Characters: Iris Potter (OC), Lily Potter, James Potter, Henry Potter (OC), Harry Potter, Daphne Greengrass
Relationship: Harry Potter/Daphne Greengrass
Authors Note
OK team, I got another one shot brain worm and spat this out in around an hour. I love this type of prompt for some reason, but it sometimes feels like everyone is angels while the Potters are related to Satan... So I thought I'd try throwing a twist in, it's likely obvious but I liked it :)
Quick reminder, Aussie here so Queen's English ahoy!
As always, please feel free to leave kind words or constructive criticism!
Disappointing Parent
Lily sat in the kitchen, having just finished working through some custom potions that had been ordered. She was enjoying a cup of tea and relaxing with a muggle romance novel, it was 4 weeks into the summer break and her house seemed perfect.
"Mum" She heard her daughter say. "Have you seen Harry?"
"I've not Iris, have you checked the library, it seems to be the only place he enjoys." She replied with a level of annoyance. She loved all her children, but she sometimes got frustrated with her Ravenclaw son, he didn't like Quidditch and was always quiet at dinners and events. She was just thankful that Henry seemed to make up for his brothers' inadequacies.
She then heard something she wasn't expecting. Iris sigh. "Mother, can you answer me something. When was the last time you saw Harry?"
Lily paused and thought back to family meals, he'd not joined them for some time, and she'd just written it off as him eating in the library or his room. She thought to the shopping trips she's taken with Henry and Iris, again Harry hadn't joined them… She suddenly realised she wasn't sure when she'd last seen him.
"It's been sometime, but I'm sure he's just in the library. Like he always is." Lily responded, trying to brush the small amount of panic at her inability to track her own child.
"And when was the last time you went to the library to check on Harry. Or maybe his room to see if he was ok?" Iris followed up as she sat down opposite her mother.
"Your brother doesn't need me to hold his hand, he's almost at his majority." Lily said dismissively.
"But Henry still needs you to take him to Diagon Alley? They're twins mum." Iris said, shooting down her mother's response before it was made.
"Is Harry also too old for you to attend his parent teacher night last year?" Iris continued.
"He knew that his appointment clashed with Henry's and so I wasn't able to attend. It couldn't be avoided." Lily said, starting to get annoyed with her daughter's line of questioning.
"Even though Harry made his appointment first?" Iris asked, stumping her mother briefly.
"No he didn't!" Lily said angrily.
"Yes he did mum. He made his appointment the moment he could and, as usual, Henry left it to the last minute. Harry even owled you and Dad to confirm and you responded! I was in the Great Hall when he got the response, he doesn't smile much but that letter lit his face up like nothing else." Iris said, Lily went to respond but she was cut off. "He had just found out that Professor Flitwick's favourite charms student had been you, that he'd always been impressed by your abilities especially for a Muggleborn, however Flitwick had decided that the apple didn't fall far from the tree and was incredibly impressed with Harry. So much so that he had offered him advanced training during his sixth year, as long as Harry got the expected Outstanding on his Charms OWL."
Lily was shocked, she'd never heard from the teachers about Harry, they'd always concentrated on Henry as The Boy Who Lived, she figured it helped that James and her gave Henry extra tutoring prior to Hogwarts, so they always expected it.
"The moment Harry heard he had something in common with you he was ecstatic." Iris continued "I happened to bump into him between classes and he was so excited to be considered on your level. He told me that with parent teacher night around the corner he was going to hold off saying anything so that you could hear it in person from his head of house." Iris said with a sad look on her face.
"And on that night, parent teacher night, I found Harry sitting outside Professor Flitwick's office. The look of hope on his face when he saw me broke my heart, as I knew you'd already left. Henry had walked with you to the Headmaster's Office to chat with Headmaster Dumbledore before using his floo to head home." Iris said, Lily realising her daughter was looking at her angrily with tears in her eyes. "And I was the one that had to break my older brother's heart, he didn't cry or shout or scream. He just nodded, thanked me for telling him and walked away. I bawled my eyes out that night in my bed within Gryffindor Tower, I'd seen my brother upset but I'd never seen him that broken…." At this stage Iris had tears running down her cheeks. "I think that was the point he gave up."
"What do you mean gave up." Lily said, broken from the image her daughter had just painted for her by that final sentence.
"He gave up on us. He never really spoke with Henry at school, Henry and his friends can be right pricks. But he always checked in on me, helped me with assignments, just treated me as a sister. However, that night seemed to break something in him, he stopped socialising all together. I only realised how bad it was when Ginny stopped starring at Henry long enough to ask what was wrong with Harry." Lily just stared, Ginny was obsessed with Henry, and everyone knew it. She and James had pushed Iris to be friends with Ginny, as the Weasley's had always been close friends, Iris didn't like it but put up with the girl.
