Again, thank you all for your reviews.
To Blindjedi; it's because I'm only editing chapters after I've posted them and reading the mistakes myself which isn't very professional :D
To Bosmer; the part with the Goblins is probably my least favourite thing I've written in this Fic tbh. I considered not putting it in and just having a normal interaction with Griphook. I don't recall why I wrote it the way I did either, the words just flowed, and I couldn't stop. It got to the point that I'd written that much that I didn't want to waste my own time deleting it all.
I've already written the next two or three chapters in my head. Struggling after that but we'll see what my brain does to help me out
I'm awful at writing combat. If anyone could give me pointers, I'd be very grateful
This chapter is longer than I anticipated
Again, I own nothing
Headmaster Office
The next morning Harry made his way to Dumbledores office ready for the day ahead. He was as prepared as he could be for the duels, he'd been up since six going over his morning routine and various spells that he was planning on using. Reaching the office half an hour early he heard the usual "come in Harry" from Albus and entered, sitting down in the chair opposite the headmaster
"How are you feeling Harry?" Albus asked "are you feeling relaxed? Have you eaten?"
Chuckling Harry answered "Yes Mother, I'm fine. I've had a few pieces of fruit so I'm fine"
"Just checking Harry" Dumbledore said chuckling himself
"There is something I wanted to talk to you about though before the Minister arrives" Harry said pulling out the book Walking with Death "have you read this?"
"No, I must confess I haven't Harry. Why do you ask?" Dumbledore asked
"There's a few questions I have about the wand that have puzzled me through reading the various accounts of its previous owners" Harry said. Seeing Albus' questioning look he continued "How much more potent does it make spells? Is it really that significant or is it like the placebo effect?" seeing Albus frowning face he asked "what I mean is do you believe yourself to be more powerful because the wand is said to be powerful? Is it all a state of mind? And finally does the wand talk to you"
"That's quite a topic of conversation Harry" Albus replied thoughtfully "given our limited time before Rufus arrives, I hope simple answers will suffice?" seeing the nod he continued "The wand itself hasn't provided me with any extra power, or at least more noticeable power than I already possessed. My original wand overpowered Gellert after all and he wasn't that much less powerful than myself. What the wand does is make offensive hexes, curses, or wards more potent. Because it was created by a higher being no human can create a ward that it won't go through. It simply amplifies the users ambient magic intake. I have come to believe that it only changes hands when the challenger is more powerful than the wielder. There's no such thing as an 'unbeatable' wand as history has proven that to be false. To answer your last question yes, or at least it tried to until it learned it wouldn't get anywhere with trying to influence me. It's been silent for over forty-five years now. And I can't hide it either. I've tried burning it, snapping it, burying it, and throwing it away. Every time I tried it just appeared next to my bed the next day, unblemished and whole. It simply wants to be used. Hoping its power dies with me is literally my last resort"
"That answers a lot actually" Harry said thoughtfully "that makes much more sense to me than half of the accounts that I've read. I have no intention of taking it from you, you know? I had planned on burying it with you. I couldn't imagine having to give up one of my own wands to use one that is fickle. My plans to give them back to Death still stand too should your plan not work. No human should have that kind of power"
"That is incredibly wise of you Harry" Dumbledore said smiling "my original Ebony wand is in a drawer here. It's still very close to me, I use it every so often and it reminds me of a happier time. I agree Harry, I couldn't give up my original wand"
Just at that moment the floo flared to life and Rufus Scrimgeour stepped through and said "Morning all, how are we all? You ok Harry? You prepared?" perplexed at the other two wizards starting to chuckle he was wondering what was so funny when Albus' clock chimed.
