Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Giving A Chance	By : Leania07 Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Slash - Male/Male Views: 17385 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I make money from this fic.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
A/N: Thanks for the reviews ^.^
BAFan: Thank you for noting things; as I mentioned in the first chapter I don't have a Beta so I am grateful that someone can catch what I miss. ^.^ As for the confusion in Chapter 9, that was difficult for me to word it. Essentially there are traps, booby traps, on doors that access the chambers in specific locations in the school. These were the doors the other Founders would use, yet still had protection so that not just anyone could get by. They would be canceled when one had the correct password or did the correct pattern. Trying to keep in mind the speaker is an animated door guardian, I tried to find a sentance that 'fit'. I admit to still having a brain cramp on how to word it; I'll gladly listen to any suggestions that help make it flow better.
Chapter 10: Duty and the Second Hurdle
Monday morning started cloudy but without rain; Harry was thankful his weekend was vision free and he got all his homework done. He already started on the book from the Chamber, though he didn’t get far into it, it already seemed to have a lot of forgotten information. Hermione made a copy for Ron and told him to read it and charmed it for him so that no one else could take it. He put it in his bag as no one would look for it there, and it was charmed to look like Harry’s Decorum book which Seamus and Dean seemed to be averse to reading.
Breakfast was a normal affair, the only odd thing was when Harry got two owls. The first carried a letter from Gringotts, which Harry put in an inner pocket of his robes, he knew it was the monthly statements from his accounts; the second had an unknown seal. It looked just as important and just as official as the Gringotts letter, so he put it with the other; he’d ask Draco later if he recognized the seal. There still were some things Harry didn’t know about that dealt with his titles; this could be from another Lord or something more.
He didn’t get a chance to speak to Draco until just after lunch; he caught the blonde’s eye and nodded towards the doors before getting up and leaving the room. The blonde followed after a minute, so not to look suspicious.
“Draco,” Harry called as the blonde closed the doors behind him and looked around.
Draco followed the voice and met with Harry, and the two walked up the stairs to the Room. Draco went into the Room first and Harry followed, catching a glimpse of blue eyes and light brown hair as a person peeked around the corner they came from. He didn’t see a House crest, and once the door was closed, Harry cursed.
Draco looked at Harry with an eyebrow lifted; Harry frowned and explained. “Someone saw us both come in here; I don’t know who it was or what house they were from. I saw light brown hair and blue eyes.”
“We’ll have to be more careful; now what did you need me for?” Draco sat in one of the two chairs the room had for them and Harry sat in the other.
“I got a couple letters today, one I know the seal of, but the second I am unfamiliar with.” He pulled it out and showed it to Draco.
Draco raised his eyebrows, “You claimed your titles, as such you have your seats on the Board of Governors; each Lord gets a copy of any new laws or changes to current ones so that they may review the information before a vote is required. This is their seal, and when you send any notice to them you’ll need to use your seals; since most just use their ring because they have one, you may have to have a stamp fashioned for both of yours.” He sat back, curious to know what information is inside but determined to wait; Harry would no doubt have questions about the law or some of the points listed and come to him. Normally he would fear the lack of understanding, but one thing he’s noticed with Harry is that he does his best when plunged into an unknown situation.
“Do you mind if I read this now? I may have some questions, but I’m sure you know that.” Harry smiled, not irritated that it was obvious he still lacked a lot of information.
“Of course, Harry, I don’t mind at all.” Draco smiled back and waited.
It took a little while for Harry to read it all, having to read it over a few more times just because of the content. He sat back and thought it over for a moment; he could see the pros and cons of each side and knew that those ‘pureblood supremacy’ would be against it with no thought. The overall idea is not bad but what is outlined is gone about wrong. He made a disgusted noise and looked up at Draco.
“Dumbledore is proposing a law that will allow half-blood and muggle-borns the right to claim a Lord title that has remained vacant due to no known descendants.”
“You know what my father’s views are, and what my reaction would have been at least 2 years ago; however I am curious as to your reaction.” Draco saw the disgusted look on Harry’s face and was curious as to why.
“You know Hermione wants to do the Heritage test, but do you know the real reason why?”
“She wants to see if she’s connected to a pureblood family somehow? I honestly do not know for sure why, as I’ve told her it doesn’t matter to me where her magic came from."
