Before the Will Reading
“What of Mister Lupin? He has not yet arrived for the reading and hasn’t responded to the request for a meeting; do you wish to honor your godfather’s will even with him not in attendance?” Gold Kris asked as Harry morphed into his Lord Thorburn disguise, pulling up the hood of his cloak.
“Yes, let him keep the property and gold, but I won’t be attempting to contact him until he approaches me himself. This is twice now he’s caved to his self-pity or grief and abandoned me. I won’t allow it to happen again.”
“As you wish, Lord Potter.”
Harry nodded and headed to the room where the will reading would be held. Lady Malfoy and her son waited to one side with a man who was probably their lawyer. Andromeda, Ted, and Nymphodora sat one row away, Andromeda glancing at her former sister sadly. The Weasley group trooped in, out of breath moments before the time sounded, Molly scowled to see the Malfoys but thankfully let her husband pull her into the last row of seats without an incident. Any disruption of the proceedings could mean that any behests they would have received would be revoked, and they would be kicked out of the bank and refused entrance for a time.
He took a seat on the other side of the room and tried to ignore the looks he was getting from the Weasley clan. The twins sat a few seats away from the others, talking with Hermione; Harry heard that she’d arranged to meet with Gold Kris after this. Dumbledore sat in the front row, looking over the proceedings with an indulgent smile.
“If everyone will take a seat, we will begin.” Gold Kris said, entering through a door near the front podium. Another goblin brought in the recording orb that held the last official copy of Sirius’ will. “It was requested that Harry Potter and Remus Lupin be in attendance. Is there anyone to stand in their sted?”
“I will speak for both Mister Potter and Lupin. I have here the signed acceptance from Remus Lupin that I may accept the behests in his steed.” Dumbledore said, extending a sheet of parchment that was collected by one of the guards and brought to Gold Kris to be reviewed.
“Everything seems to be in order.” Gold Kris said, growling, “As Mister Potter’s magical guardian, you will be allowed to accept his behests. There will be silence while the will reading is played, any interruptions will call for the removal of the person and the forfeiture of any behests.”
Gold Kris reached forward with one long claw and tapped the orb, causing it to start pulsing with a red glow as a golden mist rose and slowly took the shape of Sirius, who looked out on the gathered group with a frown.
“We are ready to begin, Master Black.” Gold Kris intoned, glaring at the waiting crowd as someone coughed.
“Why is Harry not here?” the image asked with a frown, taking in the scattered groups.
“Dumbledore will be speaking for Mister Potter.” Gold Kris said with a sigh, “Please begin with the will, Mister Black.”
“Of course,” Sirius said with a nod in his direction before again scanning the room. “This is a personality imprint given by Sirius Black while he was sound in mind and body. If this is being activated, then I have passed on, I hope it was in the heat of battle, but if not, at least it wasn’t of old age, that burden was one I never wanted.”
“To Remus “Moony” Lupin, I leave Amber Cottage and 10,000 galleons. Use it to recover your health, Moony, and take care of Harry, he still needs someone to lean on no matter how grown up he acts," he said looking at Dumbledore with a frown.
“To Andromeda Tonks ne Black, I hereby reinstate you and your daughter to the Black family dependant on your oath being sworn to the current Head of House. The dowry refused to you has been returned to your vault, and a new vault has been opened for Nymphodora, hey, I’m dead you can’t kill me for it, Nymphy.” Sirius said with a wide grin, “The new vault contains a dowry price for you if you ever decide to marry.” The Tonks family nodded acceptance, Andromeda wiping at her eyes.
“To Albus Dumbledore, I leave two trunks. Take a long look at the contents and decide if you need to change your ways, Headmaster. There are copies of everything at a secure location. Should you ever expose your true motives, it will be sent to the proper people.” Sirius said, watching Dumbledore with a look of disgust.
