Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

The Guile and Devotion of a Black Heir	By : StarLightMassacre Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 104291 -:- Recommendations : 9 -:- Currently Reading : 26
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Harry Potter; all rights go to J. K. Rowling. I make no money for this piece of fictional writing and never will.

Chapter List
- 21
- 22
- 23
A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the wonderfully amazing Kit and Pipa, who celebrate their first month wedding anniversary together, today. Congratulations on your anniversary, lovelies and have a happy Valentine’s Day together!

Last Time

Lucius nodded and watched as Rodolphus helped Rabastan to stand from the floor under Harry’s weight and he watched as Harry was carried to bed, still paler than usual, but at least he was no longer staring dead ahead with those too wide eyes that wouldn’t blink.
He wanted answers, and he wasn’t willing to demand them from Harry tonight with him in the state that he was. That left him only one option…Dumbledore. Dumbledore who, according to Harry, was near death. So he was going to go and see Severus to see what he made of everything, and see if he might have been told about what was happening. Either way he would get to the bottom of this, and he would not have Harry dragged into anything of this sort ever again, he was a boy still, a sixteen year old boy, but more than that, he was his son and he would not have anyone putting his son in such dangers.

Chapter Twenty-Two – Opportunistic Encounters

Harry woke up confused and aching. It took just a moment for his mind to catch up with where he was, why and what had happened and he forced himself upright and he looked around to see that he was in his bedroom back at Malfoy Manor. He groped for the pendant around his neck and gave it a tight squeeze. He exhaled with sheer relief that he was home safe before he turned to where he’d left his things the night before. He’d purposefully placed the invisibility cloak over his wand and the locket when Rabastan had carried him to bed.
He took the cloak off of the bedside table and he picked up the locket, but immediately he realised that something was wrong. He remembered Slytherin’s locket from the memory that showed Hepzibah Smith showing it off to Riddle…this was not the same locket that had been in that memory.
Afraid that someone had switched out the lockets while he slept, he opened it desperately, only to find a piece of parchment within it. He carefully took it out and read the message inside.
The locket was a fake, but no one in this house had taken the real one…it had been taken before he and Dumbledore had even arrived there at that cave, perhaps even years before. Someone had found the Horcrux first and taken it…destroyed it according to the letter from R. A. B. Harry cursed, as this meant that he had suffered through such trauma for nothing. Because it meant that he didn’t have an actual Horcrux to use to bargain with Voldemort.
He consoled himself, he still had the sword. He had the knowledge of the Horcruxes and perhaps that would be enough.
He reclined back against his pillows and he frowned, trying to work out who this R. A. B. might be, why they would have gone against Voldemort without telling anyone and, more importantly, had they actually destroyed the locket or not? If not, where was it and who had it now?
He sighed and put the locket back under the cloak and he laid back down, vaguely remembering being threatened not to move from his bed until he’d seen a Healer. He did feel rather bad and despite the amount of sleep he must have had, he was very tired still.
He did wonder how Dumbledore was doing, or more importantly if that potion had killed him or not. He wondered if Snape had figured out what potion it was, and how to remedy it, or if he’d even had the time, considering Dumbledore had been getting weaker and weaker very fast, before they’d reached the outside of that cave even.
Harry closed his eyes again, his head throbbing and before he knew it there was a hand on his face, stroking gently, and he was peeling open gluey eyes to look up at Rabastan, who was sat on the bed beside him. Harry moaned unhappily at being woken up, but he rolled until his body was in Rabastan’s lap, wanting to be closer to him.

“Is the Healer here?” Harry asked sleepily.

“He’s been and gone.” Rabastan told him with a smile. “You were fast asleep and there was no waking you. You were given a Pepper-Up potion, but other than that, you’re going to be just fine.”

Harry nodded and he yawned, shifting more to wrap his arms around Rabastan’s waist.

“You must never scare me like this again.” Rabastan told him sternly. “How could you just wander off to who knows where with Dumbledore, Harry? Him, of all people!”

Harry hummed sleepily. “It was important.”

“So you said last night, but you have refused to elaborate. What was so important that you had to risk yourself in such a way? That you had to leave the school so late at night and put yourself in danger?”

“You wouldn’t like it.” Harry said simply, twisting onto his back so that he could look up into Rabastan’s face, so that he could see those beautiful dark blue eyes.

“I already don’t like this, not one bit.” Rabastan said. “I don’t like you being alone with that man.”

“Unfortunately its necessary, Rabastan. I wouldn’t be doing it otherwise. Don’t you remember the struggle Father had to get me to go to those ‘meetings’ in the first place? I never wanted to go to them in the first place, but Father made me, and then things came to light during them and I realised I’d have to play a very intricate, dangerous game. Last night was the penultimate moment in that game. I had to go…if I hadn’t then Dumbledore would have known that my loyalties have truly switched to the other side and my life would have been in even more danger, can’t you understand that?”

Rabastan sighed then. “I understand.” He said. “I’m sorry for nagging, I just…I was scared when we couldn’t find you, when we didn’t know where you were or what was happening to you. For all I knew, you could have been dying at that very moment, and I couldn’t have done anything about it. I wish you would have at least told me that you were going out last night, then it wouldn’t have been such a panic.”

Harry reached up one hand and he cupped Rabastan’s face with it.

“I love you.” He said clearly and firmly. “I would never want to worry you, but sometimes things are beyond our control and we have to follow them through. I didn’t know I was going out last night, that’s why the letter to Draco was basic and hastily written, I only had a few moments to collect the things I needed to take with me and to write that letter and then I was gone. I barely had ten minutes warning myself, but when you and Rodolphus get better, you’re going to start going on ‘missions’ again, aren’t you?” He asked, then he carried on just as Rabastan opened his mouth, maybe to simply agree, maybe to argue his reasons for going on the missions, but Harry never gave him the chance to say anything because he already knew that Rabastan would not ever go against orders from his Lord. “And don’t you think I’ll be sat at home, worried out of my mind about where you are and what you’re doing and if you’re hurt or not while I can’t do anything about it? There’s nothing we can do about it, Rabastan. What will happen is going to happen, and I don’t like it any more than you do, but we have to do what we need to do in order to survive. In order to keep ourselves together, as a family, because I love you and I will not lose you or let you go.”

Rabastan blew out a breath and he nodded unhappily. He felt the same way. He wanted to argue with Harry, wrap him up and keep him safe, point out that he was only sixteen, but he couldn’t, because Harry was right. He couldn’t treat the man who would become his husband as lesser than himself, they were to be equals, which meant they both shared the same privileges and the same level of respect from the other, regardless of the age difference. He couldn’t go out on dangerous missions and then demand that Harry couldn’t do the same. Harry was not a child, despite his young years, and thanks to the Muggle beasts who had ruined his childhood, Harry had never really been a child in the first place, so he had absolutely no right to try and force Harry into a box to keep him safe when Harry had never been used to such treatment. He had to swallow down the fear and remind himself that it would be the same fear Harry would swallow when he went out on his own missions.
He’d never really had anyone to care for him in such a way. Rodolphus did, of course, but he would be right there beside him. They would usually be on the same mission, supporting and helping one another, able to keep an eye on one another, it wasn’t the same as sitting at home, wondering what was happening or if anyone had been hurt. This level of concern for his wellbeing was completely new and as he looked down into those emerald green eyes, he knew that he would never be able to stand seeing them filled with tears, fear or pain.

“You’re staying home now.” Rabastan told him. “For the summer. The others will be on the train tomorrow, so your Father didn’t see the point in sending you back just to come home again tomorrow. Not in your condition.”

