The House of Lord Potter-Black

by StarLight Massacre

A chance meeting for Harry sets him on a path he was never meant to travel. With his eyes opened, struggling to control the anger inside of him over the lies and manipulations, a sudden adoption and unlikely allies work to split him from Dumbledore. With two lordships and the responsibilities they entail, how will the wizarding world react to Lord Harry James Potter-Black?

40. The Carrow Ball

Last Time

Harry excused himself, smiling as Rabastan did the same and escorted him to the parlour, where that creature reform was lying on the table, waiting for him to work on it again. He wanted to change the wizarding world for the better, and it would start with the magical creatures who had long been oppressed and discriminated against.

Chapter Forty – The Carrow Ball

The tension that had been subtly brewing in the house was gone in light of Pius Thicknesse winning the election and being voted in as the new Minister for Magic. At least among the purebloods it was the result that they'd wanted and they hadn't even needed to force a hostile takeover of the Ministry to get that result, Thicknesse had been legally voted in by the public. Harry imagined that Dumbledore and the Order were frantically trying to prepare for life under Voldemort's puppet Minister. For some reason that thought made him smile.

Harry didn't care about any of that at the moment, however, as he prepared to go to Carrow Manor for a party. He was wearing his scarlet robes over a black under suit and it looked so good that even Harry was impressed as he looked at himself critically in the mirror and turned every direction to make sure that his robes sat on him perfectly. They did.

He was filling out nicely now that he was healthy and he was getting three meals a day, and snacks as well, and he was finally growing properly and putting on some needed weight so that he wasn't so painfully thin. He would be eighteen in half a year and he was finally starting to look less like a boy and more like a man.

"Are you ready?" Draco asked him.

Harry gave himself a last look in the mirror. "Yes."

Harry left his bedroom and headed downstairs with Draco, who was wearing robes in such a pale grey shade that it was almost white. It looked fantastically good on him. Harry would have looked ill if he'd tried dressing in a shade that pale, it would have drawn all the colour out of him, but it made Draco look ethereal.

Xerxes and Rodolphus had gone ahead to Carrow Manor already, with the former being such a good friend of Sarpedon he was welcome a little earlier than the stipulated start time and he would be welcome after midnight too, when the party would start winding down.

Rabastan had not gone on ahead of time, he was waiting for Harry and he loved the reaction his fiancé gave him when he saw him. Harry truly felt exceptionally handsome when Rabastan reacted like that to him and he couldn't help but go straight to him and go in for a kiss.

"You look lovely, Harry." Rabastan complimented him.

"You're looking very sharp tonight, Basti." Harry said right back, looking at his fiancé in his dark blue robes that almost matched his eyes. Harry would have to keep an eye on him tonight, no doubt Rhadamanthus would not appreciate the colour as much as Harry did and he would start with the cruel comments.

Harry's hands glided over the robes and his fingers tried to slip beneath the shirt so that he could touch skin. Rabastan chuckled darkly and held Harry's wrists, stopping him.

"Not here, love." He chided softly. "We have places to be on a time limit."

"I can't help myself when you look this good, Basti."

"It will not be long until we are married and you will be sick of me before our honeymoon ends."

Harry snorted a laugh. "I'm the impatient youth in this relationship, love. Don't underestimate my stamina. You'll be the one begging for a break, not me."

Rabastan rolled fond eyes, but shimmied Harry to the floo. "Go ahead. Sarpedon likes you, so you should not have such issues as you did with the Notts."

"I will see you soon." Harry promised as he crossed to the fireplace, where Narcissa and Draco were waiting patiently. Lucius was either still getting ready or he had gone on ahead as well.

"You look beautiful, Harry." Narcissa told him, tweaking the chain to Harry's pocket watch to lie more centrally, before reaching up to cup his cheeks, turning his head to either side to look him over. "The both of you be good tonight." She warned them.

"We're always good, Mother." Harry insisted. "It isn't my fault that trouble always finds me."

Narcissa's blue eyes glittered with amusement. "Well, do try, Harry darling."

"Of course." He said, grinning.

"Go on ahead, boys. I won't be too much longer."

Draco flooed through first and Harry was right behind him. The Carrow Manor reminded Harry immediately of the Lestrange Manor. It was all dark wood and dark shades of green and blue. It felt claustrophobic to Harry and he stepped forward, closer to Draco.

No one was there to greet them as hostess, as Sarpedon wasn't married and Hestia and Flora were only fifteen, too young to take on such roles as a lady of the manor.

Draco knew exactly where they were going, however, as he left the receiving room and headed down a corridor, then to the left at the end, down another dark corridor and they found the main staircase. Draco took them up to the second floor, halfway around the manor again, before he stopped at a door that was identical to every other door in the manor, and he knocked on it.

It was not a bedroom as was usual, but what seemed to be a mini ballroom as there were no beds, only chairs gathered around a small fireplace. There was a long table that had light refreshments on it.

"Draco. Harry." One of the twins greeted softly. "Welcome."

"Thank you for hosting us." Draco replied formally. Harry followed him into the little ballroom.

Blaise immediately came over to them.

"You're both a little later than you usually are." He complained.

"Did you miss both of us? Or just Draco?" Harry teased.

Blaise chuckled. "Both of you, of course." He said, wrapping an arm around Harry's waist and squeezing. "You are looking very beautiful tonight, Harry."

"Get off my brother." Draco said protectively, pulling Harry away from his best friend.

"He's very protective of me, Blaise." Harry whispered.

"I am your older brother!" Draco said determinedly.

"He doesn't care that he's only older by eight weeks." Harry said.

"It doesn't matter by how many weeks, it could be an hour and I would still be older than you. It's my duty as your older brother to look after you and protect you."

"He's not wrong." One of the Carrow twins said, smiling at them. "I am older than Hestia by nineteen minutes, but I am still the elder, thus I will protect her the same as I would our younger brother."

Adrastos Carrow was only a child. He was too young for Hogwarts still, he was only nine, but he looked adorable in his Slytherin green and silver robes. Usually, such young children, unless they were infants, weren't invited to these parties, but as this particular ball was being held in his home, it would be very rude to not invite him to a party held at his house.

Lord Sarpedon had taken in all three of his nephew's children after Zephyrus' death. The previous Lord Carrow had divorced his wife just after she'd given birth to Adrastos and she had died suddenly, in an 'accident', after contesting him for custody of his children, the heirs to the Carrow bloodline. It didn't take a genius to see what had happened to her and Harry wondered if Hestia and Flora, at least, knew that their father had killed their mother, they had been seven at the time, after all.

Then Zephyrus had gone and died too, less than half a year later, leaving all three children orphans at such a young age. Adrastos had still been an infant at the time and the heir to the Carrow lordship. Clearly, he had been unable to take up such a mantel, so Sarpedon had claimed it for himself and had named Adrastos as his heir.

Despite never being married himself, with no children of his own, Sarpedon clearly adored his great-nieces and great-nephew. Harry wondered if there was a story, or a reason, behind Sarpedon never being married. He would ask Rabastan later, when they got home.

"You see, Harry?" Draco pointed out.

It took Harry a moment to remember what they'd been speaking about, before he rolled his eyes. "Thank you for hosting us tonight, Flora." He said formally.

"We rarely have a chance to use our own ballroom. It is usually only for these large get-togethers that we can, and only if we are hosting." Flora said with a smile. "Our uncle doesn't like the thought of anyone, particularly boys, being in our bedrooms." She said with a wink.

"Lord Sarpedon doesn't even like us knowing where Hestia and Flora's bedrooms are." Draco told Harry, smiling.

"With the reputation of you and Blaise, I don't blame him." Harry said snootily.

Flora giggled, Draco went pink and glared at him, but Blaise just laughed. Out of the two of them, Blaise's 'reputation' was by far the worst. He would date and sleep with anyone who moved. His mother was giving him a lot more freedom in his teenage years and he could choose his own betrothed when he was ready, so Blaise was testing out everyone he could.

"I've been told I have to be nice to you."

Harry looked down into the sullen face of Adrastos Carrow, who was speaking to him.

"Addie!" Flora chastised.

"Why wouldn't you be nice to me?" Harry asked.

"It's confusing." Adrastos told him, while his older sister sweated nervously. "You were meant to be the enemy! Now you're supposedly a friend and I have to be nice to you, why?"

"Well, I suppose it's because before I was adopted no one really knew me." Harry said. "I was very unhappy and I wasn't being looked after well enough. The Malfoy family realised that it wasn't my fault, they saw that I wasn't being treated well and I wasn't being taught properly, so they adopted me. Now, I am being looked after and taught properly, so I'm no longer unhappy."

"Oh. That makes sense." The little boy said. "You're already a lord, aren't you? I was meant to be a lord too, but I was too little."

