CHAPTER: 7 A NEW UNKNOWN DESTINATION
The time of departure had finally arrived, and a certain impatience hovered in the air while the last trunks were loaded on the roof and in the trunk of the carriage. Marie-Louise and Louise-Elisabeth gave their last recommendations to the men who graciously offered their help to lift the heavy suitcases carrying some of the fragile objects that had to be handled with care, while Harry quietly stroked one of the six horses hitched to their car in the company of Pauline, who was happy to translate everything they saw into French. His aunt's daughter had pleased him from the start, and despite the consequent age difference between them, Harry could easily see her as a friend or cousin if he didn't feel close enough to see her as an older sister. Pauline was a very curious person, as he realized very quickly, and she could not refrain from asking many questions about his life both before the orphanage and about the few months he had lived there. Although he had spoken of this a few hours earlier, he bowed to it with good grace and answered each of her questions as long as they did not become too intimate: She didn't need to know that James was beating him or that his little brother was a pretentious little one of the worst kinds. He was surprised to appreciate all this attention and the interest that Pauline had in him, a totally changing situation of the behavior of the staff and children of the orphanage who ignored him for failing to show contempt for him.
Despite all their discussion had to end quickly because Marie-Louise decreed that it was time for them to rest for the imminent departure at the first aurora of the morning. Harry had been made aware of their trip to France and had surprisingly been very excited to be a part of it now. He who had never had the opportunity to travel, now the opportunity presented itself to him, and he had no intention of letting it slip away. So, he went to bed without waiting after his new mother turned one of her own dressing gowns into pajamas for a boy his age with a magic wand.
"You will need new clothes when we are back in France," she also declared by searching the trunk of her son in search of a garment that survived the assaults of orphans. It was necessary to admit that the few clothes remaining to him no longer had the clean and neat aspect of old, and that it had taken little for them to end up like his other things in the toilet drain pipes. Those who remained had already suffered enough like this, and beside the beautiful dresses of his adoptive mother and his aunt, he was neglected.
The condition of his clothes was not the only thing he wondered about that night. Sleeping in the same bed as a woman of nearly fifty years who became his second mother within two hours was a novelty he never thought of. In less time than he should have, here he is with a new family, which he did not know two days ago. Another novelty of size: here he is now with two women as a mother and a father he hated. His family life was decidedly strange. If the possibility had been offered to him, he would have quickly exchanged James for Marie-Louise for the role of father, but here it is: Marie-Louise was a woman, and to know that now he had two mothers gave him a strange feeling of discomfort, as if he had become an out-of-class being. He and the Princess of Lamballe did not share the same blood, but calling a woman whom he did not have any kinship with mother made him uncomfortable with Lily.
For a long time that evening, he wondered about the new relationship he would have with this French woman and how his biological mother could react, but his apprehensions became short when Marie-Louise, perhaps in his sleep as he imagined at the moment, squeezed him against her in the same way as a mother for her child. Omitting the fact that he now had his head compressed on the chest of the Princess of Lamballe, this situation calmed him down and allowed him to let himself go in the arms of Morpheus, and this without suspecting for a moment that during all this time, his mother had feigned her state of fatigue and had constantly plunged into his mind to see all the doubts that animated him.
"If you knew, Harry. This situation also surpasses me, but over time, our apprehensions will disappear. I just hope you have enough room in your heart for a second mother," she said, murmuring in the hollow of his ear while tenderly kissing the top of his head before letting herself go in turn to a well-deserved rest. Her hopes were already beginning to emerge as Harry showed himself very close to her the next day by sticking to her despite being awake for a long time. Marie-Louise was not Lily, but this woman was slowly but surely beginning to become a second maternal figure for him. All morning until departure time, Harry decided to spend time with her and show himself in his best light so as not to make her regret her decision to adopt him, talking to her about everything and nothing and asking her about her habits, what she liked to do and what she hated. Discovering that they had many things in common like gardening was a pleasant surprise for him: at least he will be able to share a few moments of intimacy with her to develop their mother-son relationship as well as possible.
It only took Pauline's help to divert Harry from his new mother and allow Marie-Louise to prepare quietly without worrying about the many questions he asked her. Nothing seemed to interest Harry, and even the harnesses connecting the horses to their carriage fascinated him. It must be said that Pauline was an excellent teacher and knew how to be captivating, even to translate in her language objects of everyday life. The curiosity of her now son amused Marie-Louise who missed nothing of the scene taking place before her eyes, and this despite the two coachmen who tried in vain to raise the price of the rental of means of transport.
"And this is a saddle," explained Pauline, pointing to the leather object on which one of the coachmen was sitting. "A saddle looks almost like English!" "You will see over time that many words are similar even if the language is different," she said, smiling with an amused air. "I hope to learn quickly in this case, Marie-Louise would be very happy with me," Harry replied, already anxious to please his mother, Pauline questioned him, staring at him.
"The children! It's time to leave!" called Louise-Elisabeth from the door of the carriage, which she still held open for them. Harry nodded as he sighed, acknowledging the diversion created by his aunt. As he was about to prepare to walk towards her, his arm was suddenly grabbed by Pauline's hand, which wasted no time in clinging to him. She gave him a half-serious, half-amused glance, as if interrupting him in his race was gratifying for her.
"Come on, Harry, don't you know that a self-respecting gentleman always accompanies a lady to her car?" "Forgive me, Pauline, but I absolutely do not see which lady you can speak of. There's only the two of us next to this horse…" A moment later, Harry took a slight pat behind the head administered by his friend, who pulled him slightly towards their car, not without whispering to him in passing a "insolent little." Harry let himself be dragged, amused by the reaction of Pauline, who herself had to hold back so as not to smile too.