Sobering up immediately and standing up Albus said "well gentlemen we must away. Hopefully this whole sorry business will be concluded very soon"
Following the other two wizards to the Ministers Office they made their way down to the Wizengamot chambers. Before going through the final door Rufus stopped Harry and asked him to wait until he was called so they could get the oaths sorted out first. Waiting seemed to take an inordinately amount of time so Harry went over his meditation exercises. Finally, he heard his name be called out and he entered looking up at the department heads. Waving his hand, he cheekily said "Hi" as he made his way down to the duelling pit
Suppressing a snort Albus opened the proceedings "ladies and gentlemen we are here today to witness Blood Feud be partially resolved. The conclusion will happen next Tuesday at 9am where it will be broadcast to the wizarding Britain. Today Mr Potter will be duelling Lords Nott, Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy. I am here representing the ICW as Supreme Mugwump, Minister Rufus Scrimgeour for the ministry of Magic and the department heads as witnesses for Magic. The oaths have already been sworn. These duels will be either to the death or incurable incapacitation as dictated by the oath Mr Potter swore. Are there any questions before we bring in the Lords in question?"
"Yes, I have one" came a voice from the side of Mr Weasley "how can Mr Potter declare blood feud given he's not part of the Sacred 28?"
"I am Sir" Harry said showing off the Black Lords ring "I inherited the Black name from my Godfather. The magic accepted me"
Silence fell. Albus took this cue to bring in the four Lords who looked around in confusion as they were brought from a side chamber, flanked by Aurors. They had assumed they were there to face a trial finally after the fiasco in the ministry in June. This looked very suspect. Upon seeing Harry Potter they knew something was wrong
"What is going on here?" came the gravelly voice of Lord Nott
"It's quite simple really Lord Nott" Harry said focusing on them all "I am here to duel you all to the death"
"And why should we entertain such nonsense, Potter?" Lucius asked with a haughty sneer on his face. He looked haggard, but then again, I suppose three months surrounded by dementors will do that to a person
"Because blondie" Harry said seriously "three days ago your sons all conspired to kill me. They waited until I was asleep and tried to drive a knife through my head. The professors did nothing so two days ago I declared Blood Feud with all your families. This is simply part one, after I'm through with all four of you I'll duel your sons next week and finish what I started"
At that Lucius started laughing, "you forget your place, Potter. You must be part of the Sacred 28 to declare Blood Feud and because of your family's propensity for mating with filthy muggles that's impossible"
Harry simply held up the Black family ring which instantly stopped Lucius laughing. "How did you get that?" he asked in a whisper "that's not possible"
Smiling Harry simply took off his coat and went to the far end of the duelling pit. Looking at the assembled heads he asked "shall we get started? Give them their wands and let's get this over with"
"Lord Potter-Black" came the same voice as before "you wish to duel them all at once? If you declare yes, then we cannot stop it from happening and you must fulfil your declaration"
"Yes" Harry replied taking his wand out "I want all four of them" he finished seriously taking out his second wand. Murmurs of "a dual-wielder" ran through the assembled party
"Very well" Albus stated standing up and touching his wand to the runestone on his chair. Immediately wards sprang up around them all and five pillars came up through the ground each with the family emblems on them. All were lit up "give them their wands. The pillars will darken when said Lord is unable to continue the duel. A word of caution, if any of you try and attack us, we will be allowed to open fire back. Any and every spell can be used, no restrictions. You will begin when the sand runs out. So I say, so mote it be."
At this the Aurors took all their shackles off and gave them their wands back as a sand timer appeared in the air. Harry started limbering up while the four lords rubbed their wrists to try and get some feeling into their hands. They knew this was a set up, they knew Harry was powerful considering how well he did in the Department of Mysteries, but this was a fight for their lives. As the last drop fell and Albus said "Begin" Harry exploded into action. Knowing that he couldn't play around with them he immediately cast a blasting curse at the ground in front of them all and they went flying in different directions. Throwing two cutting curses into the dust that had been blown up Harry cast a disillusionment charm and a silencing charm on himself and walked around the sides of the pit looking out for any of them. Hearing a muffled yell, he hoped that one of the cutting curses had hit. Seeing green curses splash where he had been Harry knew he was right to move from where he was. He saw the brief outline of one of them and cast a high-powered severing charm which hit its mark. Hearing the scream of pain Harry moved in and cast a 'Reducto' at the person silencing them. Not hearing Albus say "Lord Crabbe is dead" and the pillar with his family emblem disappear Harry carried on looking for the other three.
