Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore thought he had planned for every possible contingency but apparently he had not and he was not best pleased about that fact. First, his perfect pawn's godfather somehow became the first person ever to escape Azkaban. That wouldn't have been too problematic on its own. It gave him a good excuse to request the presents of the dementors. Forcing Harry to face those monsters would be a good test for this year. So he had managed to work the situation to his advantage.
However, after fixing one problem another popped up, or should he say several other problems popped up. In one singular Wizengamot meeting the Black, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff seats were all taken away from him. The Ravenclaw seats were a large loss too since it held two seats, though you could argue that it held three considering Hufflepuff came with it.
The one thing that had stopped him getting truly mad over it was the fact that the switch didn't appear to be personal or even political. They gave their seats to the head of the gray faction. Considering both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are Gray houses the switch seems to be done more out of duty than any personal feelings. As soon as he was able to find out who the new Lord was he should be capable of convincing them to hand the seats back over.
The Black seat however wouldn't be such an easy fix. Scratch that, he wouldn't be able to 'fix' it at all. The Malfoy boy was the only male Heir to the family. Albus was just lucky that they hadn't realized sooner. The title passed from Sirius after his tenth year in Azkaban so they could have taken the seat away two years ago.
With the loss of five seats also came the loss of his chief warlock position. Something he had been rightfully angry about. especially with the way Amelia had gone about interrupting him and making him look bad. That though, had nothing on the later session.
Gryffindor was claimed by none other than Augusta. And Merlin that woman had been a pain in his ass since her son and daughter in law had been tortured into insanity. He suspected Augusta knew more about his involvement in the situation than she let on, but he had no knowledge of what she could possibly know. That was another problem. One he had tried to deal with many times, but again, the woman was as stubborn as they come and every attempt Albus had made to 'remove' her had always failed.
He had wanted Neville to grow up with his great uncle Algie but unfortunately that hadn't worked out. If it had, the Gryffindor seat would still be his. When Harry had pulled Gryffindor's sword out of the hat he had hoped that the title would go to him but no, he was just a Gryffindor at heart.
When the Gaunt seat was claimed by Bones Albus had almost had a heart attack. His shock was so bad that he missed his chance to interject and when the Slytherin proxy was given out he used that moment to make his objections. All that did was give Augusta the chance she needed to get the Potter seat revoked, giving Skeeter ammunition to start a smear campaign against him.
He cared little for the campaign she had launched against him. So few people actually believed Skeeter that it wouldn't matter in the long run. Eventually this would all blow over and his reputation will be as pristine as ever. What he was concerned with was the fact that his reclaiming of the Potter seat had been denied at all.
He had gotten permission from Harry in his first year then promptly obliviated the boy. Apparently doing so revoked the permission. Or did he wait too long to use the permission? He wasn't quite sure witch was the problem but what he did know was that he couldn't ask again. His spies had reported what the boy said and Albus was both pleased and infuriated.
Clearly the boy still trusted him with how upset he was at the mere suggestion of Albus not telling him something so important, but this leads to the point that he now wouldn't give Albus the seat even if he asked because all he would ask was why it was kept from him for so long. Albus also couldn't force him to give over the seat or again magic wouldn't accept the permission.
He thought his bad luck would end there but no, his two little spies were fucking things up for him even further with the way they were acting. The only thing currently that wasn't going awry was Potter himself. Sure the boy was avoiding his friends, but Albus had witnessed the arguments that his spies were having and he knew that this was an ingrained behavior the boy had picked up from living with the dursleys, so he felt that there was little to worry about on that front.
It was obvious that Harry was as oblivious as ever, and while Albus had thanked mother magic for the small mercies he's been gifted with while everything else falls apart around him, it was also a double edged sword. Because everyone, with Skeeters prompting, had started to notice, and it was now taking everything to keep the boy ignorant. In fact Albus was sure the boy would have already noticed the strange behavior if it hadn't been for the spells he had placed on him.
Albus had also caught Remus and Severus sharing a few jokes and playful interactions over the last few weeks and had wanted to scream. He thought he had put a stop to that relationship during their sixth year when he got Sirius to expose Lupin as a werewolf. If something doesn't change with that he might have to find his own way to make sure they stay apart.
He sighed looking down at yet another letter demanding an audience with the Potter Heir and he tapped it with his wand, setting the parchment alight without a thought. He stared down at the elder wand in his hands. Recently the wand had felt… off. He didn't know how but it just wasn't working the same as it once did. Where it used to almost jump to perform any spell, almost begging to be used, now it seemed hesitant. It was just one more thing in the long list that was going wrong in his life.
