Service
About a week after Harry and Draco connected, a letter arrived from the Enclave. Harry read through it while humming slowly. He sighed as he looked towards the Lab. Draco was brewing and his lovely fiancé kept singing to himself. It was slowly driving Harry mad. He needed to figure out how to ward certain rooms without disrupting their device. To do that, he needed to understand the device, so he needed Draco.
Harry dropped the letter and walked into the lab. He sat down and entered magesight so he could look at the magic of Vekk's creation. He sat there studying the magic for almost half an hour before Draco even realised that he was there. By then, Harry was ready to turn around and mess with the wards.
"How long have you been here?" Draco asked.
"Don't know. Your singing is driving me mad, as much as I love you, I can hear it to the edge of the wards. I cannot be home without hearing you, and I have to do something," Harry said. The breathing was still a problem, but they were managing it well enough that he slept quite well. He walked out of the room and closed the door.
"Harry?" Draco sighed as his fiancé disappeared. He knew he needed to talk now so that they could make sure the wards worked the way they wanted them to. He just went back to his potions and continued what he had been doing, since he really couldn't stop himself.
An hour or so later, Harry walked back into the Lab. "There, done," he said. "If you open the door I can hear you, but your lab, and all the bathrooms are now warded as well as the Studio. That is my sanctuary and a room you can send me off to when you need to talk big bad secrets about me with people."
Draco walked up to Harry and kissed him. "Now we just needed to get the whole breathing issue under control. I don't want to sleep in separate bedrooms."
"I would have nightmares and probably sleep worse that way," Harry said as he wrapped his arms around Draco. "I don't really want to test that."
Draco hugged Harry closer and held onto him tightly. "I hadn't even thought about that," he said softly. "You haven't been waking up when I have nightmares before now… I guess that is going to change."
Harry gave him a concerned look. "You haven't told me," he said.
Draco smiled at him. "Trust me, they happen infrequently and aren't anywhere near as bad as yours. Just your magic alone is a big help against them. Unlike you, my entire childhood was a happy one."
"That doesn't invalidate your nightmares just because mine are worse," Harry said. He kissed Draco. "Your potion is having a fun time, maybe you should have a look at that."
Draco turned around and hurried back to his potion, as Harry chuckled and let the Lab so he would stop distracting his fiancé while he worked. He went back to the kitchen and picked up the letter. Lord Sipala was asking for an Enclave certified Warder. Well, he certainly wouldn't mind meeting with his representative. He walked into the study and smiled at Luna as he penned his reply. "We might be gone over summer," he said. "Will that be an issue?"
Luna looked up at him. "No, it is fine," she said. "By then I don't really need your magic any more, but I am quite comfortable here, so I'll stay."
Harry smiled at her. "Of course. I wasn't suggesting anything else," he said. "You are always welcome here, Luna." He heard back out of the room and sent his letter off with Gienah. He needed to pick his sons up in a moment. Then he needed to speak to Draco. It was even possible his fiancé knew the client. The Malfoy's did have a bigger network than he did, after all.
Draco read through the letter that evening. "Lord Sipala," he said. Then he shook his head. "Blaise is married to his only granddaughter, Isobelle," he said, somewhat amused. "She is really sweet."
"So no one will be sad if I land the job, and we have to go to Italy for the summer?" Harry asked. He looked over at Teddy. "Want to look into places to visit in Italy?" he asked.
Teddy smiled. "Yeah, that sounds neat," he said.
"I will not be going," Andromeda said. She looked at Teddy. "I hope that is okay?"
Teddy nodded. "Draco, Scorpius and I can do things when dad is working," he said. "That is fine. I'll miss you, but I get that you need to take care of the shop."
"Well, then," Harry said. "Now I just have to leave a good enough impression with the representative to get the job." He took Draco's hand and ran his fingers over his palm. "That shouldn't be too hard, should it?"
Draco chuckled before he leaned over and kissed Harry on the cheek. "I doubt it," he said.
…
Harry landed in Gringotts early the following Monday. He was still working on the Malfoy wards. He was bringing them up to be almost as impenetrable as the Blackbird ones. He was early, so he headed by the medical bay, so Glint could have a look at him.
"You seem to be doing well," Glint said as she finished her scans. "You could do with a bit more protein again, but that could just be that you are working hard right now."
