The rest of the day was spent going from room to room, cataloguing everything she had, what needed to be thrown away, and what needed to go back into the family vault until she was proficient in taking care of it. Then she talked a lot with Walburga, a woman who was quite different than she had thought, and that made it interesting to know her.
"May, I ask you what you are doing?"
"I am moving away from this place; I may also be thinking about getting rid of it completely, " she told her grandmother, not sure what to do next.
"I see." Walburga smiled, "Good. So, why go through each room?"
With a sigh, Hadriana began to wonder herself, "I don't want to raise children in this house, being here hasn't felt right. Something is wrong with this house, and my instincts are screaming at me to get out. Even if this wasn't happening, I don't see myself living here permanently, I only went here because I didn't know anywhere else." There were many more reasons why she couldn't see herself living in a deary place like this, but those were the pressure factors.
"The day after meeting with Andromeda, I am going to take a tour of two of my properties with the goblins and choose one of those to live in."
Walburga seemed to like that by the small smile she gave the woman, "Something I would have done if I could have, but I never managed."
"Do you know which?"
"I looked at either a Black property of Pure of Heart or one of the Lestrange Manor named Iris. The first one is in Scotland and the other is in England. I have to see them."
"It has been a long time since someone has mentioned them, the manor house in Edinburgh from what I remember is a tranquil place to live. I think you will fall in love with it." "Will you take my picture with you? What about the other portraits around here? Will you summon your niece?"
"Yeah, I will take your portrait with me. The goblin will be through here and take them down and place them in the vault until I do something about them. Yeah, I want to get my niece as quick as possible, and I must go to the Goblins with her to give her a purification ritual and see about adopting her." Hadriana gave the portrait a small smile, and she couldn't wait to have her niece in her arms for the first time.
"Wonderful. Family should always be important!" Walburga said decisively, "something I had completely forgotten back when I was alive. Arcturus Black beat it into us back then, but it was like when we moved into this place everything was forgotten. These days as a portrait I find myself more reasonable than I have been in decades."
"That right there is one of the reasons I think this house is cursed and is one of the reasons I want to get away," she explained to her grandmother, and it was nice to talk to someone. "Tomorrow I am meeting with Andromeda and my godson, and I want to see if they want to move in with me."
"Great! Hear them out and see if you can re-introduce them into the family. You can also get help from the family elves; they will be able to maintain all your properties as you won't be able to live in every one of them throughout your one lifetime."
"Of course. Then in 6 months I will be able to take my exams at the ministry, and then I can take up my seats in the Wizagmont, but I will look for someone to take it as my proxy. I don't want to do it." Hadriana had never liked it, and the only thing that stopped her from not showing up at all was that she wanted to see everyone's faces when they saw her. "There is also some kind of idea I have, and I need to have someone to bounce those ideas to."
"I can see you hating the political nitpicking that will go with your seats, so I understand why you will look for someone to sit them for you. However, I can see your dilemma – as I have seen you have been completely absent from that part of our world so you practically know nothing and no one." Walburga told her, seeing that things were going to be shocking for everyone who would think she would be easy to manipulate.
"You're right. I don't want to go that route; I want to study everything. Raise a family and develop a business idea I have." Hadriana looked around her, not knowing where to look.
Like every idea she's had throughout the years, this was an idea no one had any clue off was there – an idea that will maybe happen if she could get things right. The only thing that had been in her way had been the war, and now that she had survived it. Things will happen, and she will make sure of it!
Now that she was free of the war, she would be free to explore everything she had missed because of it. Knowing that she will never really be free of the public, it was time to use it to her advantage.
After a while with nothing else to take up, Walburga asked something she shouldn't care about. "Have you even at all heard from your friends?"
"No, I haven't. I think Ron and Hermione are in Australia looking for her parents." She answered the question, "It's weird not being around them all the time, but also a relief. Love not having to care to their needs all the time." by said that she expected to feel the guilt but didn't and knew it had to do with the potions and the spells that were purged from her.
"Don't feel guilty my dear. You are allowed to do things outside of them, to have a life. If you only cater to them, then soon they will have moved on and then where will you be? They are already creating their own life outside of you."