"That's right. I am Lord Potter and Lord Black, but it's much easier to say Lord Potter-Black." Harry said with a smile.

"Is that why I have to be nice to you now? Because you're Lord Potter-Black?"

"You're a little young for politics." Harry said gently. "But I'm sure one day you will be a great friend in the Wizengamot."

Adrastos brightened considerably at hearing that.

"My uncle says that you're no longer against our lord, either."

"Adrastos, that's enough." Flora demanded.

"Well, he's not my lord, but I'm no longer standing in his way." Harry explained, ignoring Flora, who looked at him sharply.

"Okay, I guess we can be friends, then." Adrastos told him, taking Harry's hand and holding it.

Harry gave that tiny hand a squeeze and he listened indulgently as Adrastos started chattering on. Harry wondered if this was what having kids would be like…having an energetic shadow attached to him at all times, barely coming up for breath between stories.

"You have to come and meet my uncle." Adrastos told him suddenly, as if Harry didn't know who Lord Sarpedon was and had never met him before, pulling at him until Harry followed him from the mini ballroom without anyone noticing. They were still holding hands.

It wasn't too rude for Harry to go down early. Not only was he seventeen, a legal adult, but he was also a lord of two houses, though he was still in school, which is the only reason he was still expected to go to the children's room and greet them before anyone else.

The main ballroom was very full of laughing, chattering people, all dressed impeccably, and Adrastos weaved around them expertly, looking for Lord Sarpedon in the throng of bodies.

"Uncle!" Adrastos called out as he caught sight of the man.

Of course Sarpedon turned immediately at his great-nephew's call. He was stood with Xerxes, Rodolphus, and a rather amused-looking Rabastan.

"Adrastos, what is the matter?" Sarpedon asked, giving him a visual check and then looking to Harry, being pulled along by Adrastos.

"This is my new friend, Lord Potter-Black, though he said I could call him Harry." Adrastos told him. "I like him, Uncle."

"I see. You should not be leading Lord Potter-Black around like a pet, Adrastos." Sarpedon said sternly.

"I don't mind." Harry waved off. "Adrastos is a good host and he's been so talkative."

Sarpedon looked faintly worried then about what Adrastos had been telling him…it made Harry wonder what Sarpedon might have said to his young relatives. Flora and Hestia were old enough to know not to repeat certain things…Adrastos was definitely not old enough to make such a distinction.

"You're my friend now." Adrastos told him. "Come and see the garden! I helped design it for tonight."

"Did you? I'm sure you've done a wonderful job, Adrastos. I'd like to see."

"Call me Addie."

Adrastos pulled Harry off again and Harry shared an amused smile with Rabastan, allowing the little boy to pull him around.

He got more amused looks, but it was mostly because of how cute Adrastos was, babbling away excitedly and pulling him around, showing him things. It was two hours of the nine-year-old completely monopolising Harry's attention before Hestia came and saved Harry by telling Adrastos that he had to go to bed.

"I'm not even tired, Hessie!" The little boy complained, though he had started to lose some energy and he was rubbing his eyes a lot too.

"It's ten O'clock, Addie, you are lucky that uncle allowed you to stay up for this long. Come on now, to bed."

Adrastos complained and kicked his feet, but he looked sullenly at Harry. "Bye, Harry. I really like being your friend."

"I like being your friend too, Addie. Go to bed now, though. You need some sleep."

Harry made his escape as Hestia took Adrastos by the hand and led him up to bed, and Harry stretched subtly and went to get himself a drink. Dear Merlin, could Adrastos talk!

Harry took his drink and he started making small talk with everyone he encountered, as he circuited the room looking for Rabastan.

"I saw you being dragged about by the little gremlin."

"Marcus, don't call children gremlins." Harry chastised, as he turned and grinned at Marcus Flint. "Honestly, you'd think you weren't going to have your own!"

"How did you guess?" Eleanor demanded, laying a hand over her belly.

Harry blinked.

"He didn't know, he meant we'd have children in the future." Marcus told her. "But, I suppose telling him so early isn't a bad thing."

Eleanor looked a little abashed, but she soldiered on. "I'm only a few weeks." She whispered to him. "Please don't tell anyone."

"Of course not. I can't wait to see you run ragged by a child." Harry teased Marcus.

"As you were tonight?" Marcus shot right back.

"Practice, dear Marcus! Practice."

"Are you…?" Eleanor asked, looking at his own perfectly flat belly.

"Oh, no! Dear Merlin, no. My mother would string me up and then castrate poor Rabastan if we dared do such a terrible thing before our wedding. Speaking of, I am almost done with the planning and everything is on schedule for August."

"I had better be invited." Marcus told him.

"Who would want you skulking around at their wedding? You'd scare off my other guests!"

Eleanor laughed in that loud, uncaring way that had heads swinging towards them with disdain. None of the three of them cared.

Harry laughed too, at the scowl on Marcus' face. "You're both invited, of course. It won't be long now. Seven months and I'll be married."

"Our wedding has been moved forward. Both of our families know that I am carrying and have insisted that we be married before the baby is born in September."

"Am I invited? Unlike Marcus, I am a joy to be around."

Eleanor laughed again, loud and uninhibited, and Harry saw Marcus smile at her. A real, proper smile. Marcus had chosen perfectly.

"You're invited." Marcus told him. "Eleanor is planning it with her cousin and aunt."

"My grandmother, Andromena, is also graciously helping out." Eleanor said, smiling. "I might not have had very many female figures in my life, but my grandmother was a constant."

"My mother has taken charge of everything, but I get the final say in everything and I've made Rabastan help me. I'm way too busy to do it all myself."

"How is that law reform coming on?" Marcus asked.

"I…I think it might be almost done. I am nervous, in truth, to present it to the public." He admitted.

"I'll be happy to read it through if you'd like."

Harry nodded. "I'd like that. I've been gathering opinions on it, the more the better."

"Send me a copy and I'll go through it again like I did when I was tutoring you. I expect you to have an O in your exams and I'll expect you to get this law reform passed too."

"I'll get an O, Marcus. I've been getting all Os in my mock exams in class. I told you on Christmas Eve that I scored the highest in the class on the last mock exam before the end of term. I'm going to walk the final exam, Marcus, I promise."

"It's very high praise to my teaching abilities that you are doing so well. It looks good on me."

Harry chuckled. "You really deserve the praise. Of course, it helped that I wanted to learn."

"You were very diligent." Marcus agreed.

"Harry, there you are." It was Rodolphus who had found him first.

"You'd think I was marrying him and not his brother." Harry said teasingly.

"Stop with that, it's disgusting." Rodolphus told him, but he wrapped a gentle arm around him and just yanked him away rudely.

"Bye then." Harry said, rolling his eyes, but he gave Marcus and Eleanor a wave.

Harry was escorted, pretty much dragged, over to where Xerxes and Rabastan were standing, the latter looked rather concerned, which melted away when he saw Harry.

"Are you alright?" Rabastan asked him.

"Of course. What's happened that made you think otherwise?" Harry asked.

"Rhadamanthus is looking too happy." Xerxes said.

"Oh, I didn't even realise he was here. He hasn't come near me." He assured them.

"I tried looking for you, but when I couldn't find you, and with him looking too happy, I was worried." Rabastan said.

"We all tried looking for you and your parents have gone looking too. We thought he might have tried something." Xerxes said.

Harry shook his head. "No. I'm perfectly fine. I've been making circuits and when Dolphus found me I was with Marcus and Eleanor."

"Xerxes, it's good to see you."

The man who approached was unknown to Harry, but he was old, his hair was white and he was wrinkled.

"Phobos." Xerxes greeted. They shook hands. "You remember my grandsons, Rodolphus and Rabastan, and this is Lord Potter-Black, Rabastan's fiancé."

"Ah, yes, I have heard a lot about Lord Potter-Black." The man said, pinning dark eyes to Harry.

"I am rather popular." Harry said with a smile, holding out his hand.

Phobos, apart from having a terrible name, went right down in Harry's opinion when he took Harry's hand and, instead of shaking it, he laid a kiss on the back of it. Harry only just managed not to grimace in disgust when wet, wrinkled lips touched his bare skin.

"I would have liked the opportunity to become a suitor to you, though I was not given the option." Was the first thing that Phobos said to him and Harry hated him right then and there.

There was no way that Harry would have agreed to marry a man who looked like he was into his eighties. Rabastan had noticeably stiffened beside him and Harry forced a smile.

"Oh, I didn't even look at anyone else after I found my Rabastan." Harry said, placing emphasis on 'my' to show possession. "He is my one and only and I wanted him from the start."

That was a small lie. He'd been furious when he'd found out that Lucius was planning to marry him into the Lestrange family, but he couldn't imagine being with anyone else now.