“To the Lady Narcissa Malfoy ne Black, if you can prove that you and your son do not carry the Dark Mark, please wait until after the rest of the behests have been given out for your gift." she gave a regal nod to the image and settled back into her chair to hear the rest of the will.
“To Bellatrix Black ne LeStrange, you are hereby cast out from the Black House and Blood. You are declared Blood Traitor to House Black and its allies; any who shelter or give you aid will be cast from our alliances. Let no one offer you hearth or home, let the Black magic burn in your blood and remind you of your betrayal. The House Black declares Blood Feud on the House LeStrange, let any member challenge them in a duel to the death. Let no member survive while there is still Black blood.” The audience murmured in shock as the lawyer that had entered with the Malfoys rose and gave Gold Kris and Sirius a bow before departing. Sirius watched the gathered groups with hard eyes for a long moment before continuing.
“To Arthur and Molly Weasley, I leave you 1,000 galleons for taking care of Harry when I couldn’t.” Molly stifled a sob, dabbing at her eyes with a white handkerchief while Arthur soothed her with a solemn look. “I thank you for that care but ask that you stop smothering him. Harry has never been a child, that luxury was stolen from him when his parents died. Treat him as the man he is, or step aside.” Molly purpled at this, and only Arthur’s firm hand on her shoulder stopped an outburst.
“To George and Fred Weasley, I, Sirius Padfoot Black, leave 1,000 galleons and the notes for every spell and prank the Marauders ever created. The world needs more laughter and fun, keep up the good work.” The twins glanced at each other in rapture, mouthing, “Padfoot.”
“To Ginny Weasley, I leave 100 galleons as compensation for what you endured when the chamber was opened. I hope you’ve learned your lesson about trusting blindly in those who claim to be your friends. As Harry is not here, I will add one more bit of advice: leave Harry alone, he sees you as a sister, not as the love of his life.” Ginny turned red at this but fumed in silence.
“To Ron Weasley, I leave 100 galleons for standing by Harry’s side in first year. You need to get over your need for attention and glory before it gets you killed. Harry wants someone at his back, protecting him as he protected you, not someone bragging about things he doesn’t understand. Grow up and stand at his side, or step away before you get hurt.”
“To Hermione Granger, I leave 100 galleons for being Harry’s friend and helping him over the years. I was going to leave you access to the Black Library, but I think Harry won’t refuse you access. The only advice I can give you is this: I hope you’ve finally realized how mortal and human the people in authority are. The leaders and authorities you look up to so ardently are all too human and all too capable of mistakes. Take the blinders from your eyes and start asking the right questions.” Hermione frowned and settled back in her chair to consider what had been said.
“To Harrison James Potter. I leave everything else, all the Black properties, gold, and knickknacks that haven’t been given to others today. Maybe you can do something good with the lot. You’re a smart kid, Harry. Stop trying to hide and step into the light, Pup. It’s the only way you’re going to make it in the wizarding world.” The image gave a bow before dissolving into sparkles that quickly faded.
“The will reading is now complete. Please come forward to receive your behests.” Gold Kris announced, pulling out several letters and bags of gold to be dispersed.
“Excuse me, who will become Head of House Black?” Dumbledore asked as he collected two shrunken trunks and the paperwork for Remus and Harry.
“The Head of House has asked to meet with the family members privately. The announcement will be made at a later date.” Gold Kris snapped in irritation since the Headmaster was blocking the others from approaching.
“Of course, thank you,” Dumbledore said with a polite smile before heading to the door. The rest of the Weasleys and Tonks collected their paperwork and headed out, Hermione turning off and heading to the teller stands when they reached the lobby.
“Where are you headed to, Hermione?” Ron asked, hanging back.
“I wanted to open a vault; my parents are going to pick me up later, Ron.”
“So you won’t be staying with us? I was hoping to spend some time with you without Harry hanging around.” Ron pressed with a scowl.
“Not until the last week of summer. My parents want me to stay home. You can still write me.” Hermione said with a sigh, fighting her impulse to defend her friend when she knew it would just make the redhead blow up.
