Malfoy Manor.
Dinner
A small discreet owl with a small discreet box landed before Draco and offered his foot.
As Draco untied the box, Narcissia frowned. "Albert?"
Now free from the box, the owl wing-hopped over to the Lady of the House, nibbled her fingers in affection before snagging a piece of meat and winging away.
"Draco, Don't open…" the witch started to say…
But the boy had figured out the folded paper box. On to his plate fell a wooden object. Something that she recognised but was relieved that males were clueless. Then she noticed a few things.
It was the size of her fist.
It was carved from Hawthorn.
On the flat base face had the House Black crest carved into it.
It was shined and sealed with oil…
"Don't touch it." She reached for her wand… but the idiotic child saw the crest and grabbed it up.
"It has the House Black crest…" he showed her the bottom.
"Yes. And the wood matches your wand, but the Crest is not saying that the House is yours, but the Person wearing it belongs to the House. Lick your finger. You will notice that you will not like the taste."
Draco extended his tongue and made contact with his finger. He dropped the item, and grabbed his pumpkin juice. "Who would use pepper oil … on whatever this is?"
"A male cousin, one who doesn't like you had that made and set to you." Narcissia frowned at the offensive object. "It is his way of calling you a little bitch. That and you will never get the House."
"But I am the Heir!" Draco sputtered.
"I thought you were too." She turned to her husband. "But it seems that Lord Black was on to see Ashraq this afternoon. I received this less than an hour ago.'" She passed the scroll to Lucius. "We have been rebuked. Your Father has failed to fulfill the Contract. He has a year to fix it or it will be declared null and void. What money we have left will be reclaimed."
That brought Lucius' head up. "Say What?"
"Ashraq wrote that if you don't get me in a family way, what we have left will be reclaimed by House Black." She grinned evilly at her husband. "Those specific words. We have left. He even underlined them."
Lucius grunted and sipped her wine.
Narcissia frowned and decided she would visit Ashraq. Turning her attention to her son. "I will be taking that. I don't think you want that, nor do you want to dispose of it." A flick of her wand had the Benkin's Bedknob #3 rewrapped and shrunk to fit in her pocket. Even her playmate could not take three inches without a few hours of preparation. And the pepper oil was just mean.
But if she could get it refinished… and sanded down half an inch…
POMP
A snickering woke the six hundred pound fuzzy 'dog'. He opened one eye and saw a rumpled Lupin looking at something behind himself. Rolling upright he looked behind himself… he doggy grinned.
Padfoot lay sleeping… his hair in the tight braids that were common to the African Descendants. They all had pink ribbons of different shades and styles.
Harry stood up on all fours and looked again. From his new angle, he saw that the pink ribbons twisted about the hair strands, spelled out the words 'bad dog'.
Harry sat, shifted, and stood. "Two things. One, let's see how long it takes for him to notice. Two, how did Moony take the sleeping arrangements?"
"Yeah, Moony really found the whole thing relaxing. Do you know that you had a Dobby in your mane for most of the night?"
"Yeah. I never told him to get off. He probably went to the Kitchen to beat me to the cooking." Harry ran his fingers through his hair. A gleem in his eyes was Remus' only warning…
Shifting back to Fu Form, Harry swelled before he released a deep bark. It was not just noise, but felt in the bones and bowels.
It was also felt on the supernatural and subnatural levels…
Remus was able to brace against it as seeing the Fu inhaling gave him the warning… and even then he was pushed back a step and crushed under the pressure…
Padfoot was not so lucky.
He was shaken awake, thrown across the hall, into the far wall, and he voided bowel and bladder the whole way.
Sirius shakenly returned to human form. "DON'T DO THAT!" He yelled. "Do You have any idea what that did to me?"
"Well. On the one hand," The now human Harry grinned. "It made you shit and piss yourself. On the other hand… it threw you into the far wall."
"Harry. The Fu is a Beast of Great Power." Remus walked up to the lad. "Its Bark affects everything in range. Supernatural like a werewolf and a grim. The Subnatural, like the infestation within the walls. And everything in between."
