Chapter 5
Edited
The location for the homeschooling of the rich pureblood heirs was never fixed. Every year, a Lord offered the services of his Manor, usually a trusted ally. It was an unwritten rule that each Lord could offer to host once, and he would have to wait until everyone else got a turn so that they could offer again. This year, it was hosted by Baron Arcturus Black at the Black Townhouse in London.
The floo roared to life and Baron Potter, accompanied by his heir, stepped out of the fireplace. Charlus waved his hand and all the soot on his and Harry's clothes vanished. He stepped forward and firmly shook the hand of the waiting Baron Black. His Lady Melania Black nee Selwyn offered him a small courtesy which he accepted with a smile.
Harry solemnly stepped forward, gave a deep bow of respect, and uttered "Baron and Baroness Black. Thank you for providing the opportunity for me to learn at your esteemed Manor."
He stepped forward and gave a deep bow to Arcturus Black and kissed the knuckles of Melania Black. "Lady Melania, your beauty increases day by day." Harry managed to say without stuttering and with a charming smile on his face. The effect was instantaneous. The Potter Baron quickly hid his smile while Arcturus gave a deep laugh. Melania Black meanwhile slapped him lightly on the chest and said "Shush you. The ladies better be careful when you start Hogwarts. My oh my, such a charming young devil."
"But grandma, you said I was the most charming young devil," Rigel whined, throwing a mock scowl at Harry for flirting with his grandmother. Melania fixed her grandson with an exasperated look. "Don't whine, Rigel. It is beneath a child of your standing. Besides, both of you are my charming boys and that's all I'm going to say."
Rigel smiled mischievously and said, "Besides you're too old for Harry anyways Grandma."
Arcturus interfered quickly, seeing the blush on Harry's face and his wife's irritation. "Rigel, Harry, I expect you boys to be on your absolute best behaviour. Playing games and silly jokes is funny with family only, and I refuse to hear that the heirs of Potter and Black behave like common hooligans as your fathers did at school. Understood?"
Harry nodded simply while Rigel responded with a crisp "Yes sir."
"Good. Now Harry, I trust you know your way around here." Arcturus asked, and upon his nod, "I suggest you make your way to the classroom then. Rigel will join you once he has greeted all the Lords and finished his responsibilities. Off you go, son."
Harry gave a small bow to Arcturus and called "Bye Grandfather" over his shoulder while walking as fast as he could to the classroom without outright breaking into a sprint. He looked back and he heard Rigel whine again "I wish the blond ponce would get here already. Even mom doesn't take as much time to dress up as Malfoy does, and mom's Lady Black!"
Chuckling at his best friend's impatience, Harry walked towards the second floor where a room had to be furnished to be used as a classroom for the young Lords and Ladies. As he walked up the curving black marble staircase, he looked around at the house he had visited almost every day and still could not believe the wealth on display there. It was no secret that some houses like Potters, Blacks, and the Longbottoms were filthy rich, but to see the opulent decoration that would make any collector salivate always amazed him.
The dark theme felt so natural to Harry, and he took quiet solace in the darkness as he made his way to the open door. For as long as he could remember, the darkness did not scare him. It was quite the opposite, he felt safe and protected in the shadows. He could remember how his twin would scream that there were haunting faces in the room when the lights were out, and it finally took him sleeping in Lily and James's room for him to keep quiet. Harry was left back in the nursery itself.
'He's one lousy Boy Who Lived. It's a miracle how he beat the Dark Lord.' Harry thought maliciously. 'Anyways it's not proven that HE beat the Dark Lord anyways.' He added to himself as forethought.
He reached the room which would function as his classroom for a year, and he could hear the murmur of voices inside. Keeping tight control over his palpable excitement, he schooled his face into a calm mask and stepped inside. The talking stopped and Harry observed the people inside.
The first thing he noticed was the blonde girl observing him along with a black-haired girl, both dressed in exceptionally fine clothes. He had met the blonde girl many times in Greengrass Manor. She stepped forward and offered her right hand. Harry took the offered hand and with a slight bow, kissed her knuckles and said "Daphne, you look radiant today."
Daphne smiled prettily and said "Charming as always Harry." She indicated to her friend and said " Heir Potter, May I introduce my friend Tracey, Daughter of the Ancient and Noble House of Davis." Tracey stepped forward and gave courtesy and said "It's a pleasure, Heir Potter."
Harry gave a crisp nod and said "Pleasure is all mine, Miss Davis. Please call me Harry "
"Thank you, Harry. It's Tracey to you too." Tracey said with a small smile.