Lucius Malfoy had always prided himself of being able to escape every sticky situation he had found himself in. He'd only been caught twice out of the many raids he had participated in which he considered good fortune. Here though there was no escape. It was either kill or die. There were no other options available to him. Casting his own invisibility charm he began prowling the edges of the arena. Hearing the muffled yell and then silence he knew the odds of his survival were getting slimmer. There! He saw an outline through the dust and cast the killing curse hitting its mark. Had he done it? Was it that easy? He knew the Half-Blood was no fighter! Instead, what he heard was "Lord Nott is dead" and then he was hurtling through the air and landed painfully against the barrier. He had hit his own man! Rolling away he checked his disillusionment charm was still in place and walked towards the centre.
Ernesto Goyle was never what you'd consider a smart man. Growing up he knew he'd always be just a henchman, a thug because he loved to beat up people. He was a fighter, not a thinker. And he knew that in these type of combat situations he was out of his depth. Hearing his best friend Lord Crabbe die was the most painful thing he had ever suffered through. In his rage he forgot all about any type of stealth and started yelling and throwing spells left, right and centre hoping for a hit. His brain had fogged up that much that his sensory perception was nil, so much so he never saw the spell that pierced the back of his head
"Lord Goyle is dead" those words chilled Lucius Malfoy. He knew he was going to die, but he hoped for one last miracle. Dropping his disillusionment charm he yelled out
"Potter" he said "it's just us two now. How about we make it man on man? Me against you, face to face?" hearing a hoovering charm getting rid of the dust Harry walked from behind the now dead body of Lord Goyle and said, "You're on" and with that he opened with a decapitation curse which Lucius narrowly avoided. For the next ten minutes they traded curses until Lucius tried to dive the wrong way and was hit with a severing charm on his leg. Landing five feet away from his now mangled leg Lucius was quickly hit with a disarming curse making his wand fly away twenty feet into the distance next to his Emblematic pillar. It was over, his life was over. Looking up with pure loathing he said "get on with it Potter but know this, My Lord will avenge me".
There was utter silence from the spectators as they watched on rapturously. Conjuring a chair five feet away Harry sat down staring at Lucius rolling his wand between his hands. Cocking is head he asked "what makes you think you will get off that easily Malfoy? Don't forget, this battle is only over with when you either die or you live and cannot be cured. I've been thinking about this for the last few days, you know. I've been wondering if one Blood Feud overrides another Blood Feud if it's against a specific family or if they can co-exist together. So, I'd quite like the opportunity to do a little test"
Standing up he shouted to the assembled spectators "Department Head Weasley, please come down here" Standing up Arthur made his way down wondering what was going to happen. He was aware of the Blood Feud between his family and the Malfoy family. Everyone was. Joining Harry, he looked at him questioningly "Lord Potter-Black?"
"Head Weasley" Harry stated offering Arthur his wand who took it with silence "I am offering you the chance to partially resolve the Blood Feud that has been ongoing between your family and the Malfoys for these many centuries. At least until next Tuesday when it will achieve finality. You have the option of letting me do it or doing it yourself"
"Don't have the balls to do it yourself Potter?" Lucius sneered "we both know Arthur keeps his in his fat wife's purse in that hovel he calls home. He doesn't have th..." blood spurted from Lucius' neck spraying both Arthur and Harry. Lucius scrabbled with his hands trying to stem the flow as Arthur looked grimly at his nemesis watching as the light left his eyes. Oh, how he had longed to do that Arthur thought as he looked on dispassionately. Lucius had been a bastard for as long as he'd known him. And he had killed him. He didn't know what to think at the minute.