Harry nodded his understanding. “I want to go back and get the things I want to bring home, but it shouldn’t take longer than an hour.”

Rabastan nodded. “I would offer to go with you, but I can’t. Instead I will be waiting here when you get back.”

Harry smiled and he sat up then, his back to his Fiancé’s chest, pushing his bum back into Rabastan’s lap, and tipping his head back to kiss him.

“Thank you for understanding.” Harry said. “Now, am I allowed to get up or not?” He teased.

“The Healer said that you’d be fine with a Pepper-Up, so I believe that to mean that you’re fine to get up.”

Harry smiled. “I’ll floo to Hogwarts and pick up my stuff now, so I can just relax for the rest of the summer without having to worry about anything.”

Rabastan nodded. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you have to stay there, your Father has already contacted the school and he’s told them that you’re staying home.”

Harry nodded and he stood up and stretched.

“I’m glad to be home early with you. I wanted to come home after the exams, but Dumbledore said I had to stay there, I know now that it was because of last night.” Harry sighed. “His little test.” He added with a sneer.

Rabastan reached out to him and pulled him back over to himself and kissed him gently.

“Don’t fret over it, Harry. You passed the test, yes?”

Harry nodded.

“And he now thinks that you’re truly loyal?”

“Not just yet. I need to return something to him first. Our reason for the test.” Harry sighed.

Harry picked up his cloak, snatched the locket from under it and dangled the locket out facing Rabastan.

“An old Black family locket?” Rabastan frowned.

Harry cocked his head. “It belongs to the Black family?”

“Yes, every family gives their children something to keep protective charms over them, and it is usually an emergency portkey too, like the pendant that you and Draco have. The Black family used lockets, like that one. I remember your godfather, and his younger brother Regulus, wearing one each that look like the one you’re holding. You can tell it belongs to the Black family because of this.” He said pointing to the odd markings around the edge. “Of course Sirius stopped wearing his when he was about thirteen or fourteen.”

Harry could have snogged his Fiancé.

“Did Regulus have a middle name?” Harry asked.

Rabastan frowned at him. “Yes. It was Arcturus.”

“So, he was Regulus Arcturus Black?” Harry asked.

“Yes.”

“Poor bastard.”

Rabastan rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

“Maybe Dumbledore just wanted me to hand over a Black relic to him. Who knows? Either way, to pass his little test I have to hand this piece of rubbish back to him and then he’ll think me truly loyal. I can fool the old man properly. I grabbed it because he was weak and dying and he’ll want it.” Harry sighed as if hard done by. “I’ll be back in an hour, love.”

“I’ll have some tea and a light meal waiting for you. You’ve been asleep all morning, you need to eat.”

“Ah, it’s the calcium potion today, at lunch time.” Harry nodded his understanding. “Okay. I won’t be long.”

Harry took the locket with him into the bathroom and he closed the door to give himself a moment. He jumped and danced around a little in silent joy. Rabastan had unwittingly given him the clue to the Horcrux. Regulus Black had been a Death Eater, he’d known that from Sirius, but no one had known that he’d turned sides before his death. Regulus had somehow known about Voldemort’s Horcruxes, but more than that, he had found the hiding place of one, perhaps even more than one, and he’d taken Slytherin’s locket and replaced it with his childhood Black locket.
Harry washed quickly, then he opened the locket, took out Regulus’ note and he used a pair of hair scissors to carefully cut off the R. A. B. on the bottom of it. He set fire to it with his wand and he grinned. He would find the Horcrux after all, or at least find out if Regulus had destroyed it.
He dressed quickly, tucked the locket into his robe pocket and he left his bedroom to floo over to Hogwarts. He wanted to pack up his stuff and bring it back, then he’d need to find a moment to call Kreacher to him. If anyone would know old Black family secrets, it would be Kreacher.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ X

Dumbledore was sat up in his bed when Harry went to see him, climbing the stairs in the Headmaster’s office to the private rooms above, in his pyjamas but he was awake and upright at least.

“Ah, Harry. Are you feeling alright?”

Harry frowned. “Not really. Father wants me to stay home, I only have an hour to pack my stuff to take back with me.”

“I had heard, yes.” The old man said wearily.

“How are you feeling?” Harry asked.

“Much better now that Severus has seen to me.” Dumbledore said quietly. “Did you pick up the Horcrux, Harry?”

“It’s not even a Horcrux.” Harry said, making it a point to look upset. “We went through all of that for nothing!”

“Are you sure, Harry?” Dumbledore demanded, sitting forward and looking at him with those piercing blue eyes.

Harry took the locket out of his pocket and handed it over. “Someone got there before us and left this in its place. They said they were going to try and destroy it, that they were going to destroy him. We have no way of knowing who it was, or how many Horcruxes they found or if they’ve even stopped. I got the diary, you took out the ring, we know the snake is always with Voldemort, but how many Horcruxes has this person taken out? Did they even find a way to destroy the locket? Or have they just hidden it somewhere else where we’ll never find it?”

He made a show of looking frustrated and angry as Dumbledore opened the locket with fumbling hands and read the age crinkled note inside it. He looked more ill, weaker and older now, than he had last night while Harry was dragging him from the cave.

“It was not for nothing, Harry.” He said calmly, though how he could be calm after hearing this terrible news, Harry had no clue. “We know now that somewhere, we have an ally.”

“Yeah, but who?!” Harry scowled. “How do we even find them, we can’t exactly advertise for people destroying Voldemort’s Horcruxes, can we? And are they really helping us, I mean, how are we ever going to destroy that monster with someone else interfering and moving the Horcruxes about? We don’t even know if this person managed to find a way to destroy the Horcrux that they stole! They’re just making everything more difficult for us!”

“Calm yourself, Harry. You are not well.” Dumbledore said and Harry breathed out and his shoulders slumped.

“I just…I’d hoped that we’d come one step closer to killing him last night. I woke up this morning to find that the locket was a fake and we have no Horcrux. It’s a massive let down.”

“I understand.” Dumbledore said calmly. “But we must not lose heart.”

“I can’t help it. We were facing a mountain before this…before we found out that someone has been moving the Horcruxes and leaving behind fakes.”

“We do not know how many they have managed to find, it could just be this one.”

“Or it could be all of the remaining ones.” Harry said, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “Why did he have to go and do this? Why did he have to make seven Horcruxes?”

“Because above all else, he fears death, Harry. He fails to grasp that there are worse things than death, and he has tried to make himself immortal.”

“I suppose that nothing worth doing is ever easy.” Harry conceded. “Anyway, I’m glad that you’re alright. I wasn’t sure either of us were going to survive last night.”

“You are bruised.”

Harry looked at his arm and scowled at the black bruise there. “One of the inferi grabbed me and was trying to drag me into the lake. I’ve got a bruise on my ankle too. I thankfully remembered that they were afraid of fire soon after.”

“Yes, very good.”

Harry nodded. “I hope you get well soon.” He lied as convincingly as he could.

“Me too, Harry, me too. One more thing before you go. Might I have your memory of last night, so that I might review what happened? I was, I think you’ll agree, more than a little distracted.”

Harry nodded. “Of course. You’ll have to tell me what to do though, I’ve never done it before.”

“Just think very hard about what happened last night, and I will do the rest.”

Harry rather thought that Dumbledore just wanted to make sure that Harry hadn’t switched out the lockets himself, but he hadn’t. The memory would clearly show the wrong locket in the basin in the cave from an outsider’s perspective. Harry had been too panicked, too busy to look at what he’d grabbed, he’d only seen a locket and he’d just assumed that it was the Horcrux, that it was Slytherin’s locket, but Dumbledore would be able to see it clearly when he went back to review the memory. He’d be able to see that it was the wrong one immediately…and it would match the locket that Harry had just given him perfectly, as it was the same locket that Harry had picked up.
A wand tip touched his temple and Harry had to fight not to leap away from it. He watched as a silvery strand came from his head and was dropped into a crystal vial that Dumbledore had conjured.

