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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
- 32
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- 34
Last Time

He would do right by the magical creatures that others overlooked, or just straight out abused and persecuted them because the laws were so flimsy, and so thin, that there was nothing to stop them discriminating against them. Well, hopefully not for much longer, Harry thought to himself as he sat back and looked at his newest paragraph. He was getting there, slowly but surely, and very soon this reform would be ready to be submitted to his fellow peers on the Wizengamot. He would do his very best to help the magical creatures gain the legal rights and protections that they were entitled to as living beings, he refused to do any less.

Chapter Thirty-Three – Wizengamot Defeats

November seemed to be crawling by at a snail’s pace, for all that Harry was busy it seemed that the more he anticipated seeing Rabastan again, the slower time passed.
The Professors were utterly ruthless in setting their homework assignments and Harry was starting to feel the strain, the pressure on his shoulders, as he tried desperately to keep up with everything, and make sure the quality of his work didn’t slip either.
Homework club, as they’d dubbed their little meetings in his private rooms, had become an everyday occurrence. All of them were stressed and getting snappish and short-tempered. Harry himself felt frazzled and frayed at his very nerve endings, and everything he was juggling was starting to get on top of him.
He was in the middle of a Transfiguration lesson when the very worst thing that could happen did happen, he felt the rings on his finger heat up and he surged to his feet on reflex, and started packing his books back into his bag.

“Mister Potter, is there a problem?” Professor McGonagall asked him sternly.

“I apologise for the interruption, Professor, but a Wizengamot meeting has been called and I have to attend.”

McGonagall nodded her understanding. “I will give your work to Mister Malfoy.”

“Thank you, Professor, I appreciate it.” He said, even as he swung his bag onto his back and rushed from the classroom while his classmates sat and stared at him. He hurried as fast as he could to his private rooms.

He was hot and sweaty after the run, so Harry quickly grabbed a glass, filled it with water from the tap, and downed it in several large, hard gulps.
He threw his book bag onto the settee and hurried to his bedroom, taking off his tie and undoing his school robes as he went.
He changed as quickly as he could into the plain black robes that he kept hanging on the outside of his wardrobe door for such occasions as this. He made sure that he was dressed impeccably, that his robe wasn’t inside out and that it wasn’t wrinkled. He pulled a comb through his hair, but didn’t fret too much about it, it never laid flat anyway, so there was nothing he could do about it except try to neaten it up a bit.
He grabbed the accompanying jewellery that Rabastan had picked out for him, including cufflinks and a nice necklace. He didn’t like dressing up too much, but apparently it was important to at least accessorise himself a little.
He took an extra moment to take some deep breaths, to calm his heart and breathing rate, and then he spun on the spot and Apparated to the Ministry Atrium.
He took one step forward, then another, and after a brief moment the crushed feeling in his lungs eased, and his vision cleared. He hoped he wasn’t the last person in the room. It wasn’t so bad if the other members were still settling, or standing and talking to one another still, but if they were all sat down, ready and waiting, and silent, it was humiliating to walk in late. He didn’t want that for himself, but it would be worse if he came in half dressed, scruffy, or heavily perspiring and out of breath.
He was thankfully on time, and everyone was still milling about and greeting the other lords and Harry breathed out a soft breath and pulled up his ‘Lord’ façade and he started meeting and greeting other members of the Wizengamot himself, engaging them with polite small talk until he was finally able to sidle up to Lucius and Xerxes.

“Ah, there you are.” Lucius greeted, and gave him a critical once over, then an approving nod.

“I was halfway through a Transfiguration lesson.” Harry bitched. “The one subject I couldn’t really afford to miss out on.”

“How are your lessons coming on?” Xerxes asked him, looking at him closely, and likely noting his exhausted black eyes.

Harry aborted a move to push his hand through his hair, and he just shook his head. “I’m still keeping ahead, but the amount of work we’re being set now means that I’m going to have several late nights to pick up the work I’m missing out on to be here.”

The two older men looked concerned at that.

“Perhaps you should cut down on a few extracurricular activities?” Lucius suggested.

“I already have.” Harry confessed. “I haven’t touched my creature reform bill in over a week, the one on Dementors in at least a month and a half. I’ve stopped reading almost all of my extra reading material, and I’m only just keeping up with the work that Marcus is setting me. Everything else is school related.”

“Are you still playing Quidditch?”

“Yes, but only because it’s the only break, the only stress relief, that I get from everything else. I really would have that breakdown that Basti fears about if I was work, work, work all the time.”

“The winter holidays are soon, you can rest at home.” Lucius told him.

Harry snorted softly. “As if the Professors are going to allow that.”

“Perhaps I should look into the state of the school, considering that I’m a governor.”

“You should, twelve students have had breakdowns in the last fortnight.” Harry reported. “Thirty-seven have had breakdowns since the start of the school year. It’s not normal for seventeen year olds to be this stressed.”

“They are clearly putting too much pressure on you students.” Xerxes remarked. “I am all for exacting standards on the future of our world, but not at the cost of students’ health. In my day the work set was challenging, but manageable. We’d have an essay per subject, and perhaps an additional worksheet as well.”

“I wish that was all I had. Snape alone has set an essay that he wants two rolls of parchment for, a questionnaire about an obscure ingredient and its uses in potions, and the greasy git wants us to do a worksheet about subtle temperature changes needed while brewing Amortentia. That’s at least six to eight hours’ worth of research and writing before I get to any other subject.”

“I will bring this matter to the attention of the other governors, and schedule a meeting with Dumbledore presently.” Lucius insisted.

The three of them eased into seats beside one another, and of course Harry was in between the two older men. Lord Paimon was giving Harry death glares from across the room, and he wasn’t the only one, as Harry spotted Bill and Charlie sat beside one another, and Giovanni Rowle sat by himself, ready and waiting for the meeting to begin, resolutely not looking in Harry’s direction.
Damn, he really was making enemies at every turn. He needed to check that, and maybe take a break from making enemies for a while. The last thing he wanted was to turn the entire Wizengamot against him before he even had a chance to submit his creature reform bill. He wouldn’t get anywhere with it if everyone voted against it on principle just because they didn’t like him.
Everyone seemed to be present and accounted for as Runcorn came striding in, slamming the door behind him and Harry heard the click of the lock turning.
Runcorn went to his seat at the straight edge of the D shaped table, and looked at them all in turn as if counting them, or seeing if any of them might be missing.
Harry’s back automatically straightened, his body pulled taut as the silence stretched on, thick and oppressive. Whatever had happened was bad.

