Augusta Longbottom was the Dowager Matriarch of this Noble House, a decendant herself of many good families, and the heiress of the Grantham family in her own right from her own mother. She had been born a Croaker, her half-brother retained the family titles. She had only spoken a few words to his heir, a distant cousin and unspeakable. Enid had never had children. The trials and tribulations of the past had made her a bitter old woman. However, she was smart enough to acknowledge her own mistakes. The most heinous of these had been her own misjudgment of her grandson, Heir of the House and now full Lord, her son insane and unable to fulfill his noble duties. She stood by him as he stood in his full Wizengamot robes. He had written his initial inaugural speech and was prepared to take over as proxy for the Potter, Black and Peverell seats in the Chamber. It was a major power shift, one even she had not seen coming. Neville had kept his close friendship with the new Lord Potter a secret from her, she had assumed the boy had been friendless at school, well apart from that muggle-born chit, Granger. Neviille had surpassed his father academically and had only recently showed her the wand he himself had crafted, from thestral hair and sequoia. The boy had hidden depths with a wand like that. He had proved himself a true pureblood scion and a strong, neutral wizard, neither dark nor light, balanced with his power masked, to be underestimated by your enemies lulling them into a false sense of superiority. All that had misused him and abused him in the past better beware. He took after his Black grandmother, Callidora, in many respects, quiet, stoic and unassuming but underneath it all a maverick free thinker.
She had made her peace with him. He had always respected her and understood her formal and stiff nature, she had kept her distance after loosing her beloved husband and the son she'd had doted on. Neville had always been introverted but with a willful streak. She never understood how Algie had thought the boy a squib, no accidental magic was explained by his happy hours spent gardening, his magic enfused his hobby and how their garden bloomed under the boy's charge. All Algie did was make Neville a nervous wreck around adult males, by forever hurting him.
Neville stood tall, proud and finally handsome. He had grown into his looks with his final growth spurt into a man. There was no puppy fat nor nervousness about his gait. "You have made me a happy old woman today. You will be a fine lord and serve this family well. I am glad the old alliance with House Potter is preserved. The fact Dumbledore took control of the proxies always sat uneasily with me." The old woman adjusted her tiara, the first session meant all dressed in their finery and she had to outshine Muriel Prewitt-Weasley. "Is it true that neither Lily or Abus instructed young Hadrain on his position and responsibilities?"
"Yes Grandmama, he was never even introduced to the Goblin retainer until this summer. Lily even withheld his trust fund." Neville's trust fund had been meagre, but he had learned to budget when given the freedom to purchase supplies, his clothes and necessities for school. Harry had over the years earned money while at his Aunt's to pay for his school supplies. It had been quite shocking the poverty Harry had endured.
"Well, I will give that girl a piece of my mind when I see her." Augusta then brought forth the subject she wanted to broach with her grandson. "James should have never married her. Hadrian could still have been heir, but that girl has spat on our traditions letting her boy grow up ingnorant and if I heard correctly beaten and abused by that 'Deatheater' husband of hers."
"I understand Grandmama. I.." Neville paused and swallowed to try and ease his discomfort. "I would like you to formally matchmake for me. I do not wish any mishaps for my future. I know you disapproved of my romance with Hermione and we have come to an agreement, a mutually beneficial agreement. She wishes to study, to join the law enforcement branch of the ICW and agrees I need a good wife. I wish to be engaged by the Midwinter Ministry Ball, but please no one I'm closely related to." It felt like betrayal to mislead his grandmother but she had assumed his friendship with Hermione had been a romantic one, that had lead to peels of laughter from all his friends. Hermione had dated Victor Krum and was now playing hard to get to poor Blaise. Hermione did not want to be any pureblood's wife, but the Italians had a more open understanding of family. Blaise would have a full open relationship with Hermione with children, a home and such, without contracts or matrimony. At some point after his grandfather's death Blaise would either appoint his son as heir, or marry. Pureblood's in Britain frowned on extramarital relations of any kind, but such was the world he had grown up in. "And Grandmama, I have no restrictions on my wife, either a widow or virgin is acceptable, even from one of the... less respectable houses."