“Thank you for this, Harry.”

Harry nodded. “Despite all that happened last night, if you do find another Horcrux, please let me know so I can come along again. I need to destroy that monster and if this is the only way, then despite how impossible it seems, I want to help.”

“Of course, my boy.”

Harry nodded and he turned and left the Headmaster’s office without saying anything else. He went straight to his private rooms and it was as he was in complete privacy, with the door firmly closed, that he laughed. He laughed loudly and unrestrainedly for some minutes before he could calm himself back down. He loved it when one of his little plans came together so very well and went off without a hitch.
A simple summoning charm had everything packed into his trunk. Then he got to the reason that he had wanted some privacy here. Kreacher.

“Kreacher!” He called out.

“Master calls for poor old Kreacher?” The house elf warbled, appearing immediately after he’d been called.

“Yes. It has recently come to my attention that Regulus Black, your old Master, might have been in possession of a locket that he was trying to destroy. Do you know where it is?”

“Master will try to destroy it for Master Regulus?”

“I want to get rid of it.” Harry said truthfully, sort of…he was going to give it back to Voldemort as a bargaining chip, not destroy it, but some misleading information would help him here.

Kreacher burst into tears. “Master Regulus ordered Kreacher to destroy it, but Kreacher could not. Kreacher tried everything, even biting it, and I could not fulfil Master’s wish.”

“It’s okay, Kreacher. I’m sure that Regulus would have understood. It’s no ordinary locket, and it is very hard to destroy because of what it is, because of the magic around it. Can you get it for me? So that I can get rid of it?”

Kreacher threw his arms around Harry’s knees and cried into him. “Yes. Yes, Master. Kreacher kept it safe, with his other treasures, even when Mundungus Fletcher tried to steal it, Kreacher kept that safe…he took everything else, Miss Bella and Miss Cissy’s pictures, my mistress’s gloves, the Order of Merlin, First Class, the goblets with the family crest, but Kreacher would not let him take Master Regulus’ locket. Kreacher bit him when he tried.”

“Tell me what happened to Master Regulus, Kreacher.” Harry said, sitting down and watching the elf closely.

The elf took a deep breath and began telling him how Voldemort had needed to test the defences on the cave, how he had chosen a house elf and Harry was almost sick as he realised immediately where the story was going.

“So Master Regulus came to Kreacher, and asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, and…and Kreacher had to obey.”

Harry could almost picture it, almost exactly how it had played out with him and Dumbledore, how Voldemort underestimated underaged wizards, and magical creatures too, allowing them to slip through his defences via a loop hole.

“Master Regulus drank the potion, he gave Kreacher his old locket and told Kreacher to switch them. He ordered Kreacher to leave without him.” He sobbed. “He drank…he drank all the potion…and Kreacher swapped the lockets…and…and he watched as Master Regulus was dragged beneath the water…”

Harry couldn’t stand it and he went to his knees and he hugged the elderly elf.

“It’s okay, Kreacher. You followed his orders as well as you could. He would not blame you. Hand the locket to me now, so I can get rid of it and take it from your mind.”

Kreacher nodded and he vanished. It took him a moment before he was back, the thick, heavy gold locket in hand with its large ‘S’ done in emeralds on the front.

“Thank you, Kreacher. Put this from your mind now, and tell no one that you had it, and no one that you gave it to me, okay?”

“Yes, Master.”

Harry went to the mantelpiece and he picked up an old Black ring that he hated, because it was thick, heavy and gaudy. It had been in the Black family for generations. It was at least two hundred years old and to his understanding, it had once belonged to Phineas Nigellus Black, who had gotten it from an old undocumented, unnamed Uncle when he had become Headmaster of Hogwarts.

“I want you to have this, Kreacher. It’s an ancient Black family heirloom, it is hundreds of years old, and I consider you a part of the Black family, so this is yours now.” He said, handing the stunned elf the ring.

Harry conjured a small length of black string, he slipped it through the ring in Kreacher’s shaking hands and then he tied it around Kreacher’s neck, like a necklace. He didn’t tie it too tightly and he left it to dangle down Kreacher’s chest, where the elf touched and played with it.

“Thank you, Master.”

“Think nothing of it, Kreacher. Go back to what you were doing now. I’ll be fine. I’m going to be at Malfoy manor now, for the summer, so if you need me, I’ll be there.”

Kreacher nodded, his blue eyes filled with tears and he left with a small pop. Harry, jubilant now with his achievement, placed the locket into his trunk, wrapping it in a pair of socks at the bottom.
He charmed the trunk weightless and he lifted the handle and he walked out of Hogwarts, exuberant and now much happier than he’d been before. He had the sword of Gryffindor and now he had Slytherin’s locket. He would ask for a face to face meeting with Voldemort and he would force the man, if he could even still be called that, to agree to his terms in return for his own Horcrux, and for the sword of Gryffindor, and the information on the Horcruxes and the two that were already destroyed.
Feeling much more accomplished, Harry went to the fireplace in McGonagall’s office, as it was closer, and he flooed back to Malfoy manor.
Rabastan was waiting for him and Harry dropped his trunk handle and threw his arms around his Fiancé instead. Harry kissed him and he sighed happily.

“Is everything alright?” Rabastan asked him.

Harry nodded. “Yes, perfectly fine. Unfortunately Dumbledore survived last night. With how he looked I was hoping that he would…ah, but it doesn’t matter. Can’t have everything in life, I suppose.”

Rabastan chuckled. “Come on, I’ve had lunch laid out. No doubts Dolphus is already eating.”

“He never was one for manners.” Harry sniggered.

“No, but you’d think he’d at least wait for us.”

Harry laughed. “I’d be very surprised if he had.”

They made it to the dining room, and sure enough Rodolphus was already there and already eating.

“There you are. How do you feel today?”

“Tired and achy, I’m covered in bruises too. But I’m okay, thank you.” Harry said as he allowed Rabastan to help him to sit and then he tucked into the grilled chicken breast and fresh vegetables. He particularly liked the roasted butternut squash. He’d never tried it before and he’d found that he really liked it.

Once he’d finished eating, he knocked back the calcium potion and grimaced, but Rabastan was ready with a cup of tea and Harry smiled at him in thanks as he gulped it down to get rid of the taste of the vile potion.
His healthy lunch eaten, he could now nibble on some treats and he happily ate several biscuits with more tea.

“Basti told me why you did such foolish, dangerous things last night.” Rodolphus piped up.

“I expected him to.” Harry replied evenly. “I did as I had to. It wasn’t my choice to make it seem like I was still Dumbledore’s man, it was my Father’s. I will not be blamed for doing what I did when I never wanted to do it in the first place.”

Rodolphus nodded. “Does he suspect you?”

“No. Then he only thinks I’m in league with the Malfoys. Not the Lestranges. He’d likely lose his mind if he knew I was even speaking to the both of you, or your grandfather outside of Wizengamot meetings for that matter.” Harry pointed out.

“Wait until he finds out you’re going to be married to Rabastan.” Rodolphus laughed.

Harry snorted. “That really would finish him off, though I hope he’s long dead before it comes out. It’s already going to fuel the rumours that I’m being drugged with potions or put under the Imperius curse without him still around to fan the flames.”

“What are your plans for the summer?”

“I don’t have any. I wasn’t given any summer work to do, because I’m so sick that the Professors think I just need to recover all summer and I’m not doing anything…except going to the Ministry party in August. That’s going to be torturous.”