"Now that formalities have been taken care of, how have you been Harry?" Daphne said as she sat back up on the desk, her apparent role as a lady forgotten. This was one of the reasons why Harry preferred her company. She could go from a pureblood princess to a fun-loving girl in less than a second and had a wicked sense of humour that made her fun to be around.
"I'm good. I can't wait to start learning." Harry grinned and Tracey looked unsure as both of them went from heir mode to kid mode easily. "Is this your first time here at the Black Townhouse Tracey?"
"Yes, my father requested Lord Black to allow me to attend here. I'm so excited." Tracey said with a happy grin. Harry found himself liking her. She was bubbly like Daphne.
Harry made small talk with them, and the room gradually filled up with various heirs and heiresses. Finally, Rigel walked in with Draco who looked every bit of a pureblood prince with his perfectly styled hair and tasteful clothes. Rigel looked annoyed.
"Seriously man, how long does it take for a bloke to get dressed Draco? Grandfather wouldn't let me leave until you showed up. Harry was here ages ago."
"Yeah well, Harry isn't a Malfoy. Malfoys always look their best." Draco said snottily, (The Malfoys were close to the Black family, but their relations with the Potter family had deteriorated since Lucius had taken lordship and Abraxas Malfoy, who was good friends with Arcturus and Charlus had retired and moved to France, leaving all of the Family matters to his only son Lucius. But, after the downfall of the Dark Lord Abraxas knocked some sense into his son, who then had made the family relations better, but Harry, Rigel, and Draco were good friends) flicking imaginary lint off his shoulder. Rigel just rolled his eyes and indicated towards Tracey "So, Daphne, are you going to introduce your friend to us?"
"Of course. Heir Black, Heir Malfoy, May I introduce my friend, Tracey, heiress of the Ancient and Noble House of Davis. Tracey, this is Heir Black and Heir Malfoy." Daphne said in a very pleasant voice and indicated to each other. Tracey gave a courtesy "Heir Black, Heir Malfoy."
Both Rigel and Draco nodded. "It is good to meet you, Miss Davis. You can call me Rigel."
"You can call me Draco," Draco said charmingly.
Tracey smiled, "Then you should call me Tracey."
They stood there talking excitedly about what they would learn and a little about their home lives. Harry was tight-lipped about his brother and everyone, except Tracey, knew that it was a sore topic for him; Tracey soon found out when he refused to answer questions regarding his brother. By then, many of their friends made their way over to their group.
Blaise Zabini sauntered his way over to them and slapped Draco on the back, slinging his arms over Draco and Harry's shoulder, and earning him an indignant squeak "You Neanderthal. Get your hands off me!"
"The Malfoy princess seems to be in a foul mood today. What, don't like the idea of starting school eh?" Blaise asked Draco, a blinding smile on his face looking at the now murderous expression on the Malfoy heir's face.
"I thought I told you to stop calling me princess you jerk. One time. It was one time." Draco snarled, his face quite pink. He was about to start an argument when he realised his surroundings and instead opted to sniff haughtily "Well, tardy are we Blaise? Weren't you supposed to show up earlier?"
Blaise waved his hand casually and stated "It's called being fashionably late Drake. I wouldn't expect you to know about it."
Seeing Draco bristle again, Harry rolled his eyes and said in a deadpan "Your mom took time to decide your clothes, didn't she?"
Immediately Blaise became flustered while Draco's expression became gleeful. "Of course not! Don't be dense Harry." Blaise hissed.
Draco had a gleam in his eyes. "It's okay Blaise. Lady Zabini tried her best but even a world-class fashion designer couldn't get someone like you to look good." He finished with a fake sympathetic smile.
"Why you! I at least have naturally good looks. I don't look like a blond albino who spends a ton of galleons on hair gel." Blaise goaded.
Draco lost his cool and was about to retort when Daphne gave a delicate cough and gave them both a silent glare. Both of them visibly cowered under her glare and she said sweetly "Boys, please save your uncultured debate on who's vainer for later please."
Draco nodded while Blaise whispered not so quietly to Harry "That one's scary." Harry snorted but didn't reply. Blaise noticed Tracey standing beside Daphne and called "Hey Tracey. Good to see you."
"Good to see you too Blaise."
"You have met Tracey before?" Rigel asked curiously. Blaise who was looking around bored now looked startled and said "Uh, yeah. I've met her many times in Greengrass Manor, whenever mom goes to visit Mrs. Greengrass and drags me along. Didn't I mention it to you?"