“I will not mince my words.” Runcorn declared, breaking the silence. “A vampire has been arrested, and faces charges of capital murder.”

There was a ripple of shock around the room, as people turned to their neighbours and shared looks or remarks of shock and horror.
Harry wondered what the full story really was, he wondered if the vampire had actually killed someone. It seemed likely given that they had been arrested under a capital offence, with a capital punishment attached, but with the state of the creature laws currently he wouldn’t be surprised to find that the vampire had merely walked past the wrong person, who had dobbed them in to the Aurors.

“Who did it kill?” Someone asked, and Harry knew just from the way that that question had been phrased, with the vampire in question being deemed an ‘it’, that he was going to have a fight on his hands. First though he needed more information.

“No one, but he tried to turn a woman, his girlfriend.”

There were murmurings of outrage, and Harry frowned. That didn’t sound like the basis for capital murder to him, with an attached death penalty.

“This is unacceptable!” Lord Nott said angrily.

There was agreement to his words from others, and Harry looked around, confused as to why there was such outrage when the woman in question was still alive.

“I insist we vote immediately for execution!”

“No, we will have a debate for and against, as needed.” Runcorn said, cutting over the calls of agreement.

“Who would actually be against culling this creature?” Someone laughed mockingly.

No one spoke, not even Harry. He needed more information, and he knew it. Lucius and Xerxes both shifted slightly towards him, almost as if expecting him to speak up, but he didn’t.

“See, Runcorn? No one wants to save it.” Lord Nott said with an oily little laugh.

“I will give you all relevant information, and then we will debate as we are charged to do so.” Runcorn insisted.

Harry settled a little at hearing that. Runcorn was a good, dutiful Chief Warlock. He did everything by the letter, and Harry was grateful for that. He didn’t want to defend the vampire in question if he’d tried to turn someone against their will, but for the same token if his girlfriend had been willing he didn’t see the issue.
The people around the table settled a little after a moment of furious murmuring, and Harry set himself eagerly to listen to all the information given to him. He could already see that he had an uphill battle to get through.

“The accused is charged with trying to turn the woman in question, on Thursday the twentieth of November, at eleven twenty pm. Her family raised concerns with the Aurors, who immediately went to the residence in question, and found the vampire in question mid-deed. Due to being interrupted, the deed was unsuccessful.”

“We cannot allow this to happen!” Paimon exploded. “We allow those filthy creatures to exist and this is what they do? Attack people!”

Harry frowned at the tone, for the lack of sensitivity shown in the wording, which would usually be condemned in this room, but people were agreeing with Lord Paimon. They looked angry, and unrelenting. Political correctness had well and truly flown out of the window on this case.

“Is the woman in question alright, Chief Warlock?” Harry asked.

Runcorn looked at him, really looked at him, and Harry felt like he was under a microscope. What he said and did here, in this meeting, more than any other, was going to influence people’s views of him. He would be judged for this debate, more than any other, because it was a matter of personal views and not laws, and his views clearly didn’t match up with the majority of the room.

“She is perfectly fine, and contesting the charges put upon her partner. She claims that she wanted to be turned into a vampire, so that they could be together for eternity.”

Harry frowned at that.

“So why is he being charged?” Harry couldn’t help asking.

“It’s against the law for them to turn people!” Harvey Greengrass snapped at him.

“I’ve not come across this law. Where is it written?” Harry asked in a ploy at politeness, but his words were steel.

He had combed through every magical creature law he could find for his reforms, and that piece of legislation had never come up, not in a single book. If it was a real law then it was a very well hidden one, but he was gambling that it wasn’t actually an official law written down into enforceable legislation.

“Who cares where it is written! These animals cannot be allowed the freedom to create more of their cursed kind!” Yaxley snapped.

“If it’s not against the law then no crime has been committed!” Harry answered, breathing deeply to control himself, especially after that Daily Prophet article, the last thing he wanted was to prove them right. He would not shout at the other members, no matter how much he might like to, he wouldn’t even raise his voice.

“Lord Potter-Black raises an excellent point.” Dawson spoke up, and Harry felt so relieved in that moment to find some form of support here in this room today. “I would like definitive proof that this is an existing law, and not just old prejudice at play.”

Runcorn held still for a moment, as if he wanted to refuse, but then he nodded sharply. He pulled a piece of purple memo paper towards him and wrote a short message before tapping it with his wand.

“We will take a short break.” He told them and immediately the tone of conversation that started up was angry, and louder than usual.

“Harry, I don’t think this is a debate that you can win.” Lucius told him seriously.

“It’s not a law.” Harry replied stubbornly.

“Regardless of that I don’t think anyone here will vote with you on this.” Xerxes tried.

“There shouldn’t be a vote, like there wasn’t when that wizard was caught trying to get into his wife’s bank vault. How can we vote on something if there’s no law against it?”

“I can tell you now that there absolutely will be a vote on this and it won’t go the way that you want it to.” Xerxes said seriously. “Harry, don’t debate this. Please.”

“I’d debate this even if I was on my death bed.”

Lucius and Xerxes shared a worried look, but Harry ignored them both. He was serious and he was going to debate his heart out, because an innocent person depended on it. There was no law about vampires biting others who had asked to be turned. He was certain of that because he would have assuredly come across it by now in his research of the creature laws. The woman, the supposed victim of this crime, had asked to be turned by her partner and was actually insisting on them not charging her partner. They had wanted to be together forever, and perhaps their circumstances might change later on in life, or after a few centuries, who could say? But that didn’t take away from the fact that right now their feelings were so strong that they wanted to stay together.
The room was tense and there was almost an electric charge to the air as angry whispers bounced back and forth. It only got worse when a purple memo flew back into the room, stopping all conversation as Runcorn took the piece of purple parchment and opened it up, reading it critically, a furrow appearing between both eyebrows on his forehead.

“Ladies and gentle, this meeting will now resume, it is two-fifty-three in the afternoon of Friday the twenty-first of November.” He all but snapped.

Runcorn didn’t look happy as he looked down and wrote something with sharp movements of his hand before looking up at them all. He could barely meet Harry’s eye.

“Lord Potter-Black is correct. No such law exists.” He said, a hint of anger to his voice.

“How can this be?!” Someone burst out angrily.

“The law is absolute that only those who are turned against their will, or attempted to be turned against their will, can be brought before the court. Given that the woman in question has formally stated that she asked to be turned, under the letter of the law she gave her permission for such a thing, and therefore no law has been broken.”

