking him from the view. "You don't have to see this." He said with a gentle voice that cuts through the animalistic concert.

"STOP. ALL OF YOU."

The hags shivered at the new voice and dropped all of the gold the just had fought each other before. A new figure walked down the broken staircase, the pitter patter of high hells ringing ominously in the old broken house. The morning light that peered through the ceiling showed a high rounded cheekbone, but reveals nothing else as the woman descended through the ruins of the manor.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon." The voice drawled out. The old broken witches pushed their hoarded gold towards her, their claws trembling with fear. The woman ignored them and continued walking, stepping on the coins as if they are nothing.

Harry took a step forward, drawn by the familiar voice. "You…"

The woman smiled, brushing her blond hair away. "Yes. Me."

Steven watched nervously as his master and the Grindelwald girl leaned towards each other and whispered things too quiet for him to hear. They are sitting in the ruins of a terrace, sipping tea from dusty cracked teacups and laughing at each other's joke.

This whole situation disturbed him greatly. The girl who poisoned his master happens to be the youngest of the Grindelwald witches. Much to his dismay, his master is accepting refreshment from her. Again.

"It's fine Stevens. Cera will give us audience with her grandmother."

"You are trusting the girl who slipped you a love potion?"

"No I am not trusting her. She is merely her grandmother's mediator."

"And are you sure that the matriarch will be willing to talk after we humiliated her whole family?"

Harry gave him an irritated look and ignored him, opting to walk up beside Cera as she lead them to the 'terrace.

Of course at first his master was caught off guard by her appearance, but after speaking in hushed voices, the two seemed amicable enough. And now, there they are. Just sipping tea in the ruins of an 'outdoor' terrace, chit chatting about things as mundane as Harry's new clothes.

If his self restraints wasn't sharpened by centuries of servitude and torture, Stevens would've jumped onto the girl and rip her throat out. The sight of her just makes her so angry

While he's deep in thought, Steven failed to notice the entrance of another person. From the shadows, a figure melted out into the morning light. Her old body was not hunched like the hags below, but her back was straight with dignified panache. The old witch greeted them both with a crocked smile, watching the bodyguard carefully. She opened her arms and gave Harry's a tight hug, one that made him gasp in surprise.

Steven snapped his head up at the sound, mistaking it for a sign of distress. Before he could leap up and unsheathed his hidden dagger, Harry gave him and stern look. Steven caught the look but moved closer anyways, the blade glinting dangerously close to the old lady's neck.

Harry's face twisted up in anger at his demon's disobedience. He pulled away from the hug in time to caught Steven's wrist. "Excuse me for a moment." He said to the ladies, his voice dangerously quiet.

With a firm grip he pulled on Steven's wrist and pulled him away. "Come." He commanded, the angry word inflicting pain as he dragged his demon out of the terrace.

Harry pulled Steven into another room, pushing him against the corner of the wall. His anger was rolling off him in waves of, and the genie was on the receiving end.

"Stay." Harry ordered in a thundering voice, pushing Steven's shoulder up against the wall. He had enough of Steven's disobedience for one day. "Don't you dare move a muscle." Steven looked like he wanted to say something, but Harry didn't stay long enough to hear him out. With an angry huff, he smoothed out his robes and walked back to the terrace.

With his head hanging down in humiliation, Steven sighed mournfully at his master's departure. He wanted to punish himself in some way for behaving so stupidly, but his master's order kept his body rigid and still. He felt like he had dishonor his master's name. It was all because he couldn't keep his emotion in check. If he didn't get so worked up after seeing that girl, the old witch wouldn't have startled him.

He just hoped that his master's punishment would be swift and just.

"You really didn't move a muscle didn't you?"

Steven resisted the urge to blink at the sickeningly sweet voice. The blond girl craned her neck to meet his gaze, but he kept his gaze firmly affixed to the floor. He will not let the girl have the satisfaction of seeing him humiliated like this.

"Poor thing. When I become Lady Black I'll be sure to treat you better." She giggled, patting his head before skipping away into the shadows.

Her sweet words were like a painful stab to his chest. Surely his master didn't just agree to marry her? It's preposterous, the Grindelwald is a social pariah. Marrying their descendant would smear the Black name. The prospect of that future made him tremble. After hours of standing still, his muscles began to ache and spasm in panic. 'I have to see Harry. I should've stayed in that room. They must've tortured him to say yes. He must be in so much pain. I need to-'

"Didn't I told you not to move?"

Steven breath hitched in relief at the cold voice. 'He's fine. He sounds angry but he's fine.'

A second shadow joined them, blocking the light from the terrace. "Oh come child, release that poor man. You shouldn't torment your servant like that. Good help is hard to come by." The old lady chuckled. "I'll see you soon Lord Black. After all, we are family now." Steven could hear her golden bangles clink as she waved his master goodbye.

"Of course Lady Grindelwald. Good bye." Harry said lifelessly, giving the matriarch a shallow bow as she exited the room. He waited until he was alone with his demon before he lifted his orders. Steven crumbled to the ground, damp with sweat. The sight of him gasping desperately for air was pitiful. Harry even had the mind to apologize to him. Before he could utter a single word, Stevens was latching up to his arm, grabbing his shoulder and shaking him.

"Tell me you didn't just agree to marry a Grindelwald!" Steven demanded.