He sighed, placing the wand down on the desk. If he didn't know better he would say that he had lost its allegiance somehow but it hadn't been out of his sight since he had won its allegiance all those years ago, so it simply wasn't possible. Albus rubbed a hand down his face letting out a weary sigh.
Harry was sitting in the Slytherin common room surrounded by the other third years… and flint. Harry didn't know why but every time he came down here flint seemed to follow him like a little duckling and Harry hadn't found the courage to ask why yet. Right now though they were all just sitting doing their own things.
Harry was currently going through his duties as an Emrys when he wondered if this was even something he needed to do. What if the power of the Emrys family had been fully revoked and none of this even applied to him. Was he just wasting his time? He sighed, lowering his forehead to the table.
"Hadrian?" He let out an answering grunt that he hoped conveyed the understanding that he was listening. "Are you okay?" he looked up at Greengrass, who was looking at him somewhat amused, before tipping his head back down into the crease of his, frankly way too big, ancient law book.
"Yeah, I'm good."
"Is it anything I can help with?" Harry didn't even look up as he waved a hand at Flint.
"Nah, it's just boring house stuff." He left his head buried in the tome until a screech of wood against stone made him look up to see Flint storming away from the table. Why did he look so mad? Theo sighed next to him.
"Hadrian, I haven't asked till now, and maybe that was a mistake, but do you know what exactly you asked of flint when you exchanged the life debt for his confidants?" Harry paused to think about that. It hadn't been too long ago but for him it felt like it had been forever.
"Um, I asked him not to spread my secrets." Theo groaned, burying his face in his hands.
"No potter, you essentially made him your vassal and every time he has ever offered assistance you have rejected him. To everyone else it looks like you hold no value in his service." Harry was confused. The confusion must have shown on his face since Daphne cut in.
"You bonded him like a vassal but did not complete it formally, meaning he can't actually claim to be a vassal to House Potter. But he is still bound the same way a vassal would be. It's…" Daphne paused trying to think of the correct word to describe it. "Shameful? No, demeaning maybe? Look, the point is it's not a good look for him. Then every time he's around you dismiss his help. Not only are you not granting him the use of a title, you are rejecting his entire presence. To everyone else It looks like you bound him then threw him away."
Harry was horrified. He hadn't meant to cause those kinds of problems for Flint. He had thought it was a harmless way of dismissing a life debt, nothing more. Harry can vividly remember all the times Flint had been there, always right behind him offering help and Harry felt awful. He looked over to where Flint was sitting and noticed that there was a small ring of empty space around him like his house mates were keeping their distance.
"Being a vassal to a Margrave house like the Potters is considered a prestigious position, Hade." Harry looked back to Theo whose cobalt blue eyes were shining with sympathy. "Being a vassal is often synonymous with being a steward. Let me put it this way, Flint is set to inherit the title of Viscount when his father steps aside, however, being a vassal to house potter is a title that would grant you the same respect as being a Viscount. If named steward his rank would be above that of his own fathers, matched only by the earls and counts."
"That being said," Daphne interjected smoothly. "If a vassal is rejected it could cause a lot of damage to House Flint. Other nobles would pull away from them, long standing business deals may be ended, Flint's own heirship may even be brought into question." Harry swallowed hard. One small thing that he had thought of as so insignificant that he had pushed it out of his mind and hadn't thought about it since the incident could cause so much trouble. He could have destroyed an entire family just from not knowing the consequences his words would have.
"H'how…" his voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "How do I fix this?"
"Whatever you do, do not let anyone else know you didn't mean to make Flint your vassal. That will only make the situation worse." Daphne nodded along to Theos words.
"So I need to make it look like I know what I'm doing? But then how do I explain my behaviour for the last two weeks?" and Merlin had it really only been two weeks. Daphne and Theo stayed silent thinking it over. In the end it was Draco who broke their silence.
"Cousin, when will you understand that you are the Margrave of Thornfair. You need not justify your actions to those beneath you." Harry raised an eyebrow.
"So what? I just start treating Flint properly and offer no excuse for my previous behavior. What if they ask questions?" Draco sniffed imperiously.