"Nope, it never came up. Forget that, grandfather is here. I think we're going to begin soon!" Rigel said excitedly as the lords began trickling in following Arcturus inside the room. Every heir inside the room without any command took their seats, and the parents sat at the front of the room in ornate chairs provided by house elves. Harry counted 13 heirs including him. He snorted to himself thinking about the political power that was present in that single room. All of these heirs were set to inherit very strong houses and Harry was determined to have them as allies. Considering that this group was rather exclusive, he hoped that these children wouldn't be enamoured by his twin and be friends too.
Once everyone settled down, Arcturus got up and there was immediate silence as everyone turned their attention to the formidable Arcturus Black, standing proud and surveying the room. "Welcome Lords, Ladies, and heirs, welcome to Black Townhouse." Arcturus began in a loud voice that carried authority and was audible in every corner of the room. "I am Baron Black, and I welcome you warmly. Education is the best gift you as heirs can receive from your parents; not vaults, titles, or Wizengamot seats. No, the power of education is enormous because, with education, a poor man can build an empire from scratch, and without education, a king can lose it all. So, I urge you to take your studies very seriously. Not everyone is as fortunate as you to be receiving a first-class education before you start Hogwarts. Many go there without a clue about how magic works and make a fool of themselves regardless of their blood status. I again urge you to take full advantage of this opportunity."
Harry listened with rapt attention, impressed by the oratory skills of his pseudo-grandfather. Arcturus always told his grandson's power came in many different ways, and Harry realised this was one of them. The ability to sway a crowd with words alone. Any thug with half a strong magical core can throw curses around and be considered powerful, but this was true power. It also helped that Arcturus Black was deadly with a wand as well. Harry fervently hoped one day he would be as powerful as the man who stood before him.
"I do not want to fill your young heads with ideas like blood purism and pureblood culture but the current situation of the world we live in has forced me to carry out this duty.
While you were enjoying your childhood behind our protective wards, the world outside has changed drastically. We Old Families are accused of being blood purists and intolerant towards the immigration of muggle-borns" Arcturus spat the word with such fury it startled everyone "and that we do not provide them ample opportunities to thrive. They have the idea that since they come from the 'advanced' muggle world, it's up to them to 'modernise' us."
Not noticing the frowns marring their faces, Arcturus paused to take a breath and continued "We are all witches and wizards first and foremost, pureblood or muggleborn, blessed by Mother Magic, and even if there are some hardcore blood purists among us, not all of us have issues with new blood entering our world. Not all of us have problems with them holding a good job. Not all of us have problems sharing our lives with them but ALL OF US have a problem with them belittling our culture and we absolutely cannot tolerate them calling us backward."
Rigel's breath hitched in his throat as he noticed the barely suppressed rage behind the grey eyes of Arcturus Black. The man looked calm enough as he paused to take a breath, but Rigel could see the magic begging to be let out behind the now glowing grey eyes that were no doubt being suppressed by the man's formidable mind shields. Seeing this side of his grandfather, he had no doubt this man was the mage who had fought Grindelwald himself to a standstill. He looked at his friends and saw the same awestruck expression on their faces and awe on Harry's face, he couldn't help but feel proud to call Arcturus his grandfather and to bear the name Black.
He was aware of his family's less-than-stellar reputation in their society and the madness that plagued their bloodline. They didn't openly show it but Rigel himself could feel it inside him, a part of him that lurked deep inside his mind that wasn't supposed to be let out. Even his father, who claimed to be the 'white' sheep in the family, displayed it whenever he got angry at something. For years, it had bothered Rigel but now he couldn't help but feel that his concerns were silly. Who cared if they had madness in their minds? As his aunt Bella said, the Blacks were above everyone and married and mingled in very specific social circles. The Blacks were always at the forefront of society and Rigel vowed to make his family proud.
Arcturus had calmed down and said, "These muggle-borns want to replace our quills with 'pens', give freedom to house elves, and want to govern us since they're the modern ones." Arcturus took a deep breath and continued "Sharing power is ideal but I will not allow an outsider to tell me what to do. How do you expect an outsider to know that the quills tap into our magic and make sure our signatures cannot be forged and make our handwriting neat and unique to us? How do you expect an outsider to know that we share a symbiotic relationship with house elves, and they need our magic to survive? How do you expect us noble Lords and Ladies to take orders from filthy MUDBLOODS?"