"I was going to walk over and check on him when Greengrass approached him. I heard her just ask if she could sit with him and study, he said yes and from that moment on she never left his side outside of the common room." Iris said, a smile gracing her tear ridden face.
"What do you mean Greengrass, they're a dark family!" Lily said, getting a sudden protective urge.
"Not according to Harry, he told me that Lord Greengrass is the leader of the Grey Faction in the Wizengamot." Iris said.
"And how would he know that?!" Lily asked "I know James hasn't taught him anything about the Wizengamot."
Iris just ignored her mother and continued. "Some of Henry's friends gave Harry a hard time for daring to talk to a member of Slytherin house, however he simply said 'I'm a Ravenclaw, not a Gryffindor. Leave us alone.'" Iris said with what Lily recognised as reverence in her voice. "and when Henry tried to 'free his brother' from the 'evil snake' they fought side by side as most of the fifth-year Gryffindor's ambushed them."
"Henry wouldn't do something like that!" Lily said defensively.
"Mum, with all the anti-Slytherin talk that goes on in this house and at The Burrow, that then gets reinforced in Gryffindor, why are you surprised Henry acted that way?" Iris asked before continuing her story. "Life kind of continued on, Daphne and Harry were always together and I managed to join them for some study sessions. Between his knowledge on DADA, Charms and Transfiguration and Daphne's complete understanding of Potions, Runes and Arithmancy, my grades shot from Acceptable to Exceeds Expectations just by sitting with them…" Iris said whimsically.
"It was during one of those study sessions that I heard them talking about politics and Daphne realised Harry was not aware of the power he wielded as Heir Potter. She started tutoring him and even offered to see if her father was willing to mentor him." Iris continued on, clearly ignoring the look of horror on her mother's face. "He was reluctant as first but when Daphne highlighted that as the Lord of an Ancient and Noble House, her father would be honoured to help the future Lord of a Most Ancient and Noble House. So, over the Christmas break Harry went to Greengrass Manor with Daphne to spend the winter holidays. He told me he went there to 'learn everything you and Dad refused to teach him.'".
"We didn't refuse, I'm sure your father was planning on teaching him during this Summer break." Lily said rather unconvincingly she felt.
"You mean this Summer break, where neither you nor father noticed Harry has been gone since the first day?" Iris asked with an innocent smile on her face.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!" Lily suddenly lost control of her emotions "HE CAME BACK HOME WITH US OFF THE TRAIN! I REMEMBER HIM COMING THROUGH THE FLOO!"
Iris didn't even flinch, she just sat there calmly as her mother became hysterical "Yes, however while you and Dad dragged Henry off to the Study to find out about the rest of his year after Parent Teacher Night, Harry calmly walked to his room and emptied it of everything he deemed important. He then levitated his trunk back out to the Floo and left. He was home all of 15 minutes."
Lily was stunned, how had she not realised. This was when James and Henry walked back into the house and into the dining area where her and Iris were seated in silence.
"Merlin, it feels like a funeral in here. Who died?" James asked in a joking manner, causing Henry to laugh which then prompted James to scruff up the boys hair.
"I'm going to the Lovegood home, I'll be back in a day or two." Iris said, suddenly standing and walking out of the room.
"Whoa, what did I say?" James asked.
"James, when was the last time you saw Harry?" Lily asked, hoping beyond anything that her daughter was playing some kind of sick prank on her.
"Huh? I don't know, I think I saw him in the library a few days ago?" James responded, seemingly confused by the question.
Lily started to panic but was grasping at straws that maybe it had just been her letting Harry down "And what about Heir training for Harry, when were you planning on starting that?" she asked in hopes of a positive response.
"What's with all the questions about Harry. I don't know, Henry didn't seem ready for that kind of responsibility, so I thought I'd give it an extra year." James responded, again seeming confused by the sudden inquisition.
"What do you mean Henry, Harry is our Heir he is eldest." Lily asked, horrified as her husband's response.
"Yeah but, I mean, I was going to teach both boys since Henry would be better at it." Said her husband in a matter-of-fact way.
This last statement broke the dam, as the shame of everything she'd done and more importantly not done, came rushing into her mind. James and Henry stood there stunned, unsure what to do as Lily lay on the table crying for the son she'd apparently lost.