"If they start to ask questions you tell them that it is none of their business." Honestly as awful as that sounded it also sounded like the easiest way to do this. Soon enough people would forget the entire thing. "But cousin." Harry focused back on Draco. "Be honest with Flint. Tell him about everything. As a vassal, Flint is magically bound to your house, doubly so considering the life debt. At this point in time Flint would be considered your closest confidant, above even me despite us being cousins, so treat him like it."
That appeared to be all Draco wanted to say as he went back to his work once he had finished speaking. Harry sighed and cast a tempus, they still had a few hours before curfew. It would be better to get this over and done with. He closed his book, the loud thud sending the common room into a startled silence. He packed the tome in to his bag and walked over to the table Flint was occupying.
"Marcus, a word if you please?" he tilted his head, indicating for the older boy to follow him as he walked over to the large portrait he uses to enter and exit the slytherin common room. He heard Flint scrambling to follow him only a few seconds after he had turned away.
Once he was close enough to the portrait it swung open and he walked through. It didn't take long for him to realize that he couldn't hear a second set of footsteps following. He looked back to the entryway to see Flint hovering in the frame. He raised an eyebrow.
"Are you coming?" Flint flinched before cautiously stepping through the opening. The canvas swung shut behind them and Flint jumped. Harry frowned, What did Flint think he was going to do to him for him to be this twitchy? Harry just sighed and led them down the passage.
He kept an eye on Flint as they walked and watched as the Slytherins' eyes flitted around the space, lingering on every door and passage they passed. Until eventually they came to the Slytherin Receiving room. He allowed Flint a minute to catalog the space before he spoke.
"Heir Flint, I owe you an apology." Dark eyes snapped back to him and Harry continued. "I did not consider the implications of the vow I exchanged your life debt for. I have since been informed and regret the actions I have taken with you thus far. It was not my intention to cause you such problems with my actions, or in this case, my inaction." Flint paused for a moment before visibly steeling himself and opening his mouth to speak.
"Does this mean you will be relinquishing me from your service?" Harry raised an eyebrow. He was under the impression that course of action would bring further problems for Flint but if that's what the boy wanted then Harry would comply.
"Is that what you want?" almost immediately Flint shook his head. "Well then, no, that is not what we will do." Harry waited hoping his silence would prompt Flint into voicing his wants on the matter. After a minute of silence, Flint spoke.
"So you'll formally take me as your vassal then?" Flint's eyes were shining with hope as he asked.
"I…" he paused. He was about to admit that he didn't know how to do that when he had a thought.
'Death, how would I go about making a vassal?'
'That depends, are you making a vassal house or just making someone a vassal?'
'There's a difference?'death sighed.
'Give me a second to understand the situation.'Harry felt the slightest pressure in his head for a moment before it was gone'oh, this is about the Flint Heir. you will need to conduct a fealty oath. He is already bound by the magic of the life debt but this will be more official. You need to know what house he will be serving also, since you are the head of several houses you need to pick which one to bind him more formally to.'
"You don't want to." Harry focused back on Flint who was looking at him in a mixture of anger and resignation.
"No, it's not that I don't want to. I'm just…" fuck it, Flint was already magicaly bound to keep his secrets. "This is something you can't tell anyone. Some of the things I'm going to tell you Draco doesn't even know. Well they know some of it." Flint nodded.
"I will keep your secrets." Harry nodded and let out a breath.
"The first thing is that I have multiple houses so deciding what house you should serve will be the most important part right now." flint held up a hand.
"If I may add my thoughts to this?" Harry nodded a little confused since he hadn't yet told him what other houses there were to choose from but was happy to listen either way. "While I will be bound to a house, more importantly I will be bound to you as my lord. my oath will not be to a house but to you. The house is only important as a title. For an example I would be Hadrian Potters Vassal or Marcus Flint, Vassal to House Potter. The house isn't overly important as you could argue that as your vassal I am a vassal to all your houses."
"Oh, so it doesn't really matter?" flint made a pained noise.
"It does matter," He stressed. "just not in the ways you seem to think. It's more political. For example you aren't telling people that you hold other titles for the time being so the last thing you want is me proclaiming to be the vassal to that house. Also the flint holdings are already within the Potter territories. So it would make the most sense to keep me formally as a vassal to House Potter." Harry rubbed at his temples. He was starting to get a headache. Why was this all so confusing?
"So it does matter in terms of proprietary but it doesn't actually matter in practicality." Flint immediately opened his mouth in what looked like a vehement denial, but closed it with a snap as he seemed to contemplate it. A minute later Flint groaned.
