The Future of House Black

By: Ryu Katanna

Beta:

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Twenty-One

Hardwin stared at the man in front of him in quickly budding irritation.

He'd gone straight to the Ministry after leaving Malfoy Manor. The building had been quiet as it was the end of the day though a few witches and wizards could still be seen around the atrium. Those remaining were likely only the Aurors who were working or those employees who were working late, who either nodded to him or gawked, he didn't pay attention to the latter while returning nods to the former. Kingsley's secretary appeared to have already left so it had been no trouble approaching the door to the man's office once security let him pass.

Luckily for Hardwin, Kingsley had agreed to help easily once he'd explained what he needed and why. They'd been in contact over the last few weeks as they kept each other updated on their situations as he gathered evidence against certain Weasleys and Granger, and Molly's daily harassment of both Kingsley and his secretary. The woman had even tried to report him missing to the Aurors, but Kingsley had easily defused the situation with his assurance to the Auror office that the two of them had been in contact every few days. Honestly, Kingsley was ready to have her banned from the Ministry building all-together.

Hardwin's paperwork for his travel to America had been expedited with the Miniter's help, and he'd received his Ministry Identification as his registration with the Beast Division was completed. Kingsley had only raised a brow when he'd mentioned it, and Hardwin had briefly explained his plans to establish a serpentarium on his property for the care and rehabilitation of magical serpents and his plan for redeeming parseltongue to the public. Kingsley had merely shaken his head in bemusement.

Hardwin was going against all the things the wizarding public expected of him after the war, but Kingsley firmly believed the teen had a right to live as he wished. That he deserved it after everything he had done and had been through. What he was still going through; after recent revelations. Sure, there may be some unrest among the public, but Kingsley was determined to stand beside the teen's choices for himself so long as he didn't take the wrong path. Something Kingley didn't feel he would with Hardwin knowing where it led.

Hardwin had fought too long and too hard against that darkness to fall to it now that he finally had the freedom to live his life.

Kingsley had seen him off at the international port-key office shortly after all of the paperwork had been finished. Hardwin had arrived in MACUSA's international port-key office after a nauseating trip, almost falling on his arse in an embarrassing display, as he tried to breathe without being sick. Needless to say, he'd been more than happy to turn in the frayed rope port-key with his paperwork and identification to the clerk.

There was a five-hour time difference, so while it was almost midnight back home, it was just after seven when he'd arrived at the Woolworth building MACUSA used as the location of their Ministry offices. He'd had no trouble with the clerk at the port-key office, and was now getting his holly and phoenix feather wand registered with the Federal Wand Permit Officer. He'd presented his wand and identification, but was now being questioned about what had qualified him to act as a consultant who specialized in magical serpents. The man had spoken with condescension and looked rather suspicious as he asked; taking in Hardwin's young age and the lack of a record for his N.E.W.T.S. on his documentation. He obviously thought Hardwin's British Ministry Identification had been forged.

"I don't know how things are done in MACUSA, Mr. Edwards, but the Ministry for Magic of Great Britain has a long-standing law. That law states that a parselmouth may hold any position dealing with serpent-based creatures. As a parselmouth, I am able to communicate with them as well as influence their will to a certain extent." Hardwin explained as he struggled to keep the growl from his tone; growing tired as he was usually in bed by this time.

"Ah... parseltongue. An exceedingly rare talent, and no doubt a useful one if used correctly. I see... Very well..." Mr. Edwards almost babbled as he rapidly backed down before turning to finish filling out the paperwork for Hardwin's wand permit.

Hardwin could feel himself biting his tongue as he just wished to get this done. He still needed to check on the cabin he owned in North Carolina to see if it was livable. If it wasn't then he would need to stay at a hotel until he could correct it. He'd been here for almost an hour now and just wanted to sleep before he would need to write to Lord Potter and find an owl post office in the morning. If it took this long to acquire a single permit then he was glad he had kept his other wand hidden where it was strapped to his calf.