"I could have changed your mind if I had been given the chance. I have never been ruined by Azkaban, after all."

Harry's hand clenched tightly on Rabastan's when the man insinuated that Rabastan was in any way 'ruined'. He hated Phobos' attitude and his certainty that Harry would have picked him if only he'd been given the chance to court him. He wouldn't have. He had chosen Rabastan as he had been, almost fresh from Azkaban and dealing with so many issues and so much damage, but Harry had seen the potential of the man underneath the damage, he had wanted to help Rabastan, and he had. No one, especially not an arrogant, eighty-year-old, would have turned his head.

"Are you picking fights, again?" Lord Sarpedon demanded, clapping Phobos on the shoulder in a show of friendliness, but the look in his eyes was glacial.

"Of course not." Phobos said indignantly. "I was merely pointing out that I wasn't given a chance to present my suit to Lord Potter-Black."

Sarpedon looked furious. "You are eighty-six years old, Phobos. Lord Potter-Black is a young man who has just turned seventeen, it is disgraceful to even offer your suit to him. Would you wish for me to accept an eighty-year-old suitor for Hestia or Flora?"

Harry was considering that Sarpedon and Phobos were related, but he didn't know how. Sarpedon had had an older brother, Nestor, and a younger sister, Ilaria. Both of them were now dead. Nestor had had one son, Zephyrus, who had had Flora and Hestia, and then Adrastos. Ilaria had been married to Matthias Flint, she had been Mark Flint's mother and Marcus' grandmother.

Harry didn't know how Amycus or Alecto fit into the tree, however. He knew they were Sarpedon's third cousins, but there were clearly other members of the Carrow family that Harry was only just meeting.

"I would have liked the chance to court him." Phobos said stubbornly. "Rabastan is forty himself! And ruined from years in Azkaban besides."

Sarpedon looked as if he wanted to kill Phobos, Harry saw his fingers twitch as if he wanted to go for his wand.

"You are forty-six years older than Rabastan!" Sarpedon hissed through his teeth. "He has overcome much and he is healing very well. You will stop this embarrassing line of conversation immediately! Xerxes, I am truly sorry for this insult!" He said, turning to Xerxes.

"Come away, Harry." Rabastan said, pulling him away. "Let us go and get some drinks."

They'd hardly needed to make excuses as the two Carrows only had furious eyes for one another.

"How does Phobos fit into the Carrow tree?" Harry asked curiously.

"He's Sarpedon's cousin, him and his sister Phaedra. Aristaeus Carrow, Sarpedon's grandfather, had four sons; Erebus, which led to Sarpedon's line. His second son, Lycurgus, is the father of Phobos and Phaedra. Then it was Nereus, who is the great-grandfather of Amycus and Alecto, and the final son, Ganymede, who was a male bearer like you are and he was married into the Selwyn family, back when they were reputable, of course, and not the desperate jokes they are now."

Harry took in all of this new information and mulled it over. He could see how the family all linked together and he nodded.

"Are there any other Carrows I might meet?"

"Not in name, but Aristaeus had a brother and a sister, Brontes and Despoina. The former had two daughters, Tilphousia and Thalia, so they never added to the Carrow tree, and the latter had a son, Elpis, but he was born a Davis, so no, there aren't any more Carrows in name, just a few in blood."

"I don't like Phobos." Harry declared.

"I don't either, after that." Rabastan agreed.

Harry laughed. "I would never have considered him! I was debating whether you were too old, Basti!" Harry said, grinning.

"You thought I was too old?" Rabastan asked, offended.

"I had just turned sixteen! You were thirty-eight, Rabastan, of course I thought you might be too old, you're twenty-two years older than me. I haven't even lived for twenty-two years yet. You weren't so old that I rejected you out of hand, though. I did give you a chance."

"I will forever be grateful that you gave me that chance."

"Me too. I love you and I want to spend my life with you. I'll be forever glad that I let Lucius talk me into meeting you. I would like to make it clear that I never once saw you as ruined. I always, always, thought that all you needed was some help and healing and I was willing to give that to you. I didn't like that Phobos said that about you."

Rabastan gave him a smile and then handed him a glass of sparkling grape juice. He clinked against Harry's glass with his own.

"To forever, my love."

"To forever." Harry repeated with a smile.

They both drank and Harry stayed with Rabastan as they started circuiting again, meeting and greeting people and chatting, Phobos and his nasty comments forgotten. It was better when he did this with Rabastan and he was enjoying the little snippets that Rabastan was telling him about the people they met as they moved away to another group or couple; small stories that Harry wouldn't have heard of because he hadn't grown up in these circles. Harry was so amused by one of those stories that he was clutching Rabastan's arm and laughing, and Rabastan was smiling down at him, happy just to see Harry so happy.

"You are both embarrassing."

Harry knew that poisonous voice too well and he turned to see Rhadamanthus sneering at them both.

"I don't believe that you understand the meaning of that word for as often as you toss it out." Harry said stiffly.

"Giggling like children in such esteemed company." Rhadamanthus carried on as if Harry hadn't spoken.

"I hope you aren't including yourself in that." Harry told him, and he finally got a reaction for that, as Rhadamanthus glared at him.

"You are going to regret drawing attention to yourself one of these days."

"Do not threaten him in front of me!" Rabastan snarled.

"Oh, you are able to speak, I wasn't sure if Lord Potter-Black was doing that for you these days." Rhadamanthus told him.

"You're honestly not even worth a minute of our time." Harry said, tugging on Rabastan's arm and turning to leave.

"Your days are numbered, Potter. Remember that."

Rabastan turned around in a flash, his wand in hand, but Harry pressed it back down again.

"My love, he's not worth your attention or your reaction, remember that I am protected." Harry said, before adding in a whisper under his breath. "He doesn't know about the Horcruxes and he doesn't know that I'm one. He can't touch me, your lord won't allow it."

Rabastan eased down and Harry rubbed a small hand against his chest.

"You're the pathetic one, Rhadamanthus. I honestly find it amusing that you think that you can do anything to me. Let me make it clear that you can't. You are not my equal, you are nothing to me, and you never will be. You won't be the one to take me out."

Rhadamanthus was going red in the face, but there was suddenly a hand touching Harry's back and someone moved smoothly in front of him.

"I do hope you are not harassing my son, Rhadamanthus." Narcissa said in a frosty voice.

"You shouldn't claim such an unworthy maggot as a relative, Narcissa." Rhadamanthus told her. "His ill luck and impure blood will stain you and your family."

"My blood is the same red as yours." Harry told him.

"We should check that…when I spill it all over the floor."

Harry startled at the loud smack of skin on skin and he gaped as he realised that Narcissa had slapped Rhadamanthus straight across the face. She had done it so hard that there was a red mark already forming on Rhadamanthus' cheek.

"You will not dare harm one of my sons!" Narcissa hissed angrily, her tone so hard and cruel that Harry took a step back from her. Angry Narcissa was truly terrifying! "If you even look in my Harry's direction I will ensure that you never lay eyes on him ever again as I will curse them from their very sockets! You will not lay a single hand upon him and your wand will never aim in his direction or I will personally take your miserable life!"

"Cissa, what has happened?"

Lucius inserted himself smoothly between his wife and the enraged Rhadamanthus with his bright red cheek. It would be a nasty bruise and Harry wished he could see it when it properly bloomed.

"He threatened our son! He threatened to kill Harry right as I stood here, Lucius. I will not stand for it!"

They had gathered a crowd and Rhadamanthus appeared to be utterly humiliated by having witnesses. Then, that was the way with bullies. The moment they had an audience, they became cowards.

"You threatened Lord Potter-Black in my own home?" Lord Sarpedon demanded, pushing his way through the crowd. "This is unacceptable behaviour! Lord Potter-Black is a guest and I will not have any blood shed in my own home!"

"You know he's not one of us." Rhadamanthus snapped angrily. "He's a filthy halfblood. His mother a mudblood!"

"Don't say anything against my mum!" Harry spat. "She was worth more than you! She was smarter than you, kinder, and braver than you!"

Rabastan pulled him into his chest and Harry eased down a little, as he realised he'd been inching towards Rhadamanthus.

"You see, even now, he doesn't care about the pureblood parents who adopted him." Rhadamanthus told the watching crowd.

"I will defend both of my mums and both of my dads until my dying breath." Harry hissed at him angrily. "But it was only one of my four parents you were insulting and you don't get to do that."

"Harry is right, you're not equal to any of Harry's parents." Rabastan said, making Rhadamanthus sneer at him. "You don't get to throw insults at any of them when you've never even been a parent."

"I raised Rodolphus!" Rhadamanthus insisted, as if he only had one son.

"No, you never." Rodolphus cut in firmly. "I was raised by my grandfather, who I now call father, the same as my brother."