"Hurry, young men," Pauline's mother threw at them once she had arrived at her. Helped by the other coachman, Harry and Pauline quickly climbed the small staircase to enter the interior and settled quietly on the comfortable seats covered with red velvet. Marie-Louise motioned to her to sit in front of her with a gesture of the hand while Pauline quickly took a seat next to him. The door closed behind her, and after a slight shake announcing that the coachman had climbed back into his seat, a whiplash blew the air, and their car drove immediately on the London Road, bound for the small town of Dover. In a corner of his head, Harry then understood that he saw perhaps for the last time before very long this city which, in the end, left him only with bad memories.
The idea that he was leaving behind his mother and sister was also making its way into his mind, and that was what upset him more than anything else. The distance between them would be enormous, and not only from a geographical point of view: Perhaps Marie-Louise's teaching would turn him into a completely different person who had no connection with Lily at all.
"Are you not feeling well, Harry?" his mother asked him, noting his scowling air. "I'm fine, Mother," he tried to reassure her. "It's just that I hope that my other mom understands my choice and that we can later see each other again as before." "I did what I could so that Mrs. Potter could contact you as soon as possible," she said, fondling his cheek tenderly. "She must now quickly come to the orphanage to discover your new situation." Harry simply nodded his head, although the words of Marie-Louise did not really reassure him. His mother could very well come even today to the orphanage and miss him by a little, as she could just as well come to pick him up at the end of the three years he should have done in this sinister place. He hoped that somehow the time when they would be separated from each other would be shortened.
"Don't worry, Harry, with all the activities and classes you'll have, you won't even see the time go by!" "Maybe yes, but I just don't know what classes exactly you're talking about, Pauline." "I will explain this later, Harry," Marie-Louise told him. "Let's put aside for the moment the unfortunate subjects and take advantage of this very relaxing journey where we can learn even more about each other and simply appreciate the presence of people who are dear to us."
Unlike the journey from Potter Manor to London, which was deliberately long, the one for Dover was extremely short and interspersed with a single stop in a small restaurant by the road to recharge and rest in peace. The weather outside didn't allow for fun outside, and Harry and his new family had to settle for watching the beautiful English moors this season. The dying nature surrounding them could have given inspiration to any artist wanting to reproduce an autumn landscape. The opportunity was great for him to learn even more about the three women on the road with him, and in particular about the Princess of Lamballe, of whom he had become the adopted son.
In addition to discovering that she had for some time been a very important woman in the royal court of France, he also knew the reasons why she had suddenly decided to flee her country and the political situation in her homeland. This topic seemed to make him particularly sad, especially when she spoke to him about the so-called intimate manners that some people had suggested between her and the Queen of France and who had long tainted her name in the eyes of some people.
He also discovered the history of his family dating back several centuries as well as the various facts of arms of the ancestors of Marie-Louise. Apparently, many men had become soldiers with high responsibility, even in the family of one who could have become his stepfather, and the possibility that he would follow the same path was great. Serving in the Muggle army would never have touched him; he thought instead of attending a school of magic like Hogwarts and later beginning a career in any department of the Ministry of Magic. But commanding men and fighting on a battlefield had in itself something that was exhilarating.
"I have in mind to make you a great wizard, maybe even the best of all, but also a renowned politician and military." These words spoken the day before by his new mother suddenly made sense by listening to him talk about his family. He could become, through his teaching, one of the best wizards, while on his side, Marie-Louise could, thanks to him, restore the coat of arms of her family and bring the fame and glory that she had lost a few years earlier. Studying at Hogwarts suddenly seemed impossible to him, but nothing said that he would not one day go to this school to perfect his training. The future was a hard science to know, but he was at least sure of one thing: James and Dumbledore will be surprised by the life he would have from now on.
"Now Harry, it's time for you to know what will happen when we arrive at my residence and also put a few things in focus before being there," he said, suddenly his mother told him as she pulled him out of her thoughts. "First of all, know that my castle is placed under various spells allowing perfect protection for all the people residing there. I do not forbid you to go beyond the limits that I have put in place, but I would like you to be accompanied every time you want to go out. The forests surrounding the castle of Lamballe are not as safe as they seem, and bad encounters are always possible. In the eyes of the muggles, my castle simply does not exist, but you will still meet many people on my estate with whom you can all at your leisure befriend or not."
"Are these people wizards?" he questioned her. "Almost all. In truth, the village surrounding my estate is a wizarding village, the largest in Europe, although it is also known to the Muggle population, unlike others. All the inhabitants can walk on my lands as they please by means of a spell that I have placed on them and that prevents them from being able to reveal to anyone my secrets, including the existence of my castle. Anyway, I'm on very good terms with all of them, especially since I allowed them to have certain facilities facilitating their life and arable land in exchange for part of their agricultural production. The Muggles are mostly people who have married wizards and work in my own home."
"And what are they doing?" "Domestic tasks such as maintaining my garden, cleaning the rooms of my castle, meals, or the management of my farmland and some of my facilities, etc," she explained by listing the tasks with her fingers. "Some will no doubt be responsible for ensuring that you do not miss anything and will bow to the least of your desires, but show respect with them. They may be servants, but they are above all human beings who deserve as much respect as we do."
Harry nodded at her words, not without questioning why Marie-Louise preferred to have human beings as servants rather than house elves, knowing that the latter possess magical powers that even some wizards would dream of having. His curiosity prompted him to ask why, but contrary to what he thought, his adoptive mother chuckled heartily, quickly joined by Louise-Elisabeth.