"I know, grandma." Hadriana gave her a small smile, told her goodbye and walked into the dining room. There wasn't a lot to do, but time seemed to have slowed down and as she ate the dinner that Kreatcher had created for her she began to think about a schedule over what needed to be done. It was wonderful to just take her time to eat, no one was ogling her or irritating her for doing what was normal.
There was also the fact that soon there would come a time when chaos was normal in her life, now having been outside of the wizarding world for a few days she appreciated just having the time of her life.
The night had gone by easily, with the nightmares going easy on her and she woke up feeling great for once. Getting ready for the day, she spent a relaxing morning drinking tea and planning the rest of her week.
1. Including getting some elves, as her properties are completed. Retire Kreacher? Are there elves with each property?
2. Meeting Andromeda and Teddy
3. Finding a place to live.
5. Finding Delphi Riddle?
The list was getting longer, but the more she did she could cross them off when she did them. Now it was time to see Andromeda and Teddy, and she wondered how they were doing with everything that had happened.
Finding her purse, she finished getting ready and thought that maybe Andromeda would be the one to have her proxy seats, only if she wanted to though. The Black are after all known for their viciousness.
Stepping into a blind spot, she apparated closer to where she knew they lived – she appeared into a sleepy neighbourhood. The house was cosy and small, not like any she had seen before but at the same time she loved it. Not at all like Privet Drive where individuality was looked down upon, everyone here had their style.
Softly she knocked on their door, and out came the tired shadow of her former self, "Hello, dear."
"Hello, Andromeda. It's me, Hadriana Potter." Hadriana introduced herself to the woman standing there nervously, and it took some time before she recognized her. Then she opened the door further and invited her in, stepping into the house to someone she didn't know was nerve-wracking. The house was dark and deary, like all the life inside of it had been taken away by what had happened in the war.
"I was surprised to hear from you," Andromeda said with a tired smile, they walked together into her living room. It was hard living here, all the memories she had of better times.
"I would have come here sooner, but the last couple of days have been tiring. I slept for five days right after the war, then there was Gringotts they wanted me to make up for what I did." Hadriana sighed, it was awkward sitting here with someone she didn't know.
Andromeda smiled; it was good to see that there was some life in the girls' eyes after everything that had happened in the war. Sitting beside her, she carefully dragged the skittish girl into a hug. "I don't blame you," she whispered and felt the girl in her arms collapse into it.
How long had it been since someone had hugged her like this? A long time, way before the war started at least and never from someone she had only met once before. The hug was the most comfortable she had felt since Sirius gave her that last hug, and as the time passed slowly, she felt herself breaking down. Silently she felt the tears run down her cheeks, as she broke out in sobs. It all came ahead, thinking about everyone she had lost and what Andromeda had lost in the war – Ted Tonks, Nymphodora Tonks, Remus Lupin and all the others that had lost their lives in the war.
Just because two powerful men had wanted it – a pissing contest.
"Don't know what to say…" she dragged herself out of the hug, trying to dry the tears that still running down her cheeks.
"You don't need to say anything at all!" Andromeda told her and dried her tears.
Hadriana tried to smile, and with a lighter heart, she asked, "Where's Teddy?" looking around curiously seeing that the room had become sunnier.
"Sleeping finally." She answered as she walked into the kitchen to make some tea for them. "It's great to see you again."
"Hmm." There wasn't anything to say to that other than, "I came here to see if I can be a part of Teddy's life, I want to be his godmother. Want to help. This can't be easy for you!" she smiled, sighing happily as she sipped the tea. It warmed her heart, and it made it a little easier just to say it as it was.
"It hasn't." Andromeda leaned back into the couch seemingly relaxing, "I would love for you to be a part of our lives." "Why do you look differently?" she asked, finally looking the now woman over and seeing that she after all looked different than the last time, she had seen her.
"Thank you." she breathed out relieved to hear that things were falling into place, at least in some part of her life. "That was another change that was brought to me by Gringotts – they wanted me to take a couple of tests and by that point they wanted me to get a purge."