“You’ll do just fine.” Rabastan told him. “It’ll be just as stuffy and boring as the Wizengamot party you went to in April, but remember it’s all about planting seeds for your proposals.”

Harry nodded his understanding. “It’s the only point to going. I’m going to test the waters more, see what I need to work on, what I need to stress, and then I’ll have a much better idea of how things might go. It’s not just the Wizengamot I need on my side, though they are the most important as they are the ones who are going to vote it through or not, but I need the Ministry on side too. This law making business is very painstaking.”

“Of course.” Rabastan agreed.

“How are your family portfolios?” Rodolphus asked with a shit eating grin. Rabastan glared at his older brother for bringing it up.

Harry groaned theatrically. “Do not even get me started on those damn things. I think I might just throw them out of a window and forget where they are. Those damn portfolios are continuously updating, I just…I wish I’d left them in the damn vaults! I mean it, they’re a pain in the arse.”

“Language, Harry.” Lucius told him, entering the room.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Of course you come home just as the first curse word I use leaves my mouth.” He complained.

“All the more reason for you to not use such base, vulgar language.”

“I like base, vulgar language.” Harry insisted. “It makes me happy.”

Rabastan chuckled and Lucius snorted. “Of course it does.” The elder man said disdainfully.

“It’s because you’re a base, vulgar little boy.” Rodolphus pointed out.

“And don’t you ever forget it.” Harry grinned.

“I was trying to insult you.” Rodolphus told him.

“Really? Wow, you really need to try harder.” Harry laughed. “I get worse than that from the newspapers, especially after the sentencing of Mister Jute.”

Rodolphus smirked and rolled his eyes, while Rabastan chuckled and threw his arm around Harry’s shoulders, resting his arm on the back of Harry’s chair.

“Did you see Dumbledore at all while getting your trunk? Which I will add has been left right in front of the fireplace and almost caused me to break my neck when I came home.” Lucius said, raising a platinum eyebrow.

Harry closed his eyes and grimaced. “Sorry.” He said sincerely. “I will move it now.” He added, standing.

“I have already done so.” Lucius replied, waving a hand for him to sit back down. “Now, did you see Dumbledore or not?”

“Yes, when I first arrived at the school. He is regretfully still alive.”

Rodolphus snorted into his cup of tea and almost choked on it with his amusement.

“See?!” Harry teased, pointing to him. “That’s what you get for trying to insult me. You almost choke. Anyway, he was in bed, but he was awake and sat up, we spoke a bit, then I went to my rooms, packed up and left.”

“Did you affirm your supposed loyalty?”

Harry scoffed. “Yes. Bloody idiot that he is. But, I suppose it works in my favour, for now. Or rather it keeps me safer and stops me from being in danger, on that front at least.”

“You would be safer if you stopped stealing swords.” Lucius told him.

“Hey! No speaking of that.” Harry teased. “I don’t want word getting to anyone that I have it, especially not those goblins! I’m going to make out I found it on accident and then pretend to give it back to them while subtly worming something in return.”

“Do you even know what you want from them?” Rodolphus asked him.

“Nope, which is why I don’t want anyone chatting about it. I need to make out that I’ve taken it to them immediately, not waited several months to figure out what I want from them in return first.”

“Very well.” Lucius nodded. “Just…be careful, Harry.”

He nodded happily. “I will be.”

Harry went back to his tea, and he sunk into his thoughts for a moment. He needed to tread carefully around Voldemort, he would be in much more danger, but worse than that, he would be putting his family in danger too, something that made him feel physically sick, and very scared too, but this was something he had to do. Thankfully he didn’t just have the sword anymore, he had an actual Horcrux, and he made a mental note to reward Kreacher some more for giving it to him, because the chances that he’d even had it, that he had fought to keep that one treasure from Mundungus, who he was going to have to prosecute now that it had come to light that he had stolen Harry’s possessions, was a sheer stroke of good fortune. He’d do that a little later, when he didn’t have so much on his mind, when he wasn’t so happy and excited over getting the real Horcrux for himself.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ X

A few days later and Harry was perfectly fine and well, he had had a few nightmares, and he’d found out that his parents had set Pimsey to watching him through the night. With every nightmare they came to soothe him and calm him and let him slip back to sleep, sometimes with a bit of dreamless sleep potion, sometimes not. Once it was Rabastan who came to soothe him and Harry begged him to stay, and his Fiancé had, sleeping next to him in the bed, the duvet separating their bodies so that they didn’t get into too much trouble come the morning when they were found sleeping in the same bed together, but Harry had slept peacefully, cuddled up tight by Rabastan, despite the duvet separating them.
Draco had come home last night and Harry had spent three hours with him in his own sitting room, catching him up on what had happened, and why he had suddenly come home two days early without any word or warning.
Draco was furious on his behalf at what he’d been put through by Dumbledore, and some rather creative names and curse words were used to describe their Headmaster afterwards. Harry also told him about the little ‘test’ that Dumbledore had put him through, about Rabastan recognising the old Black family heirloom that he was expected to hand over.

“You still handed it over knowing that it was an heirloom of your family?” Draco had asked.

“I had no choice.” Harry had sighed. “I had to hand it over, even knowing what it was. It was the locket that was the test, not the ocean, not the inferi, it was the Black locket more than any of that, or rather it was handing it over that was the test. That’s why he let me pick it up, I’m sure, just to see if I’d even give it back. I did, so now I’ve passed his stupid test and all is well.”

Draco had sighed himself and shaken his head. “All this creeping about and pretending that you’re on his side when you’re not. I couldn’t do it.”

“Thankfully no one is asking you to do anything of the sort.” Harry teased his brother then, and their serious conversation devolved more into playful banter and a catch-up on what Draco had done with his last few days at Hogwarts. Blaise had moaned and complained all through the train journey that he hadn’t gotten the chance to say goodbye to him, apparently.

It was now the following morning and Harry had been up early, had eaten his breakfast and he was struggling through the family portfolios when Rabastan found him.

“There you are, I was worried.” Rabastan told him.

Harry looked up, startled, then he smiled. “Why? I’m completely fine. I was actually able to sleep last night without those terrible night sweats. I didn’t have any nightmares either, not that I remember.”

“That’s wonderful news.” Rabastan said, sitting beside him, then looking like he regretted it when he realised what Harry was actually doing.

“You don’t need to look so frightened. I’m almost done.” Harry insisted with a cheeky smile. “I’m just checking share prices. Though…what do you think of this? It keeps dipping suddenly, recovering and raising a little, then dipping again. I don’t really know what’s happening.”

Rabastan shifted closer and he looked at the page that Harry had pointed out with his wand, which was detailing the share prices of this particular enterprise and he frowned as Harry moved his wand slowly across the page, taking the shares back hour by hour and he noticed the unexplained dipping and the almost immediate raising right before the market closed for the night. No one would ever notice it with it being so late in the night, only Harry had noticed, and it was very strange, unexplainable behaviour.

“I don’t understand that either. It dips suddenly and steeply, but it always raises higher than it fell, it’s unexplainable. I would query the goblins, something about that isn’t right.”

Harry indicated the letter he was writing. “I already am, I just wanted to be sure that this wasn’t normal. I mean, I’ve never seen it before with any of the other companies I have shares with, but I’ve only being sorting these portfolios for a little under a year, not all that long really, but truly it looks like someone is messing with the share prices, buying them in the controlled dips, when the share price is all but worthless, and then selling them when it soars for a massive profit. In which case it needs to be sorted quickly if someone is abusing their position.”