Dobby came bounding into the room. "Master Great Wizard Harry Potter Sir has purified Townhouse. All infestation gone. Elves revitalized." The Excited Elf Exclaimed Enthusiastically. "And he leaves work for Dobby!" Dobby snapped his fingers and the whole room was clean.
"Oh shit." Harry looked at the Elf in fear. "Ah… Dobby, are Winky and Kreature both like this?"
"No." Kreature entered the room, Looking smug. "Kreature has his energy back. But Winky has different problem. Dobby needs run," he looked over his shoulder. "Master will want to clear out, taking everyone but Dobby and Winky with him. Now!" He snapped his fingers.
Three wizards and an old Elf vanished from number twelve Grimmauld
Harry's last sight of the Room was a naked Winky tackling a surprised Dobby.
POMP
They appeared behind the Leaky Cauldron.
"Ah… Kreature. Did I just see Winky assault Dobby with intent to…"
"The first of the new Black Elves." Kreature was a little wild about the eyes.
"That means I need to get him socks while we are shopping." Harry sighed. "He is providing a service for House Black."
Kreature shook himself. "Master needs register and claim his Grim familiar." He smiled at Sirius. "Kreature shop for House Supplies." He snapped and vanished.
With a flick of his wand, Harry transfigured a collar and leash and looked at Sirius. "Padfoot on a leash or Black in cuffs."
Sirius grumbled and shifted to Padfoot.
Like Harry had predicted, the pink ribbons returned.
Lupin snorted but remained straight faced.
Harry collared the Grim and opened the sliding gate to Diagon Alley.
Padfoot trotted at Harry's side as he worked his way through the crowd to the Alleys Entrance to the Ministry. "At least it's better than flushing in."
"Flushing in?" Remus frowned. "Just how many ways do you know how to get into the Ministry?"
"Flushing in." Harry shook his head, "the out of order phone booth and here." Harry waited for the witch ahead of him to transverse the portal ahead of him. "And that's not counting the floo, portkeys and cleared apperstion."
"So…"
"Let's put it like this. If I wanted to invade the Ministry… I could do it. But unless I am going full on Dark Lord, it's not worth it."
"Purpose of Visit." The Auror sitting behind the desk asked in a board tone.
Harry smiled at the man behind the counter. "I am here to Barrel Fudge and stomp on his toad. First I need to see Bones on a House issue."
"You said Barrel Fudge…" the man looked at Harry, saw the scar fading on his brow, and smirked. "Not …"
"No. As inept as he is, Fudge is trying to do good for England." Harry shook his head, "it's just that his advisors are corrupt. The Toad, a half breed who has denied her origins, so much that she has turned on her people and everything she sees as below her. The inbred so weak minded that he was Imperio'd so hard that even now he is doing the Dark Lord's work. And then there is the old fool who thinks that risking the lives of his students is okay as long it's for the Greater Good." Harry shook his head. "I didn't come here to whinge about politics. I need to see Director Bones about House Business."
"Wand."
Harry handed over his Holly wand. Remus was right behind him.
And they were handed badges and waved through.
At the lifts, they were given space and rode the next cage alone. At the floor for DMLE they exited and Padfoot led them to the Bullpen.
There they met Tonk who was on desk duty.
"Hey Dora." Harry leaned on the chest high desk. "Before we get official, I would like to introduce my Uncle… Remus Lupin. I think I need to ask you to pass on the news to your mother that Lord Black is asking her to bring her family to Dinner. There is Family Business to discuss." Tonks looked stunned. "Now officially. Auror Tonks, Lord Potter to see the Director. Please inform her that we are here."
A tap of her wand sent a peach coloured memo-plane flying back into the cubicles and offices.
Shortly an Auror that rarely left the office, Emmy Vance wearing a green shawl over her auror's robes. It was a House thing. "Lord Potter, the Director will see you now."
