Chapter 6
Harry Meets Lord Black and Draco

Also during Friday, 20 April
9.00am
Gringotts Hospital

Andromeda Tonks knew that Sirius Black would be put on trial sometime today, and likely would be acquitted. It would have made Harry dance to be sitting in the courtroom and to see this.

But alas, if Harry were in the courtroom for Sirius's trial, Harry possibly would be in the courtroom for Dumbledore's trial. And Dumbledore would be cruel to Harry, in all the ways that a master manipulator could think up; and Dumbledore's bedazzled admirers would applaud whilst the boy was abused by legal process.

So Andromeda had made the decision, on Amelia's recommendation, to keep Harry far away from Courtroom Seven today.

Instead, Andromeda and Harry this morning were at the Gringotts hospital, then Harry would be returned to school.

At the moment, Harry was the guest of honour in a goblin ritual that would remove the Dark magic from Harry's lightning-bolt scar. As goblins chanted in their language, Harry was silently screaming.

Andromeda knew, having been raised as a Black, that anything involving Dark magic would be painful; so Andromeda suspected that Harry was in agony. But whilst his mouth was wide open as though he were screaming, Harry made no sound—not even a whimper. Andromeda wondered, How many "lessons" has Harry received from the Dursleys on how to be quiet whilst in pain?

By now the goblins' chanting was loud, and the chanters' faces were angry. Suddenly a black sludge burst out of the lightning-bolt scar, whilst a black cloud with red eyes in its face, appeared over Harry's head.

Andromeda gasped in fear.

But there was no need for fear. One of the chanters shoved an hand up and captured the red-eyed black cloud with a goblin recording-crystal. Meanwhile, a goblin healer ran forwards and wiped up the black sludge.

With the ritual complete, the goblin ritual-chanters wordlessly walked towards the exit doors, whilst the goblin healer would remain in the ritual chamber—

Except that young Harry called the ritualists back. "Please, will one of you tell me why my scar never healed till you chanted today? And will you tell me what your chanting did?"

The chanter who was holding the cloud-absorbing recording-crystal turned back and walked closer. "Young warrior, in your scar was a little piece of the soul of Tom Riddle, whom wizards call Lord Voldemort. That piece of soul was Dark magic, so prevented your scar from healing. The piece of soul in your forehead was a small piece, which tells us that there are other, bigger pieces of Tom Riddle's soul out there somewhere."

Andromeda gasped. "You Know Who made horcruxes? He made several horcruxes? He's alive?"

The goblin chanter made the rocking-hand gesture. "He's not buried-in-the-ground dead, but neither do we think he's walking-about alive right now. He probably is a wraith now, possessing animals and maybe Muggles. We goblins intend for him to lose his partial life and to become dead, like he should be." The chanter hefted the recording crystal for a moment. "To'iglekvi'enki—horcruxes—offend us."

Harry asked, "So you goblins plan to track down those other pieces of Tom Riddle's soul, and destroying all of them will kill the blighter?"

"Yes, exactly."

Harry stared at the goblin ritualist. "A lot that you and Mrs Tonks are talking about, I don't understand, but one thing I do understand: Lord Voldemort killed my parents. If you get tired or bored, and you start think that tracking down the soul-pieces is only a job, please keep working at the job for me. I ask you goblins to avenge my parents for me, and to destroy for me, Tom Riddle-Lord Voldemort-You Know Who, however you can."

Light flashed in the ritual room then, which puzzled Andromeda. Something magically important had happened right then—but what?

A minute later

Judging by Harry's calm face, the goblin spell to remove the old owl-post redirect was painless. Then the goblin healer laid on Harry a new owl-post redirect, which would direct all mail to a part of Gringotts that handled such things.

Harry's incoming mail from now on would be screened for nasties, then would be given to Greyclay the head Potter house-elf, who would pass the mail on to Harry.

After the strange spells (but ones Harry needed) were cast at Gringotts, Andromeda teleported Harry back to Saint Grogery's Primary. She would pick him up after school.

Just before Harry and Andromeda entered the school building, Harry said to her, "Yesterday Dudley's gang didn't bother me at all. I think they're afraid of me."

"Did you use magic on them?"

"No, but yesterday morning, I invited all of them to fight me, and I let them know I was willing to fight all of them. I bet they decided I've gone barking mad."

Later that day, 7.20pm
Room MH7, Saint Mungo's Hospital

Harry was spending the evening in Sirius Black's hospital room, after Andromeda had taken Harry shopping for much-needed new clothes.

With Harry in this hospital room were the woman who was raising him now (Mrs Andromeda Tonks) and the man who would be raising Harry when he got out of hospital (Sirius Black).

