Monday, 7th September

Harry was in heaven.

Harry was also in hell.

His first class of the new school year would be starting in less than an hour but he'd only reached the names starting with "N" in Rowle's genealogy book and he wanted desperately to finish it - going so far as to getting up ridiculously early this morning just to finish the Nott family tree, which had ended on Theodore II, the Marquess of Nottingham (b. 1926)

He was almost late to French, which was a shame because he truly did enjoy that class, and if it weren't for the fact he knew he'd be meeting Rowle later, he didn't know how he would've gotten through the day.

Everything was just so incredibly fascinating - and never in his life had he expected to say that about a dusty old history book.

But the wizarding families were fascinating. As much as he hated the pure-blood prejudice and the whole inbreeding disaster, it had made for some truly baffling family trees that he had immeasurable fun deciphering.

For every person listed, the book gave the name, date of birth, and date of death, if applicable - but it also gave some people extra titles after their names. It wasn't just "Lucius Malfoy (b. 1954)", it was "Lucius Malfoy, the Duke of Wiltshire (b. 1954)" - but it wasn't just duke titles either. So far, Harry had seen "countess", "earl", "viscount", "marquess", "lord", "duchess", "marchioness", "viscountess", "lady"... on and on the titles went, and he didn't even understand half of them!

There were titles that he'd only ever heard in discussions of the royal family and even more that he'd only seen in fairytales or storybooks. So how did so many wizards and witches have them? Wouldn't the muggles know if there was a Duke of London walking about? He'd always thought that things like that had to be made public knowledge, didn't they? Or did wizards have their own version of fancy titles? What about those men and women on TV who yelled at each other a lot whenever there was a new law being discussed? He'd heard some of them call each other "lord" and "honourable" too. Did that mean some of them had magic?

Needless to say, he had a lot of questions to ask Rowle, and he was counting down the seconds in every single class, just waiting until he could bombard him with them.

"I thought I'd find you here".

Harry, who'd heard him coming, didn't startle, but he still jumped to his feet at the sound of the blond's voice, feeling something akin to pure happiness for the first time in a long while.

"Rowle!"

"Evans!" he mimicked, although the grin on his face was more amused than mocking, "Day one and you're already in the library. Why am I not surprised?"

"I've got so many questions for you!" he rushed, sitting back down and impatiently kicking out the chair next to him for the boy to take, "I'm not finished the genealogy book yet; I only just reached the O'Briens, but I did finish The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transformation Through the Ages and the book by Scamander too but- but the family trees! The family trees, Rowle! Everyone is so interconnected and related to each other and there is no way that this book lists every single family member because everyone would have gone insane decades ago if they were all one-hundred-per-cent inbred, so what happened to the people who aren't listed? Did the book remove them from their family trees? Were they disowned or- or disinherited like your mother was? Wait, does your mother even show on your family tree? I probably should have checked that first. And the names! The- The titles! What do all these titles mean? They do have meaning, don't they? But if people really are dukes and earls and- and whatever then how come the muggles don't know? Do the muggles know? No, they can't know, cause of the Statute of Secrecy. But what do the-"

"Breathe, Evans".

Harry gasped in a breath, collapsed back in his seat, and gave the older boy a somewhat sheepish smile. Rowle merely grinned, placing the stack of books under his arms on the table in front of them.

"What did I tell you? A fucking Ravenclaw through and through".

"But Ravenclaws only learn for the sake of learning" he countered, "I'm learning these things so I can actually use them!"

"There is that" he agreed, "You only study what benefits you to know, rather than studying everything you can get your hands on… But how does learning about the nobility system benefit you?"

"So there is a nobility system? Like- Like the Royal family?!"

Rowle sighed and half-threw himself over the desk, pulling the genealogy book closer to himself so that he could flip back through the pages that Harry had already read until-

"Here" he said, pointing at the left-hand side page, "Since you're interested in Dumbledore already, I might as well use him as an example".

Harry briefly glanced over the family tree, which was certainly smaller than a lot of the others and was made even smaller again by there being no future generations to carry on the name.