"House elves may be very obedient, but you will have to admit, Harry, that they don't really have the proper physique to be introduced to non-magical people. The first time I introduced my estate to your aunt and the rest of her family, most of his children were afraid of these creatures and refused even to put a foot inside my castle. If my memories are good, Pauline was also very imaginative by going to hide in my stables near a pile of dung which she had the misfortune to cross the road… It took you so long to get rid of that foul odor, my dear," teased her mother by smiling with amusement. "No one dared to approach you within five meters before I decided to give you a nice bath."
Her daughter stared at her before turning her head towards the landscape scrolling beyond the windows, the muddy mine. His reaction only accentuated the chuckles of the two women present, whose memory of this day still seemed to amuse them a lot.
"Now I would like to discuss with you what will happen to you when we return to my lands. As you know, if I asked you to join me, it is simply because I can easily feel in you a magical power as it is done very rarely over the centuries. I wouldn't be surprised if you reach Merlin's talent when you're an adult, but we still have time for that. In the meantime, your days will be almost exclusively focused on your learning of magic, but also on other more traditional lessons that every child from a noble family is obliged to follow. As I told you yesterday, I will make you a gentleman, a man who is educated and educated, careful and clean, well-mannered and respectful. You will, therefore, follow the same lessons as the Muggles of your age, although yours will be much more advanced."
"Will you teach me all this?" he asked her, now apprehending all this workload. "I will be content with only your magical lessons," she replied, looking from the corner of her eye at her friend. "Your aunt will take care of your lessons on etiquette, good manners, but also teach you more conventional subjects such as mathematics, history, or some foreign languages. I still hesitate to give you a master of arms to teach you the handling of certain swords and firearms, but we will see this in time. In addition, Pauline has formulated the desire to teach you to ride a horse, and I do not see any inconvenience."
The person concerned turned her face towards him and sketched a small smile wanting to be reassuring. Harry, however, had no problem imagining the girl next to him becoming for a time one of his teachers, especially since learning to ride a horse was one of the things he had long wanted to learn: The Potters had two horses, but the latter were not really suitable for climbing and were confined to the position of draft horse. However, this did not dissuade him from raving about them, hoping one day to be able to climb on the back of one of their fellows. Merlin, Rosie would have died of jealousy if she knew that.
"Speaking of a foreign language, since in the eyes of many people you will be my legitimate son, it is better not only for you but also for me that you learn my language quickly, and it is better to start as soon as possible. You must quickly assimilate every aspect of our language and make your accent disappear as soon as possible, especially when we will be brought to rub shoulders with French people with whom I am not really on good terms and who would be happy to accuse me of the worst evils of the earth by discovering your real nationality."
Machine-scavenging in his purse, she came out a few moments later a thick book with a brown cover without any drawing and having for the single inscription only a short sentence, "The Holy Bible."
"This is my personal bible written in French," she explained while handing her book to him. "Normally, they are written in Latin, but it is much more pleasant to be able to read something from time to time without having to translate each word. But you will not escape this, young man. I hope this will help you learn some basics of French. You already know this book, right? You will only have to try to remember certain phrases…"
The confused look of her son nevertheless assured her that something was wrong with his argument.
"Would you have a problem, Harry? Something you wouldn't have understood?" "Well, to tell you everything, I have never read this book, even in English. I have no idea what it is talking about…" A slight hint of surprise passed through her gaze as she looked at Harry in a strange way. Religion was everything to her, the support on which all her certainties and ideals stood, the stone holding the whole edifice that was her life. Bathing from a very small inside was probably for many, but to imagine a single moment living without him seemed totally impossible.
"Are you not a Christian, and therefore have never been baptized or even attended any seminary or religious assembly so far?" "No, why? Does it bother you?" "Not exactly. Let us say that from the very beginning of the lineage of the lords of Savoy of which I am one of the representatives, it is customary to devote our lives to God and to follow his precepts to lead a life of piety in accordance with his principles." "I see... You want me to do as you do?" he asked nervously. "The choice is yours, Harry. Converting to a religion is not as simple a choice as determining the menu of the meal you will enjoy the same day. It is a decision that will follow you all your life and from which you will not be able to escape. Were your parents not, either?" "My mother is a believer and wanted us to become Christians too, but my father refused. According to him, religion is only a foolishness behind which gullible people hide to escape the misfortunes of life by leaving all the weight of difficulties on the shoulders of an imaginary being. He also said that there was no religion among sorcerers, and that, in any case, witchcraft was already considered something harmful in some religions, such as, so he didn't see the point of joining what he considers a sect."
He interrupted himself abruptly by noticing the little pout of anger on his mother's face, which gave the impression of being about to explode in front of these words. Harry inwardly wished his father never to cross the path of this woman; otherwise, the murderous radiance he could see in her eyes would probably be a hundred times worse if he were in their company at this moment. In the following minutes, Marie-Louise argued at length about the very origins of the creation of the world in which they lived and the creation of life and man based on several passages from the Bible, occasionally incorporating Louise-Elisabeth's comments to explain to her as best as possible the Christian church's vision on all these questions.
Harry listened to them wisely, very interested in the idea of hearing a new point of view on these subjects which he himself had sometimes questioned while reading the books of the library of Potter written by many learned Muggles, while Pauline, who herself had long been initiated into these conversations, contented herself with reading a book, approving a few times with a small nod of her head distracted the words of her mother and her aunt. The following hours were devoted to the reading of this book of which he did not understand much, but as Marie-Louise had told him, he could clearly recognize certain words and thus develop his vocabulary very slightly. Translating entire sentences and aligning words to say something sensible were still a bit too difficult for him, he said, but the help provided by Pauline to explain some complicated words to her was more than welcome.