There was uproar, and people started shouting over one another, but Harry had known all along that this was not a matter of law, but of prejudice. Voldemort had ordered his followers to help in the Wizengamot to allow the magical creatures who supported him have more freedom to roam, but that apparently didn’t extend to when they wanted to ‘breed’ or in this case, create a new vampire.

“Her family were against it!” Rosier stated.

“The woman in question is thirty-four. She is an adult and capable of making her own decisions.” Runcorn stated, as if he’d rather not.

“Considering that she wanted to become a filthy bloodsucker, perhaps we could get her mental health tested? Perhaps we could make a case for diminished responsibility and follow her family’s wishes instead of her own?”

“That is unbelievably condescending.” Harry pointed out. “She isn’t a child to be treated as if the decision she’s made for herself is a matter of questioning her mental health!”

“You’re a child yourself, Potter!”

“You will not speak to my son in such a tone.” Lucius warned, cutting over Harry who had opened his mouth to reply, but instead he inhaled and sat back, allowing Lucius to handle this. “You will address him by his lawful title, or not at all.”

Vincent Rosier looked like he would burst a blood vessel.

“I will remind everyone here that civility will be kept.” Runcorn put in. “Lawful titles will be used where applicable at all times.”

Dawson raised a finger, just barely, but Runcorn turned to him.

“This body recognises Lord Dawson Shacklebolt and will hear him.”

“I am just wondering why this is still being debated when no law has been broken.” He said firmly. “We have already established that fact, so what are we actually debating here?”

“I believe we were debating the mental health, or lack thereof, of the alleged victim.” Yaxley cut in, sliding a sly look to Harry.

“I don’t believe that people are considered mentally ill just because they do something you don’t approve of, Lord Yaxley.” Harry said sharply. “This isn’t a question of mental health, or even concern, this is about bias and prejudice, which should have no voice in this room.”

“We cannot encourage this behaviour! It needs to be stopped, right now.”

“What behaviour is that?” Harry asked poisonously.

“Breeding! Creating more of those creatures!”

“That is also not against the law.” Harry pointed out.

“It should be!”

“But it’s not.” Dawson cut in. “Nothing that has happened, nothing we are being asked to discuss here today, has broken any law.”

“I believe we should still vote on this.” Philip Nott stuck his nose in.

“It isn’t a law to be voted on.” Harry said angrily.

“I insist upon it.”

Runcorn looked at all of them for a silent minute. Then nodded.

“We will vote on this.” He declared.

Harry felt his anger surge, but he tempered it back down. He couldn’t prove that article right. He had done too much to try and fix the damage done to his reputation to undo it all. Instead he shared a look with his only vocal ally, Dawson, and from that small look they both conveyed that they knew that what was happening now was illegal.

“All those in favour of doing nothing.” Runcorn called out. “Raise your wands.”

There were less than a dozen of them. Bill and Charlie also raised their wands, as did some department heads. It wasn’t nearly enough.

“All those in favour of execution.” Runcorn asked.

Harry had known he’d lost this, which is why he was able to sit stoically as a sentence of execution was ruled down upon a man who hadn’t broken any laws. What was worse in his mind was that both Xerxes and Lucius had voted for execution…they had voted against him.

“The vote is split in favour of execution. This body has made a decision.” Runcorn said, taking his time to select a coloured stick of wax, red this time, before stamping it with one of the dozens of seals before him, then tapping it with his wand, making the parchment fold itself up and then putting it in a tray before him.

Harry tried not to let anything of his thoughts or emotions show, as he was forced to remain where he was, knowing that people were staring at him, looking at him, watching him for a reaction. Those enemies he had made were trying to catch his eye, smirking, wanting to rub this defeat in. He could understand it from the young Giovanni, but many of these lords were over fifty and in Harry’s opinion they should remember to behave like it.
Harry had not been able to debate this issue, no one had been willing to listen to him. No laws had been broken, but there had also been no laws in place to protect the vampire in question. The Wizengamot had been able to pervert justice to their own will because of those loopholes. This was a learning experience for him…in his own reforms he would have to shore up those sorts of loopholes, and as terrible as it was, as sad as it was that an innocent man had just lost his life, this meeting today had shown him exactly what to look for when writing his own laws.

“All business is concluded.” Runcorn was saying. “Be sure to keep your rings on your fingers to hear of the next meeting.”

As easy as that they were dismissed, and Harry sprang to his feet and nimbly weaved away from Lucius and Xerxes immediately. He didn’t even want to look at them, let alone speak to them.
Instead he fell in with Dawson, who was with Danforth Longbottom, another of the ancients who had voted with him and Dawson.

“It was a hideous misuse of the laws.” Danforth was saying and Dawson nodded seriously.

“Lord Potter-Black, how are those law reforms coming?” Dawson asked him formally, catching sight of him and inviting him into their conversation. “If ever we needed a change in the laws, I believe this meeting has proven that it needs to be soon.”

“They aren’t ready.” Harry admitted, trying to squash down his rage and upset so much that it made his voice waver.

“Don’t let this meeting halt your progress.” Danforth told him, seeing through him immediately. “We all lose debates from time to time and it is not a reflection on you personally. Dawson and I both lost today as well.”

“It was a hell of a debate to lose.” Harry pointed out.

“Our opinions are noted down for all to see.” Dawson sighed. “If this ever falls back on the Wizengamot, we will not be held accountable for we tried to carry out our duties within the law.”

“Does it happen often?” He asked then, curiously. “The Wizengamot overruling existing laws for their own purpose?”

“It happens more now than it used to.” Danforth told him. “The old laws need to be reviewed and new laws need to be voted into place to stop miscarriages of justice like this from happening.”

“You conducted yourself very well.” Dawson told him, laying a large hand on his shoulder. “Danforth is right, don’t let this setback stop you from forging forward, you are the future of the wizarding world, you and your peers, not the ancient, crumbling men in that room. You can change this world, Harry, you just need to believe in yourself.”

Harry didn’t feel like he could do anything of the sort. He felt lost, cut adrift in the ocean. He was still new to all of this and when it felt like even his family were against him…what hope did he honestly have?

“I have to get back to school.” He said. “Please excuse me.”

They had made it to the atrium, and Harry went to walk to one of the free spaces to Apparate back to Hogwarts.

“Harry, a word.”

He turned to look at Lucius, stood with Xerxes. They had been following sedately behind, out of earshot, waiting for him to end his conversation. Harry wasn’t ready to see them, he didn’t want to hear any excuses.
He turned away and carried on.

“Do you not want to come home and see your mother?” Lucius asked quietly, but no one was listening to them, he could have said what he’d really meant.