Percival Dumbledore and Kendra Dumbledore nee Fayerweather, now both deceased, had three children: Albus Dumbledore, the Viscount Warwick (b. 1881), Aberforth Dumbledore (b. 1883), and Ariana Dumbledore (b. 1885, d. 1899) who had died tragically young. Neither of the three had any children themselves, which meant that the line would most likely die out with Aberforth; provided that he outlived his older brother.

"Remember that Daily Prophet article you read when the Potter kid went missing?" Rowle asked, "It had a letter from Dumbledore in it, and he'd signed off using all of his titles - no doubt to show off just how "important" a man he thinks he is".

Harry did remember.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Viscount Warwick. Headmaster; Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Order of Merlin; First Class. Grand Sorcerer. Chief Warlock. Supreme Mugwump; International Confederation of Wizards.

He'd since figured out that the Order of Merlin was an award given to witches and wizards who'd achieved "great things" according to Modern Magical History, and he knew what Hogwarts was, of course. He still wasn't entirely sure what a "Chief Warlock" was, or a "Supreme Mugwump", but he had pieced together that they both had something to do with the government. As for what "Viscount Warwick" was, however, he still had no clue.

"All of those other titles he listed were things that he achieved himself, positions in the Ministry that he was elected to. The viscount title, he inherited from his father, who'd inherited it from his father, who'd inherited it from his father and so on and so forth".

"But… But then why doesn't his brother have a title too? Why isn't he the Viscount Warwick as well?"

"Because they only inherited the one title, and that's always passed on to the eldest son" Rowle explained, "Some families are fortunate enough to have inherited multiple noble titles, which they can spread out among their kids, but for the most part, there's just the one to be gotten, and if you're not the eldest son, then it's tough fucking luck".

"So Aberforth Dumbledore is just… normal?"

The blond snorted. "There's not a whole fucking lot in that family that's normal, Evans. Aberforth doesn't get a fancy introduction or anything, but he is technically meant to be referred to as the Honourable Aberforth Dumbledore since he's the son of a viscount - but that's only if you're writing him a fucking letter. Otherwise, he's just the same as you and me".

There was far too much to get into with that little sentence, so Harry decided to focus on his biggest question first.

"But what actually is a viscount?"

"They're… a lord, I guess. You know, like a nobleman? It's one of the five rankings in British peerage".

"Peerage?"

"Yeah, you know, like the- the muggle Royal family that you mentioned. Not everyone can be a queen or prince or whatever, but they still want to fucking distinguish themselves as being better than us common folks, so… they get peerage titles. Rankings. Like viscount".

Harry was more confused than ever.

"But if it's just for muggle royalty, then why do some wizards have them?"

"Well, it's not just for the Royal family - a lot of British politicians have them too. Haven't you ever seen a muggle parliament sitting on TV before? The House of Lords, House of Commons, and all that rot? You understand that much, right?"

Harry shook his head and Rowle frowned, leaning back in his seat.

"Alright, well… think of it this way. You know how, in fairytales and children's books and the like, there's always a king or queen in this fancy ass kingdom and they're always surrounded by lords and ladies who advise the king or queen and help them make decisions? Well, those lords and ladies are nobles, the… upper class, as such. They get a greater say in how the kingdom is run compared to the middle and lower classes, or the general public".

"But… But the wizarding world doesn't have a king or queen".

"We don't" he agreed, "But a very long fucking time ago, back when muggles and magical beings and creatures all still spoke to each other, there were a few wizards who helped the muggle royalty. I don't know everything about it, and quite frankly, I couldn't fucking care less, but long story short, way back when, those royal families gave the witches and wizards noble titles as a way of saying thanks, and these titles have been inherited by each new generation throughout the years".

"And there are different levels, you said?"

"Rankings, yeah. The highest and most influential title is that of duke or duchess. They have the most say in Wizengamot, but there's only one active duke at the moment since everyone else is either in prison or dead".

"Lucius Malfoy" Harry realised, recalling the line - Duke of Wiltshire - that had appeared in the book after his name.

"Exactly. Below the dukes are the marquesses, who hold the second highest amount of power. There are a few more of them - Lestrange, Nott, Prewett, and the like. Then it's the earls and countesses, and then the viscounts, like Dumbledore. And finally, on the bottom tier of the political cake, are the barons… like my uncle".

Harry jerked back in shock.