“Yeah, alright; I’ll see you later then,” Ron murmured, huffing when his mother yelled at him to hurry up. Hermione blew out a breath once she was in line, she couldn’t understand why Ron was being so insistent about her staying at the Burrow this year.
“Hello, I need to speak with Account Manager Gold Kris. I set up an appointment last week.” Hermione said, giving a polite smile to the goblin teller.
“Griphook, show this person to Gold Kris’ office.” The teller said, gesturing her to follow the goblin.
“This way,” Griphook said, striding off without a backward glance.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Thank you,” Hermione said, giving the teller a nod and hurrying after the retreating form of Griphook.
****
“Thank you for staying after Lady Malfoy. Are you willing to produce proof that you are not marked?” Gold Kris asked once the room was emptied.
“Will the inspection not be private?” Narcissa asked, eying where Harry was still seated.
“Lord Thorburn has a part in the gift being offered.”
Narcissa Malfoy silently took off her cloak, glancing at her son that he do the same. Harry had been surprised at how subdued the young man had been in the will reading. Normally, Draco would have been full of distaste at having to be in the same room as a Weasley; now, however, he looked pale and exhausted. They both exposed their arms, showing clear, unmarked skin and stood through the spells the goblins fired off.
“As you are unmarked, I can explain the true nature of Sirius Black’s gift.” Gold Kris said, gesturing Harry forward, “Lord Thorburn has been named the new Head of House Black.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Thorburn,” Narcissa said with a curtsey, Draco offering a short bow at her side.
“The pleasure is mine, Lady Malfoy. The offer I’m willing to extend will only be open while we are all in this room, the moment you leave, it will be considered rescinded.” Harry said, offering the two a seat.
“We understand," she said with a careful nod, taking a seat.
“There are options; I am currently in the position to annul your marriage to Lucius Malfoy and return you to the House of Black. If you accept this offer, you will be offered one of several properties that are heavily warded to live in sanctuary until the end of the war with the Dark Lord." she made as if to speak, and Harry raised a hand to stay her,
“Let me finish, please. Your son would be disowned from the Malfoy name and adopted as a full Black. He would be welcome to go with you to safety. There, he would be required to either continue his education through an apprenticeship or assist in the day-to-day work of House Black. I won’t have people staying idle without accomplishing something during their stay.”
“If you do not wish to annul your marriage or remove your son from the Malfoy family, I can arrange a safe house for you, but your options will be much more limited.”
“May I ask, what would you have done if we were marked?" she asked once it was clear that he was finished speaking.
“I would have offered to remove the marks and sent you into hiding. The world would think you dead until the war was over.”
“You can remove the Dark Mark?” Draco asked, his face pale as he clung to his mother’s hand.
“Yes, but I have strict vows that must be made for any Death Eater that asked that it be attempted.”
“Could we put you in contact with someone who wishes the mark removed?” Draco asked softly, unsure of his position in asking for a favor.
“If you mean your Godfather, Severus Snape, we are already in contact.” Harry offered, giving the boy a small smile.
“He is a good man, Lord Thorburn,” Narcissa said, eyeing her son with a concerned look.
“That I am coming to see, Lady Malfoy. The halls of Hogwarts are going to be much altered in the coming year.”
“I would like to rejoin the Black family, but I will not speak for my son,” Narcissa said firmly, stepping forward, turning to catch her son’s eye, hoping he understood her position.
“If I leave House Malfoy, what will become of Father? Will House Black declare Blood Feud?” Draco asked, waving away the restraining hand that his mother placed on his arm.
“It is a possibility, but I won’t declare feud while you are a member of that House,” Harry said firmly.
“While I don’t want feud on my father, I can understand it. Would it be House wide or just on him?”
“I have no quarrel with your cousins in France or the other members of your house. It would just be for Lucius.” Draco accepted this with a nod and subsided as Narcissa took over the questions.