That was one wand he was determined to leave no official record of anywhere. He would have left the merlin-be-damned thing at the Manor, but he knew that wouldn't work. He'd literally snapped it in half in front of his former friends and thrown it away before. When it had appeared with the other two objects; he had tried to hide it somewhere. While that had worked for his cloak and the stone, the wand was another matter. It would appear near him while he slept no matter where he'd put it.

"Here you are Mr. Potter-Black. This permit will remain valid for the rest of this year only. If you decide to return to America or extend your visit, for any reason after the thirty-first of December then you will need to return for another to be issued to you." The man said hurriedly as he handed Hardwin back his identification with the completed permit.

"Thank you. I'll remember that." Hardwin replied, keeping his face blank of the irritation he felt, as he accepted the documents back before turning to leave.

He left the office, making his way through the building and into the elevator, before stepping out into the atrium. Hardwin paused as he took in the sight. It was so different from the Ministry building back home. The walls seemed to stretch up into the abyss from the floor where he stood; stairs leading down to what looked to be the building entrance. It was already after seven in the afternoon in the states, but there still looked to be a fair bit of activity in the building.

Hardwin walked toward the stairs now that his business was done in the building; stopping at a nearby bench that was occupied to enlarge the shrunken folder to be sure he had the apparition coordinates for the cabin correct. Once he'd reviewed the information and was sure that he'd be able to apparate to it, Hardwin shrunk the folder. He turned to the old witch that was sitting on the bench next to where a house-elf was polishing a wand.

"Excuse me, ma'am. I was wondering if you could tell me where I can find information for the wizarding shopping districts?" Hardwin asked softly and she smiled toward him kindly.

"First time in the states, dear?" She asked as the older wizard seated next to her looked up from his book at the sound of Hardwin's voice.

"Yes ma'am. I've just gotten my wand permit sorted, but I made the trip a bit last-minute. I'm afraid I didn't have much time to look into where the best places to shop or visit were." Hardwin replied softly with a sheepish smile at his lack of fore-thought.

"The closest shopping district would be Landfara Way though there are a few others in other parts of the country. Some shops are a bit more spread out with the exception of places like Ebbingdales Wonders; it's a bit like the no-maj mall or a department store. There are plenty of listing in The Wizard's Voice as well. There are usually apparition coordinates posted at the different centers for popular locations. You should be able to get a pamphlet with them listed at the center." The wizard told him, and Hardwin gave him a small smile as he nodded.

"Thank you, sir. I'll look into it." He replied before turning back to the witch as she spoke.

"I hope you've packed some no-maj clothes for your trip, dear. Some of those shops in the middle of no-maj areas don't have apparition centers." She said and Hardwin paused as he glanced down at his robes.

He hadn't thought about that. Lucius had said that things were different there. In Britain, the shops were hidden from muggles and usually never found in muggle areas. They had apparition points that were discreet and spelled away from muggle notice, but they could also apparate anywhere as long as it was out of sight from muggles. He guessed apparition centers were like apparition points, but from the sound of it, he would have to travel the muggle way to certain shops.

"One of my elves packed my bag, but I can transfigure something temporary if I need to. I'm guessing apparition centers are like apparition points back home... Is there a center in the building here, or a place to use the floo?" Hardwin asked as he felt like he was getting a headache.

"Just go down the stairs toward the exit and take a right. You'll find the travel center, and have the option for either." The wizard directed him as the witch accepted the polished wand from the house elf.

"Thank you both." Hardwin said politely before turning to take the stairs down.

He moved to the right at the base of the stairs to find a room full of what looked like stalls along one wall while fireplaces lined the other. He could see a few witches and wizards coming and going. Taking a steadying breath, he followed their example. Stepping into an empty stall as the door swung open, he shut it behind him and took note of the coordinates for different places that were posted, taking on of the pamphlets near it, before concentrating on his destination and apparating to the cabin. Hardwin looked up with a sigh of relief when he recognized the cabin from the picture and discription that had been in the property file.

Looking at the cabin, it looked like the first floor had been made with stone and mortar while the upper floor had been built with wood. A balcony ran along the front of the house, and the cabin almost looked to have been partially built against the side of the mountain. He approached the ward line and reached out toward the wards with his magic. Hardwin felt a pull as they connected, and could feel the hum of the wards as they allowed him entrance easily.