"I'll make sure I add some extra," Harry said. "Thank you, mother." He bowed before heading out again.
Glint smiled after him, glad that he was wearing his Master robes. His shield was too nice to keep hidden.
Harry made his way through the bank to the meeting room set up for this meeting. He walked up to a window and looked outside. His thoughts turned to a few weeks earlier when Draco had walked the halls with him to decide which of the goblin halls they would use for their bonding. In the end, they had picked a white marble hall made up in a Greek style as well as a gothic hall in deep brows and gold. The contrast between their two houses. Harry had a feeling their ceremony would be expensive. He was glad they could afford it. Knowing that was what Draco wanted just made it worth it for him. He was still considering the branding. He needed to ask Glint and Ragnok if it would make any difference if he had a brand and Draco did not. He connected to the wards to take a look around as his mind buzzed with questions.
The door behind him opened and he was alerted. Harry turned around slowly, still connected to the wards. He bowed as he dropped his connection. "Master Warder Hydrus Black at your service," he said.
"Emillios Sipala youngest of our Lord's sons," the man who entered said as he bowed as well.
"Please have a seat. Your father contacted the Enclave. After seeing your request, they forwarded it to me, believing I will be the best match for what your father is after," Harry said. He walked forward and pulled a chair out for himself with his mind and magic alone. He knew that sometimes showing power was necessary.
Emillios had been taught not to show emotion to strangers. Don't show them something they can use against you. Still, he was impressed as he sat down, hoping that they didn't need to be this stiff throughout this meeting. It would be rough if that was the case, even if his father did prefer a more serious attitude. "Our Estate counts its years in millennia rather than centuries, and many great warders have worked on the over the years. We do not wish to see them fall, but we see that we must update the wards to keep up with the times. Our hope is that you can do this without disturbing what is already there." He placed out several copies of a rather old warding transcript for Harry to view.
Harry looked through the transcripts quickly. He would have to spend hours with these to know what really needed to be done for these wards. When Sipala said old Master had worked on them, he meant it. At least they had laid the wards so future generations could add to them. Some Masters just refused to do that, and it was a hell to connect to wards like that. He could work with this, though. That wouldn't be a problem. "I honestly do not know what you are hoping I will say. If this is correct, then these wards are impressive, and I can see why you want to be careful with who you invite to work on them," he said as he looked up.
"I think that is what I wanted to hear," Emillios said.
"Can you use magesight?" Harry asked calmly.
"Yes," Emillios said.
"Then looked around you," Harry said. "You sit within the wards I created to gain my Mastery. I built those by integrating the wards that already existed, and I made sure another warder would be able to take over and add to them once I was done."
Emillios' eyes started glowing as he looked around at the wards. He moved back, somewhat surprised as he saw magic move over the weave. Then he realised that Harry had connected to the wards as things shifted for him to show the older strings. The weave was built around the old wards to protect them while they still did what they had always done. This work was fascinating. He had never taken such a close look at another Master's work before. He was decent at what he did himself, but he would never dare to touch his home wards as much as his father had hoped he could become good enough to do so. He stepped back and cancelled his magesight. "Fascinating," he said. He met Harry's eyes and there was a hint of amusement there.
"Were you going to reveal that you are also a Warder?" Harry said calmly as a small smile played on his lips. "I can tell by the way you interact with the wards that you are able."
"I could never make something like this," Emillios said. "Your work is like art. I have warded our newer properties, but I could never do anything like what you have made here."
Harry nodded slowly. He wasn't scared someone would steal his method because very few had the power necessary to weave the way he did. They could see what he did. They could copy it, but he doubted that many people could truly weave like him. "The final decision is yours, but I have some demands," Harry said. "My sons attend school. Their holidays start at the end of June, and they need to be back by the start of September. I can stretch two weeks on either side of that, but not more. Without seeing the wards and knowing what you want added to them, I cannot tell you how long this will take. I will not sign a contract that forces me to be away from my family for an extended period of time. If I come to tend to these wards, they will come with me. I will work at a pace I see as appropriate, and will therefore take entire days off when I see fit. My family and I will be cared for or given the ability to do so ourselves. We will be protected and should I need to defend us I will do so without repercussion."