Harry knew that Rabastan was likely at Malfoy manor. Perhaps his fiancé came over every time a meeting was called to see him for an hour or so before he went back to school, and Harry did want to see him, always. What stopped him was the thought of listening to him and Rodolphus discuss the meeting, the names he would be called for voting against the execution, he couldn’t listen to it, he didn’t want to hear it. Not from Rabastan.
So he turned around and carried on walking away from Lucius and Xerxes. He made it to a free spot and he went back to Hogwarts, his heart feeling too heavy, his mind feeling muddled and slow.
His room was too quiet, too still. He ripped off the Wizengamot robes and all the jewellery that went with it. He changed from the uniform he had underneath. He wasn’t in the right mind frame to deal with any of his lessons. He couldn’t think about anything else, other than the falsely accused vampire who was very soon going to be executed because of prejudice and not because of law.

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

Narcissa looked expectantly behind her husband, and then turned a frown onto him when Harry didn’t follow him through the door.
She laid a hand on Lucius’ chest to stop him from kissing her as he usually did.

“Where is our son?” She demanded.

Lucius sighed and patted her hand.

“He lost his first Wizengamot debate.” Xerxes explained.

“So why didn’t you bring him back here so that he could be reassured by his family?” Narcissa demanded.

“He refused to come, Cissa.”

“Why?” Rabastan asked. “Is he truly so upset about one loss? We knew the first would be difficult for him, but he is no child to throw a tantrum over such things.”

“No, he conducted himself in an exemplary manner for one so emotional and temperamental.” Xerxes sighed, sitting down. “I was proud of the way he handled his loss.”

“Then what happened?” Narcissa asked. “Why did he not return home with you?”

The two men shared a look, something passing between them, and Narcissa drew herself up, narrowing her eyes on both of them.

“I think that you had better tell me everything.” She ordered.

“It was the subject matter more than anything.” Lucius told her, lowering his head into a hand in a show of stress he didn’t usually allow in front of others.

“What could be so bad that Harry would not want to come home?” She asked, when Lucius refused to elaborate.

“He failed to save a vampire from execution.” Xerxes told her, after looking at Lucius, still with his head in his hand.

“Why would he want to save it?” Rodolphus immediately asked.

“You know the boy he is.” Xerxes waved off, and Narcissa grew angry on Harry’s behalf.

“Do not speak of my son in such a way in my own home.” She demanded of them both furiously.

“No offence was meant, Narcissa.” Xerxes immediately tried to soothe her.

“From your tone it was intended.” She said unrelentingly. “Harry is a wonderful person, and a better one than most! He will change this world, mould it to his intentions, I know it. He needs our support, not our criticism.”

She stared at all four men, all but glaring at them.

“Tell me what happened during this meeting.” She demanded. “Harry would have been upset to have lost such a critical debate, but he would have sought comfort from his family. There is something that you are not saying. I will not have secrets kept from me about my own child!”

The two men shared another look with one another and her patience wore thin.

“Lucius! Do not make me beg for details about my children.”

“He tried to debate to keep the vampire alive, Cissa. Knowing the other lords as you do, do you really believe that he would have won them around? That he ever could have? Nothing he said in that room would have changed their minds.”

“No, but nor do I think that Harry would have reacted like this if something else hadn’t happened.”

“It wasn’t a law.” Xerxes told her after a slight hesitation. “He was right, and the vampire hadn’t broken any law, so we should never have voted upon it, but there was a loophole that Runcorn exploited. Harry saw his first case of miscarriage of justice and I believe it left a bitter taste in his mouth.”

“More likely it has taken the wool from his eyes.” Rodolphus pointed out. “Before this he would have believed that justice and law would be fully upheld, and he has been proven wrong. He saw today that the Wizengamot can ignore laws and still vote for an outcome that is unlawful, and get away with it.”

“I wish he had come home, I could have comforted him.” Rabastan said, looking upset and angry.

Narcissa scrutinised him for sincerity and nodded to herself when she found what she was looking for. Rabastan meant what he said.

“He is an emotional boy.” Rodolphus said. “Let him have time to calm down first, then offer him a dinner date where you can see him. What were the details of this meeting? What had the vampire done?”

“He’d tried to turn his girlfriend.” Xerxes said in distaste.

“That is against the law, surely?” Rodolphus burst out angrily.

“It would have been, if she hadn’t asked him to do so. We received a sworn statement from her that it was what she wanted. Harry was correct that consensual turning isn’t against the law.”

“It should be.” Rodolphus growled.

“Harry put in a good effort, but it fell onto deaf ears.” Lucius said, shaking his head. “That was a debate he was never going to win. His only hope was that Runcorn upheld the law, but he didn’t. Barely a dozen people voted with Harry to stay the execution.”

“How did you vote?” Rodolphus asked suspiciously.

“With Harry, of course.” Narcissa cut in angrily, narrowing her eyes on Rodolphus.

The two men shared another look and Narcissa turned her glare onto them.

“You did vote with Harry. Didn’t you?” She said threateningly.

“It wasn’t going to pass through anyway.” Xerxes explained. “I felt that I couldn’t, in good conscience, vote to save a disgusting vampire.”

“Lucius…”

“I voted for execution.” Her husband told her and Narcissa despaired of them both.

“You said that the motion would have failed to pass regardless.” She said calmly…too calmly. “If you knew it was going to fall through anyway why didn’t you choose to support Harry?”

“That is why Harry didn’t come back here.” Rabastan said angrily. “It wasn’t because he lost the vote, it was because you didn’t support him!”

“What would you have done, Rabastan?” Xerxes asked him seriously.

“Nothing is more important to me than Harry. I would have supported him, given him something to hold onto, to comfort him, especially if I knew the vote was going to go against him anyway! All you have done is make him feel worse, more isolated from his family. He’s already fretting that he doesn’t belong and you’re making it worse.”

“When did he say as such?” Narcissa demanded.

“When no one thought to ask him if he’d fathered Parkinson’s baby and just assumed that he had from the letter sent. He admitted then that he felt like he didn’t belong. Don’t you see that this is only going to reinforce those feelings in him?”

Narcissa watched as Rabastan stood to leave. He was visibly angry and had only come to the manor to see Harry. Harry who was likely feeling so lost and alone that he hadn’t felt able to come home.

“Lucius. Harry is trying to become the Minister for Magic. How do you think he will fare if other people see you publically going against him?” She asked waspishly.

“I understand, dear.”