"Woah..." He murmured as he stepped inside the cabin and looked around.

The cabin looked to have been perfectly preserved. He almost jumped out of his skin as he drew his wand when a pop sounded. He turned to find a house-elf, dressed in a ragged pillowcase that had been washed so many times it had turned a dirty grey, fidgetting nervously. She, he thought the elf was a she anyway, stared up at him. Hardwin took a breath as he smiled. Now knowing why the cabin had been so well looked after.

"Hello. My name is Hardwin Potter-Black. I am the current Lord of House Black. What is your name, and are you the only elf here?" He asked as he lowered his wand and quickly had it back in its holster on his arm.

"My name beings Portia, Master Black. I bes the only house-elf here."

"Well, you've certainly done very well taking care of the house all by yourself. Thank you, Portia." Hardwin said gently; receiving a squeak of shock as she started crying.

"Hey, now. No reason to cry. Come on, then. We need to have a talk so I can give you a few orders I've been giving to all of the elves of House Black. Then you can show me around and help me get settled in." He said as he motioned for her to follow him.

123

Sleep-clouded green eyes opened as the morning light hit them as it came in through the balcony doors. Hardwin let out a grunt as he stretched; limbs feeling heavy under the fluffy comforter. He didn't want to move, but there was so much he had to do today. He grunted as he pushed himself up and slid off of the soft and comfortable mattress. Looking around groggily for a moment he took in the sight of the master bedroom as the light of dawn lit the room.

The floor was done in a plush white carpet. and the walls were logs that were void of pictures and paintings. The bed, done up in tasteful and neutral tans stood, centered against one wall with lamps sitting on nightstands on each side, across from a very large fireplace. The fireplace was as wide as the bed itself and was stone that had been beautifully carved to look like trees with birds in the leaves and flowers at the base of the trunks. The wall to his left had two doors; one leading into the rest of the cabin and the other to the ensuite bathroom. To his right were glass-pained doors that led to the balcony that ran along the front of the cabin. To one side of the doors stood the wardrobe next to the fireplace, and a chair with an ottoman was set in the corner in front of two windows on the other side closer to the bed.

Hardwin stood, making his way over to the doors, and felt his breath catch as he looked outside. Grabbing the blanket draped across the back of the chair he opened the doors and stepped out onto the balcony. The rising sun lit the peaks of the mountain; casting shadows into the valleys. Mist clouded around, and seemed to flow through, the valleys like smoke. It was a beautiful sight. It was almost comparable to the mountains around Hogwarts, but this view was unmarred with memories of pain, fear, and death.

Hardwin stood there for a while just watching the sunrise when a popping drew his attention away from his thoughts. He turned to see Portia, the little elf that had been here alone since the last time a member of the Black family had stayed here. Which had apparently been his Great-Aunt Lucretia before her marriage. Portia was a nervous little thing, but that was something only time and being treated decently would fix.

"Good morning, Portia." He greeted her with a soft smile.

"Breakfast is being ready, Master Black." She informed him, and Hardwin nodded before glancing back to the mountain view.

"I'll be down in a minute. You go ahead to Gringotts and withdraw two hundred dragots from the Black vaults. Take that and get enough fabric for at least three outfits for yourself as we discussed last night. Then I need you to go to whichever wizarding shop would have them and buy a crow, food for it to eat, and a stand for it to rest on. I'll need one for my post. Put whatever dragots are left in my money pouch when you return and set the stand for the crow up next to the window in the office. There will be a letter for the crow to deliver on the desk when you return. Send the letter out, and then you may get started on making your outfits after lunch. Any extra fabric is yours to either make another outfit if there is enough fabric, or you can use the scraps for your nest if you wish." He listed the orders in a gentle tone; thanking Merlin that she knew how to sew.

"Yes, Master. Portia bes goings now." She replied with a bow before popping away.