Emillios smiled. Oh, he loved this bit. "We can time your employment, but you are not allowed to take another major project until you have finished with our wards. If you do not finish this summer, then you shall return when you can and do so," he said. "Your family may come with you, but you will inform us who they are and what their connection to you is. You may work at a pace you set, but you will inform us what that pace is within the first two weeks, and you will take days off as you need for your recovery. We will protect you; should the need arise where a member of our household acts in a way that you find inappropriate, you will inform us and let us deal with it unless, of course, it is a direct attack on you or your family."
Harry nodded slowly. "That is appropriate," he said. "Then we get to things, it might be better that you know before we start anything." He raised his hands. "Is anyone in your family familiar with IMSL?" he asked as he signed.
"Why is someone in your family deaf?"
"Yes," Harry said.
"My daughter is fluent and several members of our family knows how to sign at least rudimentary," Emillios said.
Harry smiled. "Good, that will make things easier for us," he said.
Emillios looked Master Black in the eyes. "I cannot hire you. Father has to make that decision. I can only tell him my opinion."
"I see," Harry said. "Would you like anything else from me today?" he asked.
"A statement of your rates. I assume that you cannot give me an estimate of how long it would take you to do this now."
Harry looked down at the papers on the table. "No, I cannot," he said. "I could send you one before the end of the week, though I cannot tell for certain how accurate it will be based on several factors as well as the flat rate as you pay for my time. I have a list of wards I can place as well as a list of specialised wards I have placed in the past. Depending on how much your father wants, the time it will take will vary."
Emillios could have done a little happy dance. He was so tired of speaking to people who were difficult to work with. He would recommend Master Black over other warders simply because he was approachable. "That would be appreciated," he said. "The folder contains the additions we would like to the wards as of now, please let us know if there is anything that will interfere with the old wards."
Harry nodded. "I will include that in my assessment. I will send it through the goblins," he said.
"We will be back to you before the end of next week concerning our decision. If we decide to proceed with you, a rough draft of the contract will be included, but nothing will be decided until you can join us and see the wards for yourself," Emillios said.
Harry bowed his head. "That sounds good," he said. "I will be in touch." He gathered the papers he had been given and headed for the door. The mark on his shoulder shone faintly as he stepped out of the room and alerted the wards to the fact that the meeting was over. Should he head down and speak with Ragnok or not… He could always check if his Master was available.
Ragnok watched his apprentice for a long minute. Harry did bring up an interesting question. He did agree that branding his fiancé was probably useless since no one would ever see it. The question whether Harry should be branded to show that he was no longer available though did hold some merit, even if it would only matter to those who knew what it meant. "What would his brand be?" he asked.
"As a potion master, he had to make his own signature," Harry said as he brought a parchment with the design out to show his Master. "I'm fine with wearing it."
"I'll see if it can be made for you. You will need to pay for it, though," Ragnok said.
"Of course," Harry said. "So you think we should do that. He should mark me?"
Ragnok nodded. "There are certain jobs you can only be offered after you have bonded. There aren't a lot of them, but there are enough that your talents would be beneficial for them as well," he said. "You need the brand for those."
Harry nodded slowly. "We will do it that way then. It will be simpler, and I don't mind the branding," he said. "What is one more mark to my shield?" He smiled. "I know he is still considering taking my brand, but I'd rather he doesn't since he would only do it for the sake of it. At least for me, it serves a purpose."
Ragnok nodded. "He will not gain any standing from it," he said. "He isn't part of the Nation."
"That is what I keep telling him," Harry said. He stayed for was while and discussed the Sipala wards with his Master.
Ragnok was glad they would be sending Harry. He was by far the best of their human warders. He didn't mind giving him some pointers, though. That would just give Harry something to stand on, especially considering how old the first wards were.
…
Draco sighed. Why was he this nervous when it was his turn to give a gift? Last time they had met his parents again, so he had been a wreck, and this time he was terrified that Harry wouldn't like his gift. He had looked at what was appropriate and come up with an idea. Then he had looked around. He hadn't expected to find what he was looking for so quickly, expecting this to be his next gift and not this one. Not that he had a better idea right now. Why was finding a gift so bloody hard?
Harry took Draco's hands. "You are shaking, love. Trust me when I say I love you and nothing will change that," he said.
"I'm pathetic," Draco whispered.