"Very good, Neville. I will look for a suitable companion for you." Augusta was relieved that her grandson was opting for a traditional courtship. She herself had fallen in love with her husband soon after their marriage. Neville would only met his future bride a couple of times before they were contracted. Magical compatibility would ensure a happy, successful union. Love came with your bonding. None of this fuss and nonsense of true love, poppycock, in her opinion.
In these troubled times, the opening session of the Wizengamot, held in early August, followed by the Ministry ball, was always an event for all respectable, noble and ancient houses to attend. As the great and good circulated before entering the political chamber, most noted the absence of the boy many assumed to be Dumbledore's chosen magical and political successor, the young Lord Potter. It was a popular knowledge, Potter was being groomed to be the new Leader of the Light. A disquiet and unease ran through the 'Light' camp as it neared the hour of the session to start. Elphias Doge walked up to his old friends Amelia Bones and Dedalus Diggle, and in a hished anxious whisper stated " The Potter boy has changed his proxy. I no longer act for him. I cannot guess who the boy has trusted with his votes."
Diggle frowned, "How? We have kept him isolated, ignorant. Even his godfather has not been allowed to contact him. Snape assured me he has no friends at school. Well apart from that Lovegood girl, but she's only sixteen."
Doge considered all the known facts, "Well, someone has guided the boy. I got my notification five minutes ago. Its all legal and perfectly above board. I understand Dumbledore had a task for him, he wasn't meant to get involved in the political arena until after his appointed task."
Neither wizard spoke of the prophecy, though both elder Order member's knew the gist of it. Potter was key to removing the threat posed by Voldemort. The Minister was ineffectual, the loss of these key votes was likely to give the traditionalist purebloods a majority. It would mean a bloodless transfer of power. Potter would not condone such a thing. Albus had loved the boy like a grandson. There was no reason to even suggest such a thing. The boy leaving just meant he had taken a proactive role and started his task. Doge would talk with Snape as soon as the session concluded. That was the only logical conclusion.
"I'm telling you, Potter has handed his family votes to Longbottom. I'm not sure who was voting as the Black proxy, but it was not Malfoy. Augusta would not let me talk to Neville, you know how protective she is."
Snape sneered at the mention of the Longbottom Squib, how that boy had gotten straight O's in his OWL's he'd never know. He had been sure Potter had failed his and he got that blasted prize. Teaching the two of them this year had been the usual series of ineptitude and brazen idiocy, both had scrapped a T last year in DADA. Snape grinned inwardly at the fact he had survived a year in his post proving there was no curse, the other teachers were just lacking.
"Longbottom was as much a loner as Potter. Maybe they talked. I never observed them together." Snape then considered the fact Dumbledore had gifted that blasted cloak to Potter at Christmas in First Year. Snape had tried to confiscate the thing, but it hadn't been in his trunk. The boy had hidden it somewhere and Dumbledore had ordered Snape not to get involved. That stupid heirloom was important to the Headmaster's plan in some way. Snape had never been able to catch Potter out of bounds, which had just proved the boy was sneaking about protected by that item. It explained all those little niggles Snape had over the years and considering the fact the boy had been impossible to read after first year, almost like he knew occlumency but that was absurd, Potter was a hotheaded bully just like his father, he had never gotten away with anything at home or school because Snape had made sure he behaved.
Snape then scoffed "What are you worrying about, Longbottom is a slight as they come and would never disobey that Grandmother of his."
Doge then looked at the spy, Dumbledore's most trusted. The one who everyone had trusted to guide the boy to do his duty and never question. "It seems you do not know Augusta Longbottom very well. That woman is as much a pureblood traditionalist as the Flints, the Malfoys, the Blacks, the Carrows, the Crouchs and the rest of them. She is a true matriarch, not one hint of blood traitor taint to her reputation. The woman told her godson, James Potter just to dally with Lily Evans and not to marry her. She tried to guide him after Charles and Dorea were murdered but Potter was head over heels and never believed in such clap trap. Neville grew up with that woman. He may have been a Gryffindor but that boy will have a proper courtship, a contract and a dutiful wife by Christmas. He will be a proper Lord, no having any notions of working for a living. Managing his estates, establishing a family and increasing his holdings will be his goals. Augusta will have drilled that into him."