As the two wizards and 'dog' followed the witch, Lupin grinned. "Good to see you Emmy. I hope things are going well."
"Sniff elsewhere, Lupin." Her grin removed any sting from the words. "Any word on that Son of a Bitch that ran with you?"
"So… you met the late Mrs Black." Harry smiled at the witch. "You do know that he is innocent of the crimes he was arrested for."
The Witch glared at the lad. "You say that there are other crimes he is guilty of?"
"I can't confirm or deny that statement." Harry delivered with a straight face.
The witch blinked. "Okay. I must ask. Why is your dog's hair braided with pink ribbons?"
"My Elf really dislikes the Grim." Harry signed as Padfoot turned his head to peer at the braided hair. "It goes back to when the Grim belonged to my Father. The Whole House of Black has an issue with Padfoot the Potter's Grim Familiar. I don't know if it was because Padfoot really hated Sirius, or what, but stories I have heard say that Padfoot and Sirius could not even be in the same room at the same time."
"Always wondered about that." Vance frowned.
Padfoot pressed his head into Harry's side, shaking.
Remus' face was set in stone, but Harry saw his jaw was clenched.
Harry smiled at the witch again. "I believe that the director is a busy woman…"
The door was opened and the three males all but shoved in, before the door slammed shut behind them.
Director Bones glared at the two wizards over a pile of paperwork. "Lord Potter. What can I do for you?"
"Heard from a shadow… that the Aurora has a list of Animagi that are not open to the public." Harry squared up. "Same shadow said that Black was going to list himself once the conflict was over, but that went tits up."
Amelia looked at the rat in a metal cage on the back wall of her office. "I have a confirmed Court Docket set for the First of July." She looked at the 'dog' at Potter's side. "Why is Padfoot wearing pink ribbons that say 'Bad Dog'?"
"Had to do with the history between Padfoot and House Black. Only Tonks and her daughter are in good standing with him. The Black Elf caught him sleeping outside his safe room."
Padfoot growled.
"Yes we have a covert list." The monocle glinted in the light. "This shadow… Black, I presume, is correct, but why would he need…" her eyes locked on the Grim. "SON OF BITCH!!!"
"Really easy to see if you have all of the pieces." Harry grinned.
Pulling a scroll from the racks behind her, the Director sighed. "James marked three slots to be filled in later. Was that for…"
"Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail." Moony spoke up. "Three friends who learned a restricted art to help a young werewolf on those nights."
Bones filled in the blanks. "Padfoot is Black… change back. Who is whom?"
"James was Prongs." Sirius growled in his human form. "Peter there behind you Is Wormtail."
The rat made a rude gesture at Black.
"So when you were accused of killing him?"
"He cut off his own finger and shifted to rat form, and crawled into the sewer." Moony spoke again. "How did you get him to…"
"Shift change. When they were doing a bed check and his cell was empty, they thought he had escaped. When they opened the cell to check… the rat broke from cover… Runcorn transfigured the cage around him as the janky bugger made a run for it. I had to take him away from Rupert. The man was poking at the rat with a licorice wand."
The three wizards snorted.
"When found guilty, I would like to ask the Court to sentence him to life in service to the Department of Mysteries." Harry smiled at the rat.
Wormtail gave him the Space all salute.
Bones made a note in a file. "Before you get me off topic… Are you here about the marriage contract?"
"Not exactly." Harry wandlessly summoned a chair to sit in. "Barchoke might have said something the other day but we were cramming two days of work into two hours. I am going to have at least two other wives… but Sue was there for most of the ride home. She should know this."
"Yeah… she said something like that as well."
"Does she have a Familiar?" Padfoot asked. "I was not including an unbonded owl."
"She has a kneazle that doesn't like the cold."
Amelia answered.
"So… if her contracted were to send her a Familiar… something that would often appear and disappear and yet for some reason hated him…"
"Padfoot and you?" The eyebrow not over the monocle raised. "Depends on the Familiar."