Taking his wand back Harry said "Thank you Head Weasley, the Blood Feud for your family is nearly over with. I will end it next week. And your family will finally be released from the shackles it has worn these many years"
Mindlessly Arthur replied "I thank you Lord Potter-Black for the opportunity to regain my families honour"
Watching as the pillar with the Malfoy house emblem disappeared into the dirt Albus stood up and said "and so the duels come to an end. Today we have witnessed the first part of Blood Feud being enacted. On Tuesday we shall see it concluded. Our business, for now is over" with that he placed his wand against the runestone and the wards dropped. Harry, not wanting to talk to anyone just yet walked out of the door to the antechamber and began to meditate, trying to calm down the adrenaline that was running through his body. That was a good fight he thought. He would have to watch it back later to see if he could have done any better but overall, he was pretty satisfied with the outcome. One third of the Malfoy family was gone, four of Toms minions were dead and Harry didn't have a scratch on him. Walking in on him meditating Albus and Arthur came and sat down being careful not to disturb him.
Five minutes later Harry opened his eyes, his magic was much calmer and he noticed he was not alone. At Albus' question of "How are you feeling Harry?" he burst out laughing.
It took several minutes to centre himself again to be able to answer "Believe it or not Albus I'm ok, before you ask no I don't feel any remorse for ending their lives, they had it coming. I'm sorrier for the path they chose but at the end of the day that was their choice. As I said the other day I have killed before" seeing Arthurs concerned questioning look he clarified "my first-year defence teacher dissolved when I touched him because he was being possessed by Voldemort due to my mother's sacrificial protection. Doing what I did today has denied Tom valuable resources, not just monetarily"
"Very well" Albus said "I will not push it but if you need to talk about it my door is always open. Now, we must away back to Hogwarts"
"Actually, Albus I have a meeting with the five mothers at Gringotts at 2pm. So, I think I'll go to the alley for dinner, possibly the Leaky Cauldron" seeing Albus was about to butt in he continued "I was hoping Mr Weasley would like to accompany me?"
"Of course, Harry. I shall meet you there in half hour" Arthur replied "I just have a few issues that I need to take care of first" giving them both a nod Arthur stood up and walked out of the room. Albus and Harry followed him going to the floo points where they parted ways. Harry carried on to the Leaky Cauldron, receiving curious looks Harry wondered what the issue was before he realised, he was still covered in blood and grime. He would have a shower later he thought; besides it would give off a better impression for the meeting in a few hours
Taking a seat Harry ordered himself and Arthur two shepherds pies and two butterbeers. He saw Arthur enter ten minutes later, just as the food was being served
"I took the liberty of ordering us food and drinks Arthur. I hope you don't mind? Harry asked
"Not at all Harry" came the reply "I'm famished" before they both ate, not speaking to each other. When they were both finished and were on their second drink Arthur asked a question he had been wondering "Harry what is going on? Blood Feud? Duels? Malfoy?"
Taking a sip of his drink Harry told Arthur what had happened to come to the situation they were now in. Arthur, it seemed was a great listener. Only nodding and asking questions for clarification he listened to what Harry said. After a brief moment of silence Arthur stated "I don't think I can put into words just how grateful I am to be the Weasley that helps put an end to the Blood Feud. I don't think outside of a battle I would ever have had the courage to do so. House Weasley is in your debt"
"House Potter-Black acknowledges the debt and deems it unnecessary" Harry said officiously "if you hadn't ended his life I would have. And next Tuesday morning when I end the Blood Feud, I want House Weasley to know that House Potter-Black will demand no form of servitude due to the aid House Weasley has provided for House Potter-Black over the last few years. Lady Weasleys care packages helped me more than anyone else's ever has and I wish for you to inform Molly that while I don't see you and her as parental figures, I hope you can both accept the role Aunt and Uncle?"
"House Weasley acknowledges House Potter-Black and thanks you for your generosity and we would be honoured" Arthur said "Now that the official nonsense is out of the way how are you, Harry? How are your classes going? Have you had the talk yet?"