Page Break*
"So you see Harry, with your father's lack of engagement with the Wizengamot, your normally grey vote has been acting as a proxy for the light. Dumbledore and his faction have been forcing through laws and reforms that strip a lot of the protections and entitlements that we as nobility have benefited from for generations." Mr. Greengrass continued walking Harry through the current situation in the Wizengamot. "Which is why I brought up your sponsorship last week. Once you turn 17, or are emancipated, you'll be able to lobby the Wizengamot for control of your vote and to some extent your House. Since your father continues to refuse to take up the Lordship."
"And you're saying you could get the Grey and some of the Dark houses to sponsor me and all I need to do is agree to a betrothal with Daphne?" Harry asked. A lot of the time, these talks with Mr. Greengrass were educational but last week he'd approached Harry to agree to a betrothal, Harry had been horrified when he'd suggested taking Daphne as Lady Potter and her younger sister Astoria on a Line Continuation agreement, however Astoria and Daphne had then spent that week verbally convincing Harry that they were all for this and didn't think it weird at all.
"Yes, and Astoria. Those contracts to two pureblood ladies would show your commitment to protecting wizarding heritage and traditions. More specifically, it shows those traditionalist Greys and more centrist Darks that you're not aligned with Dumbledore." Mr. Greengrass explained. "As we've previously discussed there is an inbreeding issue with Purebloods which has caused the spike in squibs, however the Potters and Greengrasses don't share any ancestry due to the Potters tending to be grey and the Greengrasses having historically been dark. Therefore, the risk of squibs is slim to none." Mr. Greengrass said. Harry agreed with the sentiment and knew he wasn't lying, after all he'd shown Harry the lineage reports and even muggle gene testing that confirmed it all.
"Harry, you say yes, and we draft up some contracts that you sign once you've taken up your Head of House ring. We could even try and do this early by lobbying for your emancipation due to neglect of responsibilities by your father. Then you'd finally be a legal part of this family, Merlin knows we all consider you an unofficial Greengrass already." Mr. Greengrass said with a smile.
"Thank you Mr. Greengrass." Harry said, his voice full of emotion.
"It's Cyrus Harry… or… if you're comfortable father?"
Harry tried to hold it together, and although he stayed seated his occlumency failed him and tears fell from his eyes. This is what Harry had craved his entire life, his parents acceptance and recognition and though it felt odd for this to come from people other than his parents, to Harry it felt like the greatest gift a person could give him.
"Ok Mr. Gre…Cyrus, let's do it." Harry said, smiling up at the man he would soon call father-in-law.
"Wonderful Harry, I'll draft up the contracts and you can pick a lawyer to negotiate for you. That way everything is above board!" Cyrus said with a smile on his face.
To Harry, having someone look out for him was amazing and in that moment the trust he held for the Greengrass family was complete. Harry finally had a family that cared for him and if it meant being betrothed to his girlfriend and her sister, that would be worth it.
Page Break*
Cyrus was sitting in his study, a tumbler of fire whiskey in one hand and copies of the final draft betrothal contracts in the other. Cyrus, ever the Slytherin, was always on the look out for opportunities. So, when his eldest daughter reached out expressing romantic interest in the Potter Heir and requesting his assistance to tutor the boy in Wizengamot politics, he pounced. It hadn't taken long for Cyrus to realise that the boy was starved of familial attention and affection, so in the first few letters he sent the boy, he'd ensured they were full of gentle fatherly affection and advice. Even answering some questions that were obviously thinly veiled attempts at getting advice about his own daughter without letting on.
It was the Christmas holidays that cinched it for him though, when he saw the boy interacting with both his daughters, practically worshiping them as they competed for his attention. The boy was respectful and his etiquette when interacting with himself and his wife was fantastic. Cyrus decided then and there that he'd secure the Potter votes, his daughter's happiness and a Greengrass Heir in one fell swoop.
Cyrus certainly felt no ill will for the poor boy, however if James and Lily Potter were going to neglect and abandon their Heir like this, who was he not to take full advantage. Cyrus finished his tumbler in one last swig and then walked out to the family room, where he found Harry asleep on one of the love seats, book in hand and encircled by his daughters. His wife walked in behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"I can't believe you managed it dear, your ambition knows no bounds." She whispered into his ear, gently nibbling on his ear lobe the way he always loved. His scheming always got her excited.
He shivered with arousal "Well my love, you know we snakes never miss a chance to strike. I do feel better that the outcome in some way helps him as well." Though he knew full well it wouldn't have changed anything.
"Well, come upstairs my daring serpent and remind this eagle of one of the fun reasons she married you." His wife said demurely as she strutted out of the room.
Cyrus just smiled and chased his wife to the bedroom, and here he'd thought his night couldn't get better…