Harry rolled his eyes. "You are far from pathetic, my Prince. You are brave and caring. You are protective of those close to you, and a little possessive of your lovers or maybe just me, I'm not sure which." He smiled as he raised one of Draco's hands to rest against his neck and the choker he had placed there. "Do you really think I'd let you infuse that if I didn't love you. You realise anyone I meet that is either a mage or knows how to utilize magesight can tell."
Draco sighed and chuckled softly. "Let's go before I lose my nerve entirely," he said.
"Where?" Harry asked against his lips.
"Gringotts," Draco said as he pressed forward and kissed Harry. He could feel that they had moved from Blackbird to Gringotts. He didn't care. He saw the mirth in Harry's eyes as they broke apart. Draco grabbed Harry's hand as he moved away from him. He was not going to feel awkward about their display of affection.
"Good afternoon, Master Sikka," Harry said calmly.
"Taking your man somewhere?" Sikka asked.
"It is the day of the fourth gift, and I initiated," Harry said.
Sikka smiled. "I see, so he is taking you somewhere," she said with a smile.
"He is nervous about his gift. I was simply reassuring him," Harry said.
"If you are on the fourth gift, taking a risk might very well be worth it," Sikka said. "The fourth and fifth gift are traditionally the wilder gifts."
Harry smiled at her. He knew that, and already knew what his gift to Draco would be. He was in contact with the people in question already.
"Really?" Draco said. He looked at Harry.
"I didn't want to put any pressure on you," Harry said. "But she is correct. That is why your nerves don't worry me. Where do you want us to go?"
"The House elf registry," Draco said.
Harry sighed. "I see. I will assume you have taken my feelings into account," he said. "Let's go. I do hope to see you again, Master Sikka." He bowed before tugging at Draco's hand so they could get going. He knew what the gift was now. There was no hiding that. They walked in and Draco walked up to one of the tellers and spoke to her. Her eyes widened as she looked at Harry and saw his lord Ring. "Lord Black. The elf is for you?" she asked.
"It is for us, but I will hold the contract," Harry said. "My fiancé has picked an elf for us already. Please discuss this with him."
Draco wanted to roll his eyes. As soon as they realised Harry was there, they just ignored him. That kind of annoyed him. At least, Harry wasn't pleased with them, and that would get back to the goblins. "Draco Malfoy. I came in to look at elves two weeks ago and left a list of preferences. Yesterday, I was contacted that an elf fitting my preferences had been found."
The woman looked through their registry. "Yes, you can go to aisle two and wait for a handler," she said.
"Thank you, ma'am," Draco said. He tugged at Harry's hand and headed towards the appointed aisle. The handler was a middle-age goblin with sharp eyes. "Heir Malfoy," she said. She looked at the man next to him and nodded. "This way." She led them down the corridor. "You asked specifically for an elf that might need some extra care," she said. "Would you explain why."
Draco nodded. "I asked for an elf that might need some extra care because my fiancé isn't too keen on getting an elf. He was treated poorly as a child and doesn't like treating others like they are lesser than him. An elf will be treated as part of the family and given the help they need," he said.
"That is why you asked for a younger elf. One not necessarily set in their ways yet?" the handler asked.
"Precisely," Draco said.
"Who is binding them?" the Handler asked.
"Hydrus is," Draco said as he indicated to Harry.
The handler turned to Harry. "You will have to approach slowly. We found this little one in a shoebox. She does not have a name. If she takes well to your magic, you can bring her home. She is fully healed," she said as she opened the door. "You will have to use a goblin contract if you want her."
Harry nodded. "I know," he said. He walked into the room slowly and sat down before releasing his magic slowly. Elves had wells. If this elf did not match his well, they could not work for him. If they were compatible, she would come to him as a stronger well. She would need it since her well was partially sealed. That was one of the reasons he wasn't too keen on having an elf.
If this was a young one in need of a safe home, though, he couldn't turn her away. Draco knew that. That was why he had asked for these things specifically. He drew a deep breath and relaxed.
Draco had moved into the room. He really should join Harry. He walked slowly and sat down behind Harry. "What do you think?" he asked.
"I think you know we could use the help, but you don't want to anger me," Harry said. "She is hiding in the shadows. Release your magic, too. If she doesn't come to us willingly, I refuse to do this."
"Okay," Draco said. "She will come though?"