"Like your what?!"

Rowle gave him an amused, if somewhat bitter, smile.

"My uncle. Thorfinn Rowle. He's the current Lord Bolton. Inherited the title from my grandfather… And since he's not married and doesn't have any kids, that title should, legally, become mine since I am not only the eldest male heir but also the only fucking heir that he and my mother have".

Harry stared at him, taking in the hunched shoulders and tense tick of his jaw, his dark eyes no longer quite so warm as before.

He may be new to this whole heir-nobility-peerage-title thing, but he was still smart enough to put two and two together.

"He doesn't know you exist, does he?"

"Not in so many words, no" Rowle replied quietly, "I imagine that he knows my mother had a child, that that was the reason she was kicked out, but… well, my mother lost all contact with him when she left the wizarding world; her parents forbid it, so he has no fucking clue who I am. And I know that- that a barony is nothing compared to a- a fucking dukedom or earldom but- but it's still something! It's more than what I fucking have now, isn't it?! A way into the wizarding world, a gateway into the upper-class society that my mother just- just threw away! That title is mine by birthright and yet she just… she doesn't care. She's never cared how I feel, never cared about what I do. That's how I ended up here, at St Brutus… I thought by acting up that she might… But she didn't. Doesn't. My uncle has no idea I exist and there's absolutely nothing that I can fucking do about it".

He watched the older boy closely, heart reaching out but knowing that any hugging or pats on the shoulder wouldn't be welcomed - if Harry even knew how to give a proper hug in the first place. He could relate to being the bane of your family's existence, to being ignored by the people who were meant to care for you - and more than that, he could empathise.

"I'm sorry" he said, because what else was there to say, "That… That really sucks".

Rowle snorted. "Yeah, Evans, it really fucking sucks… But hey, as soon as I turn eighteen, I'm out of here. I'm going to get my A levels, find my uncle, find my grandparents, and then… Look, I know that- that my grandparents, at least, aren't… exactly… good people. Not with everything that they believe in and- and fucking support and all that shit, but… I have hope for my uncle. Based on what my mother's said about him, he's… not as extreme as his parents. He still believes in a lot of what the Dark Lord was fighting for, but he isn't a blood supremacist, so… well, I'm still a fucking half-blood, aren't I? My grandparents likely won't even speak to me because of that, but I have no issue with it, and… hopefully Thorfinn won't either".

"You said that nobility titles were passed down to eldest sons" Harry started carefully, "Or if there are no sons, then passed down to the next oldest male heir… Doesn't that mean that you'll get the baron title anyway? Even if your uncle doesn't… accept you, as such? You said it yourself, you're not just the eldest boy, you're the only boy".

"Yeah, it does. Thankfully. As long as I can prove who I am, then there's nothing that my grandparents, uncle, or bloody mother can do to prevent me from becoming the next Lord Bolton… Provided, of course, that Thorfinn doesn't have any kids of his own. Then I'll truly be fucked".

They sat for a moment in silence, Harry doing so to give the boy a chance to recollect himself as much as to take enough time to decide on his next question.

"Rowle? How did so many families end up with titles if they were only given to wizards close to the muggle royalty?"

"Well, I mean, there's not a ton of noble families if you actually sit down and compare them to the amount of non-noble families - it just so happens that because the peerage has the most influence and power in places like Wizengamot, they're also the most well-known names. Like wizarding celebrities. A lot of them are rich, too, but not everyone; my grandparents included. They're just… louder, I guess you could say. Granted more allowances than normal people because of their title - which isn't very fucking fair if you ask me but… That's just the way it is, I guess".

He shrugged, his fingers tapping out a mindless rhythm on the old wooden desk.

"But anyway, back to your question - not every noble family in wizarding Britain actually started in wizarding Britain. A lot of them came from other countries over the centuries, especially from France, and either earned their titles here or brought their titles with them. And you'll probably have noticed that there are very, very few dukes. It was considered the highest honour to be granted a dukedom and because of that, they have the greatest say when it comes to Wizengamot laws too… You know, rumour has it that the original dukes and duchesses were the four Hogwarts founders, but that's mostly hearsay, and their lines are well extinct by now… Or, at least, everyone thought that they were" Rowle added, "But given that the Dark Lord was able to claim the Lincoln dukedom…"

"He what?!"