"That serious!" Andromeda felt her yaw drop at hearing that; it was something to have the goblins helping someone just like that. It was the highest form of cleansing you could get from them.
"Yeah, here." Handing her the parchment of her inheritance test to see what Andromeda would say to it.
Andromeda read everything the parchment was telling her, and the more she read the more shocking the revelation became – time stood still for Hadriana as she watched her go through what had been found out. It still hadn't sunk in jet that thing was different than it had been, but at the same time, things weren't that different because she had never really known anything about her heritage, other than what she had been told by the wizarding world.
"Andi, are you alright?"
Andromeda closed her eyes, laying the parchment on the table in front of her – she still couldn't believe everything she had read right now. Before she said anything, she took a calming sip of her newly brewed tea. "Yeah, it's so shocking, but at the same time it explains so much."
"Thinking back on what happened back then, it was clear that Sirius was hiding something – but I wouldn't have thought that it was something like this." she shakes her head in disbelief.
"There's a lot that doesn't make sense, but maybe they were set up to fail. Dumbledore has been mastermind my whole life at this point you know, and you know he could have gotten justice for my godfather."
"That's one of the reasons why I have never really supported the previous headmaster of Hogwarts." Andromeda began, "The more I read, the more I don't understand."
"That these four people have been friends is a surprise to me, but then again, I never really got to know Lily and James or Rebastan." However, he understood why they kept it a secret with everything happening with the war. "I've also wondered why Dumbledore never demanded to use of Veritaserum and forced a trial on them all."
Hadriana nodded in agreement with what Andromeda was saying, nothing she never had thought about before and it was great to just know something that wasn't her own thoughts about what had happened.
"It is also a little overwhelming to know that you are the lady of six houses. I would have thought that it would be Potter and Black, and maybe Slytherin."
"How do you think I felt when I read it!" shrugging her shoulders tiredly knowing that things are so different right now and will become so much more as time went on. "I never thought I would survive the war, so, I never really read up on these things. If someone had told me, it would have given me more hope for the future."
"Didn't Dumbledore ever say anything?" Andromeda said, becoming angry on her behalf and that more than anything got her thinking that the girl, the woman in front of her needed her help. It made her want to help her.
"Of course not! I never really knew him, the only reason we talked was if he wanted to share something with me about the dark lord, or if he wanted to pry some information out of me." There was just something irritating getting into remembering everything that the man had or hadn't done to help, and now Hadriana wondered if there had been more the man could have done to help. Closing her eyes, "Now, it's just water underneath the bright – after all, we can't do anything about it now."
"What are your plans for the future? I saw that we have a niece out there…"
"Have a plan you know…" she smirked, "I am going to find her, the goblins have agreed to help me – they handed me a ritual to do when I chose where I want to live. I want to give her the life I didn't have, no matter who her parents were she deserves that much. To grow up loved and felt cared for."
Andromeda hugged her, "I'm proud of you."
"It's weird thinking that those two have a daughter." She shuddered, not even wanting to think about those two getting it together. "We are her family from now on, and I know I must find her soon. Who knows where she is now, and I know that the goblins will expect me to get to them."
"We both know why; it will help her grow. You will adopt her as your daughter, won't you?"
Hadriana nodded, "Of course."
They laughed together at that, and she wondered if she even would be a good mother to her.
Seeing the nervousness in the woman's eyes over the notion of becoming a mother, "Dear, you will be a wonderful mother, and you will have me there to help you." Andromeda didn't know how much it helped her to hear it, but seeing her green eyes become clearer made her know it had.
They had been talking for a couple of hours when Teddy woke up from his nap, things began happening again – holding him quickly became her favourite activity.
Andromeda and Hadriana were enjoying just sitting with the child, as Teddy looked at them curious about seeing someone new. "You are so cute!" Hadriana couldn't help, but bob him on the nose. There was nothing more adorable than seeing him smile, it made everything she had been through easier to bear – this is what the war was fought, for them so that they could live.
Smiling Andromeda said to her, "You'll be a wonderful mother." It was clear as night and day that she would, and that made her relax. "Anything else you want to do?"