Harry smiled, knowing his friend and Draco were still in the early stages of a relationship. Neither admitted they were anything but friends, but Harry knew it was only a matter of time. He looked at the letter and sighed shaking his head, “Hermione is an intelligent woman, of course, and so she has studied different things in both her muggle school upbringing and now the magical one. She has always expressed to Ron and me about how she just can’t see magic spontaneously appearing in a bloodline. Of course Ron doesn’t know how muggles can get magic, I know less of course because of the lack of knowledge I had my whole life. She however doesn’t believe it happens that way and what she explained to me makes me think she’s on to something.” He smirked at Draco’s curious look, “Squibs. Muggles cannot hold magic because they do not have a core, and their blood cannot carry magic because of it. Squibs however have a core but they just cannot connect to it. What she’s ultimately doing is trying to see if it really just comes down to many generations of Squibs before a connection to the core is once again established.”
Draco nodded, “Okay, so why are you against this law, other than the fact it’s by Dumbledore?”
“Well Dumbledore’s proposal would allow anyone that is not ‘pureblood’ to claim the titles; if we can establish these ‘half-bloods’ and ‘muggle-borns’ are just descendants of Squibs, don’t you think they should be allowed the right to claim the titles that would be theirs had their ancestor not been a Squib? Say for example if Seamus could be connected to a pureblood family that ‘died out’ he should be able to claim it, versus Dumbledore’s idea that would allow Dean to claim it regardless if it should go to Seamus.”
Draco’s eyes widened, “Wait, so these ancient titles that had no descendants, may have them in the form of many generations of Squibs that have once more connected to magic? What of their muggle ancestors?”
“How are we so sure they’re all muggle, though? We’ll be able to see with the Heritage test. I wonder if there is an easier way to test the bloodline; Basilisk scale and the feather from its plume can only be harvested so many times before there is no more.” Harry tapped his finger on the arm of the chair in thought.
“Perhaps I can speak with Professor Snape; with his guidance perhaps I can make that my project. I do want to become a Potions Master and that type of a challenge will help me understand the steps to figuring such things out.” Draco cast tempus and the two quickly gathered their things. “Or we both can in detention, seeing as we’re going to be late.”
Harry met him at the door and took out some parchment, “Draco I can get us there faster, but you must not let anyone know you’re aware of this.” He waits for the nod and says the password on the Map.
Draco’s eyes nearly bug out of their sockets as ink begins forming on the parchment and he recognizes the names, Room of Requirement, Astronomy Tower, and Ravenclaw Tower. “Harry, where…”
“Follow me,” Harry led the way down a corridor, “this map was a creation of my father and his friends. Only Ron and Hermione really know what it does, and now you. This is one secret that must remain secret, Draco.” He went down winding paths and directed them through multi-split tunnels until they come out from behind a tapestry that was three doors away from the Potions classroom. They slip in through the door with only 2 minutes to spare.
“Everything okay Harry?” Hermione leaned over to whisper, wondering how they can do this to not arise suspicion.
“Sorry ‘Mione, but Malfoy caught me as I was coming down the hall. In the middle of bickering he must’ve realized we’d be late for class because he suddenly took off towards the classroom.”
Realizing what he was doing, especially since he was not doing so well on whispering, Ron chimed in, “Probably hoping to get you into detention, mate; luckily you’re a fast runner.”
Harry nodded and smiled, glad they caught on; he glared at Draco but couldn’t help the glint of humor in his eyes.
Draco of course sneered, playing along, however he was impressed with how quickly they came up with a logical reason why Harry and he would enter the room at the same time.
“Enough talking, 5 points from Gryffindor for disrupting my class, Mr. Weasley.” Professor Snape tapped the board with his wand; the instructions wrote out and class began.
Draco had walked into the common room and noticed his normal group gathered around the far table and proceeded there. Once he sat, Daphne and Astoria activated their privacy bubble and he felt something settle uneasily.
“Draco, there is a rumor going around that you and Harry are together. Someone saw the two of you enter a room and the door would not open; we gather it was the Room of Requirement. How are we going to dispel these rumors?”
“Shit.” Draco thought a while; Harry told him someone saw them, but he wasn’t expecting something to spread so rapidly.
“We could just say that you are trying to get along with Potter to get close to him, find out what he knows and all.” Pansy chewed on her bottom lip while the others weighed the pros and cons in their minds.
“Draco, perhaps we should speak with Harry about his plans to get your mother to safety; with all these eyes and ears around it’ll be hard to meet in secret without some plan or cover in place. If word gets back that there might be a slim chance of you and Harry getting along, I’m afraid HE would do something to her in retaliation.” Blaise tapped a finger on his lips, “Plus we don’t want to alienate those Slytherins who need Harry’s help or want to help him by giving them the wrong impression.”
“Do we know who started that rumor?” Draco looked at Daphne and Pansy; those two were gossip queens and knew how to spread and control rumors.