“Do not try to disarm me with platitudes.” She snapped then, turning furious eyes onto him. “Did you truly feel so strongly about this one case that you decided, even knowing that Harry wasn’t going to get the votes he needed to win, to salt his wounds also? Your own son!”

“I’m unused to tempering my vote for anyone else’s consideration, Cissa.”

“Don’t lie to me. You temper your vote for your allies and for the Dark Lord. You can easily do so for your son who desperately needed some support.”

She stood and glared down at the two men before her.

“If this destroys Harry, or his plans for the future, I shall not forgive you. Either of you.”

She left the parlour, intending to write Harry a letter. She would offer him her support so that he knew he wasn’t entirely alone. She would always be on the side of her sons and she was very pleased that Rabastan thought the same as she did and that he would be writing Harry his own letter. Having his fiancé backing him would go a long way to helping Harry over this obstacle.

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

Harry trudged down to the great hall for dinner, and only then because he wanted to collect his catch-up work from Draco. He went to the Slytherin table and found the blonde sat with Astoria.

“There you are!” Draco said, relieved. “Did the meeting really take so long?”

“You know I’m not allowed to discuss the meetings.” He said primly, sitting down.

Draco shot a look to the staff table, making sure everyone was up there, before turning back and whispering. “After dinner?”

Harry sighed and nodded. “I need to catch up on my school work anyway.”

“Homework club?” Blaise asked.

“Thankfully it is the weekend and you can use this time to catch up now.” Astoria told him.

Harry didn’t think it mattered as he was sure he wasn’t going to get much done anyway. He was too distracted and he was already wondering if the vampire had been executed yet. Had an innocent man already been killed just because Harry hadn’t been able to enforce the law?
He felt so naïve. How could he possibly think that he, a seventeen year old still in school, could change society? That he could write laws or reforms? He’d been an idiot. Not even Xerxes or Lucius were willing to support him.
He picked at his meal, not putting much on his plate and eating even less. He didn’t want to discuss the meeting, but when Draco said that he was finished, Harry dropped his fork and stood, done with the pretence of eating.

“You have my work?” Harry asked him.

Draco patted his book bag.
Harry nodded and led Draco, Astoria, Blaise, Theo, and Pansy up to his room. He was silent on the trip. Withdrawn. His mind was heavy with thoughts and he felt rather listless.

“Are you going to open the door or just stare at it?” Draco asked him in concern.

Harry blinked and only then realised that he’d stopped in front of the portrait that covered the door to his rooms. He threw a hand through his hair.

“Are you okay?” Blaise asked worriedly.

Harry just sighed as an answer and took out his wand, tapping the keyhole and letting them in. They automatically moved to his sitting area and Harry went to sit beside Draco.

“Here’s your work, Harry, but tell me what happened first. You’re…not yourself.” He said, his eyes widening. “Have you been slipped a potion?”

“No, Draco.”

“You would say that, though.”

Harry managed a weak smile. “It’s not potions. I’m just…I lost my first Wizengamot debate today.”

“Is that all?” Draco asked, his shoulders slumping in relief. “I know father has told you that everyone loses at some point. It’s unrealistic to expect to win every debate, Harry.”

“My loss saw an innocent man executed.”

“What?” Theo exclaimed, looking shocked.

“Merlin, no wonder you’re acting like this.” Blaise said, shaking his head.

“You know for certain that he was innocent?” Astoria asked, her blue eyes wide.

Harry nodded miserably. “I witnessed the Wizengamot understand that no crime had been committed, and then vote to execute him anyway.”

“I think you need to tell us everything that happened.” Draco said. “How can such a thing have happened?”

“Don’t the Wizengamot only execute magical creatures? Humans are usually sentenced to Azkaban.” Blaise pointed out. “The only exception is being sentenced to the Dementor’s Kiss, but that sentence is exceptionally rare. Not even the Lestranges got sentenced to the kiss. No offence to your fiancé, of course.”

Harry threw a hand through his hair and covered his face. He shook his head and looked back up at his friends. “He was a vampire, but it doesn’t matter. He still did nothing wrong. He hadn’t broken any laws. He was executed for prejudice and not for any crime committed.”

“But…why do you care so much?” Draco asked. “It was just a vampire.”

“Draco!” Theo snapped.

Harry stared at Draco, trying to control his anger.

“Do you not care at all that he was innocent?” Harry demanded. “Do you not care that he hadn’t broken any laws and was given a sentence of execution merely for existing?!”

Harry shook his head and stood, striding to the door.

“Harry, where are you going?”

“I’ve got to get away from here, away from you people.”

Harry shoved the door open and then slammed it shut. He let his anger carry him out of the castle and he hesitated a moment, wondering if he wanted to go and talk to Hagrid about this, but while he thought that Hagrid might talk to him about the wrongful execution, he didn’t want the load of pro-Dumbledore bullshit he was likely to get either. His feet changed course and took him to the Owlery.
Hedwig immediately fluttered down to his shoulder, nibbling his ear affectionately.

“Have I made a mistake, Hedwig?” He asked her softly. “I thought…I thought I could fit in, but I don’t. I don’t fit into the Pureblood circles any more than I fit in with the Dursleys.”

Hedwig gave a soft hoot and Harry smiled, lifting a hand to scratch at her head.

“I aimed too high. I thought I could be a law maker, that I could reform wizarding society, but I was just being stupid. They were just humouring me, probably laughing at me behind my back. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Hedwig hooted again and nuzzled into the side of his face.

“Where do I go from here?” He asked. “Who do I trust?”

Harry sat himself on the floor and just cuddled with Hedwig for a while, settling her into his lap and wishing he’d thought to bring some owl treats for her, but from the crunching bones underneath him none of the owls were starving.
His mind was still scattered, his temper not any better, when he decided he had spent enough time with the owls. Instead a dangerous thought took root. He needed advice and there was only one person he trusted to give him what he needed, but it would mean breaking school rules.
He shook his head. He’d never cared about school rules before he’d been adopted, he had regularly wandered the corridors in the dead of night, sneaking into the restricted section of the library, or onto forbidden floors, he had flown a thestral to London…his mind cut off and tried to backtrack on his thoughts of Sirius. He really wanted, needed, to speak to Remus.
He thought of Grimmauld Place and twisted on the spot, appearing in the basement kitchen and startling Remus so badly that Harry heard his teacup smash.

“Bloody…Harry?! Why aren’t you in school? What has happened? Are you okay?”

Remus fussed around him so much that Harry turned to him and started crying.

“Harry?!” Remus said more urgently. “What happened? I need you to answer if you are hurt.”