The boy laughed at his expression.

"Didn't you ever wonder why he was called the Dark Lord? You-Know-Who was the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin".

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Seriously?!"

"Seriously". He grinned. "Caused quite a stir too when that got out, let me tell you. My mother said Wizengamot was in an uproar about it for weeks - apparently, everyone had thought that line had been extinct for centuries, so nobody was quite sure what to do now that it was extant again. Course, the fact that he was Lord Peverell, too-"

"Lord what?"

Rowle gave him an annoyed look for the interruption but answered anyway.

"Lord Peverell. You know, from The Three Brothers? No? Alright, well, remind me to lend you that book sometime. And Nature's Nobility, too, while I'm thinking about it" he started, "Anyway, long story short, there were these three brothers, the Peverells, and the Dark Lord was the only living descendant of the middle brother, so he was able to claim the dukedom that two of the three brothers originally held - the eldest brother never had any kids. But that got him pretty far in Wizengamot as it was".

"Wait, two of the three?" Harry asked, frowning, "Why not all three if he was their only great great great grandson or whatever?"

"Because the third brother had his own living descendants" Rowle explained, "So that seat had already been claimed. But still, three dukedoms are nothing to laugh at. From the time he left Hogwarts until he was defeated, he was by far the most powerful man in Britain! Not even the Blacks could claim that level of influence - and they easily have the most important seat in Wizengamot. It's a shame the Dark Lord never went down the political path. With the Peverell and Slytherin dukedoms, he could have gotten pretty fucking far by name alone".

"Do you know who claimed the third Peverell seat?"

"From the youngest brother? Hmm… the Potters, actually, now that I think about it. Ironically enough. Course, they had their own earldom too, which made them influential in their own right".

Harry felt his heartbeat pick up and he distantly wondered if the older boy could hear it too.

"The Potters have a- a what? An earlship?"

"Earldom" Rowle corrected, completely oblivious, "It's not as important or influential as a dukedom, of course, but it's still pretty high up there - better than a barony, at any rate. As far as I remember, the Potter line goes directly back to the youngest Peverell brother, which is why the Dark Lord couldn't use all three titles. It isn't common knowledge, though, and James Potter didn't claim it after his father died; although he didn't exactly have much time to do so anyway".

Harry's head was reeling.

Not only did his family have an earldom, but they possibly had a dukedom too?! Provided that he had no other living relatives, of course. He wasn't entirely sure yet how the rules of succession and inheritance and all that worked, but given that he wasn't even a part of the wizarding world yet, he wouldn't be surprised if some extremely distant cousin twice removed had claimed his title and holy shit he had a title! Like a- a- king or something! Did this mean he had money? And a house?! And- And influence or power or- or something big enough, important enough, to ensure his place in the wizarding world?!

"But hey, enough about that" Rowle suddenly said, shutting the genealogy book and pushing it away from them, "You said you finished Jigger's DADA book. What did you think of it? That's a third-year textbook you know".

"It was alright" Harry replied, shrugging, his mind still caught on other things, "I didn't like how it spoke about werewolves, though. It called them tainted mindless beasts! It even talked about how to hunt them! Like they aren't perfectly normal human beings the other twenty-eight days of the month!"

"Perfectly normal human beings with enhanced senses, heightened health, and increased strength and speed, you mean".

"So what? That just makes them particularly intelligent bodybuilders with good immune systems! They shouldn't be hunted for it! I mean, at least The Dark Forces took a more neutral approach, and Fantastic Beasts is the only book I've read so far that actually seems to realise that werewolves are still human!"

The blond was giving him a curious look, and it wasn't the first time Harry had seen it directed at him either.

"The Essential Defence and The Dark Forces are considered… traditional books, as such. Not dark; not regulated, but... they blur that line a little. The belief that werewolves are rabid beasts is… quite common, in certain circles".

"Well then those circles should be ashamed of themselves!" he snapped, and then immediately winced as he realised just how similar to Aunt Petunia he'd suddenly sounded, "Everyone deserves to live, right? And you can't deny that outside of the full moon werewolves are harmless! Sure, they might be a little stronger than the average witch or wizard, but that's not exactly dangerous, is it?"