Harry slowly stood, moved into the centre of the room. "It's the main reason we came to see you today." He squatted down to all fours, then slowly morphed into the Fu.
"Shit!" Amelia jumped back in her chair. "And I thought having a Grim was bad enough. How can you get…"
"More Magic than brains." Remus deadpanned as he poured two fingers of Muggle Whiskey into two tumblers. He passed one to Director Bones.
"Oi!" Black exclaimed as the Fu doggy grinned and thumped his tail. "But like I was saying… Lord Potter acquired her a Familiar that dislikes him. Because of his Nature, The Fu is not always at her side, but if the need should ever arise…"
"What is to keep him from taking advantage of the situation?'
"Harry was housebroken by Hermione Granger." Remus sipped his drink. "If she doesn't become Lady Potter, she will be a close friend."
Fu blew a raspberry at Lupin.
"You seem pretty relaxed." Bones looked at the werewolf.
"My Alpha is back. The Pack is back. The Wolf is complete." He smiled sadly
"You have names for your other forms… does he?" Amelia pointed a finger holding the glass at the Beast.
"Mester Padfoot. I move that we recognise our newest member… Fiji."
"Mester Moony. I recognise the Son of Prongs as Fiji." Sirius smiled at his best friend.
"Fiji?" Amelia asked before she could stop herself.
"The Biggest Mountain in Japan." Remus answered. "Fu are a staple in most Asian Cultures.
Fiji hid his face under his foreleg.
Amelia wrote down the name of Fiji, Potter, and Fu, before placing the scroll back into the slot. No sooner than she released it, every male room forgot where she put it.
"And when should Susan expect her new Familiar?"
"House Black's London Townhouse has been reclaimed and tonight we are going to reopen the floo." Sirius took the chair beside the Fu. "Harry, as the recognised Heir, will be hosting a Summer ball. A few key people will be invited. Including but not limited to everyone who is to be Engaged to him. We can announce the Continuation Contract and that House Potter and House Bones look forward to welcoming the others into their union."
"That would put Susan as First Wife."
"First Consort. Only Lady Potter would be above her. And if Lupin's intuition is correct, it will be to a so-called Muggleborn. Susan AKA Lady Bones will be needed to guide Lady Potter through her duties to society."
Harry barked.
The men froze.
Lupin sighed, slammed his tumbler, and shook his head.
"What was that?" Director Bones knew the signs of something in the making from working in the same squad with Black and Potter.
"Harry doesn't just look like a Fu, but is a Fu." Black snipped out.
"This morning as a prank, he used his Bark to awaken Padfoot." Lupin grinned. "Knocked the Grim across the ballroom into the back wall."
"It was like being at ground zero for a Bombarda Maximus."
"Shit!" Amelia slammed the last of her drink.
"Padfoot did." Lupin sighed as he took her glass. "It shored up the house. Revitalized the Elves and purified and cleaned the block."
"Kreature pulled us out just as Winky jumped Dobby." Sirius twitched. "She is going to be breeding the next generation of Black Elves until sundown."
"Oh dear Morgana." Bones paled. "Tully went through a heat once when Susan was eight. All the males ran screaming but one, Blinko. One of the older males, Samko, threw him at her. Only thing that saved that blasted Samko. Sue found Blinko crying in her closet the next morning."
There was a minute of silent prayer for poor Dobby.
"This weekend. Potter will call Fiji and introduce him to Sue and let her in on the joke." she scribbled down a few words on a scrap of parchment. "Saturday around noon. Sue is having a Birthday Party. Only Girls, but her Betrothed dropping by with her Gifted Familiar should be okay."
Harry shifted back to human. "I also have a Grim Familiar that could use grooming and a Snake Familiar that would like to lay out in the sun and soak in the rays. If she would do so… I will take her and one friend shopping on the 29th of July."
"Who is the Snake?"
"Nagini. A maledictis." Harry grinned, "She was the lover of Alberth Dumbledore's son. She had found a place to live out her life in sucludition until Riddle found her and bound her as his Familiar."
TBC