“I’m not hurt.” Harry snuffled, still clinging to Remus.

“Come and sit down, let me get you some tea.”

Harry was sat at the table and Remus bustled about getting more tea, waving his wand to clear up the broken china and the spilt tea from the floor.
Harry was given his cup and on the saucer was a chocolate bar. Harry had to give Remus a smile.

“Can you tell me what happened? Is it Aceline?”

Harry shook his head and dug his hanky from a pocket and wiped his eyes and his nose.

“Is it perhaps the Wizengamot meeting that happened this afternoon?”

Harry sniffed hard and nodded.

“I made a terrible mistake.”

“I’m told that you conducted yourself well. That you fought to save an innocent man. How can that be a mistake, Harry?”

“Not…not that.” Harry admitted.

“Then what?”

“Thinking I could be something I’m not. Thinking that I could be a law maker, that I fit in. I’m not like them.”

“The Purebloods have never cared for magical creatures, Harry. They will try to manipulate us and use us for all that they can, but they don’t care. You are nothing like them.”

“I’ve never felt so alone.” Harry confessed. “I was so naïve and I thought I could change everything and I can’t.”

“You are never alone.” Remus told him.

Harry swallowed hard and knew that he couldn’t even tell Remus of everything, because he couldn’t mention Rabastan, or Rodolphus. He couldn’t say how he felt adrift from his own fiancé, or his adoptive family.

“What have they said to you, Harry?” Remus asked him.

“It’s not that they said anything, it’s stupid, but they didn’t support me in the Wizengamot.”

“And you expected them to?” Remus asked him and Harry could hear from his tone that he too thought him very naïve.

“Family is supposed to support family. I spoke first. I cast my decision for all to see and they didn’t, so I expected them to vote with me, even if they didn’t debate to help sway others…but they didn’t.”

“And that broke so-called pureblood etiquette?”

Harry nodded. “It makes me feel like they don’t see me as family.”

“How can they, Harry?” Remus asked him. “They adopted you only a year ago. I know they’ve made you feel valued and cared for, but all they’ve done is use you, manipulate you into thinking they care and now that they’re getting what they want, they’re showing their true colours. I warned you not to trust them, there’s a reason that Sirius always tried to get as far away from them as possible.”

Harry felt even worse for hearing that and he wrapped his arms around himself.

“Eat some chocolate, Harry. Drink your tea. You’ll feel better.”

Harry reached out to take the chocolate and he nibbled on it, staring off at the wall.

“I don’t mean to make you feel worse, but it is the truth as I know it.”

Harry nodded and heaved out a sigh.

“Is the mistake you mentioned making trying to convince yourself that you could be Pureblooded? Or that you trusted them?”

Harry said nothing for a while, as he ate some chocolate then took a drink of tea.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m feeling or how to handle it. Remus, I’ve never had a family so I don’t know what’s normal. How do I know if they see me as a member of the family? How do I know if they love me like they claim?”

“The fact that you’re having these sorts of doubts, Harry, should be all the answer you need.”

Harry shook his head. “No, because I have never had a family. I don’t know, Remus. I don’t have any sort of model to base it off. I don’t know how normal families behave…”

“What about the Weasleys?”

Harry’s head snapped up and he stared at Remus. “Are you forgetting that they turned on me too? That they stole my stuff and destroyed it?! That they tried to destroy my Firebolt, the one gift I had off of Sirius?!” Harry calmed then, and looked back at the table top. “Maybe the problem is me.”

“There is nothing wrong with you.” Remus told him seriously, immediately.

“Remus, I feel like no one likes me.” Harry admitted.

“I do.” He said right away. “Harry, you do have people who love you, you need to calm yourself and look properly, and you’ll see it. You have so many people who want to help you, protect you.”

The only one Harry could think of was Rabastan. In that moment he just wanted his fiancé. The disparaging words Rabastan always aimed at house elves ran through his head and he closed his eyes. Rabastan likely wouldn’t have cared a damn about the vampire either, innocent or not.

“Are you seeking a way out of your adoption?” Remus asked him carefully.

“What does it matter?” Harry demanded. “I didn’t even know I was being adopted, Remus, I don’t have a say in it until I graduate.”

“But…we could protect you more if we knew, Harry. You could spend your holidays here, or at Hogwarts if you preferred. You graduate in seven months and then your decisions are your own.”

Harry shook his head. “Lucius can pull me from school whenever he wants.”

“If we knew you didn’t want to, or if you would be harmed, the Headmaster can refuse to allow you to leave the school. Are you being hurt or threatened at home, Harry?”

Harry laughed. He couldn’t help it. In all his years with the Dursleys, who were abusing him, no one had asked him that. Now that he was with a family who were caring for him and because they were Purebloods he was being asked what his home life was like. People expected the Malfoys to be hurting him, so they asked. No one had expected the Dursleys to be hurting him, so he had been left with them, but it was the other way around.

“Harry?”

He shook his head. “No. I’m not being hurt or threatened. Just…I guess I’ve gotten used to having an opinion, to being heard, and I feel like I’m not being listened to. I’m being made to feel like a stupid child who they’re just indulging. No one is taking me seriously and that…it’s annoying, but also upsetting.”

“If they ever hurt you, Harry, promise that you’ll tell me. Promise that you’ll come to me.”

Harry nodded. “I will, but I don’t fear them hitting me. I fear…maybe not even fear, but I worry that they see me as a curious little oddity. I’m not a Pureblood and no amount of pretending will ever give me that…mind set? Is it culture? Tradition? I don’t even know, but I’ll never be like them and I guess I just worry that they don’t understand me.”

“I am glad you aren’t like them, Harry.” Remus told him seriously. “You are James’ boy. Lily’s boy. I couldn’t watch as you turned into someone more like Lucius Malfoy.”

“That’ll never happen.” Harry said. “Remus, I’m not like them, I can’t be. Today only proved it. I know I’m stubborn, and headstrong, I have my own opinions, and it’s not so much that people have different opinions to me that bothers me, it’s that they don’t take my opinions seriously. Even now they think I’m just a child playing at being Lord Potter-Black.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a wonderful job.”

Harry smiled at that. He’d really needed to hear it.

“Thank you, Remus.”

“Now, does anyone actually know you’re here, or have you just left Hogwarts of your own volition? Remember that I know those rings on your finger give you the luxury of Apparating from Hogwarts grounds.”

“I…I just needed to see you.” He admitted. “I didn’t want to send a letter and asking you to come visit me at the school would take too long. I needed this now. I felt like I had no one else to turn to.”