Choking on his drink Harry spluttered a "yes, I have. Many years ago, now. And it reiterated my lack of desire for the opposite sex" seeing Arthurs face he continued "I know Molly had hopes that I would one day become part of the family but that isn't going to happen with Ginny"
"Harry, I'm going to stop you right there, you became part of the family six years ago when you befriended Ron" Arthur said "Molly will just have to do her best to get over it" he finished causing them both to laugh
Drawing his wand and casting Tempus Harry stated "I must get going Arthur I have a meeting with Narcissa Malfoy and the rest of the wives. I enjoyed having dinner with you. My advice would be to take the rest of the day off and go have a chat about today with Molly"
"I cannot help but feel concerned Harry" Arthur said with a frown on his face "would you like me to accompany you?"
"No, that isn't necessary. Remus and Tonks will be there with me" Harry said "In fact, I better ask them first, eh?" withdrawing his wand Harry cast his patronus and said "Remus, when you've finished playing Little Red Riding Hood with Tonks can you collect her parents and all meet me at Sirius' place at 2:15" seeing Arthurs confused face he carried on "it's a muggle childrens story about a wolf who dresses up in a nightie as a girls grandmother to try and fool her into thinking he's her actual grandmother"
Arthur burst out laughing "they're going to kill you, you know?". At that very moment a werewolf patronus appeared and said "You cheeky little sod, just wait until I see you. We'll be there"
Grimmauld Place
Standing up the two wizards made their way to Gringotts where they parted ways. Many people stared at Harry as he walked past, he was still covered in grime and blood after all, shaking hands with Arthur he made his way up the marble staircase and into the hall where Griphook was waiting. Leading Harry into a meeting room he saw that the wives where already there with their children. Nodding to Griphook he took out a boot and whispered "Portus". Looking sternly at the others he said "Grab on" doing so they were all whisked away into a dimly lit hallway into the kitchen area where Harry asked them to sit at the large mahogany table.
"Dobby" Harry said. A pop signified his brother's entrance "can you provide refreshments for us all please? There will be four other people joining us shortly. Please bring them in here when they arrive" Dobby popped away as Harry turned to the others and said "please excuse me for a while why I get showered and changed. If you need anything call for Dobby, but be warned." Harry said seriously "treat him well. He's as good as my brother and I will not tolerate any disrespect towards him. I control the wards here. Any use of spells towards myself or Dobby will be met with extreme prejudice" without waiting for an answer Harry left
Sipping on their drinks the party waited and talked amongst themselves wondering where they were, who was joining them and why. Narcissa commented that it looked familiar but she couldn't place it. Ten minutes later the bell rang and they heard the door open and close. Dobby led Remus, Tonks, Andromeda and Ted into the kitchen area and gave them drinks. They sat opposite the others, Andromeda and Narcissa glaring at each other. A few minutes later a freshly showered and dressed Harry joined them looking immaculate except for his wet hair.
"Sorry about that" Harry said smiling as he sat down next to Remus "it would have been difficult talking to you all about a serious issue with bits of your husbands still in my hair"
Predictably it was Draco who opened his mouth while drawing his wand "How dare you, Potter!" he began before he was disarmed and had lips removed by Harry
"You know, I did exactly the same thing to Snape yesterday before he was sacked by Dumbledore" Harry said putting his wand away still grinning "Oh before I forget. Dobby? Can you get me the three scrolls that are on my bedside table" a pop happened and three identical looking scrolls appeared in front of him. Harry opened the first one and muttered "that's for Narcissa", before looking at the next one "that's for Bellatrix". Picking up the last one he went to hand it to Andromeda before pulling it back from her outstretched hand "before you read this, I want to say something. After you have read this, I want you to know that whatever decision you make, whether its acceptance or rejection you will still be family to me. I will give you a day to talk it over with Theodore and decide what you want to do"
Nodding unsurely at Harry she reached for the scroll and opened it immediately gasping and bursting out crying. Shouts from Ted and Nymphadora of "Mum" and "sweetheart, what's wrong?" came as they all went to her side "is this for real?" she asked tears rolling down her face
"Very" Harry said. "Think it over Andromeda. You don't need to give me an answer yet" he finished as she clutched the scroll to her chest
"I want an answer though Harry" Ted asked "what is that?"