“Absolutely. The portfolio will only show a few days’ worth of information, not a lot of Lords take the time to check through every inch of their portfolios every day like you, so the dips and rises will go unnoticed, but the goblins will be able to look back much further and they’ll see what you have.”

Harry nodded and he finished off his letter with a glob of dark red wax and he picked up his specially made seal stamp from the wooden case beside him and he smiled slightly as he pushed it into the wax. He still enjoyed playing with his official stamp.

“I’ll send this off immediately. I’m not happy with the dips and rises…if it is somehow legitimate, I still want to sell all the shares I have immediately, on the next rise, of course.”

Rabastan nodded at that idea. “I think that would be very wise. You wouldn’t want to find that this is some cover-up for a business going under, where the bosses are buying shares in bulk to try and raise the price until they inevitably go bust.”

“Absolutely not, and to be caught up in such a scandal when it does come out would be highly embarrassing for me and my reputation would take a blow, I can’t allow that to happen just now, while I’m still trying to build myself up. Let me sort this a moment. I’ll be right back.” Harry promised, giving Rabastan a quick kiss and going to find Hedwig, so that he could send the letter straight to the goblins. He wanted their opinion on this instance as quickly as possible.

He went back to the drawing room, where he had set up with his portfolios, and he went to pack everything up and collect Rabastan for breakfast.

“All done.” Harry said happily.

He was even happier to see that Rabastan had packed his stuff up for him while he’d been sending his letter.

“I hope you don’t mind me touching this, I probably should have asked first.” Rabastan said worriedly.

Harry just laughed. “Rabastan, you are to be my husband, the Father of our children, of course I don’t bloody mind you touching any of it. Please, feel free to open them up and check them over whenever you want.” He sniggered.

Rabastan smiled and he pulled Harry into a kiss. As he all but fell against his Fiancé, Harry was shocked and pleased to feel muscle beneath his hands. Actual muscle, not bone, not the semi-state of bony, fleshlessness he’d had recently, but there was muscle there, actual solid muscle. Harry wanted to cry in joy, but he calmed himself and he didn’t draw attention to it, but this was yet more tangible proof that Rabastan’s regime was working, that he was getting better and healthier all the time.

“Come on, I’m hungry.” Harry said with a grin.

“Are you feeling alright?” Rabastan asked, wondering just why Harry seemed so energetic today.

“Of course. I never had to take that nutrient potion last night. So I slept well and I’m actually hungry this morning. I want something to eat, so come on. It won’t last, I have to take that potion tonight, so tomorrow I’ll be all miserable again.”

Rabastan smiled at him and took his hand, enclosing it in his own and it felt amazing to be able to do this now, knowing that there was no chance that he would crush that tiny hand placed trustingly in his own. He would never cause any purposeful harm to Harry, nor allow any harm to come to him, and now that he was better, he was in more control of monitoring the harm that he caused to Harry via the spasms and such that he had. He hadn’t had a body lock up or any spasms in the last several weeks actually, now that he thought of it. He frowned as he tried to remember the last time he’d had done anything of that sort…it had definitely been longer than a month. When had the last time been? He couldn’t remember it clearly, but it was almost two months ago since his last incident. He smiled to himself and looked down at the tiny Harry walking beside him. He loved the boy so much, for everything that Harry had selflessly done for him…and for treating him and loving him like a person, and not seeing the crippled mess that Azkaban had rendered him.
Harry had always seen him, the person underneath the shell, the person he had the potential to be, and that was why Rabastan would always love him, and why he did not need any orders from anyone, not even his Lord, to carry on loving Harry and to keep him close. He did so because he wanted to do so, because he wanted to be close to Harry, to hold him and love him. He wanted to marry him and he wanted children with him. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Harry, loving him and looking after him and their children. It was all he wanted, and all because Harry had seen past the dribbling, crippled husk he’d been when they’d first met, because Harry had wanted to help him, had wanted to get him back to full health and fitness, because Harry was willing to see their betrothal through to engagement and marriage despite everything, instead of giving up on him or even refusing him outright and finding someone else.

“You’re very deep in thought.” Harry’s soft, clear voice cut through his thoughts and Rabastan looked back down to the boy at his side. Those bright emerald eyes were smiling up at him and Rabastan automatically smiled back.

“I’m just thinking on how lucky I am to have you.”

Harry scoffed automatically, because he truly did not understand his own appeal, his own self-worth, and Rabastan hated that, but he would continue do all he could to show it and say it, to prove to Harry that he was utterly perfect in every way in his opinion. Despite some very strange ideals and viewpoints on certain issues, such as his treatment of house-elves, and on the Dementors too. Rabastan shivered uncontrollably as he thought of them, and he pushed those memories away. He would not ruin a good morning by thinking of his time in Azkaban. He was never going to go back, he would kill himself first, so there was no need to think on such things.

“Good morning, Harry. Rabastan.” Lucius greeted them. “Up a little early this morning?” He asked.

“I’ve been up for hours, Father.” Harry said. “I’ve been sorting out the family portfolios now that I have some more time and something caught my eye. There is a particular company that I have shares in which is showing…questionable behaviour.” Harry sighed. “I wanted to see what was going on, so I watched it for two hours. It dips very sharply, stays low for only a few minutes, then it rises steeply again and it’s like the dip never even happened. I went back to the information from last night, and it did exactly the same, right before the market closed, when people were less likely to notice it. I thought that perhaps someone is tweaking the shares, lowering the price and then buying bulk shares while they’re worthless and then selling them when they rise for a substantial profit. Rabastan also pointed out that the company could be going under and the bosses are trying to hide it by buying bulk shares themselves to mask the problem. Either way, I have written to the goblins and either I will be a whistle blower on whatever operation is going on, or I’m going to pull out and sell all of my shares with this company during the next sharp rise in price.”

“Well, this is certainly a heavy topic for breakfast.” Lucius said. “But I am proud of you for taking such a serious interest in your family portfolios, and for noticing this abnormality. It is most definitely nothing good and I would pull your shares immediately, as soon as you could.”

“But if it’s only someone selfishly skewing with the price to profit themselves…”

“It won’t matter.” Xerxes interrupted. “The moment that article appears in the papers, that company will be ruined and the shares will be worthless anyway. Get whatever shares you have with them out now, while you can. If you wish you can always reinvest at a later date, after the article has lost its urgency and the company has recovered somewhat.”

Harry huffed. “It seems like I’m going to have a trip to Gringotts today then. I’ll pull my shares before Hedwig reaches them and blows the whistle. That way, I make a profit for myself and I’m safe from whatever backlash there will be from this.”

“I am in work today.” Lucius frowned.

Harry’s face crumpled in thought. “I should be alright on my own. No one would expect me to go to Diagon Alley just days after Hogwarts lets out and no one would dare approach me, just let them even try.” He said fiercely.

“I don’t like you going unescorted.” Lucius insisted. “You haven’t been well.”

Harry looked up at his Father. “Let me do this on my own. It’s important for my character building to hold such meetings without anyone holding my hand.”

Lucius sighed, but he nodded once. “Alright, Harry. Just be careful. You are still an underaged member of my house. I should not even be considering allowing you out without an escort, I wouldn’t allow Draco out alone either, and it is only because you are the Lord of two houses that I am allowing it now, no other reason. You take exceedingly good care with yourself, do you hear me?”

“Yes, Father.” Harry said.

“Please do be careful.” Rabastan said, not very happy with the decision that had been made. “I would go with you if I could.”

“I know you would. I would have you beside me in all things too, but at the moment…it’s just not the right time.”

“Soon enough.” Rodolphus said from across the table. “Things are progressing quickly now. We are almost ready.”