He left the Bible late at night, after his mother insisted that he sleep and therefore avoid the cold shower the next day if he indulged in the fatty morning. Again, once again, he fell asleep in the same bed as Marie-Louise because the small house in which they had rented a room did not offer them the luxury of being able to rest separated from each other. Just like last night, his mother allowed herself to hold him against her as if she didn't want him to disappear, the arm around his waist and his head resting on the top of his skull, which she stroked distractedly, her eyes in the wave. However, her attitude did not escape her friend who missed nothing of the scene thanks to a thin beam of light emitted by the moon.
"Will you sleep in the same bed when you are back home, or must we warn your servants to prepare a second bedroom now?" she whispered in a slightly mocking tone.
"Continue to stammer like this, and you will sleep in the stables," Marie-Louise assured her by dryly folding her blankets on them.
Satisfied at having embarrassed her friend, Louise-Elisabeth chuckled discreetly before falling asleep peacefully without thinking for a moment about the day of the next day, which was particularly grueling. Their hostel was only a few kilometers from their departure city, and it was after a very saving rest that they took the road again to arrive in less than an hour in the heart of the city.
Dover looked like any English city that could be found on the coast: Grizzling one or two-story dwellings ending in a thatched or wooden roof along the dirt trails where many fishermen were clumping, trying to sell their goods to villagers anxious to prepare a good meal of seafood and fresh fish to feed their small families. The only notable difference with London was certainly the much smaller number of people on the streets, even though the food stalls had attracted many buyers from the surrounding areas and villages. Perhaps also the fact that the now-naked fields of their culture extended as far as the eye could see.
"What a disgusting smell!" could not help but pester Pauline by putting up the collar of her coat on her nose. "People have no idea of selling fish that smell bad so early in the morning!"
"These people, like you say, kill themselves at work to bring to others the seafood they have fished by the sweat of their brow," he severely reminded her mother, pointing her accusingly with his fan. "People dying of hunger only have a pestilential smell as long as they have food on their plates."
Harry followed their exchange without saying a word. In any case, there was absolutely nothing understood. His new family sometimes tended to speak French without realizing that he could not participate in their conversation. Despite everything, his mother finally addressed him, ignoring the ongoing discussion between her friend and daughter. Talking about fish was one of the last things she would think about for now.
"Before we arrive at the boat, we would have to think about a name that makes you pass much more easily for my son. Without wanting to offend you Harry, your name sounds a little too English, and for reasons that it is better that you do not know yet, it could prove dangerous for us. It would also be better if you keep this new identity as soon as you set foot in this other country. Do you have an idea to submit to me?"
His mother's suggestion caught him completely off guard. He never imagined having to give up his identity to become another, and being deprived of his first name gave him the bitter feeling of moving away from his old family. Nevertheless, Marie-Louise probably had his reasons, and even if it did not enchant him, he thought it preferable to obey his recommendation. A new life deserved a new identity after all? Machinally looking at the page of the book he held in his hands, several names jumped out at him, but one in particular caught his attention.
"Gabriel…"
"Gabriel?" she repeated, turning to her friend as if to silently ask her for advice on this choice. "Like the archangel Gabriel?"
"Yes, that is what I understood when I read this verse. Apparently, he was carrying a message announcing to this Mary the coming of the son of God whom she will bear. I'm not saying that I am a deity myself or anything that comes close to it, but the situation that we're in gives me the impression that I'm coming into your life in the same way that Jesus did, bringing with me a kind of message of hope for you to be the son you would like to have."
"It is so nice of you to think of me to choose you a name," said tenderly his mother taking her hands in his that she caressed delicately. "What do you think, Louise?"
"It is a good choice I must concede," she replied, while her daughter also approved Harry's proposal out loud. "Then you have become Gabriel of Savoy, Prince of Lamballe, and most likely the future Duke of Penthievre, of Carignan and Chateau villain if your aunt Marie-Adelaide agrees to abandon some of her titles of nobility in your favor."
"She would be obliged to do so because the inheritance tax makes him the beneficiary of these privileges," and Marie-Louise added as she began to turn simple sheets of paper into identity paper for her adopted son. "But I have no intention of taking away from my sister-in-law all these titles. I have a great relationship with them, and I don't want to put a woman of such good company behind me."
Harry, on his side, watched them discuss, again without understanding a word of what she could say. The language barrier was really an obstacle in the relationship he had with them, but he promised to cross it quickly so as not to have the unpleasant impression of being sidelined in the future.
"This is what is done," she said, storing the identity papers in a small bag. "Let's move on to your appearance, young man."
Before he even prepared for it, Marie-Louise was already pointing her wand at him and mumbling spells that were completely unknown to him, contrary to the feeling of warmth he could feel on his face and even in his hair. Unfortunately, he could not see anything, but still managed to feel some changes on his facial anatomy, including his nose which seemed to have suddenly refined.
Then just as quickly as she began her metamorphosis, Marie-Louise stopped after about a minute before contemplating with a satisfied air the result of her work. The other two women in the carriage did the same, and given the curious looks they cast at him, his transformation must have been quite astonishing.
"Could you do the same with me, my aunt?" Pauline launched, examining Harry's face thoroughly. "I always found my face too chubby."