"That Ted" Harry said "is the option of me welcoming back Andromeda Tonks and her daughter Nymphadora back into the House of Black"
"That's outrageous" Narcissa shouted standing up. Pointing at Andromeda she continued "she was disgraced! And her daughter cavorting with a werewolf just underlines that"
"You will be silent Narcissa!" Harry said authoritatively making her sit back down "you have no right to talk about being a disgrace in this house, and you better take that sneer off your face when talking about my Uncle Remus. Let's talk about that shall we? Who the real disgrace to House Black is. Andromeda Tonks has had to build up a name and reputation for herself since she was ousted from House Black for marrying Ted. She has done just that in spite of purebloods trying to hamper her at every turn. Twice she has declined the position of Head Healer at St Mungos because her family was more important to her than her career and social status! Ted Tonks is a very well-respected lawyer and as far as I'm concerned, she has married well. My sister Nymphadora is in line for being made Auror captain at the request of Alastor Moody himself because of how outstanding a candidate she is less than a year after graduating, the youngest to do so in three hundred years!
On the other side of the coin we have your sister Bellatrix Lestrange who murdered the previous Lord Black after swearing loyalty oaths to an insane half-blood son of a muggle! When you next see her, and I know you will do so you will hand her this scroll" Harry said holding said scroll up "inside is the official documentation reclaiming her dowry and banishing her and any progeny she may have in the future from House Black.
And then we come to you. Your Death Eater husband prostrated himself before a half-blood pretender and used Black money from your dowry to finance his war. Not only that but he participated in a raid where he was outclassed by six students not even in their sixth year again at the behest of the madman. Your son has shown he doesn't possess an ounce of self-control or self-reliance. For six years he has made it known that he himself has no special talents instead hiding behind his father's position and Black money. You, also have done literally nothing of merit since you married Lucius! Now, I am taking into account that you were raised to be useless so at the moment this scroll is as of yet unsigned." he said holding up the final scroll "whether I sign it or not will depend on your attitude and the outcome of this meeting"
"Now, continuing on we shall discuss Blood Feud" hearing a gasp at the side of him he turned to see Andromeda looking at him in concern. Answering her questioning look he said "yes, I have declared Blood Feud against these five families. Should you accept that scroll you have my permission to discuss it with your husband and daughter but you know you cannot until then" turning back around he continued "this morning I duelled and defeated your husbands in deadly combat. As I am still alive, I'm sure you can guess the outcome and what the result will be next week when I duel your sons. As of yet I do not know if I will also have to duel the rest of you as you all married into said families but should that be necessary, I will do so"
Looking at the four other women he said "I know full well my attempted murder was at the behest of Draco. I know full well who's plan it was to kill me in my sleep but your children were more than happy to go along with it. I gave them ample time to apologise and confess and they failed to do so. Now they are going to suffer the consequences of those actions. So, is there anything you want to know? This will be your last chance as I'm going to be far too busy in the coming days.
"Is there anything we can do?" Constance Zabini asked pleadingly looking at Blaise "do you have any idea what this is doing to us? What you're asking of us? What do you think your mother would say to you doing this?"
"You do not get to talk about my mother!" Harry said viciously slapping a hand on the table "for the past six years your children have called my mother a mudblood, a whore who should have made a living on her back with her legs wide open and a love potion using slag. For six years I have had to put up with their crap and there doesn't need to be many guesses just who's beliefs they're parroting, does there?" centering himself he said "yes there is something they can do. IF they swear on their magic that they will never follow Voldemort and will write a letter to the Daily Prophet denouncing Voldemort then I will release them from the Blood Feud"
"They cannot do that Potter!" Anna Goyle said "The Dark Lord will kill them! That's just as much of a death sentence as if they step into that arena with you on Tuesday!"