Physically, Sirius Black was a wreck, after spending eight and an half years in what Andromeda had told Harry was the most awful place on Earth. Yet for all that, Sirius Black was smiling now, and he was clearly happy.

Harry was smiling too—well, smiling a little. He was beginning to think that this time, happiness would not be snatched out of his hands and he would not be sent back to his miserable life.

Sirius was telling a story about Harry's parents—

"You mum was beautiful, even when she was eleven—she had your colour of green eyes, and shiny red hair. She had a smile for almost everyone. Almost everyone—she decided on the firstie train that James was a berk. Which he sometimes was, I admit it.

"Anyway, Lily disliked your father until sixth year. But James? He told me on the firstie train, 'I'm going to wed that girl, just you watch.' But there was a problem with that plan—when James found out that Lily had a friend from her hometown that she preferred to spend time with, James acted like this longsuffering, tragic figure—he was hilarious to watch."

Andromeda asked, "Lily didn't like James at all, at first? I was told that James called Lily Evans his 'soulmate.' "

Andromeda explained to Harry, "Soulmates really exist in the magical world. Both the boy and the girl like each other as soon as they meet, right from the start they both feel a deep liking for each other, and when they eventually kiss for the first time, they glow."

"Eww," Harry said. "I don't want a soulmate—well, not for a while. I'm too young to kiss girls!"

Sirius said, "You should know that whilst your parents eventually fell deeply in love, no 'like each other as soon as they meet' happened with them. On Valentine's Day of first year, James tried to serenade Lily. Big fat failure! She said about his singing, 'You sound like you're strangling a cat.' "

Pop. A man in a wheelchair, and an house-elf who was laying an hand on the man's leg, suddenly appeared in the room. To Harry, both the man and the house-elf looked ancient.

One second later

Andromeda dropped a curtsy to the wheelchair-bound old man, as her face became expressionless. "Lord Black."

Sirius bowed from his hospital bed. "Grandfather, be welcome here."

Sirius then performed introductions: "Grandfather, this is Harry James Potter, my godson and the son of my dead friends James and Lily Potter. Harry, this is my grandfather, Arcturus Black the Third, Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. He's one of the most important people in Wizarding Britain."

Harry, whilst bowing to the old man, asked, "He's as important as the Minister for Magic?"

Andromeda chuckled. "Rather, you should say that the Minister is as important as Lord Black—except that the Minister can be No-Confidenced, as Fudge learnt today. Lord Black here has the position of Lord Black till he dies."

The old man nodded. "And when I die, the current Black Heir Primary becomes the next Lord Black. Which I wish to discuss with you. Kreacher, please bring Narcissa and her son here."

Pop. The elderly house-elf vanished.

Andromeda said, "Sirius, it looks like we'll be leaving now. I'll bring Harry back here tomorrow."

Lord Black said, "No, Andromeda, please stay. You too, Scion Potter. I have business with both of you."

"Very well, Lord Black," Andromeda replied, whilst curtsying. To Harry, Andromeda looked puzzled.

Two minutes later

Pop. The elderly house-elf returned, bringing with him a woman who looked much like Andromeda, and a boy Harry's age. Both the woman and the boy were blond, though the woman's hair was a bit darker than her son's.

The boy sneered at Harry. "Who's the skinny Muggle?"

"Draco!" the blond woman exclaimed. To Harry, she looked ... panicked?

Andromeda replied scornfully, "The 'Muggle' is Muggle-raised Harry Potter, the future Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, and the future Head of the Most Ancient House of Malfoy by Right of Conquest. Draco dear, your Death Eater father tried to kill Harry, but Lucius got killed by this nine-year-old instead. How embarrassing, as Lucius would say."

Sirius said, slowly and without emotion, "Harry, this is Andromeda's younger sister and Lucius's widow, Narcissa Black Malfoy; and Lucius's son, Draco Malfoy."

Narcissa Malfoy curtseyed to Harry; a second later, Harry bowed to Narcissa. Draco neither bowed to Harry nor put out his hand, and Harry likewise offered no courtesies to Draco.

Harry said drily, "Like father, like son, clearly."

Draco demanded of Harry, "Do you have the cane? My father always carried a cane where the end was silver, and looked like a snake's head. I want the cane back."

Harry thought, He's Dudley, except lighter hair. And not fat. Aloud, Harry said, "Your father the three-time murderer had the cane in his other hand when he tried to kill me. I'm keeping the cane as a sick souvenir. I'm keeping his wand too, though it feels wrong in my hand."

"They're mine! Give them back! Just wait till my—they're mine!"

Lord Black said, "You were right, Scion Potter. Scion Malfoy is much like his late father."