“Will we be allowed to return to the Manor or our vaults?” Narcissa asked, mind running quickly through what they would need.
“You may visit your vaults, but I must ask that you stay within the safety of the bank or one of my properties until the House changes have been made.”
“Can we call for an elf to gather what we would need for the move?” Narcissa wanted to know exactly how they would be limited in their exile.
“Only if you are willing for that elf to be removed from the Malfoy House and to become a Black house elf.”
“You could do that? Without killing the elf?" she pressed.
“Yes.”
“Very well, Gold Kris, may I give you a list of what I would like removed from the Malfoy vaults? I have a limit on how much I may withdraw; I would like the maximum myself and my son can withdraw removed along with these items," she said, quickly scribbling down a list and handing it to the goblin.
“I will make sure it is done. Would you like the items moved to the Black vaults?”
“No, for now, please shrink what you can and place it in a storage trunk to go with us when we leave.”
“Call your elves and have them gather what you need,” Harry said, moving to the podium to sign the documents Gold Kris handed him. “We will begin once you have made your decision, Draco.”
“I’m ready to decide. I want to become a Black Lord Thorburn. I would like to apprentice myself to Potion Master Snape if he is willing.” Draco said firmly.
“Very well, both of you need to remove any magical items from your person. A curse breaker and healer will be coming to scan you for harmful potions or magic that have been placed upon you. Once that is done, you will both be going through a full magical purging ritual; when you have recovered, we will start with the change of Houses.”
“Is that truly needed?” Narcissa asked, even as she set her wand on a chair and started removing the jewelry she was wearing.
“Over one hundred former students of Hogwarts have been scanned in the last two months; all were under the effects of various controlling potions and spells. Call it paranoid if you must, but as your Head of House, I would like to see you clear of any personality-changing spells or potions before you make the final decision to join House Black.” Harry said firmly.
“Our answers will not change, Lord Thorburn, but we will submit to the tests,” she said with a small curtsey.
“Thank you, Madam.”
The rest of the day passed in a blur as both were tested, stripped of what spells could be removed, and then put through the magical purging ritual. Narcissa was only mildly affected. However, Draco was heavily spelled and would need to do a potion purge as well. Narcissa watched as her unconscious son was moved to the Healing Ward with a frown.
“Do we know who cast which spells?”
“In your case, we can’t say that some were not cast by your husband, but most of the spells and potions have been found on other students who attended Hogwarts in the last ten years," he said, handing her a list of the spells and potions they thought were coming from Hogwarts.
“Dumbledore?”
“At his order, even if it’s not always his hand applying the spells. He’s not the benevolent old man that he seems to delight in playing. He has far too much power for us to bring charges against him yet, but I have lawyers working on collecting evidence and making sure the case is airtight before it goes to trial.”
“Some of those spells are dark and only used when a wizard wishes to keep a slave." she said bitterly, “The Dark Lord was considering using them on muggles for a time.”
“They also work well to force people into being blind followers,” Harry said tiredly, not even the light was innocent once you got past the surface.
“You swear on your House that he will be punished?”
“I swear it.”
“Then, as soon as Draco wakes and is declared recovered by the Healers, we will change Houses.”
“I’ll have Gold Kris ready everything needed.”
“Thank you, Lord Thorburn. I will be in your debt.”
It was late that night when Harry stripped the last painful bonds from the two former Malfoys. He removed the bindings from their two personal elves and rebound them to House Black when they returned with several trunks of belongings earlier. Narcissa and Draco went through the House removal ritual before Harry accepted Narcissa back into House Black and bound her to the House magic using the ritual the House rings gave him.
Draco was blood-adopted into the House once he recovered from the pain of the Malfoy house magic rejecting his blood and removing its gifts. He was still pale and shivering when Harry bound him, and blood adopted him into the new House, yet he recited the required affirmations without an ounce of hesitation, the House magic rushing in to heal and fill the gaps that the Malfoy bonds had left.