Harry looked at the other Lords and Ladies and found them visibly agreeing with the Black patriarch. He had expected at least one of them to react badly when the racist slur was uttered but not one protested. It was either that they completely agreed with Baron Black, or they were too scared to protest against him openly. Harry personally thought it was more of the latter than the former since it would be political and literal suicide to make an enemy of Arcturus Black and by extension the House of Black itself.
Arcturus surveyed everyone again before he continued "The muggle-borns have already made several bids to grab absolute power but for now, we have them at a stalemate. They may have power in the Ministry due to that mudblood minister Banks, but for absolute power they need to breach the Wizengamot, and that my dear children, is our turf. They cannot pass laws without a two-thirds majority, and they know it so they have started to gain support from other Noble houses, and I cannot say I am not worried about this development. Rest assured we will fight to the bitter end to hold them off, but we are the older generation, and our time is slowly coming to an end. It will be up to you to continue this fight. I cannot tell you what to do, oh no, but I advise you to think before making any sort of alliance with them. Know that your association could very well decide what world your children will grow up in. A world where our culture, traditions, and beliefs endure and prosper, or" his tone turned darker "a mechanised world where our culture and tradition are disregarded for modernism and inventions and ruled by outsiders."
Thunderous applause met the end of Baron Black's speech, and the message was loud and clear to the young hearts. Make the right choice, for the sake of the entire world that was in balance now; as for Harry, he had already made a choice when his grandfather had asked him, and this just furthered his determination. He did not want to live in a world ruled by people like his 'mother'.
Arcturus Black gave a deep bow and raised his hands for silence. The noise slowly faded, and Arcturus began "Now that being said, it is a tradition to introduce our heirs to our allies on the first day, and being the traditionally proud man I am, I take this opportunity to introduce my great-grandson, the future Lord Black, Rigel."
Rigel stood from his place and walked to the front of the room and gave his grandfather a deep bow. He then turned to other Lords and gave them a similar bow. He finally turned to the heirs and gave a small incline nod of the head "I look forward to learning with you and one day would like to consider you as friends and allies."
Every one of the heirs stood up and gave Rigel a deep bow except Harry and Draco who gave him a similar nod. Rigel nodded once and returned to his seat next to Harry. Draco mouthed "Good job" to which Rigel smirked and winked.
Arcturus smiled proudly before he took his seat and Charlus Potter stood up and walked forward. Harry steeled himself as his grandfather began "Greetings everyone. In case you do not know, I am Baron Potter, Lord of the Potter clan, and yes, the grandfather of the boy who lived. However, I stand here today, proud to introduce my grandson, one who is not fame-obsessed and prides himself on being a model. I present to you, the future Lord Potter, Hadrian. " At this everyone was in shock that Thomas Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, was not the Potter heir, but some Boy named Hadrian Potter whose name they had never heard but as it was declared by Lord Charlus Potter himself, they couldn't doubt it,
Harry stood up from his place and walked forward, feeling the weight of all the eyes on him, but he squashed his nervousness with his mind shields and reached the front of the room. He, similar to Rigel, gave a deep bow to his grandfather Charlus first, then another one to the lords and ladies present, and looked at the faces of his future classmates and hopefully allies. He gave one crisp nod and said "I look forward to learning with you and one day would like to consider you as friends and allies."
Similar to before, everyone except Draco and Rigel stood up and gave a deep bow while his two best friends gave similar nods. Harry then went back and took his place next to his friends.
Abraxas Malfoy stood up next and Harry saw Draco pull his face into his haughty, cold mask and was impressed by how poncy Draco looked, but for the sake of formality he did not comment on it and looked on as the Malfoy patriarch began "Hearty greetings to all. I am Lord Abraxas Malfoy, and it gives me immense pleasure to introduce the future Lord Malfoy, Draconis."
Draco grimaced for a second before his mask was back in place as he walked forward to the front while Blaise looked on with concealed glee at the usage of Draco's full name. 'No doubt there'll be hell for Draco later.' Harry thought amusedly as he watched Draco bow to his grandfather and other Lords before giving them a nod. "I look forward to learning with you and one day would like to consider you as friends and allies."
Similarly, all the other Lords introduced their heirs formally to everyone as per tradition, and Harry found himself nodding to his friends as Daphne was introduced by her grandfather Lord Cadmus Greengrass, Tracey by her grandfather Lord Roger Davis the First, and Blaise by his mother Lady Xiana Zabini.