"You are both ungrateful…"

"You do not get to insult those boys, either." Xerxes' curt, dark voice cut in and another hand pressed against Harry's back. Xerxes was standing behind him, willing to protect him. "They are my boys and I raised them and I made the decision to betroth Rabastan and Harry together. I wholly welcome him into my family, that decision has never been yours to make."

"You will force the Lestrange line to carry on through that!" Rhadamanthus growled at his father, jabbing a finger at Harry. "Our esteemed line, corrupted and diluted with his unworthy blood!"

"It is not your decision to make." Xerxes repeated calmly, staring at his son with cold brown eyes.

"The only one unworthy here is you." Harry put in, safely encased in Rabastan's arms, Rodolphus just beside them and Xerxes to the other side.

Rhadamanthus' brown eyes were spitting at him, his face was red, the cheek that Narcissa had slapped was almost purple, but his gaze slid to Xerxes, and Harry almost, almost, thought that Rhadamanthus was going to be stupid enough to try something, but then he exhaled and, without saying another word, he turned on his heel and stormed out.

"What happened?" Xerxes asked him, even as Sarpedon tried to regain control of his derailed party.

"He threatened to kill Harry, right in front of me!" Narcissa hissed. She was angrier than Harry had ever seen her before.

"He said he would spill Harry's blood on the floor." Rabastan said. "I will not let him, Father!"

Xerxes blinked at the title given to him, and he softened a little in his eyes, but his shoulders pulled back straight and stiff.

"I think it might be best if we, Lucius, revise the traditional betrothal rules, in light of Rhadamanthus' threats of violence, and the upcoming wedding, I believe it would be best if, from now, we keep Harry and him apart."

"I am unwilling to risk my son for such traditions." Lucius agreed smoothly. "I believe it will be for the best, going forward, to keep Rhadamanthus away from my Harry."

Sarpedon had done a good job of herding people away, so their conversation was mostly private, and Harry could relax a little.

"I can't believe you slapped him, Mother." Harry giggled.

"It was a very good slap, as well." Rabastan praised.

"No one threatens one of my sons in front of me!" She said, tipping her head back until her nose was in the air. "He was lucky that my instinctual reaction was to physically attack him, if I had gone for my wand, he wouldn't have gotten off so lightly!"

It was getting close to midnight, only forty more minutes. Harry was grateful for this as, after his run-in with Rhadamanthus, he just really wanted to go home and just relax a bit.

He made a few more rounds of the ballroom, seeking out members of the Wizengamot more than anyone else purely because he 'knew' them and he wanted to curry favour for his proposal. There were now fifty-five members of the Wizengamot, though Harry was the only one who counted as two people, as he was Lord Potter and Lord Black. He was the only one currently juggling two lordships, but there were still fifty members who he couldn't rely on to back him, so he had to start changing their minds to vote in favour of his law reform.

Rabastan did not leave his side. Instead, he had his arm wrapped securely around Harry's waist and he was escorting him around, following where Harry went, letting Harry dominate the conversation, though he wasn't silent. He added to the conversation when there was a natural lull, and he knew what to say when Harry came across someone stubborn, who didn't want to hear about Harry's plans or his charity work or his reforms.

"Milo." Rabastan called out.

A tall, thin man turned, giving Rabastan a glare. "If you ask for another room, I am going to curse you and then just fucking give you my restaurant."

Harry realised who this was then, the name finally clicking with the context. This was Rabastan's friend, Milo Lawson, owner of the prestigious Garnet Swan restaurant, where Rabastan kept taking him for their dinner dates.

"I was merely coming to say hello and to introduce you to my fiancé, Lord Harry Potter-Black."

Milo blinked, narrowed his eyes, opened his mouth and then thought better of it, closing it again. He took a moment as he mulled something over in his mind and then shook his head. "I was about to say that I know who you are, but we have never actually been officially introduced, have we?"

Harry shook his head. "For as often as I've been in your lovely establishment, no, this is the first time we are meeting face-to-face."

"That's your fault." Milo declared, glaring at Rabastan. "You speak of him so often, I feel as if I already know him."

"You are one of the only friends I have who didn't turn in disgust after my release from Azkaban." Rabastan told him. "There are some things I don't wish to confide in my brother or grandfather."

Milo clapped Rabastan's upper arm. "You're still the same arsehole I knew before you went to Azkaban. It's taken you some time to heal, but I didn't mind the wait. Now look at you! Better than before you went into that hellhole."

"I am feeling much better in recent weeks." Rabastan said. "I am feeling stronger and more energetic. I can do more of everything and I don't need to stop and take a rest. I am finally seeing the rewards for the heavy potion regime."

"You are almost off all of them." Harry added in gently.

Rabastan smiled down at him.

"You are?" Milo asked.

"I am. I had hoped to be done by the New Year, but I will be done by the Spring. Either late February or early March. Dolphus will need an extra few months as he's bigger than me, but by the summer, we will both be fully healed and fully healthy once more."

"And then the wizarding world can look out." Milo said darkly.

Rabastan looked at him sharply, worriedly, but Harry just gave him a gentle smile.

"I would burn the world for you, my love." Harry declared.

Milo chuckled. "I can finally see what you mean, and what you see in him."

Harry smiled. "I liked how he treated me when we were first introduced." Harry said. "He was nice to me, and gentle, and I wanted to help him, and he, thankfully, allowed me to do that."

Rabastan's arm rose from his waist to drape around his shoulders, pulling him into a gentle hug.

"I will forever be grateful for how you handled me back then."

"Almost two years now, Rabastan. Just seven more months."

"I had better receive an invite to that wedding!" Milo told them. "I feel I have helped cater to your relationship from the start. I will not be snubbed."

"You have helped us from the start." Harry agreed. "You are, of course, invited."

"We are grateful. It was the only way we could go to dinner together and pretend I am not an escaped convict."

"You have more than paid your debt." Harry said, well aware that the Longbottoms likely didn't agree with him on that.

Harry hated the Dementors and their effects on, not just him personally, but all humans. He was firmly of the opinion that it should not be legal to subject people, no matter what they'd done, to such unending torture. No one, no matter what they'd done, deserved that. Harry wouldn't even put Rhadamanthus through that and he absolutely loathed the man.

"It won't be long now that Thicknesse is in charge." Milo said, grinning.

"You will still allow us use of the private room, won't you?" Harry asked teasingly. "I have found I very much like having Rabastan in privacy."

He made it sound more salacious than it was and Milo laughed.

"Harry!" Rabastan chastised, but he was smiling and Harry paid no attention.

"Oh hush, Rabastan. You can protest all you want, but you would prefer the privacy too."

"I will allow you the use of your own private room. I am keeping the one in reserve at all times for your use." Milo assured them.

"I thought you were only joking about keeping one in reserve?" Rabastan asked with confusion.

Milo shook his head. "No. They are not overly popular, given how expensive they are to rent for just a few hours. They only really see use for some betrothal dinners and dignitaries who wish for privacy. We hosted Celestina Warbeck on Christmas Day, even. I can afford to keep one in reserve for you, Rabastan. Your relationship is important."

Harry heard that as Voldemort had threatened Milo to make sure he didn't interfere in their budding relationship with something as simple as not having a room for them to use when they needed it. Voldemort was truly invested in his and Rabastan's relationship as not only did it mean keeping a very close eye on him with his family of truly loyal followers, the Lestranges, but it was also a reward for the loyalty of the Lestranges. There was no higher gift to an ancient bloodline than a continuation of that bloodline, and the Lestranges had been utterly stagnant before Harry and Rabastan's betrothal.

Rabastan had been ruined by Azkaban and, back when Harry had first met him, no one had accepted any betrothal offers because of how he looked and how he acted. Rodolphus hated his wife, Bellatrix, and there would be no continuation of the line through them. Rhadamanthus had lost the love of his life and couldn't even think of marrying anyone again. He hated children and the only one he had wanted was Rodolphus, who, again, wouldn't be having children.

Xerxes could probably marry and have another child if things were truly desperate, but he was already a grandfather and likely thought that it wasn't his duty to carry on the line when he had already raised a son and then taken in and raised his two grandsons, all capable of having children, but were either unwilling, or in Rabastan's case, no one had wanted him, but their loss was Harry's gain.

Harry wrapped an arm around Rabastan's waist and squeezed.

"We really appreciate it." Harry said. "I love this man and I hate that I can't see him as often as I would like, nor can I drag him out shopping with me. Not yet, at least."

"Soon." Rabastan assured him, smiling. "Thicknesse won the election, Harry. He'll pardon all of those of us who were in Azkaban, and like you, will insist that we paid our debt to society. We'll be able to go public soon."

"We'll have to be careful, especially if I am still in Hogwarts at the time." Harry said, playing devil's advocate.