"It is only temporary," Marie-Louise answered him by making appear a mirror that she held out to Harry. "How do you find Gabriel?"
Slightly troubled by being called otherwise, Harry still took the object and looked at its reflection with a hint of fear. That she was not surprised to discover a face almost completely foreign to him, and many of the characteristics he shared with James had simply disappeared. The most notable was probably his hair that was once in battle, which was now perfectly smooth and had taken on a lighter, almost chestnut color. His nose, his cheeks, his chin, even the shape of his eyes had been modified; only the emerald color of his irises had remained the same to his great relief. There were only his glasses to remind him that this stranger he saw in this mirror was him. A slight smile lit up his face as he saw himself for the first time without the slightest similarity to his biological father.
"What makes you smile like that?" Pauline asked him, noticing his rictus.
"Not much, except that I almost do not look like my father anymore!" he answered joyfully.
Knowing the way James cared for him, the other three immediately understood the origin of this sudden joy, and deep within themselves, there was something to be happy about. Who would want to look like a child executioner?
"Is it our boat, Mother?" Pauline suddenly asked as she passed her head outside their car.
"Do you see other boats anchored on the port, Pauline?"
"Apart from fishing boats, no."
"So, it's certainly ours."
Curious, Harry also looked at what would be his means of transport for the next few hours, he who had never had the opportunity to see any boat. Suffice to say that what he had before his eyes amazed him enormously. A magnificent three-masted ship awaited them on the quay of the port, its immense white sails curling with the sandstone of the winds while the framework cracked at the slightest movement of the water around it. The boat had to do well about ten meters above sea level, and the, and not to mention, of course, the masts standing proudly before their eyes like three trees tearing the sky from their pointed tops. The crew members were already working on deck to make the final adjustments before the impending departure, while others pulled from the quay heavy trunks and wooden crates inside which were to be found victuals and other essential products facilitating the comfort of passengers getting inside.
A small crowd gathered around a crew member placed next to a footbridge allowing access to the boat, as the carriage finally finished its run near the quay and stopped for the last time on their journey.
"What about our luggage?" Harry asked them as he looked at the pile of suitcases stored on the roof of their car.
"The answer to this question approaches us," Marie-Louise assured him, pointing out with a head movement several men approaching them.
After making sure that the sailors approaching them had come to meet them to transport the luggage to their cabins, they, the Princess of Lamballe opened the march and approached the man stationed right next to the catwalk. Obviously, he served as a controller and made sure that people who wanted to board the schooner were on the passenger list because as he got closer, he was getting closer, Harry could clearly hear him asking the people standing in front of him for their last names.
"From now on, do not speak English Harry," whispered to him his mother without turning around.
Harry nodded, though it was quite useless as she did not even notice it. To make good measure and give the image of a perfect family knowing each other since always, he took the hand his aunt held out to him and tried as best he could to imitate their graceful way of walking, although the result was very laborious and made him look more like a parade than walking normally.
"Name?" asked them in a cold tone the French without raising their eyes from his leaf once they arrived in front of him.
"Marie-Louise de Savoie, Princess of Lamballe," replied without being impressed by the obvious animosity of the team man. "I am accompanied by my son, Gabriel de Savoie, my friend Louise-Elisabeth de Tourzel and her daughter Pauline. We have already booked two cabins a few weeks ago on board this ship."
"It is not written anywhere that you intend to travel with your son," he said, looking at her with a suspicious air. "Could I get your passports?"
Far from being destabilized, Marie-Louise quickly handed her their identity papers as well as Louise-Elisabeth a few seconds later. The man scrutinized the passports, perhaps looking for any evidence that would allow him to question the woman's word before him. But nearly five minutes later, after looking at the papers in his hand from every angle, he had to admit his undoing and gave them back.
"You will have to pay extra for your son madam," he announced without departing from his unfriendly tone.
"And how much is this supplement?"
"Fifty francs."
"Fifty? But it is much more expensive than the price of the cabin I booked!"
"I'm not the one setting the prices, ma'am. I'm just following the captain's instructions, and one of them is that last-minute passengers pay double the amount requested, whether they're adults or not."
Harry's mother complied, not without mumbling a wave "thief" with the tips of her lips that the man did not hear. As with Ms. Cole, Marie-Louise turned for a few seconds to seem to search the same bag as the day before handing the amount claimed to the sailor. During this exchange, Harry swore to have seen her quickly put her wand in her sleeve of the dress after having obviously used it on the currency that she held in her hand.
"The account is there," she said, giving him the money. "You can count for yourself if you judge that my word is not trustworthy."
"I can trust you for that," said the man by storing the silver coins in a bag provided for this purpose. "Your cabin is the second one after going down the stairs, as for yours, it will be the one right in front. Have a great trip ladies and gentleman."
A brief nod later, and Marie-Louise opened the walk to the catwalk she was the first to use, Harry on her heels. Her son could not help but notice that his new mother had an absolutely perfect and graceful personality, showing to all the people around all the nobility from which she came and the presence due to her social rank. Her way of moving had to take a lot of time and effort, but the result was there: There was only one queen to walk as well as she did.
"Tell me, mother…"
"Whisper, Gabriel," she cut him suddenly, keeping her calm despite everything. "You are now entering French territory, and it is better to address yourself to me in this language even if you know only a few words."
"Forgive me," he apologized flatly, remembering what he said about the animosity between the English and French peoples. "I wanted to ask you: Just now, I saw you using your wand on the bag containing the coins you gave Ms. Cole and this man. For what reason?"