Harry walked forwards, moving himself close enough to the blond boy to make the boy frown. "You're not used to being told no, are you, Draco Malfoy? I don't understand 'by Right of Conquest' too good yet, but I understand this: I own everything your father owned when he died—his silly silver cane, his magic wand, the long blue dress he was wearing when he died, his money, his house, his white peacocks and his family. I own you, brat—show me respect."

Only then did Harry step back.

Lord Black said, "I think now is a good time to tell you my new thinking about House Black, and the places you five have in it—"

For some reason that Harry could not guess, Draco Malfoy was smiling smugly.

"—and Lucius Malfoy is the main reason for my new thinking."

Lord Black continued, "Scion Potter, some background. Long ago, Abraxas Malfoy and I negotiated a marriage contract between Andromeda, a daughter of my House, and Lucius Malfoy, who was Heir Malfoy at the time. But when it came time for the marriage, Andromeda not only did not marry Lucius, she ran off and married a Muggle-born, Edward Tonks—"

"A mudblood," Draco sneered.

Lord Black snapped, "Do not use that word in my presence, Scion Malfoy. I never have been branded with the Stupidity Stamp, so I find the word to be offensive."

Lord Black shot a rebukeful glance at Narcissa Malfoy, who promptly pulled her left sleeve up to the elbow. Harry could not guess why Narcissa did this.

Lord Black said, "As I was saying. Andromeda did not marry Lucius Malfoy and she married a Muggle-born instead. For these acts, I disowned her. But whilst Andromeda no longer is a Black by magic, she still is a Black by blood. To my surprise, Andromeda's daughter, who likewise is a Black by blood but has a Muggle-born father, was born a Metamorphmagus—the first in the Black family in two centuries. Which tells me that Muggle-borns are not magically puny like I always have been told."

Harry said, "My mother was Muggle-born. She did something that saved me."

Lord Black nodded. "My cousin Dorea told me a few things about Lily Evans before Dorea died. Your mother should have been respected in life much more than she was. It is one of my regrets that I never made time to have a long discussion with Lily Potter—I know I would have learnt much."

Then Lord Black said, "Back on topic. Eventually Lucius Malfoy married into the Black family, but he married Narcissa, not Andromeda. We all know how this turned out."

Harry respected Andromeda, and thought she had been given a raw deal. So Harry asked, "Sir, if you knew then what you know now, that Lucius Malfoy was a blighter rotter—"

"Oi!" yelled Draco.

"—what would you have done differently when Andromeda Black skived off marrying Lucius Malfoy and married Edward Tonks instead?"

The old man blinked in surprise. "That is a good question. Maybe seized half the coinage in Andromeda's personal vault. Maybe cut her off from the family magic for a week."

Then Lord Black looked at Andromeda and said, "But whatever punishment I devised would not be as harsh as disowning you for nineteen years was. I need to fix this."

Draco puffed out his chest and said, "An Head of House never admits when he's wrong. It makes him look weak."

Lord Black retorted, "An Head of House who refuses to admit that he is wrong when it is obvious to everyone else that he is wrong, does not look strong, he looks foolish. Arcturus Black III will never look foolish, even if this means me kissing the foot of Andromeda Tonks in the Ministry Atrium."

Then Lord Black said, "Andromeda, I invite you, your husband Edward and your amazing daughter with the amazing name, to join me for dinner in Black Castle tomorrow night. Scion Potter, I invite you as well. Andromeda, I wish to discuss your dis-disownment, and to teach Scion Potter things he needs to know."

Andromeda choked out, "Thank you, Lord Black. Your invitation is accepted." She dropped a deep curtsy.

Sirius, who had been quiet all this time, said, "Good for you, Drommy. But now I'll be the only disowned Black left—I'll be so lonely." Sirius sobbed theatrically.

Lord Black asked, "Why do you think you are disowned, Sirius? You are not disowned, and you are still the Black Heir Primary."

"WHAT?" yelled Draco.

Sirius said, "I believe I'm disowned because I saw Mother burn my name off the family tapestry."

Lord Black said, "The family-tree tapestry in the formal dining room of Black Manor? That family tree is not the official family tree, which is in the Head of House's office in Black Castle. In any case, my Dark Lord-admiring son does not have authority to disown anyone, and my Dark Lord-admiring daughter-in-law-slash-cousin certainly does not have authority to disown anyone! You still are a Black, Sirius Orion."

Narcissa said carefully, "You've chosen Cousin Sirius to be the Black Heir Primary instead of your son Orion? If I may ask, my lord, why? You are Dark, and Sirius has rejected the ways of House Black since he was eleven!"