"It will be in the summer, my love. After you've graduated. These plans can't be done too soon, it has to be done properly, and we wouldn't want to put you at risk, though your father is planning to remove Dumbledore as quickly as possible. We can't risk him being so close to you, with power over you, with your graduation coming up."

Harry nodded. He was set to have a meeting with the other school governors soon, in an attempt to oust Dumbledore from Hogwarts. With his power at the Ministry in tatters after Harry claimed his lordships and his two seats on the Wizengamot eighteen months ago now, if they could loosen his grip on the esteemed school too then they could deal a massive blow to Dumbledore's reputation.

"I have also heard a lot about a law reform you are working on?" Milo said, giving a sly look to Rabastan. "Rabastan here mentions it every time I speak to him, it might be nice to actually see this law reform instead of hearing about it second-hand."

"I will have Rabastan send you a copy." Harry said with a smile.

"I'd like that. I have heard so much about it and have yet to read the entire proposal, but you have Rabastan supporting you fully. I have rarely seen him so excited."

Harry chuckled, more so when Rabastan gave his friend a glare.

"I do my best to keep him excited." Harry said slyly, with a coy look up at his fiancé.

Milo laughed in surprise, and Rabastan looked down at him in surprise. Seeing his naughty look, Rabastan bent down to give him a kiss.

Harry held his face and kissed him back with as much passion as he was allowed to show in public, before they were married at least.

"Alright, you are in the middle of a ballroom and I am standing right here." Milo told them.

"You can go now." Rabastan said, his voice slightly roughened.

Milo laughed. "I don't think I should, you look like you need a chaperone."

"Go, Milo!"

"I'm going to go and find Rodolphus." Milo warned, leaving them.

Harry didn't care. Rodolphus might be grumpy, but he was a pushover when it came to Rabastan and his happiness, especially now that he was no longer stressed over the election and securing votes for Thicknesse.

The two of them remained arm in arm, circling the ballroom and playing up the niceties. It was all very political, but Harry had gotten used to it in the last year and a half and he had learned well.

"Lawson told me that you needed a chaperone."

Harry smiled at Rodolphus, who came storming over.

"No, Dolphus, we've been perfectly behaved, as befitting our station." Harry said teasingly.

"I don't believe you." Rodolphus declared, but his hand went straight to Harry's hair, ruffling it all over his head…Draco was going to have a heart attack when he saw the state of it.

"Your faith in us is duly noted." Harry teased.

"I have faith in your love, not in your ability to adhere to the betrothal restrictions and keep your hands to yourselves."

Harry rolled his eyes, but he wrapped his arm around Rodolphus', feeling the bulging forearm underneath the black robes. Both of them were getting fitter and healthier.

"I'll behave, Dolphus. It is getting difficult now, with the wedding just a few months away, but I…as much as I love Rabastan I would never want to break my mother's heart. It is not your threats, or anyone else's, that stop me from doing anything, it's the thought of disappointing my mother when I'm forced to tell her I am pregnant out of wedlock."

"Excuse me?!"

Harry grimaced and turned to see a horrified Narcissa.

"That comment was taken completely out of context, Mother! I assure you, I am not pregnant."

"You swear to me, right now, that you're not." Narcissa whispered under her breath, using a firm hand to push Rabastan's off of him and pulling him into her own arms.

"I swear it. I was merely telling Rodolphus that it is not his lecturing or anyone else's opinion of me that has me waiting for our wedding day, but the thought of disappointing you."

"That was what he said, Narcissa." Rodolphus said gruffly.

Narcissa relaxed a little, and she brushed her hands over Harry's shoulders and down his arms. She squeezed him gently at the elbows.

"Good. At least I am invested in your image, darling, even if you are not. It would look obscene for you to be pregnant while still in school! I would not have that for you. Imagine the headlines when you run for office! Future Minister was pregnant before he graduated." Narcissa actually shuddered.

Harry smiled gently and he bent forward to kiss his mother's cheek, watching as her blue eyes softened. She smiled at him and squeezed his elbows again.

"Would you like a drink, Mother?" Harry asked, offering her his arm, waving off Rabastan, who went with Rodolphus.

"I would. It was where I was heading when I overheard your partial comment."

"I am grateful that you allowed me to explain the misunderstanding." He said.

"Of course, darling. I like to think of myself as calm and level-headed. Having you for a son has certainly tested my patience, but I wouldn't change you for anything."

"I regret my behaviour when I was first adopted." Harry said softly.

"I was thinking of your recent behaviour with Rabastan." Narcissa told him with a smile. "It was understood that you would be a bit of a handful in the beginning, given our differences, but you are such an intelligent young man, of course you figured everything out for yourself and learned quickly."

"I can't really help my behaviour in regards to Rabastan, I love him. I am trying and I swear on my life that I will not be pregnant before our wedding night, but I like being near him. I like kissing him and cuddling with him. Going into these last two terms of school now, I'm going to be so distracted and busy I will hardly have a moment to write to him, let alone see him. I just…I don't want to be away from him for such a long time now. I want to spend all of my time with him, Mother."

"You have so many plans for the future, my darling." Narcissa told him. "Marriage and parenthood can wait for a few more months while you set yourself up for the best possible future that you can. I will accept no less for you."

Harry smiled and cuddled in a bit. He loved it when his family showed him how much they cared in such small, simple ways.

They made it to the drinks table and Harry got a glass of white wine for Narcissa and a sparkling grape juice for him. They looked pretty much the same, but Harry had found he didn't really like drinking. He was fine with one glass with dinner, or one glass at a gathering, but he preferred no alcohol, he didn't like how it messed with his thoughts.

"Cissa, dear, who is this charming young man?" A woman with perfectly curled dark hair asked, but her soft, hazel eyes were sharp, deadly. She knew exactly who he was and Harry inhaled slowly, his back pulling straight and he lifted his chin a fraction, preparing for this next conversation where insults were hidden behind false praise.

"Theodosia." Narcissa greeted, drawing out the name to indicate more pleasure than she was likely feeling. "How are you, dear? I had heard that you were unwell and you didn't come to the Christmas Eve gala, are you feeling better? This is my younger son, Lord Harry Potter-Black."

Theodosia…sister to Philip Nott, Theo's aunt for whom he was named, and wife of Lord Mark Flint. She was Marcus' mother and Harry honestly hadn't heard Marcus mention her once, which likely indicated that Marcus didn't like her all that much. Marcus was not the sort of person to keep up appearances, not even familial ties, if he didn't want to.

"He pales in comparison to your real son." Theodosia said, her eyes narrowing.

"Perhaps you need glasses, dear?" Narcissa offered sweetly. "My Harry is darker in appearance than my Draco." She tittered a little laugh, as if she hadn't understood Theodosia's insult.

"I assure you, Lady Flint, that I am just as real as my brother Draco. I am not a figment of your imagination, after all." Harry gave a soft chuckle of his own, again, purposefully misconstruing her meaning.

"My brother tells me that you lost your last debate in the Wizengamot." Theodosia said, playing the same game as Narcissa and him, making her tone sound sympathetic, but her eyes were laughing at him. "He said that you were actually trying to save a creature that had bitten a human! How shameful."

"The only shameful thing about that incident was that the Wizengamot abused their position to vote on something that wasn't against the law and I've already reported it." Harry said, his smile more a baring of teeth. "It will not happen again because I've moved to ensure that nothing that isn't against the law we are meant to protect can be voted upon, as decreed by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, so you can go and tell your vile brother that instead."

Narcissa's arm clenched a little on his, reminding him to keep his temper. A showing of emotion was akin to a loss of control in these circles…he couldn't show so much emotion. He inhaled deeply and plastered a fake smile on his face.

"It does amuse me that people keep mentioning my first, and only, defeat in the Wizengamot as if it bothers me…it doesn't." That was a little bit of a lie, he had been bothered by it, at the clear abuse of power he'd witnessed, but mostly it had been Lucius and Xerxes turning against him that had bothered him the most and that had now been rectified. He'd been assured that it would never happen again and he could accept that. "I knew I would lose that debate, even as I argued against it, I knew it wouldn't be enough, but I would not now, or ever, change my stance or my vote based on which side will win. I am stronger than that."

"You truly are, darling." Narcissa said proudly. "You are going to change the world."

"For the worse!" Theodosia bit out, her façade cracking a little.

"For better or for worse in your opinion, I'm still going to change it." Harry said with a mocking smile. "I'm the only one willing to try to change it, and so I will."

"You are an imposter among us!" Theodosia shrieked.

"Dosie, why are you screaming at Lady Malfoy and Lord Potter-Black?"

Lord Mark Flint came storming over, his eyes spitting fury at his wife. "You begged me to allow you to come to this party, and against my better judgement, I allowed it! You swore that you would behave yourself and I find that you are harassing two prominent people, those whom I find I actually like!"