"Depends on the werewolf" Rowle replied diplomatically, "How do you feel about vampires?"

"Like I said. Everyone deserves to live".

"Even at the cost of innocent lives?"

"Unless they were acting in self-defence, a murderer is still a murderer, regardless of what species or creature they are!" he said hotly, "But given how werewolves and vampires are spoken about in textbooks, and how you say that they are treated, it wouldn't surprise me to find that they lash out because of it! If the Ministry actually did its job and stopped misclassifying them as beasts instead of beings, then innocent lives wouldn't be at risk!"

"So you'd let the vampires starve, then?"

"No! But I would open blood banks!"

Rowle frowned, suddenly looking thrown. "Blood what?"

"Blood banks. You know, like how the Red Cross and the NHS organise blood drives every few months? So that you can donate your blood to people in need? Or… wait. Is this not a thing in the wizarding world?"

"It's the first I've ever fucking heard of it. You give these people your blood? For free? Really?!"

"Really" Harry confirmed, calmer now, "Muggles can't stop bleeding as quickly or as well as wizards can, so the only way they can replace the blood that was lost is by taking it from someone else. Willingly, of course".

"And if you were in charge of the Ministry, you'd… what? Ask wizards to freely donate their blood for vampires?!"

"Yes". He shrugged, again. "Well, I mean, it wouldn't be for free; I'd pay them. But that way, vampires could buy blood bags the same way that they buy blood lollipops now, and it would allow people who don't have a job or who need extra money to earn that money without having to do anything illegal. And if vampires did have access to blood regularly then they wouldn't need to attack anyone which would make everyone else more accepting of them too. Everyone would win".

Rowle was staring at him again.

"You know what, kid? You are by far the strangest fucking person that I have ever met… But you've got some good ideas; I'll give you that much".

Now all he had to do was find a way into the wizarding world, and maybe he could actually start implementing some of those ideas.

"Alright, so, you didn't like the dark creatures section of The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts, but what did you think of the spells?"

Harry immediately brightened.

"They were awesome! I finally got the fire and ice-making spells down, and Expelliarmus too, although I could only practise that with a stick I smuggled in from the yard so I don't know how well it'll work against an actual wand, and the memory charm as well but obviously I couldn't use that against anyone either but the colour of the spell was right and I think my hand movement is pretty good too! I learned the freezing charm and the shrinking charm and engorgement charm and the slowing charm too, although I don't really know when I'd ever need to use that, but anyway-"

"-but anyway, you're going to put Greg and his gang through absolute hell this year aren't you?" Rowle interrupted with a knowing look.

"... Maybe".

"Evans-"

"Only if they attack me first!" he rushed to say, "I'd never hurt someone innocent, you know that! But they hate me just for existing and I'm sick of lying to the teachers and pretending that I fell every time I show up with a split lip or a black eye! If they don't hurt me, then I won't hurt them!"

"They're muggles, Evans. They're weak!"

"They're bullies!"

"They're… okay, yeah, they're bullies" the blond conceded, running a pale hand through his hair, "Just… don't get caught, alright?"

"When have I ever?"

Rowle rolled his eyes and shoved his shoulder good-naturedly, before finally pushing the stack of books he'd brought in Harry's direction, and the boy wasted no time in lunging for them.

"Important Modern Magical Discoveries is like Modern Magical History" he explained, "But it focuses on inventions that are actually useful, rather than any old fucking thing. Book of Potions by Zygmunt Budge has a few more complicated potion recipes in it. I know you can't actually make any right now, but you seemed to like learning about the ingredients used in the last book I lent you, so I said I'd give you another one. And finally, Curses and Counter-Curses is a bit too advanced for you yet, but given how easily you jinxed me before summer… I have a feeling that the Dark Arts don't give you too much trouble".

That look was back.

"Is that… bad?" Harry asked, cautiously, "That I'm good at the Dark Arts?"

"Not to me" he replied immediately, "And not to a lot of other wizarding families either, but… well. I know you've read about it - how the Dark Arts are treated in Britain and how there are certain… prejudices associated with certain spells, so… I don't know. Just- Learn whatever the fuck you want, Evans, but like I said; don't get caught".