“You can always come to me, Harry. Even if you are supposed to be in the castle.”

Harry grinned then, feeling better, a little lighter.

“If things start getting on top of you again, you can always come to me, you know where I am. You’re not supposed to leave the castle, but you are an adult now too.”

Harry threw a hand through his hair. “I’m hoping it blows over, that I get an apology and we can all move forward. I know I’m still in school, but you’re right, I am seventeen, I’m an adult. I need to feel like I’m being treated as such.”

“You know the best way to do that is to act like an adult…to prove them wrong.” Remus carried on quickly before Harry could angrily point out that he did act like an adult, and that sometimes it was all he could do to hold onto his temper in the Wizengamot meetings. “If they see you as a child, Harry, arguing with them won’t help, in fact it will make things worse and just reinforce that you are a child in their minds. Instead you have to behave like the adult you are, and then you can prove their opinion of you wrong. From what I’ve heard about your Wizengamot meetings that’s exactly what you’re doing too. You need to keep that up.”

“I’m trying, but I feel now that I was just kidding myself. I can’t do this, Remus. I can’t change anything.”

“You already are, Harry. You’re already changing things, and creating waves around you. People who say otherwise are simply afraid of what you might do to change what they have now. Remember that those who are benefiting from the way the laws are worded, or the skewed curriculums, the omitted history, of course they’re going to resist change, and they’re going to try to get you, or anyone else who threatens their way of life, to stop by any means necessary. You need to ignore them and you need to think instead of the people you could help with what you’re doing. Who are you going to help, Harry? Who will benefit from your plans and ambitions? Whose lives would be changed by your law reforms?”

Harry thought of the magical creatures, oppressed and living in poverty, and his wavering resolve steeled itself. He thought to his charities, one of which was directly dealing with magical creatures and their need for more legal rights. How could he even think of giving up when he knew how they were suffering?

“You’re right, Remus. I can’t stop now. I’ve already come so far.”

“I don’t think I’ve told you, Harry, how very proud I am of you.”

Harry settled and his emotions went from stressed, upset, and angry, to just calm. He could see things rationally again and he was glad to feel more stable, more normal.

“Was there anything else that you needed?” Remus teased.

Harry laughed, and wiped his face with his sleeve. “No, I need to get back before anyone realises I’m not only missing, but not in the school.”

“I suggest Apparating back to your room.” Remus told him with a mischievous smirk.

Harry snorted and nodded his agreement. “Yeah. I’ll see you soon, and…Remus, thank you for listening to me.”

“Any time, Harry. You should know that by now. You’re all I have left too.”

Harry stood and hugged Remus, feeling his heavy heart lighten as he was hugged back.

“Go on now, and make sure you’re keeping up with your homework.”

“Yes, Professor Lupin.” Harry teased.

Remus gave him a scolding look, and it was the last thing Harry saw before he Apparated back to his private rooms. He made sure to go to his bedroom, and he listened hard, closely for a moment, but he heard nothing. No one was out there, but even still he took a careful peek out.
His rooms were empty and he sighed in relief.
Harry went to put his kettle on the stove, boiling some water for a cup of tea. His talk with Remus had re-inspired him. He would work on his creature law reform tonight, before his doubts came surging back and halted any progress he made on it.
Draco had left his notes, and the homework he had to catch-up on, on the coffee table, and Harry pushed it all aside. There was a note there too, but he ignored it. Instead he got his law reform out and his stack of notes.
He wondered if he’d made a mistake with it, especially if his family all liked it so very much. He planned to go through it all again, paragraph by paragraph, from the very beginning, and he was going to need to filter it through the eyes of a magical creature. After all he was trying to write legislation that dealt with their lives, and not being a magical creature himself, none of these laws would affect him. Maybe he should have Remus read through it…or take it to the founders of the Coalition for Understanding Magical Creatures. That way he could have actual magical creatures read it through and maybe they would see something that humans would just completely overlook.
Harry made a note to do just that. He needed to make some time for his charities in the coming weeks anyway, certainly before December came around because he had Umbridge’s trial to deal with then. He was going to be removed from the Wizengamot for that, purely because he was going to be one of the main witnesses. He could only hope that without him there that Lucius and Xerxes actually voted to imprison Umbridge.
Feeling the edge of sadness coming back, Harry shook away those thoughts and went to make his tea. He had work to do on his reform. He didn’t care what anyone said, he wouldn’t give up, and he would make time to go to the magical creature coalition and ask them what sorts of protections they needed written into law. Even if it took him his entire lifetime, he was going to get the magical creatures the rights that they deserved.

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Harry stayed holed up in his rooms all over the weekend. He didn’t even leave for meals, instead he called Kreacher to bring him some small, light meals and he ate in his rooms. He ignored all knocking from his door, and after the first day he had silenced the portrait door so that he could focus on finishing his homework, and then, once that was done to a level that Harry was pleased with, he finished the work that Marcus had set for him, and only then did he move onto his law reform.
He had completely rewritten it, from start to finish, and in his opinion it was much better now, but only time would tell.
He was struggling through the translation of the ancient laws and customs book that he had been recommended to read, and he was honestly disgusted by some of the laws and practices still in use in modern society. He couldn’t wait to become Minister and start remodelling, or removing, some of them. If he could still climb so high in society with all of the setbacks he kept receiving that was.
On Sunday he received three letters, one from Lucius, demanding to know where he was, one from Narcissa, giving him endless praise and reassurance, and one from Rabastan.
After reading the letter from his father Harry assumed that Lucius had been one of the people around to bang on his door and due to the silencing ward, Harry had inadvertently ignored him. Harry rolled his eyes and wrote a quick, abrupt letter that he was at Hogwarts, in his rooms.
Harry turned to Rabastan’s letter then, and noted immediately that it was jerky and spiky with emotion, likely anger.
He was actually surprised, and touched, to find that the anger was on his behalf, and not as he’d assumed, due to him going missing, as Rabastan declared that he would have supported him during the Wizengamot, and didn’t approve of what Lucius and Xerxes had done to him. He was begging to meet him in person, at The Garnet Swan, on whatever day Harry found convenient. He sounded desperate, and upset, and Harry frowned.
He replied more carefully to his fiancé, he wasn’t angry at him after all, as apparently he had been wrong in his assumption that Rabastan would have done the same as Lucius and Xerxes, and he was feeling a little guilty over his thoughts for the last few days. He offered to meet Rabastan tonight. Knowing that he was friends with the owner of such a luxurious, fine dining restaurant, he knew that Rabastan could get them a private room at such short notice, if there was one available, of course.
It would take much too long to send the letters with an owl, and he didn’t want Narcissa, at the very least, to worry over him so much when he was safe and sound within his rooms at Hogwarts. That really only left one option, as he certainly wasn’t ready to face Lucius or Xerxes yet, especially not if they were angry with him for apparently ‘disappearing’ when he hadn’t.