"If our magic speaks to her. It will be similar to when Scorpius sought me out," Harry said. "She needs magic to be healthy. All house-elves know this instinctually. The question is if she feels that our magic is something she is comfortable with."
They sat there for almost an hour and a half before the elf slowly made it out towards them. She walked slowly, and her big ears swayed with each step. Her tennis ball eyes were a soft blue.
"Hello, little one," Harry both said and signed. "I am Hydrus and this is my life-partner, Draco. We would like to bring you home. We have two sons and another child on the way. Does that sound like a family you would like to join?" he asked as he slowly held his hands out.
The elf walked up to him and placed her thin hands in his. "Name?" she asked.
"I am the Lord of the Black Family. We tend to use Star names. I was thinking Lyra, Tiaki, or Mimosa would suit you. Which one do you like the most?" Harry said softly.
"Lyra," the little elf said, glad that she was allowed to pick.
"Then Lyra, would you like to join our family?" Harry asked. He took the contract from Draco. "This is a goblin made contract for an elf to join a family. If we use this, you can wear and handle clothes."
"How?" Lyra asked.
"Place your hand on this scroll," Harry said as he held the scroll out. "It will bind us." He smiled at her as she placed her hand on the scroll. He bound their magic to the scroll and handed it back to Draco. "Please come with us, and we will show you your new home." He held his arms out to her, and she moved forward slowly until he picked her up and rose.
"Let's hand this in and make sure she has vault access," Draco said as he took the contract.
The handler looked at them. She was surprised the wizard was carrying the house-elf. Then her eyes narrowed. Not wizard. Mage and a part of the Nation. Well, that certainly did make a difference, though not enough of one to explain his behaviour. She walked with them, and they filled out a few forms and paid for their elf's care.
Lyra watched Blackbird Manor with wide eyes. It was big. They walked inside, and the house shifted as Harry brought forward the elf quarters and adapted them for Lyra.
"I bought her some clothes," Luna said as she walked out of the living room. "I will go get them."
"That is Luna. She is living here right now because she is carrying our baby for us," Harry said calmly. "She is also a good friend, so she tends to stay here quite often. Now I would like to lay some base rules. You are never to punish yourself. You are free to use your magic as long as you do not cause harm intentionally. The only time you are allowed to cause harm is in defence of the family, including yourself. You will only follow my and Draco's orders, no one else."
Lyra understood, and she could feel these rules cementing in the seal of her well. Harry moved down and placed her next to a door. "These are your rooms. Only you are allowed in here. The only exception to this would be if we have guests who bring an elf. If that happens, additional rooms will be added to house them. Your bedroom is only yours. No one else should go in there unless you find a life partner."
Lyra walked forward and opened the door. The room on the other side was cosy and warm, and most of all full of light that she could control. The bedroom was more than she could have ever dreamed off. There had been other elves where she had been before the goblins found her. They had all been abused one way or another. The older ones sometimes spoke of grand homes that they had taken care of. They also spoke of appropriate punishment and other things Lyra wasn't too fond of, but Lord Hydrus had ordered her not to cause herself harm. She wasn't allowed to. It sounded like an insane order, but it made sure that other magic deeper within her could not force her to do certain things.
Harry smiled as the little elf returned. He placed a bag down. "Those are from Luna," he said. "It is a welcome home gift. Now I need you to understand that I am deaf, so I cannot hear you. If you want to speak to me, we need to be facing each other. That also means you need to meet my eyes or at least look somewhere in that vicinity even if it is just over my shoulder for example if you feel more comfortable with that."
"You can speak directly to me, though," Draco said. "We will teach you what you would like to know. We can start with things like cooking and Neville can come over to teach you about the garden. If there is something else you would like to learn, we can always arrange for it."
"It would be good if you could learn sign language. That would mean you can help me when I need to be dealing with people who speak but don't care to be polite enough to speak to me," Harry said.
Lyra smiled. There were so many options, and they were asking her to learn things that would make her important to them. She was looking forward to this.
"If you need someone to speak to about what happened to you, Luna might actually be your best option. She won't tell anyone else," Harry said. "We might be leaving this summer, but Luna will be here still, and she could use a little help with food."
Lyra rubbed her hands together, worriedly. "Lyra never learnt how to cook," she said.
"Then I will teach you," Harry said. "I don't mind at all. How about we get started?"
