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God of All, you wished and I shall deliver. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Number Twelve Grimmauld Place - Part 1

Long gone was the messy mane of black hair, courtesy of Petunia Dursley, for sure. No, the person standing there didn't even look like the pictures they had seen all over the Prophet from last year's tournament. Could that person truly be Potter? Emmeline Vance couldn't help being suspicious, the girl looked nothing like either Lily or James! She has heard from everyone how much the girl looks like her father (no one can really stop Snape when he goes into one of his tirades about the girl and everything he thinks is wrong with her). But the Henrietta Potter standing on the steps of that staircase looked every bit the pureblood witch one would expect from the Black line and not the Potters. Her black hair, the same shade as that butler's that stood a couple of steps behind the girl, was long and straight as a pin, pale skin looked like porcelain as if the girl wasn't human but a doll pretending to be one, her looks far too delicate and perfect in their symmetry. Or they would be weren't for the black eyepatch covering her right eye. The only normal thing she could notice was the famous green eye, it really looked just like Lily's, although Henrietta's were alight with magic. The girl was even dressed as a noble, Emmeline could tell her clothes were of higher quality even if the colours were dark and without many embellishments except for some details of what looked like a coat of arms that she couldn't recognize.

"Henrietta?", Remus's voice sounded uncertain. Yes, the short girl smelled like his cub, but there was something different, it wasn't purely Henrietta's scent but rather, it was mixed with something darker. Amber eyes turned to the man standing behind his cub, his protectiveness flaring as he realized he smelled the male on her.

"Oh... Right. That name," she said, "Sorry to disappoint, but I recently came into my... Inheritance, so to say. And with that also came my new name."

"What?", they didn't have to look to know the question came from Tonks who was still trying to grasp the comment about bleach from earlier.

The butler took a step closer to the girl, approaching her so that he could speak closer to her ear and it was only Shacklebolt's hand on his arm that stopped Remus from tearing the dark wizard from his cub.

"The Young Mistress should make a proper introduction to avoid later interruptions."

Potter nodded, agreeing with the butler without sparing the man a single glance.

"I am, as of a couple of weeks ago, by birthright and the Grace of our Queen, Countess Ciel Phantomhive," she said, ignoring the stares she gained with what she had just said, "And this is my butler, Sebastian Michaelis."

The shocked silence was deafening. That simply didn't make any sense!

"Birthright?", at least Moody still holds his wits in order to make the important questions.

"Yes. Apparently, my many times Great-grandfather didn't have the chance to pass down the title or even inform his son of his responsibilities, and with that, neither my mother nor Aunt knew they had a claim to a title and a role in Court to perform until it all fell into my hands," Henrietta or Ciel, explained although Emmeline would be lying if she said she understood. How does having a title change a person's name? She felt she was missing a lot of important details, "By claiming said title I also inherited a name. My ancestor's name, to be more precise. I'm pretty sure it has been updated by the Goblins and by the Ministry if they care to check for things like that in old families."

No, the Ministry wouldn't have checked anything of the sort, unfortunately, they all know about the incompetency of their government body, so Potter changing the family name to Phantomhive and basically killing the Potter line in order to revive a much older one would have gone unnoticed.

"And your eye?", gosh... Alastor doesn't pull any punches, does he?

Henri-... Ciel reached with her fingertips to where the black eyepatch rested covering said eye, never touching the dark fabric.

"There was a small accident," she sounded unfazed as if she were talking about someone else or commenting on the weather, "Nothing to be done now, so there is no use worrying about it, I still have my other eye.", she sounded so dismissive about losing one of her eyes that Emmeline flinched inward. How can anyone think like that? Other than Alastor, of course. "However, I believe you didn't come here to stare at my face. I would appreciate it if you could go straight to the point before my dear family comes back annoyed at the prank I suspect one of you planned."