“Rodolphus, not here.” Xerxes snapped at his older grandson, looking pointedly to Harry.

Harry snorted. “Do you truly think so little of me that you honestly thought I wouldn’t notice what’s going on right under my very nose? I know what’s going on, I know what’s happening and what will happen.”

“And what do you think of it?” Rodolphus asked him.

Harry stared straight into those dark brown eyes. “I just want to be able to walk down the street with my Fiancé without fear of being attacked or being persecuted.” He said, moving his hand to lay it on Rabastan’s, squeezing it. “I want a life with him, a family, and I want it publically. There’s only one way that can happen and despite what anyone thinks, I love Rabastan more than I care about whatever else happens. I have my limits, as do we all, but I would take that out on whoever committed such a thing, not on Rabastan.”

“Such as what?” Rodolphus asked.

“Hurting children.” Harry said immediately. “Or innocent bystanders, people who can’t defend themselves. Things like that. I won’t lose myself just because I’ve fallen in love with Rabastan and there is no way in hell any of my children will be joining you or your activities. Not ever.” Harry said.

“If they choose…”

“They’ll do it over my dead fucking body!” Harry snapped loudly at Rodolphus. “It’s not happening, end of discussion.”

“Watch your language, Harry. You’re lucky that your Mother isn’t here.” Lucius told him. Harry rather thought he was just changing the subject quickly with whatever topic was convenient. Such as his bad language.

Harry nodded and he started eating his breakfast. He ignored everyone else, or rather their last conversation, and instead he prepared what he was going to say to the goblins when he reached the bank, practising some conversations with Rabastan and planning out different answers to different lines of questioning. He’d have to wear formal robes for the occasion and he’d have to look good. He’d have a shower now after breakfast, he’d very reluctantly enlist Draco’s help to get ready, and then he’d make his way to the bank. He wanted to sort this little…situation, quickly, before it escalated and truly, Xerxes was right, whatever way this played out, it was not going to end well for him or for the shares he held in this company if he did nothing. He wanted his investment pulled out, his shares cashed at a profit, before everything went tits up and he was linked to this coming disaster.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ X

It took an hour and a half before Draco declared him presentable enough to go to an important bank meeting and Harry was frustrated and exhausted before he even set off because of it.
He was wearing a nice black robe that was tailor cut to his body. It was one of the ones he used to go to Wizengamot meetings, which Draco insisted was just as important as this meeting with the bank.
Rabastan had given him a nice pair of silver cufflinks, just a little extra, he’d insisted as he’d fixed the cufflinks to his shirt for him, looking down at him proudly, and a little lustfully.
Harry smiled to remember that, as he walked through the doors to Gringotts and then made his way directly to the head goblin. He knew from Lucius that most people wouldn’t approach him, as he was not the right goblin to see if you just wanted to merely make a withdrawal from your vault, you had to want something important from Gringotts if you actually dared approach the head goblin.
Harry stood and he waited patiently, ignoring all the hisses and little whispers flaring up behind his back as people recognised him, and then he went and approached the head goblin too, and people actually craned their necks to see what he was doing.

“How may we help you today, Lord Potter-Black?” The head goblin asked him, having finished writing in the large book in front of him.

“I wish to discuss a particular investment that was made in the past. It is in regards to selling the shares in said company and severing all ties to it.” Harry said brusquely.

“Of course.” The head goblin said amicably. “Ironjaw will see you through to an office where you will be met by a goblin capable of handling such a situation.”

“Thank you.” Harry said easily, inclining his head a little and then following Ironjaw, who had come trotting from the back wall as soon as his name was called.

He soon found himself in a nice little office, not unlike the one he’d been in when he’d come to inquire about his Lordships in the first place, and he rehearsed what he was going to say. He kept his knees together and his hands in his lap, forcing himself to sit straight backed and not to fidget. He was willing to prove himself ready for this level of independence, he would not act like a child and come across as impatient or bored. He had called this meeting after all, he was here on his own terms.
A goblin entered not too much time later and Harry greeted it politely as it took a seat behind the desk.

“I understand that you wish to sell some shares today, Lord Potter-Black.” The goblin, introduced as Narglock, said straight down to business. That was why Harry liked the goblins, they never beat around the bush and you could always rely on them to be blunt and right to the point. He liked that.

“That’s correct, the particular company in question was one invested in by my grandfather, I on the other hand wish to pull out.” He said as he handed over a piece of parchment with the all the company details upon it. He’d meticulously written it out after breakfast that morning, Lucius over his shoulder just to be sure that he did everything correctly and had all the information that was needed, in his very best handwriting.

The goblin looked over everything and then a small flare of magic later and another piece of parchment came to the goblin’s hands.

“The share price for this company is currently at one hundred and seven Galleons, five Sickles and twelve Knuts a share.” The goblin told him. “Is this an acceptable selling price for you, Lord Potter-Black?”

“It is, yes.” Harry replied, knowing from his observations that the share price would be levelling out today, before it would start dipping again over the next week before it would dive sharply in several days, but if the past information he had was an indicator, then it would be at its highest today, just after the steep nose dive late last night, right before the market closed.

“You own six thousand, five hundred and forty-eight shares. Do you have the corresponding certificates?”

Harry opened the folder in his lap and he handed over the elaborately embossed, ancient share certificates that had been tucked away in the portfolio on the page corresponding to the company…his grandfather on the Potter side had been very meticulously organised and the portfolio had come to him neat and orderly…the same could not be said of the Black portfolio, which was a mess of papers, certificates, bits and pieces, all jammed in haphazardly wherever there was a space. It had taken him forever to sort out and he was still finding the odd piece out of place. He definitely blamed Walburga Black for that, who had been the last person to have the portfolio before him.
The goblin examined every single certificate, adding up all the shares by hand to ensure that they matched the records, and then snapped them on the desk and laid them in a neat pile.

“You will receive in excess of seven hundred thousand Galleons. Did you want this sum added to your vault, or would you prefer to invest it in buying shares for another company?” The goblin asked, pushing over a piece of parchment with the exact sum of gold he was getting upon it.

Lucius had already told him the figure he was looking at, the amount of gold he was actually dealing with, but still, looking at the exact figure that he was going to receive still stunned him for a moment. It was more official now over Lucius telling him the possible sum he would receive when he sold his shares. This was tangible, concreate, and it was substantial.

“I would prefer it to go into my vault, if you would.” Harry said, once he was certain that his voice wouldn’t break midsentence. “Until such a time that I can personally see to any new investments. It will likely be after I’ve graduated, however.” He added.

“Very well.” The goblin said simply, taking out a stamp, dipping it into a large, round inkwell and then stamping the bottom of the parchment with the exact figure upon it.

At once the pile of share certificates vanished and a duplicate of the stamped parchment appeared on the desk. Narglock took the duplicate and Harry got the original and he tucked it into the folder that he had brought the share certificates to the bank in. This official document would be going back into the family portfolio on the page that detailed the company investment information.

“This concludes our meeting, Lord Potter-Black, we thank you for coming in this morning to conduct your business. The gold will be transferred to your vault immediately from the company vault and is ready to be spent immediately.”

Harry smiled then. “I think I’d rather keep it in the vault for a while, without spending it.” He laughed. “Thank you for your help and assistance, I am most pleased.”

