I own nothing

Just a short one this time as I'm stuck for time at the minute

Headmasters Office, Hogwarts

As they all sat down Narcissa took in the various trinkets and portraits in the office, thinking of the last time she was sat in here during Draco's third year after that oaf Hagrid let a Hippogriff attack her son. At that time, she was irate that it happened, and that Dumbledore tried to placate her with meaningless words. All she wanted was to be able to see her son and check on him. As much as he was a pain in the arse, he was still her son and for all she was bothered about him she was more concerned with retribution. She was a Black after all! How dare these people not sit up and realise just how important her and her family were. How dare that half-breed get away with endangering her son! Unfortunately, in the years since the Dark Lords demise standards, she felt had slipped. And the usual deference she was accustomed to growing up with the surname Black had been halted with the arrest of her husband the first time around. Now it was all but gone with him being caught at the Department Of Mysteries, caught by Potter himself in his Death Eaters robes trying to murder six students on his Lords behalf. She was still struggling to understand just what had happened, why they were there and why the Dark Lord hadn't been there himself until the very end? Unfortunately the two people she could ask couldn't be reached; Lucius wasn't allowed to see anyone except his lawyer and with the mood the Dark Lord was in lately and the state her sister was left in after that night she daren't risk asking him. Something big had been planned and gone spectacularly wrong and the wives were left to pick up the pieces on mere scraps of information. All the wives knew was that the Dark Lord had come back from the ministry in a foul mood and that all his inner circle was gutted

"It seems our sons are in a spot of trouble" Narcissa started folding her well-manicured hands on her crossed legs "So, Headmaster, just what is going on? What have our children done and why are we receiving letters off Mr Potter informing of us that our children have a week left to live? And why are you so quiet Severus?" Narcissa asked looking over at him

"Severus is reflecting on his behaviour over the last few years" Albus stated before Severus could open his mouth "He and I to a degree are partially at fault for what has happened, him more so than anyone except yourselves Narcissa"

"Us?" Narcissa asked perplexed "Why are we at fault? It seems to me that its Mr Potter that has ideas above his station here Dumbledore"

"Above his station?" Dumbledore asked "at this moment in time Mr Potter is far above your station Mrs Malfoy. Harry was made the new Lord Potter and Black over the summer with Sirius emancipating him and bequeathing him his title. By becoming Lord Black, he automatically became Lord Potter and with it a whole slew of responsibilities and to him, perks was thrust upon him"

"How did Sirius manage that? He was disowned! He shouldn't have been able to bequeath anything! That title should have rightfully gone to my Draco!" Narcissa exclaimed

"Ah but Sirius was never disowned by Arcturus. His mother Walburga may have blasted him from the family tree, but Orion wasn't the Lord at the time, Arcturus was and seeing as how both his grandchildren were on opposite sides of the war, he felt that the line would carry on which ever way the war was resolved. So, Orion and Walbuga could not disown anyone, they just told people they did. And while it may or may not interest you to know, Sirius never had a trial therefore he could not be legally detained and stripped of any possessions or titles he may have held after Arcturius died in '91. He inherited the title in Azkaban and therefore legally could pass it on to whomever he liked"

"This is all well and good" Anna Goyle interrupted "but it does nothing to resolve the situation we find ourselves in at this very moment. Our sons are scheduled to die in a weeks' time! And you sit here giving us a meaningless history lesson!"

"Ah, but it's not meaningless, is it?" Albus asked "this was an explanation as to why Harry could legally declare blood feud against your son and that of his classmates. Harry came to us yesterday and explained that he'd overheard a conversation from them saying that they were planning on murdering him in his sleep. He then placed a golem in his bed that night and the next morning at breakfast, in front of the whole school no less, placed the golem on the professors' desk with a knife driven through its head. He then explained what had happened and asked what would be done about it. Before I could say anything, Severus used his powers as Head of House to deny the use of veritaserum to the DMLE on your sons' behalf and rendered any kind of solution I could come up with null. Harry turned around and told your sons that they had twenty-four hours to write a confession to the DMLE or there would be severe consequences. They failed to do so and this morning in front of the whole school declared Blood Feud with them all. Legally I might add. Magic itself was witness to it and found his cause just."

"Is there nothing we can do? Can we not get them to write a confession and give it to Mr Potter?" Esmelralda asked

"I'm afraid I haven't seen Mr Potter since he left the Great Hall this morning after declaring Blood Feud" Albus replied

"The little shit is probably holed up somewhere laughing about all of this" Snape chirped in

"You will be silent Severus!" Albus shouted shocking them all. None of the ladies present had ever heard Albus Dumbledore sound so angry before. They now saw what others saw, under that genial Grandfather act was a man who brought down a Dark Lord. You don't end the reign of a Dark Lord with disarming curse or tickling charms after all. It may have been over half a century ago, but his power was still very much there "Your antagonism of Harry and your failure to rein in the worst of the Slytherins' behaviour over the past ten years is exactly why we are in this position now! You are bloody lucky that Harry doesn't know the worst of you because not even I could stop his wrath should he find out! For years I have defended you to him, at the cost of any kind of relationship it now seems so you will sit there in silence! Do not test me on this Severus Snape!"

The five women exchanged nervous glances at the conversation that was going on, very much aware that whatever Severus had done was bad enough for the most mild-mannered person they had ever met to lose his temper. The man who gives out second chances like one of his lemon sherbets had seemingly reached the end of his tether and they were at a loss of how to proceed. It appeared they would not be able to receive any help for their sons from their Head of Houses direction anytime soon

"Make no mistake ladies" Albus continued clearly still angry, and his customary twinkle long gone "I am very disappointed in both Severus and yourselves for not reining in the worst of your children's habits over the last few years. You all have had plenty of opportunities to do so in the past and have failed to do so. You have let the arrogance of your upbringing be passed on to your children and now it has come full circle and bit them on the behind" holding his hand up to stop anymore interruptions he continued "Now, I will do what I can to persuade Mr Potter to change his mind but do not trust to hope. There are five years of bad blood, attacks on his character and literal attacks on his person to get through before he may feel even slightly merciful on your children. Feel free to write him letters yourself if you must seek a meeting with him but do not expect a reply. He has absolutely no obligations to do so."

At that exact moment his floo flared up again and the Minister for Magics head appeared in the fire

"Albus, I have just received a note from the Department of Mysteries pertaining to a Blood Feud being called? Just what the hell is happening?"

"I shall let you through in half an hour Rufus, at the minute I am just in a meeting with the parents of children in question" Albus replied

"Very well, Albus, I will hold the papers off for the next few hours in the meantime. I'll keep my floo open for the next few hours for you. I'll await your call" the reply came. And with that the head was removed and the fireplace went back to crackling away as though nothing had disturbed it

"Well ladies I shall go and see if I can find Mr Potter. I bid you all a good day. No doubt we will be seeing much of each other over the coming week" Albus stated. The ladies all rose to their feet and exited through the floo back to Malfoy Manor "you can go too Severus. And you better think on about what has happened here today. Mr Potter is not at fault here and you would do well to remember that"

Albus sat back sighing as Severus left. Closing his eyes as he popped a lemon drop into his mouth he thought over what happened. How could he not have seen what was going to happen? Had he really slipped up that much with young Harry? To get to Blood Feud point was unheard of really in the Wizarding world nowadays. While it was known to happen a long time ago people had become more reasonable, hadn't they? Had they really got past the point of no return? Hopefully he could make Harry see reason and make him realise that once you kill someone that is it. It forever leaves a stain on your soul, and he really did not want that for Harry. Harry deserved better than to live a life full of regrets