"My bag allows me to tap directly into my vaults and therefore not need to go continuously to Gringotts to serve me in my money reserves," and she explained in a low voice while they were now on the deck of the boat.
Harry was about to ask her how the hell could she have an account in this bank that he thought was exclusively British, but his mother silenced him with a gesture by placing her index finger on his mouth while mumbling a "later" so discreet that he initially believed not to have heard it. For a moment, he thought that her legilimens abilities allowed her to read the mind of an individual without even making contact with her, which may have explained why she knew he was about to ask her a question. But seeing the crowd gathering on the deck of the ship, he understood that it was better not to draw attention to them, and that questions could wait.
A rather young crewman with a charming smile immediately approached them and kindly offered to accompany them to their cabin, not without in passing openly trying to seduce Marie-Louise in the praising her beauty and complimenting her on the beautiful perfume she wore. Despite his efforts, though, this did not have the desired effect, and it took little for the sailor not to take a few well-placed blows on his anatomy when he was a little too enterprising with her. The man seemed to have completely forgotten Harry's presence until, losing patience, Marie-Louise highlighted him by placing one of her arms around her son's shoulders. Seeing that the woman he was trying to seduce already had a child seemed to calm the ardor of the sailor who since then contented himself with driving them in silence to the door of their front cabin to leave without asking for his rest.
"It is time that I stop taking these potions of youth," she sighed opening the door of their cabin. "Although being courted by men much younger than me is rewarding, I will never see myself being lured away by a man who might be the age of my son."
This one was in itself was all there was of the simplest and without the slightest frills showing any sign of wealth. Everything was made of wood, but we didn't risk finding anything else on a boat anyway. The place was rather dark because of the dark woodwork used for the ship frame, which was, and the gray weather beyond the many windows on the wall in front of the front door in no way arranged the brightness of the room. The cabin was composed of a four-poster bed wide enough for two people, a wardrobe for the moment empty, and, a small round table over a carpet of the same shape around which were arranged some chairs and a desk just under the windows whose vision gave Harry the impression of being invited use it as soon as possible.
"Do you like it, Gabriel?" asked his mother, looking around the place and lingering on the few canvases hanging on the walls.
Marie-Louise's voice took him out of his contemplation as he quickly sought a short answer in French to answer his question. Although he did not fully understand the meaning, he had to give the change and start a discussion with her as if it were completely normal for him.
"Yes, it is very beautiful," he replied, accentuating his answer with an affirmative nod.
Barely two seconds later, the first crew members arrived in their room and deposited most of their trunks near the wardrobe. Sighing for relief, Harry could not help thinking that he had by chance escaped the interrogative glances of sailors who could have perfectly heard his small English accent.
"Assurdiato," announced his mother, pointing the door with her magic wand once the sailors had all taken their leave. "We will be able to discuss more quietly and without worrying about..."
Three knocks were suddenly thrown at her door, and after she had ordered the person wishing to enter to do so quickly, Harry's aunt and cousin quickly invited themselves into their cabin, taking care to close the door behind them.
"I knew that you could not resist the opportunity to come and visit us a little," sighed Marie-Louise by casting the multiple spells again, in addition to a "Collaportus."
"Your cabin is slightly larger than ours," Pauline said, looking at every corner of the room. "Oh, your view of the Channel is really perfect! We can almost see Cape Gris-Nez from here!"
Her observation, however, was cut short when Marie-Louise came to explain to Harry the step she was about to take with the Muggle authorities of her country concerning her situation and his.
"When I'm sure our lives won't be in danger, we will go to Paris with the French authorities to clarify our situation and to pay for all the evils I am accused of. I would never have thought of doing such a thing, but if it allows me to ensure my survival and yours and to finally live a decent life where we will not have to hide without fear of being hunted again by justice, I am ready to give them the information they want during my trial, even if it means revealing some secrets about my late friend. In this way, our name will be cleared, and we will be able to move freely around the country. In the meantime, we'll stay locked up in my castle while things get better calmly and that I consider you worthy to be able to accompany me without risk."
Harry approved of her words, though he understood only half of them. This subject was particularly difficult for him to understand from the height of his eight years, all the more so because it concerned more the situation of his mother with the justice of her country than his own, although by agreeing to become her son, he had also accepted all the worries added to it and mixing it at the same time.
The ride on the ship, from which he later learned that it was named "The Unsinkable," was quiet and made him forget all his problems, even if, as he quickly discovered, he obviously didn't have sea legs. The weather was still fine, and not a single storm came to disturb their journey, even if the sea wind bringing with it a pestilential smell of fish gave nausea to anyone not used to it. Harry himself could not bear this stench for long, and added to this the comings and goings of the boat shaken by the swell, he quickly fell ill and spent his time returning his meals with his head leaning over the ship railing. He had never been sick like that, and even Marie-Louise's sea sickness remedies didn't really help him. The only place where he felt much better and far from the emanations of the sea was in his cabin, although the movements of the boat on which the waves came crashing prevented them from resting quietly. Fortunately, it took them only two days to connect Dover to Brest, and all four welcomed the contours of the city with relief.
"Ready to take your first steps in our beautiful country, Gabriel?" she asked him, smiling at her aunt.
"As long as I quickly leave this boat, the place where I will put my feet does not matter to me," he replied, trying as well as evil to hold his head high.
The other three chuckled slightly before Marie-Louise decreed that it was time to go and put away the few things they had taken out of the trunks. While carefully folding his shirts, Harry thought that as soon as he touched the ground of this city, his new life would truly begin. Far from his native land, his landmarks were totally upset. A new country, a new language, new people who seemed so different to him... A certain apprehension won him while he imagined not being able to acclimatize to this new environment.
