Harry was slowly getting used to waking up early. Even though his meeting with Lord Greengrass was in the afternoon, he rose early to finally visit Potter Manor. He was supposed to do so yesterday, but he was too drained for the journey and decided to work from the Burrow. After eating breakfast, where he got scolded by Molly for overworking himself again, he left for Gringotts. He needed family rings, which were symbols of his lordships. They were also reusable portkeys to his ancestral homes. He entered Gringotts, but this time he simply asked to be taken to his family vaults, as he didn't have any business with Barchoke. Although he wanted to take a look in Potter Vault to see if there was something from his parents, he decided to delay that for some time. He knew he would spend the whole day in Gringotts, and he did not have that time.
After taking his rings, Harry left the bank and headed towards the apparition point. From there, he traveled to Hogwarts to check his mail. Among the letters he received, there was one from Kingsley that informed him of the merger of MMA and Hogwarts as a single school. Although he was happy about this news, he didn't have the time to think about it that day. After leaving Hogwarts, Harry used his portkey to travel to his next destination. Although he was nervous about what he would find there, he took a deep breath and activated the portkey by touching it with his wand.
He had a rough landing and fell on his back. It took him a second to gather himself up, and then he turned around to see his ancestral home for the first time. When he saw it, it took his breath away. It was a beautiful, huge manor with equally big grounds. The gardens were tended to, and he could see behind them a stable for animals and Quidditch hoops. The whole property was surrounded by woods, secluded from the outside world. He was broken out of his shock by the loud sound of multiple poppings.
"Who are you?" asked the oldest female house elf. But after a second, she spotted Harry's ring and looked him in the eyes, the same ones his mother had.
"MASTER POTTER IS BACK! MASTER POTTER IS BACK!" she exclaimed with tears in her eyes.
"Yes, I am back. Can you please tell me your names?"
"I am Mimsy, I am the head Potter's house elf," Mimsy replied proudly. "And they are Kooby, Zokky, Tibly, and Milly." She introduced everyone.
"Good morning to you all. I see that you have taken good care of Potter Manor," Harry said approvingly.
"We did the best we could, Master Potter."
"Okay, first, we need to set up some rules. First of all, call me Harry while we are alone. When I have guests, then refer to me as Master Harry. The second rule is zero physical punishments. I forbid you to hurt yourself on purpose. Third rule, if you do something wrong, and this thing will demand my attention, you will come to me so I would be aware of that. Fourth rule, if I give you an order that is impossible to do, you will tell me that instantly and explain why. If you have any questions, do not be scared to ask." Harry explained.
"Of course, Harry," all the elves replied.
"Very well. Then please can you give me a tour around the house?"
"Of course, I can. Are you moving into the manor? And will you be staying for lunch?" Mimsy asked.
"I will be moving in sometime next week. And unfortunately, I can't stay for lunch today, as I am meeting Lord Greengrass then."
"It's alright. We are happy that you are back, and that you will be moving in soon."
"I am glad to be here as well. So please show me what is on the grounds here."
Mimsy then took him on a quick tour around the property. He correctly guessed that the buildings were stables for animals, but he was shocked to know that they were hosting several magical creatures. Hippogriffs, griffins, unicorns, runespores, augures, and many more. They all had their place on the manor grounds but spent most of the time in the forest that surrounded the property. Harry had found out that the wards around this property included the forest, making it a perfect place for them to live. His next stop on his tour was the Quidditch pitch, which was fully sized. With every passing minute, he was falling in love with this place. The last place he visited was a garden that decorated the entrance to the manor. Although this property had greenhouses and a vegetable garden, he decided to delay visiting them as he wanted to tour the house before he had to leave for Greengrass Manor. He went inside and toured the interior of the manor.
The ground floor contained a huge ballroom, a dining room, a library that was almost the same size as Hogwarts Library, and the office of Lord Potter. He was in awe seeing the ballroom, and he now believed Barchoke's words that every ball here would be an event everyone would like to participate in. The dining room was much more private, but not small by any means. It contained a long mahogany table with 12 chairs and a big, warm fireplace. He then went to inspect the basement, which contained a potion laboratory, kitchens, elves' quarters, and a training room. He was surprised to see Muggle's equipment there, but Mimsy explained to him it was his mother's idea. The first floor contained only bedrooms, so Harry went to check them briefly, and he entered the last stop on his tour - his new office.
It was a medium-sized office with lots of small shelves, clearly meant to hold important documents. The rest of the walls were taken up by portraits of all the previous Lord Potters and their wives.
"They are all asleep until you decide to wake them. When you decide to do that, it will take them 24 hours to charge up and wake up."
Harry heard and acknowledged her words, but he was focused on two frames in front of him. They were his parents' and grandparents' portraits. He had tears in his eyes as he would now have the opportunity to speak to them regularly.
"What do I need to do to wake them?" he asked Mimsy.
"You need to say it out loud that you, in your capacity as Lord Potter, want them to wake up. It will start the charging process."