"He is an imposter, you said so yourself!" Dosie shrieked at her husband, and from the look on his face, he was going to strike her. Harry wouldn't stand for that abuse in front of him, not after the Dursleys, so he moved to defuse the situation as best as he could.

"Lord Flint, I haven't seen you yet tonight, how are you?" He said placidly, but he filed away the little revelation that perhaps Lord Mark wasn't an ally to him and had been calling him an imposter in the privacy of his home.

"I apologise greatly for this embarrassment." Lord Mark told him. "I don't usually allow Dosie to come out into public, and this is entirely why." He hissed the last at her.

"I take no offence to her words, I find it merely amusing." Harry assured him. "She isn't even the first person to insinuate that I'm an imposter tonight. Very unoriginal for just one party." Harry directed the last to Theodosia too.

"You were legitimised." Lord Mark waved off. "Such a loophole was created specifically for those in your position, you are no imposter. My thoughtless comment, which should never have been repeated in public…" Here he glared at his furious wife. "…was when I first heard about your adoption and before I knew that you had been legitimised. I apologise greatly for making assumptions before I had all the facts. I no longer think the same way. I find, against my wishes, I actually like you, Lord Potter-Black. I know Marcus does as well."

The loophole had actually been created for those lords who kept mistresses. As long as they still had magic, and weren't muggles, if a lord and his lady wife only had daughters, or no children at all, a son from a mistress could be legitimised by a pureblood godparent and then take over the lordship. Perhaps Lord Selwyn needed a few mistresses? Harry shuddered at the thought. Maybe not.

"Marcus is a good friend. He's treated me so well in the last few years."

"He doesn't really like you!" Theodosia burst out.

"How would you know?" Mark snapped at her. "Marcus hasn't spoken to you in six years."

"I know my son!" Theodosia exclaimed.

"If you know him so well, and claim he doesn't really like me, then why did he try to court me last year?" Harry asked with a smirk, watching as both Theodosia and Mark showed surprise. Clearly, neither of them had known about that little stroll through the garden at Parkinson Manor, the both of them testing their compatibility and then deciding not to take it further, but instead to forge a friendship through tutoring. "It was from that that Marcus decided to tutor me, why would he choose to do that if he didn't even like me?"

"He is tutoring you?" Theodosia asked, almost in horror.

"Oh, did you not know?" Harry asked, his tone falsely sweet. "Well, that's awkward. He tutored me for a year, after all. We only recently decided that he's taught me all he can without me actually going into an ancient runes career, which he's currently trying to convince me to do. I've passed every single exam and test since with straight Os. He's very proud of me."

Theodosia looked like she might cry that her perfect, pureblood son was interacting with Harry at all…or perhaps because she was clearly further out of touch with Marcus and his current life than she had believed. Lord Mark didn't seem to care for his wife's crumpled face past a sneer of disgust and Marcus had apparently not spoken to his mother in six years.

"Why are you here?" Marcus demanded as he appeared out of nowhere, just standing beside Harry, glaring at his mother. "Why did you let her out of the house?" He directed at his father.

"I am wondering that myself." Mark said.

Marcus' jaw clenched. "What did she say?"

"She has tried her level best to insult Lord Potter-Black and his lady mother."

"You don't get to insult my friends!" Marcus snapped at Theodosia.

"You could do better for friendship than that!" She said, jabbing a finger at Harry. "Marcus, please, think of your public perception!"

"No." Marcus said easily. "Besides, even if I did give a shit about other people's opinions, my reputation is not harmed at all by being friends with Harry. He's going to do amazing things, including writing his own laws."

"You knew about that?" Theodosia demanded. "How can you support it, Marcus?"

"I've read his reform, it's honestly brilliant." Marcus insisted. "Harry will change the world and I'll be behind him all the way."

"You're one of my staunch supporters." Harry laughed. "My tutoring, my reforms…"

Marcus shrugged a huge shoulder. "You're an amazing wizard."

Theodosia looked like she'd been forced to drink a whole bottle of skele-gro as she listened to her son, her only child, bigging up Harry.

"You can't truly believe that! He's an imposter, he's not a real pureblood, no matter how much he tries to pretend that he is."

"Oh, shut up." Marcus snapped. "Why did you let her out of the house?" He asked his father. "Do you get some sort of sick joy from being embarrassed at every gathering?"

"I couldn't stand her pleading any longer." Mark told his son.

Harry couldn't imagine speaking about Narcissa in such a way, especially not in front of her either. Looking at his mother, he mused that he likely wouldn't survive the experience if he did. He smiled. Narcissa could be utterly ferocious at times, he still couldn't believe that she'd slapped Rhadamanthus. He could cast a patronus from that memory alone.

"This is what happens when you give in to her! I will not have her ruining one of my friendships."

"I wouldn't stop speaking to you for such a small reason." Harry assured Marcus. "Where have you left Eleanor?"

"She is with her cousin." Marcus assured him.

"She isn't good enough for you either, I wish you would reconsider!" Theodosia told Marcus, and Harry wondered if she had a death wish.

"I think it's the other way around." Harry cut in. "Marcus certainly doesn't deserve her."

Marcus snorted, but his shoulders relaxed a fraction.

"How dare you say that about my son!" Theodosia hissed.

"Will you stop saying that?!" Marcus snapped. "I don't want anyone to know I'm related to you."

"I think it is time that you went home, Dosie. You have once again proven that you live up to your apt name." Lord Mark told her coldly.

"I…I will not be ordered around, Mark!" She tried to say, but Harry saw the flicker of fear…she was afraid of her own husband. Harry thought that was very sad. He couldn't imagine being afraid of Rabastan…Rodolphus, yes, absolutely, but not Rabastan.

"Do not make me force you, Dosie." Mark said in a low growl.

Theodosia ducked her head and nodded quickly, leaving their company and, hopefully, heading for the floo.

"I apologise again, Lord Potter-Black. Lady Malfoy. You should not have had to endure that."

"Think nothing of it, Mark." Narcissa waved away, dropping the formality. "We have been friends since childhood, I would not take offence so easily, though I dislike my children being attacked in such a way."

"I said before, I find such things more amusing than offensive, Lord Flint." Harry said, smiling.

"Come with me." Marcus ordered.

Harry rolled his eyes, but he gave Narcissa a soft kiss on the cheek before following Marcus out of the ballroom and into the spectacularly decorated garden for some privacy. Adrastos, if he truly had been the one to design the decoration for the garden, had done a really good job of it, though it was likely a bit more colourful and bright for most muted purebloods, Harry liked it.

Harry cast a quick muffling charm as he and Marcus sat on a garden bench made of carved stone. It looked ancient, like some sort of weird heirloom. Could garden benches be heirlooms?

"What did she say to you?" Marcus demanded.

"Oh, the usual, Marcus. As I said, I'm not bothered by it."

"What specifically?"

"Only that I was an imposter to pureblood society, then she had a dig at my Wizengamot loss, and she didn't like the thought that I was planning on changing the laws. I've heard it all before, and worse. It doesn't bother me." Harry assured Marcus.

"I hate her." Marcus said angrily. "All my life she has only ever been an embarrassment!"

"Is that why you stopped speaking to her?"

"Yes. I honestly cannot stand her, Harry. She's been named Dosie for as long as I can remember and she really does live up to it. She's incapable of thinking before she speaks. She has cost father a lot of allies in the past, and me quite a number of friends. I don't want that happening between us."

"It won't because I honestly don't care." Harry said, reaching forward to lay a hand over Marcus'. "Oh, I also might have implied that there was more to our walk in the Parkinson's garden than there was…her face was too funny when she thought she might have had me for a son-in-law."

Marcus snorted a laugh. "Eleanor will find it funny, best be sure that Rabastan does also."

"He will." Harry said, very sure of himself. He and Rabastan had come a long way from their fraught beginnings. "We're too close to our wedding now, Marcus. It's almost all planned, we just need to wait for the day, for me to graduate. I honestly can't wait."

"Stay safe. I know Dumbledore has his wand in a knot over you, how are your runes holding up?"

Harry's hand went to his throat. "I barely remember that they're there, Marcus. I can't thank you enough for doing that for me."

"I said, I like you, Harry. I don't have very many friends, a lot of people are put off by my temperament."

"Your personality could use some work too." Harry teased.

Marcus snorted a laugh. "You are amusing, I'll give you that. We just click together, Potter, and I never once thought I'd be saying that. Even my father likes you."

"I like Lord Mark." Harry said, bobbing his head.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence and Harry stared up at the stars overhead. It was pitch black outside, except for the line of lanterns guiding the way around the garden. Harry loved looking at the stars…when he wasn't forced to observe them for several hours a night and name them all for Astronomy, that is.