“Pimsey.” He called out softly.

“Young Master!” She greeted the moment she appeared, her eyes filling with tears as she looked on him. “Master and Mistress are frantic.” She told him. “They believe that yous has gone missing!”

“I’m perfectly fine, Pimsey, and you may tell them so.” Harry told her gently. “Please give this to my father and this to Rabastan.”

Harry handed her both of the letters, and taking one last look at him, she bowed and then vanished.
Harry shook his head and tried to work out the complicated feelings that hearing that Lucius and Narcissa were apparently frantic after believing him to have gone missing caused in him. He wondered if Lucius had accused Dumbledore of spiking him with a potion, or just plain hiding him within the Black ancestral house. He hoped not. It was too soon for the Order to find a new headquarters when Kreacher was doing such an amazing job of spying on them for him.
He was more pleased than he could put into words that Rabastan apparently would have taken his side, would have supported him. It was exactly what he’d wanted, and needed. His heart throbbed with love and he smiled to himself. He hoped that Rabastan could get a reservation for them tonight.

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Lucius read the letter that Pimsey had handed to him in sheer disbelief, and he let out a shuddering breath.

“Well? Is it from Harry?” Narcissa demanded.

“It’s from Harry, or at least this is his handwriting.” Lucius told her.

“Does he say where he is?”

“He’s at Hogwarts. In his rooms.”

“Did he say why he didn’t answer the door to you?”

“He got angry at people bothering him, so he apparently put a silencing charm over the doorway.” Lucius explained, sighing. He felt so very old in the moment. Older than he physically was.

For two days he had been searching for Harry, after Draco had floo called him from Severus’ office to say that Harry had stormed out of his rooms and hadn’t come back after two hours, which was very close to curfew.
He had gotten the feeling that Dumbledore knew more than he had been saying and he had feared that the old man had slipped something to Harry and was keeping him away from him, or even away from the school. He would need to see Harry in person to know if such a thing was true or not. He couldn’t take Harry’s word for this, not when the letter was not at all formatted how Harry usually set out any of his letters.

“Has he agreed to meet with you, Basti?” Xerxes asked Rabastan.

“Tonight.” Rabastan nodded, still staring at his letter, but he had calmed significantly after reading it.

“Does he seem at all strange to you?” Lucius asked.

Rabastan shook his head. “No. He has taken the time to put the coloured bulletin points with each paragraph change for me and he is a little…abrupt in his writing, but I believe that to be because he was rushing.”

“Go and make sure that you can get a room for tonight, Rabastan. Then answer Harry back.” Xerxes ordered. “You’re going to need to be careful and warn Lawson that there might be a raid.”

“You think Harry has talked.” Rodolphus said, only then looking worried.

“How can that be with those runes carved into his throat? They are supposed to keep him safe!” Rabastan hissed.

“We don’t know where Harry has been, or what has happened to him.” Xerxes told them both sternly. “It might not even be a potion, but a curse, have you thought of that?”

“I’ll warn Milo.” Rabastan said. “He’ll want to be there just in case they raid his restaurant. He can cause enough of a fuss that I’ll be able to leave safely.”

“Be careful, Rabastan.” Rodolphus warned. “Should I come with you?”

“No, Dolphus.” He said, rolling his eyes at his protective brother. “If nothing has happened to Harry then you certainly won’t want to be there. If anything has happened, well, it’ll be easier to just get one of us out of the restaurant and not both of us. The first thing the Aurors will do is put up an anti-Apparation jinx and then they’ll storm the restaurant. That is only if anything has happened to him. It could be he is just angry. His temper is nothing to gently brush away.”

“You are insinuating that he is still angry with me.” Lucius asked.

Rabastan looked at him seriously. “Yes, I am. He needed your support and you didn’t give it to him. Knowing him as I do I would be very surprised if he isn’t still angry over it.”

Lucius sighed then, as he considered that Rabastan was likely right. Harry’s strange letter could be from his remaining anger, it didn’t mean that he was under the effects of a potion, or even a curse. Especially considering that Harry had answered Rabastan in his usual manner, just a little rushed.

“I hope that he calms down a little and sees fit to forgive me if that is the case.”

“I will see what he is thinking, what he is feeling, tonight.”

“Go and call Milo, Basti.” Xerxes chided. “You need to know he has a room free for you.”

Rabastan nodded and he finally left the room.

“We need to tell Draco that Harry has been found, Lucius.” Narcissa reminded him. “He has been very worried.”

“I will wait to hear if Rabastan can get a room and then I will call Severus.”

“I will send him a letter myself, now that I know he is safe.”

Narcissa gave him a hard look and Lucius knew that she was still angry with him as well. She had made her feelings on the matter very clear and she believed fully that he should have supported Harry, regardless of his personal feelings, and looking back at the meeting, he realised that he should have as well.
There was no way that Harry would have won, he’d tried to warn Harry of that during the meeting, but he’d thought of it as a learning experience for Harry. He’d warned him that he wouldn’t win every debate, that he wouldn’t get the outcome he wanted for every vote, so he had voted how he pleased, without considering how Harry would feel, how humiliating it was to watch himself lose a debate, lose a vote, and have his own father, and his future father-in-law too, vote against him.
It would not have changed anything if he had voted with Harry, he could have endured any snide comments made against him for his choice in vote from other lords, and Harry would have learned an even more valuable lesson, that he was loved and supported.
He cursed himself for his actions and for not seeing things from all angles, or at least for not considering them. He’d known that Harry’s first defeat would have hit him hard, there was no need to make that hit even harder by not showing some solidarity with him.

“Milo has a room free and he’s reserved it for us.” Rabastan told them. He already had another letter in hand.

“I will pass that to Severus if you wish.” Lucius offered. “I need to tell him that Harry is in his room, so that he can tell Draco.”

Rabastan nodded and handed over the letter and Lucius went to the floo to call Severus. He truly hoped that he could mend things with Harry, and fix his damaged self-esteem. At least Harry being angry with him was better than the alternative. He really did hope that Harry was just angry, and that Dumbledore hadn’t found a way to get him back under his thumb.

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The Guile and Devotion of a Black Heir