Knowing it probably wouldn't take her very long to run the errands, Hardwin took one last glance at the view before going back into his room. He quickly got dressed in comfortable robes and went down the stairs to the dining room. Breakfast, he found, was quite enjoyable as he ate the belgium waffles with fruit and a honey glaze. Once finished with breakfast, he spelled the dishes to the kitchen sink and headed back upstairs to the office, and sat down at the desk.

'That is one ugly chair.' He thought as he looked at the red-striped chair in front of the window next to the desk.

It truly was ghastly and was the only thing in the room that didn't match the rest of the furniture and decor. He'd noticed it the night before when he'd looked through the cabin. He hadn't liked the look of it then in the lamplight and found it to be even worse in the light of day. He shot an evanesco at the chair and vanished it to make room for the stand that he had told Portia to get for the crow before turning to the desk and writing the letter.

"Now let's see how he responds this time. Shouldn't take too long since they're not as far away." He mumbled as he finished the letter, including the floo address for the cabin at the bottom, and casting a drying spell for the ink before addressing the envelope.

Henry Potter

Lord of the Noble House of Potter

Potter Isle, Lake Huron

Sealing the envelope, Hardwin let out a heavy breath. Now he would have to wait, but what should he do with his time while he waited? He'd already looked around the cabin and had Portia give him a tour. There were two bedrooms with ensuites, the kitchen, dining room, a game room, a smaller sitting room, and a small library on the first floor. At least he thought the library was small, but considering he was becoming used to the one at the manor, it might actually be a good size. The second floor of the cabin had two bedrooms other than the one he had claimed with attached bathrooms, the office he was sitting in, and another sitting room that was larger than the one downstairs. From what Hardwin was able to tell, Portia kept her nest in the boiler room since there weren't living quarters in the cabin for elves.

Deciding that he might as well do something productive Hardwin left the office and made his way back downstairs to the library. It was nowhere near the size of the one at the manor, but there may still be a book about Ilvermorny. There wasn't much in the way of information on the founders of Hogwarts, but times had been much different over a thousand years ago than they were now. Magical knowledge back then had rarely been recorded but taught orally from one generation to the next.

Recording information through the written word had only become more of a regular practice in the late fifteen hundreds; though most old wizarding families did keep a Grimoire before that. Even then, books had been too expensive to be made readily available to everyone. Only the older wizarding families had been able to afford them. It hadn't been until the mid to late seventeen hundreds that books had become more affordable, as well as available, within the magical population. At least as far as Hardwin had been able to discern from the years some of the books at the manor had been recorded, and from the materials used for the books.

He was hoping that would mean that he would be able to find a better source of information on Morrigan Stewart than he would have been able to for, say, the Hogwarts founders. A rumor wasn't much to go on, but he had to admit that Lord Flint had sparked his curiosity. Could Morrigan and Isolt be the same person, or was the surname only a coincidence? Hardwin couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't. He'd been doing so much research to trace back the Gaunt and Potter lines to find when they had crossed with the Peverell lines that he felt he needed to be sure.

He hadn't lied to Lord and Lady Flint. There were a few reasons he was tracing the lines he'd been descended from, and the explanation he'd given to Lady Flint was one of them. Another reason was out of genuine curiosity. He wanted to know where he'd come from. After growing up an unwanted orphan, Hardwin wanted to know more about those he held blood ties with. He wanted to know not just for himself, but for any children or grandchildren he may have in the future.

There was a good chance that any child he had might be born a parselmouth like Hardwin. While he didn't have anything against his ability, and many would envy it, that didn't change the fact that it was considered a trait of dark witches and wizards. At least in England. There would always be people who feared or even hated him for something he'd had no control over, and that was true for more than just being a parselmouth. As an impressionable twelve-year-old, he'd been made to feel evil and disgusting just because he could speak to snakes.

That was not something he wanted for his child or children; if he had more than just the one boy he needed to have an heir for his House. It was for this reason that Hardwin was making no attempt to hide that he was a parselmouth, and was going to the lengths he was to use it for something good like the serpentarium to provide sanctuary and to rehabilitate hurt or displaced creatures. It was also why he had sought a position as a consultant for serpent-based creatures with the Ministry. He wanted to remove the negative stigma that had become attached to parselmouths in the UK.