"Don't ever say it like that to anyone else, but yes, essentially." Harry nodded "So will we be conducting the oath here then?" Harry startled. Here? as in right now?
'You need a witness… and a sword.'
'You better get here then… wait, why a sword?!'
The door to the office opened and death walked out wearing the face they had dubbed Morticia. She walked up to them and presented a sword to Harry.
"De… ahem Morticia will be our witness if you have no objections?" He looked back at Flint whose face was a splotchy pink. Death winked at the boy and his blush intensified.
"I believe our lord asked you a question." Death practically purred at Flint and Harry facepalmed.
"Ticia need I remind you that he is a minor while you are… well you." Death's tinkling laugh filled the air and Harry watched Flint's eyes glaze slightly.
"Hadrian Darling, surely you aren't commenting on a Ladys age?" Harry snorted.
"What Lady?" Death smirked, flashing her fangs slightly.
"What would you call me then?" Harry didn't even need to think for a moment.
"Fluffy arcane entity." Harry deadpaned and death cackled. Ever since Luna had said it, death had been obsessed. He even stole Harry's nickname for her, calling her his little moon. That, Harry had been summarily informed was now an official title. Harry Potter was Death's master. Luna Lovegood was Death's Little moon. A registered official title amongst the gods. Apparently Fate had not been happy since Luna was one of her children but Death didn't really care.
Harry looked down at the sword he had been handed and blanched. "How did you get this? I thought it was still in Dumbledore's office?" he stared down at the sword of Gryffindor and death smirked.
"As lord Gryffindor it belongs to you. Besides, I left a replica in its place." She waved off his concern easily. "Hadrian, place the blade in the ground and rest your right hand on the pommel." Harry did as he was told. without prompting Flint knelt in front of him and placed his right hand over Harry's. Oh, we're doing thisnownow. Like right this second now. Harry didn't know what he was doing. Surely they needed some prep time or something?
"I, Marcus Orilious Flint, Heir to House Flint, do swear Fealty and service unto the Margrave of Thornfair,-" Death whispered something into Flint's ear and his eyebrows rose before he continued.
"-Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black, To speak and to be silent, to do and to let be, To come and to go, in need and in plenty, In peace and in war, in living and in dying, From this hour henceforth,-" death whispered something again and flints eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He looked to death but she just nodded. He turned back to Harry and continued.
"Beyond death will I serve." Harry sucked in a sharp breath and flicked his eyes to Death who looked far too smug right now. The second Flint had finished uttering those words Harry could feel the Death magic weaving itself into the bond. Offering allegiance beyond death to someone like Harry wasn't just a meaningless gesture, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
He listened to death as they instructed him to take out his hydra wand and hold the tip to their hands as he spoke aloud the words Death whispered to him.
"I, Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black, Margrave of Thornfair, Hear and shall not forget, nor fail to reward, that which is freely given: Fealty with love, Valor with honor, and Oath Breaking with justice. With this pledge your vow is sealed, in Magic's name our strengths are bound, and…" he paused and took a breath "In the presence of Death these words are final." Morticia stood to the side looking down on the proceedings with dark eyes glinting in the magelight.
Harry was not prepared to see the Potter crest bloom into existence on the back of Flint's right hand. His eyes widened in horror at the brand but when Flint looked at it he smiled and looked at Harry.
"I'll wear the crest of House Potter with pride, my lord." Harry had mixed feelings about the crest but if Flint wasn't upset he would keep his thoughts on the matter to himself.
"I would prefer for you to continue to call me Hadrian." Flint nodded and Harry handed off the sword to Death who quickly disappeared back into the office. Flint's eyes trailed her as she went. Once the doors were shut he seemed to shake himself out of it and his brows furrowed.
"Who was that and how were they here?" Harry sighed and flopped on to one of the sofas placed near the fire, gesturing for Flint to take a seat. There was an almost inaudible pop as Kreacher set out two cups of tea and a small selection of fruits. Harry smiled softly, clearly it was too late for him to be having sweets. He looked over to thank Kreacher and was both surprised and happy to see the elf wearing a new, clean, and pressed pillowcase.
A house elves attire was a good indication of how they were feeling. If they felt unworthy of their place or felt they were a 'bad elf' they wouldn't take care of themselves as a form of self punishment. But this showed that Kreacher was finally starting to believe he was a worthy house elf. Harry couldn't wait for the day the old elf would ask for the house livery. He knew he couldn't rush this. If he just asked Kreacher to wear it then he would feel unworthy and it would just create a spiral. But they were getting close and harry couldn't be happier with the progress they were making.