"We came to escort you to a safe house," Shacklebolt explained, knowing Pot-... Phantomhive was correct and they didn't have all that much time to be dilly-dallying, "Dumbledore's orders. There have been sightings of Dementors around Surrey lately and it would be safer for you to be somewhere better warded."

"Right," Ciel said before addressing Sebastian, "I believe everything is ready?"

"All of your things have been previously packed and already in the car as per order," his reply surprising the group, "We may leave as soon as the Young Mistress wishes so-"

"Wait," Remus cut whatever else the man was going to say, sidestepping Shacklebolt and getting close to the staircase, "We can't take an unknown party with us, that could jeopardise the safe house." In reality, he just didn't want the dark wizard anywhere near his cub. Moony could feel something was wrong with that man and how he reeked of darkness, that same smell attaching itself to his cub.

A cold, emerald green eye fixed its glare on Remus as if asking who he thought he was to try and stop her from bringing the man with her. The butler, Sebastian, seemed to catch on to the change and started to descend the staircase, offering a gloved hand for Henr-... Ciel to take, which she did. The girl didn't let the hand go when she was on the ground floor. From this close, she looked shorter and frail, but her eye betrayed her steel resolution. Sebastian was the one to let her hand fall from his grasp, but only because he was busy getting a coat for the girl and helping her get into her outerwear.

"Sebastian goes where I go," she said in a voice that broke no discussion, "So you will either accept that he will be coming to your safe house, or we will be staying somewhere else."

On the backseat of the car Ciel was doing the utmost to ignore the questions coming from the pink-haired auror that introduced herself as Tonks after the second discussion, this one regarding the travel methods they were going to use to arrive at this safe house Remus was talking about. Ciel refused to fly there. Tonks said they were going somewhere in London, which meant hours of flight, in the cold night air. No. She refuses to submit herself to that, it would have been beyond uncomfortable, and unnecessary when they have a car. Her argument, the one that convinced Alastor Moody, was how Death Eaters wouldn't think to suspect a car heading to London, while a bunch of people flying could be much more easily spotted.

However, it also means they need someone to act as a guide when they reach London, and the ones to offer where Tonks and Remus, but since the werewolf seems to have something against her butler the young auror ends up being the only viable option. But Gods... If regrets could kill.

Tonks seemed to have an infinite amount of questions from where Ciel had been during the weeks no one had seen her, to how she found that butler and the changes in her appearance.

The sigh of relief she let out when they finally arrived and Tonks told Sebastian where to park clearly amused her butler, she caught the glint of his eyes on the reflection of the mirror. The rest of the people who went to retrieve her from her Aunt's house were standing there, waiting for them to get out of the car, some watching in poorly concealed curiosity how she wouldn't move until Sebastian was out and opening the door for her, offering his hand so that she could get out of the vehicle.

"Read this.", Moody shoved a piece of paper practically in her face.

"Sebastian.", it was all she said and the red-eyed butler took the piece of paper, reading and showing her what was written before burning it, following Alastor's instructions. And no, Ciel isn't that much of a spoiled brat, however, she didn't take kindly to people being uncouth and lacking manners around her.

As soon as they read the address, the townhouse materialized in front of them. It was such a weird thing to see a building squeezing itself in place between the other two before basically pushing the others until it was just there. Acting as though it never went anywhere.

The group went to the front door, the appearance of the whole building making a scowl take place on Ciel's delicate face. It was old and dirty and nothing like her own family's townhouse.

"So, this is where we will be staying.", her displeasure made some of the adults on the Guard exchange glances, not sure of what to make of Pott-... Phantomhive. The girl was nothing like they expected, and if they went by Remus's expressions, the man was also lost in what to think of his cub. How could she have changed so much in the two years since he last saw her? Or at least that was what Ciel thought must be going through his mind.

"It appears to be the case, Young Mistress," Sebastian's voice came from behind her, there was no need to look at him to know he was holding her trunk and other suitcases her butler felt would be needed during their stay, "I will make sure to prepare a room at least close to your usual standards.", there was no need for him to voice how much he doubt anywhere in this house could be close to the Phantomhive standard for everyone to know his opinion of their safe house.