By researching the Gaunt line, Hardwin was hoping to find others through history who had contributed positively to the wizarding world. He wanted any child he had to know that their family history wasn't all bad, and that no matter what family gifts they inherited, it didn't dictate who they were as an individual. He wanted them to be proud of their heritage, but to also know that too much pride can lead you down the wrong path. Like the Gaunts, the Blacks, and Tom Riddle had all done in different ways.

They'd been blinded by their own sense of superiority. The Gaunt name was no more though the gift the family had coveted had been carried on in him. The House of Black had almost completely fallen to ruin, and may take more than just his lifetime to restore it. Tom had split his soul through murder and lost any humanity he may have possessed. All out of pride, and the arrogance that resulted from it. There was a fine line between having pride in your family name and being arrogant because of it.

This was why Lord Flint had caught his attention with the rumor. If Morrigan and Isolt were, in fact, the same person then their relation to her would be something to be proud of. She'd founded a school that was known for being inclusive to all, and she had been known not to have supported views on blood purism. Bloody hell, one of Ilvermorny's founders was known to have been a muggle, which he'd learned when he'd read some information on the other ten wizarding schools during his fourth year.

The last reason he was researching his ancestry was one that he was determined never to speak of openly. He wanted to see if he could find more information on the Peverells from whom the story of the Hallows originated from. He needed to know why he couldn't get rid of them now. He'd dropped the stone in the Forbidden Forest, and snapped the bloody wand in half before throwing it away!

How was it that the wand and stone kept appearing next to him as he slept when he tried to get rid of them, and why couldn't he lose or destroy them? The only thing he hadn't tried by this point was basilisk venom and fiendfire. Oh, he'd been sorely tempted, but fiendfire was too dangerous. Basilisk venom was an option still but, knowing his luck, not even that would work.

So that left him with no choice other than research. Hardwin doubted he would find anything after so much time had passed, but felt he needed to try. He didn't know if he believed that the Hallows had been a gift from Death or not. Truthfully, it didn't matter. What mattered was that the three objects had seemingly bonded to him. What did that mean for him? Whatever it was; he didn't bloody well want it.

"Ah." He murmured as he paused in front of the titles he'd been looking over before taking a book off of the shelf.

"Ilvermorny and its Origins." Hardwin murmured as he read the title and moved over to sit down in the chair closest to him, putting his feet up on the ottoman comfortably, and started reading.

123

"Lunch beings ready, Master." Portia's timid voice drew Hardwin out of his reading a few hours later.

"Thank you, Portia. I'll be along in a moment." He replied, looking up from the book before conjuring a bookmark, and marking his place as he closed it.

Hardwin set the book on the stand next to the chair thoughtfully as he stood and left the room. He hadn't finished reading, but the book had been informative. He was almost certain that Morrigan Stewart was Isolt Stewart nee Sayre. The information on the Ilvermorny founder might not be completely accurate, but he would bet it was more so than anything Hogwarts: A History had to say about the founders of Hogwarts.

The information was vague, but the book did say that Morrigan had traveled to America from Ireland on the Mayflower. Ilvermorny had been later founded by Morrigan and her muggle husband James as well as their two adopted sons; Chadwick and Webster Boot. Ilvermorny had started with Morrigan and James teaching Chadwick and Webster in their small cottage. That cottage later grew to become the castle it was today as they started to welcome children from across the country.

There was a story told about the family; though the details were vague as well. Hardwin hadn't expected any of the information to be entirely accurate. The truth often became muddled as stories such as theirs were retold to the next generation. It was for this reason that he believed that those stories should be recorded by those that had lived them. Despite this, Morrigan's story felt all too familiar in some ways with how it had been recorded.