Lord Black glanced at Harry, for some reason that Harry could not guess. "Dark does not mean becoming a follower of the Dark Lord, despite what my son, his wife, Bellatrix and Lucius think." Lord Black looked at Narcissa, who shook her head hard.

Lord Black continued, "Light does not mean blindly following the long-bearded headmaster who maybe won a duel fifty years ago. Dark means we wizards revere tradition and see no urgent need to change. Light wizards believe that there are major problems with our society, and we should listen to the Muggle-borns' ideas how to solve our problems. The Potters have been a Light family for a millennium. Whilst many Dark wizards think that the Potters are naïve or are traitors to the magical world, I do not. Charlus Potter was never naïve or traitorous to wizardkind, or Cousin Dorea never would have married him."

Then Lord Black blinked, and said to Narcissa, "I never did answer your question, did I? Sirius Black is brave—brave enough to defy his parents when they are wrong—and Sirius is charismatic. Orion is not brave, he is not charismatic and Orion is a moron on the topic of blood purity."

Lord Black drew his wand and pointed it at the ceiling. "I reaffirm that Sirius Orion Black is Black Heir Primary, and I name Harry James Potter, the grandson of Dorea Black Potter, as Black Heir Secondary. So mote it be." Light flashed.

Draco clearly wanted to yell at the old man—why, Harry could not guess. Through clenched teeth, Draco asked, "What about Black Heir Tertiary?"

Lord Black gave Draco an hard stare. Then the old man replied, "I may name any wizard on the Black family tree for Heir Primary, Secondary or Tertiary, regardless of how closely he is related to myself. I could, if I chose, name Charles Weasley as Black Heir Tertiary, because he is a grandson of Cedrella Black Weasley."

Harry did not know who Charles Weasley was, but Lord Black mentioning his name made Draco's head almost explode.

Then annoyed-looking Lord Black ordered his old house-elf to return Narcissa and her son to Malfoy Manor. Narcissa curtseyed goodbye; Draco nodded his head a bit.

Just before Draco Malfoy disappeared with a pop, the boy looked death at Harry. If the brat's expression was supposed to make Harry feel frightened, it did nothing of the sort. Harry was done with feeling frightened of bullies.

Pop. After Kreacher the house-elf returned, Lord Black said to his grandson, "Be well soon, Sirius."

Then Lord Black ordered Kreacher to take the two of them back to Black Castle. Pop.

When only Harry, Sirius and Andromeda were in the hospital room, Sirius said, "What do you think of that? Maybe someday you'll be Lord Black, besides the other two titles."

Harry grinned at the man on the bed. "I'm much more excited that today I'm for sure your godson, Sirius."

The next morning (Saturday, 21 April)
In the Great Hall, Hogwarts SOW&W

Third-year Gryffindor Percy Weasley was reading the Daily Prophet as he ate breakfast. This morning, the Prophet was heavy enough that the postal owl never could have lifted the newspaper off the ground, if not for an overpowered Shrinking Charm.

Why was today's newspaper so thick? Because thirty wizards—the Minister for Magic, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, notorious mass-murderer Sirius Black, true-life adventurer Gilderoy Lockhart and twenty-six Death Eaters—all had been put on trial yesterday.

As Percy was bringing a bit of ham up to Scabbers (who was sitting in a pocket of Percy's robes), Percy noticed: Scabbers had his head bent down; Scabbers was reading the newspaper.

Percy looked down at the open newspaper, and he noticed one paragraph in particular—

.

Black's pensieve memory showed Pettigrew slicing off his own finger with a knife, healing himself with his wand, then turning into a rat and escaping into the sewer.

.

Percy worked to keep his voice casual as he said to his pet rat—who had one toe missing on a front paw—"Scabbers, let me bring you down closer to the food."

Percy reached into his pocket, loosely grabbed the rat with one hand, and pulled Scabbers out of the pocket. Percy's other hand loosely grabbed Scabbers' tail.

"Oliver?" Percy said to his dorm-mate, "do me a favour? Draw your wand?"

"No problem," said Oliver Wood, as he drew his wand. "What do you need, Perce?"

"Please Stupefy my rat."

As soon as Percy said those words, several things happened at the same time—

• Percy's right hand that was wrapped round the rat's body, clamped down tightly.

• Percy's left hand that was holding the rat's tail, grabbed the tail tightly.

• The rat screamed and began struggling.

• Scabbers bit Percy. Merlin, Percy's right hand hurt! But neither of Percy's hands let go of the ungrateful little beast.

• "Stupefy!" Oliver Wood incanted.

• Scabbers was Stunned.