Harry inclined his head and the goblin did so back to him. Harry left the office and Ironjaw was standing a respectful distance away, waiting to lead him back to the main part of the bank, so that he might leave, without the indignity of getting lost within the maze-like bank.
Overall his meeting hadn’t even taken him an hour. Feeling very accomplished and very, very happy to have done this on his own, and successfully he might add, he treated himself by going into Flourish and Blotts. He did curb himself to only a few books though, aware that his current ‘to-read’ list was astronomical and that his family would be expecting him back soon, and that they would only worry until he had arrived back home, safe and sound.
Everything was fine, he bought his selected books, handed over the coins from his purse, and he left the shop, heading for the Leaky Cauldron so he could floo back home. Unfortunately word had spread of him being in the Alley that morning and the news had reached a certain pair of red-headed twins.

“I don’t want any trouble.” He said as soon as they stepped into his path.

“You should have thought of that before you turned on our family and landed us with crippling debt.”

“Ron and Ginny destroyed everything I owned, right down to my clothes and my shoes, not once, but twice!” Harry said back firmly. “I let the first time slide, it was just homework, books and things the first time, inconsequential and materialistic, and my Father replaced them at his own expense, but the second time…” Harry shook his head in disgust. “They took everything they could lay their hands on, and they destroyed it all, my underwear, my quills, the new books I’d ordered to replace the first lot that had previously been destroyed, all my school uniform and casual clothes, my very trunk was found bobbing in the lake, water warped and useless. I still could have forgiven that, it was all still material possessions, easily replaced. It was the destruction of my Firebolt that truly got to me.”

Harry stared at the two red-heads in front of him for a moment as he tried to push away the hurt and upset that the incident still caused him. The memory of seeing the Firebolt in such a state of disrepair. He swallowed hard, heavily, and he took a deep breath.

“You know exactly what that broom means to me, and so did they when they stole it and tried their very best to destroy it too! They knew how attached to it I was, how much it meant to me and they tried to destroy it anyway! The only thing I had that was gifted to me by my dead Godfather! That could never be forgiven, because though it could be easily replaced, the sentimental value of it would be gone. Sirius touched that broom with his own hands, paid for it with his own money, it was a thoughtful, loving gift just for me, and I can never forgive them for trying to take that away from me! So yes, I have saddled your family with the price of the replacements, because whatever else you might think of me, they still destroyed all of my belongings, and like anyone else, they should pay for the damage that they caused with their own hands.”

“But…”

“No.” Harry cut in. “There are no buts here. I would have gladly taken up the financial burden of replacing everything yet again, as I did the first time, if only they had left my sentimental things alone. My blood family are dead, my Godfather is dead, do you have any idea of what that’s even like?” He demanded. “Knowing that all you have are photos of them, not even any memories? All I have of my Father is a cloak, all I have of Sirius is a broom, and I have nothing from my Mother. Can you even imagine how tightly I cling to those sentimental things because of that? How painful it was to see one of those items in pieces because of what Ron and Ginny did to it? They did it to hurt me, knowing that it would rip right through me, and I agreed to send them the bill to hurt them in turn, to punish them, so that maybe they can feel even the slightest bit of pain that I felt when I saw that Firebolt in that state! Do you understand?” He demanded.

“If you hadn’t turned on them in the first place…”

“Is that what they’re telling you?” Harry scoffed. “Of course that makes them seem like the injured party, but it didn’t happen like that.”

“You snubbed them on the train.”

“No, I actually didn’t. I greeted them happily, excitedly, asking them how their summers had been, like I always did, and they sneered and condemned me for an adoption that was pushed through by Lucius Malfoy and the Minister for Magic, an adoption that I didn’t know about until after it was finalised and didn’t even have a say in!” Harry said furiously. “They denied me the family I’d never had and told me that I deserved to stay in an abusive household just because it was the Malfoys who had adopted me first!”

“Abusive household?” The twins looked at one another.

“You ripped the bars from my window when I was just twelve!” Harry hissed. “What, did you think those bars were there to stop people from getting in? To keep me safe?” He demanded. “You knew I was locked in that room, because you picked the lock on my door to get my trunk from downstairs. You knew I wasn’t being fed or looked after properly, and then there were the newspaper articles about me being adopted because of neglect. That wasn’t a lie! Lucius found out about the abuse I was suffering through and he threw a fit, something about no child deserving to live in such a state and he adopted me immediately! It…” Harry swallowed heavily, trying to blink to control the tears that wanted to fall. “It was the kindest thing that anyone had ever done for me, permanently removing me from that horror, from the pain that I was suffering through daily. So yes, he’s my family now, because he was the only one who cared enough about me to adopt me into his own family, to remove me from that terrible situation. I was being hurt and abused, starved and beaten, and now I’m not. So I don’t care who it is, Voldemort himself could have adopted me, and I’d have been damn grateful for it, because anything, living with anyone, would have been better than going back there.” He finished. “Ron and Ginny, Hermione too, they all tried to tell me that it wasn’t that bad, that I was only being abused for a few weeks of the year and I should just put up with it, but I shouldn’t have had to! No one should have to just ‘put up’ with being abused, regardless of if it’s a few weeks or even a few measly minutes, it’s not right, I shouldn’t have had to deal with it or put up with it for any amount of time and of course the first offer to take me away from that permanently and I was going to jump at it! Believe it or not, the Malfoys love me, they truly love me and I’ve learnt to love them. They’re helping me, keeping me safe and they’re building me up to look after myself, like all parents should! Draco and I got off to a rocky start, but we’ve come to love one another as brothers too. I deserve this, I deserve a real family, and I won’t let anyone take that away from me!”

“Mum said…she said that you’d been forced into a marriage.” One twin tried weakly, looking at the ring on his finger.

“I’m not married yet.” Harry said, more calmly now. “I am engaged, but I chose Aceline for myself and despite the language barrier, we’re getting closer. If we didn’t get on, or one of us didn’t like the other, we could have ended the betrothal at any time and looked for other partners that we liked more. I chose her, she likes me too and we are falling in love. That’s all anyone needs to know. We will be married in two years’ time, once she graduates the year after me, and I’m sure we’re going to be very happy. I am going to be a teacher, she wants to be a Healer, we’re likely going to be living in Grimmauld Place, which is currently being redecorated. I am perfectly fine and happy, but most of all, I have the family that I always wanted and needed. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve spent entirely too much time here already. I will not ever forgive Ron or Ginny or Hermione for what they did, I will not remove the debt and I want no further contact of any kind. I just wanted a family, to be happy, and I have that now.”

Harry pushed past the speechless twins and he made his way quickly to the Leaky Cauldron before he was accosted again. He clutched his bag of books closer and bit his lip hard, he just wanted to be left alone to live his life how he wanted to live it, with the family that he now had. Why was that so much to ask for?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ X

Fred and George Weasley were distracted for the rest of the morning, so for once they actually closed up shop for lunch and they flooed to the Burrow. Ron and Ginny were home for the summer, and the two of them had agreed to question them both on what had happened last year, on the train.

“Fred, George, this is a surprise.” Their Mum said, wiping her hands on her apron and coming to hug them both. She was smiling, but she had lost more weight and her face was gaunt and sunken. This debt was making her sick.

“We decided to come for a quick visit. Are Ron and Ginny here?”

“Ginny has a job in the town. She’s got a job as a waitress in the little café. Ron is home though, he should be up in his bedroom.”

The twins nodded and they moved off into the house, going to the attic to find their youngest brother. He was on his bed reading the comics that he loved so much. Fred moved to go forward, maybe to hit Ron upside the head, maybe to tear the comic from his hands, but George stopped him.

“What are you two doing here?” Ron asked.

“You mean why aren’t we working our arses off to pay for the debt that you brought onto this family?” Fred scathed.

“That was Harry’s fault!” Ron said immediately.

“No, it was yours and Ginny’s for destroying his stuff! What if someone came in here and destroyed all of your stuff? Would you accept it and pay for it yourself, or would you try and push those expenses onto the one who’d destroyed it? Harry was within his rights to pass the bill onto you and Ginny!”