Harry soon found himself being introduced to the heirs of 'like-minded' allies as the Carrow twins, Flora and Hestia, introduced by Lord Simon Carrow, Theodore Nott by his grandfather Lord Tiberius Nott; Vincent Crabbe Jr, and Gregory Goyle, whom Harry had met briefly while visiting Draco, were introduced by their fathers Lord Vincent Crabbe Sr and Thomas Goyle. Lord Macmillan then introduced his son Ernie whom Harry had never met, and Lord Goldstein introduced his heir, Anthony, who was also unfamiliar to Harry.
With the formalities over, Arcturus stood up and addressed the crowd "With the introductions over, I give you the opportunity to make new friends and make allies today; tomorrow your instructors will arrive, and you can all formally begin. I wish you a good day. Refreshments are provided." Arcturus said, waving his hand to the corners where the house elves had silently popped in and were keeping various food items on the table. "You are free to leave anytime, and I hope you have a joyful learning experience here at Black Manor."
Loud applause greeted the end of the speech, and the crowd broke to intermingle amongst themselves and chat.
Harry nudged Rigel and Draco and said "Come let's make some new friends."
"Do we have to?" Rigel yawned while Draco looked bored with the thought as well. Sighing, Harry said "We need to have them as acquaintances at least if we are to have a productive learning experience, and besides, they're mostly purebloods, I think, so you can't complain." throwing a look at Draco who looked skeptical "and they might be fun as well" to Rigel who looked interested now.
Sighing and knowing Harry wouldn't give in, Draco got to his feet while Daphne giggled at his ruffled expression, to which he responded with a glare that did not faze her, and said " Well, let's go."
The group made their way forward to the different groups who were quietly talking amongst themselves. The Carrow twins, Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle stood in a group while the Macmillan and Goldstein heirs stood a little distance apart. They noticed the group approaching and they all nervously bowed to them, especially Harry, Draco, and Rigel.
Draco and Harry, in their element, gave a crisp nod while Rigel gave them a grin. Seeing Rigel's grin seemed to put them a little at ease and they relaxed their posture marginally. Unknown to them, the other Lords and Ladies were all observing the interaction discretely. The future hung in balance with how these children interacted and they wouldn't miss observing this scene for anything.
Harry offered his hand first, being the unofficial leader amongst them, to Theodore Nott who accepted it with slightly shaky hands and said "I'm Hadrian. Nice to meet you, Heir Nott."
Theodore nodded, hiding any signs of nervousness from standing in front of the Potter family heir, and said in a measured voice "Likewise Hadrian. Please call me Theodore or Theo." Harry smiled a little warmly and said "Theo it is then."
He then turned to the Carrow twins who offered their hands, which Harry kissed and then smiled "Enchanted to be in your company ladies."
This left the twin girls blushing while Rigel and Draco looked on in barely concealed amusement. Daphne had a tiny frown on her face which vanished before anyone could confirm and looked at the red-faced girls with indifference "Pleasure is all ours Harry. Please, it's Flora and Hestia."
Harry smiled, his green eyes glittering which made his face look even more adorable before he turned to Crabbe and Goyle, with whom he gave a handshake and nod since he was already acquainted with them. "Vincent." "Gregory"
The final two boys stepped forward and Harry took a second to analyze them. Both as expected wore high-quality robes and stood stiffly waiting to be addressed. Harry wondered why Baron Black would invite the Macmillan and Goldstein heirs since they were traditionally Light and were not a part of the Black or Neutral faction. Shrugging at the reason, Harry offered his hands and said neutrally "I am Hadrian Potter. Pleased to make your acquaintance heir Macmillan."
The Macmillan heir gave a stiff nod and shook his hands "Likewise Hadrian. It's Ernie." For some reason, Harry couldn't help but get the feeling the boy didn't like him for some reason before he turned to the last member and offered his hand "I am Hadrian Potter. Pleased to make your acquaintance Heir Goldstein."
The Goldstein heir was noticeably warmer in his greeting and said "Pleasure is all mine Hadrian. It's Anthony to you." to which Harry gave him a friendly nod.
Once all of his friends introduced themselves, they all started mingling and started talking in groups much to the relief of the adults as they helped themselves to the excellent food cooked by the Black family's elves. Daphne and Tracey were busy discussing which books they had read, and which would help them. 'Looks like Daphne finally found someone other than me to debate with.' Harry thought amusedly as he saw the interest gleam in her blue eyes. Draco, Blaise, Rigel, Crabbe, and Goyle along with the Carrow twins were discussing quidditch. Well, the five of them were talking while Crabbe and Goyle just listened. He noticed Anthony and Ernie were again standing separately where Anthony was looking confused while Ernie stood stone-faced next to him.