"Blimey!" said Percy. "My left hand has rat offal on it!"

Oliver magically cleaned off Percy's hands.

Percy climbed off his piece of bench. With the Stunned rat dangling from his left hand and his right hand bleeding, Percy walked towards where Acting Headmistress McGonagall was sitting at the Head Table.

When Percy and his rat were just on the other side of the High Table, Acting Headmistress McGonagall asked, "Do you have a problem with your rat, Mr Weasley?"

Percy replied, "Ma'am, I figure there has to be a spell to force an animagus back into his wizard form, and you would know the spell if there is one."

The Great Hall went silent when Percy said this.

"Indeed," Acting Headmistress McGonagall said. "Is the rat Stunned or dead? The spell won't work if the animagus is dead."

"Stunned, ma'am. Oliver Wood stunned it."

"Put the rat on the floor, Mr Weasley, and let's see what happens."

As Acting Headmistress McGonagall stood up, she said to Professor Flitwick, "Come with me and be ready for anything. If the rat is an animagus, making it human again might make the Stupefy wear off."

Acting Headmistress McGonagall and Professor Flitwick walked round the High Table, stepped off the dais, and walked up to the rat. Percy stood close to the rat, with his wand pointed at it. The three magicals and the maybe-not rat were about six feet away from the head of the Ravenclaw table and the head of the Hufflepuff table.

"Homorphus animagi," Acting Headmistress McGonagall incanted. Her light-orange spell hit the rat.

Seventh-year witches in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff began to scream when the rat turn into a man in his thirties who had only nine fingers. The screams became louder when a seventh-year Ravenclaw wizard pointed out that the man had the Dark Mark on his left forearm—the Dark Mark was faded, yet it still was visible.

Acting Headmistress McGonagall hissed. "Pettigrew!" she snarled.

Then Acting Headmistress McGonagall said, "One hundred points to you in Gryffindor, Mr Weasley, and another twenty points to Mr Wood in Gryffindor, for removing a dangerous wizard from our midst."

Percy beamed. Just wait till I tell Mum and Dad in my next letter; they'll be so proud!

Thankfully, Pettigrew had remained Stunned throughout the entire rat-to-wizard transfiguration. Even so, Percy, Professor Flitwick, Oliver Wood and two ginger-haired Gryffindor firsties stood guard on Pettigrew till Aurors showed up and floated the former-Gryffindor Death Eater away.

(The ginger-haired Gryffindor firsties did not know the spells that were needed to defend Great Hall students if Pettigrew had decided to attack these students. The two firsties, however, did manage to turn Pettigrew's skin green, with literally-silver hair.)

Once the Aurors had floated Pettigrew out the double doors, Mediwitch Pomfrey healed Percy's rat-bite, then Percy walked back to the third-years section of the Gryffindor table. Just before he was about to climb over his piece of bench, a third-year Ravenclaw witch called his name.

Penelope Clearwater smiled warmly at Percy and said, "You were brave and clever today, Percy Weasley."

Percy felt like an hero, after catching disguised Pettigrew. Penelope Clearwater liking him, Percy the Weasley third son, made life even better.

Elsewhere in the Great Hall, also during breakfast

Professor Flitwick received a Gringotts letter from Director Ragnok that was written in Goblintext. The first thing the letter told him was not to share the contents of the letter with anyone at Hogwarts, not even Acting Headmistress McGonagall.

Gringotts was seeking a to'iglekvi'eng (horcrux) that Tom Marvolo Riddle had made, and that was at Hogwarts. Professor Flitwick was being asked to track down the to'iglekvi'eng because a Gringotts goblin could not do this search on the quiet; but also because the goblins' Dark Magic-detection spell was glitching when the detection spell tried to locate this horcrux.

Confusingly, the Gringotts Dark Magic-detection spell showed that the to'iglekvi'eng both was within Hogwarts School and was not within Hogwarts School. Yet Gringotts was certain that the horcrux was not behind any Fidelius Charm.

Filius smiled, because he loved a challenge. After breakfast, he would begin seeking out this maybe-there, maybe-not Dark object. The letter provided the HMST (Hufflepuff Magical-Signature Text) for Tom Marvolo Riddle, so that out of the dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of Dark objects within Hogwarts, Filius could track down the horcrux that was marked with Lord Voldemort's magical signature.

It was only after Filius had put the Gringotts letter in his pocket that the realisation hit: If Lord Voldemort a.k.a Tom Marvolo Riddle has made an horcrux, or has made more than one horcrux, then Lord Voldemort isn't truly dead.

Filius wondered whether Albus knew this.

Filius hoped something was being done to protect Harry Potter from another Lord Voldemort attack.