“Millicent said she overheard Allister Gainsworth speaking to Alvin Donaghue; I reminded her that you went for women and not men. Of course I said that with enough ears around so that the rumor of you two being together would be squashed, however I think it’s best we go with you getting on Pott…sorry, Harry’s good side.” Pansy huffed, “Habits.”
“That scene in Potions is going to confuse a lot of people; at least those with less than half a brain to think with.” Blaise saw a figure approaching and tapped the table and tilted his head in the direction to get the others’ attention.
Daphne and Astoria deactivated the bubble and Goyle stood there. Draco raised an eyebrow as he stood there before turning away again. Draco started to turn back to the others when he noticed someone slipped out of the common room behind a tapestry. He looked around the room and noticed three people were missing; he turned back to the others and nodded to Astoria and Daphne.
Once the bubble was up again he spoke, “That was a distraction; three people are gone from the common room and I saw one go behind that tapestry of The Garden.”
“Why do you think? We wouldn’t have noticed had Goyle not come towards us.”
“Well either they wanted us to know there were missing people, or their timing was off by a few seconds. Question is, do we follow behind the tapestry or just ignore it and keep an eye on those that are missing right now.” Draco sat back and looked around.
“Following is out of the question,” Pansy snorted, “Not only is going into the unknown very Gryffindor, but it may be a trap to get information from one of us. I say we start looking closely at those that are missing and go from there. Who was missing Draco?”
“Nott, Gainsworth, and Donaghue; pretty convenient that the ones we were just speaking of happened to be two of the three that are missing. Gainsworth has light brown hair and blue eyes, right?” He got a nod from Astoria, “Well when Harry and I met earlier, Harry said he saw someone with light brown hair and blue eyes from around a corner; he didn’t see a House crest though.”
“Well did Gainsworth say he ‘saw’ or he ‘heard’? It could be possible that someone from another house saw the two of you go into the Room and Gainsworth heard them comment on it.”
“True Blaise, but then we would’ve herd more during dinner if it was from another House. Light brown hair and blue eyes you said, Draco? That could almost be anyone, though I agree those three missing right now is rather suspicious. I say we need to keep our eyes on them, especially Nott; we’ve been rather lax this year and I think we may have missed a lot because of it.” The others nodded at Pansy’s conclusion; they each had been lax on their attention.
“We’ll meet up after dinner each day and discuss what we’ve noted.” They each nodded and removed the bubble to go do their work.
The next day Harry had a letter delivered by Hedwig; he quickly read it and nodded his head, sure the writer was looking for some response. He folded up the letter and put it inside his pocket and soon they were off to classes; being Tuesday Harry was looking forward to the evening ‘lesson’ with Snape.
Harry had asked Neville if he could speak with him after lunch, and it was agreed. Harry had a few free periods, well one was History of Magic, and so he took that time to read a few of his books. He was pretty confident about how to summon Narcissa Malfoy to House Noir, however he needed to make sure he knew exactly how to speak to a Lady. He was sure Lady Malfoy could help him over the holidays, but it was better to be certain how to address her now and not alinate or offend her. He met up with Draco just before supper, and he gave Harry the information the other Slytherin’s discussed. They agreed to meet less often and correspond by school owl if they need a meeting. Harry told Draco to send a letter to his mother to gather anything she will want and consider important to herself. He went to the kitchens to eat so not to give the other students, Slytherin or others, anything more to speak about if he and Draco entered the Hall at the same time.
That evening, Harry discussed a few things with Professor Snape, including the rumors circulating about him and Draco, and who to speak with to understand the financial reports he received from Gringotts. The Professor gave him some good ideas and would discuss it with Draco for Harry; as for Gringotts he recommended Harry speak with Neville. As much as Draco had changed, he thought Harry should keep those confidences with someone else. He went to bed that night feeling a bit more on track than ever.
It took until the next week before everything was fully set up and ready; it worked out wonderfully because it was a Hogsmead weekend and Harry had arranged for Cali to take him to the house. He arrived and set about taking control of the wards and ensuring everything he needed to do was done. Cali escorted him into the main study, where the Black family crest was. He pricked his finger and placed it in the center of the crest.
“Lord Black summons Narcissa Malfoy nee Black to House Noir; as Head of the Family, this I do command.” The one good thing from all of this was that he never had to state his name, only his title. An orb of royal blue with the Black crest separated from the main crest and disappeared; Harry knew it was off to locate Lady Malfoy and once she received the summons, would arrive here in the study. This was, of course, the easiest part; straightening his robes he waited for her arrival.
Narcissa had taken refuge in her bedroom after receiving a letter from Draco last night. She would receive a summons mid-morning and would need to be alone. Her room, a separate room from the master suit that the married couple usually slept in, was where she had spent majority of her married life once pregnant. Though she was married, Narcissa felt her tolerance for Lucius lessen each year and his fanatical ways. She despaired her son would follow his father’s footsteps, but held hope that something would bring about a change.