"Don't let that woman change your mind about your reforms." Marcus told him seriously.

Harry looked back at Marcus to see he'd been watching him. Harry smiled.

"The thing about me is that I'm incredibly stubborn, Marcus. If someone tells me not to do something, I'm more likely to go out and do it on principle. Theodosia will not stop me and I don't give a damn about her opinion on anything I do."

"Good." Marcus said shortly.

Harry sighed and took out his pocket watch, flicking open the top casing with his thumb to see the face and the glowing golden numerals.

"It's almost midnight. I don't want to miss the countdown kiss." Harry said with a smirk.

Marcus rolled his eyes. "It's a ridiculous tradition that Eleanor won't allow me to miss."

"Come on then. I don't think I'll stay much past midnight, I've had enough of socialisation for one day."

"Same." Marcus grunted, standing and escorting Harry into the hall before they both went their separate ways.

Harry schmoozed his way through the ballroom, but it was easy enough to see the Lestranges…the only thing that gave him pause was the company they were with…a huge, fearsome-looking man with pointed teeth and more body hair on show than most animals. Fenrir Greyback. The werewolf who had eaten Thorfinn Rowle. Harry still didn't know if Greyback had eaten him alive or dead, he didn't want to know, but apparently, Greyback liked him because of the Rowle incident. Harry hadn't actually seen him since that incident either. He didn't come to every ball or party…Harry wondered when the full moon had been and whether that had interfered with Greyback coming or not.

Greyback was not moving on, and it was getting closer to midnight, so Harry sucked it up and he went to Rabastan.

"There you are, is everything alright?" Rabastan asked him.

"Had another run-in, this time with Theodosia Flint, thankfully Mark and Marcus jumped in quickly." Harry said with a smile before kissing Rabastan's cheek.

"Harry, you remember Fenrir?" Rodolphus asked.

Harry swallowed and stiffened his spine. He plastered on a smile.

"I do. It's nice to see you again." Harry said, not offering his hand. Greyback didn't hold his hand out either.

"Got any more meals for me?" Greyback asked him, smirking, showing off those unnaturally pointed teeth.

Harry forced a laugh. "Unfortunately not. Not at this time, but maybe in the future."

Greyback looked surprised that Harry had offered this, or perhaps that he was no longer a scared, skittish boy clinging to his betrothed. Then, Harry had only been with the Malfoys for five months when they had hosted the New Year's Eve Ball and he'd met Greyback for the first time. Harry had done a lot of growing in the year since.

"Let me know and I'll take anything out for you." Greyback told him.

Harry didn't know how to answer that, nor did he know how to have a conversation with him. He wasn't Remus, for all that they were both werewolves…Greyback wasn't wearing shoes, his robes didn't fit and from the body hair on display, he wasn't wearing anything at all under the precariously fitting black robe either.

"Harry's working on a new law reform that will make your movements a lot easier." Xerxes cut in, breaking the staring contest as Harry tried not to show how bothered he was by Greyback staring at him like a steak. Given his diet and proclivity to eat humans, Harry did not feel at all comfortable with the analogy.

"I've been stuck over in Ireland for five months because I couldn't get back." Greyback said, which at least gave Harry some information on why Greyback had been missing for so long. "I need a way to get in and out without my movements being questioned or being forced to go for blood testing every time I want a Portkey."

Harry could understand why Greyback would always be asked about his movements and why he needed a blood test for a Portkey. He didn't look human and if he couldn't even be bothered to dress for a party, he likely only wore that black robe, or something else just as simple. With his unnerving gaze, thick, bristly body hair that looked almost like fur, and those pointed teeth, no, he did not look human. Harry's proposal would make it illegal to discriminate against someone travelling based on their humanity, so he'd do away with blood testing for a Portkey and he'd remove the ban on households with creatures having access to the floo. It was the one thing he'd had to concede on because he knew that little clause was the only thing most traditionalist purebloods would vote in favour of…because it was what Voldemort wanted. If he wanted his proposal passed at all, that little clause had to remain.

It wasn't so bad for 'normal' beings of creature status who just wanted a holiday, or to see family without travelling the muggle way, but for creatures like Greyback, who were the opposite of normal…oh, it was dangerous. Giving Greyback an easier time of going after his targets, travelling back and forth with ease, without anyone keeping tabs on him, it was going to be stupid, reckless, but Harry had to do it if his proposal had even the slightest chance of passing through the Wizengamot. He wouldn't get anywhere without Voldemort's backing as most of the purebloods would reject his proposal just because they could. So that dangerous little clause stayed despite Harry knowing exactly what it would mean.

"I'm almost done." Harry said softly. "Hopefully, after it has passed, you'll find things a little easier."

"Never thought you'd be the one to make things easier for me." Greyback said easily, using overlong, ungroomed nails to scratch at the thick mat of hair under his chin absently.

"I've been called an injustice warrior." Harry said with a smile. "And a lot worse besides."

Greyback walked off suddenly, having seen someone he needed to talk to…likely the person who had sent him after his target in Ireland. It was just a little before midnight and Harry was relieved.

"You handled that well." Rabastan praised. "I was proud of your decorum."

"I've faced down worse than Greyback. He hasn't done anything to me directly and, though I'm not a fan of what he does, I can hold my composure better now that I'm used to this life a little more."

It was amusing to Harry to see the purebloods doing a New Year countdown, and he laughed at some of the drunken slurs and speeches, but dead on midnight, Harry and Rabastan kissed, of course they went too far and were chastised, but Harry just laughed and did it again.

They didn't stay much past midnight, Harry and Rabastan went back to Malfoy Manor just before half past, though Rodolphus and Xerxes stayed.

The two of them had a moment on the settee together. Harry had a hot chocolate and Rabastan a cup of tea as they unwound from the party and caught one another up on the parts they hadn't been witness to, but it was getting late and when Draco flooed home, he and Harry went up to bed together.

"I barely saw you all night, where were you and Astoria hiding?" Harry teased.

He had been joking, but Draco pinked up and Harry's eyes widened.

"Oh no, you didn't!" Harry hissed.

"No! Nothing so obscene! Astoria wants to remain pure until our wedding to spite Daphne, but…"

"But what else were you doing?" Harry asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"It was just a little bit of fun." Draco insisted.

"Hey, you won't hear any lectures from me, I wish I could do the same with Rabastan. If it wasn't for the damn contract I would probably have a kid by now." Harry laughed.

Draco rolled his eyes, but he was grinning a little bashfully too. Now that he looked, Harry could see that his usually perfect hair was a little mussed and his robes were wrinkled…just what had they been doing together? Draco certainly seemed a little more relaxed than usual. Harry snickered.

"Oh, shut up, Potter!" Draco complained. "I know exactly what you did on your holiday to Fiji last August!"

"Well, you know some of what I did on my holiday in Fiji." Harry said with a wink. "I wouldn't tell you everything, after all. Some things are just for me and Rabastan. So what did you and Astoria get up to?"

"Just…just a little bit of kissing." Draco said, but he didn't sound convincing.

"Oh, I think you did a lot more than just kissing." Harry laughed. "You might want to work on lying better before mother finds out." Harry sing-songed.

Draco surpassed pink and went red. "Just go to bed already!"

Harry laughed but he did slip into his bed suite. He went straight through his little living room and into his bedroom, already stripping off his red robes.

It was coming up to one in the morning, but he could sleep in a little tomorrow. He had a few more days before he was back in Hogwarts and he wanted to make the most of his time with Rabastan. He only had a few more terms left before he graduated and he had a lot on his plate to juggle before then, chief among them his creature reform proposal. He needed to get that done and through the Wizengamot before anyone found out that he was marrying a Lestrange or he could kiss goodbye to Danforth Longbottom's support, maybe several others as well. He sighed. He hated the politics of it all, but he was learning how to tread the water of the political landscape now and he was getting better at it.

Once in his pyjamas, Harry opened his book and told himself he would read just one chapter before going to sleep, but just a quarter of the way through he found his eyes closing longer and longer after each blink, so he called it a night. He'd try again tomorrow.

---

The room was dark at the edges, lit only by the blazing fire in the centre. Two men were sat in armchairs to either side of the hearth, both sipping on a large measure of vintage firewhiskey.

"Something needs to be done." Rhadamanthus said quietly to his companion. "He is making a mockery of our entire society."

"I would never have believed that Xerxes would be taken in by such a farce." Corban Yaxley answered, before taking another mouthful of firewhiskey. "He has always been an example to the rest of our society in how to behave and conduct one's business."

"His desperation makes me sick." Rhadamanthus spat. "Our line should carry on through Rodolphus, as my oldest son, and not that pathetic, weak, blight and a halfblood stain."