"And like I said; when have I ever?"

He smirked and shook his head before sitting back in his seat once more.

"You're going to take the wizarding world by storm someday. I only hope I'll be there to see it… I'll bring you a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard next Monday; it has that story about the Peverell brothers I was telling you about. And another one or two about peerage titles as well since I definitely didn't, and can't, explain everything. And maybe…" He gave Harry a side-eyed look. "How committed are you to studying this whole nobility thing?"

"Very".

"... Alright. I'll bring you a few etiquette books too then".

He baulked.

"Etiquette books?!"

"For how to correctly address a duke, who to greet first in a room full of nobles, which fork to use at an earl's luncheon… that sort of thing. My mother tried to drill it into me when I was a kid, though Merlin fucking knows why, but she quickly gave up after I learned the basics. I still have the books though, somewhere, and these ones? These ones you can fucking keep". Rowle was peering into his very soul, eyes firm and insistent and ever so slightly haunted. "You hear me, Evans? I never want to see them ever again!"

"... Alright. Thanks".

"No, kid. Thank you".

"... Right" he slowly said, wondering just what on earth he'd signed himself up for, "Anyway, do you have any other transfiguration books?"

"Transfiguration books? Don't tell me you actually managed to-"

Giving a quick look around to triple-check that they were alone, Harry reached out and held his hand above one of the pencils on his desk and ever so slightly to the left, before whispering, "Flintifors!"

There was a brief spark of light, and then suddenly, the pencil was gone, and in its place was a small yellow and red matchbox.

"... What the fuck".

Rowle was staring at the box in what appeared to be horror.

"What… the actual… fuck?!"

"Have you never seen matches before?"

"Of course I've fucking seen matches before, Evans, but what the actual fuck?!" he yelled, and Harry quickly yanked on his sleeve. "Shut up, you idiot, before someone hears you!"

"Evans. Evans, seriously, what the-"

"Yes, yes, so you've said" he interrupted, rolling his eyes at the blond, "What's the big deal? I already showed you a few spells back in January! I've been casting for months!"

"Yeah! Exactly! Casting spells! Not- Not- Not fucking transfiguring one object into another! That's not something you can do without a wand, Evans!"

"Well according to you, neither is casting normal spells either!"

"To an extent, yeah! Only really powerful wizards can use- use charms and whatever with just their hands but transfiguration is… transfiguration is really fucking hard!"

"I know" he lamented, pouting, "It took me an entire month to get it right!"

"An entire- Evans. Kid. Evans. It usually takes first years at Hogwarts an entire month to get it right with their wands!"

"... Oh".

"Yeah. Oh!"

They both stared down at the matchbox.

"... Can you turn it back?"

"No, not yet".

"Thank fuck!"

Harry snorted and picked up the box, shaking it. "You want to see me turn one of these matches into a needle though?"

The look on Rowle's face said it all.

"How the hell did you even do that?!"

"I mean, you gave me Transformation Through the Ages before you left, and I'd already learned everything I could from Magical Theory, so it didn't take me too long to memorise Gamp's Law. After that, it was just… down to practise". Harry suddenly frowned. "I also tried learning the Avifors spell, but my birds don't really end up looking like birds. That got me thinking about the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law though, since it states that food cannot be created from nothing, but you can create birds out of nothing, which makes me wonder if you do create birds out of nothing, is it possible to eat them… I don't have an answer yet, though".

"... You are terrifying".

"Coming from you, that's quite the compliment".

Rowle shook his head in disbelief but couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"Alright, so, you're a fucking prodigy when it comes to Dark Arts and Defence, you're disgustingly good at History of Magic and Magical Theory, you have weirdly specific skills in Transfiguration and Charms, and you know a ton about Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures… Is there anything that you're not good at?"

"Astronomy" he answered immediately, and the blond shot him an amused look. "Let me guess, because you can't use that knowledge for your own benefit?"

"Got it in one… And also because it's boring as hell".

"You know what, kid? You're right. You're not a Ravenclaw at all; you're as Slytherin as they come". Rowle grinned at him before suddenly reaching down and pulling a notebook out of his bag, sliding it across the table to him. "That's my maths homework, by the way. Have it done before Wednesday".