"Kreacher has prepared a crushed mint tea with apple, and a snack of mixed melon cubes for Lord Black and…" Kreacher's eyes flicked to Flint and they widened slightly. "...and Lord Black's Vassal."
"Thank you Kreacher, it smells lovely." With a deep bow Kreacher popped away. Flint moved forward, taking his tea and relaxing back on the sofa.
"So Lord Black?" he raised a questioning eyebrow at harry. "Who was the vampire you managed to sneak into hogwarts?"
"Her name is Morticia. You will see her around from time to time. But you need not concern yourself with her. Technically she holds no title or position of power, however believe me when I say she is not one to mess with." his warning was serious and Flint seemed to recognise that since he nodded quickly. Harry however thought about that. Death had no actual seat of power. Sure they were a god but they couldn't exactly tell people that.
'Death? How do you feel about becoming Steward to House Peverell?'
'Hmmm… not a bad thought. As you well know House Peverell is allied with several creature clans and having a part creature, especially a dark creature, as a steward would send a message to those who may have forgotten the house ties over the years. I could also begin campaigning for the rights to our own religious practices again… yes, I do think this would be a good idea. though we would have to wait to make it public.'Harry nodded.
'You'll need a full name and I can get the goblins to give you a new identity.'
'I will be Morticia Allani Nephthys. I will leave the paperwork for the rest of my backstory, qualifications, and other information on the desk in Sal's office for when you need it.'Harry nodded again and turned to a confused looking Flint.
"Ignore what I just said. That was Morticia Nephthys Steward to House Peverell." Flint blanched.
"H'house Peverell?" Flint slowly placed his tea on the low table in front of them. "So you are Lord Potter, Lord Black and Lord Peverell?" Harry only nodded before diverting the conversation he wanted to ask a question before he told the other boy his titles.
"What do you know about the house of Emris? Like I was thinking about the fact that all the Royal houses sit dormant currently, right? So that means the bloodline is alive. So what happens when Duke or Duchess Pendragon suddenly shows up? Could they just reorganize the whole of the Wizengamot?" Flint frowned.
"Queen Elizabeth by technicality holds the Pendragon seat as does every reigning British Monarch. They have the right to vote with that seat in the Wizengamot if they so choose. Lefay also wouldn't hold the power to reorganize the Wizengamot. They were placed on the counsel to be the voice for creatures. But I guess if an Emris showed up, theoretically they could pull the Wizengamot apparte, add new seats, remove old ones, revoke noble titles and give new noble titles. They would have to have good reasoning for all of it if they didn't want to cause a riot. I'm sure there are also rules in their house charter that would stop them from causing too much damage also."
"Umhm. what would you do if you had that kind of power?" without missing a beat flint spoke.
"Revoke the titles and voting privileges of anyone who has already had their lands reclaimed by their sitting Lord." Harry nodded that had been one of his first thoughts also. Flint suddenly looked suspicious.
"Why do you ask about this? Peverell, while technically a Duke title, doesn't hold the authority over Wizarding Britain the way the other Duke titles do." Harry let a small smirk grace his face.
"How rude of me, I didn't introduce myself; I am Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black, Barren of Greold, Baron of Forlon, Viscount of Whiteshade, Count of Faypine, Earl of Houndmoor, Marquess of Nuashall, Margrave of Thornfair, Margrave of Grimfell, Grand Duke of Morsgrave, Duke of Avalon, and Duke of Broceliande. It's a pleasure to properly make your acquaintance." Flint stared into the middle distance for a long moment before he started whispering to himself.
"Greold is Gaunt, Forlon is Sayre, Whiteshade is Griffindor, Faypine is Hufflepuff, Houndmoor is Slytherin Nuashall is Ravenclaw, Thornfair is Potter, Grimfell is Black, Morsgrave is Peverell, Avalon is LeFay, and Broceliande is Emris…" Flind put his head in his hands.
"Merlin's hairy ballsack, you hold eleven titles… and one of them is the House of Emris. Who else knows you're the head of House Emris?"
"A family friend of mine and Snape. That's it. Oh and Morticia" Flint nodded softly.
"This is insane."
It was the Wednesday after the Slytherin VS Gryffindor quidditch match and the day after Flint had made his vassal oath. They had spoken long into the night about his titles and especially what it means to have the house of Emris back. Initially it had just been a hypothetical for Flint but knowing that it wasn't had changed the way he approached the situation.