"Fear not, Harry, I will be there to support you and help you get used to all these changes in your life," declared his mother in a soothing tone, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Y-you... How do you know?" he was surprised when he turned to her.
"I'm full of surprises, aren't I?" she said tenderly. "I will teach you later about legilimancy and occlumency so that you can also read people's minds. This ability will be very helpful in determining the feelings and thoughts of the people you will meet, and it may save you from tying yourself to individuals who only want your loss."
"I look forward to mastering this branch of magic in this case," he said smiling.
About twenty minutes later, "The Unsinkable" finally docked along the dock of the port, and almost immediately all the passengers descended, most happy to make their seasickness disappear as quickly as possible. Harry joined them, pulling behind his trunk made light by his mother, wishing he would not have to get back on a ship for a very long time. Several carriages were waiting for them on the quay of the port, but one of them particularly attracted his attention. Garnished with wood-carved decorations and symbols in gold letters, it was undoubtedly the most beautiful he had ever seen, and even the horses pulling it gave off an aura of wealth thanks to the equipment attached to them much more dashing than the others. Harry noticed that on the doorway to climb inside, a family coat of arms had been placed over it and clearly represented the coat of arms of a noble person, which was accentuated by the crown surmounting the two shields engraved in the wood.
It did not take long to understand that this carriage was probably theirs, and seeing his mother approaching it confirmed his intuition. A tall, neat-looking man was nonchalantly leaning on one side of the carriage and hissing distractedly as he watched the crowd gather on the dock. A medium-sized hawk was also on the roof and sang while pushing very sharp pricks to the great amusement of the few children present. Their song stopped, however, when the man saw Marie-Louise, and almost immediately, he resumed a straight and formal position.
"Madame!" the man exclaimed as he saw them approaching. "What a joy to see you again!"
Antony greeted her as he began to respectfully kiss her hand as he bowed. "Your journey went well?"
"We can't do better, Madame! We received your message almost a week ago, and I immediately set off! My wife failed to faint in fear as she saw Archimedes melt into the castle kitchens to bring us your message!"
The hawk installed on the roof of the carriage began to make small sharp cries at regular intervals, as if to sneer, under the amused gaze of his mistress who immediately stretched out her arm so that he came to rest on it. The man named Antoine greeted Louise-Elisabeth and Pauline in turn in the same way as with Marie-Louise before realizing the presence of Harry, whom he looked at with astonishment.
"Hello, young man, you are not with your parents?" he asked.
"He is," said Marie-Louise, placing her hand on Harry's shoulder. "Antoine, I would like to introduce you to my son, Gabriel de Savoie. Gabriel, this is Antoine Letimonier, my coachman and also my horse trainer."
"Enchanted, sir," he replied awkwardly, pestering with his rough French.
Nevertheless, the coachman did not answer his salvation, too shocked by the discovery of the hidden son of his mistress. For a surprise, it was one! No one was aware of the boy's existence, and Maire-Louise had never reported having a son, even to her closest servants. Something was wrong...
"Y-your son?" he repeated without taking his eyes off the little boy in front of him. "But..."
"He is not really," she quickly confessed to dispel the misunderstanding. "In fact, Gabriel is my adopted son, but consider him my flesh and blood and treat him in the same way as I do."
"This for a surprise... The others will be absolutely delighted for you, madam! Since the time that the villagers dream of seeing a little lord between the walls of the castle! But why did you decide to adopt a child?"
"It's a long story," she sighed before heading to the car. "I'll explain why I adopted this child when we're all back at the castle. Come, Gabriel, we still have a long way to go."
Harry nodded and prepared to follow her, but suddenly, the man facing him bowed so low that his head came to his height, before kissing her hand in turn. To say he was troubled would be an understatement: never before had anyone treated him that way. Even the English did not stoop to greeting Matthew in this way, even if according to him, his little brother would only ask to be respected in this way.
"Monsignor, I am more than honored to meet you," said Antoine, smiling at him. "Let me drive you to your car."
Gently pushing him with his hand towards the car, the coachman kept observing Harry, who, for his part, preferred to look at his feet rather than face the curious look of his guide. Antoine offered him his hand to help him get inside the carriage, before bringing up on the roof the many trunks of his mistress and her friend, discreetly using his magic wand to lighten them even more. The few people still present nearby were surprised to see him lift suitcases so easily without the least help from the sailors bringing the last luggage, he said, and noticing the looks that the Muggles threw at him, Antoine left nothing to appear and greeted them quietly as if all this was normal. Nevertheless, it was better not to hang out here for long, and in less than ten minutes, he trotted the horses towards the exit of the city without looking behind him.
Harry was discovering for the first time the country he would live in for the next few years, and at first glance, nothing seemed different from what he had known so far. The French countryside had no notable differences compared to that of his native country, except that the climate was slightly milder and warmer. Autumn had already made its way into the country, but in the end, the French they met on the roads were no different from their British counterparts, as Harry had imagined a short moment before their departure from Dover. All of them pestered against bad weather and dead leaves slapping them when they fell from the trees because of a violent squall.
Harry could easily realize these similarities by sharing Antoine's bench, who proved to be very friendly with him. The coachman quickly realized that he hardly spoke a word of French, and just like Marie-Louise and Tourzel's family, he did, he took advantage of the trip to teach him a few words and show him places to visit on their journey when he had time, he said, when he simply did not give the reins of the horses to guide them. At the same time, he spoke at length with his mistress about the latest events in progress in France, notably some revolts in regions quite close to the region of the coasts of Armor in which they were heading.