Before Harry could answer anything, the demon was pacing up and down the dark room, ranting as he still tremble from his punishment.

"You're going to bring this family down to ruins I tell you. Marrying a Grindelwald. What were you thinking? Didn't you see their family? Those hags clawing for gold in their own rundown mansion. It was beyond humiliating. It's completely unacceptable!"

Harry sighed, trying hard to calm down his demon. "Steven, listen. The eggs wer-"

"Forget the eggs!" Steven scoffed, throwing his hand up in the air. "We could've made the eggs! You shouldn't have traded the future of this family for a dozen basilisk eggs that we don't even know exist yet!"

"You are over reacting again. Listen to me."

"No. I am done with this butler charade. For centuries I've served this family and brought it fortunes and status. All the years I was rewarded with punishment and humiliation, and I was fine with it. As long as this family lives on, I am fine living as an house elf. But I will not sit idly as an outsider comes in and destroy this family!"

Harry spun backwards and slapped his butler with the back of his hand. Hard. Steven fell back against the crumbling drywall, the left of his face stinging and the feeling of dread creeping back into his heart. 'This is it.' He thought. 'I'm going to be a house elf again.'

"Remember who you are speaking to, demon." Harry snapped, his voice deathly cold.

Steven, wide eyed and devastated, could only reply with silence. Harry took a deep breath and groaned, his icy exterior instantly melting at the sight of his pitiful butler. "Fuck. I-I-didn't mean to do that. Let me see."

Harry knelled down to check on Steve's stinging cheek, trying very hard to ignore his butler's icy glare. Cursing to himself, Harry muttered about getting a wet napkin and disappeared. Steven touched his cheek and saw there was a speck of blood. Harry's nail must've cut him during the slap.

This was the first time Harry had overdrawn blood from him, and the first thing he does is tend his wound. Steven chuckled and licked the liquid off. It tasted of bitter copper.

When his master rushed back with a wet napkin to soothe his cheek, and Steven kept his eyes away from his out of respect. The boy caught the gesture and he was not amused. A part of him felt guilty he had hurt his friend like that. He's reminded with uncle Vernon. It's never right to hit, even when was angry.

'But he was on my case for the whole day! Blatering about silly things that doesn't need to be blathered about.' Harry thought to himself, trying to justify his guilt and failing miserably.

"Look, you made me angry with your ranting earlier, especially since nothing happen." The boy sighed and scratched his head. "I didn't agree to marry Cera or anything, I only agreed to one date in the future. Well, they did want me to marry her, but it's so ridiculous to marry someone you just met like that and I-" Harry stopped himself, realizing that he's talking in circles again.

"Anyways, since they didn't have the eggs anymore, they have nothing to trade. So In exchange of telling me the eggs locations, I will have to," he coughed nervously. "-court her. For a day."

Steven gave no indication that he just heard any of that. He kept his eyes cast down like a submissive slave would.

"Err.. they gave it to Orion's black. Sirius's Father."

The genie didn't budge. He was as still as a gargoyle.

"So… the eggs are at Grimmauld place." Harry said, his voice breaking.

Still no answer.

Harry was left speechless, holding the cold napkin against his equaly cold butler.

"Steven." He called gently. "Say something."

Stevens gave him a bittersweet smile and bowed deeply. "My mistake. I apologize for jumping to conclusion. Shall we go and search the place?" he mumbled, offering his hand so he could transport them both to Grimmauld place. One part of him was ashamed and angry at the humiliating situation that he is in, but another part of him was… happy, and proud. Harry Potter was finally becoming Lord Black. Yet his pride prevented him from showing Harry just how proud he was of him.

So he stayed silent and submissive.

Harry turned away from Steven, gritting his teeth and mentally slapping himself. A part of him was disappointed at the answer, but what were he to expect? So instead, Harry said nothing at the cold lackluster response and took his butler's arm." To Grimmauld place no 12."

Full moons are never easy for Remus Lupin.

His nerves always make him too anxious to get a good night sleep, and this month it was worse. Molly wouldn't let him go back to his cabin to transform. 'Are you trying to gamble your life away? The death eaters know where all of us live! Why do you think I brought all of my kids to live in this horrible house?'

As much as he'd like to play the martyr and go away anyways, Dumbledore had asked him to stay put. As if his transformations aren't hard enough, he's doing it in his dead best friend's house.

He would think of all of the possible scenarios that could happen. Maybe someone from the outside could see a werewolf running around Grimlaud's place gardens and call the Aurors. Maybe he would rampage through the nights and then make his way into the house. Even Tonks couldn't coax him back to bed.

"Go back to sleep. I'm just going to walk around the house for a little while." He said as he kissed his lover's cheek goodnight.

Little did he know that his nightly stroll would bring him together with Harry Potter and fighting off giant snakes.

Then again he was never good at divination.

AN: Hello again internet! Long time no see. Oh wow, that went on longer than what I expected. I haven't wrote anything for the last few weeks so to make up for the lateness, I figured that I'll write a longer chapter. Boy did I went a little bit too much. I probably will need to rewrite this to make it less convoluted.

Anyways, don't forget to favorite and review the story if you enjoy it. Remember, reviews are to author as carrots are for plot bunnies ^^ See you next chapter!