Finding out about the Lefay title and what that entailed had made Flint truly understand just how out of his depth Harry truly was. Harry didn't just need help, he needed tutoring, badly but he also didn't have time. Flint was now the only person alive who knew about the time turner and how much he was relying on it. Flint had been a little worried at first but after Harry explained how he was using it and how careful he was being, Flint had calmed down.
For now though Harry was making his way down to his 'detention' with Professor Snape. The Slytherins had not been happy with him receiving detention on wednesday considering it was one of the days he would often spend time in their common room. Technically he could still go since he had a time turner but he really didn't want that to be common knowledge.
He knocked on the door to the potions lab and walked in when called to enter. Snape was sitting behind his desk marking papers, but what made Harry pause was another boy in ravenclaw robes standing at one of the tables de-shelling some kind of beetle with a disgusted look on his face. Snape looked up from his marking and sneered.
"Ah, Mr Potter, you finally decided to deign us with your presence I see. You can join Mr Ashford. And you'll be staying an hour extra to make up for your tardiness. I want you to harvest the eyes from the beatles Mr Ashford has already removed the elytra from. I trust that this won't be too hard for you." Harry just nodded. Despite the man's condescending words he could see the apology in his eyes, clearly he hadn't planned for this.
He quickly walked over to the other boy, curious about this Ashford. He didn't realize there was another set of twins in his year. And this boy didn't look much like his brother, but Harry had seen him in his classes so he was definitely in the same year as the other Ashford. Oh maybe they're cousins. This one could be from a branch line.
They did look different enough that they were likely to be cousins, but there were also enough similarities to tell they were closely related. Their eyes were the same sky blue but where Lucuses hair was a slightly coppery blond, this Ashfords hair was as if someone with blond hair stripped out the yellow leaving them with a soft grey colour.
Once Harry reached the table he quickly got to work harvesting the eyes from the Beatles Ashford was already done with. After a few minutes Harry subtly cast a one way silencing charm around them allowing them to speak without Snape hearing.
"So Ashford, what did you get detention for?" The boy's eyes flicked to him in panic before flicking toward Snape who was still marking at his desk undisturbed by the conversation Harry was trying to start. "I put up a one way silencing charm, he can't hear us, but he can still see us so dont stop your work." He gestured to the several jars of beatles still sitting at the edge of the desk.
"I wanted to see if watering the venomous tentacula with blood instead of water would calm its volatile nature. When Professor Sprout found out about my experiment she was… not pleased. I was supposed to have detention with her but apparently something came up and professor snape was already overseeing a detention tonight so he could take mine too." That made sense. Snape wouldn't exactly say 'no, I'm not actually giving Potter a detention, we just needed to have a quick chat.'
"What about you?" Harry looked at the boy in confusion, so he elaborated. "What did you get detention for?" Harry snorted.
"Breathing, most likely. Honestly, I stopped really paying attention to what excuse he uses to give me detention most days." Ashford let a small smile spread across his face as Harry spoke.
"I had heard you two didn't like each other but to see it with my own eyes is definitely entertaining." Harry sent the other boy a mild glare before resuming his work.
"So I met Heir Ashford the other week, I'm assuming you're related in some way?" The other boy scowled a little and Harry wondered if he had said something he shouldn't.
"Apologies for my rudeness but there wasn't exactly time for introductions." There was a little bit of snark in the other boy's voice when he said this and Harry ignored the mild hostility he was getting from this newest Ashford. It wasn't something he wasn't used to from others. "My name is Winter Ashford. I am the second son of the Noble House of Ashford. My Mother is Baroness of Claydall." Winter bowed as low as he dared with Snape still present in the room.
"I'm Harry Potter, Heir apparent of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter." He offered a nod to the other boy and winter again seemed a little confused by the gesture. "So your Heir Ashfords twin then. For a second I thought you might be his cousin or something. Since well… twins often share a Heirship till they're old enough for magic to decide properly." Like the Patels who are both heirs to their house. Harry assumed the Ashfords just decided to go with the eldest.
The other boys frown deepened at Harry's words and Harry felt like bashing his head against the table. The Ashfords did not seem to like him. Lucus had been borderline hostile when he met him in the library the other week and now winter seemed just as annoyed by his presences. Maybe he should just stay silent for the rest of the detention. There was no point bothering people who so clearly didn't like him.