"I, Harry James Potter, as Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, am asking you, all of my ancestors, to wake up. Wake up as I need your advice and guidance to restore the House of Potter to its full glory."
He felt magic swirling around him, and all of the portraits stirred. It signaled that he had done his task properly. He let out a big sigh of relief and went outside to take a breath of fresh air to calm down as he soon had to go to Greengrass Manor.
Before coming here, he tried to reduce his expectations to avoid getting disappointed. But Potter Manor had exceeded his expectations. He knew that he wanted to move here soon as he already felt at home. The thought of having a home brought a smile to his face. After everything he had been through, he had finally found his place on earth. It also gave him a lot of motivation to work.
Harry changed into formal attire and, with newfound zeal, used the floo to Greengrass Manor. When he landed, he was greeted by the entire Greengrass family.
"Lord Potter, welcome to our home," a tall, tanned man greeted him.
"Lord Greengrass, thank you for your invitation."
Harry then greeted the ladies. Ophelia Greengrass was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a warm smile on her face. Their daughters, Daphne and Astoria, were almost copies of their mother. The only noticeable trait they got from their father was their darker skin complexion. After the greetings were over, they went into the dining room to eat lunch. They steered the conversation away from business, speaking about the conditions of Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and the fight Harry participated in. Soon enough, it was time to speak about business.
"Lord Potter, may I ask if my family can be included in our conversation? I know it's a bit unusual, but I try to include them in every dealing of my house, as their perspective and advice are something I value very much."
"I wanted to ask you about this as I would like to ask for a favor from you, your wife, and Daphne. So I don't mind them being included in our conversation."
The Greengrasses smiled at him, a bit curious about what he wanted from Ophelia and Daphne, but they decided to start with other matters.
"So, Lord Potter, you were asking about the services of my legal company. Can you explain a bit more about that?"
"Of course. You see, the Potter Lordship isn't the only one I inherited. Due to being blood-adopted by my godfather Sirius Black, he was allowed to declare me as his heir, so I am the head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black," Harry explained.
The Greengrass family sat shocked at his words. It would be the first time in history that the Lordship of two Most Ancient and Noble Houses would be held by the same person. They knew that he would be the most powerful political figure in the country.
"Forgive our reaction, Lord Potter. We hadn't expected that. Please carry on," Lord Greengrass apologized.
"Don't worry about that. I know how much of a big deal that situation is, but let's get back on track. You see, the Black Family has a few investments in various companies in Britain. Unfortunately, almost every one of them had stopped their payments to accounts after Sirius's incarceration. I am now in the process of getting my money, but I know they will try to fight me. So, I need legal advice in case this matter ends up being brought before Wizengamot," Harry explained.
"You're right. They will fight you, and they will try to take this to Wizengamot. But luckily, your case will be very strong, and my company will be more than happy to represent you."
"I'm glad to hear that. But as I mentioned before, it's not the only problem. I will need your company's help. You see, all Potter investments in Britain were liquidated by my grandfather due to Voldemort's focus on my family. Now that he is gone, I plan to start a big investment program. So, I will need someone to write and revise the contracts. And I would like it all to be done by the same company to avoid any problems in the future."
"Again, it's something that my company can assist you with."
"Very well. In that case, I suggest that we set up the next meeting next week, where we will discuss all of the details."
"I agree with you. When would you like to meet exactly?"
"If you are available, I suggest next Friday."
"That works for me, but may I ask why we need to wait a week?"
"I will explain later. Until Thursday, I have other projects to work on, so I don't want to take on too much."
"I understand. It's good that you're planning. I've had meetings rescheduled too many times because clients were too busy." He concluded.
"So, Lord Greengrass, did you want to discuss something with me?"
"Yes, I wanted to talk about the upcoming Wizengamot meeting. I spoke to the Minister, and he hinted that changes are coming. I think you'll be the main face of those changes."
"You're right. I'll be pushing for changes in the Wizengamot. They're to blame for the second war, and we lost a big part of our population because of them."
"Can you explain that, Lord Potter?"
"It's simple. If they hadn't believed the 'I was under Imperius' excuse, most of the Death Eaters would be in Azkaban. With them in Azkaban, his return would be almost impossible. Another issue was the DMLE budget. The reason we need a strong Auror force isn't just to win conflicts. They should be strong enough to prevent any future Dark Lord from rising. And let's not forget that they kept that moron Fudge as Minister. The moment he started his campaign against me and Dumbledore, the Wizengamot should have either forced him to stop or kicked him out for abuse of power."
"Those are valid points, Lord Potter. So, what reforms are you proposing?"
"First, we need to take away the Wizengamot's judgmental power. We need to create independent courts that will ensure fair trials, free of corruption. Mixing legislative power with judicial power is asking for trouble. Second, we need to change the DMLE. I know that Fudge stopped several investigations simply because he thought the accused didn't commit the crime. Or he threw innocent people into Azkaban just so he could be seen doing something. We also need to change how the DMLE budget works. Instead of a flat number that can be changed at the Minister's will, they should be given a percentage of the yearly Ministry budget."