"The next couple of days, I will spend it going through the properties I own with one of the Goblins, and choose somewhere I can live. I already have a place in mind. I am also thinking about completely getting rid of Grimmould Place, just living there the last couple of days haven't been the most adventurous." Hadriana said as she rocked Teddy in her arms.
"I want to ask you if you want to become a part of the Black family again?" "Even live with us?" she asked. Nervously wondering what Andromeda would say to this, because she wanted to be in their lives, and she wanted to be close.
"That sounds…" Andromeda choked out, "nice." and hugged the girl.
"I would love to come with you and become a part of the Black family again."
When had she become someone who enjoyed being hugged? Hadriana wondered as she hugged Andromeda, loving it more than she would have ever thought. Being touched by someone other than herself had always bothered her, but that was then and she is now.
So, when she had calmed down Hadriana swiftly did the words that would make her a part of the Black family again, and that included bringing Teddy in over the family protection – now no one can hurt him without bringing the whole Black family down upon them!
"Thank you, dear." Andromeda smiled and dried her tears as she felt the Family magic take root in her again, decades after it had been taken away. She looked over at Teddy who was now sleeping peacefully in his godmother's arms, though, she felt like he too could feel the ease of their family magic embracing him with open arms. "Have you decided where you want to live?"
"Have looked up the portfolio for Pure of Heart Cottage, and Iris Manor. Those two are in England and Scotland." Hadriana said, fondly looking down at Teddy whose hair was changing from colour to colour as he was sleeping.
"Good. Have only been to Pure of Heart once, and I think you will love it. The only time I have been to Iris Manor was when I still went to Hogwarts, and it was quite dark but at the same time light." Andromeda told her, that she had already decided where she wanted to live but had just wanted options.
That's how they spent the rest of the day, talking about the future of their expanding family and how they would do things. Planning that at once she had looked the places over and had told the Goblin's which of those houses she wanted to live, she would send a letter to Andromeda, so that she could plan accordingly and get her things together. Then she too will have her things and make them ready.
Then the two of them will go shopping together, as she knew she needed to buy everything for Delphi as she really didn't have anything. Then she would summon her and spend some time with the girl before taking her to Gringotts.
When the day had turned to night, she said goodbye to them both with a hug and popped back to Grimmould Place.
"Here mistress," Kreature said and handed her a couple of letters.
"Thank you," she said and laid down on the couch and began the letters that were clearly from her friends. "Finally, they have taken the time," she muttered.
The first one was from Hermione, she was telling her about their trip to Australia and that she didn't blame her for wanting to disappear for some time and that she deserved it. Deserved a vacation, after everything that had happened in her life. It talked about what she wanted to do, and of course, she would go back to Hogwarts and ask her what she wanted to do in the future and what she would do about the ball that was coming up in Yule. Asking if she would be there at the Weasley this Sunday for dinner.
It was just so typical Hermione that she couldn't help but smile as she read it, but then came the question would she love her the way she is now? after all, she herself may not have noticed it quite yet, but she had changed a lot since the death of Riddle.
The next letter was from Ron, and the way he rambled on about Hermione let her know that they hadn't yet taken the next step in their relationship, and she hoped at least that they were together finally. Hadriana didn't need the drama that it would create if they didn't soon get together. It was sweet that Ron loved Hermione so much, but at the same time, she worried for them because they were so different that she wondered how long it would work out between them.
They had been good friends, but she wondered if they at all would be good together as a couple.
Oh, well. That was something they needed to figure out themselves!
Then he invited her to their standard family dinner, and she knew she had to at least meet up for a couple of hours to see if they could accept the way she was now and tell them what was happening in her life, at least tell them that she was safe and what she had decided to do for school.
-HP-
Waking up without having to watch her back was wonderful, though, she needed to quickly get through her morning routine because of her own meeting with Gringotts. It wouldn't do for her to come late to a meeting like this.
Quickly she dressed herself, ate breakfast that Kreature had made for her and made her way to Diagon Alley and to Gringotts.
Things from there on went swiftly, and before she knew it, they were standing before two large gates leading uphill.