Deciding to find out why they were standing separately, Harry walked towards them who noticed his arrival and Harry immediately noted Ernie tensing and wondered what this guy's problem was. He schooled his features and asked in a pleasant voice "Ernie, Anthony, come join us. Why stand here in a separate group?"
"No thank you. We're fine were we stand, heir Potter." Ernie said, practically spitting the last part while Anthony looked nervously as Harry's face lost its pleasant expression and became an emotionless mask. Harry looked at Ernie blankly and said "All formalities aside, I can't help but notice you seem to have some problem with me heir Macmillan. Considering the fact that I have never seen you until today, that's honestly surprising to me and you have me at a disadvantage with this unknown reason."
Ernie seemed to lose his cool and said angrily "I have never met you, but I've known your twin, Thomas Potter, all my life. You are a thief who stole the heirship from the rightful heir Thomas. I know you are an attention-seeking brat; none of your polite smiles or words will make me like you."
The room's temperature immediately plummeted and Harry's eyes glowed green as he took in the sight of one of his worthless twin's follower accusing him of stealing one of the few things he called his own. He had lost his parents, home, and identity due to his brother's fame and now his brother thought the heirship of the Potter seat belonged to him as well. The heirship was something that gave him an identity other than the forgotten twin of the Boy Who Lived. 'Well, not happening.' Harry seethed, as he struggled to maintain his mask while Anthony looked petrified.
The others sensed the plummet in temperature and noticed Harry, who was visibly suppressing his anger, and immediately moved towards him. Rigel stepped forward to intervene, but Harry raised his hand, stopping Rigel in his tracks as others looked on wondering what had caused the normally calm Harry to lose his composure.
Harry stepped forward and looked Ernie straight in the eye. Ernie involuntarily gulped as he noticed the slightly luminous green eyes but stood his ground. Harry stared at him for a few moments before he said "You're accusing me of stealing that showoff's heirship? Tell me, does your boy wonder think himself to be above the rules of succession? I was born first on the last stroke of the clock while he was born on the first stroke of midnight. As for knowing me and liking me, I don't care what foul lies he has fed you and I don't care how good of a follower you are at swallowing them, but you stay the hell out of my way. Got it? Be it in school or in the Wizengamot or the next time, I will not be this pleasant."
Ernie finally lost his cool and screamed "I am not his follower. He is my friend and treats me as such. Unlike you, he has manners on how to treat an heir of an Ancient and Noble family. How dare you threaten me? As if I'd want to voluntarily talk to an arrogant ponce like you. Your parents didn't want you with them and I'd rather be tortured than spend MY time with you and your lot!"
"You seem to have forgotten you are speaking to the Heir Apparent of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, heir Macmillan. Such dreadful manners, shouting like a mudblood. As for my parents, they made their choice, and I made mine and I don't need someone of your standing to tell me that." Harry said furiously, his occlumency working overtime to control his rage as the sting of his abandonment hit home.
Rigel stepped forward, fury in his voice "How dare you to talk about my brother's life Macmillan. No one insults my brother in my presence and gets away with it, especially not at a Black property. You have made a very dangerous enemy today and one day House Potter and Black will have revenge, mark my word."
Ernie blanched at that, looking around and noticing the eyes of everyone on him, especially the cold fury in the grey eyes of Baron Black while Baron Potter looked ready to kill him. He gulped and turned around to find the furious gaze of his father that promised him a sound thrashing when they got home yet Ernie held defiantly. He was loyal to his childhood friend, and he wouldn't be intimidated by the cold glares of the Barons in the room, regardless of the fear that went up his spine when he saw their eyes and certainly not by the green eyes of Hadrian Potter.
"The truth is what it is Black, and I mean what I said." He sniffed haughtily, carefully ignoring the eyes of the adults in the room. He was in a heap of trouble, and he knew it, but he would make it worth the trouble he had undergone. "You better enjoy the heirship while you can Potter. Once we're old enough, Thomas will beat you in a duel to claim it and I will laugh at you and your friend's face when it is done. You mark MY words, Black."
The shadows in the room flickered as if they were agitated and Charlus watched with wide eyes as the shadows thickened and swirled at Harry's feet whose face looked as if it was made of stone. He looked at the defiant-looking Macmillan heir and cursed the idiot boy's foolishness. If Harry lost control of his mind, there would be hell and looking at the shadows pooling at his feet, literally.