Having received word from her son, she had gathered many things and shrunk them to fit in her trunks; she had told Lucius that she was feeling a bit ill and was going to lay down. She didn’t think he would like the thought she would soon be out from his and the Dark Lord’s grasp soon. The orb bearing the Black crest appeared and, after one last look to make sure she had everything, accepted the summons and placed her hand on the orb. She was whisked away and soon found herself in a study. The room was warmed by the fireplace and clear of dust; she faced the crest and nodded politely to Potter.
“Lord Black, I have come upon your summons; I request of you sanctuary in this House from harm.” Narcissa was pleased to see the young man had been taught the proper ways in such a short time.
“You shall be granted sanctuary, daughter of Black. You will be allowed the use of the family owls for correspondence, however no unauthorized owls will be allowed in. Revealing the location of this home will revoke your allowance to stay. Any unauthorized owls bearing messages will be redirected by the house elves and will be checked by either myself or a designated person; any spells or potions will be removed and it will be checked for any portkeys. Floo calls will not be allowed, however if you have need to speak with me and cannot wait for an owl, you may send Cali or Tala. Cali is the Head house elf, Tala will be assigned as your personal elf during your stay. You may, of course, ask to leave at any time but must wait to be summoned again to ask for sanctuary, and it may not be given a second time.
“If you are in agreement to these rules, so state your compliance.”
“I, Narcissa Malfoy nee Black, daughter of House Black, agree to the rules stated by Lord Black. I accept the offer of sanctuary in this house.” A yellow glow surrounded her and absorbed into her skin. She smiled and gave a curtsey once it was done.
“Thank you, Lord Potter-Black, for assisting my son and allowing me safety.” She looked over the young man, easily seeing his nerves. Recalling the things Draco had said over the years about the young man living outside of the wizarding world and the rumors of his relatives being Muggle, she was pleased to see he adjusted into his role well.
“You are welcome, Lady Malfoy; I could not just sit back and allow someone’s mum to be in danger if I had a way to help.” He fought the urge to fidget, “And you can call me Harry, if you please.”
Narcissa smiled wider as she saw the faintest blush on his cheeks. ‘How adorable.’ “You may call me Narcissa, since you are Head of the Family.” She thought he may feel more at ease with familiarity versus titles.
Harry nodded, “Tala,” the house elf appeared, “please show Narcissa to the room for her duration of residence here.” He looks back at Narcissa, “She will give you the tour and there are some locations I have asked to remain private. I apologize that you will be alone for some time; Draco mentioned to me you enjoy gardening. If you feel up to a challenge you can, of course, begin tending to the buds in the Solarium; Cali has informed me there are some that need a personal touch. If there is something you need to help entertain you, have Cali or Tala let me know and I will see if it can be accommodated.”
Narcissa curtsied again and left behind the house elf; once the door closed behind her, Harry let out a sigh of relief and took out the parchment from the Board of Governors. He had thought of what to say for a while now, along with learning the proper words, and finally decided on how to formulate his response. After all, right now he’s an unknown factor even though there may be many who think he’ll favor Dumbledore’s stance. It took him a few minutes since he had to write slowly to improve his penmanship. Hermione and Draco were tutoring him on how to write with a quill and he is hopeful soon he can write neater at a decent speed. He had also taken Draco’s suggestion and got a stamp made with both seals inset; he was pleased when he received it 4 days after requesting it. He had planned on this Winter break to go and get a new wardrobe, trunk, and Draco had suggested a portable writing desk. Being a Lord of two known families, and one not widely remembered that he planned to use, he will need something to hold the stationary he’ll need for correspondences.
Once finished and sealed, he took the envelope to the owlery and sent it off with a Strix owl that had piercing yellow eyes. He was certain the other Lords wouldn’t dismiss his reply out of hand but that didn’t stop Harry from feeling nervous. Draco said his response was sound and had logical points; as it was based upon some research the voting would be held off until the results were presented. He had also discussed his idea with Snape on Tuesday and was surprised the man wanted to take up the challenge of finding a way to brew the potion without the Basilisk parts. Remembering the way those onyx orbs seemed to light up sent a warmth to his stomach, though he also told Snape that Draco wanted to do that as part of his project in learning to become a Potions Master. Snape said that he would mostly take over the project because there was a deadline, but would allow Draco to watch and assist.

Tala had stopped by to inform him Narcissa decided to rest in her room, which was to her liking, and was set for the time being. Harry left House Noir with a sense of accomplishment at his first two large steps on his own.
- 9
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Giving A Chance