Morrigan had been a young witch from Ireland who had fled her homeland seeking safety from a dark witch. She had arrived in America disguised as a man on the Mayflower before disappearing into the untamed wilds to escape persecution from the muggles. There, she had saved the life of a Pukwudgie named William from a hidebehind. Supposedly, she had befriended William after that, until one day she stumbled upon Webster and Chadwick Boot. They and their parents had been attacked, and Morrigan had saved the two children seemingly at the cost of her friendship with William.

The story went on to tell of how she had nursed the two children back to health and met a muggle man named James Stewart. They later married and raised the two boys as their own. This is where the story truly piqued Hardwin's interest. Supposedly, when the time came for the boys to receive their wands, Morrigan had a dream which led her down to a river where a Horned Serpent had been waiting for her. The serpent had willingly offered her a part of one of its horns which she used for the wand cores of her adopted children.

There was a reason this stood out to Hardwin. In all of his experience with serpents, he knew them to be incredibly proud and vain creatures. He knew that there would have had to be something about Morrigan for the serpent to offer such a thing willingly. She would have needed to have some kind of bond with the serpent. A parselmouth would have easily been able to forge such a bond as serpents were naturally drawn to them.

The story had gone on to tell of how the school had started to grow around the time that Morrigan had given birth to twin daughters. This growth in reputation had drawn the attention of witches and wizards from across the sea, and it had come to the attention of the dark witch Morrigan had fled from her homeland because of. It had come to a confrontation as the dark witch came to Ilvermorny in the night. Chadwick, Webster, and Morrigan had confronted her, but Morrigan's wand had refused to respond to her. They had been pushed back to the nursery where James had been protecting their daughters when Morrigan had called William's name in despair or desperation.

This call had been answered as the pukwudgie appeared, and shot the dark witch with an arrow through the heart. So corrupted by dark magic, the witch's body became ash and dispersed. This was the part that sent a chill through Hardwin. He'd seen something like that happen before when he'd defeated Voldemort for the final time.

The book had gone on to tell more about the school, and about the pukwudgies that continued to guard and keep the grounds to this day. Hardwin hadn't been as interested in that information until reading about the pukwudgie named William who cared for Morrigan's gravesite. It had been over three hundred years, so there was no guarantee that he was the same pukwudgie from the story. Still, the possibility was there. Hardwin couldn't imagine that it would be a coincidence that this William both answered to the same name and refused to let anyone else care for Morrigan's crypt or the statue that stood in front of the castle.

Though he supposed it was possible for the old pukwudgie to be a descendant of the original William. Even if he was, Hardwin might be able to learn something about the woman known as Morrigan. He was fairly certain that she had been born Isolt Sayre, but there was no way to confirm that unless he learned more. Isolt had borne two daughters named Martha and Rionach Stewart. The book hadn't given the names of the twins mentioned in the story. If he could find those names, and learn more about Morrigan, then it should be enough for him to confirm their distant relation.

Hardwin thought about this as he ate before returning to the library to do some research on the creatures the four houses of Ilvermorny had been named for. He would need to know more about horned serpents as well as pukwudgies. He wanted to speak to the one known as William, but he also didn't want to risk offending him. Hardwin didn't know anything about pukwudgies as they were native to this continent and he'd never encountered one before.

'More research...' He thought tiredly as he returned to the library.

He felt like he'd spent most of his time after the war with one book or another in front of him. Even so, it was what he needed to do. There was so much that had been kept from him or decided for him. This was HIS life, and he was determined that he would be the one living it with his own free will. Never again would he let someone else dictate his thoughts or actions. He would speak to Lord Potter as well, but it would be Hardwin's decision what happened after.

He refused to be a beaten down puppet for anyone; not anymore.

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Well, that took me longer than the last several chapters. More of a filler chapter than anything, but it was needed for some things happening in the future. I hope you liked it, anyway. I'll be starting on the next chapter shortly, but I'm unsure how long it'll take.

For those of you who have never read anything about the origins of Ilvermorny or its founders; I'm sharing a video on our Facebook page. I have watched it repeatedly for the last few days and was the best source of information on the school that I've found. If you would rather read about it then I think the story is also available on Pottermore. Even so, I liked the way the story was told in the video.

Until next time!

~Ryu

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