The shadows rose up his legs and into Harry's hand who looked at it with blank curiosity before shrugging and letting it fall where it flickered in the light and Charlus could make the sight of red eyes looking hungrily at the now petrified Macmillan heir.
Ernie, noticing the shadows looking at him and watching them as Harry casually threw them down, pointed a shaking finger at him and screamed "You're a dark wizard. You are so deep into it that you have control over darkness. Thomas was right. You are so jealous of his power that you are going into the dark arts to kill him, but he will beat you demon!"
"Run to your precious savior and stay there. If you cross my path again, then even he will not be able save you from my wrath. Annoying shit." Harry said calmly, seemingly back to his normal self except for the ice-green eyes which promised pain if the boy did cross his path again.
"Lord Macmillan, I think it's better if you and your heir leave immediately. I will no longer have him throw vile comments at someone who I consider my blood under my roof no matter how good of an ally you might make." Arcturus said with a hard edge in his voice to which Lord Macmillan gulped, realizing he hadn't just made an enemy of Potter but Black and possibly Malfoy and Greengrass as well if the glare on Abraxas Malfoy's and Cadmus Greengrass's face said anything. Promising to punish the idiotic child of his severely for this, he bowed low and groveled "Lords Potter and Black, my house has paid a great insult to yours today and I know there are no words that can be said to heal the damage. I will make sure the lad's behavior is corrected and I will promise that he will not antagonize you, heir Potter. I beg of you to forgive this slight against your great houses."
Ernie watched in disbelief as his seemingly strong father groveled in front of these old men and it ignited a fire in him. One day he would make them pay for this slight. No one was even concerned that Harry had made death threats to him. They looked at him as if it was the most natural thing to do, make death threats at a kid who was speaking the truth, albeit rudely. 'Lily Potter was right' Ernie thought dazedly, as he watched his proud father beg for forgiveness from old fools who were past their prime. 'They just want to stay on top and they don't want us half-bloods to surpass them.'
Ernie had a lot to think about.
Afterward, none of the Lords and Ladies felt like socializing and slowly exited the room with their heirs throwing a wary glance at Harry who stood still in the same spot as before with a calm expression on his face. Charlus was worried as he knelt before his serene grandson and asked 'Harry are you alright? Talk to me son." Harry looked at him with the same calm face and said "I'm a totally fine grandfather. I get it now. Why I felt so at home with darkness."
Arcturus walked towards them and interrupted before Harry could say anything "You're a shadow Elementalist aren't you?" Harry gave a simple nod, still looking peaceful, which was starting to freak out everyone. The only weakness Harry had was his home life and they expected him to be shouting or screaming bloody murder at the Macmillan heir, not looking utterly peaceful.
"When that idiot started spewing his filth, I felt so mad that I wished I had a way to make him pay since I didn't have my wand yet, and suddenly I felt a tug at something that felt natural to me, something that I knew existed but consciously never tried to feel it and I made contact with the darkness. The darkness obeys me. To shut off my rage, I used the darkness to reinforce my Occlumency barriers. Can't you see? Can't you see my mind shield's strength?" Harry asked and indeed everyone could see the differences. There was always a tightness to Harry, an unconscious worry that his friends would leave him for his twin like his parents, and no matter what they did, it never truly went away. They could not see this tightness around him anymore. He looked calm and at peace with himself. His eyes also had changed. Now they were crystal clear green and sparkled, indicating fully functional mind shields that should not be possible for someone his age, yet it was there. Overall, Harry looked better off than ever before, and this worried Charlus.
"Are you sure it is wise to allow shadows access to your mind Harry? No one knows if this can be done, and I don't think it is safe to lock away your emotions like this." Charlus said gently, worried about upsetting the poor boy who looked so peaceful. Harry surprised them all by laughing and said "Don't worry grandfather. My mind is still my own. The darkness guards my mind now, strengthening the already present shields. I would have achieved this level later on after years of practicing occlumency. Think of it like a shortcut."
Charlus still looked unconvinced. Harry noticed this and said "Tell you what. Let's have grandfather Arcturus here test my shields using legilimency. He has knowledge on the mind, and he can assure you whether this is normal or not. Can you help me grandfather?" he asked Arcturus who looked at Charlus and got a single nod.
Arcturus, who was very proficient in mind magic looked Harry in the eye and without a wand uttered "Legillimens."