"Welcome to Iris Manor." The goblin in charge of the inspection said, "You will need to lay your dominant hand on the gate and with your ring."
That it was she did, and she knew at once that this place wouldn't be for them. The gate opened, and as they began to walk through, she immediately felt out of place – it was a wonderful property and a lovely manor but it would be too big for the four of them to share, but at the same time have their own space. It was gothic, but airy and light. The manor itself was situated on a cliff, we had to walk up some stone stairs to get to the front door, not at all safe, even as the Goblin ensured that the stone railing was enchanted in such a way that you couldn't fall off the ledge.
Inside the manor was a lot better than the outside, but not somewhere she would have liked spending a lot of time in. The library was the only good side to the property at all when we had walked through it – they handed her the ward book and floo book, and where the ward stone was.
Then we walked out and onto the next property. The Pure of Heart Cottage was much cosier than she had thought it would be and much better than the previous one. It was on flat ground, not behind the stone fence and the front of the house was lovelier. It was also by a lake, that it seemed more fairytale-like, and made her immediately fall in love.
The Goblin could see at once that the woman had chosen this cottage to be her home, and began at once a much more detailed review of the property and its enchantments and wards. Knowing she was a little concerned he told her, "The lake is charmed so that no one can accidentally fall in it."
Hadriana gave him a nod, relieved that when the children were older they couldn't fall into it and hurt themselves without them being there. Then they walked in and she loved it, the foyer was a long hallway, that looked round by the round rug and round table that was situated on it. Roses were lovely placed in a vase, making the room smell like home. The colour on the wall leading further into the home, and up the staircase leading to the second floor was in a soft lovely blue-green colour that seemingly blended. Just before the staircase, there was a small shoe rack, that you could take off your shoes on. There was also a small seating era on the wall that was acting as the staircase, then another door leading to a basement.
Windows where you can see out onto the lake was beside the door, where another little seating area could be found, thou only a soft blue chair could be found looking out over the lake, with a small round table, that had a book on it. Simple yet elegant.
Then we walked further into the home and came to a large open-plan solution. However, the kitchen was hidden away, like she had expected, but you could go there if you wanted to. There were two elves belonging to the property, Mipsy who took care of the house and Klimke who took care of the grounds. They were completely by themselves in happiness when they found out that people were moving into the house permanently.
Instead of a large kitchen, there was a large dining era, that seemed to be able to turn into a ballroom if necessary. Then it went into a large living room, that had a door so that if you stepped out you stood on the porch looking out over a beautiful, landscaped garden.
The dining room had a long table, if she could estimate it could fit around twelve people. Decorated with lovely tableware, a crystal lamp hung overhead that gave a shining glow to the room. There was a blue rug underneath the table, that made the room look cosy. It also matched the colour of the walls, which was in the same blue-green colour as the foyer.
The furniture in the living room was also in the style of everything else she had seen of the house, a long white couch sat in front of a fireplace, draped in colourful pillows and stylish plaids. Blue, Green and Black decorated the living room.
Then we looked through the family wing of the cottage slash house and decided which room was who's. Beside the master bedroom, which would become hers where another smaller room that soon would become Delphi's room until such an age that she wanted one of the other rooms in the wing.
Then she showed her the guest wing, and that there were at least two bedrooms and a bathroom for them.
Then it was her office, that was up in a tower, six windows there were so that she could look out over the grounds. A table, and bookcases. A blank canvas, and here was the place the Goblin with her handed her the book of wards and the book that had the floo address and other necessary information.
Then as they walked down, they walked into the largest room in the whole place – the library. It was filled with books, from top to bottom, the goblin with her showed her how she could enlarge it and how to do it. When it got filled up completely, as it would be.
Then in the last leg of the tour, they showed her the basement – with its ward stone, duelling chambers and the potion lab, but also the place where she could do rituals.
This is when they said goodbye to one another, and they would meet up next week to go through two other properties they were inspecting and updating, and such will be the plan going forward. Two properties a week until they were finished with all of them. As she had decided to move into this place at once, she said so and they would make it registered in the right places. With that done, they told their goodbyes and seeing them off she went back to Grimmould's place for the last night there.