Draco sighed. He should have taken Harry to the restaurant before getting the little elf, but his nerves wouldn't let him. Oh well, he could help Harry with the cooking. He didn't really mind that much, especially when it meant he could be hugging Harry a lot.
…
The following day, Lyra made her way around the house and learnt how it was set up. She watched in wonder as Harry opened up more rooms. "I would like to know if you can access these without them being available to the rest of us," he said.
"Maybe if Lord Hydrus really want Lyra to," Lyra said. "Is there a heart?"
Harry paused. He had never actually gone looking since he had claimed the Lordship elsewhere. Maybe… He shifted through the rooms until he found it and walked inside. "I should have done this years ago," he said softly. "That is sloppy of me, but here we go." He cut his palm open and placed it on the Heartstone of the house. "I am Hydrus Wezen Iacomus Black. The Lord of House Black and I fully claim my right and my responsibilities."
The Black Magic rushed into him, and he opened his well fully to meet it. His eyes widened as shapes appeared all around him.
"You claimed your right?"
Harry met Sirius' eyes. "That I did," he said. "I made Remus' son my heir."
Sirius smiled at him. "Sounds good to me, pup," he said. Then he grimaced. "Did you have to fall in love with a Malfoy?" he asked.
"Do not compare Draco to his father," Harry said flatly. "He may have done things in the past that he is not proud of, but I can remember a certain someone being a right git in school, so you don't have much right to talk."
"You are bringing our house back to the old ways," Orion said. "Thank you."
"I will do as I see fit," Harry said. He looked at the rest of the spirits. "The Black Family stands above the inane chatter of the plebeian crowd. Their silly politics do not concern us." He silenced the spirits. Their opinion on the matter was unimportant. He was the Lord now. With his claim of the house came the ability to appoint a head elf, and that must have been what he really was after in all of this. He appointed Lyra immediately, though. "There we go," he said.
Lyra's eyes widened before a big smile spread over her face. Lord Hydrus had given her full access to the entire house, whether he had those parts visible or not. "Thank you, Master Hydrus," she said.
"No problem, little one," Harry said.
"What did you do to the house?" Draco asked as Harry entered the kitchen.
"I claimed the heart of the house," Harry said. "Since I gained my Lordship elsewhere, I never really considered having to claim the house itself until Lyra pointed some things out to me."
Draco shook his head and sighed. He had assumed that was something Harry had already done. "You had impressive control for someone who hadn't claimed their house properly," he said.
"That's why I didn't really consider it," Harry said. "Maybe me re-laying all the wards gave me that control?"
"Probably," Draco said. He felt the wards ping. "Here comes the hurricanes," he said.
Teddy ran in and hugged Harry. "What did Draco give you?" he asked.
Harry smiled at him. "Lyra, will you please come here, dear. Our sons are home," he said.
The little elf walked cautiously towards Harry. She smiled shyly at the boy next to him. This was Master's Heir. "Young Master," she said as she bowed.
"Can you just say Teddy or Therion or something please," Teddy said.
Lyra looked at Harry.
"If you feel the need to be more formal, Therion would be correct," Harry said. "However, you do not need to call anyone Master."
Lyra nodded slowly. Her seal shifted again as the new information was added. She would refer to Hydrus and Draco as master. Everyone else could be their full first names. That was okay with her.
"Then we have Scorpius," Harry said as the other boy walked in. "This is Lyra. She will be a part of the family from now on. Lyra has had a rough life, so I need you two to be nice to her. You cannot order her to do things, only ask politely." He looked at Lyra. "They are supposed to keep their rooms tidy on their own. Cleaning in there does not mean pick up their toys or dirty clothes. They should do that themselves."
Lyra nodded. Children should keep things tidy. That made sense to her. She had seen how Harry cleaned as he cooked food. He didn't leave a big mess. Lyra thought that was a smart way of doing things, and since Master was a mage, his cleaning was almost as good as hers. Much better than a wix anyway.
Slowly, over the following weeks, Lyra learnt to take more space as Harry taught her how to cook. She already knew how to clean, she had neat Master's though, so there wasn't that much she needed to do. She did take over laundry, and Master Hydrus was very grateful for that.
All in all, Blackbird was a good home.
Master Hydrus would even hold her when she had nightmares. Master was a kind soul that way.