He was just curious about the other noble families and finding information on them was incredibly hit and miss. Some families' lineage was public knowledge while others were completely private. The ashfords were one of the families that was relatively private. Harry's musings were interrupted when Ashford spoke.
"We aren't twins. Lucus was born almost four months before me. Mother and mama got pregnant not long after each other but Lucus came early, far too early, while I came late so the time between us was longer than expected. Pa almost had a hippogriff when the same thing happened with our younger sisters. Though, there's only two months between them."
Harry paused for a moment registering that. "You have three parents?" Winter's glare intensified and Harry quickly backpedaled. "Sorry, I was raised in the muggle world. I didn't know that was something that could be done is all. I wasn't trying to be nasty about it. I was just curious since no one has ever really talked about this stuff. They've only ever said things in passing. Like same sex couples being a more common concept here."
Harry also had three parents, technically, but they weren't together, not like that, as far as he knew. Though, they might have been and Sirius just didn't tell him. But Harry was pretty sure they weren't. It was just that Harry didn't realise people could have more than one partner and that would be okay. Winter nodded slowly, seeming to contemplate Harry's words.
"Triads, while not common, are accepted. Quads are also a thing but even less common than triads. The last prevalent quad known in the wixen world was heiress Trembleys great grandparents. Triad are more common with at least one in every generation. They're even encouraged in some cases. magical twins being the most prominent example. They don't always share a partner, but for some sets of magical twins they share thoughts and feelings, so they often end up liking the same person and the thought of separating to be with different people isn't something they even consider. Of course there's always some who just fall in love like my parents did."
Harry nodded along, intrigued by the concept. The wizarding world really did seem so accepting at times, then he remembered how some of the purebloods spoke about blood status and he realized that their prejudice was just aimed elsewhere. Harry opened his mouth to continue the conversation when he felt his silencing spell break.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for using unauthorized spells in my classroom Mr Potter. And five points from ravenclaw for encouraging stupidity Mr Ashford." Harry winced, sending an apologetic look to Ashford. Harry also cringed internally at how he had handled that conversation. He had barely done any small talk before moving straight on to personal questions.
He needed to pull back on his current projects; it was making him more single minded than he should be. Currently he was looking into everyone's family trees, mapping them out and making sense of them so he could better understand his future responsibilities as head of the house of Emrys. This slight fixation had caused him to ignore general common decency and ask intrusive questions. He hoped this didn't reflect poorly on him in Winter's eyes. Merlin knew the boy's brother already didn't seem to like him.
Harry focused on the task he was completing for the rest of the time, only being pulled out of his work when he felt magic rise around him. He looked up sharply, finding winter already looking at him. He raised a single eyebrow in question as winter eyed him with a sharp curiosity that made him slightly uncomfortable.
"You wouldn't happen to have a Nott amongst your close relations, would you?" Harry blinked a few times at the other boy. It was a little rude to be asking something like that but Harry guessed he started it with his questions first. He thought through what he knew of his family tree.
"My maternal great great great grandfather was Lord James Nicholas Nott. Why?" Winter opened his mouth to speak then closed it with a confused frown. He sat there for a moment, thinking, before trying again.
"I thought he didn't have any Heirs? That's why the title was passed down to his nephew, Lord Edgar Nott." Harry nodded in conformation.
"James had two children, my great great grandmother Pepper Louise Nott, who as a female was not an eligible Heir for the house of Nott, and her brother Edmund James Nott who unfortunately died in infancy." Winter grimaced a little.
"I apologize, that question was a little insensitive." Harry immediately shook his head.
"No it's fine, this happened over a hundred years ago, it's not like I knew them personally. But I am curious as to why you asked." At that Ashford seemed to freeze like a deer in headlights.
"Oh, well I, umm… your reaction when I cast a spell made it seem like you might… Well, havethenotfamilymagic." Winter rushed out the end of his sentence making it difficult for Harry to know what he said. "But with how distant the relation is I understand that that wouldn't be possible, and I wasn't trying to pry into your family magics or anything, I swear, but I've always been so interested in it. Not all families possess unique family magics like that, and the few that do keep the information close to their chests. But again that's understandable since its family stuff and no one else really needs to know but…" The silencing bubble they were in popped again and Snape's voice filtered in.