"You did well, madame, not to stop near Calais; the roads are not safe in this county for some time. The revolt is rumbling among the peasants."
"What about the Vendean war? Is it finished?" the Princess of Lamballe inquired from the window of her car.
"Oh yes, for almost a year now. God, that this conflict has been bloody, we are talking about more than 100,000 dead since 1793. I hope that they will no longer have the idea of challenging the decisions of the current power; the region has already suffered enough like this. There are also some new families of wizards who have arrived in Lamballe because of this. You may be able to find them work to keep them busy."
"We will see this when we arrive. I might need a few extra ladies to take care of Gabriel."
Their journey lasted even less time than Harry would have thought, and without the slightest problem with the Muggle authorities. In less than a day, they had finally arrived at what was to be their place of residence for some time, and for Harry, the spectacle offered to him took his breath away. The castle was absolutely beautiful, although he could only see the main facade for now. A huge dungeon, as majestic as imposing, decorated with a crown of machicolations, pilasters, and capitals finely worked in a pure Renaissance style dominated the surroundings with all its height, and the two equally tall and large wings on each side each ended in a tower with a rounded roof and carved in the same style. The facade was made of white marble, and the roof in blackish tiles gave a striking contrast between the different floors of the building. An equally sumptuous courtyard, the, with several parterres geometrically separated by alleys and bounded by walls of bushes and carved topiaries, faced the body of the castle, the, while an alley wider than the others cut in half the park and ended up to the keep in which had been dug a small gallery allowing passing on the other side by car. A dozen men and women huddled in the flowerbeds to prune and pick the last flowers planted in perfect order on both sides of the grass squares.
"By Merlin, do you really live here?" Harry asked as he opened his eyes to this spectacle.
"I own a few estates elsewhere in France, but this one remains my favorite and the one where I like to gather and rest without worrying about the hassles of life," his mother, amused by his amazed look, answered him.
The carriage was now rolling down the main aisle and heading towards the heart of the castle, while the servants, realizing the presence of their mistress, would run up to their car to cheer for her return or just greet her like old friends. Embarrassed by this sudden interest in them, Harry turned away from the window and stuck to the back of his seat, as if he hoped to blend into the velvet of his bench. His mother graciously greeted the villagers calling her and rejoicing aloud at her return.
"Do you pay them?" she questioned her son, always trying to hide from curious looks.
"Obviously. And unlike the house elves, it does not bother them. This is one thing that these creatures will never evolve on: All punishment deserves pay, and receiving money or food in exchange for service is not an evil in itself. Exploiting the elves without giving them the right pay for their work in return does not please me at all, which is why I chose to take in the place of human people for this task."
Their car was now passing under the keep after having taken a small bridge separating the park from the castle, and the sound of the hooves of horses and wheels echoed on the wall of the ark. In a few seconds, they came to the other side, and Harry could easily notice that the castle actually had an "L" shape as well as a low wall filling the gap between the two ends of the building. The courtyard of honor was square in shape and only composed of a basin in its center wide enough to occupy an important space. Although he could not see it completely, Harry also saw that beyond the wall was a second garden just as huge as the first, and a forest surrounded the entire estate on several hectares. The carriage began to move towards a large glass door on their right, in front of which several ladies wearing aprons and strange white hats waited patiently on the porch.
"How many servants do you have?" he inquired, quickly remembering all the people he had seen near or far on the estate.
"I have no idea," replied Marie-Louise. "A hundred, I think, counting the people caring for the neighboring farm, the beautification of my land, and the wood delimiting them."
"A hundred!? Not even the Potters had as many house elves, by far. Looking back, it was not certain that Hogwarts also possessed such a large number of servants."
"It seems that you saw the devil in person, Gabriel," Pauline laughed at seeing his bewildered look.
There was something all the same. His adoptive mother had decidedly chosen to amaze him, and her castle, her expensive clothes, and the number of her servants assured him internally that she must be extremely rich. This is one point he should question. She couldn't buy all this with only wizard money. For the last leg of their trip, the carriage stopped definitively, and a few seconds later, Antoine opened the door and presented his hand to help them, one after the other, to go down. Harry was the last to come down, intimidated by all those people he did not know and with whom he should now live and interact. The interior of the carriage suddenly seemed very pleasant, and the desire to stay there to avoid the curious faces of the servants of Marie-Louise pulled him. But the coachman must have understood his uneasiness because he winked at him, smiling slightly to show him that there was nothing to fear.
"What were you doing, Gabriel?" asked his mother when she finally saw him come down. "Did you forget something?"
"Forgive me, mother," he apologized, facing for the first time the many servants agglomerated in front of him.
Seeing on Harry's face a slight hint of anguish, Marie-Louise took him by the shoulders and stood near him to support him in this new trial. The women looked at the little boy in front of them with undisguised astonishment, especially at the way their mistress was close to him.
"Ladies, this is my son: Gabriel de Savoie. I legally adopted him in his home country, but it is not excluded that I also adopt him by blood afterward."
Luckily, Harry didn't understand a single word in her sentence; otherwise, the idea that he would one day share the same blood as her and that he could thus have access to her vaults could have troubled or frightened him.
"Treat him with respect and kindness and consider him my rightful son," she continued, while her maids politely acquiesced. "Gabriel, these are the women responsible for my well-being and therefore yours. You'll understand what's going on very soon."
Then, smiling tenderly at him, she lowered herself to his level and blew into his ear:
"Welcome home, my son."
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