“He could afford to replace…”

“You’re missing the point, Ron.” George said.

“He always was the most dense.” Fred added.

Ron went red and he stood up to face them better.

“If Harry hadn’t turned on us…”

“He didn’t though, did he?” Fred demanded.

“He greeted you normally on the train, all of you, and it was you and Ginny who turned on him, wasn’t it?”

“He’d been adopted by the Malfoys!” Ron raged. “Those poncey, stuck up, snobs! He was acting all normal, like it hadn’t happened or didn’t matter!”

“He was being abused at home.” Fred cut in harshly.

“So? He was only there for a few weeks every summer! He let himself get adopted by the Malfoys, he just accepted it and he was acting like nothing had even happened! He’s fraternising with the enemy!”

Fred and George just looked at one another, before looking back to their red faced brother.

“You truly think that Harry should have stayed in an abusive home?”

“It was only for a few weeks!” Ron bellowed. “Then he always came to us, or to Grimmauld Place.”

“That isn’t the point, he was being abused!” Fred shouted back. “Of course he’d prefer anything other than that, are you mad?!”

“It’s the Malfoys!” Ron shouted back. “Death Eaters, his enemy!”

“He’s not going to see it that way when he’s been abused, Ron. His enemy are those who were hurting him, and that’s not the Malfoy family. You need to stop looking at this through your eyes and see it through Harry’s instead. He’s been abused, and abused kids aren’t the best at making decisions. He would go to anyone who offered him a way out of the pain and fear and that’s exactly what he’s done. The Malfoys offered him a way out, he’s taken it, as anyone would.”

“He’s the Boy-Who-Lived! He’s supposed to help us defeat you-know-who, not cry about a few weeks living with the Muggles and run off to you-know-who’s biggest followers!”

“Harry isn’t seeing it like that, Ron, you’re too young to understand what’s happening here.”

“Or too stupid.” Fred put in.

“We should leave this here. We have what we came for.” George said. “We need to get back to the shop.”

Fred nodded his agreement and he followed George from the attic room, but he turned to his brother at the door. “Get a job, Ron. Help us pay off the debt that you saddled us with. Ginny’s doing her bit, you need a job by the end of the week, or you’ll have me to deal with.”

He heard Ron throw something at the door behind his back, but Fred didn’t care. He’d had enough of Ron’s theatrics for one day and he now blamed Ron and Ginny more than he had before for this situation, if they’d just been calmer towards Harry, if they had tried to understand his situation a little more, from his perspective, then perhaps none of this would have happened and Harry and Ron might still be friends and this debt wouldn’t be hanging over them.
He needed to speak to George, they needed to seek out Charlie and Bill and let them know what had actually happened, as they had all blamed Harry for this situation, when it was completely Ron and Ginny’s fault for telling him that he needed to continue living in an abusive home and that he didn’t deserve a family, of course that would have driven Harry away from them and further into the arms of the Malfoys.
How they could have been so cruel and unconcerned about their friend, he didn’t even know. If Lee had approached him and George and confided to them that he was being hurt and abused at home they wouldn’t have even hesitated to support him in whatever he wanted to do. Perhaps being adopted by the Malfoys was a bit much, but as Harry had explained, it hadn’t been his choice and he’d had no say in the adoption, the Ministry had happily handed his custody over to Lucius Malfoy, so really, could Harry even be blamed for that?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ X

Harry arrived home with no further issue and he breathed out in relief as the familiar sight and scent of home hit him. He immediately went to his bedroom to drop off his bag of books and his folder, putting the latter away safe in the Potter family portfolio, where it belonged, and then he went to seek out Rabastan. Harry found him talking softly in the drawing room with Xerxes, Rodolphus, Narcissa and Draco, who looked to be doing homework.

“There you are, you took your time.” Draco pointed out, very quickly abandoning the summer work.

“I couldn’t help going to buy some books.” Harry explained, not willing to bring up the little tiff with the Weasley twins.

“I knew it.” Xerxes laughed. “I told you he’d have to slip into the bookshop before he came home. How many books did you end up buying?”

Harry smiled and he sat beside Rabastan and snuggled in, kicking off his shoes automatically so he didn’t get a telling off for putting them on the settee.

“Only four. I managed to curb myself with a time limit.” He explained with a cheeky grin. “And a reminder of just how many I still have to read.”

“How did the meeting go?” Rabastan asked him. “You seem to be in good spirits, but I can’t tell if that’s from the meeting going well or the spree in Flourish and Blotts.” He joked.

“It was fairly straight forward, all very easy. It was just done, as soon as I asked for it.” Harry said happily. “I knew you were just scaring me with those stories and all those alternate scenario practice conversations.”

The adults all looked at one another, as if expressing doubts.

“They weren’t just stories, were they?” He asked.

“No.” Xerxes said seriously. “Are you saying that they didn’t even question you as to why you were pulling out of this company completely and selling all of your shares?”

“No. I wasn’t even asked to give an excuse. I said I wanted to sell all of my shares and pull out of my investment in this particular company and that’s exactly what happened. I got exactly seven hundred and two thousand, seven hundred and twenty-one Galleons, there was a remainder of four Sickles and fifteen Knuts too, but I am now over seven hundred thousand Galleons richer. Rabastan, my love, do you fancy an extravagant, exotic holiday with me?” He teased.

“Your parents would never allow it without a chaperone.” Rabastan teased back.

“We could be persuaded, if particular measures were put into place as a safe guard. Harry will be seventeen in July, a legal adult, he can be trusted to have a small break away from our constant supervision.” Narcissa said. “We trust him to behave in the manner that we expect of him.”

Harry looked to her, his beautiful emerald eyes very wide. “Really?” He said, his voice high with child-like excitement. “Please, Mother! We’ll behave, I promise! I’ve never been on a holiday before. Oh, where should we go?” He asked Rabastan, his excitement now palpable as he sat up on his knees, almost bouncing in his excitement and happiness.

“You’ve never been on holiday?” Draco asked, aghast.

Harry’s face darkened and his shoulders slumped. “Draco, those people begrudged me food, clothes and my own room, they kept me in a cupboard. Of course they never took me on holiday with them, they always left me behind and then rubbed my nose in it when they got back. I’ve never left the country before and if it wasn’t for Hogwarts, I’d have never even left England before.”

There was silence and Harry slumped in his seat and turned to hide himself in Rabastan, very embarrassed and ashamed now, he felt like the freak that Vernon and Petunia had always accused him of being.

“Excuse me.” He said tenuously, jumping up and walking very quickly away.

“No, you are not excused.” Narcissa told him sternly, but Harry didn’t listen and he kept walking away, then running the moment he was out of the room.

He shut himself in his bed suite and he sat in his living room, breathing deeply to control the urge to cry. Every time something happened to make him even remotely happy, he was brought crashing down again with a harsh reminder that he wasn’t normal. He was trying so hard, but nothing he did was working, he couldn’t paste over the cracks in his life and pretend that they hadn’t happened in the first place, because things like this just revealed those cracks, exposed them in stark contrast. He wasn’t normal, maybe it was time to stop pretending that he was.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ X

A/N: Happy Valentine’s Day, lovelies! I hope you’re all enjoying your day with whomever, or whatever, you have decided to spend it with. But, this chapter is for you all, whether single or snuggled in love.
I think that this was all, lovelies. We’ve started our month of The Black Heir now, so next week we’ll have another chapter for this fic, but until then, lovelies,

StarLight Massacre. X
- 21
- 22
- 23
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Guile and Devotion of a Black Heir