“Welcome to House Black, Draco,” Harry said with a smile, clasping the gasping young man’s hand as he steadied him while he adjusted.
“The magic, it’s so much different than the Malfoy House magic,” Draco said, looking about the room, dazed. “It’s warm.”
Harry nodded, guiding the teenager into a chair, he could well understand that Black magic, with all its darkness and shadows, would be warmer than the icy briar he’d hacked through to release the two former Malfoys. The changes from the blood adoption would be more minor, but it would take a few days to show.
“I have a portkey ready to take you on to a safe house. You will be staying with Master Snape for now. If you wish a different accommodation, please let me know, and I can arrange it.”
“No, thank you. He is a dear friend. It will be good to see him.” Narcissa Black said with a truly happy smile, one she rarely ever showed in her former House.
Once Draco was recovered, Harry gave them both rings that would allow them to floo or portkey to and from the property, as well as alerting him if they became injured in any way. They portkeyed into the foyer, Harry calling for Kreacher once they arrived.
“How can Kreacher assist the master?” The house elf asked with a low bow before blinking up at the new additions to Harry’s House, “Lady Cissy? Master Draco?”
“Kreacher, Lady Narcissa, and Draco have joined House Black please see to their needs and help their personal elves get settled.”
“Yes, Master,” Kreacher said with a wide grin at having part of his former family back to serve. He gestured the two elves over and popped away with them to show them where they could rest.
“Let me show you to your rooms, please. I will inform Master Snape of your arrival in the morning.”
“It is late.” Narcissa agreed, gesturing for him to lead the way as she tugged her exhausted son along behind her.
Once they were both settled and the kitchen elves were preparing them a light dinner, Harry went down to the potions labs to check on the other resident. He watched the Potions Master for a time, waiting until he was at a point where he could stop in his brewing before interrupting. The dour man looked utterly transformed, his clothes and hair clean with his hair pulled back in a short tail, much like Harry preferred. Instead of his normal dark robes, he wore only a leather apron over a high-collared white button-down and waistcoat.
“Pardon the interruption, Master Snape,” Harry said, easing into the room as Snape started bottling the contents of one cauldron. The other three simmered away, waiting for the next step in the brewing process.
“Lord Thorburn, please come in. How can I assist you so late?” Snape asked, his hands continuing the careful decanting before starting to seal and label each vial.
“I ask your pardon for arriving without notice however, you have a few more guests that will be staying for the foreseeable future. Narcissa Malfoy and her son, Draco, have rejected House Malfoy and were welcomed into House Black.”
“Narcissa is here?” Snape asked, pausing in shock for a long moment before he started back at his task.
“They are both exhausted from the change of Houses. They went through a magical purging ritual, and Draco will need to go through a potion purge later this week. I was hoping you would assist with brewing the necessary potions?”
“Of course, I will see to it myself.”
“Thank you.” Harry said with a nod, “Will you be comfortable with them staying here, or should I arrange different accommodations for them?”
“No, no, they’re most welcome. Narcissa and I are friends from school, and I’m Draco’s godfather.”
“Good, I merely wanted to offer. Please let me know if there is anything else you need.”
“Thank you, Lord Thorburn, for taking them into your care,” Snape said slowly as Harry started to turn away. “Thank you. Few would have been willing to look past our House and past, much less allow us to take shelter in your House.”
“I don’t like to judge a person by anything other than his actions. What House you were placed in as an eleven-year-old doesn’t show the true strength of that person as an adult.” Harry said, voice firm.
“May I ask, were you ever sorted?”
“I was once told I would do well in Slytherin however since I was home-schooled, I doubt we will ever know for certain.” Harry offered with a slightly bitter smile, without Dumbledore’s manipulations, he would have grown up next to Draco with Snape watching over his every move.
“Of course. Don’t let me keep you up any longer; you look like it’s been a long day.”
“It has. Have a good night, Master Snape.”
“You as well, Lord Thorburn.”