"Those are my only terms, certain death by my wand or possible death by Toms" Harry stated "take them or leave them. I will give you until Sunday afternoon to decide" standing up he gave Narcissa Draco's wand and removed the hex from him. "I suggest you think long and hard about your decision. Your father was much more gifted at magic than you and I left that arena without a scratch on me. Good day to you all. Dobby will see you to the door"
Watching them all leave impassively Harry waited until the door had closed until he let himself slump into a chair. "I really hate pureblood politics. Dobby, can I have a rum and coke please?" knocking back the drink he stood up and walked towards the still sat Remus and Tonks family "come on, let's go have dinner. Oh, and Nymphadora, you have three slaps in the bank for use at any time. Two for the use of your first name and one for worrying you about Aunt Andromeda" receiving a nod they all followed him into the dining room where they sat and had a meal where Harry told them all as much as he could. He loved family moments like this
"Harry" Nymphadora said "did you mean what you said in there? About me being made captain and being your sister?"
"Yes, I did" Harry replied "Alastor told me last week. He's unbelievably proud of you. And your mother took me in this summer and helped me sift through all the pureblood bullshit that comes along with being a Lord. And believe me there's a lot of it. Plus, I've always felt close to you, I have no idea why either. Being around you all gave me something I've never had before. A family. Now don't get me wrong, I'm still the cold, Slytherin prick I've always been, but I will defend you all to the death"
Tearing up Nymphadora stood up and glomped Harry's head into her chest "for that I'll take away an owed slap. You're down to two"
"Thank you" came the muffled reply "but can you let me breath. I'm suffocating here. I'm sure Remus wouldn't mind switching positions with me though"
"Oh, shush you" Nymphadora said turning bright red, her hair changing to match it
"Now" Harry said turning to Andromeda "be sure to discuss everything with Ted should you accept being welcomed back"
"Can you explain that, Harry?" Remus asked "why would it affect Ted?"
"I can tell you the major points but the rest is between them two. Ted is of lower class compared to the Blacks, no offense Ted" he added replying "so Ted would have to add the name Black on the end of his name as would Nym. Anything they did would reflect on the Black name, good or bad and I would be forced to issue punishments. Ted would also lose father privileges to Nym when someone asks for her hand in marriage, my role as Lord and paterfamilias of the Black family supersedes that of his as a dad. I will still go along with Teds wishes though in-house, outside these walls though it's Lord Black that has the final say. Nym would also likely be subject to a marriage contract when she does get married where she will have certain obligations such as a certain number of children in a set period of time to ensure the continuation of the Black line. I'm currently look through the Black family scrolls to see how I can get rid of those issues but I think doing so would see us ejected from the Sacred 28 and I don't think I can justify that at this moment in time. I think I've found a way around it but its dependent on Andromedas decision"
"Can you tell us?" Andromeda asked with obvious concern
"If you accept then I will make Nymphadora the heir to house Black" he said shocking them all "I had already planned on doing so anyway in the next few years, dependent on me defeating Tom as soon as possible. And any children I have would primarily be Potters. If I made Nym heir earlier though she would be free from many obligations daughters of the house have because of House Primacy. There are very few Houses that can match ours politically. It all depends on how bothered you are on the Blacks remaining part of the Sacred 28. As I said it's for you all to discuss. I am happy to go along with any decision you make regardless"
Standing up Harry cast the tempus charm. "Wow, its six-thirty already. I better be getting back to Hogwarts before Albus starts foaming at the mouth. I shall see you all on Sunday for tea?" he finished questioningly. Receiving nods, he asked Remus to accompany him to the door. Looking around and casting a privacy charm Harry said "Remus, should Andromeda decide to be welcomed back you have Lord Blacks permission to pursue Nymphadora Tonks. And should you want her hand in marriage go straight to Ted. You're both perfect for each other. Stop holding yourself back because of your condition. She loves you in spite of it, we can all see it. Hopefully you do too before she gives up on you" giving him a slap on the back Harry apparated to the gates of Hogwarts leaving a very thoughtful Remus behind. Chuckling he said out loud "he's definitely your son Lily" before going back to join the others