Harry felt the telltale sign of a foreign presence entering his mind but did not fight against him as he saw his grandfather look at his shields impressed. It lasted for a second before Arcturus drew back and congratulated him "Impressive Harry. While your mindscape is still at level 1 and underdeveloped, your shields are at max level 7. It is exactly as you said. Your mind is untouched, but your walls are the strongest anyone could have."
"Oh, they will be even stronger grandfather. I can improve them to go above the documented level 7." Harry said confidently, stunning the usually calm man. Occlumency came in 7 levels with 1 being a beginner and 7 being an expert, and 'here's this lad who says he can go higher' Arcturus thought dazedly. He was at level 7, and he couldn't wait to observe his progress, he was sure his sister Cassiopeia would be very interested in this as well.
"That will be something to watch but I don't want you to try this alone Harry. Your mind is misaligned now with your mindscape and defenses at different levels, and it will be very irresponsible of you if you practice alone without a Legillimens near you. Rest assured no mortal can get inside your mind now and withhold training until later on, okay?" Arcturus asked firmly and it was a testament of the respect and love Harry had for Arcturus that he accepted, much to the surprise of Charlus who knew Harry took orders from no one except his family.
"Grandfather, why did you invite that tosser and his family to this gathering? Insulting us under our roof. Are they our allies?" Rigel asked hotly, while Melania clicked her tongue at his language but did not comment upon it, quietly agreeing with her grandson. Arcturus looked smug for a second before he said simply "To let them know we're coming of course. Lord Macmillan is many things but an actor and a good occlumens is not among them. He was sent to me by our enemies to infiltrate this meeting and get to know what our objectives are."
"WHAT?"
"Oh, you heard me," Arcturus said with relish. "He had decent occlumency walls of course but certainly not something that could keep me out. I plucked it right out of his mind at the first meeting itself."
Harry snorted, the number of people who could keep Arcturus Black out of their heads could be counted on his hands and he wouldn't need his left hand to do so. Rigel asked impatiently "But why? This is just a little pureblood gathering for children about to start education. Unless our enemies are that desperate and want to know what pranks we'd play, I don't think there was much to gain here." He finished sarcastically.
Arcturus's lips twitched upwards before he became serious "This meeting was not the target, but the members were. They wanted to know whom we trusted explicitly and considered like-minded allies. Too bad I did not invite our true allies and just the known sympathizers of blood purity. They did not learn anything, I assure you. He honestly expected me to forget that he and James were childhood friends, and their children are friends as well and invite him to high-profile meetings when he came talking to me about how worried he was about our society and wanted to do something about it."
"That's why Aunt Bella is not here, right?" Harry asked.
Arcturus looked at him proudly and said "Well done Harry. That is exactly why they were not here. They are already accused of supporting the Dark Lord, they did not need this additional heat on them. I asked Bella and her husband not to attend and while Bella certainly wasn't happy, she reluctantly agreed. I also asked them to send their ally, the Carrow family, to make sure that Macmillan doesn't get suspicious. The Carrows were only too happy to help and now Dumbledore will get a new name to his list of enemies and will consider this a win when it certainly is not."
"Wow, that was smart! So, our true allies are safe right?" Rigel exclaimed. Arcturus nodded and said "Yes, our true allies are safe. Since the Macmillan brat will not be attending, I think I will go and floo Bella now. She can attend the ceremony of her nephews."
"But they did get to know a little Lord Black. While your speech was inspiring, it did say you are firmly against the muggle-borns gaining power over us and that you will continue to fight them. Lord Macmillan's infiltration might have been a little success." Daphne said in a respectful tone which earned her an approving nod from Arcturus.
"You've got a sharp head on your shoulders Miss Greengrass, but rest assured they have learned nothing new. I have always fought against them gaining power over us publicly and they will just believe I am just imparting my blood-purist views onto the new generation of children whose parents are known supporters of mine. The infiltration was almost a waste of time for them since they learned of nothing new except the fact that the Carrows support us, which was already suspected. Our true allies are still working to destroy them from the shadows. The mishap his heir has caused gives us an opportunity to reject teaching his heir, which will allow you to learn without the brat reporting everything to his daddy. My little operation is a success, and our goals are still unclear to them."
"What exactly is our goal?" Draco asked sceptically.
Arcturus, Charlus, Abraxas, and Cadmus shared a smile before Abraxas replied "To save our world from getting taken over by mudblood-loving fools and Mudbloods who have no knowledge of our history and our ways."
Review Please.