"Be sure to do that.", Ciel said as the door was opened by Moody and everyone got inside.

Ciel had no time to give any new commands to her servant when the loud Molly Weasley found them in the hallway. The redhead woman looked like she had just finished making dinner by the scent of spices on her hands and hair, flushed face from the heat of the stove, she must have been making a stew to ward against the coldness of the house, inside seemed even worse than on the outside and Ciel wouldn't be against eating something warm, although she would rather Sebastian be the one preparing her meals.

"Henrietta!"

Mrs Weasley caught the young Countess in a bone-crushing hug, Ciel could hear her spine popping in some places it certainly shouldn't from the sheer strength of that woman.

"Mrs Weasley, I believe the Young Mistress needs to breathe if we all wish to keep her alive.", oh... Ciel could almost taste Sebastian's amusement at the hug, especially because he knew how much she despised human contact, with him being the only one she allowed to touch her body, and that was because he had to perform his role as her loyal servant and also keep her safe.

Molly blinked a couple of times, looking puzzled at the stranger but thankfully letting go of Ciel, with the girl wasting no time in taking a step back and closer to her butler while getting rid of the creases in her clothes.

"And you would be?", the woman asked with a touch of protectiveness. It is obvious how much she cares for the girl who she sees as another daughter.

"Sebastian Michaelis, the Young Mistress' butler.", he said with that annoyingly polite smile of his and a slight bow, appearing as ever the gentleman.

Sometimes Ciel wished she could read his mind to understand what he finds so amusing about humans, but for the rest, she was thankful she had no such ability when it comes to her demon, for it didn't take a genius to imagine the carnage and monstrosities she would find in the depths of his mind, to see his hunger for her tainted soul.

The information about the stranger's identity didn't seem to go over very well with Mrs Weasley, it was obvious she wasn't going to entrust the one she sees as a daughter to just anybody and that annoyed Ciel to no end for she knew Molly wouldn't be the only one with questions she didn't care to answer.

"Well dear," the redhead took the route of ignoring the man for now, she would notify Dumbledore as soon as he arrived for the meeting and the Headmaster would certainly deal with things, "Why don't you go upstairs? You will be rooming with Ginny and Hermione-"

"That won't be necessary.", Ciel cut the woman. There's no way she would be sharing her quarters with anyone, she couldn't risk them finding out what she hides under her eyepatch, and she also has no patience to deal with children, especially those that withhold information from her, "Sebastian, procure a room for me, make it habitable at the very least," she didn't care to look her servant in the face as she gave her orders, the only sign that she cared for his presence was how her head was vaguely inclined on his direction, in a way that implied how much she trusts him to follow her orders to the letter, "And make sure that you take the room closest to mine as I will be in need of your services.", and she wasn't about to trust anyone in this wretched house.

He bowed to her without needing to voice his reply and made his way upstairs with her luggage.

"Henrietta Potter, that is no way to speak with people," Molly Weasley started, "And what is wrong with staying with the other girls? There was never any trouble before and-"

Ciel decided to cut the vitriol before it even got the chance to appear as she saw the heated look in Mrs Weasley's eyes at the way the girl talked at her supposed servant, with no "pleases" or "thank yous", just giving the man orders that he is expected to fulfil without complaint. It wasn't even one of the worst orders she had ever given him, it was merely a simple command to prepare her temporary quarters.

"It's Ciel Phantomhive, now. Ask the others if you need any more in ways of an explanation," Ciel's voice kept that detached air to it as she wetted her lips with the tip of her tongue to avoid tsking at the woman who has cared for her ever since the black-haired girl met her children, "Now, as you suggested, I will go upstairs and meet the others until Sebastian finishes my room. If you would excuse me.", her voice was just as smooth as her butler's, with a pleasant tone that was merely superficial, like what people would expect of a pureblood that has been raised their whole life to present the perfect facade to the world.