"You know that I agree with you." Corban told his nephew. "I told you that he threatened my daughter. He needs to be taken out."

Rhadamanthus inhaled and looked into the darkness of the room, not moving, not even blinking.

"He humiliated me tonight." Rhadamanthus growled angrily, breaking the silence suddenly. "The thought that that idiot boy showed me up in public, I can't bear the shame of it."

"The shame is on him, but he doesn't care. He doesn't care about perceptions or appearances. He doesn't belong in such elite circles of society. He's from the bottom of society, he's scum, and the worst thing Lucius ever did was adopt him for any reason. It makes me shiver with revulsion to think of that halfblood parading himself as a pureblood. As if we don't know that his mother was a filthy mudblood!"

Rhadamanthus' grip tightened on the tumbler in his hand, the firewhiskey sloshing a little. He took another sip and savoured the burn.

"To think that my family has fallen so low. It galls me, Corban. Just the knowledge that my grandchild will come from that union, both unworthy of the Lestrange name, of our history and blood. I cannot allow it to happen, but I am in the minority, it seems."

"You know I am with you." Corban assured him. "We share opinions on this and I know a few others who agree with us and our stance."

"I would have counted Sarpedon among those until tonight. He has been taken in by the boy as well. I don't understand his power, the hold he has on people of prestige and fully pure blood. The Carrows have killed stains on their bloodline for less, yet Sarpedon is bending over for an impure boy." Rhadamanthus spat angrily.

"Sarpedon has just risen in our Lord's ranks, he likely doesn't want to risk this elevation by acting absent orders, but he will not be averse to removing him, I am certain of it. We know our Lord has plans for Potter, so Sarpedon won't be willing to do it himself."

"We will just be killing him a little earlier and saving our Lord the trouble." Rhadamanthus said.

"We tread a dangerous path, Rhadamanthus. Our Lord has long since wanted to kill Potter personally."

"Potter doesn't deserve the honour."

"All I am saying is that we need to be careful, and make it look like an accident, enough so that our Lord doesn't know we were involved in his death. He will not be upset that he has died, I'm sure of that, but he will be that he wasn't the one to do it."

Rhadamanthus sat, saying nothing and staring into the crackling fire. He raised the glass to his lips and drank two swallows of firewhiskey.

Potter was eroding his steel control bit by bit and he hated that the boy had such a strong effect upon him. He couldn't help himself, however, not when that boy was concerned. He believed it was because it affected him directly, with Potter engaged to his unworthy, younger son. The very thought that his esteemed line would carry on through children of them both…his free hand clenched into a fist. He couldn't allow it to happen, but with all but a select few purebloods completely enamoured of the boy he had to be careful who he approached.

"Did you have any luck with Harvey tonight?" Rhadamanthus asked, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over them.

Corban shook his head. "No. He refuses to go against Potter, as he won't go against Lucius. He doesn't want to risk the marriage of his younger daughter now that the elder is completely disgraced. He's too indebted to the Malfoy family."

Rhadamanthus grit his teeth at all of the weak, spineless people who had overtaken their society. All of them beholden to a halfblood boy.

"Philip?" Rhadamanthus asked, an edge of heat to his tone, though he tried to control it. It wasn't his uncle he was angry with, but he lost all rationality when it came to Potter.

"He is more willing. He blames Potter for his current situation with his son set to marry that unworthy Lovegood girl."

Rhadamanthus didn't know what would be worse, his hated son marrying a halfblood or a Lovegood. It was no choice, really, but no matter how eccentric, at least the Lovegoods were fully pure…unlike Potter.

"We can use Philip if needed." Rhadamanthus insisted. "I am glad he sees things from our perspective."

"He's not afraid to do what needs to be done to remove the blight from our society. Potter should never have been included and now we only need a plan to remove him."

Rhadamanthus inhaled deeply and held his breath a moment, before letting it go and taking another sip of firewhiskey.

"It has to be soon. The wedding is planned for August, I will not risk my line continuing through such unworthy people."

"That gives us seven months to finally implement this, Rhadamanthus. We've been trying to do it too subtly, none of our plans have worked thus far. The boy is wily, I'll give him that."

"I never expected him to thrive as well as he has, but then I had not realised so many in our society would pander to him."

"He is a commodity, Rhadamanthus." Corban waved off. "People will soon get bored of him and his strange views. I am sure that some just can't help but marvel at such an oddity, it will not last. It never does."

"He's dangerous, Corban. His views and stances, I warned you that he is trying to change our laws! He's a child, he's been in our society for less than two years and he's trying to come in and change all of our laws and traditions! He even refused to keep to tradition in his betrothal to Rabastan and my own father waved it off as if it were nothing."

Rhadamanthus took a breath and then knocked back the remaining firewhiskey in one go, absorbing the burn as it sunk down his throat and into his stomach.

"I am sure Dumbledore has put him up to this." Corban pointed out. "He has long been the bane of our society and his stint as Chief Warlock proved just how much he hates our society and wishes to change our traditions. Potter is doing his work."

"I did say the public distance was likely a trick. It has fooled the lords of esteemed houses and they have more trust in Potter because of it. They don't see that he's trying to play them."

"I do." Corban said. "I can see what is happening and I am intelligent enough to deduce their plans. Dumbledore couldn't implement his ploy to strip our customs and traditions from us, so now he is using Potter to do it, but it is that it is working that makes me feel so sick. No one is willing to listen!"

"I have said, they are completely enamoured of him, he is a marvel, but by the time they realise what he truly is, it will be too late and he would have changed our ancient laws! I will not stand idle and watch as he does this."

"You said he is working on some beast reform?"

"He wants to give rights to animals!" Rhadamanthus exploded. "Equal rights, Corban! Werewolves and vampires and the like, equal to us pureblood wizards!"

Rhadamanthus went to take a drink, but realised his glass was empty and he sneered at it.

"Bokey!" Corban called out.

"Master calls for Bokey?" The elderly, ragged elf asked, cowering where he stood.

"The firewhiskey, now." Corban spat.

The elf left with a soft pop, before reappearing not a moment later, a large bottle of finest, vintage firewhiskey in hand, which he left on the table.

"Does Master wish for anything else from Bokey?"

"No." Corban snapped.

The house-elf left quickly and Corban tipped a good measure of the firewhiskey into Rhadamanthus' glass and then topped his own up.

"I cannot see anyone voting for that proposal, Rhadamanthus. I told you that he lost the debate to save that vampire. Runcorn didn't even uphold the law, he took it to a vote when Potter tried desperately to have it thrown out. He failed."

"That, at least, gives me some small hope. All is not yet lost. We need to convince more to turn against him. Potter has been indulged for long enough, too long in my opinion. It is time he was taken out…him and Rabastan both."

"The biggest obstacle will be Xerxes."

"He has gone soft! He is weak." Rhadamanthus sneered. "Perhaps it was time he had an accident and I took over the Lestrange lordship. I could sever the engagement then and prevent the ruination of my family bloodline. It would have to be before the wedding, there is nothing I can do once they have wed and consummated the marriage. I will not allow any child of that union to live, I swear it."

"Rhadamanthus, you are talking patricide. It is no small thing to do." Corban said worriedly. "Your father is the Dark Lord's most loyal follower, they are childhood friends, you must be careful with such thoughts and actions."

Rhadamanthus inhaled deeply and gulped from his glass. "I will be." He said seriously. "I know how to plan it, Corban. I've done it before. My father is an old man, an illness at his age won't be questioned so much. Keep it to yourself and I will do the rest. I dislike the thought of killing him, but he has gone soft, turned weak, it needs to be done before he damns the Lestrange family and our bloodline with his actions. Rodolphus is the only one still worth anything."

Corban said nothing, but he still looked very worried. Rhadamanthus sat back in the armchair and sipped at the whiskey. He was running out of time, but he knew better than to attack Potter directly. It had to be done subtly, but his plan to poison the boy had been too subtle. The poison was not working as it should because he didn't see Potter often enough to dose him properly. He only saw him when the betrothal traditions dictated that he had to be there, but seeing him so sporadically was not enough and the poison, despite how strong it was, didn't seem to have an effect on him. He had poisoned the boy's hot chocolate directly on Christmas morning, he'd sat and watched him drink it, but he hadn't even gotten sick off of it and he couldn't fathom the reason why.

No matter. He would change targets and work to remove his weak, ageing father. Then, as next in line, he would take over the Lestrange lordship and he would immediately sever the engagement between Rabastan and the boy and finally do away with the disgusting wretches, the both of them.

His esteemed line would continue on through Rodolphus, the only Lestrange, besides himself, who was still of value. He smirked to himself and took another sip of firewhiskey. Soon, he placated himself. He might be running out of time, but there was enough time left before that cursed wedding in August to do away with the embarrassments; the stains on the Lestrange family tree.