Cyrus Greengrass was deep in thought when he heard from the Minister that Harry Potter would be pushing for changes in Wizengamot. While he knew that Harry had a good heart, he was afraid that his ideas would be impossible to enforce. He was sure that Harry would instantly push for equal rights and change Wizengamot into a democratic parliament. So he was shocked when he heard Harry's ideas. Not only did they have merit, but when he explained them, he sounded like a seasoned politician. As head of the Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass, he knew that a future leader of the country sat before him. And he knew that he needed to make a hard decision. As always, when he had a difficult choice to make, he looked towards his wife. He saw that she had similar thoughts as he did. They looked at each other and she nodded at him. Her encouragement sealed his decision.
"Lord Potter, I will be honest with you. When I first heard that you would try to make changes, I was sure that your ideas would be utopian. They looked perfect on paper, but impossible to enforce in real life. I thought that I would need to make you aware of the true problems that plague this country. But you came here, knowing about those problems and with solutions that make a lot of sense. To say I am impressed is an understatement."
"Thank you, Lord Greengrass. It means a lot to me."
"That being said, I would like to offer you help with enforcing those changes."
"And I will gratefully accept your help, with hopes that our alliance will last a long time."
"I hope so as well, Lord Potter." He then took a bottle of a hundred-year-old Ogden's Whiskey and poured everyone a drink.
"Lord Potter, let's drink to our cooperation. Let it last long, with many successes along the way."
"I hope so too. And please call me Harry. If we are to be allies, there is no need to be so formal."
"Then please return this favor, and call me Cyrus."
They cheered and drank their whiskey. When they had put their glasses on the table, Harry began the last topic he wanted to talk about.
"So, Cyrus, there is one more matter I would need your help with. Or to be more precise, yours, Ophelia's, and Daphne's."
"What do you need?"
"I will start with an unusual question. How much do you know about Hogwarts Founders and their inheritance?"
"Founders' inheritance?" asked Cyrus, surprised. He had no idea about that, but to his even bigger surprise, Ophelia knew the answer.
"All of the founders left ownership of the school to their heirs. They decided that at least three of them needed to agree to make changes in Hogwarts. When Rowena died childless, and Salazar left the castle, they were unable to do anything with Hogwarts, as the Slytherin line had never gotten along with the rest. Centuries had passed, and no one knows what happened to the lines, and who owns the school," she explained.
"Where did you hear about that?" asked Harry, surprised.
"My maiden name is Dippet. My grandfather was the headmaster of Hogwarts. He told me that story after he retired."
"Well, you are, in fact, very well informed. And the reason I want to talk about it is simple. During that battle, the Slytherin main line had died out."
"It did? Which family had the title of Slytherin heirs?" asked Cyrus, curious.
"The Gaunt family," Harry replied.
"But they had died out about half a century ago," replied Ophelia.
"They didn't. You see, Merope Gaunt, in 1920, had a child from a wedlock with a local muggle, Tom Riddle. She fed him with love potions and ran away with him. She thought that he would stay with her because of the child, so she stopped giving him potions. As soon as she stopped, he ran away, leaving her alone. She gave birth to a boy, and she died only minutes later, leaving him to be raised in an orphanage. She named him after his father and her father, so his name was Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"I have never heard about a Death Eater called Riddle," said Cyrus.
"He was not a Death Eater." Harry took his wand and did the same trick as Tom in the Chamber of Secrets.
"He was the heir of Slytherin?" said a shocked Daphne.
"He was. And with him dead, the Slytherin line is dead."
"Are you planning to find Gryffindor and Hufflepuff heirs?" asked Daphne.
"I don't need to. I already know who they are."
"You do? Who are they?" asked his yearmate again.
"Me and Susan Bones."
Silence fell in the room.
"So you are not only the head of the two Most Ancient and Noble houses, but you also own half of Hogwarts?" exclaimed a shocked Astoria.
Harry nodded his head in answer. It took them a moment until Cyrus finally spoke.
"And how can we help you with that?"
"Me and Susan have chosen that we want to make changes in Hogwarts as well. And we decided that the best way to do this is by working as a group. We plan to gather every teacher, a few parent representatives, as well as students, and discuss every idea we have to improve the school. And I would like you two to become one set of parents' representatives, and Daphne as Head Girl to represent the students."
"We can do this. When will this meeting take place?"
"On Thursday at Hogwarts. But there is even more that you need to know. Are you aware of what MMA is?"
When everyone had nodded their heads, he continued:
"A few weeks ago, Death Eaters attacked the school. Everyone managed to escape, but the school was burned to the ground. The Ministry had to take care of the problem as they are the owners of MMA. But they had another idea. They asked us about the possibility of merging both schools into one. We had a few meetings about it and it was decided that on September 1st, MMA students will join Hogwarts."
"It is good news, as it will boost Hogwarts' standings. Can I assume that MMA staff will join us on Thursday?"
"Yes, they will," Harry replied.
They spoke for a bit more, confirming the dates, and then Harry decided it was time for him to go. He said goodbye and left the manor, as he had one more stop planned before going back to Burrow.