"Next time Mr Ashford I suggest you take a page from Mr Potter's book and make sure the silencer is one way. Since you wouldn't have been caught if you had heard me call you the first time. Ten points from Ravenclaw for using unauthorised spells in my classroom. And fifteen points from Gryffindor for encouraging rebellious behaviour Mr Potter." Harry wanted to argue but he realized that, Yeah, he had encouraged Ashford to do it. If Harry hadn't cast a silencer first Winter never would have done it.
"Well the hour is over so Mr Ashford, unless you would like to spend another hour with Mr Potter De-shelling more beetles, I suggest you exit my classroom." He made a sweeping gesture towards the door causing the heavy wooden door to swing open with a loud bang. If Snape wasn't so terrifying everyone would realise just how dramatic the man truly was.
Winter didn't need to be told twice. Within the minute he was scurrying out of the door, letting it shut with a loud slam. Almost immediately Harry put down the knife wrinkling his nose at the dismembered beetles in front of him.
"Was this really necessary?" Snape gave him a flat look.
"It was not my intention to actually make you go through a detention. If you would like to blame someone, blame Pomona. Now then." He flicked his wand, levitating all the beetle parts into the correct jars before stacking them on the shelves. "I do believe we needed to have a conversation regarding the meeting you had on Saturday."
"What about moony? We need to wait for him." Severus grimaced.
"He is currently… indisposed." He did not look pleased by the fact. He gestured Harry towards a seat facing the man's desk. Harry raised an eyebrow at his professor wanting a better explanation of Remuses absence and Severus sighed.
"It appears the headmaster has noticed our… amicable relationship and has decided to take it upon himself to keep us separated with menial tasks." Harry pursed his lips, his brow furrowing in thought.
"Is there any chance that he suspects our relationship might change due to this dynamic?" Severus seemed to pause at that, taking a moment to think it over.
"I don't think he suspects anything as of right now, but I'm not sure if he thinks there is a possibility it could change with time. I will make sure to show no change in my hostility toward you. Maybe even set up an argument between me and Rem over it to get the old man off our backs." Harry nodded, if dumbledore was going to meddle in their relationship it might be for the best to pretend not to have one.
"Now then," Snape's voice cut through his thoughts and he looked up at the potions master. "You told us vaguely about a meeting you were having on Saturday with someone who could explain more about the Selegen court to you. How did that go? What did you find out?" Harry grimaced.
"It was… enlightening." Snape waited for more but when it didn't seem like Harry would continue he let out a huff. "It was a little more formal than I thought it would be so I wasn't really able to get into too much detail, but good news, I got to meet the Queen of the Sheynia Court." Snape, ever so slowly placed his head in his hands.
"Please tell me you didn't cause an international incident." Harry paused.
"I don't think so? It went pretty well, I think. By the end Queen Zeliene acknowledged me as her king so I can't have messed up that bad. I just wasn't able to pull out my list of questions and ask everything I had initially intended to. Which was annoying but at least I got the basics and didnt make an utter fool of myself." Snape took a deep breath.
"Okay, that's… good, I guess. So what did you find out about the court?"
"Just how many courts make up the Selegen court, what races are represented, the general workings of the court, what kind of leader Nemu was, oh, and that there is absolutely no way for me to hand control of the courts back over to them. That was about it." Snape nodded.
"Well at least you know what races are included in the court, that's a start. You'll be able to research their customs and culture before having to meet them." Harry nodded, it was one of the most important things he had wanted to know by the end of the meeting.
"There have also been a few other developments this week. For one, I have appointed a steward for house Peverell. Her name is Morticia Allani Nephthys, she is part vampire and well versed in the holidays and Rituals that the Peverell house is known for. I fully trust her and her ability to run House Peverell."
He stared Snape down daring him to argue. The man had gotten better since their argument but sometimes he still needed to remind him not to question Harry's decisions. Sometimes he wanted to hear the other man's thoughts and opinions but this was not one of those times. Snape's jaw stayed firmly closed and Harry continued his telling of the week's events.
"Heir Flint has also officially become a vassal to House Potter and is fully aware of all eleven titles I hold. We spent a great deal of time talking yesterday and he now has as much, if not more, information than you and Remus. I think that is all I have to say for this week. Though considering it is only Wednesday that doesn't bode well for the rest of the week." Snapes lips twitched as he steepled his fingers and fixed Harry with a look.
"I do believe you may have forgotten one thing." Harry paused thinking over the week so far but came up with nothing more. "You see, I am rather intrigued about this hypothetical basilisk?" Harry let a sheepish grin take over his face as Snape stared expectantly at him.